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“Oz? Who called Oz?” Willow asks them frantically.
Autum stares at Buffy, “Except it or not, Slayer.” Buffy answered by kicking her in the face.
“Does that clear things up for you?”
Autum hisses and rams Buffy into the stair rail behind her. “Not gonna let you take my kitten away.” Faith hits her over the head with a cross.
“More than one Slayer here.” Autum’s eyes glow, then return to normal as she fights the urge. She grabs an axe lying on the table and swings it over her head easily. In one fluid motion she brings it down on Faith’s sword. It’s metal against metal. Sparks fly as Autum gains the upper hand. She smacks Faith over the head with it. Faith falls to the ground unconscious. As Autum swings the axe down Oz attacks, starting to form into wolf form.
“Look who’s all high and mighty now.” She snorts. Willow prepares to use a spell on her, but Autum turns to her. Using her power to throw Willow against the wall, she swings her axe over her and into Oz’s shoulder.
“OZ!” Willow screams as he falls to the floor whimpering.
“Right, then. Who’s next?” Autum shouts, her eyes glistening in her glory. Pike steps forward and punches her, she picks him up by the neck and stabs him with Faith’s discarded sword. He screams in pain. He falls to the floor, and the Scoobies attack at full force. Xander tries to hit her over the head with a mace. She breaks his wrist and throws the mace at Giles. They both fall. Buffy was charging at her with a spear. When the Slayer releases it, Autum bends awkwardly and the spear goes through Angel and into Spike, binding the two together. Illyria kicks her and grabs her, Autum throws her up over the ledge of the balcony. Buffy jumps her and snaps her neck. Autum lies on the ground, her neck in an interesting angle. Illyria tries to hurry down the stairs.
“Guess she’s not as high and mighty as she thought.” The group turns their attentions away from the dead girl. Autum’s eyes flutter opened. Her neck resumes its natural shape. She advances in on Buffy. Illyria runs faster.
“No!” They all turn to see Autum standing and Illyria rushing at her. Autum catches Illyria by her arm and flips her. She puts her foot on her head and glares at the group.
“Did you think that would stop me?” Illyria’s eyes plead them for help as she starts to cry. A thing she has never done save when she was at the mercy of the Essence.
“What was that about ‘my girlfriend isn’t evil’?” Spike asks Connor, smacking the back of his head. “Stupid git!”
Autum slams her foot down and through the head, skull, and brain of the mysterious Old One. “You’ll never learn, will you?”
Gunn’s gang attacks her. In less then three minutes they’re all around her, dead. Anne grabs an axe and moves silently behind Autum as she addresses the group. “I really was hoping I wouldn’t have to kill anyone. And I didn’t harm anybody important in a way that won’t heal.” As Anne swing the axe over Autum’s head, Autum swishes around and grabs her wrist and neck. Riley and Sam attack, she throws a punch that renders them both unconscious. She snaps the girl in half and strides over to Buffy. She hands her a bottle, “This will cure them… use it sparingly.” The Slayer is frozen, helpless. Autum grabs her face, smiling. She tilts Buffy’s head until she reaches forward and kisses her on her forehead, and then each cheek. “Sleep well, my child.” She brushes Buffy’s face in almost motherly love, and she’s suddenly gone.
~~~~~~~
Buffy wakes up on the floor. She sees everyone around her and they’re all staring at her. “Buffy are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. What happened?”
Willow’s all flustered, “Well, you kinda fell over when Autum… it was like she felt all protective of you or something. But nobody heard what she said before she left. And the you were all with the unconscious thing.”
“She told me to sleep well.”
“Anything else?” Spike asks her, looking concerned.
“She called me her child.”
Giles wipes his glasses, “Well, I should rather think that if what Illyria said is correct then she would feel some sort of motherly bond to the both of you.”
“So she won’t kill me?”
“Not necessarily what I meant, Buffy. She has all the instincts in her telling her to take care of her ‘children’ but considering that some mothers have killed their own… we have no way of telling what kind of relationship she perceives you having.”
“Giles, it’s weird, but… when she was here… talking to me… I felt… safe, almost. I haven’t felt that safe since I was fifteen.”
~~~~~~~
Connor slams the door on the way into his apartment, “What the hell was that about?”
Autum turns to him, “I think I should ask you the same question.”
“I was the one who was trying to reason things out. I know you’re not evil!”
Autum slams him up against the wall… pinning him there by his throat with her arm, “Are you sure of that, pet? Are you quite sure?”
Connor spins and pins her in the exact same position… holding her wrists down, “Yes, I am.” He pushes her against the wall harder and kisses her.
“Do I get a chance to prove you wrong?” she smiles up at him.
He laughs at her, “Baby, I’m badder than you are.”
She shoves him, throwing her weight into it. They land on the bed, “Do you need to be punished?” she purrs at him. He garbs her waist and pulls her down into his lap. He flips her over so she’s under him and kisses her.
“Do you?” he whispers.
~~~~~~~
Autum climbs out of her bed, looks at Connor asleep, gets dressed, and leaves.
~~~~~~~
Spike hears someone knocking at his door when he gets out of the shower. He opens the door and Buffy rushes in, “What do you know about her?”
“About who?” Spike motions for her to sit on the bed, then joins her.
“You know. We need to know, Spike, now more than ever.”
Spike sighs, “Quit the fussing. If she isn’t a vamp, then you don’t need to worry about her.”
“But she was being a total bitch!”
“Most women are at least one week out of the month.”
Buffy brings a hand to her mouth, she didn’t even bother to think about that. Her face twists in confusion, “But then why did she kill all of them?”
“They’re better aren’t they? Thanks to that handy little potion that she gave you.”
Buffy turns and faces him, “Something else she said to me. She said that I couldn’t take away her kitten. What does that mean?”
Spike shrugs. He knows exactly what it means, but he’s not going to tell her that. “She gambles too much?”
“I don’t think so. In that dream I had… whenever she talked about you or Angel she’d say ‘my kitten’ or ‘my little lamb’.”
“What of it?”
“We all have to know everything that you and Angel know about her.”
“Buffy, it’s not that easy.”
“What was she to you? And him? I need to know, Spike. If it could effect the way you’ll fight against her I need to know so I can pull you out of it.”
“And you think that I’d do that!?!” Spike shouts in disbelief, “That I’d let the way I feel about something interfere with what I do?”
“I did. Interfere with your work.”
“Bloody hell, woman! I didn’t follow you for that! I had nothing else I could do after that sodden chip. I adapted… sorry you didn’t!”
“I need to know if you can kill her.”
“Won’t help. Won’t do it.”
Buffy’s shoulders drop, “Spike…”
“It’s not that I wouldn’t. Buffy, if you actually manage to kill her… you’ll end the sodden world. You’re supposed to protect it.”
“Like SHE does?” Buffy snaps.
“She’s not supposed to bloody protect the sodden world! Her sodden job is to protect the bleedin balance!”
“Is the balance all that important to keep?”
“Think about it, love. Power corrupts, get too much and even the good turn rotten. With an evil left to fight it gives the good a reason to exist. Humanity’s only gotten so far because there are different kinds of people who believe different things. Evil and good, pet. That’s all it is. There are innocents in between that go to whichever side they think can protect hem the best.”
“And she’s choosing evil?”
“She’s making her own side.”
“It doesn’t look like it from here.”
“She won’t actually damage anything you need for forever. She’ll teach you a lesson. And once it’s learned she’ll give you back whatever prize she took.”
“Is that what you think? That I need a lesson?”
“I think we all do. We’ve beaten it back better than anyone ever has. We’ve always found a way to retrieve it, survive it. She’s probably just here so we can appreciate things more.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You know what kind of human I was before I was turned. But before I met her I was Spike… full on all the way. Obnoxious pig, arrogant son of a bitch. When she “died’ she was just following the rules, she wasn’t allowed to see me again.”
“What about Angel?”
“Angel’s the one that failed her… in the middle of his ‘lesson’ he got turned. She broke the rules and attacked him after he tried, and apparently failed, to sire her.”
“How do you know so much?”
“A little bird whispered it in my ear.”
“Her?”
“Her, she’s got more than just super strength, love. Oh, so much more.”
~~~~~~~
Autum’s walking down the street and she turns around the corner. She’s standing across the street from the Hyperion. She looks straight ahead of her as she runs across the street. She looks up and closes her eyes. It starts to rain. She laughs as the rain falls, soaking her. She spins around and dances in it.
~~~~~~~
Angel looks out the window and sees Autum in the rain. He smiles, then becomes worried. He rushes outside.
~~~~~~~
Autum laughs like a little girl. She loves the rain. It makes her happy.
“Autum?” Angel huddles under a jacket that isn’t working. Autum goes silent and slowly moves her head down, twisting it to stare at Angel.
She turns her entire body and walks over to him, arms extended, “My little lamb.” Angel pulls away from her and she giggles. But it soon turns to sobs. Angel puts the jacket across her shoulders and pulls her to the Hyperion. He could only hope she hadn’t been out there long. The rain was freezing cold. She trips and Angel is starting to get worried about her. He swings her up and carries her to the hotel. She starts to convulse and he sees what’s wrong. Autum had at least seven stab wounds and was bleeding profusely from them all. He runs as fast as he can inside. Whether or not she could actually die, it was still painful to watch. ‘How many times has she had to go through this?’ he wonders.
When they get inside Angel screams out, “Everyone! Someone get Spike and Buffy!”
~~~~~~~
Buffy and Spike sit in silence until Pike comes in, “Hey, that weird ass bitch is back… I think she’s dying!” Buffy rushes out of the room and Spike tries to follow. Pike puts his arm out, “Stay away from her.”
“What?”
“I know what you are. A soul doesn’t change that. I don’t care what Buffy says. You go near her and I’ll stake your ass.”
“Lucky me then my heart isn’t in my arse.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Give Angel the same speech?”
“Pft, that guy doesn’t have a shot with her. Too… boring. He’s surrounded in misery. Plus, I think he had something going on with that Autum chick. He’s sobbing over her ‘body’ like a stupid ass hole.”
“She’s dead already?”
“She can’t die! What’s the big deal?” Spike runs out of the room as fast as he can.
~~~~~~~
Angel is over Autum, who’s not quite ‘dead’ yet. Buffy is too. Oddly enough they’re both starting to cry. It’s very upsetting to watch someone die. Especially if they keep laughing and talking like nothing’s wrong. But Autum keeps choking and spitting up blood. Several people have gone out to throw up. Illyria cradles her grandmother’s head. Never before has she witnessed he grandmother dying before… and she too cries silently. Spike finally gets down and sees the broken woman on the floor. Her skin is almost translucent, and her eyes are sunken in and hollow. Her lips are turning purple. She already looks worse than death. “Autum?” he whispers.
“I’m fine, ducks… I just need to die before I’ll be back to full health. And Peaches won’t off me good and proper, so now I have to wait. You don’t think you could snap my neck or something, do you?” She looks almost hopeful, and extremely irritated. “Bloody poofters!”
“Sure thing, pet.” Spike goes over to her and twists her head until it snaps. They all look at her form as it immediately starts to heal. Autum stands up and looks at them all.
“Can a girl get a drink around here or what?”
~~~~~~~
Angel pulls Buffy away, “Buffy, do you think we can talk?”
“Sure.”
Once they reach his office Angel faces her, “Do you think… are you done baking?”
“I think so.”
“And… is the cookie basket for… me?”
“I don’t know Angel… I just don’t know.”
“You want to tack off the list for me?”
“Well, you’re still on the list somewhere. Spike’s there… and I don’t know if anyone else is up there.”
“What about Pike?”
“Pike’s a sweetheart, but I haven’t seen him in over a decade and he hasn’t really changed.”
“He’s the same person?”
“No, his fashion sense is still totally non existing.”
“Oh.” They laugh. “So it’s me, Pike and Spike, then?”
“As far as now? Yeah.”
“But I’m still there?”
“Yeah.”
“But, why… is Spike there?”
“I told you Angel. Spike has a place in my heart. And I can’t ignore that.”
“But even with a soul he’s still… Spike. He’s childish and annoying and…”
“He’s only that way around you because you won’t let him grow up. Angel… have you ever seen him as anything other than the fledgling he was when Drusilla brought him home?”
“No, he’s the exact same idiot he was then!”
“He isn’t.” Autum staggers into the room.
“Autum, this is a private conversation.” Angel tells her.
“You treat people the same as ever, don’t you Liam? You’ll always treat Buffy like a little girl… because that’s what she was when you first saw her. You treated Darla like the lady you thought she was. You treated Dru like a grownup woman. You treated Spike like the bawling boy that ran into you on the street. I won’t even begin to tell you what you treated me like.”
“Shut up whore!” Angel is surprised at his outburst.
“Exactly. Every single bint you meet you judge. And you never get past the first impression.”
Buffy backs away from Angel, shocked that this woman knew him so well. She had known he treated her like a child. And probably always would. But she also knew he loved her.
“You were a pathetic human. An ass to every person you met. The smart ass boy that you met in that alley your first day in Sunnydale is more who he really was.”
“I changed.”
“The same soul, boy. You can’t change all that much. You sit around and feel sorry for yourself and think that everyone should cut you some slack, because you have a soul that torments you. William has a soul too, ducks. What about him? Have you cut him any slack?”
“What does he have to do with this?”
“I get the whole single moment of pure happiness gig. But you can still be happy. Get over it Angel! Be a man for once instead of a sodden child!” Autum storms out.
Buffy follows her out, “Thanks for that.”
“He can be a real poofter sometimes, can’t he?”
Buffy laughs, “That’s what Spike calls him.”
“You’ll have to choose eventually, you know.”
“I do.”
“What you going to do, ducks?”
“Not sure.”
“If you need to talk, I’ll be out in the rain.”
“Why?”
“I like the rain. It makes me feel free.”
“Can I join you?”
“Sure.”
“What do you think about the two of them?”
“It’s hard for me to choose. Angel can be like he was back there, but Spike can just get irritating.”
“Don’t I know it. How was Spike as a human? Before he was all… sappy poet guy?”
“He was Spike. Had an attitude like he owned the world and hell besides. He liked having fun, but he still did as he was told… in a way. Liam was a little bit… bolder. Spent most of his time at the pub. William was… living to be alive. He went back to England in a depression. His mother turned him into a sap. He wasn’t always bad at poetry. He had nothing left to write for. His mum didn’t care like he thought she did. Sometimes she thought he was insane. He had this fit the night that he left, she going to call people to take him away to an institution. I’m not really sure what happened, but it was the bird that was batty, not him.”
“That makes an interesting picture. The bird was batty.” They laugh.
“So, will you except my offer?”
“Eh, why not. Kinda missed the Hellmouth. Whenever you need a good fight just hop on up out of bed.”
“It’ll take a while to rebuild. The main reason is I have a mission to destroy the First.”
“The First? You’re kidding me right?”
“Oh, no, not at all. You pushed him back, but it’s my duty to kill him off for good.”
“Him?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Should we go inside? They’ll probably be worrying by now.”
“Of course they are. Come on, Protector. All chosen and mighty powerful Slayer of Vampires.”
“Now you just sound like Andrew.”
“I doubt that that’s a compliment.”
“Really not.”
“Well, I was speaking in a mock tone.”
“That makes all the difference.” They reenter the Hyperion.
XXXXXXX
really long and kind of stupid. But i needed Autum to get along with Buffy because of the role Autum plays later on. so hang in there! reviews make me very very happy. ; )
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