Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series and all the characters that appear on the show are the exclusive property of Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, The WB, UPN, Mutant Enemy, Inc. and any one else with a legal binding claim to the shows and/or characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Part Thirteen: Blown Away

"Dru, you don't want to do this. You don't want to hurt me," Spike began, struggling to keep his tone reasonable. She cocked her head at him coolly, and then shook it sadly.

"Mommies have to do what's best for their babies, even when they don't want to. Sometimes it hurts," she said, moving the blade deeper into Spike's neck. Her eyes misted nostalgically. "Those are the best times."

"Alright, so you do want to hurt me," Spike said lamely. Giggles erupted from a dark corner of the room, and Dru immediately moved the sword away from his neck with a beatific smile. Spike looked up in supplication. He knew that laugh. Harmony. The bubble-headed blonde vampire moved out of the shadows and stood next to Dru, still giggling. Spike groaned. This had moved into the realm of cruel and unusual punishment.

"Oh my God, Spikey-bear! The look on your face!" Harmony chortled, looking all Vampire Barbie in a hot-pink leather ensemble. "You were all scared. It was so cute!"

"This is just grand," Spike drawled. "My two ex's coming to go all Thelma and Louise on me, is it?"

"Of course not, silly Willy! We're here to give you your sword thingy. Dru said it'll help you get over this whole Buffy thing. I mean, I never got what you saw in her anyway, I mean, have you ever really looked at her hair? Her roots are just-"

"What do you mean get over the Buffy thing?" Spike asked with a frown. Dru began to dance a waltz with her sword held like a partner, humming.

"The Blade of Denis. It tells me a story, so glorious...full of blood and death..."

"Dru said it sings, but I haven't heard it sing," Harmony said conspiratorially, then added, "You know, Spikey, aside from me your taste in women like totally sucks."

"It tells me how to save you, my naughty Spike. How to save you from the prison that nasty Slayer's got you in. How to make you all better again...no more pain in your head..."

"What?" he said, reaching out and grabbing her shoulders from behind, mindful of the sword still in her hands. "What do you mean no pain in my head?"

Dru shrugged her shoulders, throwing his hands off of her, then whirled, causing him to back up quickly. Harmony put her arms around him from behind, caressing his chest with a purr. Dru advanced on him and held out the sword to him, this time hilt first. Spike took it immediately and gasped at the tingling he felt in his hand. It automatically made him morph into his game face. Dru and Harmony laughed approvingly.

"That sword was like, totally made for you, Spikey," Harmony cooed. "It has some kinda special mojo thing that keeps that thing in your head from working. Isn't that great? You can hunt. You can kill." Spike tried waving the sword in some practice swings. He could feel its dark power and knew that Harmony's words were true. With this sword he could kill people and the chip wouldn't kick in. He was finally...

"Free! No more leashes, no more pining...the blood will wash the Slayer out of you..." Dru sang. At the mention of the Slayer, Spike stopped and brought the sword down. His expression morphed back and he shook his head slightly as his grin faded.

"Now you're all Gloomy Gus on us again," Harmony pouted. "You can be a real vampire again. Okay, a vampire with a sword, but still. Isn't that what you wanted? Turn that frown upside-down, mon cher."

"She's calling to him," Dru whispered bitterly. "The Slayer still holds him...he must kill her to be free..."

"Well, that's gonna be kinda hard, cause she's already dead and everything," Harmony said, rolling her eyes as she buffed her nails. "Oh my God, Spike, are you still pining for her? I mean, it was bad when you had me dress up like her and stuff, but this is just ewww. She's gone. You're free." She moved in seductively. "I might even think about taking you back."

"That's it. I'm outta here," Spike said, walking away from them both.

"He's the Slayer's lap dog, not my strong fighting mutt. Arf! Arf! Arf!" Dru said angrily. Spike stopped and turned back, pointing the sword at each in turn.

"Dru, you're crazy as a loon. And I loved you, pet, more than I can say. More than you ever loved me. Harmony, you stupid bint, I never loved you. You're nothing more than a better than average shag, luv. Get used to men walking all over you. Now I am not the Slayer's lap dog. I'm not anything to her really, she considers me beneath consideration 'less there's a fight goin' on. And to give this," he held up the sword, "up for the love of someone who pretty much hates me, makes me as sorry as the two of you. I know that. But I also know that I do love her. And Dru, you above anyone else should know that doing stupid things for love is part of who I am."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I never loved you either, you...you...Billy Idol wannabe! And you'll use that sword! The thrill of the hunt, the taste of blood you've shed yourself...you won't be able to stop yourself!" Harmony shrieked. Spike just walked faster, fear spurring him into a near run. He wasn't afraid of his ludicrous excuses for ex-girlfriends. He was afraid Harmony was right. He wanted to use the sword, more than almost anything he had ever wanted before. Almost anything. Darkness surrounded him and he closed his eyes, trying hard not to care. What or whom he was trying not to care about, he couldn't really say...

When he opened his eyes again, Gus' twinkling blue eyes were looking back at him. Spike sprang out of bed with a start, his fists clenching automatically as he sensed the absence of the sword that had already begun to feel like a part of him.

"Where the hell is it?" he snapped. Gus gave him a solemn nod.

"The Blade of Denis is safe, good sir. I have placed it for safekeeping with the other items from your quest. I can fetch it for you if you'd like."

"Get it. Wait," Spike called reluctantly as Gus turned to leave. The servant turned back and waited expectantly. "Keep it. Just don't touch it or anything. Don't let any of the others touch it either. It's mine."

"Of course, Sir William. May I help you prepare? The others await you for your final quest today."

"I can manage," Spike said sourly. Gus nodded and left him to his own devices. Several additional minutes and choice curses later, he rejoined the group. They nodded their greetings to him and mounted, heading west, towards Xander's quest and the Heart of Kefa.

The terrain in this direction was more hilly and barren then what they‘d experienced to this point. The further west they went, the less vegetation they saw, to the point where they actually had to look hard to find a spot to water the horses. Xander had made a few nervous jokes that were universally ignored, as were his attempts at conversation, even small talk. When they finally located a place they could stop and rest, he had had enough.

Xander exploded, “That’s it! This has got to stop right now!”

“What are you yammering on about now?” Spike grumbled. Xander silenced him with a glare. The serious look in his eyes was not one they were accustomed to seeing from the young man.

“The brooding,” Xander said to Spike, throwing up his hands in exasperation. “First it was Giles, then Angel - which I admit, not much different than the normal Angel, but still - and now you’re doing it too.” He regarded each of his friends in turn, his expression determined. “I need to know that we’re all together here, as a team, and the three of you are living in Lone Wolf City. No, I‘m sorry, the Depressed and Brooding Subdivision of Lone Wolf City.”

“We’re certainly behind you, Xander,” Giles began lamely. At Xander’s look, Giles looked down in shame. Angel’s expression didn’t change, but Spike was clearly growing angry.

“You don’t know what it’s like,” Spike spit out.

“No, I don’t. But I’m gonna...at least if we get through whatever this next challenge is. And since it’s kinda coming down to this, I just need...”

“He’s right. We won’t let you down, Xander. We’re still here. This is for Buffy, right?” Angel’s eyes bore into the others and they all straightened, their eyes clearing.

“For Buffy,” Spike said solemnly.

“For Buffy,” Giles said with a faint smile. Xander nodded, feeling a bit relieved.

“Alright then. For Buffy. And for Xander, to not get his ass kicked. Let’s go.” The others went to mount, but Xander stayed in place, looking thoughtful.

“What is it now, Xander?” Giles asked.

“I was just thinking...this is about the part where we end up losing the horses, right?”

“Seems to be the way things go,” Angel agreed.

“I was just thinking maybe we should just leave ‘em here. They’re happy, and it might speed things up,” he said. The others shrugged agreement and pulled as many weapons and supplies as they thought they could carry.

The four headed away from the watering hole on foot. The terrain gradually shifted from barren rock to sand. The sun beat unmercifully down on the four companions as they struggled through the increasingly difficult terrain. The sun seemed to remain high overhead even though it felt as if they’d been walking for hours.

“‘Let’s leave the horses here.’ That’s a swell idea, Junior,” Spike complained after nearly falling down a sand dune. The two humans were near collapse, and he and Angel were suffering from a condition he wouldn’t have thought possible: sunburn.

“It’s not Xander’s fault,” Giles rasped. “However, we do seem to be faced with a dilemma.”

“What’s the problem, Giles?” Angel asked. In response Giles held up a nearly empty flagon.

“Water. We’ve nearly run out, and I see no signs of life of any kind out there.” The others scanned the horizon, coming up with the same dismal view.

“Not even a cactus,” Xander moaned.

“Wait, what’s that there?” Spike asked suddenly, pointing towards the horizon. There seemed to be a glimmer of light and motion.

“Mirage,” Angel said morosely, then eyeing the strange spot closer continued in puzzlement, “I think. No...wait...what is that?”

All four looked at the glistening image as it grew, getting bigger. Bigger because it was growing closer, they all realized at once. They turned to run in the other direction, but it overtook them almost immediately. Giles put a name to the phenomenon as it began bearing down on them.

“Sandstorm!” He shouted over the howling winds. Sand stung their faces and arms; the force of the wind almost enough to lift them in the air.

“It’s going to bury us. We need to stick together!” Angel yelled, reaching out and grabbing Giles by the arm. Giles in turn reached out blindly and latched onto someone he couldn’t even see. By the loudly screamed curse he realized it was Spike. Spike and Angel both tried to get hold of Xander but came up with nothing but hands full of sand.

“Xander!” Giles screamed, spitting grit out of his mouth as the swirling sand enveloped them like a cloud, cutting them off completely. There was nothing to do but hold on and pray their friend was alright.

For his part, Xander had reached out for his friends but felt himself being pushed away from them by the winds. As he was lifted off his feet by the current of air, he instinctively covered his head with his arms. It seemed like he was flying backwards for eternity before he crash-landed on a sand swept stone floor. The storm and winds suddenly ceased. He lifted his head, gingerly moving all of his limbs to see if anything was broken. Finding himself in one shaky but unhurt piece, he got to his feet and looked around.

Where Xander was now looked like a stereotypical oasis, complete with palm trees and a tempting looking pool. His first urge was to run to the water and clear the grit from his mouth and throat, but remembering what had happened with Angel, he approached cautiously. When he looked into the water he was relieved to see only his own wind-burned face. Xander knelt and cupped his hands to the water, then took a tentative sip. Finding nothing unusual about the water, he drank eagerly and splashed some over his face and neck, starting to relax just a bit.

It was then that he heard what sounded like the wings of an enormous bird flapping behind him. Resisting his immediate urge to turn around, he gazed into the pool once more and took measure of the creature that was now standing fairly close behind him. Its giant wings were folded behind its leonine body. But it was its face that made Xander whirl around in fearful astonishment. It was a beautiful young woman’s face, the hair held back by an unusual jeweled coronet. The eyes were hollow sockets through which shone an otherworldly golden light that was fearsome to behold. But none of that was what made Xander’s heart race so fast it felt like it was thudding out of his chest. It was the knowing grin that he never thought he’d see again.

“Hello, lover,” the beast cooed, and Xander wanted to retch. As his throat was closing he managed one strangled word.

“Faith.”

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