The Witch, the Warrior, & the Vampire
 Part 4


Written by: Brandi
 Author's Website





Summary: A prophecy, an upcoming gigantic battle, mayhem, and lots of vampire lore. Contains het and m/m, f/f slash. Contains cast of both BtVS,AtS, and oc. Main pairings: S/B, X/A, W/T
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all of it's characters belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
Feedback: http://www.livejournal.com/users/brandil





Chapter 4: An Old Enemy


No one understood Morgaine's request to stay at Spike's crypt by herself until the following day. But no one had dared question her either. Spike had willingly taken her there, shown her his makeshift bathroom, helped remake the bed with clean linens, and stocked his small refrigerator with drinks and fruit for the witch. Her presence disconcerted him. He had never fully trusted witches, mages, or anyone who practiced magick for that matter, except for Red's girl Glinda. In his unlife Spike had seen many spells backfire, and glimpsed many practitioners fall deeper and deeper into the lure of magick. Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed Morgaine settle into his favorite chair. She was patiently sitting there studying him.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he returned Morgaine's unwavering stare with one of his own. "You're not planning on hexing me with strange mojo are you? Tell me that's not why you're here."

Morgaine laughed, Spike had expected a cackle but it sounded young, innocent, a lot like Dawn when she was happy; it relaxed him just a bit. "Of course not, Bloody. No one at the Council, or in Sunnydale truly understands the part you will play in this prophecy. I am…trying to get a feel for you amongst your belongings…and until I recover from jet lag, I'm an absolute bitch. I'd rather no one hated me before their time, simply because I am tired. And I doubt anyone other than the Warrior and the Key come here." She looked at him for confirmation.

"Right about that, Glinda, um Tara, she's been here on her own a few times. She did some research for me about Buffy, and's helped me with a few injuries. Bird won't come after dark though, unless she's got company."

"The rest of the group doesn't trust you, do they?" This wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.

Spike snorted in derision. "They don't trust me, they don't like me. In fact most of `em hate me. I wouldn't put it past the whelp to stake me. He would've by now, if he weren't so afraid of Buffy." He shrugged his shoulders trying to project the big bad image, completely destroying it with his next words. "S'alright though, Nibblet loves me, Glinda likes me, Giles he's beginning to come around. He made me swear to look after the Slayer while he was gone. Buffy, she…" Again he shrugged, sitting down finally in the only other chair and lighting a cigarette.

"Yes, the Slayer, quite a complicated and confused little girl, isn't she?" Morgaine prompted. She was trying to read his aura. Difficult at the best of times, but with vampires nearly impossible. She kept getting a glimpse, but lost it when she tried to look directly.

"You can say that again." Encouraged by the open ear, he continued. "Spent the first three and half years I knew her trying to kill her, then those damn bastards put this chip in my `ead. I couldn't feed or protect myself, didn't really know what was wrong with me, Slayer and her friends was the only place left to turn to…."

"And they took you in, got you back on your feet, and you formed an uneasy alliance. I've read the Watcher's diary. I know everything that took place. Tell me, when did you know you loved her?"

"Didn't know `til her mum got sick. Then I bollicksed it all up, but I think, no I know it started when I first laid eyes on her." His eyes took on a dreamy faraway look; neither spoke again for a long time. Finally Morgaine broke the silence.

"Yes well, thank you for your hospitality. Now I'd really like to get some sleep."

"Right." Spike started to leave. "Look, I know we just met and all, but can I ask you for a little spell?"

"That all depends," Morgaine said lifting her right eyebrow, "on what type of spell you want."

"See, Slayer's asked me to move in an' I did and all, but there's a box I took to her house, don't want her nosing through it, she will though, unless there's some type of barrier keeping her and everyone but me out of it." Spike didn't quite meet Morgaine's eyes.

"What's in the box, Bloody?"

`Guess, I'll have to tell the truth, or she won't help me out,' "My life. All I have left of William, pictures, letters, stuff like that…same type of stuff from my life with Angelus and Dru, no killing trophies or anything, just mementos. Guess humans would liken it to a scrap book."

"A vampire with a memory box?" Not for the first time, Morgaine was forced to reassess the vampire.

"Yes, there's stuff in there she wouldn't understand, and things I don't want her to see, `specially the stuff from my years with Angelus. She thinks she knows all of it and that she understands, but she doesn't and won't, she's not a…can you help me?"

Morgaine rummaged through her bags, pulled out an empty vile and some ingredients, quickly mixed them together and muttered some words. When she finished she handed it to Spike. "Just put this on top of the box, no one will want to see what's inside as long as this rests on top. You do deserve your privacy Bloody. The items in the box are benign. But you're right the Slayer won't understand. Leave me now." Her piece said, Morgaine turned to go about her business, dismissing Spike.

"Thanks." Spike went back to Buffy's and left Morgaine to do whatever it is that witches do.

* * *

Dawn rushed to the phone when it rang, hoping it was Janice or someone from school, "Summers, Summers, Rosenburg, McClay, and Bloody residence, Dawn speaking."

"Dawn, is Buffy there?" Dawn sighed at the sound of Giles voice; of course the phone wasn't for her.

"Sure Giles, hang on a sec," Dawn dropped the phone on the counter with a clang, "Buffy!! It's Giles."

Upstairs, Buffy rolled over in bed and answered the phone on her nightstand. "What's up, Giles?"

"Buffy, have you been training with Spike while I was gone?" There were no accusations in Giles' voice, but Buffy still wasn't sure exactly how to respond.

"Um, yeah?" Buffy answered hesitantly. She didn't really know if it had been a good idea to train with Spike, but she wanted the intimacy training with him allowed. There were only two places Buffy could truly open up and trust Spike: on the battlefield and in the training room. It seemed Spike understood that. No matter how badly she'd treated him, how much they fought, whether or not they were even speaking to each other, every day at 2:30 that Buffy wasn't at work, she met Spike in her training room at the Magic Box. When Buffy was at work during that time, Spike went to the Magic Box and trained or studied training methods without her.

"Excellent, I had hoped you would train together." Giles had left all of the Watcher tools for training Slayers in his office at the Magic Box, in hopes that someone would train with her. He had wanted it to be Spike. Only with Spike, Angel, or Faith had Buffy ever been able to truly physically train. "I stumbled across some very ancient training manuals while in England. I like to look through the books that have discarded because they've been termed useless. You'd be surprised what gems I've found there in the past." Giles' voice had taken on a dreamy far away quality.

"Yeah? You woke me up to talk about libraries??" Buffy interrupted sarcastically..

"Sorry," Giles responded sheepishly before continuing in his `let's get down to business' voice. "It seems that after the First Slayer, in the beginning at least, it wasn't uncommon for a Slayer active in particularly dangerous times to have a fighting partner. Of demonic origin, in a situation similar to Whistler I believe, chosen by the Powers to fight for the light to help even the balance. Methods were developed by the Watchers of those Slayers to train the Slayer and the er, Demon together, hand to hand and weapons of course, but also meditation techniques, and a type of er, yoga that would increase their awareness of each other. If practiced long enough the techniques help the two develop what is described best as One Mind when fighting. I've got these texts here, and I would like to begin you and Spike on this training format."

"Sure Giles, sounds cool. When he gets up, we'll call you and head over." Buffy was surprised that Giles was pleased with her decision to train with Spike. She hadn't really expected him to be angry, as he was always after her to train more often, but she hadn't expected his full encouragement, given his history of feelings for Spike.

"Excellent, see you later then,"

* * *

Spike had gotten up around one, and at 2:30 he and Buffy arrived at the Magic Box. They found Giles in the training room, lighting incense and candles, and setting crystals up in various areas outside the circle that had been marked off on the largest training mat.

"Looks like we're in for mystical mojo, Slayer." Spike felt a little uneasy, belying his light words.

"Looks like. Giles, you know this is always the hardest stuff for me. Couldn't we just spar?" Buffy was feeling a little uneasy herself.

"That's the purpose of this, Buffy. These techniques are supposed to increase the awareness you and Spike feel for each other, an awareness of the others' mind," Giles didn't notice Spike swallow nervously, or Buffy's mouth fall open and her eyes grow wide, "Synchronize your mind. If the manuals are accurate, if you two successfully accomplish these techniques, you will be able to strike as one against any enemy. Anticipate each other's moves and strategies, act and react accordingly. In short, you will be in Synchronicity.

`Is it even possible for me to be more aware of her than I already am?' Spike thought. `We fight well together, but if we could fight better together, if this can could help keep her alive longer, I want to do it. She's my everythin'…I can feel her even when she's not anywhere around, I can read her deepest fears, but to let her inside me.' He was scared. Loving Buffy with all his heart and wanting her to love him did not prepare him for letting her into his mind. His mind, where William and the Demon constantly fought for control of his every action. But if Buffy were to truly know him, all of him, maybe she could accept the demon, and love the man.

Buffy thoughts were running along the same track as Spike's. She knew that Spike could already read her the way Giles was describing, but this would let her finally truly see. What was inside Spike? Would she be disgusted with what she saw? Would she hate him? Would she discover she truly loved him and had all along? Or would what she saw make her forget the man and love the demon? Could they ever take this moment back once it happened?

Giles had an accurate idea of what was going on in their heads, and chose to finish setting up the circle while they prepared themselves. The circle he had drawn and cast on the training mat would serve as an isolation barrier for Buffy and Spike while they trained. It would keep out the essences of any other being, allowing no interfering vibes from the outside. Whatever they were getting ready to face would just be themselves.

When he finished, he stepped outside the circle and indicated they enter it. They sat down facing each other in the lotus position. They avoided each other's eyes and listened to Giles. "Now, I need to focus on each other, relax, breathe deeply, er, if that applies to you, and meditate. Allow your consciousness to expand."

Spike focused on the sound of Buffy's heartbeat and level, deep breathing. He forced his vampire senses to wash over with the Slayer, feeling her presence in his very cells. Her familiar presence lulled him into a meditative state and he locked his eyes on hers.

Buffy concentrated on relaxing each muscle group in her body as she set her breathing into a meditative rhythm. Then she locked her eyes with Spike, and allowed her senses to wash over with him. She felt his presence in her bones, and quickly followed Spike into a deep meditative state.

Giles was watching and taking notes. He recognized that Buffy was deep into her trance, and decided after studying Spike for several minutes that he was as well. His true face had emerged, a low rumbling sound filled the room, cresting when Buffy exhaled, diminishing as she breathed in. Giles decided it was time to move to the next step. He realigned the two stacks of crystals set before him. One stack consisted of three large smoky topaz crystals. They represented Spike. The other stack of three amethyst crystals represented Buffy. He made a pyramid with both stacks. Speaking softly, but loudly enough for them to hear as Giles moved them into the next stage of meditation.

"Place your palms on the floor in front of you." Moving as if hypnotized, the Vampire and the Slayer did everything Giles said. "Pull yourself into a handstand from your seated position."

Fluidly and in perfect synch, they pushed off from their hands, and slowly unfolded their legs until they were both in handstands, back to back, with three inches separating their bodies. Pleased and a little shocked they were both so receptive to the training, Giles continued. "Lower your left leg to the side, creating a right angle to your body, then lower your right leg to the side as well creating a split, make your legs parallel to the floor."

When Buffy and Spike were in handstands with their legs split wide and parallel to the floor, Giles said, "Lift your right arm, hold it tight against your body"

They complied, and after a while in that position he instructed them to switch arms. A series of movements followed, both bending backward, bending forward, and finally back into the original handstand. And then Giles did what the instruction manuals instructed next. "Open your awareness to yourself, find what creates you, what makes you a vampire, what makes you a slayer. Find your essence."

And with those final instructions Giles spoke no more. He sat with his diary and pen in hand. He waited, and he watched.

In her mind's eye, Buffy looked into her soul. She saw a ying-yang. She was the white ying and Spike was the black yang. She concentrated on herself, forgetting instantly that Spike was in her soul. She looked into the black eye that made the ying. There was a girl, Buffy Anne Summers, the girl who ice-skated, shopped because it was fun, who loved chocolate, who had close and loving friends. She was silly, she was serious, she was shallow and deep, she was insecure because of her father, but knew she was loved because of her mother. She had a sister and everything normal girls have. But surrounding the black eye of the ying was the Slayer. Power and righteousness in their purest forms. The light that created it was blinding. But there was a presence, too: the essence of love; suffusing everything that created the Slayer. Love for people she was there to protect. Love for the planet, and the creatures, all the creatures on it. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the black yang and there was Spike, one of the creatures looking at her from within her own soul.

Spike was gazing at his demon. The damned creature that made him a vampire. In a flash he saw the same ying-yang as Buffy and immediately focused on the black yang that comprised him. The white eye in the center was William. The gentle, timid, romantic man who had loved his family, poetry, and the idea of love so much that he fell in love with the first woman to catch his eye, Cecily. He felt sharply for an instant the pure essence of William. Then his eye was drawn to the black of the yang and faced his demon. Power, but impure power, its weaknesses were glaring: sunlight, holy relics and water, fire, beheading, wood stakes. Pure predator, pure hunger, pure desire to survive, regardless of the destruction and death its mere survival required. Suffusing the demon was fear of its mortal enemy, the one created to destroy him. His gaze was drawn immediately to the white ying and there was Buffy. If not for him, she would never have existed. The one thing that was created to destroy him completed him. At the same moment Spike and Buffy pulled themselves out of meditation so quickly they crashed down from their handstands and landed in a tangle of limbs.

"Bloody fucking hell!" Spike yelled in annoyance, rubbing his head.

At the sound of his voice, Buffy did the only thing she knew how. Disentangling her legs from Spike's, she ran.

"Interesting. Buffy is the first Slayer to run. All of the others who have entered this exercise immediately tried to kill their partner." Giles was muttering to himself, making notes of what had happened. He noted that as they both fell, their representative crystals had fallen as well. `Hmm, both of them were particularly receptive to these methods. Much more so than any other on record.' He didn't notice Spike's face or when he got up and left .

As Spike headed into the sewers to make his way safely to his new home, he struggled to reconcile what he had seen. Facing William at the core of the demon hadn't fazed him at all. But seeing his being completed with Buffy, the one created to destroy him had scared the unlife out of him. He needed distance, and decided to stay in the sewers until he was ok.

Buffy, on the other hand, was running blindly down the streets. She wound up at her mother's grave and leaned back against the headstone in complete turmoil. The whole training session had been a revelation to her. Now she knew. She wasn't just the Slayer. She was first and foremost Buffy. `I've always thought I was just the Slayer. But now I know I'm Buffy, and the Slayer is me.' It felt good. And the spirit guide was right; the Slayer was full of love. Without love the Slayer wouldn't fight to protect the world or the people in it. Calmed down, she unconsciously began weeding her mother's plot. By the time she was finished she had focused herself again. She was Buffy. Buffy was the Slayer. All thoughts of Spike and everything else she had seen, she conveniently forgot as she made her way home.

* * *

Xander and Anya enjoyed a pre-elopement honeymoon. After brunch in bed, featuring quiche, salad and mimosas, the Loyal and the demon sealed their love to each other. Murmuring oaths of love, promises of forever, and vows of devotion, they luxuriously made love all afternoon. They ate a quick meal around six, lazily made love again, and drifted off to sleep.

Morgaine forced her eyes open at 8:00 that morning, drank a disgusting cup of American coffee, tried to read the vampire's aura through his belongings, ate a light lunch, read through manuscripts about the prophecy, enjoyed a heavy tea, outlined the training for her newest acolytes, and happily went to bed at 10:00 pm completely acclimated to her new time zone.

Cordelia and Angel had debated when to leave. Cordelia wanted to go home to LA now, and Angel wanted to stay because Connor needed Spike's blood. Ryvr finally ended the debate by announcing she would set up a teleport with Morgaine so Spike could make a daily Connor deposit. They decided to leave Monday, after the elopement.

Willow, Tara, and Dawn deep into studying their magickal texts, didn't notice Buffy's arrival. She went to the kitchen and started dinner, wondering when Spike was going to get home. He finally showed up after sunset. Relieved he was back, she acknowledged his presence initially, and then ignored him for the rest of the night. She hung out with Dawn watching movies and talking about Dawn's readings. Willow and Tara went to their respective rooms and did their homework for the following day. Spike went to the basement and didn't come out again until the next day.

* * *

That night, in a darkened cave below Sunnydale, a figure suddenly appeared from the earth. It lay there naked and huddled away from the darkness that surrounded it. Slowly, as it realized it was released from the torments of hell, the figure stretched its long limbs and smiled at the absence of pain. Gradually it moved into a crouch, red eyes peering into the blackness, able to see everything: strange rock formations, a small pool of water, a long-abandoned throne, candles waiting to be lit. Its strange pointed ears heard every sound, the lapping of water in the small pool, wind blowing through the cave, the flapping of bat wings, the scurrying of rats, the drumming heartbeats of both. Rats. Food.

The predator cocked his head to one side and honed his senses to the rats in the area. Quicker than the human eye, the creature leapt in the darkness and found his food. As he drank from the rat, he felt strength flow into his body. He hadn't fed since the last time he was in this cave. A thousand years in hell and he could still remember the power that flowed into him as he drank from his savior. The one who released him from his mystical cage in this very room. The same one that had sent to him hell, even though the prophecy said he would be the one to prevail.

A slow grin slipped across his red-stained mouth. He would call his children to him. They would serve him once again, and this time, when he broke from his prison of the Hellmouth, the Slayer and all her kith and kin would pay for his thousand years of torment in hell.

The destruction of the Slayer, the destruction of the world, the prophecy would be fulfilled. At last. He laughed then, pure evil which echoed through the caves and rang into the night, calling the creatures of darkness to him.

At the mansion Angel's true face emerged, the demon within him surged. Connor started to howl and Cordelia screamed as the vision of the Master rising ripped into her. She immediately passed out from the pain. Ryvr went outside, drew her bow, and let an arrow fly into the sky; she whispered in her tinkling voice, "It has begun."

Buffy was sleeping in her bed; everyone in the house was asleep but Spike, and she knew she was safe, but the dream swept her up and fear filled her. She saw the creature laughing and heard him swear vengeance against herself and her family. She screamed.

Tara and Willow sleeping in their respective rooms were tossing and turning; there was a new power in Sunnydale and even in the safety of their dreams, it was tormenting them.

In the basement, Spike was reading through the ancient training methods Giles had discovered. As always, a corner of his mind was focused on the presences of Buffy and Dawn. He felt their fear, smelled it, his demon emerged and his soul battled it. A force stronger than any other was pulling him, urging him to seek its source. He slipped his duster on and was going to investigate what was pulling him. He heard Buffy scream, and Dawn's scream echoed it, and the force that was pulling him he pushed aside as he went to protect his girls.

Dawn's scream had pulled Buffy from her dream. She reached Dawn's room at the same time Spike did. Together they woke Dawn and held her between them, murmuring it would be alright, it was just a dream. Spike met Buffy's eyes and he knew she felt it too. Whatever it was that made his demon emerge was drawing her as well.

When Dawn had finally drifted back to sleep, they went to the kitchen. Spike began making Buffy a mug of hot chocolate, and when it was done he turned to face her. Forcing his demon down, he looked at her with his blue eyes. Fear was pouring from her, her heart was pounding. She leaned against him for the support and comfort no one else could give her. As he ran his hand over her silky hair she whispered, "He's back. I saw him, and he's coming after all of us this time, not just me."

Spike nodded. He had finally recognized the source of the pull that had forced his demon to the fore. The father of his line had risen, the source of the strength in the Line of Aurelius had returned. The Master had risen. Again.

In Spike's crypt Morgaine was casting protection spells. The first to protect her in the crypt until she moved into the mansion. The second to protect the Summers' residence where half of the world's saviors were sleeping. The third she cast over the Harris' apartment. She knew that spell would be the first to be broken, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it. And finally, she cast a protection spell over Rupert's apartment. When she was finished, she wearily lay down, clutching a cross to her chest. For all her power and training, she was terrified. The enemy had risen. The prophecy begun. There was little time now to finish the preparations. She prayed to the goddess it would be enough.

Anya woke up startled. She reached beside her to caress the man she was going to marry tomorrow. He was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the evil vibes sweeping over Sunnydale. Anya knew, but she didn't know how she knew, that Xander would be dead within the week. She pulled him close and cried. Whatever kind of deal Morgaine had arranged with D'Hoffryn she would accept. With her powers she could protect Xander, he was her entire world. She would let nothing and NO ONE hurt her man.

Like Spike, Giles had never gone to sleep. He was up trying to figure out who and what The Messenger was. He felt a new energy surrounding him; it chilled him all the way to his soul. He went to his weapons chest, pulled out a crossbow and a cross, and continued his research, even knowing it was futile. He didn't have the answers to this in his records, but hopefully James would be bringing some from England.

In an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean, Maggie, the new Slayer, was sleeping between her Watcher and his wife. Her head tossing back and forth, as she kept muttering "he's back, he's back." James knew she was having a prophetic dream and didn't want to waken her until it was finished. But as she drew in a breath and opened her mouth to scream, he woke her up. Bridget got a pen and some paper ready as Maggie relayed the dream to them. She was still trembling when she finished. She could still see those red eyes staring at her. Telling her she would be his soon.
 


CONTINUED...

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