A Slayer in Bon Temps by LoobyLoo NC17
Chapter 1 Trouble in Sunnydale
Sunnydale – Magic box March 23rd – Time 10.35pm
Buffy opened the shop door with a flourish; Spike followed her inside and locked it. A grim-faced Giles was sitting at the research table, he was trying to juggle with a huge tome of a book, and hold his mobile to his ear with his shoulder at the same time.
Looking up at them, his eyebrows raised hopefully. Buffy just shook her head. Giles’ eyes closed and he let the book close. He snatched at the mobile and cursed it as he ended the fruitless call.
“No joy then” Buffy said simply.
“No. I can’t get hold of Wesley, Angel’s gone walk-about, I’m still trying to catalogue the few books and stuff from the Watcher’s council, I haven’t heard from Willow since last night, and Jenny is still very, VERY sick”
“Is she still unconscious?” Spike asked
“Well, she was, but when she did wake, her screams were so bad, they knocked her out again – but her vital signs aren’t good, the poison seems to be in her bloodstream – they thought they’d got it all out but the gouges in her back were so deep, her kidneys…kidneys are f-failing” Giles’ voice cracked and he took of his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Spike went into the little curtained off area used as the ‘kitchen’. It housed a sink unit, a small fridge, a work surface, and a couple of wall cupboards. On the work surface there was a small microwave oven, and a kettle. Spike filled the kettle and set about making tea. He got mugs, teabags and sugar from the cupboards and waited for the kettle to boil.
He could hear what Giles’ was saying, even though he was keeping his voice low. He looked out of the curtains, and saw Buffy giving Giles a hug.
“She’s in the right place Giles, I’m sure that the hospital are doing everything they can to help her” Buffy tried to reassure her watcher.
“But is she in the right place though? – I’m not so sure – if this thing that got her was supernatural, maybe we should be looking after her, maybe I could do a spell or something” Giles said hopefully.
“Giles – you said her kidneys were failing, so she’ll need to go on dialysis, we don’t have a machine that-“ Buffy began to say, but she jumped as Giles grabbed her by the upper arms and said,
“But if we did a spell, it wouldn’t come to that!”
“But Giles” – Buffy began
“I’ve been trying to get hold of Wesley, he doesn’t pick up, all I keep getting is his message service”
“He’s in England with Angel, they’re negotiating an alliance or something” Buffy explained.
Spike frowned at this news, wondering how Buffy knew that bit of info. Then the kettle boiled and he made tea.
“Alliance – with whom?”
Buffy dismissed Giles ’ question with a frown and a shake of the head.
“Never mind how I know, we’ve got to get hold of him, he might just know off the top of his head what’s wrong and who’s done this, without us having to resort to hours of fruitless research”
“So where in England is he?”
“I don’t know exactly, somewhere in London I think” Buffy said hopelessly. Spike set the tea tray down on the table, and Giles turned and said,
“What about you Spike, any idea where Angel would go to in London”
“Don’t ask me mate – I didn’t even know he was in England” He looked questioningly at Buffy as he handed her a mug of tea.
“Willow told me, Wesley’s been helping her, apparently”
“With what?” Giles asked sipping his hot tea
Buffy just shrugged and said,
“Search me – anyway, getting back to Jenny, if we knew what attacked her, then we could-“
They were interrupted by a loud and incessant knocking on the shop door. Frowning Spike went to the door, and looked through the blind, saw it was a very agitated looking Tara.
“S’Tara” Spike said as he quickly unlocked the door. Tara dashed into the shop, gasping for breath,
“Giles, you must come – the thing, that thing that got Jenny, it’s on campus” She leaned over and held her side.
“Oh my god, are you hurt, did it get you too?” Giles and Buffy came into the middle of the shop to where Tara was.
“No…I’ve got the ‘stitch’ from running – this thing, it’s half human, half beast, it’s oh god, let me get my breath…it’s got a bulls head and these huge claw like things for hands – some sophomores were in the quad, they’d been drinking and partying hard all day, their dorms are a wreck so it’s said…I know one of the guys, he’s into magicks, but really dark stuff, he keeps on asking me stuff about this place, what books you keep and stuff – I haven’t – phew….I haven’t told him anything, but as I ran passed him, his eyes – please, let me sit….down…“
“What about them?” Giles asked gently leading her to one of the chairs around the table.
“They were all just black – he had no whites of his eyes at all, and he was off his head, swigging out of a vodka bottle – and he was practically naked – some students were having sex right there in the quad, they didn’t care who saw them”
Buffy ran to the front door, only stopping to grab her coat
“I’ll go and see if it’s still there”
“Buffy, no, wait for me – don’t you go without me!” Spike looked at Giles with a panicked look and Giles nodded, so Spike took after Buffy.
“Buffy!” Spike called after her, as she swept along towards the uni.
“Do you think a stake will kill it?” Buffy asked as Spike fell into step with her.
“Buffy – we are NOT, repeat NOT going anywhere near that thing until we know what it is!”
“But-“
“No but’s missy, this is a recon only, don’t forget, Jenny is a witch, and if it got her…”
“But she hasn’t got my strength”
“Love – all I’m saying is, until we know what it is, what’s in that poison and how to counteract it, we do nothing but observe this creature” As Spike finished speaking, two police patrol cars passed them at speed, sirens wailing.
“I can smell smoke” Buffy said as they turned a corner to the road leading up to the university entrance.
“I can smell all sorts of things” Spike said frowning. Smoke was the strongest smell, but he could also smell sex, alcohol, ‘whacky-baccy’ and human sweat. There was also something he couldn’t put his finger on, kind of earthy, like mushrooms.
“What ever it is…it’s getting fainter…” Spike stopped, took a huge sniff and said to Buffy, it’s gone – whatever it was, it’s no longer here”
Another two patrol cars whizzed passed them and pulled up outside the university, their radios could be heard. Students looking totally out of it with sheets wrapped around them were being led out of the entrance hall, some were laughing, some stumbling, other’s being sick. The dorm block was ablaze with what seemed to be every light on in the place, windows were open, clothes strewn about on the grass and half hanging out of the open windows. Buffy and Spike quickly made their way around the side of the building to the short cut to the quadrangle. All that was left of the ‘partying’ was a bonfire, and that was being dowsed by some police officers and tutors. There was a sea of empty cans and broken liquor bottles, and more discarded clothes.
Spike and Buffy stood observing for a few moments and decided to go back to the shop.
“Come on, it’s pointless, what ever it was, like you said Spike, it’s gone now, maybe with what Tara has told Giles, he’s been able to come up with something” They made their way back around the building, the last of the students being led out to the waiting squad cars.
“So what are they being charged with officer?” An elderly looking man was asking one of the police officers.
“Mostly public order offences, public indecency, underage drinking, no doubt drug taking” The officer said in a tired voice, he shook his head and tutted, huh – kids these days - no longer bothered to try and hide their bad student habits, now they were brazen, outside in the open, in front of everybody, drinking, drug taking, having group sex – what would it be next? – Human sacrifice? He thought.
When they got back to the shop, Tara was sipping a cup of tea and Giles was reading the huge tome of a book, the ‘Ars Demonicus’ the ‘Book of Demons’ he’d managed to salvage from the watcher’s council fire, this priceless tome had been locked inside a safe as it was not only very valuable, but it could also be very dangerous in the wrong hands.
“Willow?” Giles half stood when the shop door opened again.
“No, it’s us, why are you expecting her – do you know where she is?”
“She’s going to fetch Dr Ludwig” Tara said
“Who’s Dr Ludwig?” Spike asked closing the door, but not locking it.
“She’s a sympathetic doctor, knows about the supernatural, she’ll be able to help with us Jenny” Tara said, and then she added,
“She’s an old family friend”
“You two, go get Jenny from the hospital” Giles said to Buffy and Spike.
“What? – but how – I mean she’s all hooked up to monitors and stuff – if we went in there and tried to make off with her, it’ll be all bells and whistles and all sorts of alarms, and that’s just when we un-couple her from the machines, let alone-“ Buffy began
“Just DO it, alright, anyway you can, we haven’t much time left, if we leave Jenny another few hours, then that’s it, not even Dr Ludwig will be able to help her!” Giles realised he’d been shouting, and he’d got his hands up into fists, he dropped them at once and looked down ashamedly.
“Please Buffy, if anything happened to Jenny, I –“ for the second time that evening Giles’ voice cracked with emotion. Buffy didn’t reply, she just nodded. Spike said,
“Come on Buff, we’ll get her Rupes, don’t worry”
Spike went out and bought his Desoto round to the front of the shop, revving the engine.
Buffy got in and Spike roared off towards Sunnydale General.
“So just how are we going to do this?” Buffy asked.
“I’ll park up, we’ll enter by the main entrance-“
“Oh great, so everybody will see us, Security officers, CCTV” Buffy said incredulously.
“Will you shut up and listen, (Buffy gave him a look and crooked an eyebrow at him to continue)
“We go in the main entrance, about half way down the main corridor is a room marked Laundry, we’ll go in there, nick us a couple of white coats and then when the coast is clear, go up to Jenny’s room on the second floor. We’ll un-hook her from the monitors, put her on a gurney and wheel her out to a waiting ambulance”
“But we don’t have a waiting ambulance”
“We WILL have, I know where they keep everything, don’t worry”
“Spike, for one, they’re not going to let us just take a patient, and two, they’re CERTAINLY not going to let us drive off in an ambulance!”
“Will you just have a little faith in me please?”
“But…” Buffy began but she didn’t continue. Her shoulders dropped and she said,
“Okay” But she thought that this plan had two chances, a dog’s chance, and no chance at all…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Here, try this one on… That’s better!” Spike helped Buffy on with a more suitable sized white coat.
“Now what?” She whispered. Spike opened the laundry room door a crack and looked up and down the corridor.
“S’all clear, come on, follow me” Spike quickly and quietly walked to the elevator.
“How do you know your way around here so well?”
“Tell you later, hold on – get in the lift and hold it for me”
“Why, where are you – (DING) the doors slid open and Buffy got inside and immediately pressed the button with the two arrows apart. Spike came rushing back and she pressed for the second floor.
“What have you got?”
“Here, you carry this, and I’ll wear this, look more authentic now” Spike said, giving Buffy a clip board to carry, while he put a stethoscope around his neck.
“Where did you get these from?”
“Off a trolley outside one of the rooms, we can ditch them before we leave, don’t worry” The lift stopped and the doors slid open quietly.
“She’s in room 204…it’s that one over there” Spike said. They walked towards the room and Spike peeped inside the room through the round glass window. The night-light over the bed was on, and Jenny could be seen lying back, eyes closed against the pillows. She looked deathly pale, and was hooked up to several monitors.
“Now listen carefully, we have to time it right else there will be trouble. When I say ‘now’ you unplug the machine at the wall, and I’ll switch it off at the terminal”
Buffy just nodded, she could ask questions later.
“We can leave that glucose drip on her and wheel it with the trolley, we don’t want to cause complications with her dehydrating, okay?” Buffy just nodded again and they went into the room.
Buffy bent down by the wall plug and Spike said,
“Okay, three, two, one, now!” He switched and Buffy pulled the plug and the machine didn’t make a sound.
“Good, right we don’t need a trolley, these beds are on wheels, come on” Spike released the brake and they manoeuvred the bed out of the room and into the corridor, luckily for them there wasn’t a soul about.
The elevator doors opened immediately for them and they pushed the bed inside and got in next to it. Jenny hadn’t stirred, but in the harsh light of the lift they could see that she looked very ill, her skin almost translucent, very pale and very dark circles under her eyes, her lips pale too.
“Hope we’re in time” Buffy said, and Spike just nodded.
As the doors opened Spike pushed the trolley to the right, away from the entrance and Buffy trotted along. They passed several people, but nobody took any notice of them.
They got to the double doors at the end, and they encountered their worst nightmare, a security guard, he was up off his stool and reaching for a clip board
“Another one to go tonight, Geez…all these people being shoved from pillar to post to make room for all of these crazy kids being admitted!” he said smiling at the pair of them.
“Terrible isn’t it, kids, when will they learn huh – right where do I sign?” Spike said, smiling, as the chatty security guy opened the locked doors for them. Buffy was holding her breath as Spike scribbled a signature on the sheet and they wheeled Jenny out into the waiting ambulance station.
“That one, there, over in the corner, it’ll be least missed for an hour or two till I can bring it back”
After sliding Jenny inside the back, Spike got in and started the engine, much to Buffy’s surprise.
“How come you knew the keys would be in the ignition?”
“Well, think about it love, a 911 call comes in, they haven’t got time to fanny around looking for keys, have they?” Spike said smiling. Buffy thought about it, and realised that he was right.
“Oh, no, suppose not”
“You keep an eye on the patient there, and I’ll get us to the Magic Box at an illegal speed!” Spike said.
And he did just that, using the siren and the flashing light when necessary. He pulled up at the Magic Box, Giles was waiting for them on the doorstep.
They quickly got Jenny into the shop, where Dr Ludwig was waiting.
They leaned the practically comatose Jenny forward to look at the gouges on her back. After peeling away the dressing everybody reared back making a face at the appalling smell and state of her wounds, the gouges were inflamed and oozing black poison.
“It is just as I zort, ve must get out ze poison at vonce, did you boil ze vorter ass I asked?”
“Er yes, yes we – um, Tara?” Giles said, just about being able to follow Dr Ludwig’s strong accent.
The doctor pulled out some herbs and a pestle and mortar from her bag and set them on the table.
“And now you muss all go avay – leef me alone, I call if I need you”
Tara brought the boiling kettle to the doctor and joined everybody else in the main body of the shop.
“I’ll um, I’ll get this ambulance back before it’s missed – give me that white coat Buffy” Buffy took it off and handed it to Spike, along with the clip board and he left.
Loud moans could be heard coming from the table and the Dr began to chant in Latin. Giles went and looked out of the shop window, he was as taut as a bow string, and shaking like a leaf.
Buffy told Tara what she and Spike had seen at the university.
“Did you see their eyes, they looked so weird?!”
“We didn’t get that close, the place looked – well, like one hell of a frat party had taken place, clothes everywhere, empty booze bottles…they were just putting out the bonfire when we got there, but Spike said he could smell the creature, but it had long gone by the time we showed up”
There was a piercing scream from Jenny, and Giles raised his fist to his mouth, eyes screwed up tight, hardly being able to stand it.
The chanting from the doctor got louder and Jenny’s screams seemed to get more agonising. Giles let out a sob and Willow went to him to comfort him, as did Tara.
“She’s a very good doctor, try not to worry” Tara said squeezing Giles’ hand.
Suddenly, both the loud chanting and the screams stopped. Giles Tara and Willow all looked towards the back end of the shop, and saw the doctor coming around the bookcase wiping her hands.
“Is done, she vill recover. She must not eat any-sink for a day, and drink only zis here, or clear cold vater” She held up a packet.
“Oh god, oh god thank you, how can I ever thank you!” Giles gasped, then he said,
“Can I see her?”
“Yez, yez, but much rest she vill be needing. Make a tea vith zis ‘erbs, one teaspoon to a half-pint of boiling vater. She must not put…how you say, kereem is it? Ya, skin kereem on zee wounds, zay vill go on zere own. Now I go”
“How much do I owe you?” Giles asked.
“I vill send you my bill – now I must leave, guten tag” And with that she put her cape on and left.
“Jenny…darling?” Giles gently took her hand, and Jenny’s eyes fluttered open.
“Rup – Rupert what happened to me?”
“Shh, shh my love, don’t worry about that now, here, take a sip of this” Giles gently held a glass of water to her lips and Jenny swallowed a couple of mouthfuls.
“So tired” She lay back on the table
“Come on, I’ll get you home to your nice comfy bed”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!