DISCLAIMER:on last chapter... if you're not starting there, then you should... unless you enjoy being confused.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angel looks up and sees Buffy in the doorway. A smile spreads across his face as he goes to her and pulls her into a quick embrace. She smiles back and returns the hug. He pulls away saying, "Buffy." in a short hello. She returns the favor with, "Angel."
Angel leads Buffy over to a sofa, " You ok?" Buffy sits down wearily, but smiles up at him reasuringly, "Got a situation, thought i'd take your offer." She turns, addressing Gunn, " And as for the researchies, I brought some friends."
Willow and Xander come in, dropping their baggage right at the door. Xander whistles, "Wow, this place is nice." Willow elbows him jokingly, "I told you it was."
Angel looks back at Buffy a little concerned, "You brought Willow and Xander?" He looked back at them, then back at her, usure what to say. "Giles is coming on Friday." Angel was relieved, her friends could be helpful, but alot of the time they just annoyed him. When they weren't hating his guts, at least.
Willow looks at Buffy, a little hurt. "I'm good at the research thing!" she announce defencively.
"Of course you are Wil, it's just Giles has the Big Books. That tends to help with the research thing." Buffy assured Willow.
Angel and Gunn just sit there and stare at Xander. Xander catches on, " I can only offer moral support." thinking quickly he added, "Or standing support if you're unconscous." Gunn just raises an eyebrow 'Nobody laughs, nobody ever laughs.' Xander thought.
"Crack team you've assembled, Doc." Gunn grunts at Angel and Buffy.
Buffy, assuming her leadership position, ignores him, "I can brief you on it now, if you'd like." she turns back to Angel. Angel nods for everyone to sit, "Now's good." Buffy looks between Angle and Gunn.
"Is this all that's left?"
"Illyria's picking up the Chinese, and Spike's getting a beer" Gunn offered
Xander nearly jumps out of his seat. 'What the fucking hell??' ,"Spike? Spike's dead." Spike walks into the room with his beer. He smacks Xander on the back of the head.
"Dead and still dead, nimrod."Spike shirfts his attention to Buffy," Hello, love."
'Well, at least his welcome is less... Angel-like' the back of Buffy's mind comments, but still... a warmer welcome would have been nice. "Spike, you were supposed to call and confirm my arrival time... and tell Angel I was coming."
Spike, trying to avoid the remark states, "Well, been a bit busy 'round here, love."
Buffy could almost laugh at how adorable he looks when he squirms. 'Angel looks cute when he does that too.' It was the same face, nose squished, forehead all wrinkly... human wrinkly, not vamping wrinkly. It also ment he was lying 'Like grandsire, like grandchile, I suppose' But still, "Uh-huh. What with?"
Spike unsquishes his face,"Standard vamps, a bit roudy. No apacolypse yet, though."~~~updated after here...if you were reading and had to stop
Xander stands up to glare down at Buffy, looking betrayed. "You knew Spike is alive?" When Buffy nods Xander's face turns red and he bellows at her, " And you, what, kept it a secret so I wouldn't pummle him?"
"I'd like to see you try it, boy!" Spike shouts at him. Xander sits back down and Willow decides to take charge.
"Buffy, Xander has a point. Why didn't you tell us?" Willow is trying her best not to cry. Her best friend hadn't trusted her... again, and now she couldn't even look her in the face... again. 'What is it that makes Buffy hide Spike from us?' something deep inside her knows the answer,'Because he's something she had all to herself that nobody else could touch. He was her secret hide-away when things got rough, he'd do what she asked without trying to decide what was best for her. Because he wasn't them' The three friends had been growing apart these past years, since Spike had died. Buffy had sunk into a deeper and deeper depression, severed her ties with all of them. At least now she knows why she'd started reiniciating contact. She isn't so sure about Xander.
Buffy shrugs,"I thought Andrew would tell you. He was in the apartment when Angel and Spike came to Italy... I wasn't"
Buffy smiles at Angel. 'What's with that?' Willow thinks. She knew Buffy felt for Spike... but she also felt for Angel. She had done the same thing when Angel died as when Spike did. 'Oh, God! Is Spike an Angel substitute?" Willow isn't sure what to think anymore. 'I'll just ask Spike later.'
"So, this briefing time, then?" Spike asked Buffy.
Buffy nodded and looked at her feet when she started to talk. 'She hasn't done that since... ever!' Angel thinks jealously. The jealousy didn't end on his side. Spike had seen the look Buffy had given Angel. He knew what a first love was like... but there were other things then first loves...
~~~~~
BUFFY- I LOVE YOU
SPIKE- NO YOU DON'T, BUT THANKS FOR SAYIN' IT
~~~~~
...but back to the brief.
Buffy isn't sure where to start, so she takes a deep breath and does what she does best... talk. "You guys remember that spell that Wils did to call all te potentials into their calling?" She is answered by a chorus of "yeah"s. Another deep breath and, "Someone undid it"
Spike shifts, "Nobody should have been able to mess with that, it was goddess work."
Buffy shakes her head,"It's gone... the spell is gone."
Gunn asks,"Why", Angel asks, "How" but Spike hits the nail on the head, "What the bloody hell do you want us to do about it?"
When the room stars at him, he puts up his defences, explaining, "That was a power boost, that Red did. You want us to go up to the big nastie that did that and what? Hope it has a soul so it can feel guilty about killing us? I'm sorry, but I don't get the point!"
"Buffy has to protect the world, you don't understand anything about that. You just care about what Spike gets."
"The world will end one day, it's only a matter of time. She'll die too. But why go looking for something that'd kill her now? Do you even know if the person wants to end the Slayer line? Maybe they just want to restore balance. Maybe it's your precious Powers that Be, think of that?"
Willow just tries to ignore the fact that Spike was right, it was pretty hopeless.
"There's a way, there's always a way."Buffy whispers.
Willow continues to present the newfound information. "We looked into it, and there's only one being powerful enough to undo that spell. Well, without completly ending the world. To reverse the power of the siethe."
"What is it, Red." Spike asks her, admitting defeat.
"She," Willow corrected," is the Essence."
~~~~
Willow puts a book down on the table."Ok... Essence, essence, Ah here. The Essence... she wears the face of a young woman, but she goes back since...BEFORE the beginning of the world. Last of the Gods of the World. Cast out the demons. Oooo! Here's something cool, when the world is in peril so is she, until her protector saves her. Whomever writes these books should really.. well.. not."
Gunn chims in,"Is there a picture?" He loves the pictures, and the engravings... they were cool.
Willow points to the opposite page,"That one might be, there's no caption."
Angel looks at the picture,"No, she's a vampire. Dusted around 1879 in Italy."
Buffy doesn't want to ask, but it's her job,"How'd you know her."
Angel looks at her, suprised, she should know by now,"I sired her. Her name's Autum."
Xander squints at Angel, he still doesn't trust him,"How can we know for sure if she's dead?"
"I can vouch for that. I was there." Spike nearly whispers.
"I thought you lived in London." Buffy nearly whispers back.
Spike nods his head, "I did, I moved back after she died. We were friends. But I don't think she was a vampire."
Angle moves forwards, towards him,"Spike, I sired her less then a week after I died."
'That's good!' Xander thinks,"So, she's younger than you... not as strong?"
Spike and Angel look at eachother then back at Xander, saying in unison,"She's strong." Spike stops after that, but Angel continues,"But don't worry about her, let's focus on the Essence."
Something occurs to Spike, it didn't before, but it does now,"How many died?" He directs the question directly at Buffy, knowing the boy would most likely hit him, and Red looks about ready to snuff it herself.
"What?" Buffy's very confused, how would he...
"Well, you and the humans have been fighting vamps off for over a decade. Even without the strength the girls could have still fought."
Once again... nail... head...hit... as preformed by William the Bloody
"But, what makes you think..."
"You wouldn't be here unless there was trouble. If people hadn't kicked it. How many? twenty, thiry percent?"
"A hundered"Buffy whispers
Angel desperatly tries to follow the conversation," A hundered girls?"
Spike, however understands,"A hundered percent"
Buffy nods, swallowing slowly,"Except Faith, and me. We're the last ones."
"That means the line is ending?"
"It does."
"SO, again I ask you. What do you want us to do about it, boss?"
Buffy smiles as she dares to look up again,"Beat her down. Crush her 'til there's nothing left to squeeze. End her, for eternity."
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
