Ch. 2: Predatory Forces
Spike waved his hand and a comfy white armchair shimmered into view, right in front of the Seeing Well. It was his and Willow's turn to watch over now twelve-year-old Buffy and fourteen-year-old Angel. He sank into the chair and peered into well.
"Bloody rotten little-" Spike muttered under his breath. Buffy's stepbrother had stolen her cookie, picked her up and locked her in the dryer. She was crying softly, hugging her Red, the redheaded rag doll that was almost as big as she. She was terrified of the dark, and had a bad case of claustrophobia. Spike placed his right index finger over the pool of water, and lightly touched it.
"Spike!" Willow gaped at him, horrified. "You know we're not supposed to interfere!" Much to little Buffy's delight, the dryer door unlocked and opened of its own accord, and she scrambled out to see her stepbrother violently choking on a rather large chocolate chip. Spike shrugged.
"Deserved what he got."
"He's thirteen! He doesn't know any better!" Willow prodded the water. The chocolate chip came flying out of his throat and landed neatly in the garbage can. Little Buffy, seeing that her stepbrother was apparently okay, ran as fast as her little legs would carry her, putting on a little burst of Slayer speed to escape her stepbrother's evil clutches.
"You underestimate children, Red." Spike grinned in satisfaction. Buffy slammed the door right in her stepbrother's face, and quickly locked it, before settling in for a tea party with Red, her little stuffed pig named Mr. Gordo, and Dead Boy, a little puppet vampire with dark hair and a broody look whom Buffy had fallen in love with the first time she saw him. Needless to say, Xander had been on guard the day Buffy had gotten the puppet and was deciding on what to name him.
Willow waved her hand over the water, and the scene changed. It shimmered from a contented little Buffy feeding pretend cookies to Dead Boy, to a very harassed-looking dark-haired teenaged boy. The boy was sitting in a classroom, third row beside the window, and had a distinctly familiar brooding look on his face. The teacher, a petite blonde with a heart-shaped face and pretty blue eyes, walked up and down the rows, collecting the previous night's homework.
"Angel, why is there no homework on your desk?" The teacher asked the boy angrily. She may have been pretty on the outside, but the teacher had a rotten personality.
"There's no homework on my desk because I didn't do it," he replied casually. Angel had long since given up explaining why he didn't do his homework. The first few times, he did try. But when he told his teacher how much the younger kids at the orphanage needed his help, how he had to look after him, she humiliated him in front of the whole class.
She'd told him that unlike the other teachers, she would not tolerate this, and who did he think he was, anyway? Some sort of saint? He should learn to have priorities, and it was not her fault nor was it the class's fault for him not living in a proper home, and neither she nor the class should have their time wasted because of it.
"You didn't do it, hmm?" She tapped her bright red nails on his desk angrily.
"Nope," he replied, still staring out the window. He began to tune out as she began to rant about him not being able to coast through school in the future. He wanted a different life, one of adventure and excitement, not this. He wanted parents, and a good home. The orphangae was well enough, and God knew how the younger kids looked up to him, but he wished he could be someone. Not the orphan. Someone else...
"Hey, Red, are you cryin'?" Willow dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a large white handkerchief and sniffled.
"No..." Her voice was distinctly quavery. Spike raised his eyebrows.
"Bloody hell," he muttered. Much as he disliked Angel, that bitchy teacher was getting on his nerves. Besides, this Angel was a only a kid. He prodded the water, and the image shimmered from in the classroom, to out in front of the school.
Students were racing out of the school, getting ready for parties and dates and other normal teenage stuff. It was Friday night, after all. Angel began his lonely walk home, and had barely taken two steps when he felt someone tap him on the back.
"Uh, hi," the girl said hesitantly, twisting a lock of dark hair around her finger.
"Hi," Angel replied suspiciously.
"Um, I'm in your Science class," she reminded him.
"I know."
"My name's Hannah."
"I know."
"Right," she said, beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you that...well, I think Ms. Hawes is being a real bitch to you, and I don't think that's it's right."
"Thank you," Angel said sincerely, then began to walk away.
"No, wait! ...I just mean, if you wanted someone to help you with your homework or something, I, well...I wouldn't mind."
"I'm not stupid," Angel replied. Hannah blinked.
"Sorry?"
"I don't do my homework because I just don't have the time. It's not because I'm stupid or lazy or something."
"Oh...well...in that case...Um, well," Hannah stuttered.
Spike threw his hands up. "Angel's screwing this up!"
"But, you could still help me, if you wanted," Angel added quickly, smiling slightly.
"Well, that would be nice," Hannah said, also beginning to smile.
"You got him a little girlfriend! How sweet, Spike!"
"Yeah, yeah, Red. Just don't go gettin' all weepy on me again." Willow grinned.
"At least he's got some brightness in his life, now."
"Hey, if he wanted brightness, all he had to do was come up here. We've got all the brightness we need in our afterlife." It was indeed true. The Higher Plain shone with a magnificent radiance, giving everything around it a heavenly glow.
"You don't sound particularly happy," Willow said softly. "Somethin' buggin' you?"
"No," Spike replied loftily. Willow raised an eyebrow. "Oh, all right. I was just thinkin', with the talk of afterlife and all...Well, I was just rememberin' what it felt like to be alive. Well, dead. No, I meant undead, 'cause hello, vampire."
"It did feel nice to be alive," Willow agreed, smiling slightly. "I mean, I'm not sayin' no to the whole Higher-Being, Ruler-of-the-Universe, Omnipotent-Goddess, Power-That-Be role, 'cause hey, definite perks. But..."
"I get it. ...So, how'd you bite the big one?" Willow rolled her eyes.
"Nice, Spike. Real tactful. ...It was after that big showdown in L.A.," she began quietly, and Spike settled himself in to hear the story.
Willow stared at the scene in horror and disbelief. Below her, everywhere throughout Los Angeles lay dead bodies, be it demon or human. It had taken her and Buffy and Faith awhile to reach with the rest of the Slayers, and by the time they had, the demons had gotten past Angel and his troupe and had gone into the city, killing and destroying.
The battle still raged on, though the demons were having the upper hand. Slayers fought valiantly all around, but their numbers were still dwindling. She made a fist, summoning her strength, then launched a blast of fire into a group of demons, causing them to smolder and burn. She moved her hand so that she wiped out a whole street-full of demons, but it made no use. They kept on coming.
She tried to see, but the darkness and pouring rain obscured her eyesight. She couldn't see Kennedy anywhere, and her stomach did little flip-flops. She could make out a little figure with drenched blonde hair, fighting mercilessly, not seeing the demon headed straight for her.
"Buffy! Buffy!" Willow screamed, but could not be heard over the rain and the sounds of battle. She soared down to just above Buffy, and summoned another blast of energy, reducing the demon to cinders.
"Oh God, Will," Buffy said, beheading a demon with the scythe. She stopped fighting long enough to regard her best friend with gratitude.
"Anytime." Willow suddenly turned her head quickly.
"Will, what is it?" But Buffy soon saw. It seemed as though the battle stopped, and everyone -everything- stared up at the growing black hole in the sky. From it, she decended slowly downward, and both Buffy and Willow gaped in horror. She spotted Buffy and grinned evilly, and even with the rain and all, Willow still heard her.
"Did ya miss me, Sweet Cheeks?"
"What?!" Spike exclaimed. "You mean Glory came back? Bloody hell, I died way too soon. ...Oh, continue," he said, seeing the look on Willow's face.
"As I was saying..."
"Glory." Buffy narrowed her eyes dangerously and raised her scythe, making for the psycho hellgod.
"No, Buffy," Willow said, putting a hand to restrain her. She rose a few inches into the air. "I can take her." Buffy looked at Glory, then at Willow, and nodded firmly. She grabbed Willow's hand and squeezed it tightly, then let go. Willow smiled, then turned to the undead hellgod, her game face on. The battle resumed, and Willow flew to Glory.
"Think ya can take me, witch?"
"Hmm, I think so," Willow replied, then threw a fireball at her. It scorched Glory's black dress, and she looked up at Willow.
"Got a little stronger. Big deal." She tried to knock Willow out of the sky, but Willow dodged and blasted her with more energy.
"Wrong," she replied, her hair beginning to turn white. "I got a lot stronger."
"Oh, what happened?" Spike asked excitedly. "Please tell me ya kicked her whorish ass." Willow giggled.
"Actually..."
"No," Glory began angrily. Their fight had raged on, and both her and Willow looked distinctly worse for the wear. "You can't beat me. You're a mortal. A common mortal. You're lower than the Slayer. You can't..." She was bleeding all over, and began to breathe heavily.
"I can," Willow replied, smiling triumphantly. Her hair had gone back to red, and though she was bobbing in the air unsteadily and was coughing up blood, she had won. She knew it.
"No," Glory gasped. "You can't." She pulled a dagger out from nowhere and threw it at Willow. She tried to move, but it was too late. The weapon had found its target. Willow focused all of her remaining energy into one mighty blast that tore through the hellgod. She smiled grimly as Glory fell, glass-eyed and slack, into the fray below.
"Sucker," Willow rasped, as she gave up, and began to fall as well. Down she plummeted through the air, only aware of the immense pain she was in. She barely noticed being caught by a pair of strong arms. He was dressed in dark clothing and his dark hair was matted to his head. "...Angel?"
"Me? Dead Boy? As if."
"Xander," she smiled weakly, then furrowed her brow. "You're not supposed to be here. Buffy told you, Buffy said-"
"Screw Buffy," he replied defiantly. "Actually, that may not be a bad idea..." Willow tried to laugh, but instead coughed up a whole lotta blood.
"Shhh," Xander said, placing a finger to her lips. "Just-just don't move, I'll get you out of here, and we'll go to a hospital or something, and just-"
"Xander, stop. You're babbling."
"Well, understandably, I'm nervous, what with being in the middle of an apocalyptic war and all, then when you factor in the fact that my best friend is dying-" He cut himself off and dropped the act, his brown eyes filled with tears. "Damn it, Will. You can't die."
"You don't really got a choice in the matter. Hell, I don't got a choice." She coughed some more.
"No, you don't get it. You can't. You've been my best friend for well, ever, and you can't. Willow, you've always been there, and I don't think I could live if you-" Willow began to cry. Not because of the fiery pain she was in, or even because she was scared of dying. She cried for Xander, and how much she would miss him.
"You mean more to me than anyone in the world, Will. I love you. You're like my sister, and you can't die."
"Not gonna give up on that, huh?" Willow smiled, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Xander, I love you, too." And almost as if by magick, the pain went away. She closed her eyes peacefully and felt the world rush away. As her eyes closed, she saw Xander's wonderful face, and knew that she would remember him always, no matter where she ended up.
"And that's how I bit the big one," Willow finished grandly. She heard sniffling, and looked up at Spike.
"Are you crying?"
"What? No!" He replied defensively. "Just-just got something in my eye, that's all..." Willow smiled. "So, um, how'd you die? I mean, if you'd rather not share-"
"No, no, it's alright," he assured her, his voice wavering. "Mind you, it happened pretty quickly."
"I'm all ears."
"Well, sad to say, I didn't stick around for a whole lot of the battle. Actually, I died a little while after you and the Slayers showed up..."
"Spike?" He staked a vampire, and as the dust settled, he saw her.
"Buffy? You're here."
"Well, yeah. What with the whole apocalyptic war and all, but I think the better question is, you're here."
"Actually, that's not so much a question as it is a statement-" He felt rather taken aback as she embraced him, hugging him tightly. Then he felt a moment of triumph as Angel, who was fighting nearby, turned to look at them. Angel, surprised at seeing Buffy, did a double take, and then did a tripple take when he realized Buffy was hugging Spike. The bleached blond grinned as Buffy pulled away.
"God, I missed you," she said, starting to fight again as a Suvolte demon attacked.
"You did?" Spike asked, as he fought beside her.
"Well, yeah," she said softly. "You were -are- a good friend to me, Spike. You understand me. I missed having you around." Oh, she missed him like that. He felt like sulking, until he realized that Buffy regarded him just as highly as she did Xander or Willow. He may not have her heart, but he had her friendship. And they had something special between them. And that was enough to last him through this fight.
"I missed you, too," he replied honestly, and she smiled.
"Buffy." The blonde Slayer turned around to see Angel right behind her. A shadow of a grin played on her lips, and Spike knew that if it weren't for their present circumstances, they'd already be snogging.
"Stupid ponce," he muttered under his breath. Angel always had to ruin a moment. He continued to fight, and let the little lovers have their moment. A vampire attacked, and he reached for a stake, only to find that he was all out.
"Here," Faith grinned, handing him a stake. He returned the grin and kicked the vampire's ass, quickly reducing it to dust. "Glad to see you, Spike."
"Likewise." He and Faith had gotten along pretty good in Sunnydale. 'You know all the cool vampires, B,' Faith had said. "Glad the cavalry's come."
"Please? And miss this?" Faith kicked and punched, was in her element. Spike grinned, but suddenly, his face became a mask of pain, and he dropped his stake, doubling over. Faith looked at him, unsure of what to do.
"Buffy!" She heard her sister-Slayer's call and came a-running, Angel not far behind.
"What is it?" Buffy asked, amidst the fighting. Faith pointed downward, and Buffy saw Spike, writhing in pain. She motioned to touch him, but instantly leapt back as a pillar of light descended from the tumultuous sky, incinerating everything in it's path. It landed on Spike, and his eyes shot open. He began to gasp, and he looked up at Buffy. The light slowly faded, and he slowly stood up. Angel looked at him, then smiled. Spike knew that he knew, and was a bit surprised that the other vampire was happy for him.
"Spike?" Buffy asked, then turned to Faith, who shrugged. "Wh-what's happened to you? There's something different..."
"He Shanshu'd," Angel said quietly.
"He Muu-shu'd? Angel this isn't the time for Chinese food, although I do feel pretty hungry..." Spike laughed and grabbed her hand, pressing it close to his chest.
"Feel that?" Buffy widened her eyes.
"B, what is it?"
"He's-you're...human." Spike laughed, and felt like doing cartwheels. Finally. He was the Champion, not Angel. He got to become human. ...He got to become human! His laughter quickly faded, though, as he saw the Harbinger making straight for them. He grabbed Angel's sword and shoved Buffy and Faith aside.
"Hey! That's my good sword!" Spike began to fight, but was lacking without his vampire reflexes and strength. The Bringer's blade pierced his stomach, and he sank to his knees, unsure of what happened. Buffy stared at him in horror, then looked to Angel, tears shining in her eyes. He understood, and turned to Faith.
"Cover her." Faith nodded, as Buffy moved towards Spike, and she and Angel circled them, fighting off whatever demons came their way.
"Buffy..."
"Spike, listen to me," she said fiercely through tears. "You can't go. You can't do this to me again." He chuckled.
"I felt my heart beat. I felt it, did you know that, Buffy?" She smiled sadly.
"I felt it, too." She kissed him lightly and held his hand.
"Buffy, why-why's it fading like that? The thumping, it's getting softer...is it supposed to do that? I can't remember..." The Slayer cried silently. "Why're you crying?...Oh bloody hell, I'm dying, aren't I? Well, this is just great. I finally become human, and it doesn't even last me ten minutes-"
"Spike," Buffy said affectionately. "Shut up." Smiled smiled.
"Anything for you, Pet. ...Tell me, how's the Nibblet doin'?" The pain was getting dimmer now.
"Great. Dawn's-Dawn's been doing great. I-I've been training her."
"About time."
"And she's a Watcher now, did you know that? She helps the younger Slayers -the children- she talks to them, and-and she teaches them...she's so good with the children, Spike. You should see her. You'd be proud..."
"Tell her I said hullo." Buffy nodded.
"I will."
"And tell her I said goodbye." With those words, the faint beating of his heart slowed, until it didn't beat any longer.
"Wow," Willow breathed. "You became human...I never knew."
"Yeah." Spike didn't like to think about that too much. It hurt to know that he'd wasted his humanity -again.
"Was it like how you remembered?" Spike looked at her.
"No, it was better. For the first time in a hundred plus years, I was alive. Hell of a sting, though, when that Bringer sliced me. ...Did it hurt, when you died?"
"Oh yeah." Willow nodded emphatically. "Loads. I felt...it felt horrible. So much pain... That was a great thing you did, though."
"What was?"
"You saved Buffy. You died saving Buffy." Spike looked at her.
"In the three hundred years I've been up here, I never thought about that. ...Better it happened like that, anyway. Or else I mighta done something stupid and ended up wasting my humanity."
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