Maybe this wasn't the smartest idea Nadja ever had—going out on a vampire hunt without a slayer—but so far Daniel hadn't said anything against it, so it really couldn't be that bad, could it?
"You normally find newly risen vampires in cemeteries anyway," Nadja spoke up as she gripped her stake in her hand, swiveling her head from left to right, keeping sight on her surroundings.
"I don't remember asking that, but I am nonetheless glad to hear it," he replied with a nod of his head. "I have not been out on my own since that night I met Beth and her father in the woods. I've come to find I really enjoy the company."
"An accompanying slayer does have a nice feel to it," she admitted. So, okay, movie night had been boring. Daniel only liked documentaries or really obscure sci-fi with bad effects. She had wanted Princess Bride and had figured that with Beth around, 2-to-1 was a win by way of democracy and she'd get her movie. But no, Beth had important "slayer" business and so she'd been stuck with a 1-to-1 and that split didn't do anyone any favors. So, instead, she opted to go out and do some patrolling (she'd long since stopped reading that Vampire Safety Handbook since she met Beth), maybe stake a couple of vamps and have an overall productive night.
"Well, I simply meant having anyone, but yes, a slayer does have a stronger sense of safety to it," he agreed.
"Lookie here what wondered into our graveyard." Nadja and Daniel whipped around to see two vampires sauntering over to them, grinning from ear to ear. "And not a slayer in sight. What happened? Lose her or something?"
"No," Nadja replied shortly, raising her stake in an attempt to look menacing. The vampires didn't even glance at it, not concerned. They obviously didn't know that she hit her targets nine times out of ten, and ho boy, were they in trouble.
"Course not," the other vampire said with a chuckle. "Slayer's elsewhere, isn't she? A bit tied up."
She frowned. The way he said it made it sound like a play on words. "What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.
The vampire shrugged, grin widening (quite a feat). "Nothing much really. Just that I wouldn't expect to be seeing her around here anytime soon. James'll take care of her."
"James handles everything," the other vampire affirmed, always the devoted groupie.
Nadja and Daniel exchanged looks, now very concerned about Beth's location. She said she was going to talk to Charlie, but that didn't mean James couldn't have intercepted her on the way there.
"So, she's with James then?" Daniel asked for clarification, keeping his voice calm.
"Just might be so," the vampire replied enigmatically, meaning yes.
"We need to get Buffy and Spike," Nadja murmured to him.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere," the vampire told them, taking a step closer. "This is where your road ends."
The vampires lunged at them and Nadja jumped back, stake raised to chest level. One grabbed her around her waist, swing her around. She held onto her stake though, trying to swing around to drive it through the vampire's chest. He was having none of that though, holding her tightly to keep her from wriggling too much. She did kick him where it counted though and he was dropped her from the sheer force of her kick (plus, she was wearing boots. Boo-yah).
Just when he reached for her again, he went poof like dusted vampires do and Nadja blinked as the dust settled on her and around her.
"We need to move quickly," Daniel said, grabbing her hand and helping her up. She looked at him in wonder, wondering when exactly he got so good at vampire slaying. "Beth is in danger and if James is as old as we may think, we need all the fighters we can summon."
"Did you—?" she asked, looking around at the vampire-less surroundings. There had been two and now there were none.
"Yes," he replied shortly, already pulling her toward the street.
"Are you secretly a girl?" she whispered, sure he was actually a slayer and not whoever he claimed to be.
He smiled at her, obviously finding that funny. "No, not that I've yet discovered," he told her, dragging her toward Beth's house. "Now come on. Beth needs us."
-.-
James studied Beth almost fondly. Well, more like the dress, she supposed. He wasn't exactly looking at her, was he? She could only wonder what he was thinking about; the dress was old looking and likely not a remake.
"I must admit, you wear the dress better than the others have," he commented. "White suits you."
Agree to disagree, in Beth's opinion (black suited just about everyone). And also ew. Who else had worn this dress? Exactly how many women had he done this to before? She was starting to think he had really high standards when it came to women, going through them like Kleenex. Something told her he had never been satisfied with his results.
She thought for a moment she saw something dark flicker across Charlie's face as he looked at James, but it passed so quickly she couldn't be sure. Besides, the rope was finally slacking and she really didn't have the time to waste mind power wondering what sort of jerk Charlie was (a real jerk. The ultimatest). She finally slipped her wrists out of the rope and as soon as she felt it slide off and drop to the floor, she launched herself at an unsuspecting James.
He looked taken aback as she tackled him, and Charlie jumped back in well-timed surprise as she delivered a blow to James' stupid face. While she was nowhere near her usual strength, she wasn't as weak as her mother had once explained it. Buffy had barely been able to scooch a lamp, let alone beat an enemy. But Beth still had some reserve strength, enough to put some power behind her punch. His head actually reeled back and smacked against the granite floor with a satisfying crack, much to her absolute pleasure.
Her pleasure was short-lived though, as she might have had her skill, but so did James and he had strength to outmatch her. He quickly overcame her, flipping them over so she was the one struggling against the ground as he straddled her, grinning menacingly.
"Thought you could overcome me?" he hissed, delivering a harsh blow across her face. He hit her again and she felt her lip split open and begin to bleed. Not something a slayer ever wanted to do in front of a vampire and she began to struggle anew as he leaned down to suck the blood into his mouth. She didn't give him much of a taste, as she quickly bit him, making him jerk his head back in anger.
"Little bitch," he snarled, hitting her again, so hard her vision went white for a moment.
"Fuck you," she spat, getting her knee loose enough to dig it into his stomach. He only grunted, using his own leg to hold her down.
"Charles," James grunted, "get me another one of those needles. Seems our slayer here needs a little extra dose."
Charlie did as commanded, walking across the room to a table. He opened up a small box on top of it, pulling out a vial and a needle. He stuck the needle into the vial, pulling the liquid into the syringe. When he handed it over to James, he stuck it into her arm, holding her still as he did so. Beth could almost feel the liquid moving through her and she began to panic as her body became limp without her control. She could almost feel her heart stutter and she was gripped with panic. She didn't know what another dose would do to her so soon after the first one and it looked like she might not live long enough to be turned if her heart went out due to the muscle relaxant. Boy, wasn't that a way to go? Maybe she'd find it funny how she'd foil James' plan regardless, but she wasn't exactly keen on the idea of dying. Didn't exactly inspire chuckles.
"Now," he began, throwing the needle across the room and standing up. "That was uncalled for, Elizabeth." He picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Her head lolled forward so at least she didn't have to look him in the face, though it did make it harder for her to breath, something she was already struggling with now. She felt her body sway as he walked her back over to the seat. When he tried placing her in it though, she only slumped down, unable to properly sit. It was his fault anyway, giving her another dose of that muscle relaxant, but she couldn't get the muscles in her face to work enough to throw him a glare. Hopefully he saw it in her eyes.
Unfortunately for her though, he wasn't looking her in the eyes. He was looking at her though, this time with a frown. He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Take her to the lounge chair by the wall."
It was Charlie this time who picked her up, carrying her with more care to her head. "Sorry," he murmured low enough that even with his enhanced hearing, James wouldn't hear it. He placed her gently down on the love seat, carefully placing her to she wasn't uncomfortably positioned. She still wanted to yell her lungs out at him and hit him a couple of times, even still when he moved away and she saw an almost regretful look in his eyes. She didn't know what was up with him, but right now, she wasn't in the mood to get an answer before she turned him into a dust cloud.
"I'll have to punish you for that," James told her coldly. "Attacking me. Very rude. But don't worry, I'll do it after I turn you. That way, you might actually like it a bit."
She was sure her heartbeat and breathing would have picked up if it could have. He seemed to sense her distress though, as he trailed a comforting hand down her cheek.
"Don't fret," he told her. "I understand you're unhappy about the extra dose, but that's what happens when you attack me. You brought it upon yourself, really."
He turned to look over at Charlie, who was standing a few feet away. "Are you ready?" he asked him. "I know you've obeyed the rules up until now, but I won't punish you for it this time. You drain her and I can have her drink from me, and then soon we'll add another Cain to the fold. I hope it overrides the Aurelian."
Charlie nodded hesitantly, now unable to take his eyes off of Beth. "Yeah, ready as I'll ever be."
-.-
Nadja and Daniel sprinted up the walk toward the Summers' household. And even though Daniel had the longer legs out of the two, it was Nadja who got their first, banging on the door with much vigor.
Spike opened up the door, looking tired and ready to tell them to "piss off." He'd already had the words forming on his lips when Nadja breezed past him right into the foyer.
"Where's Buffy?" she cried, looking around the house frantically. "Buffy!"
"Quiet!" he hissed, "She's asleep. I was asleep."
Oh. she had forgotten how late it was. On top of that, because Beth was supposed to be staying with Nadja, they hadn't expected Beth to come home. They didn't have a clue.
"James has Beth!" she blurted out, throwing her hands up in the air.
He blinked, his mind sluggish from sleep. Also Nadja talked too fast for her own good sometimes. "What?"
"What's with all the racket?" Buffy asked grumpily from the second floor. She glared down at the party going on at the base of her stairs, annoyed. Her beauty sleep was being interrupted and so this better be good.
"We have reason to believe James has Beth," Daniel explained in a much calmer and slower voice than Nadja had used. "We ran into a pair of vampires in the graveyard and they were taunting us, telling us that Beth had been taken by James."
"What were you doing in a graveyard?" Spike questioned.
"Hunting vampires," he answered.
"Hello? Did you not hear us?" Nadja yelled. "Beth. Is. With. James. James. Old, evil vampire, remember?"
He sighed, looking up at his wife. "Seems she got into her head that she could take 'im on."
"Guess she found his hide out," Buffy muttered. "I swear, I'm grounding her for life after this. Who does she think she is, taking him on by herself?"
"Give us a mo'," Spike asked the two. "Got to change."
"I don't know if we have a moment," Daniel admitted. When both adults looked at him, he continued. "I don't know if Beth explained to you, but I can sense things about people sometimes. Something now is telling me she did not seek him out and she is not with him willingly."
"She lied about going to movie night with us," Nadja explained. "She got a note from Charlie saying he had something important to tell her about James, but I don't think she ever met with him. I think James might have come and gotten her."
Buffy's expression hardened. "So she lied to us? I told her it wasn't safe! I told her!" She turned on her heel, storming back into the bedroom to quickly throw her clothes on. If James was as old as he might be, even Buffy would have had trouble taking him on her own. And now her headstrong daughter was there? Sometimes the gods did not look favorably upon her.
Spike headed up after her, equal parts concerned parent and freakin' pissed parent. He knew Beth could hold her own, but up against such an old vampire? She'd never done it before! Well, she'd trained with him, but that was different. He was different. Maybe he was strong and had a lot of skill, but a vampire just fought differently by nature. It was how it worked.
Nadja listened as both Buffy and Spike moved about their bedroom, preparing to retrieve Beth. "What kind of feeling?" Nadja asked, turning toward Daniel.
"It's not a clear thing," he explained, "but it's not good. It's intense and she's not close, so it shouldn't be this strong." He paused, swallowing. "She's terrified. She's in trouble, more than I think Spike and Buffy realize."
Beth, terrified? That wasn't right. "Is she going to be okay?" she asked is a small voice.
"I wish I could answer that for you, but I can't tell," he replied somberly.
"If something, you know, badder, does happen to her, will you know?" she inquired.
If he knew what she meant by "badder," he didn't say. He only leveled her with a cautious gaze and she decided maybe she shouldn't ask questions she didn't want to hear the answer to.
Buffy and Spike came back down the stairs shortly afterward, dressed and ready to take on the vampire. Spike was wearing his leather duster, surely a sign he was ready for a fight. Buffy went about the house, collecting weapons, grabbing her slayer scythe along with it. Nadja had never seen the woman use it, and Beth had explained it was only used in very important (dire was what she meant) situations. Nadja hoped this wasn't one and Buffy was only playing it safe.
"You'll grab Beth while I distract James, got it?" she told her husband and he nodded, swinging a sword up on his shoulder. She turned to look at Beth's friends, still standing in the foyer. "You two play it safe and watch for extra vampires, okay? Something tells me James likes an entourage."
"Oh, he does," Nadja piped up. "He likes big stuff."
"We need to figure out where he is," Spike said. "Do you think Charlie found where he was hiding out and told Beth?"
"Maybe, if she ever made it to him," Buffy said.
"We could ask my grandfather," Nadja suggested. "He might still have James' address, assuming he moved back into the same house."
"Gramps has it?" Spike asked in disbelief. "An' we've been wanderin' where it is for how long? He sure didn' mention this to Andrew!"
"Grandfather doesn't like to bother James," Nadja explained. "Up until now, he's been more of a benefit than a harm."
"Well, that's gone an' changed," he muttered. "Right. Get in the car an' call 'im up. James is likely campin' it out in one of those lake houses anyway. We'll head that way."
"Okay," she said, pulling out her phone. They all left the house, piling into the car. Thankfully her grandfather kept late hours and he picked up on the second ring.
"Hello, Nadja," her grandfather greeted, sounding surprised to hear from her.
"Hi Phuro," she chirped, trying to sound normal. "Hey, um, I was wondering if you had the address for the last place we knew James was staying?"
There was a long pause. "May I inquire as to why?" he asked.
"Well, you see," she stalled, not having thought this far ahead. In her plan, she already got the answer. "Um, Beth's mother wants to know where he is. As a slayer, she's got to be aware of all the local vampires, especially one like him."
"I do not want to cause trouble with him," he warned. "He has more use to this town alive than dead and I do not wish to upset the fragile peace between him and us."
"Well, you see, he might have already caused some trouble," Nadja explained. "With Beth."
Another pause. "I see."
"I got the address," Nadja piped up as she put her phone away. "It's a big, old looking house with a huge gate in front of it. He said we shouldn't miss it. He also stated that James might have moved since then, so to not be disappointed if it's the wrong place."
"'M already disappointed as it is," Spike muttered as he turned onto a street. "Got to fetch my wayward daughter, don' I?"
They pulled up in front of the house moments later, after a short yelling match between Spike and Buffy when he had taken a wrong turn, claiming that she was the one giving him the wrong directions, but she was just reading it from Google Maps, so it was his stupid fault for not listening correctly, and on it went for several more moments before he pulled onto the right street and their journey continued.
Nadja's grandfather hadn't been wrong about the house. It was hard to miss. Out of all the other houses on the street, this was easily the largest, not to mention the oldest looking. While most homeowners had taken to updating parts of their houses, this one had not done so. Good sign of a vampire, really. They didn't even update their clothes.
The lawn and foliage were well taken care for, suggesting someone lived there, even if the house was dark. There were two cars parked out front though, very sleek and rich.
"Ugh, what is it with vampire and mansions?" Buffy asked in disgust, stepping out of the car.
"Wouldn't know," Spike replied, joining her outside.
"Oh right. Hole in ground," she remembered and he grumbled to himself.
"How do we get in?" Nadja asked, eyeing the tall metal fence. "He might also have some of those fancy sensors that have silent alarms. Can we get in undetected?"
"Thought maybe we could start somethin' quick," Spike suggested, elbowing Buffy, who only rolled her eyes at him.
"We want to be sneaky," she told him. "Element of surprise. I know you're not good with the patience, but I need you to try this time. We'll come in from the back."
"What about potential sensors and silent alarms?" Nadja asked again.
"We hope those don't exist."
Well, she was the slayer, Nadja supposed. Not like she had any experience to argue the woman's point. So backyard it was.
The group snuck around the fence, not seeing anyone moving about. There were only two cars out anyway, so occupancy was likely low. It was silent too, and Buffy was beginning to wonder exactly what sort of trouble her daughter had gotten herself into. Nadja and Daniel hadn't exactly been brimming with answers, not even sure when Beth had been taken. Also, did her daughter make it a habit to get kidnapped? What was this, the fourth time? Buffy was going to have to give her a stern talking-to about watching her back. She'd never gotten kidnapped these many times. Maybe the enemies were just switching up tactics.
There was a small gate on the back fence, unlatched and partway open. Buffy thought that was a bit arrogant of the guy, but maybe he really did have the town under control, leaving him sure enough to leave gates unlocked. They all snuck into the backyard, Nadja only admiring the pool for a second before remembering why they were here. They all hurried up to the courtyard, seeing an entrance into the house. If they were lucky, he kept his doors unlocked too.
"I do believe we have some intruders," a voice noted and they all spun around to see a vampire standing in an archway, looking at them with indifference. "I take it you are the other slayer?"
"I am," Buffy replied, holding her chin high. "And you are?"
"Alecto," he responded, his monotone voice never changing. "I am a companion to James, accompanying him on his travels and doing his bidding as asked. And I do not think he would like you to ruin his ceremony this evening. He has been planning it for quite some time."
"Too bad I don't care what he thinks," she spat, brandishing her weapon.
"What ceremony?" Spike piped up.
"The end of one life and the beginning of another," Alecto explained.
"The what now?" Nadja asked.
"Turning," he explained. "James' gonna turn Beth."
"You can't turn a slayer," Buffy spat. "Much less Beth. She'd fight tooth and nail before she let that happen."
Alecto actually smiled. "From what I was told, she hasn't gotten much fight left in her. Seems James simply took it from her."
Spike looked bewildered. "What—"
"I don't know," Buffy interrupted, "but we need to move quickly."
Figuring this was good a time as any, Daniel tossed a rock he had picked up, shattering one of the large potted plants hanging beside Alecto. He hit it square on, shattering the clay and making dirt and plant rain down upon the vampire. Seeing their cue, Spike and Buffy darted for the door as Nadja turned the loaded crossbow on the vampire, who moved out of the way only seconds before the dart made purchase in the wood that had been where Alecto's head was.
"Feisty human, I see," he noted coldly. "Unfortunately, as decreed by treaty, I am unable to hurt you. But they are not bound so."
At his words, several more vampires stepped out from the shadows, circling Nadja and Daniel. They weren't as well-kept as Alecto, and Nadja suspected they were vampires from the other clans, who were not a part of the treaty.
"So James is Luther," Nadja muttered, a sinking feeling in her stomach. They'd all suspected, but now she knew. And right now, Beth was in the belly with the beast, with Spike and Buffy unsure of what they were getting into. This was going to be a fight to write home about, of that she was certain.
In the house, Spike and Buffy moved silently down the hall, hearing nothing. It almost seemed unoccupied, but they didn't feel that to be true. Alecto had been sent to hold them off for a reason after all (unless he just liked making empty threats like that; made him feel all important).
The house was dark too, making it hard to see anything. They passed by what looked like a dining hall when they heard voices murmuring. There were three of them, all male, though neither Buffy nor Spike could make out the owners. There was a shouted response before a door opened and shut, followed by someone running down the hallway. Spike and Buffy ducked into the dining room, and the vampire brushed right passed them. Buffy only caught a glimpse of him, but she thought she recognized him. From what she had seen, he reminded her of one of the many oil paintings Vincenzo had on his wall.
"Make sure they keep careful eyes on the slayer!" one of the voices shouted down the hall. "And Charles, go help! Keep the slayer distracted, but don't kill her. Or William, unfortunately. We'll continue this once they are dealt with. Meet me up North, at the condo. I'll take her there."
There was no response, but whoever Charles was, he must have listened, as he breezed down the hallway again. There was the sound of someone grumbling and then two doors shut—the one they had come in through and another one down the hall from them, likely where James and Beth were.
"Think he's Luther now?" Spike asked, almost casually.
"He's certainly about as high up on my list as that guy," she muttered, heading down the hallway again. Soon they came upon a door where light was spilling out from underneath. No one was talking, but there were sounds of someone moving, shuffling things around.
Always liking to make a grand entrance, Buffy kicked open the door (besides, the time for sneaky entrances was over. James already knew they were here). Over by a table, James jumped up, whipping around to look at them with surprise on his face. Obviously, he hadn't realized they were already in the house.
Buffy gaped. It was Jacob. James was Jacob who might also be Luther. Would this identity crisis never end?
"Hello Mrs. Summers," he greeted with a smile. "I seem to have made you speechless. Quite a feat, considering all I've heard of you. Tell me, does Elizabeth get her incessant need to talk from you or your husband? Sorry, I honestly didn't keep up with Spike like I did you. I don't care much for him."
"How did you—? How could you have—? You were in my house!" she exploded, trying to figure out how this had escaped her. Beth had been dating a vampire (like mother like daughter, good lord). No wonder she broke up with him.
He rolled his eyes. "Question of the day," he muttered. "A spell, you dumb bitch. I had a spell. A simple concealing charm. I'm surprised your little witchy roommate didn't detect it. I hadn't calculated her into my plans, but then again, it seems it didn't matter. She didn't even notice."
"How did you get into my house?" she demanded.
"You let me in," he reminded her in exasperation. "For a slayer, you should know better than to let people into your house with a 'come in.' Rather naïve of you, really. Do you trust everyone your daughter brings home?"
With a growl, she launched herself at him, swinging her slayer scythe. He only laughed, jumping back from her attack. "This is what my brother feared?" he laughed. "I always wanted it. I dared them to send a slayer after me!"
"You're Luther," she spat, taking another swing at him.
He sidestepped it, still not attacking her. He had no want to violate the treaty. He didn't need Vincenzo breathing down his neck again anyway. "So glad you've caught up. I was afraid we'd be forced to take time out our day for me to explain it to you."
He only kept up defense, even as her blows became increasingly more violent. She wanted to take his head off; he only needed to hold her off long enough until one of the other vampires could come in and take them on herself. He didn't know who was distracting them outside, but he hoped they'd finish up soon enough. After all, the strongest of the group were with him right now.
Busy with Buffy, James paid little attention to Spike. He hardly found the ex-vampire worth his time anyway (what sort of self-respecting vampire became human anyway? And work with a slayer? Pitiful, he always knew it. The Aurelians were pitiful). Good for Spike, since it meant he could put his undivided attention toward locating Beth. Which he did easily, since she was splayed out on a couch against the wall. He quickly made his way over to her, fear seizing him when he realized she wasn't moving.
When he got closer though, he realized she was awake, just unmoving. He didn't know what sort of paralyzer James had used, but he hoped it was something that would wear off quickly. If Beth could fight, that'd do them a lot of good.
"You alright?" he asked when he kneeled down next to his daughter, worry written all over his face.
"Dad," she mumbled, her lips barely moving. She looked lax, sprawled out over the couch in that god-awful dress (Something he was sure she was screaming internally about).
"Bastard got you real good, didn't he?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to see that Buffy was still attacking James. "Do you know what with?"
"Needle," she breathed, trying to raise her hand to point at the table. She couldn't though, only able to limply flop her hand by her side. God, she really hated this. She had just been about to be bitten when her parents came storming in, throwing James' plans to the wind. She wanted to explain to her father about the muscle relaxant, but that was too big a word for her non-responsive muscles.
"Needle?" Spike repeated and he caught the barest of a nod.
"Cruciamen," she said incomprehensibly.
"Crushed men?" he asked, trying to suss out what she was attempting to tell him.
"Tess," she breathed. "Mum. Tess." She could see it in his eyes he didn't know what she meant by that, though by god did he try. She'd give him credit. Her words were coming out in a slur and he oftentimes looked confused about things she said when she spoke clearly.
It seemed he finally caught on—or maybe he was now just seeing the urgency of the situation—and he picked her up off the couch, careful of her head. She had heard both her parents come in and her mom fighting James, but she hadn't been able to see anything. Now she saw her mother facing off against James, him still unable to actually hurt her. He could defend himself, but to deliver any sort of blow would violate the contract and despite how much James wanted to win, he wanted Vincenzo to find him even less.
"Luther," she murmured, or at least something that sounded like that.
"I know, I know," he said (though he probably didn't) as he made his way toward the door, trying to draw as little attention to himself as he could. The last thing he needed was James trying to cut in and save his already miserably failing plan. Buffy seemed to realize this, maneuvering so James' back was to the two of them. So caught up in fighting Buffy, he didn't hear them leave the room.
Once back in the hallway, he moved quickly toward the back door, needing to get Beth out of the house as soon as possible. The place was crawling with vampires and in her weakened state, things could only get worse. And they did, when a blonde vampire stepped out into the hallway in front of them.
The vampire eyed them, eyebrows raised. "You got her out," he said, almost sounding surprised. "You know, I never knew you had it in you. Really. This whole saving the damsel thing? I always thought that was more of Angelus' thing. You've proven me wrong."
"Move or I kill you," Spike growled, torn between beating the stuffing out of the guy and not putting Beth down.
The vampire threw his hands up in the air in a sign of good will. "I have no quarrel with you, William. I do not intend to void my inclusion in the treaty so pointlessly. Maybe Luther is one for toeing the line, but I have always played it safer than him. Besides, my sire would have a fit at my behavior."
Spike eyed the weird vampire suspiciously. He began to walk closer and the vampire moved out of the way, back against the wall. Spike didn't take him eyes off of him even as he passed him, still watching him. The vampire in question only looked back at him, expression neutral.
Once Spike seemed pleased with the distance he put between himself and the vampire, he whipped around and nearly bolted for the back door. Elwood watched as William the Bloody and his very strange daughter left the house, leaving James with the Slayer. He would have thought it cowardly if he didn't have an inkling of what a child meant to a father. He had been a parent once too.
Knowing that this was the end and that no matter how fond he was of Luther, this was not something the rebellious vampire could ever come back from, Elwood got the keys from the table in the foyer, deciding he had been out of Italy long enough. Maybe if Alecto hadn't been killed, he'd take the poor man along with him. He'd put up with Luther this long, Elwood thought maybe he deserved a reprieve. God knows he did, and he'd only been here for a few months! He wondered what Vincenzo would think of this strange turn of events for his heir (maybe how he should have picked Elwood instead?).
Back in the room, Buffy was using all her righteous anger and mama bear energy to tear James a new one. For the longest time, he had expertly avoided her attacks, taunting her the whole time. But unable to fight back properly and unable to escape (like she'd let the tricky bastard do that), he was slowly losing his edge. She was able to get a few hits in soon, even drawing blood. Eventually she was able to feint a blow only to kick out her legs, knocking him off his feet. He crashed into the table behind him, sending its contents to the floor. One particular object—an oblong box—fell with a crash, spilling its contents all over the floor in a liquid-y pool. He tried to stand up but she knocked him down again, this time keeping him there. He looked up at her with wide, disbelieving eyes, like he had never seen this coming. As if he had never expected to ever be beaten. Hmph. Arrogant man.
"This is the part where it's over for you, Luther," she hissed, pressing the blade of the scythe against his neck. He eyed it warily, but didn't say anything. "And you know what? I'm really going to enjoy taking your head off."
"It's a two-way street, slayer," he finally said, taking an unnecessary breath. "You kill me, you breach the contract. My brothers will come after you. It is our way."
She snorted. "You already breached the contract by kidnapping my daughter and attempting to turn her."
"But I never actually turned her," he pointed out. "Nothing I did went against what I signed off on. I didn't kill her."
"No, you didn't," she admitted softly. "But you know what's even better? It still doesn't matter. Vincenzo already gave me his blessing."
James' shocked eyes looked up to meet hers, betrayal written across his face. While he had always known that if Vincenzo found out about what he had done he was sure to face the consequences, this he had never expected.
She raised the scythe up high, the metal glinting under the chandelier light. "He always said you were something of a disappointment," she said before dropping the blade. It swung through the air with a quiet whoosh before ending its journey with a sickening schick noise. It was over quickly though, as the body turned to dust, now indistinct from any household dust around it.
A/N: There's one more chapter for this installment after this