The
Mating: Part Two : Lost Soul
Disclaimer : in part one
Spoilers: everything
Summary: the gang, along with Cordy, Xander, Spike, Giles, Jenny
and Alicia, try to get Clover's soul back. Clover gets help from
some...angels.
Copyright: These stories and characters that aren't Joss Wedon's
belong to me Oak14177 or Nichole.
Dustin turned to Alicia in both surprise and disbelief. "You're
half-demon? But how?"
Alicia made a move to answer, but Gavin stopped her. "Cool.
So, you're immortal and stuff?"
Giles pushed his glasses up on his nose and turned to his wife.
"Jenny, will half-demon work?"
Jenny shrugged, then looked down at the books on the altar.
"Yeah, sure, I don't see why not."
Dustin stomped his foot on the church floor. "Alicia, tell
me what I want to know."
Alicia sighed. "My father is a demon. A good demon. He works
for the man upstairs. My mother..." Alicia looked down
unable to continue for a moment. "My mother is dead. I was
told...she was reborn, but I don't know. I've had no sign that
she, if she was Clover..."
"What!" Cordelia, Xander, Gav, Rai, and Spike
questioned at the same time.
"They told me she's Clover. That's one of the reasons I'm
here. And Gavin, no I can't die, it's because of the way you kill
demons. I'm three hundred and two. I age slowly."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dustin asked softly.
Alicia shrugged. "Because I was scared of what you'd say."
Before Dustin could answer, Cordelia spoke up. "This is all
very nice and all, but let's all remember why we're here. To save
my daughter and the world."
Jenny stood up at the altar and turned to Spike and Alicia.
"I'm ready."
Spike put his cigarette on the floor and twisted it under his
boot, and looked over at Alicia who smoothed down her hair. They
both walked slowly up to the altar knowing what to expect.
Clover closed her eyes tight. The mating was over for now. She
had given him eight girls and ten boys. She had been in hell for
four years the way time worked there. Everyone was older now.
Probably had lives and trying to forget about her. Now she was
tortured; she cried softly.
She saw a shadow. It started to gain shape. She screamed without
thought, but then saw what it was. The Blesses Virgin Mary. It
was a statue of her. Clover looked more closely, the statue was
crying.
"It's funny, the Mother of Christ crying for the Mother of
the Antichrist," she thought to herself.
Suddenly, the pain stopped. She opened her eyes to see Chris with
the Burning Cross. He stuck the knife in her gut.
Jenny started to chant in ancient Latin as she cut Spike's wrist
and let his blood flow into a bowl. She did the same for Alicia.
She mixed herbs and potions into it and stirred. Jenny Giles
slowly walked to where Clover's lifeless body lay, and tilted
Clover's head back. She feed the blood into the Slayer's mouth.
Clover's body slowly started to tremble, then convulse.
"What's happening?" Cordelia cried. Xander held her
tighter. Jenny started chanting again.
Clover's eyes popped open.
Clover looked at the people around her. She felt so happy, they
hadn't aged or anything. But then just as suddenly as they had
appeared, they disappeared. The Slayer looked up to see Kelmarc,
or Chris, standing in front looking very angry.
"Your friends tried to get you back," he explained in a
strangely deep voice. "But don't worry, I got you back, and
now that I know what they are doing, well, we'll be more prepared."
Clover turned her head away from his face. She had been so close
to being free. After everything she had s said, they were trying
to save her.
Chris gently put his hand on her cheek and lightly stroked it.
"Hey, it's okay Clover. This wasn't the way I wanted it to
be. But this is the way it has to be. I'm sorry, but after a few
more babies, you'll be fine. And after our son is born, you'll
feel so much better about all this." He moved his hand and
turned to leave.
"When I get out of these chains Chris, you're gonna wish
that you killed me years ago," Clover's cracked voice
threatened him.
Chris turned around sharply. He smiled slyly at the Slayer
chained to the bed. "Prophecies don't lie." He turned
and faded into the darkness leaving Clover to wonder exactly what
he had meant.
Clover's eyes shut. Cordelia looked down at her daughter 's again
lifeless body. She let her face fall on her chest and started to
cry softly.
"I don't get it," Jenny stated as she turned around to
face everyone. "I did everything correctly."
"But how?" Rai asked trying hard not to cry.
"He's a demon, he just knew," Xander explained.
Spike took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long puff, then
walked over to Clover. Gavin made a move to go after him, but Rai
stopped him. Spike put his hand on Clover's cold wrist. He turned
to look at Dustin. "There' a small pulse. When I brought her
here, she didn't have one. She was dead. Another Slayer's been
activated. Can't wait to see what the other Watcher's do to you
when they find out you never told her." He took his hand off
her wrist. "She'd dead again. Kelmarc knows we want her back,
he'll be waiting for us to try again. We have to catch him off
guard, and when he least expects it, do it again."
"So what are we supposed to do? Leave her there? Helpless?
How do we know she won't have this child tonight or tomorrow even?"
Gavin screamed at the vampire.
Spike picked Clover's body off the pew. Dustin grabbed her.
"Don't touch her."
Spike grabbed her back. "I'll take her if I bloody well fell
like it. She'll be safe with me. Don't worry," he added
under his breath," stupid twit."
Xander stepped between the Watcher and the vampire and grabbed
her from Spike. "She's Cordy's daughter, she'll come with us.
Rai, Gavin and Dustin, go home , sleep. We'll meet here tomorrow
night when the sun goes down."
Xander went over to Cordelia. She kissed her daughter's forehead
lightly. Jenny went over to where her things were and grabbed
them. She and Giles followed Xander and Cordy.
Spike looked at everyone then jumped through a nearby window and
into the night.
"God, I hate that guy," Gavin said outloud, only to
have Rai punch him in the ribs. "Gavin, we're in a church!"
his cousin exclaimed.
Gav shrugged as he looked down at his sneakers. "Sorry, I
forgot."
Dustin cleared his throat loudly. "Rai, Gavin, I'll give you
two a ride home."
"Thanks Rogers. But, are you sure?"
"Yes, Rai. Now come along. Your father and Gavin's parents
are probably having fits right now." Dustin walked through
the chapel and out to his car.
Rai and Gavin looked at Alicia Price, then the closing doors.
"See you tomorrow Miss Price," Gavin said softly as he
and Rai followed Dustin out.
Alicia Price sat down in a pew and prayed.
Clover felt her body being burned. She closed her eyes and tried
to think of something, anything, else. So far she had only come
up with the fact that she had been in hell for eighty years. She
had had more children than she could remember.
The Slayer started to feel different. She felt like a part of her
wasn't in Hell anymore. Part of her was somewhere else. Part of
her was in mansion somewhere. She looked around her. It was a
large, beautiful mansion with a plush sofa and a roaring fire.Clover
looked around from someone. Suddenly, she heard three voices in
another room, two females and a male.
She crept carefully to the door and saw three people she knew
well. Angel was sitting on a sofa with Buffy next to him. Williow
sat cross-legged on the floor. Williow turned to see Clover in
the doorway. She stood up, Angel and Buffy did the same. Buffy
gave the Slayer a small grin. "Welcome to the Hotel
California."
Clover shook her head slightly. She felt like she was having a
bad dream. "But, but I was in Hell. How did I get here? You're
all dead. Am I dead?"
Angel touched her arm. "Part of you is still in Hell. The
other here. This is our home. See, we made a pact. Buffy wanted
to wait for me." He looked over at her and smiled. "And
well, me and Willow ended up coming here at the same time. So, we're
waiting for everyone else."
"From the Scobby Doo Gang, "Willow finished for Angel.
"So, why am I here?" Clover asked then added," Not
that I mind being here."
Buffy , Angel, and Wiliow exchanged looks. "Well, you see,
we don't want you to nuts or anything," Buffy explained
lamely.
"Plus," Williow filled in, " we are going to try
to give you some of your Slayer strength back. Not all of it, but
some."
"Wait," Clover interrupted, "I know you from
somewhere else." She looked at Angel closely. "You're
Angel. You're the one that told me about Celdar. And you too,"
she looked at Buffy and Williow, " you're in my mom's
pictures." She hit her hand on her head. "I am so .. I
should have known."
"Yeah," Angel said with a half smile," that was me.
See Celdar and the demon that burnt you were working for Kelmarc."
"Each was to see if you were ready for the mating. See this
all could have happened two years ago, but you got burned,"
Buffy finished for Angel.
Williow went into a nearby room and returned with a large glass
in her hands. "Here, drink this. It will help you," she
said handing it to Clover.
Clover did as she was told and instantly felt different. "What
is this?" she asked no-one inparticular.
"Come on," Angel said ignoring her question and taking
her arm to follow him," we have a lot to show you, and not
much time for you to see it all."
Buffy and Williow followed Angel and Clover out of the room.
Cordelia took out a large gym bag from Clover's closet and opened
it. She went to her daughter's dresser and took out some
underwear and packed it in the bag. The lawyer turned to her
daughter's bed and the lifeless body of Clover. Without thinking,
Cordelia burst into tears. Xander stood in the doorway and went
over to her wrapping his arms around her.
"We'll get her back. Don't worry," he whispered into
her ear softly beaerly believing it himself.
Rai lay in her bed unable to sleep. All she could think about was
Clover, alone and powerless in Hell. The petite girl flopped over
on her bed and turned her radio on. A loud song blasted over the
speakers. Perfect, now her father wouldn't be able to hear her
cry.
Spike dropped the dead body on the hard ground outside the Bronze.He
left his vampire face in place for a short while. He didn't know
why we has so worried about a Slayer. Sure it was a Slayer whose
child would bring the end of the world, not to mention the end of
all the Happy Meals with legs.
Spike looked up at the sky. He had an hour till sunrise. Great,
he needed a drink.
Gavin lay on his bed looking up at the celing fan, country music
played on his radio. He had been listening to country a lot
lately. Gavin tried not to think of Clover, but he couldn't stop.
There was a knock at the door. It was his older sister Sara
telling him to turn down the music. A dew minute later. his
mother knocked on the door telling him breakfast was ready, and
she had tapped his favorites show's season finale. Gavin didn't
even move. Suddenly those things seemed stupid and pointless.
Dustin Rogers woke up with a start. He still couldn't believe it;
Alicia was a demon and Clover was in Hell. And it was all his
fault. And Spike was right, the Watcher's Council would hear
about it, if the world didn't end first. Plus, he had been
demoted at school to assistant principal. Thankfully, he still
got to keep his old office. But those things didn't matter if
they didn't get Clover back.
The young Slayer hugged the old Slayer. "Good luck,"
Buffy whispered to Clover.
Clover then hugged Williow. "I'll tell Oz and Xander what
you told me," Clover told her with a shy smile. Clover
turned to Angel and hugged him tight. She let go and looked at
the three angels. "Thank you, for everything."
Angel nodded his head, Williow shyly smiled, and Buffy shrugged
and blushed. "You ready?" the dead Slayer asked her.
"No," Clover said simply," but I don't have a
choice."
"You know kid, I had it bad, you'll have it worse. But don't
worry, we'll be here to protect and help you," Buffy said
with a small smile.
"Thanks, I'll see you." Slowly Clover felt her body
going back to Hell. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt what
Kelmarc was doing to her. Again.
" A flash flood warning is in effect for all of southern
California tonight. All residents are advised to stay in their
homes till tomorrow afternoon."
Giles angrily turned the t.v. off in the guest room of Cordeli's
house. It felt strange to be in Buffy's old home and not have her
in it.
Jenny came out of the bathroom and looked at her husband up and
down. She went over to him and sat on the bed. "I'd hate to
say it, but I think Kelmarc or Chris or whatever you want to call
him somehow made the flood."
Giles put his hand on his wife's knee. "I wouldn't be
surprised. What are we going to do?" he asked the last in a
small voice.
Jenny put her head on his shoulder. "I wish I knew Rupert. I
wish I knew."
Spike climbed drunk through Clover's window. He stepped into her
room and looked at her body on the bed. The Britsih vampire
staggered over and sat next to her. He dug into his pocket and
took out the cross he had given to her and she had given back. He
placed it carefully around her neck. Spike leaned down and gently
kissed the Slayer's forehead. He got up and jumped back into the
rainy, windy night.
Clover felt stronger. It had started a few days after she had met
Angel and the others. Then, just a few hours ago, she felt
something on her neck and a kiss on her forehead.
The iron chains seemed less hard on her wrists and ankles. Clover
was starting to feel like a Slayer again. She decided to try and
break the chains. She jerked her wrists and ankles out of the
iron chains easily. She looked around at the empty room.
She swung her legs over the bed and sat there a moment. The
Slayer got up and walked over to the door. She looked both ways
down the long halls. There was nothing. No demons, no servants of
the Devil, nothing. Clover didn't want to wait for any, so she
ran.
Gain looked out of his bedroom window; the sun was shinning
brightly all over SunnyDale. He couldn't help but smile to
himself. In just two hours, if their plan worked, he'd have
Clover back.
Clover stopped running and stumbled back. There, in front of her,
was Kelmarc in his true demon form, large, ugly, scaly and strong.
She screamed and ran back the other way. He followed behind
closely.
The Slayer came to a cliff where none had been there before. She
looked behind her at the nearing Kelmarc. She had no choice,
Clover jumped.
She fell freely and seemingly forever. Without warning, she fell
flat on her stomach on a hard stone floor. She pushed her arms up
as if she were doing pushups and tunred her neck to see Kelmarc,
back in human form, standing above her. This time Clover knew she
wouldn't be able to run.
Clover's body was laid back on the same pew. Rai and Gavin sat
closely together on the pew behind her. Xander and Cordelia held
hands off to the side while Giles, Dustin and Jenny got things
ready on the other. Alicia and Spike were nowhere to be seen.
Without warning, Spike ran through the double doors caring a bowl
full of blood. He walked calmly up to the altar and handed it to
Jenny. "Here. It's Alicia's blood. She didn't want to come.
In fact, she left town this morning." He looked at Dustin
pointingly. "She told me to tell you good-bye."
Dustin looked down at his shoed without comment. With a smile,
Spike knew he would cry about it later. "Wanker," he
thought to himself.
Jenny took Spike's wrist and cut it. She let it flow into the
bowl with Alicia's. Jenny then repeated the acts of last time.
Clover jumped up and hit Kelmarc hard in the nose. She could here
bones break. She didn't waste time. Clover gave the demon a
sidekick to the ribs. Without warning, Kelmarc grabbed her arm
and flipped her over onto his back. He then kicked her repeatedly
on her right side. Clover grabbed his leg and pushed it as far up
as she could. She then through it to the left sending his whole
body that way.
The Slayer jumped up and got into a fighting stance. "Guess
what Chris. I'm back baby," Clover taunted as she raced over
to the demon who was trying to get up off the floor.
Kelmarc let out a small growl. "You'll pay for this bitch,"
he threatened in a deep voice.
"Like I care," Clover shot back. The young Slayer raced
toward him and jumped on top of him. She punched him in the face
and stomach over and over. "Die, die," she screamed at
the demon. "This is for me! And this is for all those poor
babies you killed you bastard!"
Tears flowed from her eyes. Kelmarc let out a groan. But Clover
paid no attention, instead she grabbed his neck between her hands
and snapped his neck.
She looked down at the handsome human body. She could feel
herself going back into her body, and she smiled. After three
hundred Hell years, it was over. No more Kelmarc and no more
mating.
Jenny lifted Clover's head and forced her to drink the mixed
blood. She eyes popped open. The Slayer's body suddenly
disappeared. Everyone turned to look at each other, and at the
empty pew. Without talking, they all ran out of the church and to
the Chase home.
Once there, everyone, even Spike, ran up to Clover's room. There
they found the gym bag and two bookbags Cordelia had packed her
Clover gone and a note on the pillow.
Cordelia picked it up with a shaking hand and read it outloud.
" ' Everyone, guess it worked. Thanks. I'll be back the day
before school starts. Don't worry. Love you Mom. Spike thanks for
the cross back. Mr. and Mrs. Giles thanks for everything.Rai, Gav,
guess you won't have that story to tell your grandchildren
afterall. Dustin, even if you can't be my Watcher anymore, you're
still my friend. And it's okay you didn't tell me about Kelmarc.
P.S., Xander, Buffy and Angel say hi. Oh, and Xander, Willio told
me to tell you and Oz that she still loves you two and can't wait
to see you two again.'"
Cordelia looked up from the letter to find Spike gone, and
everyone's mouths hanging open.
"What did she mean ' Angel ,Buffy, and Williow say hi' ?They're
dead," Xander said as he flopped on the bed.
"I don't know," Cordelia replied.
Everyone stood in the room for a while. Again, Clover had left
them all dumbfounded.
Clover watched the sunrise from her seat on the bus. It felt good
to see the sun after all that time . She couldn't wait till the
sunset. She had a lot of anger still built up inside her, and
America was still full of vampires and demon for her to slay.
Clover knew for a fact that things would never be the same for
her again.
THE END
