Amnesia
by Kazbol - boliver74@cableinet.co.uk.
Summary - Mass amnesia strikes the majority of the Sunnydale
population. What are Wolfram & Hart up to, and why is Spike stuck in
the middle of it?
Relationships: Spike/Beth.
Rating NC17
Status - unfinished.
PROPHESY.
PART ONE.
He opened his eyes and tried to focus. It was dark and it took him a
few moments for his vampire eyesight to adjust.
"Dru?" he whispered cautiously when he felt arms circling his waist.
'Too warm.' he thought. Drusilla was cool like himself, and besides,
he
remembered bitterly that she had left him. He ran his hand along the
warm body nestled against him and she moaned softly, snuggling closer.
His eyes had adjusted fully to the darkness now and he was more
confused
than ever.
He breathed in her scent and his eyes began to glow yellow as he heard
her heartbeat and the rush of blood flowing through her veins. "Late
night snack." he whispered smuggly. He tilted her head back and moved
towards her throat.
"Spike..." the woman mumbled still half-asleep. "What are you doing?"
As she said his name it made him hesitate long enough to notice the
tiny
puncture marks already on her neck. This was getting stranger by the
minute. The heavy musky smell of sex hung in the air too.
This was odd! Here he was lying naked with a 'happy meal' and judging
by the way his body felt, a good time had been had by all. To top it
off, he had tasted her, but why hadn't he drained her? And who was
she?
The woman opened her eyes and smiled softly, moving her hand up to his
head, stroking his furrowed brow. He realised with shock that he had
vamped out and that she didn't seem to mind. "Bad dream, luv?" she
whispered, and kissed him.
What the hell was going on? His temper raged to the surface and he
flung her onto her back, pinning her down. "What the fuck is going
on?"
he growled at her, revelling in the look of surprise and fear that shot
to her face. "Who the hell are you..........where am I?" he yelled,
almost crushing her wrists in his grip.
"Spike......." she panted. "It's me, Beth......What's wrong?"
Beth? He didn't know any Beth. She struggled to free herself without
success. "Let go!" she yelled angrily. "Whats got into you?" He
flung
himself away from her in agony as her knee connected with a sickening
thud between his legs and she leapt out of bed.
He recovered quickly, diving at her as she reached for the door. He
tackled her around the hips and sent them both crashing to the floor.
He bared his fangs and buried them deep into her shoulder and she
shrieked with pain. He drank greedily and felt her body slow beneath
him as she felt consciousness threatening to slip away, then WHAM! A
seering pain coursed through his skull making him roar. Beth pushed
him
away with what little reserve of strength she had left and struggled to
her feet. She swiped at the bedside lamp and brought it crashing down
across the back of his head, sending his senses into oblivion.
*************** ********************
A mind numbing migraine greeted him when he opened his eyes. He heard
voices and he tried to get to his feet. Something was stopping him.
As
he finally regained his senses he realised he was restrained by heavy
shackles, hands and feet. A chain extended from the anklets, anchoring
him to a heavy iron radiator attached to the wall. Someone had dressed
him.
"You say he didn't know you?" the male voice questioned. The
woman...........Beth he remembered..........was being supported by the
Englishman. He recognised him. "Ripper, what a pleasant surprise!"
Spike snapped sarcastically. "What bloody game are you playing at?"
Giles glared at him and turned back to his sister. "You should lie
down, you've lost a fair bit of blood........." Beth pulled away from
him and moved closer to Spike. Giles grabbed her arm to keep her from
going too close. "It's ok, Rupert. The chip will stop him doing too
much damage." she muttered.
Spike scowled. "I don't know what you're up to, but I'm gonna enjoy
ripping your fucking throats out!........Now what's going on?" he
yelled, straining on the shackles, trying to find a weak link.
"Baby..." she whispered. "Don't you know me?" Her eyes sparkled with
tears and she was deathly pale. He pushed away the thought that sprang
to his mind, how beautiful she looked.
Spike sneered at her. "Yeah, you're take-out! Beats
Chinese..........and the side dish was bloody good too!" he looked her
up and down suggestively. 'Wish I could remember it!' he thought. At
least he had taste in women. "Where am I?"
Beth felt dizzy and grabbed her brother's arm to steady herself.
"You're home..." she managed to say before her legs collapsed under
her,
and she succumbed to the whirlpool rushing around in her head.
Giles scooped her up in his arms and laid her on the bed. He turned
back to the bleached blonde vampire and balled his fists.
"This had better not be some kind of sick joke!" he growled. He was
interrupted by someone knocking the door. He opened it and found Buffy
on the other side.
"What happened?" she asked, seeing Spike in chains and Beth out cold.
"Damn it, Spike,..what have you done now?"
"Slayer.... this a new strategy then? Get someone to shag 'em, tie 'em
up, and stake 'em?" Spike snarled. "I thought you preferred a good
bloody fight!"
She went over to Beth and touched her cheek. It felt cold and clammy
and she noticed tiny droplets of blood on her shoulder where her robe
had slipped open. She strode over to the vampire, taking a stake from
her bag. Giles caught her. "Buffy, no...I hate to say it but I think
we should get to the bottom of this.....rather than just dusting him."
Spike nodded and grinned. "I've got to agree with that!" he said.
*******************
**********************
Beth rolled over and reached across the cool sheets. "Spike?..." she
breathed, puzzled at first that he was not lying beside her. Her eyes
fluttered open and reality rushed in. She felt a little weak and her
shoulder throbbed where he had bitten her. A familiar voice echoed
from
across the room.
"I'm over here, pet..........wanna be breakfast?" he smirked. Buffy
approached him, throwing a blood bag at him.
"Keep it shut, fang boy. This is all the breakfast you'll be
having..........Any more comments, it'll be your last!" she growled.
She looked at her friend who was gingerly getting to her feet. "How
are
you feeling?" she said concerned. Beth slowly padded across the room
towards the kitchen, deliberately not looking at her lover.
"Coffee........." she mumbled. "I need coffee.... then we'll talk."
Spike leered after her, still wondering how she had managed to stop him
from feeding on her. As she emerged from the kitchen with two cups,
handing one to Buffy, his curiousity got the better of him.
"How'd you do it?" he asked. "Magic?" He rubbed the back of his head,
the last remnants of the headache still lingering.
Buffy scowled. "He doesn't even remember the chip." she muttered. She
faced the shackled blonde. "Whats the last thing you do remember
before
waking up here?" she demanded.
Spike looked in the air, then stared at the two women. The Slayer he
knew well, having fought with the petite blonde often enough. Beth,
though, was a mystery to him. He took in her dark auburn hair, which
was hanging dishevelled about her shoulders, and those beautiful
piercing blue-green eyes. She was bundled in a very unflattering bulky
robe, but he had seen enough of her the night before to know he had
found her very arousing. He frowned. 'Arousing?' he chided himself.
'Don't I mean appetizing?' He started to make a sarcastic remark, then
it hit him.
"Chip?..........What are you talking about?" he questioned. That was
the second time someone had mentioned that.
"The one in your head.......stops you killing........." muttered Beth.
Spike's jaw dropped, then he started laughing. "Oh, thats a good one!"
he howled. "I've bloody well heard it all now!" Buffy moved closer
and
backhanded him across the face. He tried to lunge at her forgetting
the
shackles for a second. "Take these off, Slayer!" he spat holding his
arms out. "We'll see how well I can fucking kill!"
They were interrupted as a very flustered Giles let himself into the
apartment. He slammed the door behind him and struggled to the coffee
table, throwing down the books he was carrying. "Willow and Tara are
on
their way....maybe they can do a clarification spell to find out what's
causing his memory loss." he muttered. "How are you feeling, Beth?"
She shrugged. "Bit light-headed, but I'll live." she smiled.
Buffy glowered at Spike and turned her attention to the ex-Watcher.
"They'd better come up with something fast..........." she said.
"Before I completely forget myself and dust him!"
Spike huffed. "Like I said, take these off, and we'll just see about
that!....Come on, Slayer, afraid I might just get the better of you?"
"Ooh, please Giles, let me untie him." she smirked. "Then I get to
kick the 'Big Bad's' ass!"
Beth glared at her and turned away. "I'm going to shower." she growled
and headed for the bathroom. She was drawn to the stare of her blonde
lover as she passed him but she saw no recognition in his grey-blue
eyes, only mild amusement.
"Need any help?" he grinned suggestively. "Piss off!" she whispered
and slammed the door behind her.
*******************
************************
PART TWO.
Xander stared at the hammer. What was he doing? He looked around at
the piles of timber and the half-made window frame. He took off his
hardhat and wandered outside. Two men were pouring cement from the
mixer and he looked up to see a crane hoisting a large concrete slab.
"Hey Harris!" someone shouted. "It ain't break time yet...get that hat
back on!"
He stared at the men blankly, trying to remember how he had got here.
He looked at his watch and cursed. "Damn.....I'm late for school." he
yelled dropping the hammer and running, oblivious to the laughter
coming
from his workmates. "Whatever he's on, I want some!" one of them
howled.
He ran all the way, a good ten blocks, until he came to the
school........at least what was left of it! The blackened ruin was
cordoned off by a high wire mesh fence that was rusting in places. He
stood mouth open in shock for several moments until a voice from behind
startled him.
"Xander,.....what happened?" he spun round and saw Willow. He looked
at her puzzled for a moment. "I...I don't know!......Um,
Willow.....you
cut your hair? You look different." He stared at the redhead. She
WAS
different. Her hair was only shoulder length now, whereas the night
before he could have sworn it was really long. And she looked older
too.
Willow was as confused as he was. She brushed her hand along her hair.
"I guess I must have.....I don't remember!" she gasped. "But you look
different too!"
The two friends looked again at the destroyed high school. Willow took
Xander's hand and squeezed it gently. "Maybe we should find
Giles.......he'll know what happened." she whispered.
**********************
**************************
Tara sat in the armchair, shaking. Buffy brought her some tea and
knelt
on the floor beside her. "It sounds like the same thing that's
happening to Spike." she murmured.
"She just rushed off....when I called her back she looked at me like I
was a stranger! I tried to follow, but some idiot tripped me up. By
the time I'd climbed over all her groceries, Willow was nowhere to be
seen." She took a sip of the hot liquid and took a deep breath, trying
to steady her hands.
Beth had left Spike alone in the bedroom after her brother assured her
he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. Apart from being
restrained, the day was only half over so he wouldn't get far even if
he
could leave the apartment.
They could hear him complaining through the closed door. Giles
grimaced
as the vampire started shouting a stream of expletives at them, mainly
referring to how many body parts he was going to maim once he got free.
"Thats it!" Buffy snarled, jumping to her feet. "Anybody object to a
little daytime slaying?" She strolled towards the bedroom door and
turned the handle.
Beth was by her in a flash, blocking her way as the door swung open.
"You don't want to do this, Buff." she whispered. "I'll talk to
him.....get him to quiet down!" Buffy shrugged. She really, really
did
want to do it. Anything to shut him up, but she stepped back and
nodded. "Ok, but don't go too close!" she added, going back to Tara.
Giles was putting his jacket on. "One of us should go and find her."
he
said, referring to Willow, handing Buffy something which she slipped
into her pocket. "It would be best if you stay here Buffy. You can
keep Tara and Beth company...and...well...if Spike does try to
escape..." Buffy smiled. "If he does, I get my wish!"
************************ *************************
Beth went to the kitchen before going to speak to Spike. She emptied a
blood bag into his mug and heated it in the microwave. Spike liked his
food at body temperature.
The timer rang and she removed the mug and carried it into the bedroom.
She stopped just out of reach of the bleached blonde and he scowled at
her. "I'm not stupid enough to make a grab for you with the Slayer in
the next room." he spat. She moved forward and handed him the mug. He
took it from her and placed it on the floor. Before she could move
back
he grabbed her hand firmly. "Of course, I'm a bloody liar too!" he
smirked.
Beth froze. She could shout for help, but so far he was not making any
further moves to harm her. He just wouldn't let go. "Your food's
gonna
get cold." she whispered, keeping her voice steady. She kept eye
contact with him, waiting for the slightest hint he might take things
further.
He stared back at her, noting how her pupils had expanded almost to the
point of covering the iris, feeling more than a little inclined to pull
her towards him. He chose to ignore the signals his brain was sending,
that he didn't want to feed off her, or even hurt her. He was confused
enough, and the signals surprised him completely. He had been happy
enough to try to kill her last night, but now he wanted
to...............'Talk!' he told himself. 'Find out want's going on.'
He was not entirely convinced by his own thoughts. He let go of her
hand and picked up the mug, bringing it to his lips.
"Bloody disgusting stuff!" he complained at the pigs blood, but downed
it in one go anyway. Beth sat cross-legged on the floor and waited
until he put the mug back down.
"You should know better than to piss her off, Spike." she murmured.
"Buffy has never really taken to you, even though you've been helping
her for years........." Spike broke into a coughing fit. "You what?!"
he spluttered. "Me.....helping the Slayer........you're out of your
tiny mind!"
Beth put her hand in her jeans pocket and pulled out a pack of
cigarettes and his Zippo lighter, tossing them to him. "Thought you
might need a fag, love." she said sarcastically. "It'll calm your
nerves!" He took one out of the pack and lit it. He blew the smoke
out
slowly and grinned.
"I'll say one thing for you, pet......" he said thoughtfully. "You
spin
a bloody good tale! And for your information, I've helped the Slayer
once.........when Angelus wanted to send the whole sodding World to
hell. I didn't do it for her, and it wasn't years, it was only a
couple
of months ago!"
Beth shifted up onto her knees. "No,.....it was three years ago,
baby.......A lot's happened since then!"
Spike burst out laughing again. Beth jumped up and went to the bedside
table, picking up a couple of magazines and yesterday's paper, tossing
them to him. "Read the date!" she snapped.
He snatched at the papers and sneered. When he found the dates a look
of surprise, then disbelief crossed his face. He threw them back at
her. "Well, you can get fake copies run off anywhere! Doesn't prove a
thing." he scoffed.
She knelt down and felt under the bed, dragging out a small chest.
"Recognise this?" she mumbled. He should! That was his! She dragged
it across to him being careful not to give him the opportunity to grab
her again. "Open it!"
He reached for the chest and started to lift the lid. "How the hell
did
you get hold of this?" he complained. "You've been going through
my.........." he stopped and stared at the contents of the box. He
pulled out a handful of photos and looked at them. Beth moved a little
closer to him.
"There are a lot of you and me." she said quietly, as he leafed swiftly
through them. There he was, with Beth. Another one, with the Scooby
Gang at a party. The banner draped in the background read 'HAPPY
MILLENIUM'. On yet another, he was carrying her in a fireman's lift
and
she was clutching a half empty bottle of spirits. They both looked
happy, and more than a little drunk. He flicked through a few more and
came across a video tape.
"I'd play it for you, but the TV and VCR are in the other
room.........you'd say that was doctored too!" she scoffed.
The smile had gone from his face, and he looked puzzled. "What about
the chip?" he asked.
Beth explained about the Initiative and how they had captured him
before
she met him, and how he would suffer mindblowing migraines every time
he
attempted to attack humans. "I got you pretty good last night!" he
growled.
"Oh,....well....." she stammered. "Two reasons for that!.........One,
it doesn't normally kick in very quick when you're with me...." she
blushed slightly. "And, two,......we took a visit to LA, and then
Willow and Tara did a spell to desensitize it a bit."
"Why not just get it removed? Why haven't I done that?" he questioned,
still sceptical. "We......we tried......" her voice broke a little and
he saw a flicker of revulsion cross her face at the memory. "We were
almost killed.....if it hadn't been for Angel helping........." she
stopped talking and drew a deep breath. That clinched it, he told
himself. He knew for a fact that Angelus was in hell! She must be
lying.
"Can I have a cigarette?" she asked. He absent-mindedly passed the
pack
and lighter to her, not noticing she had moved closer to him. She
slowly lit one, and began to cough as the smoke burned the back of her
throat. She took another drag, then handed the rest back to him. His
had burned away to nothing, and he stubbed the filter out in the
ashtray
she had carried across. "Nasty habit." she groaned once the coughing
stopped. "Remind me not to take it up on a regular basis!"
"No point wasting this one." he smirked, taking a drag on her discarded
cigarette. "Carry on.......tell me more."
She told him everything she could think of to try to get some reaction,
to show he could remember. There was none. He sat patiently,
listening
to her every word, but his expression told her he thought she was
lying.
"I think this is some kind of mind game!" he grumbled. A smirk
appeared
on his face as he realised she was kneeling within his reach. Without
warning he dropped his arms over her head and crushed her to him,
pulling the chains tight across her shoulders. "Call your mates!" he
hissed. "Call 'em or....." he bared his fangs. Beth struggled against
him and he tightened his grip.
"You can't....." she gasped. "....the chip..." He ran his tongue down
her neck and grinned. "I don't believe you, darlin'...........it's a
trick...........SLAYER!!!" he bellowed.
Buffy burst into the room. "Let her go, Spike!" she yelled, circling
the pair. "Unlock these bloody chains, or I'll kill her!" he growled.
Buffy laughed. So, he still didn't realise the chip would stop him
from
doing that. She started to speak, when everything began to look
different. Her mind wandered and she stared blankly round the room.
"Where.........where am I?" she gasped. "Spike!.....I told you not to
come back......." She looked at the woman he was holding and saw the
shackles. "What's going on.............who's she?"
Beth cursed under her breath, still trying to break his grip. Spike
looked at her, puzzled, then back to Buffy. "If you don't release me,
she's dead." he whispered.
Buffy frowned and tried to remember how she had got here. Tara stood
in
the doorway. "Don't do it, Buffy.......he can't kill her, he'll fry
his
brain if he tries!" she cautioned. Buffy stared at her blankly. "I
don't know you....." she grunted. "Who are the two of you, and why is
Spike..........."
"For Christs Sake!" Spike interrupted impatiently. "In case you've
gone
completely stupid.......me vampire, she 'happy meal'.......unless you
sodding well let me loose! Do I need to draw you a bloody picture!"
Beth tried again to free herself, but she couldn't even get off her
knees and she felt the chains biting deeper into her shoulder blades.
"Tara......." she groaned. "Buffy can't remember............." Tara
approached the Slayer cautiously. Buffy put up her guard. "Stay where
you are!" she ordered. She studied the blonde vampire carefully. She
wouldn't be able to get the woman out of his grip before he killed
her..........whoever she was.
"Buff, I know you can't remember me........but trust me, he
can't......"
Beth began. Spike snapped the chain harder across her back, knocking
the wind out of her.
"Wait.....Where are the keys? I'll let you loose, but where do you
think
you can go? It's still daylight you know."
Damn! He hadn't thought of that! He hadn't got a clue who had the
keys, and as he didn't even know where he was he couldn't even rely on
the sewer system to be his escape route!.
"Um......check your pockets, dummy!" he snapped, hoping she had them
and not Ripper, otherwise it would be a long wait! Buffy rummaged
through her trouser pockets and found them.
"Throw them over here!" he ordered. The keys dropped to the floor just
beside him. He couldn't reach them without slipping his arms down
Beth's body, and that would release her arms, making it harder for him
to immobilise her. "Pick them up!" he growled at her, but she shook
her
head. He crushed her against him harder and she couldn't breathe. "I
said, pick them up!" She tried to gulp the air into her lungs and her
chest ached. "No........." she gasped breathlessly, as his eyes glowed
yellow and his game face appeared.
"Bloody hell!" he shouted in frustration. He swiftly lifted his
shackled arms over her head and flung her face first to the floor. He
fell on top of her to stop her escaping and grabbed the keys. Buffy
edged forward and he grabbed Beth around the throat, dragging her back
to her knees. "Stay back, Slayer, or I'll tear her head off!" he
growled. Buffy stopped.
He drew his arm round Beth's throat and managed to unlock the chains on
his wrists. His arms now free, he stooped to release his ankles with
one hand and moved his other hand across her windpipe, effectively
blocking off her air supply. She began to sag against him, her lungs
burning from the lack of oxygen, and her head was swimming.
As he unlocked the last remaining bonds, a sharp pain began to spread
across the base of his skull. He gasped in pain and loosened his grip
around her throat just enough for a trickle of air to enter. The pain
slowed to a nagging ache as he dragged her to her feet.
Tara still stood in the doorway. "Buffy.....he can't kill
her....listen
to me!" she pleaded.
"Let her go, Spike..." Buffy said quietly. "You're trapped here
anyway." Spike kicked the shackles across the floor to her. He
glanced
at Tara then back to the Slayer. "Chain yourselves
together!..........Around the dresser leg!" he ordered. Buffy
hesitated
for a moment then picked them up. Tara backed away but Buffy grabbed
her. "No....Buffy, please....he's bluffing!" Tara gasped. Buffy
pulled her down and slapped the shackle onto her wrist, wrapping the
chain around the piece of furniture before putting the other link
around
her own wrist.
""Ok.......we've done what you asked, now let her go." she whispered.
Spike grinned and faced the half-unconscious woman in his grasp.
"Gotta
go, pet." he growled, and surprising himself, he kissed her hard on the
lips before releasing her to fall to her knees, gasping for air. He
grabbed his boots, tore the duvet from the bed and covered himself with
it before dashing out into the street.
********************** *************************
PART THREE.
Giles drove through the streets of Sunnydale looking for Willow. Half
of the town's population seemed to be out today and traffic was heavier
than he had ever seen it. He realised the same memory loss that
affected Spike and now Willow was affecting the rest of the
inhabitants.
He reached his own home and as he pulled up he saw Xander and Willow
outside his front door. Willow ran down the path towards him, Xander
following close behind.
"Giles..........the school's gone....and everything is so strange!
We've
been waiting for you for ages........" she began to babble.
"Calm down." Giles spoke softly. "Both of you, get in the
car.......we'll go to Beth's." The two climbed in and Xander frowned.
"Sure..........who's Beth?"
Giles shook his head. "Suffice it to say you're not the only ones
having a mental crisis!"
******************** ***********************
"He took the damn keys!" Beth cursed, as the women lifted the heavy
dresser up enough to slip the chain from round it's leg. Buffy looked
at the shackles on her wrist and then to her fellow captive. "We're
gonna have to break them open........" she sighed. "Unless we want to
spend the rest of our lives holding hands!"
Beth disappeared into the other room and came back brandishing a hammer
and chisel. "These should do the trick." she said.
A few good whacks and Buffy's arm was free. She took the tools from
Beth and began to work on the lock still imprisoning Tara. As the
metal
finally succumbed to force, Giles arrived, followed by the confused
Willow and Xander.
Tara jumped to her feet and flung her arms round Willow, hugging her
tightly. "You're alright!" she gasped. "Thank God!" Willow gently
prised her off and looked very embarrassed. Why was this stranger
being
so affectionate towards her?
"Buffy......." Xander spoke. "Who are these people?" Buffy shrugged
and looked at Giles questioningly. Beth spoke first.
"Rupert.........he got away........and Buffy can't remember........."
Buffy grabbed her bag and started for the door. "I'm going to hunt him
down." she snapped. "We had a deal.........I don't dust him and that
bitch Drusilla, and he doesn.t come back!...Should've known he wouldn't
keep his word!" She was stopped by Giles grabbing her arm.
"There are a few things you should know first." he mumbled. "Spike can
wait!"
********************** *************************
Buffy, Willow and Xander listened sceptically to the ex-watcher's
story. The two women with him interjected with their own comments but
none of it made much sense to them.
Buffy paced the room. "So, lets get this straight!" she mused. "Tara
is Willow's friend......Beth is your sister...........ok, I can go with
that,...." she paused. "Now, this is the weird bit. You say we've all
lost three years worth of memory.......and Spike is on our
side?........You sure it's us that got memory loss, Giles?.......The
last time I looked, Spike was a vampire, and he's tried to kill us
often
enough!" She stopped pacing and looked at Beth. "And you're living
with him? Yuk!" she muttered sarcastically.
"Um...guys." Willow interrupted. "If this is true...what are we going
to do about it? I mean, if I'm supposed to be a witch......." she
glanced at Tara. "Sorry, we're supposed to be.........maybe we can
work
some kind of spell to find out what is going on!" Tara smiled at her.
"Thats what we were going to do before you rushed off!"
"Oh, God...." mumbled Beth. "Xander, we need to let Anya know. I'll
phone her." Xander looked puzzled. "Who's Anya?" he asked. Giles was
exasperated.
"A good idea, Beth.........I'll explain it to him."
He took Xander to one side as the women huddled together talking. Beth
hung up the phone. "Damn. There's no answer at the shop.....she must
have closed early." she cursed. "I'll try her at home." As she dialed
the number she stared out of the little side window into the alley that
ran past the apartment. Being a basement flat the footpath was raised
to within a foot of the height of the window. She could see the drain
cover from here, and it was open. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Spike
had obviously made a safe getaway and would be touring the sewer system
until he found a refuge. Giles came up behind her and put his arm
round
her shoulder.
"I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this." he whispered. "You'll get
him back, and everything will be back to normal." She frowned at him.
"But what if we all end up like......." She stopped and looked across
at her friends. Out of all of them now, only her brother, Tara and
herself were still unaffected by the mysterious amnesia. "Which of us
is going to be next?"
Giles kissed her forehead lightly. "We'll work it out, Beth." he
murmured, but he was more worried than he wanted to admit to her.
Beth replaced the receiver and cursed. "No answer! Maybe I should go
round there......."
"We should all go to the shop." interrupted Giles. "We have all the
information we need there, and Willow can use the database."
Xander was still in shock. In his mind Cordelia was still his
girlfriend and now Giles had told him he was living with an ex-vengence
demon.
"Um..Giles....This...er...Anya...." he stuttered. "I take it shes
not....well....gross!" he asked hopefully. Giles smiled to himself.
Trust Xander to worry about a little thing like that when everything
was
falling apart around them.
"No....no, she's not gross, Xander. In fact she's a lovely young
lady." Xander breathed a sigh of relief.
Beth noticed Buffy was looking really miserable. "Whats wrong?" she
whispered. Buffy tried to smile without much success. "Three years?"
she questioned. "Since....since..." Beth finished her sentence.
"Since
you sent Angel to hell....." she took her hand. "It's ok Buff....he
came back you know....he's in LA. He's fine!" " Buffy gasped.
"Oh....." she breathed. her memories were still so fresh about the
night when Spike offered his help to stop Angelus bringing forth the
Acathla demon and sending the World to hell. He got Drusilla back but
at the expense of Buffy losing the man........the vampire......she
loved. To her it was mere months ago, not years.
Even though Beth had told her that it wasn't a permanent thing, and
that
Angel was 'alive', it seemed too good to be true. She pulled herself
together and addressed her friends. "Lets go, people!"
********************** **********************
The streets were in chaos and there was no point in trying to drive to
the Magic Shop. The traffic was so heavy, it seemed most of the
population of Sunnydale had taken to the road. They made their way
through the crowd of confused people and finally reached the shop.
The door was locked and Giles squinted through the glass. He could
just
make out Anya as she huddled behind the counter. He tapped the window
and Anya rushed to unbolt the door. They piled in and locked it behind
them as Anya flung her arms around Xander's neck. The relief in her
face was obvious. "I was so scared!" she sobbed. "Why is everyone
acting so dippy?" She hugged him harder. Xander was not quite sure
how
to react, but in his mind he was 17 and you didn't pass up a chance to
snuggle up to a pretty girl at that age, so he put his arms round her
waist and hugged her back. "Wow............you must be Anya!" he
grinned appreciatively. She backed up a little and looked into his
eyes. "Not you too!" she groaned.
Tara interrupted her. "He's not the only one.........Buffy and Willow
too!... Oh, and Spike's gone as well........literally!" she glanced
around at the group. Who would be next? "Whatever is happening seems
to be affecting most of the town. What I can't understand is, why not
everybody, and why not at the same time? We....we'd better find the
cause before things get even more crazy!"
Willow spotted the computer and took a seat in front of it. "This is
so
strange." she gasped. "Windows 2000........it's like being in a time
warp!"
Giles climbed the stairs to search through his library. Tara followed
him and the pair began to drag books from the shelf. "Xander, Anya!"
Giles called. "If you could let each other go, maybe you could give us
a hand!" he said a little sarcastically. "Beth.......can you give
Willow some help?"
Beth pulled up a chair and sat by the redhead. "Um..research isn't
really my forte, but I'll do my best." she muttered. Willow smiled.
"Just give me ideas and I'll look it up!" she answered.
Beth thought for a moment. "How about.........what date do you think
it
is?" she asked. "July 25th, 1999" grinned Willow. "Great.....lets
start with that." she began to type. "Giles......." she shouted.
"Your
Watcher's diary.........can you look up what happened on that date?
Maybe we can find something there!"
Giles handed over his pile of books to Xander and clambered back down
the stairs towards his office. A thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Willow.....that's not three years ago.......where did that date come
from?" Willow stopped.
"What?" she gasped. "I....I don't know....but suddenly, I
remember.......Xander, Buffy, do you?" They looked at her puzzled.
Xander glanced at Anya. "I remember you!" he grinned and Anya hugged
him again. Buffy scowled. "Yeah......it's like fast-forwarding a
VCR!"
she looked at Beth. "Still not sure who you are though."
Beth smiled at them. "I didn't get here until December, so its not
surprising!"
***************** *************************
PART FOUR.
Spike managed to escape the apartment, but not without injury. He
cursed himself that he had not taken time to put his boots on, but ran
to the nearest sewer cover barefoot. The sun had seared the skin of
his
feet and it hurt like hell when he finally did put the boots on. He
limped painfully through the tunnels for what seemed hours until he
came
to the main flood tunnel that ran under the centre of town. It was
fairly dry at the moment as the hot summer had brought very little
rain. He sat on a ledge and waited for his senses to tell him it was
nightfall. He listened carefully for signs that someone might be
following him and sighed with relief there appeared to be no-one. Not
that he didn't enjoy a good fight, but the burns on his feet made it
difficult enough to walk, let alone jump around in a battle.
He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, still thinking
about the conversation he had had with the pretty brunette. It was a
pretty convincing story she had told, and the pictures, which he still
thought must be fake, almost made him believe her. The chip thing
though, that bothered him. He didn't remember any Initiative and he
certainly couldn't recall having been tampered with. The pain had been
real enough though when he had tried to feed off her, and again when he
had nearly choked her. He rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully.
'Gotta be a trick!' he told himself. The first thing he would do when
he got out of here would be to find a couple of tasty victims to put it
to the test.
He licked his lips in anticipation and realised he could still taste
her, not her blood, but her lips! Why on earth did he kiss her? He
grinned to himself then. 'Why not!' he thought. 'We obviously did
everything else!'
As soon as it got dark he would have to get back to the crypt and
change
his clothes, these sewers stank! He groaned as he realised he would
have to put up with Harmony's incessant whining, too! 'Should've let
the Slayer stake me!' he grumbled to himself. He would make a point of
telling his bimbo girlfriend to take a hike!
************************
*************************
Lawton oversaw his henchman as he planted a fist heavily into Carl's
stomach. "Thats the second time you've got it wrong!" he growled. "It
was a mistake!" Carl gasped. "I think I know where I went wrong.....I
can fix it!"
The bulky assailant towered over him and prepared to strike again, but
Lawton waved him away. "Enough!" he whispered in a deceptively gentle
tone. He patted Carl on the shoulder softly. "Perhaps you would like
to explain to my superiors how your 'mistakes' merely erased memories,
instead of having the desired effect!"
Carl staggered to a chair and sat down. He looked at Lawton warily.
The man was straightening his tie and brushing some non-existent dust
from his very expensive suit. The goon who had hit him merely grunted
in disappointment that he could not continue the pummelling.
"It didn't affect everybody........it was just a ripple effect from the
spell! Only those close to the original event got zapped!..........You
can tell Wolfram and Hart that I will get it done!" he whispered.
"Although why you don't just kill........." his sentence was cut off
as
Lawton grabbed him by the throat, yanking him to his feet.
"How many times must I tell you the story.........." he sighed and
released him. "Any interaction, any death, caused by our target since
the date in question has altered the eventual outcome! We must go back
and prevent that happening.....Do you understand?" Carl nodded.
Lawton strode away away from him and stopped in front of the obelisk
that dominated the centre of the room. He caressed it lovingly,
running
his fingers along the engraved symbols. "These Runes of Zekata will
be
our salvation, so to speak. When the final battle begins, we will
win!.......But only if you get the damn ritual right!" he snapped.
"You
were supposed to send my people back in time.........not cause mass
amnesia!"
Carl shrugged. "I'll try again. You know what they say, third times a
charm!" he muttered. "It's not as if the ritual has been performed for
thousands of years.........it's just taking a little longer than I
thought to decipher it." He glanced across at the big goon in the
corner and shuddered. "But I can do it!" he added quickly.
************************ ***********************
Giles pawed through his Watcher's diary. Even though he was no longer
officially a Watcher, he still kept meticulous records of all the
events
that transpired around the hell mouth. A sudden wave of dizziness
washed over him and he shook his head to clear it. He focused his eyes
on his surroundings and gasped.
"What am I doing here?" he said loudly, making the others jump. Buffy
rushed towards him. "Whats wrong?" she asked, then realised what had
happened. "Oh..." she breathed. "You too?" Giles looked at her,
puzzlement all over his face.
Beth came over to him and he jumped to his feet and hugged her.
"Beth!......When did you get here?" he gushed. "Why didn't you let me
know?" She hugged her brother back and looked at Tara, cursing under
her breath. "Um....you'd better sit back down Rupert. We have to tell
you something......." she murmured.
He listened to them sceptically at first, but even the pages in his
diary screamed at him that what they were telling him was true. He
took
off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. "I
see..........what have we come up with som far?" he asked.
"The date." answered Willow. "What happened on today's date, Giles? I
mean.......on the date we all think it is?" He looked again in his
diary. July 25th, 1999.
"To be honest, Willow, it was a fairly quiet day.........oh, apart from
Spike being captured by the Initiative." he replied. Beth paled.
"Do
you think it could be something to do with that?" she asked. Giles
shook his head slowly. "Maybe........but I can't see why!"
Buffy glanced at her watch and then out into the street. "It's getting
dark........I should do a couple of sweeps tonight." she muttered. "Do
you have any weapons here?"
Giles shrugged. He didn't remember taking on the Magic Shop, much less
where he would keep things. Anya grinned. "I'll get them for
you...........my mind isn't screwed up!" Xander laughed. "Matter of
opinion!" he teased.
She went into the storeroom and struggled back with a large holdall.
As
Buffy rummaged through the contents Beth came to her side and began to
do the same. "I'll come with you......." She saw the dubious look on
Buffy's face. "Trust me. We've patrolled with you lots of
times........Spike and I." she stopped. 'Oh, Spike.' she thought
painfully. 'I hope you're not getting into any trouble.'
Buffy hesitated for a second, then nodded. "OK, we can cover more
ground more quickly..........leaves us time to get back to solving our
little mystery!"
Now armed, the two women left the shop and headed for the Cemetary.
**********************
*************************
Spike punched the wall in anger. "The bitch!" he cursed. "She's took
the sodding lot!" He scanned the empty Crypt. All his stuff, his
clothes, furniture, even his TV, had gone! He was going to track
Harmony down and stake her, that was for sure! 'Not until I've tortured
you.......you thieving little bint!' he thought. He calmed down a
little but his game face remained. The chamber was damp and filthy.
Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and it looked like it hadn't been
inhabited for months.
A nagging doubt entered his mind. What if the Slayer's mates had been
telling the truth after all? Surely, even they wouldn't have thought
to
'remodel' his place to make it look delelict. There was something
about
Angel too! What made him think he was still in Hell when he spoke to
that woman?
He kicked at the only remaining item left there, an old wooden crate,
then grimaced with pain as his burned foot jarred against the boot
leather. He folded his arms and swore. "And I want my damn coat back
too!" he yelled. He stormed out of the Crypt and headed towards Beth's
apartment. It must be there.
'Get a bite to eat on the way.' he told himself.
********************** ***************************
As he stomped past the headstones a commotion erupted in the distance.
He slowed his pace and ducked into the shadows. He could just make out
a couple of figures wrestling in the grass. he picked his way silently
forward to get a better view. The Slayer!
Buffy clambered back to her feet and swiped away a punch from the
attacking vampire. She planted a fist in the blood-sucker's solar
plexus, making him reel backwards. She jumped forward and hook-kicked
him across the side of the head, flooring him. In an instant she
lunged
the stake into his chest and the vampire exploded into dust.
Buffy leapt to her feet and scanned the undergrowth. Her Slayer senses
were still tingling and Spike realised it was him she was sensing. He
stepped into view, clapping his hands in appreciation. "Good show,
Slayer." he mocked, eying her torn top lecherously. "Nice underwear!"
he commented as she tucked the torn material up into her bra strap to
cover her embarrassment.
"Spike!" she spat. "I was hoping to run into you!". He grinned.
"Miss
me, then?" Buffy raised her stake. "Not if I can help it." she mocked
back.
He lunged at her, side-kicking her into a tombstone. As his foot
connected, the burns protested again. "Bloody hell!" he cursed. Buffy
flipped back to her feet. "So the chip thing's true!" she gloated.
"This should be easy!" Spike blocked her as she thrust the stake
towards his chest and grinned.
"Bad luck, Slayer..........the head's fine!" That wasn't strictly
true, but the nagging ache at the back of his skull was bearly
perceptible. His feet on the otherhand felt raw! He punched her in
the
face and grabbed her staking arm. She kneed him in the groin and
slammed her free elbow into his face. He let go, grimacing in pain.
He
front kicked her in the side, then leapt on her, winding her and
causing
her to drop the stake. He gripped her round the throat, then a
lightning bolt shot through his brain, blinding him. He screamed in
agony and collapsed on her. She pushed him off as he tried to get back
to his feet.
"Shit!" he cursed. His motor functions were having trouble responding
and he felt like his head was about to explode. He managed to get to
his knees as Buffy scrambled to her feet and retrieved the fallen
stake. She ran towards him and he couldn't do anything to fend her
off.
Suddenly, Buffy's legs werec whipped from under her and she was sent
flying across the grass. A body landed on top of her.
"What the hell are you doing?" she screamed when she saw it was Beth.
Spike watched in disbelief as he saw the dark haired woman throw
herself
at the Slayer, sending her crashing to the ground.
"Spike..........get out of here!" she yelled. He staggered painfully
to
his feet, then hesitated.
Buffy threw Beth off and began to advance on him again. Beth grabbed
her ankles and pulled, sending Buffy flat on her face.
"I said.........run luv!" the brunette yelled at him. This time he
listened to her. He forced himself to turn and plowed through the
undergrowth cursing. He was still seeing stars and the throbbing in
his
skull almost made the painful burns on his feet feel pleasurable. No
way could he have stopped the Slayer!
Beth scrambled up Buffy's body and tried to keep her pinned down,
failing miserably. The Slayer was much stronger. She was flipped off
and Buffy rolled and threw a fist at her head, almost knocking her out.
She lay on the damp grass, waiting for the world to stop spinning
insanely, relief washing over her as she realised Buffy had not given
chase to her lover. She could still vaguely hear the Slayer swearing
and cursing, then she felt Buffy's hand gripping her wrist and hauling
her to her feet.
"I should mess you up good for that stupid stunt!" Buffy yelled at her.
Beth's head began to clear and she rubbed her eye. That was going to
be
a real shiner by morning. She pulled her arm from Buffy's grip.
"I'm sorry........" she groaned. "But I couldn't let you kill
him.......he doesn't know what he's doing!"
Buffy growled. "You ever do anything like that again............." she
threatened, baling her fists. "Just......just....keep out of my way
from now on.!" She turned on her heels and began to walk away. As she
reached the tree-line her anger began to subside a little. She stopped
and looked back at the Watcher's sister. The woman looked dazed and
more than a little upset. "Come on...." she said, her voice a little
softer now. "I'll walk you to the road, and then you'd better go and
get cleaned up before going back to Giles."
Beth fell in behind her silently. As they reached the road she cleared
her throat. "Buff.........." she said quietly. "Please
understand................I couldn't let you.....Did I tell you how
much
I love him?"
Buffy scowled, then her face softened slightly. "I wish I could get
all
my memories back, then maybe I could understand your relationship with
him.............but right now, he's my enemy............"
Beth nodded. "I'll swing by home and get changed." she said and the
two
parted.
**************************** *************************
PART FIVE.
The apartment was only three blocks away but it seemed to be taking her
forever to get there. There were still several people milling around the
streets, looking confused. She turned into the alleyway connecting
to her street when she heard someone call her name. She turned quickly,
ready to fight if necessary.
A small man in a pork-pie hat stepped from the shadows. "I'm a
friend." he assured her, seeing her guard was up. "Name's
Whistler." She relaxed a little and frowned. She knew the name.
"The demon with all the cryptic clues?" she asked.
The man nodded and
smiled. "You've heard of me then?....Good. Because I've got some news
for you!"
He sat down on the back step of the butchers shop. Beth moved closer,
still a little wary. "What is it?" she asked cautiously.
Whistler motioned for her to sit too, but she declined. He took
a deep breath.
"You should get your brother to check the Codec..........it's all in
there, about you......about the vampire...." he paused and grinned again
when he saw the puzzlement on her face. "It's not all about the Slayer,
dear. Some things do actually revolve around other people!"
Beth finally sat beside him. "Why me?........I'm nothing special."
"You'd be surprised...........you don't remember me do you? Oh, well that's
what the PTB's planned.........." He began to tell her of their first
meeting.
************************ ************************
November, 1999. Beth sat in the dingy bar in New Orleans. Mardi
Gras was in full swing, with floats and so many multi-coloured costumes
they were dazzling. She shook her head at the strings of beads a young
woman was offering her. She had had a hard night, tracking and
torching a vampire nest in the heart of the city and her back hurt
where she had been hit by a baseball bat in her last battle. All she
wanted to do now was to drink herself into a stupor then get some sleep.
The little man in the pork pie hat kept staring at her from across the
bar, and that irritated her. "What's your problem?!" she snapped.
The man smiled and moved closer. "Miss Giles, isn't it? May I call
you Beth?" he spoke.
"How do you know my name? Who are you?"
He grinned. "I'm Whistler..........I've got a message for you." She
frowned at him. Nobody knew she was here - she hadn't even written to
her brother in ages. Whistler continued. "You need to go to the hell
mouth.........it's very important that you do........."
Beth gasped. "Sunnydale? Why?......Is Rupert......." he stopped her.
"Your brother is fine. But you really need to go there!" he said,
then walked off. She went to follow him but something stopped her from
moving. A blank look came across her face for a second and she
forgot him.She beckoned the bartender. "Give me a refill." she ordered.
"I'm just going to make a phone call."
************************ ************************
"You remember me now?" Whistler continued. He could see that she did.
"You've caused a few problems since you came here." Beth interupted him.
"Why was it so important for me to come...... I mean, on the whole things
have been pretty good........." Whistler sucked in his cheeks and
looking into her eyes. He knew for a fact that things were not always
'pretty good' as she said.
"You weren't supposed to fall in love........." he started. "I'm
going to tell you a story."
She listened quietly as he began to tell her why she had to come here.
He reminded her that Rupert should read the prophesy in the Codec, and
then told her why she had been sent to Sunnydale.
The PTBs had sent her to the hell mouth for one reason. Spike.
"He is going to be an important player in the final battle, but they
wanted to ensure what side he is going to be on. Even with the chip and
helping the Slayer he could still go either way........they
wanted a Catalyst, a sort of grounding force.......something that
would help him to learn to be more human......." he took a deep breath.
"The PTBs were not too pleased when you pair decided to get all emotional
and fleshy. You were only supposed to be friends!" Beth breathed a sigh
of relief. "You mean they didn't give us these feelings?" she
smiled widely. "Oh, thank God!" she whispered. It would have torn
her apart to think that none of this passion and love was real, only a
manufactured illusion.
Whistler watched her face light up and smiled to himself. "Don't
get too happy." he told her. "All this mushy stuff has made things a
lot more complicated.........They did have to intervene once!"
Beth frowned. "When?"
Whistler shuffled nervously. "Um......LA." he muttered. He saw
her shocked statement and he cleared his throat. "I don't know all the
details......just that they thought you wouldn't be able to forgive
whatever it was and you would leave. There was a lot of discussion over
that!" She looked down at her feet and bit her lip. "I'd never
leave." she whispered. He put his hand on her arm. "Maybe not,
but trust plays a big part in......ah.........human relationships.
Plus you've got a reputation for not being a very forgiving person!
Remember the Helix?" he stopped and her statement urged him on.
"They did something..........to both of you. All I know is, both of
you have been given something to help you see beyond the 'petty emotional
traumas'......their words, not mine..........and you're safe from now
on, relatively speaking that is!" He paused for a moment then stood
up.
"I have to go, but I can tell you what's causing all the problems.......
..it has to do with the Runes of Zekata, and Spike's chip.......you'll
have to work the rest out for yourselves. Be seeing you." he disappeared
into the darkness.
************************* *******************
She ran the rest of the way home and hurriedly let herself in. Without
even pausing to turn on the lights she picked up the telephone and
dialed the Magic Shop.
Giles answered and she quickly told him about her meeting with Whistler
and the prophesy in the Codec. "What are the Runes of Zekata?" she asked.
Giles paused for a moment. "I always assumed they were a myth.......
something to do with time travel." he answered. "I'm not quite sure what
Spike's chip....." he stopped. "Wait.......let me get all the info
together. Get here as soon as you can! And be careful!" he hung
up.
Beth replaced the receiver and switched on the lamp. Then she noticed
the boots under the coffee table. Her heart jumped into her mouth.
She had been so pre-occupied with letting her brother know what had
happened she never gave a thought to the fact 'he' may come back here.
"Spike.." she called nervously. "I know you're here!"
"Bugger it!" he cursed under his breath. He had tried to listen to her
conversation but had been unsuccessful. He opened the bathroom door and
appeared, grinning.
"Hello, pet." he crooned. "Needed a change of clothes!" He came
towards her wearing just his jeans and rubbing his wet hair with a towel.
She glanced towards the door, calculating how long it would take her
to reach it.
"You'll never make it!" he growled. "The Slayer's given you a bloody
good shiner!" he quipped, noticing the bruise slowly developing round
her left eye. He dropped the towel and limped closer.
"You're hurt." she whispered, glancing at his feet, seeing the burns.
"Christ, Spike! It's a wonder you can walk at all!" She rushed towards
him and grabbed his arm. He was too surprised to react other than
to allow himself to be pushed into the armchair.
"Stay there!......I'll get something to put on them!" She ordered and
rushed into the bathroom. She was back out in seconds with ointment and
bandages. She knelt on the floor in front of him and raised one of his
feet into her lap.
He leaned forward suddenly, and pulled her head back by her hair, snarling.
He pulled her closer and his foot dropped to the floor, jarring him.
"Oww.......bloody hell!" he yelped, easing his grip on her. Beth didn't
move. She was so close he could feel her breath on his face. His
fingers were still tangled loosely in her hair and he saw no fear in her
eyes.
His game face on he moved closer so their noses touched. "Why aren't
you afraid?" he growled. "You should be!"
She smiled a little and her eyes sparkled. "Because you love me.......
" she whispered, and he began to laugh. She continued. "You
may not know it yet, but you do."
He stopped laughing and tightened his grip on her again. "You're out
of your tiny little........" he began then pulled her to him and kissed
her. He had expected a little resistance, but instead she ran her tongue
along his fangs, begging entrance to his mouth. His human appearance
began to drop into place and she put her arms around his neck, holding
on for dear life. He kissed her harder and tried to fight the urge to
just drag her to the floor and make love to her.
She finally pulled away from him, her face flushed, her lips swollen
and looking thoroughly kissed. "Enough of that!" she grinned. "Let me
look at those burns!"
"Sod the burns." he growled and kissed her again. He leaned back and
pulled her on top of him, and she felt him harden against her. She
brushed her hand along his bare chest and gasped as he squeezed her breast.
He kissed and licked along her neck and she groaned loudly as he
cupped her buttocks and pulled her even closer against him.
He leaned forward again and managed to push her gently to the floor. He
fumbled with the button on her jeans and slid his hand inside her panties,
delving between her legs. He felt her wetness and thrust two fingers
into her, feeling her muscles contract around them. He slowly pulled
them back out and thrust them hard into her again, grinning smugly at
the statement of pain and pleasure that fell across her face. He did
it once more then removed his hand and yanked her jeans down along
with her panties.
He licked his fingers slowly, tasting her juices, then pressed his lips
to hers as she tugged at his jeans. He lifted up her sweater and she
raised her arms for him to pull it over her head. She wasn't wearing a
bra and he buried his head in her breasts, tugging at his zipper to release
his now painfully hard erection.
He took a nipple into his mouth and nipped at it gently as she l
owered her hand to his shaft and began to caress it slowly.
Her ankles were still encompassed by her jeans and she wriggled under him
to free her legs from the material, whilst sliding his black denims down
his buttocks with her free hand.
He moved slowly, almost cat-like, up her body and gently grabbed her
wrists, pulling them above her head. She could feel him pressing hard
between her legs and she wrapped them around his waist, arching her
hips towards him as he thrust into her. He pulled back a little then
thrust again.
A low moan escaped her lips and she pulled her wrists free and stroked
her hands down his back and buttocks. "Oh....God.........." she groaned.
".......Harder...........don't stop!" she pleaded breathlessly. He could
feel her juices flowing and the violent contractions of her inner muscles
beginning around him, dragging him deeper.
He began to move faster and she lifted her head to his neck and began to
nip at him. She tried to sink her teeth into him and he found that so
damned erotic! He ground into her even harder and she began to buck uncontrollably
under him.
Her head fell back, her mouth opening, but only a strange mewling
noise escaped her as she fell hard over the brink. She gasped for air
and cried out. That was when he followed her over, her convulsing
body demanding all of him, and he surrendered, everything he had
pouring into her.
************************* ***************************
They lay locked together for what seemed ages. Spike finally rolled onto
his back and rubbed his neck. "You bit me!" he scowled. He moved
his hand from his neck and saw little droplets of blood on his fingers
and grinned. "And you bloody well marked me!"
Beth rolled onto her side and swung her arm across his stomach. "It
wouldn't be the first time........" she grinned back. "You're a
very good teacher!" He put his arm across hers and closed his eyes.
He still didn't remember anything about their supposed past, but if she was
actually telling the truth, it stood to reason he would have told her
how vampires would mark their mates.
"What makes you think I won't bite you too....and forget to stop!"
he whispered.
Beth laughed. "Because you taught me enough to keep you coming back for
more, lover...............you'd be amazed at what I can do with an ice
-cube!"
"Um........I take it I've got something to do with the handcuffs in your
knicker drawer then!" he chuckled.
************************* ****************************
Lawton tapped his fingers impatiently on the rough table. "How much
longer is it going to take?" he grumbled. "The Slayer and her friends
will realise what's happening before long...........we have to complete
the task before then!"
Carl fidgeted nervously over the large book he was using, trying to
finalise the decoding of the obscure language on the obelisk. "I'm
going as fast as I can!" he snapped. "You want it fast,......or right?"
Lawton's goon growled. "Let me hurry him up, boss." he threatened.
"Sure, beat the crap out of me!" mumbled Carl sarcastically.
"That'll really make me work faster!"
The goon edged forward but Lawton waved him back. "He's right,
Leon, but if we don't have any results in twenty four hours you can have
him!" Leon grinned widely in anticipation.
*********************** *************************
PART SIX.
Beth hammered on the window of the Magic Shop and Xander rushed to the
door. He was about to unlock it when he saw Spike standing beside her.
"No way is he coming in!" he yelled through the glass. Spike
scowled and pushed at the door.
"Open it, you little shit!" he snarled. "Or I'll break it down and
........." Beth interrupted him. "Xander, its alright. We've got
a truce............he wants to know whats going on as much as we do!.......
..Rupert!" she yelled louder. Her brother nodded and Xander reluctantly let
them in.
Spike swaggered in sporting a cocky grin, and headed straight for the
stairs and sat down, lighting a cigarette. He had just about managed
to squeeze his bandaged feet back into his boots but he was damned if
he was going to show pain in front of this lot!
"You losers find anything then?" he smirked. Beth cast him an angry
glance. "What?" he snapped. "I said I wouldn't start a fight.......but
I didn't say anthing about keeping bloody quiet!"
Giles frowned at Beth. She touched her black eye and grinned. "Oh......
he didn't do it!" she chirped, knowing what her brother was thinking.
"Buffy did!" Everyone turned to look at her in shock. "Its a long
story." she added.
Her brother grabbed her arm and pulled her towards his office. "I need to
talk to you............alone!" he muttered as he saw Spike rise and go to
follow them. He ushered her into the room and shut the door in the
vampire's face. Spike thought about kicking the door open, but decided
instead to go and try to annoy Xander.
"What did you find out?" she asked. Her brother opened the Codec.
"The Prophesy........the one Whistler told you about." he pointed to the
page.
Beth read the passage and gasped. "Are you sure?" Giles nodded and read
it aloud.
"The soulless one will be subdued, first by force, then by a gentle hand.
.....He will be the balance in the final battle."
He paused for a moment. "It has to be Spike........He was subdued by the
chip. The gentle hand.........." Beth interrupted. "That means me?"
Giles nodded again. He continued. "The balance.........I'm
not entirely certain......but I think it refers to the fact that in order
for our dimension to continue to exist, there has to be an equal measure
of good and evil. Sort of both sides of the coin, or more accurately.....
....an equal amount to make the scales, well..........balance!"
Beth read the passage again. "But why Spike? Does it mean he's on the side
of good .......or evil? And what has that got to do with the Runes of
Zekata?"
Giles shrugged. "What exactly did Whistler say to you? Why was it so
important you come here?"
Beth frowned and thought through the conversation she had had. "Well.....
he said something about me being a Catalyst, and helping Spike to learn
to be more human...." she smiled a little. "He told me something else
too........You know the PTBs don't think much of human emotions?"
Giles looked puzzled. "What has that got to do..........." he
began to ask. Beth chuckled. "Probably nothing to do with our problem...
.........but, It means a lot to me!" She hugged him. "It means, my
darling brother, they didn't make Spike fall in love with me.........he
just did!.......Now tell me what else you found out!" She released him and
headed for the door.
As she opened it she heard Xander bickering with Spike. "Damn it!"
she cursed. "Back to square one!" It had taken her ages to get them to
learn to tolerate each other, months in fact, and now they were back at it
again!
Spike saw her come out of the office and, sticking his two fingers up at
Xander, he strode towards her. "Well?" he demanded. Beth was still smiling
and was tempted to give the bleached blonde a big kiss, but turned
instead to speak to Willow.
"What have you got?" she asked, a more serious statement now settling on
her face.
Willow wrung her hands shyly. "Um........well, Tara and I think we can
locate the Runes.........we think we can work out some kind of spell......"
she glanced at her fellow witch. "But first we need to put up some kind
of barrier to stop us all being affected if they manage to actually
make it work!"
Spike was getting a little tired of being kept in the dark. "Make what
bloody work?" he grumbled.
At that moment Anya saw Buffy through the window and rushed to let her in.
The Slayer stormed into the shop and glared angrily at Spike. "What the hell
are you doing here?" she growled. Anya jumped to his defence. "He's
promised to behave........" she gushed. "And we know whats happening!"
Spike smirked at her. She hadn't had time to go and change and her top
was in tatters. "Still like the underwear, Slayer!" Both Buffy and Beth
cast him a murderous glance and he grinned wider. Beth grabbed her bag
and pulled out a tee shirt, throwing it to Buffy. "Might be a
bit big, but its better than nothing." she said. Buffy pulled on the
baggy top, disgusted when she realised it must be one of Spike's, but at
least it salvaged her modesty!
Giles stood behind Spike and motioned silently for Buffy to move away.
"Beth, you brought him here, so keep him out our way!" he snapped at her.
She cast him a puzzled glance as he took Buffy to the other side of the
room.
Once out of earshot, Giles began to whisper urgently. "The Runes
of Zekata........if someone is trying to do the ritual........if they
succeed, everything will change!" Buffy waited for him to continue. "If
I'm right, they are trying to stop Spike from being implanted with the
chip....if that happens, we all lose!.." He began to tell her about the
prophesy, then explained the ritual.
"Time travel?" Buffy scoffed, a little more loudly than she had intended.
She looked round the room and saw they were all staring at her. She
dragged Giles into the office and closed the door.
"So, if they could go back.........." she sounded sceptical. "They're
either gonna stop him from being caught....or........" Giles looked
through the little window in the door at Beth and Spike. He would have
to tell her what might happen. Spike, on the other hand, would be a
different matter. The thought of not having the chip could make the
vampire land squarely in the camp of their unknown opponents.
"They may just kill him........." he finished her sentence. Buffy
looked surprised at the worry on her ex-Watcher's face. "Giles, we're
talking William the Bloody and all that crap........what would be
the problem with that?"
"It's not that simple!" he whispered. "Preventing him getting the chip, or
killing him..........either way, we have to stop it or the prophesy will never
by fulfilled!"
********************** ***********************
PART SEVEN.
Tara and Willow laid out the ingredients they had collected on the table.
"We're ready..." Tara whispered. "The protection spell should work but
we don't know for how long." Willow scowled. "The sooner we locate the
Runes the better." she said. "Lets get started."
The others stood well back to give the witches room to work. Anya clung to
Xander and he cuddled her. Giles picked up a book and began to study it.
Spike paced impatiently back and forth until Beth gripped his hand.
"Come and sit down." she whispered. "I know you're still hurting." He
nearly pulled away from her but the stinging burns were telling him to
do as he was told. She led him to the steps and they sat side by side. She
was still holding his hand and he absent-mindedly twined his fingers
around hers.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" he grumbled. "Why are
you being so bloody evasive?" She stared into his grey-blue eyes and
almost blurted out everything Rupert had told her. She swallowed hard.
Her brother warned her not to let him in on the fact someone was tampering
with his history. She had wanted his chip removed almost as much as he
did, but now she knew it was the only thing that would keep him with her.
She shuddered at how selfish she was being, but then that aside, his
destiny was written in the Codec. She tried to convince herself that
her motives were honourable, that he would be important in the
whole world's future, but she knew in the end all that would matter to her
was that she couldn't lose him.
"Nothing for you to worry about!" she lied. He squeezed her hand
a little too tightly and she grimaced. His face lit up with delight as
she let out a small gasp of pain, then he slackened his grip.
"Liar!" he whispered, then felt oddly uncomfortable that he had hurt her.
He put his other hand to her face and rubbed her cheek gently with his thumb.
"Anyone ever tell you you're bloody crazy?" he smiled. "I've already
tried to suck you dry, and you still go out of your way to sodding well
look out for me.......not that I need your help!"
He turned his attention to Willow and Tara as they chanted and recited
something he assumed was in latin. He sucked in his cheeks and growled
impatiently.
Beth put her free hand on top of their entwined fingers an patted
them to calm him. He looked at her again and cursed. "Oh, shit!"
he breathed then wrenched his hand free and grabbed her shoulders. "You
must be a witch too!" he whispered and pulled her towards him and
kissed her. 'You're a witch!' he thought. 'Why else would I be doing
this, not to mention what we've already done.' She put her arms around
him and pulled him closer.
Giles coughed loudly in disapproval at them and they finally came up for
air.
"Piss off, Ripper!" growled Spike, his eyes locked on hers. "You're lucky
I promised to behave myself!" he whispered so only she could hear and she
smiled at him. "So are you!" she replied huskily.
They were brought
back to reality by Willow whooping for joy. "We've found it!" she
yelled.
************************** **************************
"Are you perfectly sure this time?" Lawton growled. "My
superiors are getting very impatient.......this is your last chance!"
Carl began to stammer. "I...I'm s....sure! It will work!" he eyed Leon
nervously. He knew the big guy was waiting for an opportunity to beat
him to death.
Lawton seemed convinced. "Very well. Leon get the team!" Leon opened
the door and summoned a group of four men into the room.
Carl watched them as they lined up in front of his boss. Two were
vampires, and one was an ugly looking skin demon with a strange plume of
what appeared to be flesh protruding from the top of his head instead of
hair. The other one was human, but looked like he had been on steroids
since birth judging by the amount of muscle he was packing. All were
heavily armed, including wooden stakes.
Lawton inspected them approvingly. "Once the portal is open......" he
began. "You know what to do!" The men nodded. "The Initiative must
never get to capture 'Hostile 17'. As far as they are concerned, he must
never exist!.........Is that clear?"
A chorus of "Yes, Sir!" echoed around the room.
He turned to face Carl who was sitting anxiously at the table. "Begin!"
he commanded. Carl cleared his throat and began to recite from the hand-
written pages in front of him.
A low hum permeated the room and Carl wiped the sweat from his brow. He
took in a deep breath then continued to read the text.
A faint glow emanated from the obelisk and for a good two feet around it
the area began to shimmer and fade. Suddenly, a bright light filled
the room. Carl stopped reading and nodded to Lawton.
"Get going!" Lawton
ordered. "Remember where the doorway is, or you'll be stranded there!"
His men walked into the portal and disappeared.
************************ **********************
Giles and Spike had retrieved their cars now that the roads were finally
deserted.
Buffy, Willow and Beth piled into the red sports car with Giles, whilst
Spike's Desoto carried himself, Xander, Anya and Tara.
They sped along the main high street, ignoring the stop lights. Without
warning, a whooshing sound surrounded them. Both drivers began to
become disoriented, unable to steer.
Giles managed to slam the brakes on, narrowly missing a parked truck, but
Spike was not so lucky. His car skidded side on into a lamp post, showering
him with glass and the impact throwing him through the drivers door and
onto the road. His passengers managed to stumble virtually unharmed
from the wreck and went towards him.
Beth was out of her brother's car first and started running. "Oh, God..
....oh my God......" she was screaming.
She pushed Xander out of the way and fell to her knees in front of her lover.
His face was flecked with blood and he had a nasty gash on his forehead.
"Spike......" she whispered, brushing his hair away from the wound.
"Come on.........open your eyes, baby.........come on!" Anya began to
panic. "He's not breathing........check his pulse!" she yelled. Xander
grabbed her shoulders. "He's a vampire, Anya...........remember?
He hasn't got a pulse, or breath!" She pulled away from him indignantly.
"Oh........I knew that!" she snapped.
Giles and Buffy reached them just as Spike opened his eyes. "Bloody hell!"
he groaned, managing to sit up, and seeing his beloved black Desoto wrapped
around the lamp post. "Shit!......My sodding car!....." he glared
at Beth. "I told you not to drive so bloody fast!" he moaned.
Beth gasped. "I wasn't driving luv......you were!" "Oh........
yeah." he mumbled.
She looked at him puzzled. "How do you remember....." She glanced round at
the group. "What......do you all know what day it is?.....Spike, we
only had that argument the other day.......about my driving." She helped
him to his feet and he swayed unsteadily, taking a step forward. "Oww!"
he grunted. "My bloody feet still hurt!"
"We have to hurry!" interrupted Willow. "We may have our memories back, but
the Runes must have been activated.........Buffy, we have to go!"
Beth kissed Spike gently on the mouth and rushed back to her brother's car
with Buffy and Willow. "Rupert........take care of him!....I'll drive...
.get there as soon as you can!"
************************** *************************
Lawton was smiling to himself. He patted Carl on the shoulder.
"Congratulations!" he grinned. "If all goes well, you'll be getting a
nice little bonus!" He gazed at the portal, almost mesmerized by the
bright blue-white light still shimmering around the obelisk. Carl
sneered. "Yeah, but if your plan works, who'll remember? This little
episode won't happen!"
Suddenly, the door splintered open and one of his men came flying head first
into the room, followed by a pretty petite blonde. "Oops.......
sorry about that! Guess I knocked too hard!" quipped Buffy.
Leon jumped to his feet and lunged at her, but she dodged nimbly to one
side. She squared up to him as he tried to attack again. She blocked
his punch with ease and slammed her fist into his nose. She followed
quickly with a hook kick to his shoulder, sending him spinning into the
wall.
Willow and Beth rushed in just as Lawton made a break for the door. Beth
floored him instantly with a spinning kick into his face, just as Buffy
axe-kicked the huge goon, knocking him unconscious. Willow and Beth tied
Lawson with the rope they had brought with them.
Carl cowered beneath the table and Buffy tipped it over, grabbing him by
the throat. "How long?,,,,,,,,," she demanded. "How many have you sent?"
Carl gagged as he felt her fingers threatening to crush his windpipe.
"F....f......four!" he managed to croak. "Y...you're too late!"
Willow lifted the cattle prod she had taken from one of the guards outside
after her friends had finished with him. She stood over the unconscious
Leon. "You two go after them." she shouted. "They can't have done
anything yet, otherwise we wouldn't be here! I'll hold the fort until
the others arrive!"
The two women looked at each other then Buffy ran into the portal with Beth
close on her heels.
********************** ***********************
PART EIGHT.
Beth opened her eyes to find Buffy standing over her. "What a ride!"
she whispered. Buffy offered her hand and helped her to her feet. Behind
her was a thin stream of light, indicating where the entrance to the
portal was. They scanned their surroundings, their eyes slowly adjusting
to the darkness. "Where are we?" Beth murmured.
Buffy recognised the place instantly. "It's Sunnydale campus........I know
this place with my eyes shut!" she shivered. "It's getting a bit cold!"
A twig cracked in the undergrowth and the two women ducked down behind a
bush. A small blonde figure emerged from the trees and walked away.
Buffy gasped. "It's me!" she gulped. "It's me.........
patrolling!"
They watched as the other Buffy headed back towards the buildings. As
soon as she was out of sight the pair stood up. "If this is the right
night, Spike can't be far away...........and neither can the soldier boys!"
Beth sighed. Buffy took a stake from her belt. "Then that means our Michael
J. Fox wannabes are around too!.......Watch your back!"
As if on cue, the skin demon crossed through the trees ahead of them,
partnered by a very muscular man. The two stooped down behind a bush
and pointed their rifles towards the path.
"Looks like an ambush." whispered Buffy. "Somehow, I don't think they're
gunning for Spike, no pun intended, seeing as how they're packing rifles
and silencers rather than stakes and holy water!" Beth scanned the
area nervously. "He must be here somewhere, though." she muttered.
Buffy tensed. Her Slayer senses were tingling and she motioned for Beth
to stay silent. She slowly raised the stake in her hand and turned
round. Beth followed her lead.
"Hello ladies." a voice sang out at them. Lawton's two vampires stepped
into view. "Looking for someone?"
Buffy smiled sweetly. "Oh, look Beth. We can double date!" she gushed.
Beth smiled back. "OK, but I get the cute blonde with the big teeth.......
......." she said, looking at the 'vamped' out pair. "You know what
they say, big teeth..........um........." Before she finished the sentence,
Buffy had lunged at them, sweeping the legs from under the dark haired blood-
sucker. She plunged the stake into his back, connecting squarely with
his heart, and he disintegrated. Beth grappled with the blonde one,
barely managing to keep his fangs away from any part of her flesh. She
managed to tilt his head away from her neck and did something that Spike
would definitely approve of. She gripped his jugular with her own teeth and
bit down hard, twisting her head away at the last minute, tearing a huge
chunk of flesh from his neck. The vampire's blood spurted over her, and
he clasped his hand to the wound, shocked that a human would even attempt
that. As soon as his guard was down she plunged her stake into him, turning
him to dust.
As the dust settled, she spat hard, forcing herself not to throw up. The
taste of flesh in her mouth was the worst thing she had ever tasted. Even
the blood made her wretch, which surprised her a little. Whenever she
had drawn blood from Spike, albeit only micro spots, it had always excited
her. 'Must be a love thing.' she thought. Buffy broke her reverie.
"Uh..oh! They heard us!" she muttered. "They're coming to join the
party!"
The skin demon and the mercenary were heading towards them, when a
balaclavered man wielding a very unusual rifle rushed into the clearing.
The weapon let out a huge flash, almost like a lightening bolt,
hitting the skin demon full on, making him convulse for several seconds
before slumping to the floor. The human with him crashed into the
undergrowth barely dodging the next shot.
*********************** ****************************
Spike wandered through the campus grounds. He had fed earlier so wasn't
looking for a meal. What he wanted was to get even with the Slayer.
He was determined to get the better of her this time. Everytime he had
tried to get something for himself, she had thwarted him. The final straw
was the Gem of Amara. It should have been his, but she had taken it
from him after all that hard work, almost burning him to a crisp in the
sun.
All in all, the worst thing was the fact that he had actually been able
to enter the daylight for the first time in over a century and she had
taken away the gem! He had loved the feel of the sun's warmth on his
face that day. It was all her fault he would never be able to feel that a
gain without going up in smoke! Not since she had given the ring to
that bloody poof, Angel, who had no intention of ever using it anyway!
A commotion erupted on the other side of the footpath and he edged forward
to get a better look. As he did so, two figures ran just ahead of him,
obviously wanting to find out what all the noise was about too! He managed
to catch a glimpse of two women, a blonde and a brunette, taking on
a couple of vampires. It was too dark to make out their faces, but if
he hadn't already seen the Slayer heading back to the dormitories, he would
have sworn by the way her body moved that the blonde was she.
The two figures began to advance on the women. Spike wrinkled his nose in
disgust at the skin demon. 'What IS that stupid bloody thing on his
head?' he sneered to himself. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard
a loud popping sound then a brilliant lightening bolt hit the demon in the
chest, sending him convulsing to the ground. Spike ducked down low and
saw a masked man emerge from the shadows, sporting what looked like
military camouflage gear. The skin demon's pal dashed into the bushes by
him, bearly avoiding the soldier's next shot. Spike followed after him.
The soldier took out his walkie talkie. "I've bagged something.........no,
I'm not sure what type.......but he wasn't alone." he spoke into it. He
paused and listened to a voice on the other end, but it was too faint for
Buffy or Beth to hear it. The soldier spoke again. "Yes, sir. I'll
meet you there.........I'll see if I can get a fix on the other one........
...over and out!" He replaced his walkie talkie back in his belt and began
to follow the same path as Lawton's man had taken.
"We'll have to follow him!" whispered Buffy. "We have to make sure Spike
doesn't escape..........." Beth hesitated for a second, then followed
her friend. Spike should never have seen the soldier. The night
he had been captured, or was that 'will be captured' she thought, he had
been taken completely by surprise. For a few fleeting moments Beth had been
tempted to leave him to escape. The chip had proved a really nasty experience
for her lover, not to mention for her, especially when they had made that
ill-fated trip to meet Mylar in L.A. She shook her head and forced herself
back to rationality. 'You have to be chipped, luv.' she thought bitterly.
************************* **********************
Spike caught up with the mercenary and overtook him. He doubled back and
jumped out of the shadows to plant a flying kick into the big man's stomach,
then he lifted him by the throat, snarling. The dazed man tried to pull his
hand away as he felt his feet leaving the ground. "I'm here to help you!"
he managed to blurt out. "The Initiative......."
Spike's game face fell into place and he grinned. "Isn't that
sweet!" he mocked. "You've come to help me!.........." He tightened
his grip. "I think it's you who's going to need bloody help, mate!"
He was about to finish the big man off when he heard the soldier moving
towards them. He could hear others coming too.
His vampire eyesight was a lot keener than a human's and he caught a glimpse
of metal reflecting the moonlight. He swung back and flung the helpless
human at the bushes, flooring the soldier before he could take aim. He
could hear the others around him and calculated which way would be the best
escape route.
Buffy and Beth could hear them too. For a stealth unit they seemed to
be making an aweful lot of noise! Then again, this part of the campus
was so quiet, you could probably normally hear the proverbial pin drop.
"He's going to get away!" Beth whispered, her voice mixed with dread
and expectation. She lunged forward before Buffy could stop her.
Surely she wasn't going to help him? Buffy went after her and saw her retrieve
the dazed soldier's weapon.
Spike saw the woman silhouetted against the trees as she raised the rifle
in his direction. Buffy stopped.
Beth hesitated and her statement was one of horror at what she was about
to do. Spike could have sworn he heard her say "Forgive me, luv.
.......I'm sorry!" just as the lightening bolt shot through him, sending
every nerve-ending in his body screaming and jumping, until blackness
overcame him.
Buffy grabbed her arm as Beth dropped the rifle. "Beth..........we've got
to go!....." Her friend just stood there, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Buffy shook her. "You had to!........Now lets go!"
Beth took a final glance at the fallen bleached blonde and turned to follow
Buffy. They crashed through the trees swiftly, miraculously avoiding
any of the Initiative, and finally caught a glimpse of the portal. Buffy was
only yards in front and she dashed through the opening. Beth rushed
up behind her, then wham! She rebounded heavily as the thin beam of light
just vanished and she made contact with a tree trunk. The force knocked her
backwards, her head hitting a rock, and she lay still.
*************************** ***********************
Buffy plunged through the doorway and landed heavily at Giles' feet. He
helped her up and waited for his sister to follow. Without warning, the
portal was gone, only the obelisk stood in the centre of the room.
"Beth!" a strangled cry echoed from across the room. Buffy saw Spike, Xander
pinning him to the wall by using a cross and a stake. Xander lowered his arms
and the vampire shoved at him, morphing into his game face. The cross caught
his chest and he reeled back, growling. "You stupid wanker!" he yelled at
him, then to Giles. "You should have let me follow them, you stupid bloody
pratt!" He fell back against the wall and started punching at it.
Giles looked at Buffy in shock. "What happened.......Where is she?" he
gasped, his heart leaping into his throat.
Buffy stared round at her friends. "She.....she was right behind me........
YOU!" she turned on Carl. "You have to re-open it!...."
Carl just shrugged. "I don't know if.....if I can." he quaked. Leon
stirred and Willow zapped him with the cattle prod, knocking him unconscious
again.
Spike moved on Carl and punched him in the guts, then slammed him against
the wall. "You heard her..........re-open it or I'll rip your fucking heart
out!" The chip in his head was buzzing like crazy, making his eyes water.
************************ ***********************
Beth came round to the sound of running water, and she could feel smooth cold
marble beneath her. The back of her head hurt like crazy and as she
slowly opened her eyes the bright lights dazzled her. She could hear voices
around her.
"She did her part..........quite surprising since mortals tend to think
with their hearts and not with their heads!" she heard a woman say. "I find it
most irritating that this love thing they hold so dear does nothing for their
rationality!....Even the vampire seems to be controlled by it.....
.even before he realized what had happened to him.........he still
wanted the girl!" A male voice answered. "Yes. You would think he would
follow his nature, before he knew he was restricted by that implant.....
instead of ..................oh, she's awake!"
Beth managed to get to her feet and looked around her. The place was
like something out of Ancient Greece. The marble floor sparkled and the
roof was held up by huge fluted columns. A large fountain danced in the
middle of the chamber.
She stared at the couple in wonder. They were both dressed in what
appeared to be togas, and their skin was a translucent almost silvery colour.
"Who are you?...........Where am I?" She asked. "Am I dead?"
the man snorted. "Typical human!.......She has no concept of the
situation!" he scoffed. The woman nodded in agreement.
"Of course our aren't dead, you foolish girl! Do you think you would
still be feeling any pain if you were?" she sneered.
Beth rubbed the back of her head. She moved her hand and saw spots of
blood on her fingers. She stared at the odd pair for a moment then her
face fell. What had she done? 'Dear God!' she gasped inwardly. The weight
of guilt dragged on her heart as she realized it was her who had delivered
Spike into the hands of the Initiative this time.
"Silly child!" the woman spoke again. "It was always you!.........You
merely fulfilled a part of your destiny!" Beth looked up sharply. "Destiny?
...........Who the hell are you?"
The man raised his hand to silence her. "I've never liked this human
weakness...........emotions always make things so much more difficult!" he
said to his partner, as if Beth was not even present. "Although
they do tend to inspire them to greater things at times.....Still, she
has still got a lot to learn!"
Beth was growing impatient now. She balled her fists and growled. "Will
someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"
The man turned to her. "You should mind your tongue, girl!.....We are the
Powers That Be.........and if you wish to return to your vampire, you
would do well to keep quiet!" he snapped.
Beth's jaw dropped in surprise. She wanted to question them again
but the woman spoke first. "Our messenger has told you everything you need
to know..........you have still to complete your task!" She said quietly.
"Now be gone!" she waved her hand and Beth felt herself being dragged
into a swirling abyss.
The man turned to the woman and sighed. "Dealing with these lesser beings
always makes me feel drained!" he whispered. "Do you still think she was
the right choice?" The woman smiled. "She has to be............it's
her destiny."
*************************** ****************************
Buffy, Willow,Anya and Tara watched in anticipation as their three male
companions stood around Carl. Lawton had awoken to find himself tied
to the chair and had complained so much they had had to gag him too.
Giles hammered his fist down on the table. "Open the damn portal, or I'll
kill you myself!" he growled. Spike moved closer to him, fangs distended.
"If he doesn't, I will!...." he snarled. He knew the chip would probably
kill him if he did that, but if the wanker didn't bring her back, it
would be worth it!
Carl squirmed nervously. "I....I...I'll try!" he whispered croakily.
Giles grabbed him by the lapels. "You'll do more than bloody try!" he
threatened.
Suddenly the room began to vibrate. Tara gripped Willow's arm in fear.
"Earthquake?" she gasped.
A high pitched noise filled the chamber, so shrill it made their ears hurt.
"What's happening?" cried Willow in terror. Anya rushed to Xander's
side and they clung to each other.
A swirling vortex appeared in front of the Zekata obelisk and something
was flung from the centre of it. "Beth!" shouted Spike and Giles
simultaniously, both rushing to the huddled figure struggling to get
to her feet.
The noise stopped as abruptly as it had started, the rumbling subsided.
A blinding flash of light bathed all of them. when it blinked out, the
obelisk was gone, along with Lawton and Leon.
All but Carl rushed towards Beth. Spike and Giles were hugging her and
Beth was crying. Giles stepped back and allowed Spike to take her in his
arms, smothering her with kisses.
Tara glanced round. "He's gone!" she scowled. Carl had made his escape
and Giles cursed under his breath. "Where will he go?......From what
he told us, Wolfram and Hart will find him soon enough.........let
them deal with him!" he growled.
"I thought I'd lost you, pet." whispered Spike, holding her close.
Her tears were soaking onto his shoulder and she held him tight. She brushed
the back of his neck tenderly. "I had to do it!..........I didn't want
to.............Forgive me, luv....." she said almost inaudibly.
'Forgive me, luv.' The words echoed in his brain. He had heard them before....
....He stepped back and held her shoulders, searching for the answer in her
eyes. He stood holding her at arms length, realising everyone was staring
at him, then it struck him where he had heard it before.
"It was you!......." he gasped. "That night........." She held her
breath in horror. He remembered! A look of pain fell across his features and
he didn't know whether to curse her or to hold her. Something in the back
of his mind clawed its way to the surface, like a little voice telling
him not to push her away. He fought it for a moment, remembering the torture
he had endured at the hands of the Initiative, but the voice kept on at him,
until he pulled her to him, burying his face in her neck. "It doesn't
matter, luv........." he whispered, meaning it. "I love you!"
************************* ***********************
They arrived home in his battered car. They got out and, holding hands,
entered the apartment, neither sure of what to say.
He finally cleared his throat and put his arms around her waist. "When
I didn't know who you were.........." he began. "........even
then, you knew how I felt about you. I've never believed in all that
destiny crap..........." he kissed her. "Until now!"
She smiled at him. "In that case, it seems like we're stuck with each other
......So what do we do now?"
He swept her off her feet and began to spin her round, laughing. "How about
you show me the ice cube trick again?"
She giggled as he carried her off into the bedroom.
THE END.