Pairing: W/S
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss & Company own all.
Thanks: As always, to my lovely beta, Em. You’re the best!
“No one can lay a hand on our dreams.” – E.V. Lucas
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 1~
Willow let the cool, crisp liquid fall over her, not caring that it was windy and that she might catch a cold. The rain called to her. And as the drops of freshness caressed her body, she felt relaxed. The redhead twirled around in circles, not concerned who saw or what they thought of her. All her worries were being washed away. She didn’t care anymore.
Looking up at the sky, she saw that the clouds were parting way for the rays of light to shine through. She smiled up at the glimmering sun and held her arms wide open, letting the warmth bathe her. Closing her eyes, she continued to twirl around in circles when suddenly, a harsh wind came from the north. Her eyes snapped open and she saw that she was no longer on the sidewalk in front of her childhood home. She was in the cemetery, and it was dark and cold. Her green eyes flittered from left to right out of nervousness. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
She took a hesitant step forward but stopped when the ground in front of her burst into flames. Running backwards, she stumbled onto the ground, her fragile body aching in multiple areas. The flames came closer and closer, she was helpless, there was nothing she could do but scream.
And she did.
~^~**~^~
Buffy looked out at the horizon, sighing happily as she leaned into Riley’s arms. The waves were lapping up beneath her feet and the sun was just setting. And for once, she didn’t dread the night coming. She welcomed it. This time, when the sun went down, the monsters and demons wouldn’t come out. They were all away, in a land, far, far away. She was here, with the man that she loved and everything was just right.
The blonde opened her eyes and smiled softly, “I don’t want to leave.”
“Then we won’t.”
Buffy’s eyes grew wide when she heard the voice. That wasn’t Riley. She looked down and saw the scaly arms that held her small body. She tried to push herself out of them but they wouldn’t budge. Instead, they squeezed, tighter and tighter.
She tried to scream, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even breathe. Glancing at the last ray of sunlight, she wished for someone to help her.
Distantly, she heard a piercing scream.
~^~**~^~
Giles came out of the kitchen when he heard the door open and then close. “Buffy, is that you?”
“Nope, it’s the Xan-Man.”
“And me,” chirped Anya.
“Oh, even better.”
“Is that sarcasm I sense? Oh, but I’ve come bearing gifts.” Xander dropped the box of donuts onto the table. He looked around the living room, “Hey, where’s Buffy and Willster?”
The Watcher’s brow furrowed in confusion, “I thought they would be coming with you two. I’ve tried calling the dorm, but, no answer.”
Xander looked down at his watch, “It’s like 3 o’clock, they should definitely be awake by now. But, then again, it’s a Saturday, so maybe they’re sleeping in.”
“Why you would sleep your whole day away is beyond me.” Giles commented as he grabbed a jelly-filled donut out of the box.
“Hey, where’s Junior?”
“Right here, moron.” Spike sat down at the table and continued to sip his blood.
“Oh, darn, and I was just beginning to miss you too.”
“Hey, you’re only supposed to miss me!” Anya said defensively with a slight pout.
“An, I was kidding.” Xander smiled at her reassuringly. “So, do you want me to go over there and try to wake them up or something?”
Giles glanced up at the brunette, “Oh, no need, just give it another hour or so.”
~^~**~^~
Xander leaned his head back against the chair, “Giles, it’s 6:30, you said an hour. They should be here by now.”
Giles looked up at him, “You’re right. I wonder where they could be. I specifically told them to call me when they awoke or got back.”
The brunette got up and put on his jacket, “I’ll go over to the dorm then. See if they’ve been by or something.”
The Watcher nodded his consent, “Oh, bring Spike with you.”
Spike raised an eyebrow, “I’m not a bloody lap dog, Watcher. The moron can handle himself.” He stopped talking, “Wait, I see your point, never mind, I’m coming.”
“Hey, what about me?” Anya asked, “I don’t want to stay here and research.”
“Well, someone should stay and keep Giles company.” Xander said, turning back around.
Giles looked up from his book, “No, it’s quite alright. Just hurry on back.”
~^~**~^~
“Buffy, Willow?” Xander yelled as he pounded on the door, “You guys in there?” He looked back at the two blondes and shrugged, “Obviously they’re not home.”
“Try the door.” Spike suggested.
“Locked.”
The blonde demon pushed him aside and broke the knob, “Not anymore.”
“Alright, if Buffy finds out about this, that was completely your fault.”
Spike rolled his eyes and flipped on the light. He let out an unneeded sigh when he saw both bodies still in bed, and both still alive. “They’re still sleeping.” He looked back at Xander, confused, “Do they always sleep this late?”
Anya walked into the room and glanced around, “Was Willow practicing any spells lately? I feel magic for some reason.”
Spike knelt beside Willow’s bed and brushed the hair out of her face, grateful that nobody was looking at him, “Red, wake up,” he said gently. After getting no response, he shook her harder, “Red?”
He looked over to Xander and Anya who were also having no luck with Buffy. “They’re obviously deep sleepers.”
“Right,” Xander replied, unsurely. “I’ll be right back.”
He returned a few minutes later with two cups filled with water. Standing over Buffy’s body, he said apologetically, “Sorry.” Pouring it onto her face, he looked at Anya, even more confused now when the blonde didn’t even move. “Alright, that obviously didn’t work.” He handed the cup over to Spike, “You try.”
Spike dumped the water onto Willow’s face and still, no response. His gaze met Xander’s, “We better call the Watcher.”
~Part: 2~
“They can’t wake up?” Giles repeated, thoroughly confused. “Are you quite sure?”
“Yes, Watcher,” Spike let out an unneeded sigh, “We’ve poured water on them, screamed in their ears, and Xapper here nearly shoved Red off her bed trying to wake her up.”
“Well, why don’t you carry them over here just to be safe.”
“Alright, we’ll be over there in a few.” Spike hung up the phone and turned around to face the eager faces of Xander and Anya. “Watcher said to bring them over.”
Xander nodded and headed for Willow’s body when Spike suddenly spoke up, “Hey, you get the Slayer. I’ll get Red.”
He looked at the demon with a raised eyebrow, “Why?”
“I’m not touching the bloody Slayer.”
~^~**~^~
Willow watched with fear in her eyes as the fire got closer and closer. She had stopped screaming, realizing that it would do no good. But right as the flames were about to touch her shivering body, everything faded away. She found herself sitting on the sand. The redhead looked around her new surroundings, completely baffled by the change of scenery. In the distance, she saw a blonde who looked like she was struggling with something.
“Buffy?” Willow breathed. “Oh, Goddess, Buffy!” She ran towards the Slayer at a hurried pace and pushed the demon off of her with full force even though she doubted that it wouldn’t help any. When the demon stumbled back, the redhead was more than surprised.
The demon came running at her with a sword that just magically appeared. It tried to attack her with it but she delivered a roundhouse kick directly into its gut and it fell onto the sand, the sword slashing her arm. The demon fell back and disappeared into the sand.
Willow panted slightly and turned to Buffy, “Are you okay?”
The blonde cleared her throat, “Fine.” She massaged her chest and looked at the scenery, “Where are we?”
“I-“ Willow faltered, “I don’t know.”
Buffy stared at her, “Willow, look at your cut.”
The redhead looked down at it with wide eyes, “It’s healing.”
Buffy scoffed, “Yeah and fast.”
By the time she was done with her sentence, the wound was already healed.
The blonde was at a lost for words but finally managed to get out, “How?”
“I don’t know,” Willow replied softly, still staring at her arm. “I feel strong. I mean, I just kicked that demon’s booty if you didn’t notice.” She paused, “Freaky.”
The Slayer looked down at her hands with slight confusion. “Willow, hit me.”
“What?”
“Do it,” Buffy commanded, “Hit me.”
“Why?”
“Will!”
“Fine,” Willow muttered before hitting her in the arm half-heartedly.
Buffy glared at her, “Will!”
Willow rolled her eyes and hit the blonde harder. She immediately regretted it when Buffy bit her lip in pain. “I’m so sorry, Buffy!”
The Slayer looked down at the sand, “I don’t get it. That wasn’t supposed to hurt.” She looked at Willow incredulously, “I think,” She paused, “I think I lost my powers, Will. I think you have them.”
Willow got out a shocked, “What?” Before everything faded away into a desert scene. The hot sun shone down on the two and the redhead looked around, “This can’t be right.”
“I repeat, where the hell are we?”
Suddenly, a vampire appeared in front of the two, full game face on. Buffy backed away, unable to control her fear. Willow on the other hand stepped forward and began to throw punches at the vamp.
Meanwhile, Buffy was staring at the sun and then to the vamp, trying to figure out what was going on. Willow was handling herself extremely well. The only thing she needed was a stake. The vampire managed to knock off Willow’s balance and the redhead stumbled back and fell onto the ground. The blonde stared at her best friend in horror. She had to do something, but what? She looked around nervously, still not understanding why she was acting the way she was. Buffy focused all the power in her until she felt a slight buzz in the palms of her hands. Opening her eyes, a bolt of light shot out of her hands and straight into the vamp, turning it into dust.
The two girls stared at the ashes in confusion and awe.
~Part: 3~
Giles checked Buffy’s pulse and then checked Willow’s. “Pulse is strong, breathing is normal, nothing out of the ordinary.” He looked at the curious faces of Xander, Anya, and Spike. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d conclude that they were merely sleeping. This is quite odd. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of any incidents like this before.”
“Maybe, it’s a spell. I felt magic,” Anya offered, trying to help as much as she could.
“Magic, you felt it?” The Watcher asked.
She nodded, “Yeah, it was really strong. I don’t think even Willow could handle a spell that strong.”
Giles pinched the bridge of his nose, “I see.”
Spike looked from the ex-demon to the Watcher in frustration, “Well, get a move on. Go do some research. Isn’t that what you bleedin’ Scoobies do best?”
Xander glared at Spike, “Do we really need the bleached wonder’s help here?”
The Watcher sighed and nodded unwillingly, “Unfortunately, yes. In a case like this where we know absolutely nothing, we need all the help we can get.”
Anya looked at the pile of books ruefully, “Research, huh? Fun.” She forced out a smile and sat down, snatching a book from the table.
~^~**~^~
Willow stuttered, “Y-You can do magick?”
Buffy stared at her hands with wide eyes, “Apparently so.” She shook her head, “Oh my god, we really did switch powers.”
The redhead looked at the fading scenery, “Why?”
The blonde moved closer to her, “I don’t know.”
Willow looked from left to right, absorbing the white, fluffy clouds around them. It looked like they were floating. “Do you usually dream about this?” Her jaw almost dropped in shock when she saw a purple pony float by.
“No,” Buffy whispered, “Not ever.” She pointed to the space below them, “Is that a pink bunny?”
The redhead backed away slowly, “Something doesn’t feel right.”
The Slayer nodded, agreeing, “Yeah, this place is giving me the wiggins.”
“This *place* keeps on changing. We fight off a demon or vampire and a new change of scenery,” Willow stopped talking. “Hey, maybe that has something to do with it.”
Buffy grabbed the redhead’s arm, squeezing hard, “What is that?”
Willow looked up and saw a black hole forming, getting bigger and bigger with each second. It moved in a suction-like way, creating almost a vortex. “We have to get out of here.”
The blonde looked around, “How? It’s not like they have an exit sign anywhere.”
“Well,” Willow began nervously, all the while backing away, while the vortex seemed to be getting closer and closer. “We got out of each dream or whatever by defeating the evil that was there. So, we have to defeat whatever evil is here and we can leave.” She added softly, “I think.”
“What evil though?” Buffy asked, she held her hand out, gesturing to the area around them, “There’s nothing here except bunnies, fluffy clouds, and ponies. They’re not evil.”
Willow bit her lip and nodded in the direction behind Buffy, “Don’t be so sure.”
Buffy turned around and saw the creatures coming towards them, each with a demented grin on its face. “Oh, god, it’s like the childhood dream gone wrong. This is twisted.”
Willow chuckled nervously, “Yeah, now, how do we fight them?”
The blonde summoned an energy ball and shot it at the oncoming attackers. It only killed off two of the many. But, suddenly, the two that were dead before, popped back up again. Buffy let out an unbelieving laugh, “So, guess magic’s not going to work.” She turned towards Willow, “Crap.”
~Part: 4~
“Oh! Oh!” Xander suddenly said, jumping out of his seat, “I think I may have something.”
Spike rolled his eyes and let out a big unneeded sigh, “Like the last five times where you thought you had something?”
The brunette glared at the vampire, “Bite me. Oh right, you can’t.” Xander ignored the growl building in Spike’s throat and turned to Giles, “An said something about magic spells, right?’
Anya nodded happily, “Yes, I did. I helped in my part to this whole group research thingy. Yea, me.”
Xander shook his head, “It says here,” he pointed at the page in the book, “that Antira demons defeat their enemies by twisting their minds,” he paused, losing track of his thought, “or something like that. I don’t know. It’s somewhere in there.”
Giles took a hold of the book and skimmed through it before a smile covered his face, “I think he may have found something.”
Spike snorted, “Bloody hell, the moron actually found something?”
Xander glared at him, “Well, I don’t exactly see you finding.. stuff.”
“Nice come back there, mate,” Spike held his hands to his heart, “Hurts right here.”
“Yeah, and it will hurt right there if you don’t shut up. You seem to be forgetting that Mr. Pointy here,” Xander snatched Buffy’s stake off the table, “doesn’t exactly like you all that much.”
Spike pushed his chair away as he stood up, “I’m not afraid of a little git like you.”
“Will you two please stop?” Giles asked, massaging his temple.
“No, wait. They’re fighting due to the enormous egos that men have. This is amusing. I want to watch,” Anya said with a large grin.
The Watcher threw his hands up in the air, “Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.”
Spike sat back down onto the chair grudgingly. He didn’t want to give in so easily but he knew he wasn’t exactly helping by fighting with the brainless wonder. Besides, Willow could be in trouble, and a lot of it at that. He looked at Giles and asked, “Anything of use, Watcher?”
“I believe Xander was correct in his assumption that this is the work of an Antira demon. It says here that they,” he read the following passage out of the book directly, “defeat their enemies by twisting and bending their dreams into nightmares.”
Anya frowned, “I don’t get how that’s harmful. Anyone who’s at least semi-mentally stable can handle a few nightmares.”
Giles nodded, “I agree but these demons go further then that. They twist the victim’s view on reality so much that they end up not knowing what is real. They can’t tell the difference anymore in the end. So, even if they were to be released from the demon’s spell, the victim will most likely go insane in the end.”
Xander let out a nervous laugh, “Insanity, ha, that doesn’t sound very appealing.”
Spike ignored the young brunette’s comment, “How do you get them out of the state that they’re in? We’ve tried waking them up and it didn’t work.”
Giles sighed, “I don’t know. It doesn’t say.”
“Well, find out!” The vampire replied, enraged. “Your top two warriors are stuck in this demented nightmare place that messes with their mind and you don’t know how to get them out?”
The Watcher looked down, trying to control his anger, “And I suppose you do?”
Spike faltered for a moment, “No, I don’t.” He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, “But I will.”
~^~**~^~
Willow continued to back away, still trying to figure out a way out of the current hell that they were in.
Buffy glanced at her friend with a nervous smile, “When we get out of here, remind me to throw away all my rabbit and pony stuffed animals.”
The redhead smiled back, “Gotcha.” She looked closely at the creatures, trying not to cringe from the looks on their faces. “How do we kill them?”
The Slayer looked down at her hands, “I don’t know. I don’t think you can. That magic bolt thingy should’ve killed them but they pop right back up again.”
“Ok, think, think, think. What don’t fluffy creepy animals like?”
“I don’t know if that’s the way to go, Will. They’re getting closer.” Buffy looked around them, “Maybe we should run?”
Willow stared at the black vortex in front of them, “No, maybe we should jump.”
“What?” Buffy turned to the redhead, “*What*?”
“Jump,” Willow repeated, “It’s better then staying here with the unkillable fluffy things.”
The blonde looked unsure, “So, it’s either the fluffies or the black vortex that leads to god knows where.” She looked at the creatures again, “Yeah, okay, we’re jumping.”
Willow grabbed Buffy’s hand and tightened her grip on it, “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” The blonde replied before jumping in, bringing Willow along with.
~Part: 5~
“Willy,” Spike growled, pulling up a chair. He sat at the bar, leaning forward, waiting for the bartender to reply.
“S-Spike, buddy, what can I do for you? You want something to drink? Just got some fresh blood in,” he rambled. Despite the fact the blonde vampire couldn’t hurt him, he was still intimidated by him. There was just something about Spike that screamed danger.
“I need some information.”
Willy backed away slowly, “You know, I’ve been trying to keep clean these days.”
Spike leaned over the bar and grabbed the bartender by his shirt, “What do you know about Antira demons?”
“Of course, there are things that I’ve heard here and there. You know, it slips,” Willy continued nervously.
Spike let him go and sat back, “Tell me.”
“Nightmares, right? Twisting realities, that sort of thing?”
“Yeah,” the blonde replied impatiently.
“All I know is that these guys are powerful. They’re scaring a lot of the underground demons off. And believe me, these guys aren’t easily scared.”
“Where are they?”
“Underground.”
Spike leaned forward again, “Be more specific.”
“That’s all I know, Spike.”
The bleached blonde jumped off his chair, growled, and stalked out of the bar.
Willy stared at the $20 dollar bill that he left. Whoever these demons had or were controlling, they obviously mattered to Spike.
~^~**~^~
Spike slammed the door to the Watcher’s apartment with a deep sigh. “Went to Willy’s. These demons are underground. They’re powerful.”
“Do you know the exact location?” Giles asked as he walked into the room, book in hand.
Spike shook his head ‘no’.
Anya sat back in her chair, tapping her fingers against the table, “Underground, Antira demons, I think I know this.”
All eyes shifted to the ex-demon.
“What do you know?”
The blonde glanced at Spike, “Calm down, let me think.” She looked up at the ceiling before smiling, “Now it makes more sense.”
“What?”
Anya almost jumped back at the growl that erupted from the vampire’s throat, “Wherever they are, they usually cause a strong magical force. Like a mark basically. That’s how they twist the dreams into nightmares, with magic.”
Xander’s expression was critical, “Didn’t you say you felt a strong magic force when you went into their dorm room?”
Anya nodded, “Yeah, I did. But that was the result of the demons messing with Willow and Buffy.”
The brunette clasped his hands together, “So, what? We just go around town trying to see where there’s a strong magic force?”
Giles sat down at the table, “I suppose that is the best choice.”
“G-man, I was being sarcastic.”
Spike opened the door again, “It’s all we have to go on. You can stay here with the Watcher if you want. I’ll take demon girl.”
“No,” Xander huffed, “I’m not letting you be alone with her. I’m coming with.”
~^~**~^~
Willow blinked her eyes a few times before she was finally awake. The pain shot to her head and she held her hand to her face. Yikes, was this what a hangover felt like? She looked around her and found Buffy right next to her, unconscious.
“Buffy?” The redhead shook her best friend a few times.
The Slayer’s eyes fluttered open, “Oh, God, Will, where are we?” She groaned, “My head hurts.”
Willow nodded, “I don’t know and yeah, mine does too.” She stood up slowly and looked around at the scenery. Her eyes grew wide when she looked down, “Oh, Buffy, am I seeing things?”
Buffy shook her head, “Are- are- are we standing on water?”
The redhead took a hesitant step forward and laughed nervously, “We can walk on water.”
The blonde looked up, “Ok, blue sky, white clouds,” she looked around her, “And lots of water that we can walk on. This is different.”
Willow sighed, “Well, at least no fluffy things.”
“Yeah,” Buffy replied, “Those things just wigged me out.”
“What do we do? How do we get out of here?”
“I’d really like to know where *here* is first.”
“It keeps on changing.” As the words came out of Willow’s mouth, she saw that Buffy was growing taller and taller. “Buffy?”
Buffy glanced at Willow, “Oh, god, Will, you’re sinking.”
Willow latched onto the blonde’s arms, “Help me.”
The blonde’s grip tightened, “I’m trying.” She felt herself dipping into the water as well, “Oh, god, I’m sinking too.”
Willow tried to kick her legs but found herself immobilized, “This isn’t water. It doesn’t feel like it. I can’t m-“
The last of her words were mumbled as she was completely immersed in the water. The two held onto each other’s hands tightly, the fear rushing through them.
~Part: 6~
Buffy’s eyes shot open. The glaring white in the room made her cringe and blink a few times before her eyes adjusted to the brightness. She tried to lift her hands but found that they were latched down. Next, the blonde tried moving her feet but found that they were also latched down. She lifted her head and saw that she was clothed in a grey jumpsuit and that she was on a metal table. The room seemed to have no entrance. She was stuck.
But still, she didn’t give up. “Willow!”
The scream didn’t seem to attract any attention considering how no one came. But, she tried again, “Willow!”
She leaned her head back against the table and whispered, “Somebody.”
~^~**~^~
Willow groaned when she awakened. The pounding music did nothing to cure the headache that she currently sported. Her eyes fluttered open and she noted that she was in the Bronze. Without Buffy.
She looked around her, not bothering to yell out her best friend’s name since no one would hear it anyway over the noise.
The redhead continued to walk around, not really paying attention to the people. Her attention was caught however when she ran right into a hard body. She glanced up and the blue eyes of Spike were staring right down at her.
“S-Spike?”
He flashed her a wide grin, “’Ello, luv.” He circled her with slow steps, “My, my. Aren’t you a tasty treat.”
She glanced down at what she was wearing. It was the Halloween outfit. What was going on? She looked back up at Spike who was staring at her with a feral grin. “S-Spike, you- you need to help me find Buffy.”
He cocked his head to the side, “The Slayer?” He leaned in and sniffed her neck, “Now, why would I want to go and do a thing like that?”
“B-Because she’ll help-help us.”
He took a step back and held out his arms, “Don’t need any help, pet.” His hand reached out and grazed her arm, “You, on the other hand.”
She backed away from him and soon found her body pressing against the wall, “S-Spike?”
He shifted into game face and caressed the side of her face with his hand, “I don’t believe I know your name.”
~^~**~^~
Xander rolled his eyes when Spike began to feel against the wall. “Geez, Junior, if you’re really that desperate I would’ve bought you some videos or something.”
The vampire turned to glare at him before moving back a few steps and ramming his elbow through the glass of the window, “Oh, look a door.” He opened it and stepped inside.
The young brunette’s brow furrowed in confusion. He took Anya’s hand and followed the vampire inside. The darkness was so complete that Xander ran right into Spike. He was about to insult him further when Spike hushed him and pointed, “Oh, look, demons.” His blue eyes surveyed the scene in front of him with curiosity. There were three beings dressed in long black robes. The material of the robes covered everything so Spike couldn’t see what they looked like.
Anya latched onto Xander’s arm and tugged because whispering, “This doesn’t feel right. It’s dark magic they’re messing with. We have to get out of here.”
Xander pulled at Spike’s jacket, “She’s right, we need weapons.”
“We also need someone who can actually be useful,” The vampire mumbled under his non-existent breath.
The three continued to walk quietly until they were in safe distance from danger. It was Xander that broke the silence first.
“I don’t get it,” he started.
“Is that supposed to be surprising?”
“Shut up, evil dead.” He continued, “I thought Willy said these demons were underground.”
“They were, idiot.” Spike threw his hands up in the air, “Bloody hell, you are a moron.”
“We weren’t underground.”
“Yes,” the vampire paused, “You’re right.”
Xander grinned, “I was?” He cleared his throat, “I mean, yeah, of course I was.”
Anya patted him on the arm, “It’s okay, honey.”
Spike stopped in his steps, “So, that means either Willy’s wrong or those weren’t Antira demons.” He turned back to Xander with a raised eyebrow, “Something’s wrong.” The bleached blonde held his head up in the air and sniffed, “Bloody hell.”
“What is it?” Anya asked, walking closer to him.
“Drusilla.”
~Part: 7~
Buffy’s head shot up when she heard the door click open, “Who is it?”
A group of presumably doctors appeared, one holding a sharp cutting tool. “Is the subject secured?”
Buffy felt the tightening on her hands and feet. She shook her head frantically, “What are you doing?”
The doctor who was in charge looked up and glanced at the nurse who was also dressed in white, “Perhaps it’s best if you get something to calm it down.”
The blonde continued to thrash around as much as she could, “Who the hell are you people?”
The doctor returned his attentions to Buffy, “It’s okay, just calm yourself down. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Her eyes grew wide, “You want me to calm down? Well, let me go!”
The doctor turned to the security guards in the corner, “Hold its head down, I can’t operate on it if it keeps on moving.”
“Operate?” Buffy demanded, “No, what the hell? No, no operating.”
The doctor moved forward, holding the knife in hand. Buffy found herself frozen and unable to move even an inch. The knife got closer and closer to her scalp and at the first touch, she screamed.
~^~**~^~
Willow pressed further back into the wall, “S-Spike, you know me. What are you doing?”
“Well, luv, if you already know my name, you’d think you’d know what I am as well.”
“I do know you. You’re Spike and you’re a vampire b-but you can’t bite.”
He smirked at her, “So sure about that, pet?” He grabbed her by her hair and snapped her head to the side, exposing her neck. “Hmm, you smell delicious.”
“Spike, you don’t want to do this.”
“I don’t?” He licked his way up her neck, “But I’m so good at it.”
Willow closed her eyes and focused her powers, feeling them all rush to her hands, she pushed him away roughly, “Don’t.”
The vampire grinned menacingly, “Well, looks like baby wants to play.”
The redhead looked around them and saw that the scene had transformed into a graveyard and she had a stake in hand, “Spike, don’t make me do this.”
He cocked his head to the side, “Are you going to hurt poor lil’ ol’ me?”
She began to back away, “Just leave.”
“Hmmm,” he began to move closer and closer towards her, “Don’t think so, luv.” Spike threw a punch to her face but she caught it in time. She twisted his arm and pushed him away from her. He smiled wickedly at her, “So, baby’s a Slayer.” His foot shot out and kicked her in the abdomen, “Even better.” He grabbed her by the neck and held her still, “I haven’t had a Slayer’s blood in awhile. Invigorating, really.”
She slammed her head back into his face and he stumbled backwards. He stood up and wiped the blood off of his lip, “Feisty, ain’t we?”
Willow didn’t answer, instead, she quickly delivered a roundhouse kick to his chest. Seeing her chance to flee, she quickly ran in the opposite direction.
~^~**~^~
“My bloody sire is back in town. She’s the one who’s doing this. I know it. I can feel it. She tricked us. Bleedin’ hell.” Spike growled as he paced around the room.
“Are you quite sure, Spike?”
“Who else would pull something off like this? Dru is insane enough to and she’s powerful too.”
Xander stared at the pacing vampire, “Spike, you’re bleeding.”
Spike’s head shot up, “What?”
“Your lip, you’re bleeding.”
He wiped the blood away, the confusion painted all over his face, “What the-“ Before he could say anything else, he stumbled to the ground, a growing pain on his chest area.
“Junior, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Spike shook his head, “I don’t know.” He cringed as he got up, “It hurts in my chest. Feels like somebody kicked me, *hard*.”
“Nobody kicked you, Spike,” Giles stated as he glanced up at the vampire.
The vampire looked towards Willow and saw the forming bruise on her neck, “Unless she’s dreaming it.”
~Part: 8~
Buffy continued to scream, her fear, her pain, all her emotions were running on high. She opened her palms and a red force shot out. She continued to scream as the doctors and security guards were thrown against the wall, all of them knocked unconscious. She lifted up her arms, the red force still on her hands and she broke through the restraints. Her legs tore through the material of those restraints and she pushed herself off of the table. She stumbled towards the door made out of clear glass but found that as soon as she touched it, electricity shot out. She inched backwards in fear and aggravation. Again, she centered her energies and the glowing on her hands became brighter and brighter. She shot it toward the glass and it shattered the instant they made contact.
Quickly, she ran out into the white hallway. As she turned around she saw that there were other creatures of all sorts locked in the confinements. Her head snapped up when she heard the blaring warning bell and saw the red light flashing. She looked around for an exit but could find none. She continued to run down the hallway, feeling desperately lost. Finally, she spotted an exit sign and quickly ran towards it before a voice stopped her.
“Hostile 24, you don’t want to do that.”
Buffy turned around incredulously, about to tell him off when she suddenly realized who it was, “R-Riley?”
The commando’s brow furrowed, “How do you know my name?” He shook his head, “Doesn’t matter. Step away from the exit or I will have to restrain you.”
The blonde continued to shake her head, “Riley? Is it really you?”
He moved forward and gripped his gun even tighter, “Hostile 24, *step* *away* *from* *the* *exit*.”
Buffy looked back at the exit and then towards him. She whispered, “I’m sorry.” A flash of red shot out of her hands and towards the commando. He fell to the floor in pain. She wanted nothing more then to go over to him to comfort him but her head snapped up when she heard the sound of oncoming footsteps. Quickly, she ran out the door and onto the street. Not paying attention to where she was going, she ran right into another body. She quickly got up and steeled herself. Looking up, a small smile slipped onto her lips, “Giles.” She grabbed at him, “Oh, God, Giles, I’ve been going through hell. You will not believe what just happened to me.”
Giles latched his hand onto the cross and shoved it in her face, “Demon! Back.”
Buffy hissed when the cross made contact with her skin. She watched in confusion as the skin turned red. What the hell? “Giles, I don’t understand.”
The Watcher continued to back away, “I don’t know how you know my name but stay away.” He fumbled for a stake, “Or else I’ll kill you.”
She shook her head, “Kill me? Giles, you don’t understand, something is going on here. Willow-“
“Willow?” He watched her cautiously before his voice dropped to deadly whisper, “What do you know about Willow?”
“What do you mean? What happened to her?” She continued to shake her head, tears of anguish flowing down her face, “I don’t understand. I’m the Slayer. It’s me, Buffy.” She walked towards him, “Giles, please, you have to-“
He threw a vial of holy water at her and she ducked it before it made contact with her. “Stay away from me.” Before she could comprehend what had happened, he broke out in a full out run down the street.
Buffy stared at the skin on her arm, still red from the previous contact with the cross, “I don’t understand.” She touched her forehead and felt ridges. “Oh, god,” she whispered. Switching back into human face, she walked down the street, feeling utterly confused and alone.
She was about to turn around when a sudden voice lulled her out of her crying state, “Awww, poor baby’s all sad.”
Buffy looked up and saw Willow standing there, decked out in leather, “Will? Oh god,” she threw her hands around her, “Will! I missed you so much. You won’t believe what’s happened to me.”
Willow shoved Buffy’s hands off of her and vamped out, “I don’t like you.”
“Will,” Buffy whispered, “Oh, God, they got you too.”
The redhead rolled her eyes, “They got me awhile ago.”
“Please, Will, you have to let me explain, we have to work together to get out of here. Wherever we are,” Buffy pleaded.
She let out an unneeded sigh, “Bored now.”
~^~**~^~
Willow finally stopped running when she got to the street corner. She looked up and frowned when she didn’t recognize the names. Darn it, how the heck was she supposed to get home now? First thing on her to-do list was to find Buffy but so far she’d had no luck with that. Suddenly, her head snapped up as she felt a tingly feeling in her stomach. Was this the spider sense that Buffy spoke of? She whipped around and saw that again, it was Spike. “I thought I told you to leave.”
“Well, see, I have this nasty habit of not listening.” He grinned, “Terrible, I know.”
“Spike, I don’t have time for this. I need to find Buffy.”
He continued to grin, “You’re a Slayer, luv, why do you need the other one?” He shot her a cocky smile, “Afraid you’ll lose to me?”
Willow smiled back, “You know, I actually miss you when you were like this. I mean, you scared me and everything but you kept us on our toes.”
He stared at her in confusion, “What are you talking about?”
“I mean, back in the real world. Not here in this wacked up dream universe,” she turned around and yelled out into the sky, “You hear that? I’m onto you and I’m not falling for it.” When she turned back, Spike was gone but in his place was Buffy, in vampire face.
~^~**~^~
Buffy felt the earth beneath her shift as she arrived onto a new ground. She looked up and saw Willow staring back at her. What just happened?
“Oh, my, god,” Willow’s eyes got wide, “Buffy? You’re a vampire?”
“You are too,” Buffy replied, looking at her oddly, “Will? Is it really you?”
The redhead shook her head confused, “Yeah, of course it’s me.”
Buffy threw herself into Willow’s arms, “Oh, god, Will, you weren’t human before, you were a vampire. I was so scared. I thought I lost you.”
Willow patted her back soothingly, “It’s alright. I’m here.” She pulled back and grinned, “You’re still all ‘grrrr’.”
Buffy frowned before switching back to her human face, “I think I was in the Initiative. I saw Riley and Giles and oh god, Giles was so scared of me. And then I saw the vamp you.”
Willow sighed, “I had a nice little encounter with Spike. As in evil Spike. He said that you’re still a Slayer here. Which probably means there’s another you out there.”
Buffy nodded, “Which means we have to stick together and make sure we don’t run into her.”
“Not a problem,” the redhead stared at the ground below them, “We’re sinking, again.”
Buffy shook her head, “No, I will not go through this again.” She kicked hard but it only sped up the process.
The fell through and landed together onto a couch. Buffy groaned and opened her eyes, “We really have to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
Willow stared at the man in confusion, “Giles?”
~^~**~^~
“Is that possible? For her dream actions to transfer into real life?” Giles asked, looking between Spike and Willow curiously.
“Well, obviously, since no one here’s been kicking or punching me. It has to be in her dreams,” Spike stated before grabbing a book, “Dru’s doing a spell. I know it. I just don’t know which one.”
“So, what, you just plan to look up all the spells in the world?” Xander asked.
“No, you git, I plan to look up the spells that have to do with manipulating dreams,” Spike said as he flipped through the pages of the spell book.
The brunette glared at the vampire before sitting down at the table and doing the same.
~Part: 9~
Giles looked at Willow, “Yes?”
“Is it really you?”
His brow furrowed, “Yes, of course it’s me. Who else would I be?”
Buffy got up slowly and moved towards him, “You’re not afraid of me are you?”
“Of course, I’m not.” He shook his head, “Why should I be?” He turned away, “The worse you could do is lick me to death.”
The blonde backed away, “Okay, whoa, bad imagery there.” She looked at Giles, “What do you mean lick you to death?”
“Your chip,” The Watcher stared at her as if she’d gone out of her mind, “The one you complain about every day.”
Willow let out a laugh of disbelief, “Giles, I think you might be a little confused here. You see, that’s Spike.”
As the words came out of her mouth, the said vampire walked through the door, except there was something different about him.
Buffy immediately restrained herself from trying to attack him. She sat down, shocked, “Oh, god.” She felt the ridges on her face, “I’m still a vampire. A chipped vampire, no less.” She looked up at Willow, “Why can’t you ever be the vampire?”
“Buffy, are you alright?”
“I’m a vampire, Will,” Buffy hissed at her, “How alright can I get? And, he,” She pointed at Spike who was making his way over to Willow, “Is a Slayer. I can feel it.”
Before Willow had a chance to react, Spike grabbed her by the waist and crushed his lips to hers. Buffy stared at the two in shock but knowing that she shouldn’t interfere. Somehow, she got changed into Spike’s position in this dreamland and knowing everyone’s feelings towards Spike, she probably shouldn’t cause any ruckus.
Willow tried to push Spike away but to no avail. <I don’t have Buffy’s Slayer powers anymore.> She settled for stomping his foot.
Spike backed away confused, “Something wrong, luv?”
“Yeah, something’s wrong!” She nearly screeched, “Buffy’s a vampire with a chip in her head. You’re a Slayer and then you come in here and attack my mouth.” She walked up to him and pointed at him with an accusing finger, “What gives you the right?”
He gave her an odd look, “You’re my girlfriend, luv. Couples usually have the kissing and the shagging.”
“Shagging?” Willow’s eyes got wide, “We’ve had-,” she looked up at him, “Have we?”
“What? Shagged?” Spike asked before laughing, “Of course, pet, or have you forgotten?” He got a wicked look in his eye, “Want me to make you remember?”
She backed away, holding her hands out in front of her, “I don’t think so.” She looked to Buffy, “Help me!”
Buffy smirked, “I think it’s cute.” She paused, “In an utterly sick and demented way but still, cute.”
“Cute?” Willow shook her head, “This is not cute.” She bit her lower lip when Spike came up behind her and started nuzzling her neck, “Stop that.”
He nipped at her ear, “Make me.”
Giles looked up from his book before groaning, “Bloody hell! Are you two always at it?”
“It’s the slaying, Watcher, makes me horny.”
Willow hung her head down, “This is just beyond embarrassing.”
“It’s not real, Will,” Buffy comforted, “It can’t be.”
The redhead sighed, “It feels real.” She leaned back against Spike, “It feels very real.”
~^~**~^~
Xander threw the book back on the table in the frustration, “We’re not getting anywhere.”
“Don’t be so sure, mate,” Spike pointed his finger at the book he was holding, “I think this may be what she’s using.” His eyes skimmed the page, “It’s similar to the powers of the Antira demon. Very similar. She’s smart. Manipulating dreams and nightmares and all that rot.” He handed the book to Giles.
The Watcher read carefully before looking up, “Is there any way to be sure?”
“Well, I can always go down to that building again and check it out. Sneak around a bit,” he offered.
Xander rubbed his hands together, “You mean some pounding for info?”
Spike smirked, “Well, yeah.”
Anya looked up at Giles, “Is there a way to reverse it?”
He continued to read, “I believe there is. Yes, there is,” He let out a relieved smile, “But, it’ll take me awhile to decipher it.”
“Can you do it?” The vampire asked before getting up.
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, be sure.”
“Spike, if this type of spell is done improperly, the repercussions are beyond what you’d expect.”
“Well, right now Willow is stuck in a demented dreamland and Dru is filling her mind with god knows what. You be sure.”
Xander cut in, “Look, back off, Junior. Giles is trying his best.” He turned to the Watcher, “He is right though, G-man. I’m scared for both of them.”
Giles sighed before nodding, “I’ll try.”
Anya glanced at the three males in confusion, “Couldn’t you just make Drusilla stop the spell and send them back?”
“She’s a bit on the nutty side, An, I doubt she’ll want to listen to our reasoning.”
“Yeah, that and there has to be a reason why she’s doing this in the first place. I doubt she’d work with us to undo the spell that she started,” Spike added.
Xander turned to him, “Did you just agree with me?”
Spike rolled his eyes and ignored him.
“Well, what if you forced her?”
Spike shook his head, “She’s powerful. More powerful then all you give her credit for.”
Giles nodded, “He’s quite right. If she can do a spell like this, she’s highly skilled in magicks as well as other aspects.”
The vampire frowned for a moment, “I did see 3 hooded figures in the building that we checked out. Maybe Dru has some demons doing this spell with her too.”
“So, what if you just made the demons stop the spell then?”
Spike looked thoughtful, “I’d have to see what kind of demons they are.”
“Go on then,” Giles pointed at the door.
~Part: 10~
Buffy jumped up when Spike began to suck on Willow’s neck, “Alright, Blondie, stop that!”
He looked up, “Stop what?”
“Pawing my best friend!” She yelled before shuddering, “You just went past the cute line and straight into icky.”
Willow pushed herself out of his arms reluctantly, “This place is different.”
“Well, at least it’s a good different for you,” Buffy grumbled. “I hate this.”
Spike raised an eyebrow, “Watcher, are you sure I can’t stake her?”
Giles shook his head and continued to read, not even looking up.
“Damn.”
Willow inched closer to Buffy and whispered, “I still don’t get how he’s the Slayer. I mean, he’s a guy. Aren’t Slayers supposed to girls?”
Buffy shrugged, “We’re in bizarro-land. Anything is possible here.” She groaned, “Oh, god.”
“What?” The redhead asked, afraid that something happened.
“I think I’m hungry.”
“Oh, that’s not-“ Willow paused, “Oh.”
Buffy shook her head, “I *refuse* to drink blood, just *no*.”
“But-“
The blonde glared at her, “*No*,” she repeated, “For all I care, I can starve.”
“Yes, please,” Spike muttered. “Willow, luv? Can we please leave? The chipped bimbo is giving me a headache.”
“Who are you calling-“ Buffy started before Willow pushed her back.
“Umm, I don’t want to go just yet,” Willow said cautiously, not wanting to be separated from Buffy again.
“Why not?”
“I-umm-“ she looked up hopefully, “Can we bring Buffy with?”
“Hell no!”
“Please,” Willow shot him a sweet smile.
“Luv,” Spike whined, “You can’t use that on me. That’s not fair.”
“Please?”
“Fine,” he said grudgingly, “But I’m not putting up any blankets so if she’s not out by morning, she can burn to death for all I care.”
Buffy shot another glare at him before getting up, “I don’t like him in any universe.”
“He’s not that bad.”
The blonde shot her a deathly glare, “That’s cuz he’s too busy trying to pounce on you.”
Willow blushed before grabbing her hand and leading her towards the door.
~^~**~^~
Spike moved closer to the three chanting hooded figures and confirmed that all three of them were indeed demons. Chaos demons. He rolled his eyes, bloody hell, leave it to Dru to get Chaos demons to do her dirty work.
He ran out of the building and slowed when he finally reached the end of the street. Spike looked up at the night sky before feeling a familiar tingling go down his spine. Without turning around he whispered, “Dru.”
“My Spike, you’ve come.”
He whipped around, “Dru,” he managed, still shocked at seeing her there, only a few feet away from him. Even though he knew it was her all along, it still surprised him that she would reveal herself.
“I knew you would. Ms. Edith promised you would,” she continued with a small smile.
“Why are you doing this?”
She began to walk around in a small circle, “She floods your mind, dear boy. I can see.” Drusilla lifted a pale hand towards the building, “We all can see.” Her voice took on a lilting tone, “The stars, they whispered to me all those nights. Pss. Pss. Pss.,” She waved her hands about, “All sorts of dreadful things. My poor Spikey, your mind and your heart have been plagued by her,” her voice dropped down to a whisper, “the flame.”
“Willow?”
Drusilla continued on as if he’d never spoken, “I had to come. I had to save you. Protect you, like you did me.” She smiled wickedly, “It makes her hurt.” She clapped her hands together, “It’s been so much fun.”
“You have to stop, Dru. She doesn’t plague me.”
The vampiress shook her head sadly, “You’ve been woven in. She haunts you now. Don’t worry, dear boy, let mummy take care of it for you.”
“No, I won’t let you do this to her. She’s not hurting me, luv.” He growled, “I will not let you hurt her.”
Drusilla laughed, “You see how she fills your mind. You’re lost. Poor lost little lamb.”
“I’m not a lamb, Drusilla,” his tone became threatening, “You will put a stop to this.”
She shook her head, “I must save you.”
“I don’t want to be saved!” He yelled in frustration.
Drusilla took a step back, surprised. She moved forward and touched his chest lightly before gasping, “Oh, no.”
“What?” Spike said through gritted teeth.
“You care for her.” She shook her head, “You *feel* for her.”
He hung his head down and rolled his hand into a fist, “Stop this, Dru.”
She put her hand to her lips, “There’s no hope for you, dear boy. She’s tainted you.”
“Dru.”
She put her hands on the sides of her head and whimpered, “No, don’t speak to me. I can’t listen to you.”
He moved forward, “Dru, please.”
She looked up at him fearfully, “You’ve changed so much.”
“Yeah, that tends to happen.”
“Why?” A small smile slipped onto her face, “You were so strong before. So deliciously dark. But, then you changed.”
“Well, if you don’t remember, Dru, you *did* leave me for a Chaos demon, who I see you obviously have working for you. And you’ve added onto the bunch.”
She shook her head sadly, “You were gone before then. You left me first, Spike, you left me first.”
“What are you babbling about?”
“I felt it, back then. After you fought the Slayer the first time, when you came back, things were different. I felt it Spike, you left me.” She held a hand over her heart, “You left me here.”
“You think I didn’t love you, Dru? I would’ve done anything for you, baby. And I did.”
“Lies, lies, lies.” She shook her finger at him, “Naughty boy. You’ve painted all these lies around yourself.”
“What?”
“She’s in there, Spike,” She pointed at his chest, “I can see it.”
He looked down, not wanting to accept the truth in her words, “You have to stop doing this, Dru. Stop the spell you’ve put over them.”
“I-“ she paused.
Spike looked into her eyes, his own pleading and desperate, “Dru, please.”
She twisted her hands together like a nervous child, “But-“
“Please.”
“Do you still love me, dearie?”
“What?” He asked, confused and thrown off by the question.
“Tell me.”
“I’ll always love you, Dru. You’re my sire. And you know that.”
She smiled weakly at him, “Do you love me more then *her*?”
He was taken back by the question and the sanity in her voice as she said it, “I-,” he paused, “I don’t know.”
“Know,” she said firmly. Drusilla promptly turned away and began walking back towards the building, leaving Spike there, utterly confused.
~^~**~^~
Spike walked back into Giles’ apartment, not looking at any of them. “They’re Chaos demons. Fairly easy to kill but they’re big and nasty buggers. Dru is behind it all. I had a lil’ chat with her. She’s not going to reverse it.”
“Spike,” Xander said uncomfortably.
He looked up, “What?”
“We found the way to reverse it.”
“Well, out with it already then.”
Giles looked up at him, “The only way to reverse the spell in itself is to umm,”
“What?” Spike demanded impatiently.
“You have to kill Drusilla.”
~Part: 11~
As Willow, Buffy, and Spike began to walk down the street, Willow felt her grip on Spike seemed to fade. She turned towards him and watched as he disappeared into nothing. The redhead jumped back in surprise. She grabbed onto Buffy, “He- he-“
“Went poof?”
“I-I don’t get it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Every single one of the situations we’re put in, we always manage to get out of it. Whoever’s doing this doesn’t want to kill us, they just want to make us question reality.”
“Well, maybe for you, but hey, I’ve been in the Initiative as a hostile. Now, I’m a vampire with a chip in my head. I’m not exactly questioning reality here. I *know* it’s not real.”
Willow looked thoughtful, “I know this. And you know this. But whoever’s put us here obviously doesn’t. But, they know enough about us and the world we live in to personalize these nightmares.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it, Buffy. Slayer, Spike’s position. All of it. You *hate* that.”
“Okay,” the blonde replied slowly, not understanding.
“Spike keeps popping up in the dream scenarios I get stuck in. Whoever did this to us must think there’s a connection between us or something.”
“And what? They’re trying to sever it for you?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. Who would do this though? Who would go so far as to mess with our minds so much?”
“I don’t-“ Buffy stopped talking, the blood in her body running cold. “Oh my god.”
“What?”
She lifted a shaking finger towards the figure, “Angel.”
Willow saw the feral look in his eyes, “Not Angel. Angelus.”
~^~**~^~
“I have to what?”
“Kill her,” Giles repeated with a heavy sigh, “I realize the choice will probably not be easy for you but-“
“Why do I have to kill her?”
“You’re the only one among us who can.”
“Why her though?”
“She’s the one who cast the spell originally, correct?”
“I don’t know,” Spike looked down, “When I was there, the demons were the ones who were doing the chanting and handling the magic mojo.”
“Chaos demons are not very magically inclined, if I’m correct, I believe Drusilla is. She has enough power to start it, the Chaos demons are merely keeping it going.”
He gripped the side of the table, “You want me to kill her.”
“I don’t *want* you to do anything, Spike. This is something you *need* to do. If you don’t, Buffy and Willow will forever remain stuck in this universe that she’s created in their minds.”
“This is *Drusilla*,” Spike said outraged, “She’s my sire.”
“Well, Deadboy killed Darla, didn’t he?”
“Angel may not have respect for his elders but *I* do. I loved her for over a century, you moron. I can’t just kill her off so easily.”
“Well, if you don’t, then Buffy and Willow are as good as gone.”
“No,” He shook his head furiously, “There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t. Even if you kill the demons and have them stop the spell, they’ll still be stuck in the dream universe, to never awake. You have to kill her. It’s the only way to reverse it,” Giles stated.
“I *will* *not* kill her. I refuse to.”
Xander stood up angrily, “This is Willow and Buffy, Spike! You can’t just-“
Spike turned to him, his eyes flashing yellow, “You have no idea what you’re talking about, boy. This is Drusilla. I practically worshipped her for my entire bloody unlife.”
The brunette turned to Giles, “So, what? Because the evil dead here can’t kill her, we just leave them there? No, fine, if he won’t do it, then I will.”
“No way,” Anya refused, “You’re gonna get yourself killed.”
Xander turned to Spike with angry eyes, “Well, at least I’m man enough to try.”
“Xander, I assure you that is not the best of options.”
“I don’t care,” he replied, “I’m not letting Buffy and Willow go that easily. I can’t.” Before anyone could stop him, he walked out of the apartment, slamming the door on his way out.
Anya turned to Spike, tears in her eyes, “Go. After. Him. Now!”
“I’m not doing it.”
“Now!” she screamed, “I can’t lose him. I can’t lose them either. I refuse to let the most important people in my mortal life just be killed and lost because you’re too afraid!”
“Afraid?” Spike asked incredulously, “I’m not *afraid*!”
“Yes, you are,” She spat, “You’re pitiful. You’re still drowning in self-pity. My god, take a good look at yourself. Look what the bitch has done to you. You’re so incredibly whipped that you’ll just *stand* by and watch as she destroys *everything*!”
“I can’t kill her!”
“Not can’t, you *won’t*! There’s a difference.”
“She’s my sire, girl, you have no-“
“No idea? I have no idea? Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” Anya sobbed, “Of course I know. Well, because of your cowardice, *three* people are going to be lost.”
Giles put his hand on her and patted her back, “We can still stop him.”
Anya wiped the tears from her face and stormed out of the room followed by a solemn Giles.
Spike remained frozen in place.
~Part: 12~
Buffy began to back away slowly. She latched onto Willow’s arm and squeezed so hard that the redhead let out a yelp. Willow looked at her and said calmly, “He’s not real, Buff, remember that. Whoever’s messing with us is doing this to screw with our minds. He’s *not* real.”
Angelus grinned, “Oh, I’m afraid you’re wrong.” He moved forward, “I think I’m going to enjoy killing you, well,” he turned to Buffy, “after her at least. Miss me, lover?”
Buffy began to shake her head furiously, “*You* *aren’t* *real*. You can’t be.” A tear slipped from her eye, “I killed you.”
“No,” Angelus shook his head with a mock sad expression, “You killed Angel. Not me,” He walked up to her and grabbed her shaking hands, “Never me.”
Willow grabbed at his arms angrily, “Let her go!”
He flung her away effortlessly and Willow stumbled to the ground, looking up at him with fire in her eyes. She brought her hands together and focused her powers but found that she had no magical powers. Damn it! “Leave her alone, Angelus.”
He turned around and grinned at Willow before looking back at Buffy and tracing down her trembling cheek, “But she’s so cute when she’s scared.”
Buffy closed her eyes and pushed him away harshly. Angelus staggered back with a smile, “Oh, so you want to play?”
“No,” Buffy shook her head, “You’re not real. I don’t believe you. You can’t hurt me. Not anymore.”
Angelus stalked towards her, “Are you so sure about that, lover? Can you say it again without the uncertainty in your voice?” He smirked, “I know you, Buffy. I know your pain and your anguish.” He brought his head up and sniffed, “It’s delicious.”
“You’re sick, you bastard,” Buffy spat.
“See, you do believe it’s really me.”
Willow got to her feet and held onto Buffy’s hand, “He’s not real, Buffy. Believe that he’s not real and he’ll go away. That’s how you’ll get rid of him. Just believe he isn’t real.”
“Yeah, lover,” Angelus mocked, “Believe I’m not real. Maybe then you’ll forget about me.” He wagged a finger at her, “Tsk. Tsk. You should know by now that denial isn’t the way to go.” He walked up to the two and pulled them apart, pushing Buffy to the ground and keeping a strong grip on Willow, “Now, what can I possibly do to make you believe that I’m real?” He cocked his head to the side, “Let’s think.”
Before she could answer, he shifted into game face and bit Willow with a snarl. The redhead gasped at the contact and struggled weakly to no avail. She whispered, “You’re not real.”
~^~**~^~
Spike’s head shot up when he smelled the blood. He looked around to see where it was coming from before rushing to the couch. The two small holes appeared from nowhere and the blood began to seep from the punctures. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a towel before running back. He knelt down next to Willow and cradled her in his arms. The blood continued to flow and he just stared at it for a moment. So tempting. He let his demon come to fore and licked the blood away gently. Making sure the wound was closed, he wiped her neck gently, making sure there weren’t any traces of blood.
Getting to his feet, he grabbed a stake off the table and stormed out the door, slamming it shut. He had to find Drusilla. And after that, he’s going to shove a stake through her unbeating heart.
~^~**~^~
Spike walked down the street with hurried steps. Before, the indecision was great. It was either his sire or the women he *might* love. But, after seeing the physical damage that Drusilla was inflicting on Willow, he snapped. No one, *no one* hurt her without getting some torture in return. His instinct took over and now he was fueled with nothing but anger and a need for revenge.
His previous arguments about her being his sire and his love for over a century had fled his mind. Anya was right. She was the bitch that was about to ruin everything. He may have made plenty of mistakes before but he wasn’t going to make another one, not if he could prevent it. And he could.
She cheated on him, used him, abused him and yet he stood by her. Loyal and whipped. Not anymore. Not when she hurt the one that he felt for. Looking up, he saw that Anya, Giles, and Xander were gathered in the middle of the street, right in front of the building. He walked up to them but they barely took notice since they were obviously in the middle of a deep argument.
“I’m not letting them go!” Xander yelled before turning his furious eyes onto Spike, “Oh, so *now* you come! What do you want?”
“I’m going to kill her, you moron, what do you think?”
“I thought you couldn’t kill your sire,” Anya said harshly.
“Willow was bleeding, it looked like someone bit her.”
“What?!” Giles demanded, “And you left her alone?”
“I took care of it and I couldn’t exactly bring them along.”
“Are you going to actually do this?” Xander asked, “If you’re just going to go in there and freeze up then just forget it.”
“I’m going to do this. I have to,” Spike said firmly, “I can’t let Dru hurt Willow anymore.”
Anya sniffled before pointing at the building, “Well, go then!”
He nodded before walking off, only turning back when he heard Xander yell out ‘Wait!’ “What is it?”
Xander looked him in the eye, “Good luck.”
Anya watched him walk away before sighing, “He’s going to kill her. I can’t believe he’s actually going to do it.”
Giles sighed before shaking his head, “The things you do for love.”
~^~**~^~
Spike walked down the steps carefully until he reached what he thought was the middle of the building. He had managed to sneak past the three Chaos demons though they looked as if they were hypnotized. Drusilla must’ve done some type of magic mojo to control all three of them at the same time. His head snapped up when he felt her. He gripped the stake tightly in hand and whipped around, “Dru.”
A small smile appeared on her face as they looked each other in the eye. Spike wanted nothing more then to wipe it off her face. The smile grew as she felt the tension radiate off his body, “My Spike, you’ve come.” She wagged her finger at him, “You’re come to hurt your Princess. Naughty, naughty.” She cocked her head to the side, “You can never hurt your Princess, luv.”
“You’re hurting her, Dru.”
“She bleeds such pretty colors, doesn’t she?” She sniffed the air, “You’ve tasted her, haven’t you? Further and further in, my Spike, you’ve fallen.”
Spike shook his head, his emotions on high. Could he kill her? The woman that he loved for so long. Could he really? His sire, his mentor, his lover, his princess, his dark goddess. He moved forward quickly, feeling the tears coming forth and whispered, “I’m sorry, Dru.” He raised his arm up and tightened the grip on the stake before bringing it down, aimed straight for her chest.
The smile grew even wider on her face, “You know now.” She raised her hands up, a yellow force shooting out from her open palms creating a barrier around her, preventing Spike from staking her. The blonde vampire stumbled backwards, landing on his butt and watched silently, confusion painted all over his face. Drusilla looked him in the eye and smiled, her expression one of love and acceptance. Her hand shot out and a yellow bolt shot from it, aimed directly at him. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a flash of yellow hitting him.
~^~**~^~
As soon as Angelus bit into Willow, Buffy got to her feet angrily and tore her away from him. She brought her fist back and hit him straight in the face, “You bastard,” she spat, “You’re *not* real but that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy beating the crap out of you for hurting me and everyone that I loved.”
Angelus fell to the ground, a twisted smile on his face as he continued to laugh. This only made Buffy hit and kick harder, “What the *hell* are you laughing at?”
The body of Angelus transformed into Drusilla’s and the Slayer quickly backed away out of shock only managing to sputter out, “W-What?”
Drusilla got to her feet and smiled, “Believe.” She raised her hands up and as she brought them down, everything faded to black.
~^~**~^~
Buffy’s eyes snapped open and she hurriedly got to her feet. She looked around the apartment, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. ‘Believe.’ The word rang through her mind repeatedly. She shook her head and looked around for Willow. Seeing her best friend on the couch, she rushed to her side and shook her repeatedly, “Will, please wake up, sweetie. I’m so sorry for letting him do that to you. Please, just wake up.”
The redhead opened her eyes groggily and lifted herself off the couch. Her hand went to her neck, “Owww,” she looked up at Buffy in confusion, “Did Angelus really bite me?” She pulled the towel away and saw the slight traces of blood there.
Buffy examined the wound with wide eyes, “It was real?”
Willow shook her head in denial, “It couldn’t have been. It wasn’t real. None of it was.”
“Believe,” Buffy whispered.
“What?”
“Drusilla told me to believe.”
“Drusilla?” Willow asked, “Since when did you see Drusilla?”
“I was kicking Angelus and then his body transformed into hers and she told me to believe before we got to, well, here,” Buffy looked around the room, “We’re at Giles’ place apparently but I don’t know if we’re *actually* here or we’re still in bizarro-land.”
It was then that Giles, Anya, and Xander came through the door, much more than surprised to see Willow and Buffy awake. Buffy got to her feet and placed her hands in front of her, “Okay, Giles, I’m not a vampire, I don’t have a chip. I’m Buffy, the Slayer.”
A look of confusion passed over the Watcher’s face before he embraced her in a tight hug, “You’re safe.” He moved to Willow and knelt beside her, “As are you.”
Xander hugged Buffy tightly and sighed, “He did it.”
Anya shook her head and gave Buffy a hug, “I can’t believe he actually did it.”
Willow looked at them, her green eyes confused, “Who did what?”
~^~**~^~
Spike opened his eyes though he regretted it the instant he did. He raised his hand to his forehead, trying to lessen the pounding headache he now had. He got to his feet and took a few steps, hoping to regain balance. He walked around the building, the memories slowly rebuilding in his mind. Suddenly, everything hit him at once. “Bloody hell,” he muttered before running forward to the spot where Drusilla stood when she shot the bolt at him. He looked around and saw nothing, no trace of anything.
He ran towards where the demons were and saw that there was nothing there as well. The vampire shook his head in confusion, what the hell happened?
~^~**~^~
By the time everything was explained on both sides, Spike shot through the door, grabbing the book that Giles took the translation from. Willow got off her seat but stopped herself from walking towards him. Just because he was interested in her in the dream world didn’t mean that he was interested in her in real life.
Anya, Giles, and Xander chose not to disclose the fact that he killed Drusilla for her. Anya decided that it would be more romantic if Spike revealed it himself.
The vampire didn’t even look up and didn’t realize Willow was there as he flipped through the book. “Something happened, Watcher. There’s something in that translation that you didn’t read right. Something’s wrong.”
“You didn’t kill her?” Willow whispered, still feeling slightly confused.
His head snapped up when he heard her voice. His eyes locked onto hers and he moved forward at a quick pace, hugging her tightly. He whispered into her ear, “I thought I lost you.” Giving into desire and instinct, he caught her lips with his, smiling internally as he felt her return the kiss.
Buffy looked at the two in annoyance, “Great, even in real life I have to see this. Geez, can I *ever* get a break?”
The other three in the room looked at her in shock. Xander managed to say, “Aren’t you mad?”
The Slayer smiled, “Hello! I’m the best friend here. I notice things that Willow obviously hasn’t. I know the stupid vamp had a thing for her before and let me guess, he was about to kill Drusilla for her?”
Giles looked at her in surprise, “Yes.”
“Oh yes,” she grinned, “One for the Slayer while the rest have yet to score.”
Anya smiled at her, “I think that dream world did you some good.”
When Willow finally pulled back from Spike, her breath was coming in short pants. “I’m guessing you missed me?”
He grinned before shaking his head and turning to Giles, still keeping a firm grip on her waist, “I don’t know if Dru is dead or not. I didn’t see any ashes. And the demons, gone. It was as if nothing happened.”
Buffy looked down in confusion, “Believe.”
“What?”
She looked back up, “Drusilla told me to believe. She knew this was going to happen.”
Spike felt Willow lean against him and said quietly, “She told me that now I know.”
“Now you know what?”
He looked down at the redhead in his arms, “Who was more important to me.” Spike glanced at Giles, “Did the translation actually say that I had to kill Dru for them to awake again?”
The Watcher moved to the table and flipped to the right page, “I was in a hurry in the translation and deciphering so I wasn’t precise but the basic premise was that you had to kill her. At least, I think so.”
Spike glared at him, “You didn’t know and you still told me to kill her?”
“Well, I didn’t want to involve Buffy and Willow in any more danger!”
Xander sat down at the table, “It doesn’t matter now. Can you translate it now, G-man? As in with more accuracy?”
Anya read over Giles shoulder and let out a huff, “Tweedy, you idiot!”
Xander looked around sheepishly, “An.”
“No, you wouldn’t let me see that book before and the reason why you couldn’t read it is because it’s written in a demon language. One that I happen to be fluent in.” Anya grabbed the book from him and read through it, “Oh, this makes sense now.”
“What is it?”
Anya continued to read and nodded her head, “Oh, I get it.”
“What?” Xander asked, his curiosity piqued, “What do you get?”
“In order for the spell to be reversed, you have to extract the soul from the original caster. If this was done in a human’s case, then yes, it would kill the human because taking the soul away is like taking a life away. That’s why Giles thought that Spike had to kill Drusilla.”
Buffy’s brow furrowed, “But, Drusilla doesn’t have a soul.”
“The spell grabs the soul from the caster from wherever. The soul may not be in Drusilla’s body but it’s still out there in some other dimension. The spell took it from there.”
Spike caught on, “So, she’s not dead.”
“No, she’s not.”
The vampire let out an unbelieving laugh, “She knew. From the start she knew.”
Willow looked up at him, “Knew what?”
“Everything. She knew exactly how I was going to act. And I played right along.”
“I still don’t get it,” Buffy pouted.
“Not surprising,” Spike commented before shaking his head, “She was going to take care of it. Take care of me.”
“Junior, you want to stop rambling and actually explain?”
Spike looked up, a huge smile covering his face, “She wanted me to be happy. This was her way of apologizing.”
Buffy raised an eyebrow, “She’s apologizing by throwing me and Will into a wacked up universe where I’m a freaking vampire? Umm, tell her she can keep her apologies next time.”
“No,” Spike said, the smile still on his face, “This was her way of getting Willow and I together. She saw and she knew. She managed to trick me into it.”
Xander scoffed, “So, this was her way of playing matchmaker?” At the nod, he sat back, letting everything sink in.
Anya looked around the room and nodded, “Okay, you’re right. She is insane.”
The End