Title: The Final Link in the Chain (7/7)
Author: Northlight
email: uzenet@videotron.ca
Summary: Spike helps Willow out of an awkward situation and gets drawninto an
even more dangerous one.
Warning: Slight language, and even less violence. *And fights are notmy thing.*
Distribution: If you already have any of my stuff, go ahead.Otherwise, ask and
I'll say yes :)Also available at"http://members.spree.com/sip1/northlight12/will/index.htm"
Disclaimer: Joss owns all.
Written: Aug. 4-5, 1999
Moving along... Who needs description, character, continuity, or plot,as long
as there's an end in sight? :)
Willow slumped back into Spike's good arm, which he promptly woundabout her waist. Despite her weariness and the numbness that hadsettled over her with the end of the immediate threat, she did not allowherself to drop her head against Spike's chest and close her eyes. Thebeast was dead, but there was still it's master to contend with, alongwith the Council.
Thoughts of her previous employers sent her gaze in Marcus' direction.His large, soft body looked awkward in his confining tweed suit -- nowlittered with leaves and dirt, evidence of his missteps before he hadreached them. He looked absurd and far from dangerous, but Willow knewthat he served as the assistant to one of the Council members who hadmost vehemently argued the benefits of handing her over to Illianer andallowing her unborn child to be sacrificed.
"Are you going to try to contact the Council?" Willow asked, her voicehard and threatening. "Because injured or not, Spike's still more thandemon enough to rip you to pieces."
Marcus blanched, his eyes darting back and forth between Willow and theblood soaked, grinning vampire who supported her. He looked about readyto collapse into a dead faint. "N-no," he stuttered. "I don't have anyway to contact them, even had I wished to -- my phone is in the car."
"Good. Spike, help me get over to that... thing, would you," sheasked. "We have to get Illianer now, while he's still weakened by theloss of his pet. We may not ever get another chance to catch him whilehe's reeling like this. If we don't act now, we're as good as dead."
Spike helped shuffle Willow over to the sprawled dog-like creature thathad come uncomfortably close to ending his unlife and watched Willow'sactions with interest. "What exactly are you planning to do with thedog?" he asked, crouched down next to her, showing little outwarddiscomfort from his numerous injuries. Willow took a moment to envythat seeming lack pain, her own minor injuries doing a good enough jobof making her miserable despite being far from serious.
"This was his pet, and he was controlling it by magic. So, I should beable to follow the trail back to him," Willow explained. "In case thischance came up, I didn't want to risk using my magic against thecreature -- it would have given Illianer time to configure his personalshields against my power. Even now, with the advantage of surprise andhis weakened state, I'm not sure if what I'm about to do will serve anypurpose other than to fry my brain."
Her hands hovered above the matted brown fur covering the creature'schest, and Willow was pleased to note that the trembling was barelyvisible. She closed her eyes, and unleashed her magical senses,delicately picking around the creature in search of the torn thread thathad tied it's life to it's master. Her lips quirked into a tiny smilewhen her careful search proved successful.
"Found it," she whispered triumphantly. "If this doesn't work, Isuggest you get the hell out of here as fast as possible," Willowquietly told her two companions.
She didn't hear Marcus' nervous demand for answers, as Willow wasalready drifting along the delicate threat, pulsating with the power ofspilt blood and death with which Illianer controlled his creatures andbased his power. She hadn't expected to be able to confront herwould-be captor. It was terrifying to be doing just that.
She felt a soft flutter of energy, and Willow's eyes widened. Aghostly hand reached down to rest upon her stomach. 'Why didn't I thinkof this before?!' she wondered. 'Blood is power for him... and as mychild is of his blood, I have a potential weapon against him! But I'llhave to time this carefully, or he could use the blood bond himself.'
Her descent along the tie between master and servant slid to a stop asIllianer's astral form took shape before her. He was large, a creatureof shadow streaked with flashed of red the same colour as that which hadfilled the beast's eyes. Where it moved, light and warmth shiveredaway.
"You fight _me_, child?" he spoke, the words ringing in her head --loud and forceful. "You put yourself within my reach."
"You didn't give me any other choice."
Spike's uninjured arm tightened around Willow as she jerked back in asharp, jerky motion. Her head flung backwards, red hair flying outbehind her to swing in Spike's face, as if she had been struck. Hecould see a fine trickle of blood oozing from the corner of one side ofher tight-lipped mouth, the smell of the fresh blood overwhelmed by thatwhich had been shed earlier.
Marcus was prowling back and forth beyond the open car door, his handsclasped behind his slumped back. He stopped, bending at the door, andlooked into the car's interior. Willow's face looked drawn and sicklybeneath the overhead light. Seeing the blood, the Watcher's eyes wentwide. "Oh my. Is Mrs. Rosenburg-Starsmore alright, do you think?" heasked.
Spike glowered at him, annoyed by the title of 'Mrs' joined with thatthankfully dead wanker's name. "As well as she can be considering she'sgoing up against someone whose out to kill her," he growled. Willowhissed, her body arching in the circle of Spike's arm, and heimmediately looked back down towards her.
Fingering his cross, Marcus cautiously brought up the question that hadbeen plaguing him since the discovery that a vampire was aiding theyoung woman. "What precisely do you wish from Mrs--" Spike's expressiondarkened further. "Uh, that is, Ms. Rosenburg?"
Feather-light, Spike's finger traced the line of blood winding downWillow's face. "I've gotten spoiled -- after Dru, bachelor life doesn'tseem as amusing as I recall." He grinned at Marcus' gasp, beforebrining his finger to his lips and cleaning Willow's blood from it.Marcus swallowed nervously and looked away.
"I don't think Ms. Rosenburg will find that to her liking..." Marcussuggested.
"I'm sure that I can convince her of the many benefits to what I'moffering her," Spike replied carelessly. "And either way, she won'tcare once she's shown first hand what it means to be a vampire." 'Ifshe gets out of this in one piece,' he amended silently.
Willow gasped, her eyes flying open as a sudden outburst of energy madeeverything around them rock. Marcus tumbled to the ground at theunexpected movement, while the car which held Spike and Willowtrembled. The Watcher climbed to his knees and scooted towards the car,thrusting his head into the interior to peer at Willow.
"She's alive?"
"Yes," Spike answered, listening to the thready sound of her pulse.
"She... she won, then?"
"Do I look like I know?" Spike snarled irritably. "But we're leavingeither way." His eyes flashed gold when he looked at the Watcher.
Marcus swallowed noisily. "I won't try to stop you. I... I neveragreed with killing her, or trying to trade her to Illianer. TheCouncil has done some... unpleasant things, but I'm not willing to be apart of a cold blooded murder." He looked towards the trees andsighed. "I'll... I'll tell them that you died, fighting the beast. Itshould give you at least a few weeks. If we're all lucky, they may evenbelieve me."
Long after they left, Marcus remained seated on the hood of his car,watching the road. He had saved her life, only to risk her soul to thehands of a demon. One evil for another. But he was beginning to thinkthat, with the Council, there wasn't anything else from which to choose.
~end part 7!~
Okay, I know it's not great. But I don't care! Ha! (Well, actually Ido... *sigh*
But it's done! _Done_! That's got to count forsomething, doesn't it?)
I think I'm way to fickle when it comes to fics.