Several hours later Buffy stood there looking at the crowd around her and had a devilish idea. “Magicks may not be able to affect Glory directly but that doesn’t mean they’re completely useless against her. The protection spell I put on the house will not only keep everyone inside safe but also protect the house itself, so don’t leave it for any reason because she can’t get in or force you out. Faith you’re gonna take the vamps out on a little game of hide and find the psychotic hell bitch. Soldier boy and I will sweep through the cemeteries making sure the other baddies are under control but since Spike and I can communicate through our claims, if either group gets into trouble the Calvary can ride to the rescue.”
“Sounds good to me B.” Faith said with a sly, almost menacing smile. She’d been waiting for a chance to check out Buffy’s vampire and if he was playing with her sister Slayer, she had no doubt Angel would help her get the message across.
“Play nice.” She warned Spike, giving him a brief but heated kiss.
“Have fun pet.” Spike said giving her a firm pat on her leather clad ass. He had a pretty fair idea about why she’d broken the groups off the way she did and judging by the way Finn was wriggling about like a fish, he’d figured it out as well.
“You two be careful alright.” Buffy gave Faith and Angel a warm smile. “No one, two, three crap, be sneaky and stuff and get back in one piece. Tonight isn’t the night this is gonna happen, it’s about finding her lair. Giles made it clear we have a week until the portal can be opened so just remember we can be patient and now is not the time for misplaced heroics.”
Buffy jerked her head towards Riley but paused at the threshold of her house before turning back to give them all one final warning. “If you guys do something stupid and get killed, I’ll bring you back just so I can yell at you.”
Once she left, Xander looked at Doyle uneasily. “She was just joking right?”
Doyle settled back on the sofa beside the very stunning Cordelia Chase and gave them all an easy smile. “Three words mate, vengeance loving gypsies.”
Outside Riley waited until they were several blocks away before he had enough nerve to break the silence that had settled over them as they moved through the city streets. “I guess we’re going to have the hurt-my-sister-and-die-talk.”
“Nope.” Buffy said with a deceptively innocent smile. When she heard his soft sigh of relief, her smile grew darker and she let her eyes become inky black pools of cold nothingness. “Because if you hurt Faith I wouldn’t kill you, I’d do worse than that Riley. I’d make you suffer until you prayed for death or for your mind to break just so you could find a single second of relief in your insanity. But you’re not going to hurt Faith, so there’s really no reason to go into details now is there?”
Swallowing thickly Riley shook his head but forced himself to continued staring into those flinty obsidian pools. “I love Faith but like you said sometimes relationships don’t work so I’m not going to say she won’t ever be hurt by this. I will say that I would never do anything to break her heart or hurt her intentionally.”
Pleased, Buffy let her eyes fade back to their normal color. “Glad to hear it Riley Finn, I’d really hate to have to hurt you.”
“I thought Slayer’s didn’t…well didn’t hurt humans?” Riley said trying to discover just what kind of person Buffy was and if she could be trusted.
“They don’t but I’m not exactly a Slayer anymore either.” Buffy admitted with a shrug. “But don’t worry Ri, I’m not a bad guy. The others wouldn’t understand but something tells me a soldier knows that sometimes the evil we come up against wears the same face as we do. Faith, Willow, Xander all of them need to believe that what they are doing makes a lasting difference to make all the pain and sacrifice worth it, that all the people they’re fighting for are worth saving. Sadly, that’s just not the truth. We could slay every demon on this planet but that wouldn’t be the end of evil, because the things mankind does to one another is just as bad or sometimes worse than what the demons do. I mean at least demons have an excuse, it’s their nature they don’t have souls or any reason to deny their need for blood or to hurt others but humans should know better than that.”
Buffy sighed deeply and gestured to the graves around them. “How many of these people are here because another human, a person who should know it was wrong, killed them? It’s not Faith’s destiny to deal with that kind of monster and to be honest it’s not really mine either because I don’t like the idea of playing judge, jury and executioner. But if it has to be done, I’d rather it be me who faces it because I want the others to keep what’s left of their innocence. They haven’t seen the evil men do and while they all realized that the spell I want to use on Glory will bring her human side to the front, none of them have realized that to defeat Glory, it will come at the price of a human life.”
Since he hadn’t even realized it, he finally understood the real reason why she’d brought him out here and while he wanted to talk about the sanctity of human life, he could understand what she was saying and why. “I’ll keep Faith back but you’re right, they won’t understand why. Are you prepared for that? I mean why not ask Spike or even Angel to take care of it?”
“Angel has enough guilt on his soul and as much as I love Spike I know it wouldn’t bother him to make the kill; which is exactly why it has to be me that does it.” Buffy said sadly but with her voice firm and sure. “Doing something like this shouldn’t be easy, it should hurt because that’s how you know you’re not one of the monsters. I know what Spike is, what he’s capable of and no matter how much he looks like a human I know he is a demon but that doesn’t make him a monster. Nothing is stopping him from having a really bloody massacre except for the fact he chooses not to embrace that side of his nature. Our actions decide what we are and Spike has made it clear he’s chosen to be a demon who acts like a man and he deserves to be treated as one.”
Nodding since he could understand that, he gave her a gentle smile. “What you two have is really something special isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it really is.” Buffy admitted, getting a besotted look in her eyes.
“What are you so happy about Blondie?” Faith asked when Spike began to grin at nothing in particular.
“Buffy must have finished threatening your boy because now they’re talking about me.” He said letting her feelings of love and devotion wash through him.
Faith reached over to shove him playfully since they’d already had their own hurt her and die talk but what she felt had her stopping in absolute shock. “You…you’re warm, hot even.”
“Yeah, Buffy likes to call it a warm fuzzy.” Spike admitted without thinking but once it dawned on him that the big bad Slayer of Slayers had just used the term ‘warm fuzzy’, he instantly thickened his accent and shifted his posture to that of an arrogant alpha male. “Cause of the claim m’ girl can get me all hot and bothered by just thinking of me.”
“No shit.” Faith asked running her hand experimentally over his arm. A warm vampire, who knew.
Buffy growled suddenly and Riley found himself taking a quick step back as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Why is your girlfriend petting my vampire?”
“WHAT?” Faith and Riley called out at the exact some moment from opposite sides of the town.
“You heard me, m’ girl’s the jealous type and she’s a sight pissed that you’re petting my hot, tight body.” Spike said with a smirk, he loved it when she was all jealous and possessive.
“She’s doing what to Spike again?” Riley asked shaking his head, certain that he’d misheard her.
“Petting!” Faith called out holding up her hands and backing away. “There was no petting.”
“Yes there was, because of the claim I know when someone else is touching my mate and since I doubt Angel wants Spike that means she was the one doing the touchy feely stuff.” Buffy assured Riley already stalking in the others direction. “When I find them I am so gonna…”
“Kick both your asses.” Angel repeated not bothering to hide his amusement with the situation. As unfair as it was he’d always blamed Faith for Buffy leaving town because if she hadn’t taken over her life so smoothly, he was certain the others would have been more insistent about finding Buffy and bringing her home. He also blamed her for being one of the things that had divided him and Buffy; her jealousy had played a big part in making the cracks in their relationship even larger.
Rationally he knew that he alone was to blame but he’d never exactly thought clearly where Buffy was involved. “You're using the claim to make Buffy jealous and with her animal instincts so close to the surface, she won‘t be thinking clearly. When she figures out what happened, she‘s going to be pissed.”
Knowing exactly why Angel sounded so pleased, Spike figured out the best way to knock him down a few pegs. “My girl trusts me but you couldn’t say the same when she was yours could you mate. Sure you were only doing what she asked but I doubt she told you to enjoy it so much, eh Angelus?”
Glancing at Faith, Angel narrowed his eyes at Spike’s mention of he and Buffy’s ploy to make Faith think he’d reverted to Angelus. “You shouldn’t talk about things you know nothing about boy.”
Also having picked up what Spike was saying, Faith shifted awkwardly before glaring at Angel. She thought they were past all that shit and since he’d made a few mistakes in his own life, she couldn’t believe he’d so callously turn on her for his own selfish reasons. “I don’t know Angel, seems to me that Spike knows exactly what he was talking about because I remember you being hard and ready before Buffy ever showed up. Sure I know it was all an act and that you never wanted me but you sure kept your hands full when you had the chance.”
“I would never be with a murderous bitch like you Faith; been there, done that.” Angel told her coldly his own issues clouding all sense of reason.
“So what does that make me Angel?” Buffy said quietly, unable to believe how fooled she’d been by Angel’s let’s-be-friends attitude. If he had problems with her that was one thing, she planned on having a long private talk with him anyway but she be damned if she’d let him hurt Faith because of her. “I was going to kill Faith and feed her to you, so I guess I ended up with the right vampire after all huh?”
“Buffy this isn’t, I mean…” Angel sputtered out, unable to meet her accusing glare.
“I know what this is; it’s you taking out your shit on Faith and I won’t stand for it. We’ve all got a few dark shadows in our past so don’t go digging them out unless you want to be confronted with your own.” Buffy said quietly. “This isn’t the time for you to have a tantrum because I picked someone else, not when we should be working together instead of fighting amongst ourselves.”
Buffy walked over to him and patiently stood there until he met her eyes. “This is your last warning Angel, you play by my rules or you won’t be a part of this. I made it clear that if I came here we would do things my way and if you don’t like it, you can leave or I’ll chain your ass up in the basement until we’ve saved the fucking day.”
“Ohhh, I like her she’s feisty!” Glory said casually, calling everyone’s attention to her. She was leaning against a chain link fence just outside a large abandoned building in a black silk dress that was better suited for a night out on the town instead of a stroll through the heart of the warehouse district. “I don’t suppose you brought me my key did you Spunky girl.”
“Gee, I must have left it in my other pants.” Buffy said with an unrepentant smile. “Would you settle for a little girl talk, because seriously honey I love the dress and shoes but your hair is just all wrong.”
Offended, Glory patted her hair. “What’s that suppose to mean?”
“Sorry, I guess you like split ends and bad dye jobs but to each his own right?” Buffy asked moving forward slowly while at the same time telling Spike through the claim to get the others out of striking range. Far, far out of strike range, considering the sheer power she could feel coming from the blonde god. They’d only lately learned how to express complete thoughts but it was a skill she had come to appreciate.
Spike laid a hand on Faith’s arm, silently communicating Buffy’s wishes and while she and Riley immediately fell back Angel, wanker that he was, must have missed it when Buffy said heroics would not be appreciated because he refused to move. Stepping up just behind him, he whispered in a near silent voice as the two blondes in front continued their pre-fight banter. “Buffy needs to know what this bitch is capable of and she can’t concentrate if she has to worry about your ass as well as her own.”
Hating that Spike was right, Angel reluctantly followed the others.
Glory saw them leave and let them, giving the woman in front of her a sympathetic smile. “Don’t look now but all your friends skedaddled right out of here. I guess I was a little to rough on them last time but they are keeping me from my key you know.”
“Blah, blah, blah do you ever stop talking?” Buffy asked rolling her eyes. “I was kinda hoping we’d fight sometime soon.”
“Works for me, maybe I can beat my key out of you.”
“Still with the talking.” Buffy said, striking out with a right cross quickly followed by a solid thrust into her sternum. “See, simple, direct and right to the point.”
Just like that the fight was on, both women abandoning speech and simply going at one another like two legendary titans locked in mortal combat. From a rooftop the others watched as the two of them whirled and spun around each other moving so quickly, it was simpler to follow their bright golden hair than track their attacks and counters.
For what seemed like hours, they battled each gaining and losing the advantage more times than either vampire could count and since they seemed evenly matched, it would come down to who wanted it the most. When Buffy fell to the ground bonelessly, like water being poured out of a cup, Angel moved forward to leap on the building to go to her aid but Spike stopped him a the last second.
“Wait for it mate, you aren’t the only person she’s fooled with that move.” Spike said with a depreciating laugh, which turned to a full out laugh when Glory went to kick Buffy in the ribs only to find her foot captured at the last second.
Wrapping her hands around her ankle, Buffy shifted her center of gravity, using Glory’s own momentum against her to catapult her into the building behind them; hard enough to send her crashing through the solid brick wall. Getting to her feet Buffy rolled her neck as she felt her bones mending beneath her skin. Every inch of her body ached but if Glory came back out, they’d fight again and again and again as many times as it took for the other blonde to get the message that she had something to fear.
Just because she hoped Glory wasn’t a slow learner was really not the point. Buffy stood her ground and when five minutes became ten she continued to stand there.
With a smirk, Spike hopped down to the fire escape and made his way over to her. Confused, the others followed after him wondering what was going on.
“Bloody hell woman, defeat one skanky god with a large ass and you think you deserve a bloody parade.” Spike said wrapping his arm around her waist and easily pulling her up into his arms. She wrapped her hands around his neck and laid her head against his shoulder.
“Sleepy.” She murmured already closing her eyes. She was completely tapped out and since they’d arrived she was finally free of the coursing energies that had her vibrating like a taunt spring ready to snap.
By the time he leaned down to press a gentle kiss against the rapidly closing scratch on her forehead, he could tell by her breathing and heart rate, she was asleep. “I love you Buffy.” He whispered softly, unable to tear his eyes away from her serene face. She was at total peace, which made everything right in his own world.
“Mmm.” She broke off to let out a loud yawn before cuddling against him. “Love you.”
“I know, just get some kip baby.” He told her gently, before noticing the others were looking at them intently.
“Is she alright?” Angel asked, putting his own issues aside as he focused on her well being.
“She’s tapped out, it takes a lot of energy to heal and that was one hell of a fight.” Smiling, Spike cast a look at Faith and Riley. “She was waiting for me to come get her because the vain little chit didn’t want to ruin her imagine by stumbling her way over to us. But if you tell her I told you that, I'll bloody well deny it.”