The Circle of Slayers Series 15/35 Incomplete
Chapter 15: Cold Fear
By Denna at dennaseer@hotmail.com
Rated PG-13
Keywords: Buffy and Spike…what else could there be?
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Yadda
yadda yadda. Lyrics belong to their rightful owners.
Summary for Chapter 15: Buffy copes with her ever growing fears and
desperately tries to remember her past…but Riley has other plans for both
Buffy and Spike.
Chapter 15: Cold Fear
“You in the dark,
You in the pain,
You on the run,
Living a hell,
Living your ghost,
Living your end,
Never seem to get in the place that I belong,
Don’t wanna lose the time,
Lose the time to come.”
-Letting the Cables Sleep - Bush
Buffy picked herself up off the cold stone floor of the balcony and headed
back into the tower. She tried not to look up at the insane sky or the
overwhelming darkness surrounding her. Keeping her eyes resolutely on the
doors, she walked back into the room, gave out a sigh of relief, and closed
the doors behind her.
Rubbing her hands against her arms, she shivered. It was cold in here. She
looked around for something to keep herself warm. There were always the
drapes, she thought as she touched them between her fingers, or the runner
from the table. She could just wrap it around her shoulders.
Wandering around the room, Buffy spotted a door on the right hand wall, a
door that she hadn’t noticed or had just popped up. ‘This place is
confusing…’ she thought to herself. Buffy approached it and opened it with
cautious curiosity.
Inside, she found a settee piled high with pillows and a deep red throw
over the back. She caught it up gratefully and threw it across her
shoulders. Feeling better, she looked around her. There was nothing else
inside the room and as she stared at the settee, she realized how exhausted
she was. Running down dark corridors and communicating telepathically really
took it out of you. She didn’t want to sleep on the hard floor, so she sat
down on the bed. She kept on looking around to check if Riley was standing
in the shadows, but he was nowhere to be seen. Buffy stifled back a yawn and
lied back on the bed. ‘Just for a few minutes…’ she told herself, ‘A few
minutes won’t hurt…’
~
She woke to darkness. The room in which the bed had sat was gone.
Everything was gone except the dark…like she was trapped in her own shadow.
Or someone else’s. Sitting up, she glanced around panicked, trying to find a
way out of the suffocating dark.
Nothing.
‘This is getting really old,’ she thought to herself nervously. There was
nothing but darkness here. “Try something different for a change, all
right?” she shouted out in the darkness.
Her words were swallowed up by the velvet darkness. It pressed in on her,
threatening to choke her. She fell back on the ground, breathing heavily.
“It’s going to take more than that to scare me!” she shouting, jumping to
her feet, “Come out where I can see you!”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bright flash of light. Spinning
quickly, she turned toward it. It was a man – a man with bleached hair and a
long black coat. A single light shone down on him.
Her heart raced and she started to run towards the light. As she came
closer to him, she realized that this was the man who had spoken to her in
her mind. This was the man she loved, the key to her past. A name tried to
force its way out of her memories, but she couldn’t recall it.
The man stood there under the light, motionless and facing away from her. A
faint feeling of fear and terror began to creep up her spine, but she let it
go and kept on running towards him.
“Hey!” she shouted as she got closer. She reached out to him, but just
before her fingers touched the leather of his jacketed arm, he turned around
to face her. What she saw on his face made her step back with a scream. It
was the man she knew, but his kind face was twisted with hate and anger,
lips drawn back from a mouthful of sharply pointed teeth. His eyes…she
gasped when she saw them: Black pits that shone with a primal golden glow.
Backpedaling, she dodged a strike from his hands. Inhuman noises came from
his throat as he leapt at her. Anger flooded into her as she watched the
man, who wasn’t him. How dare Riley even…with a cry of rage, she punched and
kicked, with strength and agility she didn’t know she had, at the man until
he blew apart into a thousand shards of nothingness.
“That was fun, Riley,” she shouted to the darkness, “Thanks for the target
practice, but it’s gonna take more than a couple phantoms to fool me!”
“Oh…?” The blonde soldier materialized out of the darkness and stood in
front of her, “Are you sure that was just a phantom?”
“Duh!” Buffy answered, “He just blew up in my face! Plus…people don’t
look…like that.”
“True. People don’t.”
“What are you trying to pull?”
“Looks can be deceiving, Buffy. What you just saw here may not be what you
saw before…but they are one and the same.”
“Enough with the cryptic talk, k? I’ve had a really tough day.”
“How do you know that this man you seek is not some sort of villain, like
you believe me to be? How do you know he is not a monster in disguise? That
this place you try to hide from is the only place you can be free from the
darkness?”
“I am in the dark now! I have no idea who or what you are or who he is…the
only thing I can trust is my gut. And I feel like throwing up every time I
look at you, so I’m gonna take a guess and say you’re a bad guy.”
“The world out there is far worse than my world, Buffy. If you remembered
your life before, you would beg for the ignorance you believe you suffer
from.”
“I don’t know about you, Riley, but this place is not safe. It is not home.
I don’t belong here. I know that.”
“How do you know something you can’t even remember?”
“I just do. You can screw and warp my mind up all you want, but you can’t
change what I feel. And this place is not right. You’re not right.”
His eyebrows arched under the short cut of his dusty blonde hair. “Ah…I
see…” He turned and paced the darkness. “Then I guess I’ll have to change my
tactics, huh?” He stopped and waved his staff in the air around him. A large
swirling mass of indigo appeared in the shadows. It coalesced into a flat
disc, much like a mirror, floating to stand before Buffy’s uncertain face.
Riley walked and stood next to her, whispering in her ear, “Is this another
of my illusions, or is it the truth?”
She pulled away, repulsed at him for being so near. Her eyes went to the
mirror and stared as the murky depths faded away to reveal images. Stepping
closer, she saw four figures resting beside a big black car on an empty
highway. She knew that she should know these people, a deep connection
resounded from each figure in their own way. Talking by the hood was a young
woman with hair like flames; she had kind eyes and a wide smile as she
talked to a pretty lady with fair hair. Buffy smiled absently staring at the
two, a feeling of warmth and comfort surrounding her. A young teenage girl
with long dark hair leaned against the trunk as she talked casually,
apparently to whoever was fishing around the car, she couldn’t see them. The
brunette brought a feeling of outright familiarity and she stared at the
girl for quite some time. But then a pair of hands closed down the trunk and
turned to face her-
“Spi-“ Buffy whispered softly, stepping forward and stretching her hand out
toward the image. She stopped abruptly when she realized she had almost
spoken his name. She glanced nervously to Riley to see if he had heard but
he apparently hadn’t, his eyes focused on the image before her. She tried
desperately to recall the name, but it slipped away from her mind and she
felt like crying from the frustration of it all.
She turned her attention back to the mirror where something caught her eye.
Huge ugly creatures leapt out of the surrounding woods on either side of the
road and started attacking the figures. The man in the coat quickly pushed
the young girl into the car, grabbed his sword from inside, and leapt at the
invaders. He quickly started cutting them down. The two women began casting
spells over and over in their midst. ‘They must be witches’ Buffy’s mind
supplied, but where this should have been strange she quickly accepted it as
if it were nothing. The magic was to no avail, however. The
creatures…trolls, Buffy thought…kept on coming, twenty new monsters
replacing one dead. The fair-haired woman was cut down first, while the
redhead fell to the ground on top of her, shaking her desperately. She
suddenly stood, tears streaming down her face and murderous rage in her eyes
as she turned to face the trolls. There was blood on her hands and her
clothes, and she cast a spell that caused the ground to erupt in huge, stony
spikes. Several trolls were impaled on them, but there were more to replace
them.
Eventually, one got past the girl’s guard and ran her through with his
short sword. It shrugged the witch’s body off its blade and turned to face
the blonde man.
He wasn’t faring very well. Buffy could see a large gash on his left thigh,
gushing blood out in horrid amounts and she could tell he was at the end of
his endurance as he hacked desperately at his attackers. Suddenly, the young
brunette jumped out of the car screaming, clinging to a troll’s club trying
to keep him at bay. He easily turned around and hit her over the head with
his mace and she fell to the floor. Buffy whimpered at the gruesome image of
the child lying face down in the road, her neck positioned in an impossible
angle. Tears began to stream down her eyes. The blonde went as if to run to
the girl, his mouth open in a scream, but he was jumped upon by more of the
loathsome creatures, falling underneath their cudgels and maces. As the
weapons raised up in down, Buffy gagged at the spray of blood and the ever
growing pool beneath their feet…
As Buffy screamed, the image dissolved into smoky vapors. She stumbled and
fell to her knees, covering her mouth so she wouldn’t vomit. Her wide, wet
eyes remained rooted to the spot where the mirror had once been. Panting,
she turned to face Riley. “That didn’t happen! You’re a liar!”
He spread his hands in mock defense. “Maybe,” he said, “Maybe not. How do
you know they’re not dead on some deserted road somewhere?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” she said in a low, dangerous voice. She
climbed slowly to her feet and faced him squarely, fists clenched at her
side, “But I know they’re not dead!”
“Perhaps you’re right, Buffy, perhaps you’re friends are still alive and
gallantly trying to save you. But what you just saw is only a version of
what is undoubtedly to come. Or maybe it’s already happened.”
“I know they are not dead.”
He shook his head sadly, “Believe what you want, Buffy. It really doesn’t
matter to me. We both know you’ll be mine in the end.”
Buffy’s face went red with fury and rage. “Why? Why are you doing this to
me? For the love of God, what do you want from me?”
Riley’s eyes glinted like shards of broken glass in the dim light. “What do
I want from you? I don’t want anything #from# you, I just want #you#!” He
stepped forward toward her, “There’s so much I can give you, Buffy. All you
have to do is quit fighting this, and it will all be yours. Power, all you
could ever dream of, more than you could ever had before. You could live
forever; all you have to do is agree to be mine. And only mine.” His eyes
shone with an intense light as he stared into Buffy’s.
She backed away from him, disgusted. “No,” she whispered, truly terrified
by the coldness of those eyes and that voice, “Not in a million years.”
His mouth grimaced in distaste. “Fine. But I hope you can live with the
knowledge of knowing that you’re the cause of your friend’s demise.”
Buffy stared at the man with the dirty blonde hair. “How am I responsible?”
“Who do you think sent those trolls?” he asked, a harsh edge to his voice,
“I will not share you with anyone, Buffy. No one.” He paused as the finality
of his words struck deep into her. “Think about that while you’re running
from shadows.” With that, he dissolved back into the darkness.
Buffy continued to stare at the shadows around her. Could what she had seen
be true? Could the only links to her past be lying dead on some road
somewhere? The throw around her shoulders slipped from stiff fingers as she
sank onto the dark, cold floor. She brought her hands to her face and took
several deep, shaky breaths. ‘I will not cry again, I will not cry again,’
she told herself even as the sparkling tears leaked out from underneath her
eyelashes and down her pale cheeks.
With a long shuddering breath to give her control, she lifted her face from
her hands. Those horrible things had not happened. She had to keep telling
herself that. He was lying-
Yet she had seen the twisted truth beneath his lies. Some semblance of
honesty had been in his eyes as he spoke to her. Her friends were in grave
danger. She could feel more tears brewing again already. The memories of
what she had seen only minutes ago, of the slashed, bloody, beaten carcasses
of old friends she didn’t even know, plagued every thought in her mind. No
matter how much she fought it, they wouldn’t go away and she might never
know if…
Then it stuck her – there was a way to find out. She folded her hands on
her breast and concentrated on the man in the black coat. She saw his face
in her mind and felt something respond inside of her and her heart leapt for
joy-
Only to have her euphoria cut off cruelly from her. Buffy cried out in pain
as the connection was severed. She fought desperately to re-establish it but
nothing worked. Try as she might, the feelings would slip away as soon as
she caught them.
Hanging her head, she shivered and pulled the throw closely around her
shoulders, however the chill she felt wasn’t physical. Was he hurt…or dead?
Or was the bond they shared gone? Her hair hung like a curtain of sunlight
around her face as she sat, lost, alone and helpless in the dark.
~
Riley watched Buffy closely. Even though the scene he’d shown her had been
fabricated, he had thought that she would have broken down or at least
accepted his offer. God…women…Too bad her little Brat Pack were trying to
find him, driving around aimlessly across America. He’d send a few trolls
after them anyway; he knew that these guys were not ones to mess with-
He suddenly felt something stir in the darkness around him. Seizing on it,
he found the link that radiated off the Slayer and…he couldn’t tell what it
was, but he could smell #him# on it, like the stench of rancid meat. They
were finding a way of communicating with each other. With an angry wave of
his staff, he cut off the flow of energy. Her heard her gasp with pain as it
was severed. He grimaced as she cowered on the floor. He didn’t want to hurt
her. He loved her. He was trying to save her. Why couldn’t she see that?
Sighing, Riley ran his fingers through his hair and thought about his
Slayer. He was as helpless as she was in this dark place. Helpless that he
couldn’t defend himself from her, even after the jungles and monsters. She
had always been there. He saw that now; they needed each other. He was
human, a man with feelings and warmth, not a cold shell. He could give her
power and freedom, more than she would ever of imagined. So why did she
resist him?
He sighed once more. She was just confused and frightened. Soon she would
realize the truth and come to him. And it would be just like before.
~
Thursday, November 29th, 9:15 P.M
As Spike stopped by back road a mile from Los Angeles, Willow got out of
the car, pulling Dawn out with her. Spike and Tara jumped out of the car and
followed.
“So let’s get this straight, you snuck one of your suitcases into the trunk
pretending it was one of ours, then while Spike blanked out, you snuck into
a bitty box and just hung out until one of us got hungry?” Willow asked.
“Sure, if you want the technical version…” Dawn said, nervously playing
with her hair.
“Did anyone call the others back home?” Tara asked.
“Yeah, at the gas station a while back. I said we’d bring her to Angel and
then he would bring her back to Sunnydale.” Willow answered.
“What? No way!” Dawn shouted.
“Dawn, you thought something like this would work? You can’t come with us.
I’m sorry Dawn, but you can’t help us here.”
“Sure, Willow, whatever you say.” Dawn argued, “But as far as I’m
concerned, if my sister and only surviving family member that actually gives
a crap about me is missing, I don’t care if I just carry the suitcases for
you guys, as long as I’m there. My sister needs me just as much as she needs
you. I can help, and if I can’t, well then I guess I’ll just tag along.”
“Enough, Dawn, we’re taking you to Ang-“
“Bloody hell, Red, she’s got a point.” Spike said for the first time, “She
has an obligation to save her sister. As long as we don’t get her into any
bad business, we’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like she’s safer here than
back at Sunnyhell.”
“Then we’ll keep her at Angel’s.” Willow said.
“Do you know how much trouble she’d get in? Face it, Copper Top, she’s
gonna find a way to get to her sister. And it’s better her being with us
then messing with a spell and having another Armageddon on our hands.”
Willow sighed. She paced back and forth a bit, staring at Dawn from time to
time. Finally she stopped and sighed. “Fine! We’ll stop at Angel’s. Fill him
in, call the others and tell them about Dawn. Then we are out of there. Got
it? And Dawn, do not get into any trouble. We don’t want to lose anymore
people…and don’t you dare think that you won’t have to go to summer school
for all the work you’ll miss.”
Dawn came up and embraced the redhead tightly. “Don’t worry, Will. We’re in
this together now. We’ll make it through, I promise.”
“I love you, Dawnie.”
“Right back at ya.”
“WILL! WATCH OUT!” Tara shouted to the others. The foursome looked around
to find a horde of trolls breaking out of the surrounding forest and rushing
at them.
The others ran toward the car, but trolls had already circled around and
cut them off. Spike brought Dawn behind him, Tara and Willow on the other
side. They stood together, facing the horde as they came at them.
“Dawn, stay behind us!” Spike ordered, “You better have full batteries,
witches. This is gonna take some time.”
The redhead Wicca nodded. “We need to keep them from getting too close.
Spike, you and Tara stay close to me and keep them away from Dawn.” With
that, Willow knelt on the ground. Tara heard her whispering the words to a
spell and began to reach within herself for her power.
“Dug Haut!” Willow shouted. All around them the ground bucked upwards as
huge earthen spikes thrust upward. Each speared two or three trolls and
knocked more away from the small group, giving them room to maneuver. Her
eyes black as pitch, Willow turned to face Dawn, motioning for Spike and
Tara to get out of the way. She said the words again and the spikes grew out
of the ground once more around the brunette, keeping her safe from the
trolls in a protective cage.
Spike leapt into the opening, grabbed a sword from an impaled monster, and
began slashing his way through the trolls. Actually the sword was a dagger
for the creatures and was still quite hefty, but on the upside it was
incredibly sharp. And Spike was faster than most vampires, let alone big
heavy trolls. By the time the trolls had even started to regroup, he’d
killed a dozen and a dozen more had to step away to recuperate while they
healed.
“Bimbiriza Mshale!” Tara sent the spell, an arrow made of fire, directly
into a group of injured trolls. The smell of charred meat and hair filled
the clearing, causing the group to gag and retch. Willow was using spell
after spell and had picked up a heavy mace which she couldn’t even lift up
so sent it at a troll, hitting right in the head. But they kept on coming.
“Don’t you have a spell that will turn them inside out or something, Red?”
Spike managed to puff out between blows. He swung his sword at a troll that
tried to sneak past him and get at Dawn, who was screaming as she stared at
the scene before her between the spikes. The troll fell to the ground with
the sword embedded in his back and Dawn closed her eyes as she swallowed
back her bile.
“Say that again?” Willow cast another spell at the group attacking her,
sending them flying backwards.
Spike, however, didn’t answer. The Wicca turned around to see the vampire
on one knee; a troll loomed over him, his sword upraised over Spike. There
was a wet, deep stain on the blonde’s leg, coloured a deeper sticky black on
his dark jeans. Quickly, Willow used an abandoned club to help finish off
the troll, heaving the corpse backwards with magic into another knot of
monsters. She held out her hand to Spike, who took it and painfully pulled
himself up onto his feet. His face was paler than usual as he looked around
him.
The trolls were gone. The only left on the abandoned road was the four of
them and a ring of carcasses scattered about. “Typical,” Willow said,
turning back to the wounded vampire, “Cowards run away with their tail
between their legs just as soon as the fight gets fair.” She knelt down to
examine the wound on Spike’s leg. “It’s not that bad; looks worse than it
is. Long, but not too deep.”
“Easy for you to say,” Spike said through clenched teeth, “You’re not the
one that just got filleted on a pike.”
Willow got up and sighed. “Well, lucky for you, I don’t think Tara or me
are gonna be able to heal you. We’re all burned out. You’ll have to just
take it like an man until we get to L.A.” She wiped her hands on her white
capris, already stained with mud and blood. “Yuck, good thing I brought my
whole wardrobe with me.” She turned toward Tara. “Hon, see if you can help
Spike. I’m going to go make sure they don’t come back. I’ll be back as soon
as I can.”
“Be careful.” Tara said, coming up next to Spike and helping him support as
she wrapped her arm around his waist. Dawn managed to get through the spikes
and ran over to Spike, grabbing his hand. Spike grimaced painfully at her
and Dawn smiled back.
“We did it.” Dawn smiled, “Well, you guys did. But I cheered and supported.
So we beat the bad guys. Again. Cool.”
“Excellent, I wonder what will crazy hijinks will happen next week.”
Dawn nodded, almost seriously considering the question, as she and Tara
help Spike back to the car.
The Circle of Slayers Series 16/35
Incomplete
Chapter 16: Travel Log
By Denna at dennaseer@hotmail.com
Rated PG-13 for violence and language
Keywords: Buffy and Spike…what else could there be?
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Yadda
yadda yadda. The character Jar’vees belongs to me.
Summary for Chapter 16: Spike, Dawn and the witches find their way to Twin
Mountain, now all they need is the Temple…and someone to bring them there.
Chapter 16: Travel Log
Buffy: Who are you?
Angel: Let’s just say…I’m a friend.
Buffy: Yeah, well, maybe I don’t want a friend.
Angel: I didn’t say I was yours.
Friday, December 7th, 2001, 6:43 AM
“This looks like a nice flat,” Spike said as he entered the motel, a
yawning Dawn and two tired Wicca’s trailing behind. The vampire tossed the
keys from hand to hand, as he hurried down the sidewalk toward their door.
The sun was coming up soon and luckily the travelers had just managed to
reach a motel before sunrise. They had finally reached the state line of
Vermont yesterday and it would only be a little while until they reached
their destination.
“It’s…cozy…” Dawn said, gazing around the tiny room. She set her suitcase
on the bed and sat down, bouncing up and down on the mattress. “Bed’s comfy
enough.” The others set their suitcases down and Spike yawned and sat down
on the other bed.
“We just need a few more suitcases.” Dawn said, sitting up. She ran over to
Spike, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. He growled and got up, running
a hand through his hair.
“Bloody women, why can’t you just pack the necessities?” Spike asked as he
and Dawn ran out into the cold. Snow was blowing around and around them as
Willow hurriedly closed the door behind them.
“God, I hate snow!” Willow whined, rubbing her arms. “I mean snow was nice,
at first, but then it got wet and cold and blustery…”
“Well, Dawn certainly loves it.” Tara said, unpacking her toothbrush and
washcloths, “She’s been taking every chance she can to get outside.”
“I just want things to be normal again.” Willow said, rubbing her cold legs
through her blue jeans.
“Me too, hon.”
“That’s all, then?” Spike said, as he opened the door, sending Willow
scurrying to the other side of the room.
“Close the door!” she cried out.
Spike rolled his eyes and closed it as Dawn came in with a suitcase, a
small ball of snow in her hand and she stuck it in her mouth, smiling
eagerly. “I love snow!”
“The snow is really heavy out there,” Tara said, taking a suitcase from
Spike.
“Sure is. I haven’t been in the snow since I went to Paris with Dru. And
even then there wasn’t this much.” The vampire set down the bags on the bed.
“How’s our schedule, Red?”
Willow had pulled on a thick sweater and had a map she had taken from her
pack. She fingered the highways and roads on it carefully before looking
back up at the others. “Well, we’re supposed to be in Twin Mountain in two
days if we get up early, but the snowstorm could cost us a day, since we’re
going into the mountains.” She looked out the window at the sky, overhung
with low, gray, threatening clouds that spewed ice and sleet across the
road. “Unless the weather turns, I’m guessing we’ll be in Twin Mountain in
three days.”
“And it’s been ten days since we left Sunnyhell. So we have two bloody
weeks until the next full moon.” Spike sighed, “Plenty of time to sit on our
arses, twiddling our bleedin’ thumbs.”
“We can spend the time in Twin Mountain,” Tara said, lifting up another bag
and opening it up, checking the contents, “We’ll have time to find a way to
get Buffy after you get the sword.”
Spike took a deep breath and sat on the bed beside the suitcases. “#If# I
get the sword, you mean.”
The girls looked from one face to the other. When they had left Sunnydale
and Buffy had ‘spoken’ to him, he had almost been his normal self and
surprised them all by his leadership. But as the days went by, and there
were no further contacts from Buffy, he grew more and more despondent. They
knew that if he started doubting himself and lost faith, the whole plan
would fall.
“Of course you’ll get the sword, Spike,” Dawn said, going over to sit by
him. He looked at her gratefully, but his eyes remained forlorn and distant.
“But we don’t even know what we’re facing here, only that I have to fight
‘the guardian of the sword’. Oh, and by the way, what if the guardian
happens to be human, then we’ll just have the best bloody time-“
“Spike,” Willow snapped, looking up from folding her map, “Stop it. You’ll
deal. We’ll all deal. We are not going to lose Buffy. Ever. You understand?
Now, snap out of it and go get some food. It’s your turn for dinner and I’m
starving.”
“Fine then.” Spike muttered as he pulled himself up. “KFC sound all right
to you birds?”
“Spike.” Dawn asked softly.
He stopped but didn’t look at her. “What, Nibblet?” His voice was brisk as
he waited for the Hallmark chic-flick speech to come.
“Can I come? You have that Ramones tape in the car and we haven’t finished
it yet.”
Taking a deep breath in what looked like relief, he nodded, “Come on then,
Bit.”
Willow watched them walk out the door, Dawn smiling goodbye. “Tara?” she
asked quietly, “What do you think would happen to us if…this went wrong? If
we couldn’t get Buffy back?”
The fair-haired Wicca’s eyes came up to meet her lover’s. It was the first
time any of them had really mentioned that they might not be able to save
Buffy from Riley. It was as if it not speaking the possibility aloud, they
could deny it existed. But now that fear had been voiced and could not be
ignored any further. “I don’t know, Willow,” she said very quietly, “I
know…I know that we, the Scoobies I mean, could deal…over time. Dawn…she
would be destroyed…but she would live. She’s strong, and she has us to help
her. But Spike…Buffy is his world, Willow, if he lost her again, I think
there just might be no reason for him to exist anymore.”
The redhead’s eyes went wide with shock. “You don’t think he would…kill
himself, do you?”
Sighing, Tara shrugged. “He might not actually try to commit suicide, but
without Buffy, he probably wouldn’t see much purpose in life.” The witch
knew what it was like to love someone as unconditionally as she loved
Willow. Tara knew she loved Willow with all her heart, and she remembered
how Willow had foolhardingly went after Glory in revenge. Willow had hardly
come out alive, and Tara knew that if the same had happened to her, she
would have done the same.
‘What would happen to me if Willow was taken away from me?’ she wondered
morbidly. ‘If some creature swooped down and stole my love away?’
Tara sought out the eyes of the girl she loved, just to reassure herself
she hadn’t disappeared while she wasn’t looking. Reaching out, she took her
hand and linked fingers with her. Willow looked at her and then smiled
sadly, squeezing her hand back in comfort.
“For as long as I’ve known him, which hasn’t been long I know, Buffy has
been the first and foremost thing on Spike’s mind. Buffy is his life. With
her gone, he may just waste away…or grow careless.” She was a little
surprised to find that she was worried about him. She had a soft spot for
the vampire and she knew that though Willow would probably deny it, the
redhead did too.
Willow’s eyes were shining with incoming tears. “We have to get Buffy
back,” she whispered.
“We will, hon,” Tara told her, “We will, no matter what.”
~
A half an hour later, Willow had finished crying and the sound of the door
opening dashed away the remaining tears. Forcing a smile, she turned to
Spike and Dawn as they walked into the room. Spike was carrying a bag of KFC
chicken in one arm. He walked over to the small coffee table and set it
down. “Hope you like chicken drowning in grease.” Spike told them.
Dawn came back shortly from the kitchen with plates and forks and set them
down on the table. Soon everyone had a piece of chicken or two on their
plate and was eating.
Willow sat silently by Tara as she took out a book on summoning and
tracking spells. She had tried several of the latter over the last few days,
and all of them had proven unsuccessful – proving that Buffy was not in this
plane of existence. Riley may have taken to a whole other dimension or
created a ‘pocket’ for himself. If that were the case, they would be looking
for her for a very long time. Time none of them could afford to spend.
She sighed and looked up from trying to make sense of another summoning
spell. The words were beginning to run together in her head. These were old
spells and bordering on a form of Shamanist arts beyond her expertise. So
she found herself absently watching Spike and Dawn talk, the vampire
sometimes moving his hands to motivate his speech. Something flashed on
Spike’s left wrist that drew the witch’s attention and an idea wormed its
way into Willow’s mind. Setting the book aside, she sat forward and caught
Spike’s hand in her own. She moved the sleeve of his shirt up so she could
see the carved gold band that Spike wore on his arm. “Spike…” she said as
the idea grew into a possibility.
Everyone looked at her curiously. “Uh…Red?” Spike asked her, obviously
confused.
“This Soulbond you share with Buffy…Tell me what it’s like.”
Spike stared at her, even more confused. “I already told you what I know,”
he said finally, “It’s sorta hard to explain.”
Willow shook her head. “I mean, can you…can you link with her on command?
Control when it happens? If you were to try it now, could you do it?”
The vampire nodded. “I’ve done it before, I can do it again. What are you
getting at?”
She let go of Spike’s hand and leaned back, “I think I may be able to use
that…”
Everyone’s attention was completely fixed on the Wicca now. “How?” Dawn
demanded, her voice full of hope.
Willow held up her hands as she thought. “Wait…give me a sec…” She picked
up a book of spells and flipped through its ancient, yellowed pages to find
the one she had been studying. It was a powerful summoning spell, able to
find and bring creatures from the other planes given a strong enough
cataclyst. It was the cataclyst that she had been lacking before.
“Okay, okay, here’s my crazy idea. This spell here can summon beings from
another plane of existence, but you need something from them. A physical
piece of them, like a fingernail, or even better, their Name-“
“But you know Buffy’s name.” Dawn interrupted.
“Not that kind of name, Dawnie. In this case, it’s the true ‘Name’ of the
creature, sort of like the definition of what the being is. Like a signature
of their soul. It’s more than what they’re just called. Unfortunately, this
spell is really serious sorcerer stuff, but I think I can modify it so we
can track Buffy, find out which plane she’s on.” She paused and leaned
forward. “And I think I’ve found the way to do it.”
“What’s that, Will?” Tara asked.
“We use the bond between Buffy and Spike as the cataclyst. It should work
if I rework the spell right. The bond transcends dimensions; we already know
that from their contact together.” She looked at the others to see how the
news was affecting them.
While Tara looked as though she was hanging on every word, Dawn and Spike
just blinked. “You lost me on ‘here’s my crazy idea’, Red.” Spike asked,
while Dawn nodded in confusion.
Willow sighed; in her excitement, she’d forgotten that Dawn and Spike
didn’t entirely understand how magic worked. She took a breath and tried
again. “I’m going to use you, Spike, and the bond you share with Buffy, as a
sort of…compass. A way to tell in which direction to look for Buffy. Only, a
special magic compass that travels dimensions, get it?”
“Don’t worry, Copper Top, I’m not in Special Ed. I just passed the ‘dark
magic’ phase in the sixties. Of course, everyone was dealing with the
underworld back then…bloody hippies.”
“So, Spike’s mind linky thingy will lead us to Buffy?” Dawn asked.
Willow nodded vigorously. “Yeah, Dawnie.”
Spike and Dawn’s face lit up with hope, as well as the two witches. “What
do I have to do?” Spike asked.
“Right now, not a lot. I need to study this spell first, and I’ll probably
have to practice it to get it right. By the time we reach the Temple, I’ll
know whether it’s good to go or not.”
Tara smiled. “Then we’ll be able to find Buffy.”
~
Wednesday, December 19th, 2001, 9:11 PM
It was snowing when the three travelers entered the mountain town of Twin
Mountain. It was a lonely little town, nestled high in the Appalachian
Mountain Range. Winter had set en force, and they eagerly set out for a
motel. The only one in town was a small affair, and was mostly empty. The
car was quickly parked and the four entered the lobby of the motel, stamping
their feet to shake loose the thick, wet snow from their boots. The journey
through the mountains had been harder and more arduous than was expected.
They had encountered an abundance of monsters and even averted the
destruction of a large town nearby. However the monsters they faced only
added to their journey and what would have taken three days now had taken
twelve and it was only two more days until the full moon.
After they had boarded and settled their room, they came down to the
adjoining dining room. They ordered food, lots of it. While they talked idly
as they waited for their dinner to come, a cloaked man came and pulled out
the fourth chair, turned it and sat down. He crossed his arms over the back
and looked at them all levelly, sizing them up. The rest looked at him, a
bit surprised. He was of medium height, with black hair already graying
pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He looked to be about
in his late thirties or early forties, but his eyes had the devilish twinkle
of a childish trickster.
Before the others could speak, he began, “You guys are going to the Temple,
aren’t you?”
Spike and Willow glanced at each other. Each could tell that they had both
taken an instant dislike to the character. Willow answered for them both.
“You realize that you’re a perfect stranger, right?” she said. None of them
were in the mood for this kind of thing.
The man grinned and shook his head, as though he hadn’t heard. “Well,
you’re not visiting relatives that’s for damn sure. And as you can tell,
we’re not exactly on the beaten path here. No one comes to Twin Mountain
after the snow sets in…they don’t even come when the snow doesn’t. The only
people that actually come to this godforsaken town is the Temple. So, you
thinking what I’m thinking?”
“You’re thinking of kicking you in the crotch too?” Spike retorted.
“So are you new age Pagans praying to the gods? Or the ‘sacrifice a virgin’
type of guys? Or maybe you’re looking for the sword.”
“Go away.” Spike said bluntly.
“And if I don’t?”
“Well, as the doctor said the day you were born, ‘It’s gonna get ugly’.”
“Touché.”
“Get lost.” Willow said, annoyed.
“Okay, but you’re turning away the only person who can help you,” the man
shot back with a wry grin.
“And what if we don’t want your help?” Dawn asked, speaking up.
“It doesn’t matter if you want it, kid, but you’ll need it. Skipping down
the Yellow Brick Road to the Temple of Light and Shadow isn’t going to cut
it. It’s hidden in the mountains above the town very well. You could search
for weeks and never find it. Especially in the snow.” He reached forward and
grabbed Spike’s cup, which was empty, and helped himself to some of the
steaming coffee from the pitcher. “You’ll never find it all by your
lonesome.”
Tara gave him a look that rivaled the temperature outside. “I think we
could surprise you.”
The other man shook his head slightly as he blew on his coffee to cool it.
“Nope. Like a dirty needle in a lice infested haystack. You can’t get there
unless I take you.”
“Why you?” Spike asked.
The stranger was quiet for a moment then he looked over at the blonde
vampire over the rim of the cup. He winked and said, “That’s a secret.”
Those words had an instaneous effect on Spike: Chip or no chip, Spike
roared and launched himself out of the seat, knocking the table aside as he
reached for the stranger. Coffee spilled across the hardwood floor as Dawn
and the witches scrambled away from the debris. The vampire grabbed the
other man’s neck and hauled him out of the chair. The smaller man flailed
helplessly, clutching at Spike’s hand as his face slowly turned blue. Pain
seared through the vampire’s head, but he only smiled grimly, letting the
agony fuel his rage.
Tara and Willow pulled at Spike’s arms in a futile attempt to pry him away.
“Spike! Stop it!” Willow shouted, feet swinging off the floor as the
maddened vampire lifted the stranger off his feet. Spike couldn’t hear the
frightened witch’s words or feel the hands clawing at his arms; he was too
far gone to care.
The commotion drew the attention of the inn staff. The other guests that
were in the dining room either scattered or gathered at a distance to watch,
as the motel manager and a few other workers rushed in. The frightened
manager held a rifle on his shoulder. “Drop him!” the manager shouted. He
waved the shotgun menacingly in their direction.
“Tara!” Willow shouted.
Tara nodded at Willow’s glance. Tara let go of Spike’s arm and took up a
stance between the five of them and the manager. “#Kipingo!# she shouted,
creating a barrier around them. The shocked manager and workers beat against
the invisible wall with their fists before falling back under Tara’s angry
glare.
It was taking all of Willow’s strength to try and pull him away and now
even Dawn was futilely trying to help. When Spike would still not let go,
Willow mumbled words under her breath for a spell. As she finished, Spike
was torn by invisible hands away from the stranger.
Spike staggered backward, glaring at Willow. “Why did you stop me?” he
shouted, his voice full of pain and rage.
The Wicca took his arm and forced him to turn and look at her. “It isn’t
Riley, Spike! You nearly killed him! Look at him! Look at his eyes!” Drawing
up short, Spike looked from Willow to the stranger. The man was cowering on
the floor, hands to his neck and staring at Spike with abject fear. “Do you
see?” Willow said, releasing her companion’s hands, “He’s just an asshole,
get it? There’s no reason to start chaos and mayhem over an asshole, k?”
“Yeah, but it was still bloody fun.” Spike said, the rage leaving his eyes.
He groaned and rubbed his head, “Gave me one hell of a headache.” Spike
sighed shakily as he backed up a bit. The others could tell that his words
did not match his trembling hands and clenched teeth.
Willow turned to the man and held out her hand. He glared at her and pushed
it away, climbing to his feet. “That guy needs to be locked up,” he muttered
hoarsely, rubbing his neck, “He’s crazy!”
“Yeah, he is. Word of a advice, don’t play mind games with a bad tempered
vampire.” Willow snapped, righting a chair and the table.
“A vampire? Great, just great.”
Willow looked over and saw the manager had lowered his shotgun, but he and
the others still watched them carefully. With a few words, Tara brought down
the barrier.
Tara grabbed a rag from a frightened waitress and helped wipe off the
table. “Now, who are you? And don’t give us that ‘it’s a secret’ crap.” She
said coldly, quite unlike her maternal demeanor.
“My name is Jar’vees. I’m a trapper.” He pulled out a chair and sat down,
well away from Spike.
“Jar’vees? Sounds kind of exotic for a quiet little mountain town.” Willow
said absently.
“My parents were New Age.”
“Ah…I see. And you’re just a simple trapper right? That just happens to
know the way to a secret sacred Temple?” Willow asked suspiciously, sitting
down. She glanced over at Spike, who had not moved. Dawn went over and shyly
touched the vampire’s shoulder. He shrugged away from her but she insisted,
taking his hand in both of hers and squeezing them gently.
“Well, a man has to make a living somehow, doesn’t he? I know these
mountains like the trigger on my shotgun. I was raised here. And I figure
with all these religious fanatics coming up here for answers, what a perfect
income decision it would be. There’s nothing wrong with a little capitalism
is there?”
Tara glared at him. “You charge people to pray? To guide people to a Temple
that is open to all? I think that everything is wrong with that!”
Willow took Tara’s hand as she glared at Jar’vees. She rubbed it
affectionately and kissed her cheek softly. “It’s okay, hon. He’s just a
jerk.”
Jar’vees raised one eyebrow at the affectionate couple. “Oh yeah, Pagans. I
forgot. So tell me, witches, I’ve always wondered how do you turn gay? Is it
because your boyfriend dumped you or is it just that guys don’t date you
because you’re frigid?”
He didn’t get much farther before he was attacked for the second time in
less than ten minutes. “You got a problem, buddy?” Willow growled, lifting
him up from the ground with a flick of her wrist, “Because if you do, I’m
more than willing to share my pent up rage with what’s left of your
impotent, tiny little carcass. You get me?”
Staring down at her, he struggled at his invisible bonds. “No, I-d-don’t
have a problem, missie. F-fight the p-power.”
“You really are a jerk.” Tara said with a half-smile.
“Y-yeah…I kn-now!” Jar’vees croaked.
“Maybe you should let him go, Will. I think he’s learned his lesson.”
Reluctantly, Willow brought her arm down and the trapper fell
unceremoniously to the floor. Jar’vees picked himself up after a bit of
coughing. Glaring dangerously at him, Willow pulled out a chair between Tara
and Dawn. Dawn now had a gentle hand on Spike’s arm but he didn’t seem to
realize she was there. He just kept staring blankly onto an empty spot on
the table.
“Okay, I think I feel better.” Willow said, smoothing down her chestnut
sweater.
“Tell that to the vein in your forehead.” Jar’vees muttered as he
cautiously sat down in another chair.
“So, Jar’vees,” Willow said, ignoring his words by taking a mug from the
timid waitress who approached carefully with a pitcher of coffee. She poured
herself some and sipped it before continuing. “Where’s this Temple and how
much is it going to cost to get us there?”