Banner by Selene
Banner
by Selene
Chapter 26: Life in Death
“That may not be entirely true.”
Just a sliver of hope, but enough to cling to. At this point, Angel would take
anything. Anything.
“There may be repercussion. It’s why I’ve hesitated to mention it before
now.” He broke off, removing his glasses so that he could put his thumb and
forefinger over his closed eyes to prevent himself from crying. He took a
steadying breath, then looked up at the other occupants of the room.
“I need to retrieve some things from my room. Why don’t we take a break for
a few hours? We’ve all been going nonstop. Willow, you’ve done nothing but a
spell and research since you arrived. How about if we all meet back here at,”
he stopped to glance at his watch. 6:00 a.m. “11 o’clock? That will allow us
to catch an hour or two of sleep and get refreshed.”
Feeling much steadier since his announcement, Giles began issuing directions.
“Willow, your old room is available. Perhaps Fred can bunk with you?” At her
nod, the two girls left, each retrieving one of Willow’s two suitcases that
were still in the main foyer.
“Wesley, how’s the couch in the living room sound?”
“Rupert, right about now, the floor sounds inviting,” he replied, exhaustion
evident in his voice.
“Good. Angel, you know where you are.” Nodding at Giles, Angel left,
followed by Giles and Wesley.
~*~*~*~*~
Buffy woke feeling as if her whole body was encased in ice. “Cold,” she
mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. Weakly, she tried to bring the covers up
around her shoulders to get herself warm.
“Hey! You’re awake,” Spike whispered. He leaned up to look at her and felt
like he had been kicked in the gut. Blue lines were slowly creeping their way up
her neck, just cresting her jaw line. He reached out and ran his hand lovingly
down the side of her face.
“Cold.”
“Well, let’s see if we can take care of that, pet.” He climbed out of the
bed and slipped in to his jeans. He walked to the closet and grabbed a couple of
blankets. Unfolding each one, he draped them in layers over Buffy’s body.
“Better, luv?” he asked once he was finished. She nodded and gave him a weak
smile.
“Oh, guess who showed up last night? Willow. I could see if she’s awake.
Would you like that?” She gifted him with a tremulous smile and nodded. He
smiled back at her and told her he’d be right back. He opened the bedroom door
and stepped out in to the hallway. Noticing Giles’ bedroom door open, Spike
crossed the hall to peer inside. Giles was rushing around in his room, anxious.
“Giles?” he called trying to get the older man’s attention.
Giles stopped what he was doing and looked up guiltily at Spike. Spike’s eyes
narrowed; he could hear the bound of the watcher’s heart, his nervousness, and
he sniffed the air. Was that fear?
“What the bloody hell is going on, Watcher?”
Giles backed up a step when he heard the underlying menace in that question.
Giles willed his heart to slow down, knowing his pounding heart was feeding his
sudden rage. True, Spike had a soul now and obviously fought on the side of
good. But, a soul alone would never hinder him the way his chip once would. It
was something he had tried to explain to Buffy, but to no avail.
Taking a calming breath, he spoke. “Spike, we’re about to meet downstairs to
go over some developments. If you would care to join us?”
Spike tilted his head to the side, regarding the watcher for a moment. Giles met
his gaze, unflinching. Spike let it go for now.
“Can’t,” he said in response to Giles’ invitation. “Buffy’s awake
and I told her I’d go get Red for her.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. We can discuss it later.” Secretly, Giles was a
happy that Spike wouldn’t be there as he broke the news to the others. He had
always been an emotional vampire and Giles had no way of knowing how he would
take the news. Thankfully, Angel was there. Whatever past the two vampires have
had, they appeared to have come to a tentative truce. Maybe when Spike found
out, Angel could be a calming factor on his rage. “Willow is a few doors down
the hall, in the room next to Dawn’s. She should be up since we had
tentatively decided to get together at 11 o’clock and it’s just about that
time now.”
“I’ll get Red to sit with Buffy and then I’ll be downstairs for your
little pow-wow session.” Giles nodded and went back to gathering the things he
would need to explain his understanding of the prophecy. Spike left the room in
search of the witch.
~*~*~*~*~
Spike was just about to knock on the door to Willow’s room when the door
opened inward. Lowering his hand, he said a polite hello to Fred. Willow walked
up behind her and greeted Spike.
“What’s up, Spike?”
“Buffy’s awake and would like to see you.”
“She is… oh… that’s wonderful,” Willow gushed. “I’ll just go…”
Spike smiled as the redhead darted around him and rushed off to Buffy’s room.
“I’m just gonna head downstairs,” Fred said.
Spike stepped back out of her way. He glanced over and saw Dawn’s door open.
“I’ll be down in a sec. I’m just gonna talk to Niblet for a minute.”
“Niblet? Oh, you mean Dawn. Ok.” Spike walked off to see how Dawn was doing
while Fred descended the stairs to see about Giles’ new development.
~*~*~*~*~
Angel, Wesley and Fred were the only ones in the office when Giles walked in and
shut the door. Gripping the tattered scroll tightly in his hands he crossed
silently to his seat behind the desk. Rather than put off what he had to say,
and wanting to get through as much as possible before Spike arrived, he launched
right into his interpretation.
“Wesley, you brought the translation to the original prophecy you received in
L.A.?”
“Got it right here,” he said, producing a copy of the translation.
“Good. Reread the first stanza for me.”
“Spawned from darkness and evil. Yet, but for love willingly chose. To give up
the demon inside. For which a soul now grows.”
“When we first translated it we thought of Angel,” Fred offered.
“Yes, I could see where you might make that mistake,” Giles commented.
“The next part, Wesley.”
“As the one grows weak. And begins to decay. A kiss, mixed with blood. To keep
death at bay,” Wesley read.
“And the last part,” Giles urged.
“A price will be paid. To save the one’s life. Forever immortal. No longer
among light.”
“Yes, unfortunately, it all makes sense now.”
“What make sense, Giles?” This from Angel. He’d heard the translation
before and it made no more sense now than it did the first time Angel heard it.
Except for the first part and how it had seemed to be centered on him.
“While I was in England trying to decipher the text from it’s original form,
I came across a short passage. Quite by chance, actually.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense, Rupert. Tell us already,” Wesley said.
“Yes, of course.” Taking a deep breath, he picked up a single sheet of paper
and read. Not that he needed to read from the paper. The memorized words written
on the sheet of paper he held taunted him.
“Two demon’s compromise. An ensouled phoenix shall arise. Mixed blood
interwoven. To save all chosen. From unequivocal demise.” He put sheet of
paper down on the desk. Pulling off his glasses, he threw them on top of the
discarded paper, disgust with himself and the whole situation evident in his
stiff bearing. His slayer was about to become that which she had spent the last
seven years killing. But, two, not one demon would be battling within her body.
And, if Buffy did not agree to it… well, she held not only her fate, but also
the fate of the other slayers in her hand.
~*~*~*~*~
Willow was shocked when she walked into Buffy’s room and saw the condition her
friend was in. This was the first time Willow had had a chance to see Buffy
since she had arrived. Things had been real hectic from the moment she had
walked through the front door. And, it wasn’t like Buffy had been up to having
visitors.
“Buffy! Hey,” she whispered softly. The email Buffy had sent came back to
her and understanding dawned on the witch’s face. Buffy knew that she
was dying.
“Xander?” Buffy croaked.
Willow shook her head. She hadn’t heard from him in a while, and she didn’t
know if Xander had received Buffy’s email or not. After the events of
Sunnydale, Xander had gone off on his own once they had reached England. Remorse
about Anya had hardened the once-comical, fun-loving man. Trying to escape the
memories of his years in Sunnydale, he had left his friends, choosing to wander
alone in distant countries, occasionally finding a new slayer to send back to
Buffy or Giles. His emails of late had gotten more sporadic, as if he was
drifting away from his friends, trying to leave his old life behind. When Buffy
had sent the email, she wasn’t sure if Xander would get it in time, but she
had to try. He was her friend, even thought they didn’t always see eye to eye
on things, and she had wanted to say goodbye.
Seeing Buffy’s melancholy, Willow tried to lighten her mood. “Don’t worry,
Buffy. Giles has a new theory. He’s actually talking to the gang about it now.
We’re gonna make this better, you’ll see.”
Buffy gave her friend a reassuring smile, wanted Willow to believe that things
would be ok. Unfortunately, she knew better.
“Can you get… paper… pen… in the drawer?” She lifted her hand weakly
to point to the nightstand drawer. Willow got up quickly to do as she asked,
bring back the blank paper and pen and handing it to her. She spied a book on
the table on the other side of the bed, and rushed around to grab it, giving
Buffy a flat surface on which to write.
Buffy attempted to write a letter to Spike, but in her much-weakened condition,
she ended up only writing a few words. When she was finished, she dropped the
pen on the bed beside her. Folding the letter in half, and then in half again,
she brought it to her mouth to kiss. She held it out to Willow.
“For Spike. After…” Buffy choked out. Willow took the note, holding it
close. Tears were now slipping unheeded down both girls’ cheeks.
“Buffy. It’s gonna work out. You’ll see,” she cried, moving to the bed
to give her friend a reassuring hug. “I told you, Giles--"
Buffy shook her head. “Getting close. Can feel it.”
Just then, both girls heard shouting, followed by a bellow of rage. Spike.
~*~*~*~*~
“So, what are you saying? I have to turn her?” Angel demanded, yelling
loudly. There was no way he was doing that to Buffy. Was Giles crazy? Buffy… a
vampire? Or, was it half-vampire? Was there such a thing?
The door to the office banged open to reveal one pissed off vampire in all his
glory. His below of outrage could probably be heard throughout the house.
“No. Bloody. Fucking. Way, Watcher!” Spike hollered as he advanced into the
room.
“Spike, come in, please.” Gesturing to his bumpies, he told him to relax.
Spike just crossed his arms over his chest and waited.
When the occupants of the room settled down once more, he went on with his
explanation. “Angel, to answer your question, no you don’t have to turn
her.” Then, he let the bomb drop. Eyes locked with Spike he uttered the words
that would crush, possibly both vampires. “Spike does.”
“Me?” Spike whispered, confused. His demon features faded at his shock
revealing the human mask once more. Tormented cerulean-colored eyes gazed back
at him. “Why me?”
“Because, Spike, you are the vampire described in the prophecy.” He quoted
softly, “Spawned from darkness and evil. Yet, but for love willingly chose. To
give up the demon inside. For which a soul now grows. You willing chose to have
your soul restored. Angel was cursed with his.” Giles glanced at Angel to see
how he was taking this news. A flicker of emotion before it was quickly covered
by his trademark brooding expression. Not as bad as he had expected.
“But…”
“Spike, Buffy had a slayer dream the other night. She hasn’t been able to
tell you about it yet, but it all ties in to this prophecy. With your help, she
will become the new guardian of the slayers, taking the place of the First
Slayer. She is bound to them through the spell conducted with the scythe before
your battle with The First. If her soul were to depart this plane, all the
slayers that were instantly called would lose their abilities. I think this is
what that demon was trying to achieve when he attacked Buffy. By killing Buffy,
we would be left with just one slayer: Faith. It would be too good of an
opportunity for the Draemuir demons to pass up. We have to keep Buffy alive.
Well, if not technically alive, as she would be a vampire. But, her soul would
be grounded here, enabling the slayers to live.”
Spike shook his head, unable to process all that Giles had told him. He turned
to look at Angel. “I can’t. She’d hate me. Hate what I had done to her.
Sire,” he spoke. Angel pushed up off the wall and walked over to Spike. He put
a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Spike was obviously distraught; so much so
that he had acknowledged Angel with his title, rather than some off-the-wall
nickname he would normally use in mixed company. Angel didn’t think Spike was
even aware of what he had done. “William,” he spoke softly, for his ears
alone, “it must be done. She will not hate you. Couldn’t hate you. It must
be done and you will do this.” His tone brooked no argument.
Their whispered words were broken up when Willow came flying down the stairs and
ran into the office.
“Giles! It’s Buffy. She’s-” She got nothing else out before two vampires
raced past her running up the stairs. They were out of time. It was time to
fulfill the prophecy.
~*~*~*~*~
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
Why hadn’t he noticed before? Her heartbeat was always there - beating in the
back of his mind. He should have noticed the second it started to weaken. He
reached the doorway and stopped dead in his tracks. Buffy was stretched out on
the bed, body bowing slightly off the surface; her head was thrown back exposing
the veins running down the sides of her neck. He didn’t have much time. He
walked quickly into the room and crawled up along side her. He stripped off his
shirt and flung it aside, not caring where it happened to land. Vaguely, he
heard the bedroom door shut. Apparently, Angel thought it best that there should
be no witnesses. And, he was grateful. If he had to look at the ‘Bit’s eyes,
he didn’t think he could go through with this, prophecy be damned.
He pulled the covers off of Buffy and pulled her carefully into his arms. Spike
lifted her hair back to expose the unmarked side of her neck. Before he could
think better of it, he shifted and sunk his fangs in her neck, piercing her
jugular. He’d had the blood of two slayers before her, but even in near-death,
Buffy’s blood, by far, was the sweetest he had tasted. Even with the poison
coursing through her veins. She had let out a slight moan as his fangs pierced
her neck, but he was so gentle and she was so far gone with pain that the slight
discomfort faded quickly.
Spike continued to drink from Buffy, leaning back on the bed with her draped
over him as her limbs lost whatever strength she had.
Thud… thud.
Thud…thud.
Thud…… thud.
It was time. Reaching up, he sliced his chest, right near where her lips rested.
Releasing her neck, he guided her lips to his cut, willing her to drink. Rolling
over so that Buffy lay beneath him, he rose up on his elbows and allowed the
blood from his cut to drip down into her open mouth. She could do nothing but
swallow as gravity forced the blood down her throat.
Thud……..
Thud…….
With a final swallow, her heart stopped.