A/N: Character Death...be warned. Shouldn't bother you too much since we're all Spuffy here. ^_^
Spike turned as he watched Willie burst in through the double doors leading into the main sanctum of the church.
“Are you tripping?! You bring her here? Now?” he roared as he came down from the altar and walked towards the small group surrounding the blonde slayer.
“You said you wanted her,” Willie announced.
“In the ground, pinhead. I wanted her dead,” the vampire growled as he got in the bartender’s face.
“Now, that’s not what I heard. Word was there was a bounty on her dead or alive.”
“You heard wrong, Willy.” His amber gaze narrowed on the idiot that had brought the Slayer to him right as he was trying to finish his revitalization spell.
“Angel?” Buffy whispered as she noticed both him and Drusilla lashed together, their arms held clasped together by the knife lancing both of their hands.
Spike turned away from contemplating the bartender’s death to reply snarkily, “Yeah, it bugs me, too, seeing them like that. Another five minutes though, and Angel will be dead, so…I forebear. Don’t feel bad for Angel, though, he’s got something you don’t have.”
“What’s that?” she asked, her face scrunching in a sneer.
“Five minutes.”
Spike’s gaze shifted to the red-haired woman from the Order of Taraka.
“Patrice.”
The woman needed no further urging, quickly shoving the Slayer into the waiting arms of the minion standing on either side of her. Reaching into her holster, she extracted a pistol, prepared to finish her contractual obligation and kill the Slayer.
Before the assassin had a chance to make good on her threat, a commotion sounded behind the group. Suddenly the two minions standing in back of the woman were kicked aside, as everyone tumbled forward, and Buffy was able to jerk free from their grasp.
She quickly regrouped, delivering a kick to one vampire and a bunch to another so that she could join Kendra. The two Slayers stood before Spike as he managed to regain his footing.
“Who the hell is this?”
Kendra grabbed Spike by the lapels of his leather duster.
“It’s your lucky day, Spike,” Buffy announced, the sarcasm dripping from her voice like honey.
“Two Slayers,” Kendra added, just before she punched him. The power of her left cross sent the vampire’s head snapping to the side.
“No waiting,” Buffy finished, delivering a sharp right jab to Spike’s nose that sent him to the floor. Dismissing Spike, she turned and confronted the red-haired woman decked out in police garb; she'd let her sister Slayer deal with Spike.
Buffy mentally prepared herself as the female assassin held her arms to the side allowing two deadly blades to extend from their hiding place within her police jacket. The two combatants eyed each other, assessing possible battle scenarios as a minion slowly gained his feet near them. Buffy glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and witnessed an arrow pierce the front of his chest where his heart lay; seconds later, he crumbled to dust.
The cavalry had arrived.
Just then, the woman attacked. One hand followed the other as she attempted to gut her target. Buffy blocked each swing, grabbing first one arm then the other, then delivered a knee to the woman’s stomach following it up with a swift kick that sent the woman flying back against the wall.
~*~
On the other side of the room, Kendra was engaged in a fierce battle with Spike. The two traded blows back and forth, neither able to gain the upper hand.
The stalemate between the two combatants did manage, however, to wind the Slayer.
~*~
Buffy easily sent the Order's assassin reeling into the wall over and over again as she repeatedly tried to charge the Slayer - the human was no match for her superior strength. Behind her, she could sense Kendra weakening, could hear each blow as Spike's punches and kicks connected with the other Slayer.
Shoving the redheaded woman against the wall once more, Buffy turned and called out, “Switch.”
Kendra needed no further urgings. Rolling over her sister Slayer’s back and confronting the female assassin, Kendra delivered a kick to the woman that sent her slamming back (once again) into the wall behind her.
~*~
The second Kendra had cleared her back, Buffy stood and confronted Spike, arms poised before her in a defensive pose.
“I’d rather be fighting you anyway,” Spike announced, his gaze narrowing on the blonde Slayer who now stood before him.
“Mutual.”
Spike moved to attack, but Buffy sent him staggering backward with a front kick to the face followed by a roundhouse to his stomach. It didn’t stop him for long, and he rushed towards her, fists flying in a blur of motion that the Slayer was just barely able to block. Then, she faltered and Spike was able to deliver a jarring punch to her stomach momentarily knocking the wind from her.
She recovered and delivered a punch that snapped his head followed by a quick backhanded blow to the face using the same hand. Grabbing the front of his jacket, she twirled him around her to gain momentum, before launching the vampire into the wall halfway across the room behind her.
Spike slammed into the wall and crumpled to the ground. He recovered quickly, a growl emanating from his chest. Turning, he caught sight of the traitorous bartender and moved to intercept his escape. He was just about to bite the git when he noticed the Slayer trying to pull Angel down from his tether.
Disregarding the bartender, he rushed after her, throwing her against the wall before she was able to get his grandsire free. As she started to rise, Spike backhanded her, sending her to the floor once more.
~*~
Across the room, Kendra went flying over a pew. Her attacker vaulted over it, swinging her arms in an attempt to draw blood. This Slayer wasn’t on her current contract, but she didn’t think the Order would mind too much.
Finally, her blade managed to connect, tearing the gir's sleeve and leaving a horizontal slash across her upper arm.
“That’s me favorite shirt,” Kendra hollered, anger rising in her voice as she took in the ruined item. “That’s me only shirt.”
Furious, Kendra kicked the woman in the back of the leg then grabbed the front of her coat and threw her into a support beam. Her assailant struggled to her feet, kicking the debris off of her as she went, then made to launch another attack.
Kendra was waiting for her. As the woman threw herself at the Slayer, Kendra used the woman’s momentum to fling her across the room behind her. Unfortunately, Kendra paid no attention where she was throwing the redhead.
The female assassin’s arms flailed wide as she soared through the air towards the bound vampires. Since Drusilla was slumped backwards, her back almost parallel to the floor, Patricia sailed between the two instead of into the pair as they dangled in the air. She tried to bring her arms together in front of her in an attempt to break her headlong rush into the far wall that was rapidly approaching. By some twist of cruel fate, the blades that extended from her wrists sliced through the necks of the two dangling vampires as she brought her arms forward. The sound of her slamming into the wall prevented the assassin from hearing the two crumble to dust behind her.
However, it didn’t prevent her from hearing the simultaneous bellows of rage behind her.
~*~*~*~*~
Buffy had just regained her footing when she saw the pseudo-cop fly through the air towards where Angel and Drusilla dangled from their bonds. She ignored Spike as he moved to strike her again, instead remaining transfixed on the scene playing out in slow motion behind her. Her horror must have been evident on her face, because suddenly Spike stopped mid-attack to see what had happened to cause her to ignore him completely.
He turned just in time to watch the Order’s female assassin sail between the two.
“Dru?” he managed to whisper. Vaguely, he thought he heard the slayer behind him mumble Angel’s name.
Then his world fell apart. He watched at the woman crashed into the wall moments before his sire and grandsire crumbled to dust.
“Drusilla!”
“Angel!”
The two blonds cried out at the same time, as they stared aghast at empty dangling ropes.
Buffy was the first to react, practically vaulting over Spike to reach the spot where Angel once hung. Spike wasn’t that far behind her. They stared down at the twin piles of dust on the raised, red platform. Neither acknowledged the other, both overcome by grief that quickly turned to a burning rage.
Their heads popped up, fixated on the moan emanating from the woman as she struggled to her feet. Twin pairs of eyes narrowed on the woman leaning heavily against the wall behind her, her labored breathing coming in shuddering gasps.
A low growl sounded near her, and the assassin looked up in time to see the peroxide-blond vampire leap towards her.
Furious beyond belief, Spike grabbed the woman by her throat and used one hand to dangle her in the air.
“You killed my dark princess, you bloody bitch!” he raged as he slowly squeezed her neck, crushing her windpipe.
Buffy watched Spike as he slowly choked the life from the human, and she couldn’t seem to make herself care. If he hadn’t done it, she was sure that the redheaded bitch would have become her first human kill. Not that she really thought of the woman as human…no, she was a member of the Order of Taraka, and that made her fair game.
Her gaze returned to the twin piles of dust near her feet. She couldn’t just leave them there like that; it didn’t seem right. Turning away, Buffy let her eyes roam over the dilapidated church trying to find something she could use to collect the ashes. Her watery eyes encountered the stunned faces of the Scoobies as they stood on the opposite side of the fire that had steadily grown to create a wall between them. The Slayer figured she had another five minutes before the blaze engulfed the entire church, so she pushed herself into action.
Shouting for the others to leave and that she’d catch up with them later, Buffy turned to find something to hold the two sets of ashes - even in her pain, she wouldn’t be so cruel as to grab Angel’s and not Drusilla’s. Her eyes finally lighted on two small, metal containers, and she hurried back to the piles as she watched the flames slowly work their way up the side of one of walls near her.
Squatting down on the steps, she carefully brushed first one and then the other mound of dust into the two separate containers. Finished, she glanced up to see Spike still dangling the helpless woman from his raised arm. He obviously had every intention of taking his time killing her, but unfortunately, time wasn’t on their side.
“Spike?”
“Spike!”
His head swiveled at her shout, his amber gaze narrowing on her face. He just now seemed to realize the blaze erupting all around them.
“We’ve got to get out of here. This place is going to go up any minute now. Kill her and let’s go.”
Her words shocked him, causing him to gape at her in astonishment. Then, a reluctant half-smile played across his lips before he turned back to the woman he still held suspended in the air.
“You heard the lady. Time to die.”
He let her slide down so her feet were barely touching the ground. In a practiced move, he brought his other hand up to her head, and with a quick twist he broke her neck, allowing her limp body to fall to the ground. He gazed down at her for a moment before he turned towards the Slayer.
“The side exit! Hurry!” she called as she grabbed the two boxes and made a dash for the door. Spike was right behind her, leery of the flames licking close to their heels.
The two burst through the door into the night sky. Buffy stopped to pull in great gulps of fresh air, her body bent over the two containers held protectively in her grasp.
Spike just watched her as she coughed repeatedly from the smoke-filled air she had inhaled. He made no move to attack her; they’d seemed to bond in that moment of their heartbreaking loss. And, he couldn’t help the grin that came to his face has he recalled her shout for him to kill the woman already. He had to wonder what her watcher would say about that!
Honoring their unspoken truce, he turned to walk away, leaving the Slayer to make her way back to her friends. They could always resume their fight tomorrow. Besides, he needed to lick his wounds in the aftermath of his sire’s dusting.
Then he heard her voice softly call his name. He glanced over his shoulder, not bothering to turn all the way around.
“A truce, Slayer. Just for tonight. It won’t ever happen again.”
Again he started to walk off into the night, but she called his name… this time a little louder as the fresh air worked its way to her abused lungs.
He stopped where he was, gazing off into the distance.
“Here.”
Spike turned and saw the Slayer carrying two metal boxes, one held outstretched in her hand. The blaze as it enveloped the church illuminated her face, and he saw the telltale signs of her tears as they slipped down her face. He knew how she felt, and when he was alone, he’d probably give in to the emotions already evident on her pale features. His gaze slid from her face to take in the box she held out to him.
She didn’t say anything. Just waited. When he still made no move to take it, she realized that he probably didn’t know what it was. He’d been so intent on killed the person that had murdered Angel and Drusilla, he hadn't noticed her scoop their ashes into the containers.
His blue eyes shifted from the container back to her face. She was trying desperately not to completely break down, as if saying anything would make it more real, more final. She started forward, closing the distance between them.
“It’s…” she tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. “It’s…Dru.”
Spike stared down at the box she had suddenly thrust into his hands. His eyes were fixated on the container as the Slayer turned and walked away. The tears he’d held at bay glimmered in his eyes; the realization that his sire was gone, her remains lying nestled within the confines of the box held dearly in his hands ripped violently through his body. In that brief moment, his "Big Bad" persona was gone. In its place stood the lost soul of William, beaten and broken by the society of long ago.
He didn’t know what to say. He’d been so busy seeking his revenge, he’d never stopped to think about the pile of ashes his sire had made. But, the Slayer had. She’d not only scooped up her lost love’s, she taken a moment to grab his. He was at a loss. That the Slayer would show that type of compassion…
Words just escaped him.
In the end, he just whispered a soft thank you to her retreating figure. Watched quietly as she paused momentarily in her tracks before giving him a sharp nod as she resumed her pace.
Spike too, turned, and made his way into the night.
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