For the normal people of the world, spring break usually meant a chance to relax from school work, to kick back, and have some fun. In college, the break took on an extra meaning, becoming a period in which students drove all the way to some beach and then got super wasted. And while the latter wasn't necessarily something up Beth's alley (first off, killer vampire constitution—she was not a cheap drunk), she still needed a little vacation every once in a while, especially now with the prospect of Maea's homicidal brother ready to punch a hole through the dimensions to get to her, bringing a whole army with him (can you say overkill?). Unfortunately, no one else saw spring break as the golden opportunity it was. So instead, she was slogging through mud in some back woods, with some annoying gnats buzzing in her ear.
"We need to go left," Margaret said from somewhere behind Beth. She swatted her hand through the air, but it did little good. "Hello? Are you listening to me?"
Beth came to a stop, taking a deep breath before replying, "I don't know why you keep insisting we need to go left. At any point in time did we go right? No. So we go straight."
"You're only going to get us more lost if we go straight," she rebuked, her tone scathing.
"Well, if you hadn't chased after that demon, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place," Beth pointed out just as scathingly.
She heard Margaret scoff behind her and she could all but hear the older slayer rolling her eyes. "That's my job," she drawled.
Beth did her own eye roll as well (probably lots better than stupid Margie's). "Our job right now is to work together. How is pushing me out of the way to kill the demon working together?"
Margaret finally caught up, coming to stand in front of her. It was one of these moments that Beth really did wish she was taller, as she didn't like how Margaret was looking down the nose at her. "You were in my way," she enunciated, her eyes narrowing.
Beth let out a short bark of laughter. "Me? In your way? You didn't have a clue as to what you were doing! You've only taken down a handful of demons compared to me. If anyone is getting in anyone's way, it's going to be you getting in mine."
"You really do think you're hot shit, don't you Summers?" Margaret goaded, taking a step closer to Beth. She refused to take a step back though, even as the girl invaded her space. "All big and bad because she's got Buffy Summers for a mother. But you know what? You're still that same creepy little monster girl you've always been, Bethie. You're a freak an—"
She decided that was about all she needed to hear out of Margaret's mouth, ending the conversation with a rather forceful punch to the face. Margaret's head snapped back from the force, though she wasn't out for long. Eyes wide, surprised at the audacity of such a sudden attack (after all, hadn't her mother specifically asked her not to start anything? Oh well), before letting out a battle cry and rushing Beth. Both girls toppled to the ground, a flurry of fisted hands and kicking legs. There were grunts and groans and even a few screams mixed in. Such anger permeated the entire fight, a viewer would be hard-pressed to name who had the upper hand. No one in particular looked to be winning.
Beth had Margaret in a headlock when she noticed that their rough-n-tumble had taken them some distance from where they started. Great, now they were even more lost.
Spitting out some blood, Beth let go of Margaret with a hard push, standing up in a staggering, drunken manner. She was favoring her right foot and coming to the realization that she was going to be sporting a rather large bruise on her temple. Margaret got up herself, trying to brush all the dirt and foliage off of her. Neither could do much about the mud, except wait until it hardened and then wash it all off.
"Look where we are now!" Beth shrieked, waving her hands up in the air.
Margaret, looking a little out of it (likely from the oxygen deprivation due to the headlock), actually looked around. "What?" she asked, more than a little confused.
"Where are we?" Beth asked, her voice tight and high-pitched. She sounded nearly ready to start shrieking again.
"We're in the woods, like we've always been," she responded, looking at Beth like she'd lost her mind. Maybe she had.
"We've moved off the trail!" Beth said, gesturing at the trees around them. "They're different!"
Margaret blinked at her before snorting. "How could you even tell in the first place?"
"I just could!" Beth said without saying much at all. In truth, she hadn't even known if they were going in the right direction the first time around (she just didn't want to turn left). All she knew was that that mossy rock was different than the other mossy rock she'd seen earlier so, ergo they moved.
"Look, let's just keep walking until we hit a road," Margaret decided. "Right now, I don't give a shit about you or anything else, I just want to go to bed."
"For once, we agree on something," Beth muttered. "Never thought I'd see the day."
Margaret began walking again, but not before shooting Beth a dirty look. Beth quickly joined up with her, not wanting to be left trailing behind the girl. They didn't get very far though before they were suddenly whooshing up through the air. Beth let out a yelp as the rope snapped around her, leaving her in close quarters with Margaret who, judging by the expression on her face, saw this coming just as much as Beth did.
"Who in the bloody fucking world!" Beth shouted, twisting and yanking at the ropes.
"Did someone actually set a booby trap?" Margaret asked, somehow managing to sound both amazed and patronizing at the same time.
"Yes," Beth ground out, looking down at the ground. They weren't that high up, though they'd no doubt walk away with bruised tailbones if they dropped their way out of this mess. She couldn't hear anyone approaching, and she wondered exactly who had set this up. People? Demons? Demons trying to catch people or people trying to catch demons? Either way, it seemed like they'd forgotten about it, and now Beth and Margaret were stuck up in a tree. Without a paddle (not like that'd do much good in reality).
"How do you even get yourself into these messes?" Margaret asked.
"Me?" Beth said. "Are you saying you're not up in this tree with me? What, did you astral project yourself into this mess?"
"You're the one who attacked me and got us off the trail!" she pointed out.
"You're the one who chased the stupid demon through the woods," Beth reminded her. "You didn't even catch it! Hell, if you'd let me handle it in the first place, you wouldn't have had to chase it at all!"
"I can handle this on my own!" she shouted back.
"That's not the point!" Beth bellowed, and the two fell into silence, Margaret looking taken aback by the force of Beth's words. Both were breathing heavily, looking at one another like they expected the other to bite. "That's not the point," she repeated. "You are here to work in a team, not do it on your own. And regardless of that, you do a piss poor job of it."
"I was fine," Margaret ground out.
"Look, I don't care if you want to be some lone slayer down the line, that doesn't concern me," Beth told her. "But whether you like this or not, right now that's not an option. My parents have already seen me slay, they know I can handle myself. But you? They don't even like you, not even a bit. And you've already failed out of two slayer trainings. What happens when it's a third, Margaret? Then what? Do you really want that? Honestly?"
Margaret didn't reply, but the way she averted her gaze spoke volumes to Beth.
"You need to get over me," she continued. "I don't know what it is that makes you hate me so much and I've come to not give a shite. But for the sake of yourself and your future, clean up your act. You don't have to like me, you just have to work with me."
Margaret still didn't respond, thought Beth could see the hard set of her jaw, likely meaning the girl was mulling things over. Beth was just about to nudge her and force some sort of response out of her when she heard the sound of faint laughter and the rustle of leaves. She looked down just in time to see a group of five vampires wander into the clearing, looking up at them in amazement.
"Trevor, it worked!" one of the vampires exclaimed, cackling as he did so.
"Told you it would," another, probably Trevor, replied smugly.
"Oh bother," Beth muttered, rolling her eyes. One of the vampires picked up a stick and began poking at them. She growled and barred her teeth at them, but they just laughed. It was hard to be threatening when they were basically a slayer piñata.
"Beth," Margaret started to say, but Beth all but immediately shushed her, looking for an escape plan. Five vampires at once was kind of a lot to be honest. She liked to say she was invincible, but yesterday she got her finger caught in the car door and she'd whined about that for a good fifteen minutes, so take that as you will.
"Beth!" Margaret said again, jerking the other girl's shoulder back to get her attention.
"What?" she hissed, looking at Margaret but still trying to keep eyes on the group of vampires.
"You're right," she said. "I don't like you. I probably never will. I'm sure for the rest of my life, I'll still wish you had never existed."
"Thanks ever so," Beth retorted dryly.
"But I also don't want to die, nor do I want to fail out of training again," she continued, her gaze hard. "If I want to get out on my own, I guess I'll have to go through you first."
Before Beth had time to figure out if that was a threat or not, the vampires had gotten them loose, sending the rope trap and them to the ground. Beth landed with a thud, letting out a pained groan as she rolled over onto her side. Forget her leg and temple, it was her back that was going to be feeling it for weeks.
"I wanna go left," Margaret said as she gritted her teeth from the pain radiating through her body,
"What?" Beth asked, wondering why in the hell she was bringing that up again. She cracked open her eyes to see the troupe of vampires surrounding them, grinning down maniacally at them with their sharp, pointy teeth, perfect for throat-stabbing.
"I'm going left," Margaret reiterated. "Those two look a little more experienced."
Oh. Still in pain, she chuckled, a smile on her face. "Only if you don't mind me going straight."
"Boys, looks like we're going to party tonight," one of the vampires stated and the others snickered in agreement.
Beth let out a low laugh. "Not on your life," she said, shooting Margaret a quick glance before springing into action.
-.-
"And then I shoved a branch through his heart and he went kaplooey," Beth finished, earning herself a smile from Daniel. She, Daniel, Nadja, Maea, and Zack were all gathered up at Nadja's house for a movie night. Beth hoped for them to have a night of fun before they started preparing for the oncoming battle. Maea in particular seemed wound up, so they'd tasked her with picking out a movie as Beth regaled them with her tales of slaying. She at first didn't seem too happy about being set up with such a menial task as to choosing tonight's film, but she seemed to be taking it very seriously now, studiously examining and comparing movies.
"So does that mean the rivalry between you and Margie is as dead as those vampires who you killed?" Nadja inquired.
She shrugged. "Hard to tell," she answered. "It might have been just a temporary truce. After all, if we hadn't worked together, likely one of us would have died, and she didn't want that to be her."
"Well, I think it's a good sign anyway," Zack told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She gladly cuddled up next to him on the couch, and Nadja made a brief retching noise. She was getting less obnoxious about it, so this was considered an improvement in reaction. "At least she's not picking on you anymore."
"I don't know how much it's going to change though," she responded. "We haven't spoken since that night, after we explained what happened to my parents and Mr. Wells. They seemed pretty shocked though, since we both said how we worked together to slay the vamps."
"Do you also explain your brief fist fight right before?" Nadja asked with a sly smile.
"We decided on the way back it was best to keep that out," Beth told her, sticking out her tongue.
"That's because you started it," Nadja replied.
"No, she did!" she defended. "She's the one who always starts it. So, be assured, if there's problems between me and her again, she's the one making problems. I might punch her again if she starts something."
"Regardless of if this truce continues, you are the bigger person here Beth," Daniel told her.
"How so?" Nadja asked. "We did just mention that she was the one who threw the first punch."
"Whose side are you on anyway?" Beth accused.
"Yours," Nadja answered bluntly. "I never said she didn't have it coming. I think you have a right to start things with her."
"Beth's the bigger person because she's still the one trying not to make things so antagonistic," he explained. "Even if you react to some of the things she says or does, you are still the one who never throws the first punch—excuse me, the metaphorical one." Nadja gave him an approving nod.
"He has a point," Maea added, not looking up from the two movies in her hand. Beth hadn't even realized she'd been paying attention. "There is nothing guaranteeing you will like one another, or even that you should. Before your time, there was only one slayer at once. Did you ever think that was by design? It is not possible that the reason there was only ever one was because, fundamentally, slayer cannot get along?"
Beth thought about that for a moment. "There was a lot of competition-based antagonism between the girls at the Slayer Academy," she remembered. "It only got worse as they got older too. And my aunt did say my mum and Faith butted heads more than once, though my mum tries to smooth over that—respect for the dead and all that rot."
"Maybe that's why Margaret wants to work alone," Zack theorized.
"I thought that was because she was a bitch, but I guess that hypothesis has some weight too," she decided.
"Not every slayer works alone," Maea pointed out. "That is more by lack of options than anything else. From what I have seen, if given an ally, a slayer will take it, even if only temporary. It is just with other slayers that they come at ends with over a given period of time."
"Maea's worked with slayers before," Beth commented to the others sotto voce.
"You know I have exceptional hearing," Maea stated, finally looking up from the movies to give Beth a mischievous smile.
"I was hoping that one was too quiet," she huffed and Maea smiled.
"Naturally born to fight, naturally born to hear a sneak attack," she said, a look of superior confidence on her face.
"Naturally born to be full-of-it," Beth added.
"It is what has helped me survive all of these years," Maea told her. "While you humans have long since shaped this home away from a Hell Dimension, it is still not as easy as others. Your environment is harsh and destructive and when that failed to be enough, you made your own ways of destroying one another."
"So, in other words, you're totally shocked we're all somehow still here," Nadja surmised.
"It is of great disbelief that you have advanced this far," Maea agreed.
"What was it like in your home world?" Daniel inquired, his head tilted in curiosity.
"More mountainous," she explained. "The climate was cool where I lived. Not to say there were not places of great heat, but no one lived there; we only fought there, in the vast stretches of rocky terrain and sand."
"Sounds like it's got a similar environment to earth," Zack said.
"In looks, but not in actions," Maea replied. "Storms were never of any great fear and we did not fight over necessities like food and water."
"Then what did you fight over?" Nadja asked.
"Who was in charge," Maea answered. "There were groups farther out East and South of us that did not like us. They wanted to be in charge, but they never were. My father always pushed them back."
"And you did too," Beth said. "You said you were a general."
A faint smile overtook Maea as she recalled distant memories. While she had explained to Beth before that her home dimension moved different temporally, causing only a few years to pass in her absence back home, for her she had experienced the quickness of time here. For her, it had been thousands of years since she had last seen her home world. Beth was surprised she could even remember any of it.
"I was," Maea replied. "I led the armies of my father, but he was still always such a force on the battle field. I too was commended for my actions. They told me I was just. I never struck down a man I did not have to. My enemies did not fear me, for they respected me. They recognized me for the force that I was. We all knew we fought for the same reasons. Our enemies were never less than us, only on the other side."
"With that kind of insight, I'm sure you thought our wars were completely bogus," Nadja said.
Maea shrugged. "The next one was always worse than the one before it, but you are humans, mortals. We ruled over mortals. I know of their pitfalls. You are not gods; you were not designed to be perfect."
"Way to toot your own horn," Zack murmured good-naturedly and Beth elbowed him softly.
"I did not mean to imply that gods are above evilness," Maea said. "My brothers are proof enough of that. They are, in a sense, honest to their own characters. Virothan is nothing but a power-hungry god and never will be strive to be anything else. Abechius, in the same vein, will always be one of lies and falsehoods. What they are is incorruptible. Nothing will sway them from their chosen path."
"So you can't help but be a fighter," Beth said.
Maea nodded. "I might not always fight, but it will always be a part of me." She looked down at her hands, clenching her fists. "I only hope it will not be the end of me."
"Hey, we're all going to help," Beth piped up and Nadja nodded vigorously.
"I am glad to hear that," Maea said with a smile. "Now, I have heard about this movie Labryinth, but have never watched it. I think this is the one I want." Holding up the movie case, Zack let out a soft groan, letting his head thunk against the back of the couch.
"Next time, I pick the movie," he said and Beth laughed.
-.-
"And where have you been?" Virothan greeted at the sight of his brother coming down the hallway.
In true fashion to himself, Abechius shrugged deprecatingly. "I did not realize I had to report to you," he responded.
"I thought that would have been most obvious in light of your exposed treachery," Virothan responded blandly, having no time for his brother's games. In all honesty, he was quite tired of them and if it wasn't for the fact that it would only raise more questions, he'd put Abechius in his place before he did so for his sister.
"I followed your sentry to our sister," he commented with a light shrug, highly contrasted with the furious look that overcame Virothan's face.
"You did what?" he hissed, glancing around before he pulled his brother into a discreet alcove. Abechius rolled his eyes—no one would dare to eavesdrop on the High King, even if his position was only temporary—but allowed himself to be pulled along anyway. It was easier than arguing. "Did you speak with her?" he demanded, tugging on his arm to force an answer. "Did she see you?"
Abechius rolled his eyes, pulling his arm loose. "Would it matter if she did? The moment she saw the sentry, she recognized him for what he was and knew instantly you had sent him after her. She was already aware of his purpose."
"But you spoke to her," he growled.
Abechius sighed. "Yes, I did," he admitted. "She's my sister too you know. I am allowed to speak to her."
"And give you the opportunity to slip her some information?" Virothan asked. "I think not. You best not leave without my permission. I will have guards follow you if necessary."
"I would outwit them anyway," he pointed out. "And you have nothing to be concerned about. I only confirmed what she already knew, that you were coming and had orchestrated her whole downfall. She was already aware of that. She's not stupid, Roth. And besides, my trip has brought with me some pertinent information, I am sure."
"Something that the sentry has not already told me?" he asked skeptically.
Abechius grinned wolfishly and Virothan made a tsking noise. "Did he mention the girl that was with our sister?"
"I care not for her interactions with those mortals," Virothan stated with a wave of his hand.
Abechius laughed. "Not this one. If I know anything about mortals, it is their weakness. They are not a particularly strong group of individuals. Do you remember that love tale our mother used to tell us when we were children?"
"The one of the Mortal and the Great God?" Virothan inquired and he nodded. "Of course. You only asked her to tell it a million times over."
"You exaggerate," he defended, "but I now believe it to be partially true."
Virothan snorted. "Dimensional travel has messed with your head," he decided. "Thinking fairytales true? My, Abe, your mind surely has gone."
"This girl was not normal," Abechius told him, his tone taking on a steely quality. Virothan turned his head toward his brother, allowing him to continue. "She showed strength far beyond what I have seen capable of mortals. Her strength nearly rivaled our sister's with her bindings. And while she is not at her full strength being bound as she is, our sister is still a force. This girl was as well."
"You are mistaken," Virothan said. "It is not possible that a mortal could be that strong."
"Like I said, she was not mortal," Abechius reminded him.
"Then what was she?"
Abechius shrugged. "I know little of other species, you know this. All I can say is that she was not as she appeared to be. Holding abilities far beyond those of which she should. She could prove to be quite the problem if she wishes to be."
"Were there more like her?" Virothan inquired, his tone dropping as he became more serious. While at first, he thought Abechius to be playing some joke on him, his tone suggested otherwise. Whatever Abechius saw, he believed.
"I couldn't say," Abechius admitted honestly. "I was only able to watch her briefly before your sentry interrupted and then our sister sent her off. She rebuked her, so she obviously believes herself to have enough strength to back herself up to a god."
"Or she's incredibly stupid," Virothan suggested and Abe conceded with a head nod. "What else can you tell me about her?"
"Very little," he answered. "I told you, I was only able to observe her for a short period of time."
Virothan took time to considered this new information. He obviously wanted to make this trip as short as possible, ending his sister before returning home, allowing the world to be conquered in his stead. But now, finding out she may possibly have an ally? It complicated things, and not in a way he liked.
Eyes narrowed, Virothan turned on his brother. "But you got a good look at her? A good feel?"
Only a small semblance of an idea of where his brother was going, Abechius nodded slowly. "Yes, I am almost certain I could not mistake another for her. She was…very obvious."
Virothan frowned. "You found her attractive."
Abechius laughed. "I find most of those of the female form attractive," he said. "I only meant to imply that there was something off about her. Her signature would be hard to mistake. Among demons and mortals alike, I have never seen anything like her."
"I cannot believe I am going to allow this, but I want you to find her again," Virothan ordered.
Abechius' laugh cut off short. He blinked, looking at his brother, astounded. "You're sending me out?" he asked, baffled. "This conversation began with your sentencing me to wander these halls aimlessly and now you want me to go?"
"I am prioritizing this over me keeping an eye on you," Virothan told him. "At this point, I believe there is little you can do to sabotage me. This though, is of utmost importance. If our sister has help, I must know what it is to defeat it."
"You really are concerned," Abechius realized. "Do you truly believe there is a chance our sister could overcome you? It may have only been a handful of years for us, but I assure you, thousands have passed for her."
"That has only given her time for her anger to brew and for her to sharpen her skills. I will take no risks," Virothan told him. "Go. Find that girl and bring me back more information on her. I expect to see you back before sunrise. I have no patience in general, but I have even less for you. Disappoint me, and you will find yourself allied with our sister."
"Not a side I wish to be on," Abechius told him before bowing. "I thank thee, High King, for bestowing such an honorable mission upon me. I hope only not to waste such a gift."
Virothan rolled his eyes, waving his brother off. "Go now. I tire of your antics. I have a kingdom to run and a sister whose murder I need to plan. So leave me be."
"Of course," he said, straightening before heading off. He grinned to himself, a giddy feeling growing in his stomach. He had not expected such a treat from his brother and that only made it that much better. He was itching at a chance to get another glimpse of this strange girl, and maybe, if he was lucky, something a bit more than a look.