Buffy was frustrated and impatient. All she wanted was to be alone with Spike so they could ‘talk’, (ok so she wasn’t kidding anyone there, she wanted to do a lot more than just talk) but everyone seemed determined to keep them from getting the alone time she desperately needed.
Even Spike didn’t seem like he was in any hurry to part company from her friends and watcher, never mind her sister, who was grasping his arm like she had no intention of letting him out of her sight for the foreseeable future.
If Illyria hadn’t told them he’d lost his soul it was doubtful that any of them would have known about it. Gone was snarky sarcastic Spike who would have done anything to get her alone, replaced by this new calm Spike that seemed to feel the need to find out everything he’d missed in the lives of the people who he’d spent the better part of seven years barely tolerating.
Jeez where was selfish soulless Spike when she needed him?
Spike for his part was having the time of his unlife. Not only were the others treating him with respect, while continuing to ignore Angel’s glowering presence, the slayer herself was fairly radiating her impatient frustration with him.
She kept trying to catch his eye, dropping none too subtle hints about how tired everyone must be, and wasn’t it about time they all thought about hitting the sack.
His nibblet never slow on the uptake was taking particular delight in tormenting her sister, clinging to him like a limpet.
He watched in amusement as, for the fifth time in as many minutes, Buffy’s attempt to get him alone was thwarted by her little sister launching into yet another story consisting of ’what I did in Rome this summer’.
He was pretty sure he actually heard the slayer growl when Dawn, instead of paying attention to her repeated interruptions, just rolled her eyes and continued to regale him with her adventures.
God how he’d missed brassed off Buffy. There was nothing quite like a pissed off slayer. Especially now that he was fairly certain that the reason she was pissed off had nothing to do with her dislike of him. More to the point, it seemed that it had everything to do with how much she liked him, maybe even loved him?
Caught up in his thoughts of Buffy, Spike was startled back to himself by Xander’s very vocal yelp.
Xander had mounted the stairs with one thought in his head. Anya, the strange blue ex God reminded him of Anya.
Reaching the distressed being’s side, without thought Xander reached out and attempted to comfort her. His hand made contact with her shoulder but before he could voice the words that were forming on his lips, the ex god whipped around glared at him coldly and then flipped him over her shoulder and straight into the wall.
Moments later he found himself struggling for breath as the former God yanked him up into the air, her supernaturally strong hand gripping his throat.
Illyria studied the being that had dared to lay hands on her, the expression on her face, had she known it, one of relief. The emotions that had threatened to overwhelm her only moments ago pushed out by the welcome rage she felt at his actions.
She wondered idly how long it would take the mortal to die from lack of oxygen, his face was already mottled red from the lack of air, and his one eye was rolling in panicked desperation as his hands clawed at her arms.
So lost in her study of Xander it took the former God several seconds to register that someone else was attempting to get her attention.
Spike’s head whipped around and he cursed as he took in the sight of Illyria gripping the throat of an already half-chocked Xander.
Still a bloody demon magnet I see… Was Spike’s first thought as he raced towards the stairs.
“Oi bluebell, what’s the whelp done to deserve all the attention?” He snarked loudly in an attempt to distract her long enough to get to the flailing boy.
“If you’re that bored Highness, how about you put the boy down an’ you an’ I have a go?” Moving cautiously towards her Spike did his best to seem unconcerned as he met her deadly glare.
Illyria studied the blonde vampire dispassionately; her eyes crawling over his features before switching back to the human she still held dangling in her grip.
Spike’s own eyes narrowed as the look on the former God King’s face shifted, her expression changing to some unnamed emotion that Spike couldn’t begin to guess at.
Shrugging off his sudden uncomfortable feeling of danger Spike smirked and moved closer to the ex God.
“C’mon Lyry, why waste your time playing with somthin’ so breakable when I’m here?” He teased slyly. “Look at him pet, he’s half dead already… where’s the fun in that?”
He grinned at her, his head tilted in a knowing manner as he ran his eyes over her in a way that he knew was sure to piss her off.
“So blue, how about it? What’s it gonna be…you an’ me just like old time’s…” he asked, brow arched inquiringly and lips curved in a deliberately sultry pout.
“No….” he shook his head regretfully. “Well then,” he offered, his tone and expression turning openly mocking “I guess maybe humans are more your speed these days.”
As her own expression darkened at his words, Spike tensed in expectation. Willing himself to relax he waited to see what her next move would be.
Buffy and the others had barely registered Xander’s first cry of distress before Spike was halfway up the stairs. By the time Buffy had realized what was happening and had made her own move Spike was already standing in front of the ex demon king.
When she slid to a halt barely a meter from the frightening tableau taking place on the landing, it was only the quick cutting motion of Spike’s hand that stopped her from attacking the creature that literally held the life of one of her best friends in her powerful hands.
Motioning to the others to stay back, Buffy froze and watched anxiously as the man she loved alternatively cajoled and taunted the former God king in an effort to save the life of someone with whom he’d shared only mutual loathing for the seven years they had known each other.
When the ex God finally made her move, it was with a speed that Buffy even with her slayer abilities missed.
Spike was starting to worry that Illyria might actually have killed the whelp by the time she made up her mind, when with her usual unpredictable behaviour she burst into action.
As prepared as he thought he was there was no way he was ready for what she did next.
Illyria’s grief and fear had faded as she faced the taunting features of the blonde vampire. The confusion and grief and her slow submergence into the state she barely recognized as loneliness was swept away under the challenge in his eyes and stance.
It dawned on her then, as she held the life of one and the gaze of the other that this was what she needed to keep her world from disintegrating completely. In the seconds it took her to reach her decision and decide on a plan of action she recognized the alien feeling of gratitude she felt towards her former pet, but unfortunately for Spike and Xander it only underlined the logic behind her next move.
With a sweep of her arm that Wesley would have instantly recognized, she used her much reduced but still substantial powers to slow time. Then in what seemed like barely a blink of the eye to the horror struck humans and slayers she, still holding tightly to Xander’s throat, reached for Spike and opened a portal.
Buffy gasped in horror as the figure of Illyira seemed to blur before her eyes. Even as Buffy started towards them, she knew she was going to be too late. The feeling of being trapped in molasses telling her that whatever the God King was doing it was beyond her ability to counter.
As a dimensional portal formed before her eyes her arm rose in what to her seemed like slow motion. The cry that came from her barely parted lips seeming to drag out in sympathy with the agony she was in at feeling so helpless. She watched, powerless to save the man she loved and boy who had stood by her side for as long as she could remember as Illyria pulled them both into the portal behind her.
Angel stood as stunned as the rest of them as Buffy collapsed, her howl of grief seeming to echo in his ears as with the closing of the portal normal time reasserted itself.
Willow and Tara were the first to reach the distraught slayer’s side followed moments later by Dawn.
Placing a gentle hand on her friends shoulder Willow briefly met the other witches worried gaze before speaking.
“B-Buffy its ok we’ll find them. Wherever she’s taken them we’ll get them back.” the red head promised. “Besides, it’s Spike”, she offered with wry smile. “You gotta know there is no way he’s gonna stay away from you any longer than he has to. Not now…not when you’ve only just gotten back together.”
“Willow’s right Buffy” interjected Tara her expression concerned but calm. “Spike loves you, he’s probably working on getting back even as we speak” she offered encouragingly.
Buffy just continued to stare at the place where the portal had been, the look on her face causing the witches to glance uncertainly at each other.
“Buffy, you wanna get up and come help with the research?” asked Willow gently, her concern mounting as Buffy showed no sign of having heard her.
“Oh for Pete’s sake!” muttered Dawn as she took in the worried expression on both the witches faces.
“C’mon sis…get you butt up off the floor. Spike would be so kicking your ass if he could see you.” huffed Dawn, as she reached down and tugged at her sister’s arm.
“Don’t you go all wimpy on me now. Spike and Xander need all of us, and that means you can feel sorry for yourself later. Jeez is nothing ever simple with you two…I mean really…getting kidnapped by a God King…how lame is that?” she offered acerbically.
Willow’s eyebrows rose at Dawn’s behavior but Tara found herself hiding a smile at the girl’s bratty comments.
When Buffy started to giggle softly, both Willow and Tara’s brows shot heavenward, before turning into identical frowns at the flushed and pissed off look Dawn was now directing at her sister.
Willow, glancing back at Buffy, was startled to see the slayer grinning openly at a thoroughly annoyed Dawn.
“Ok, so I really didn’t think that one out” muttered Dawn as she reached forward to give her sister a hand up of the floor.
“Ya think?” snorted Buffy, lightly cuffing the back of her sister’s head even as she got to her feet.
“Right then, sorry guys about the spacey, I really wasn’t ignoring you, I was actually kinda lost in the intense desire to kill something” offered Buffy apologetically, her expression tightening with her words.
She sighed
“Don’t worry I’m not gonna go all catatonic girl on ya, I’m pretty much used to shit like this happening…at least I should be” she added to herself.
“So yeah, looks like its research time for the scooby gang… again. Yay us” she said with a weak grin.
“Will’s, do me a favour and get everybody together downstairs. I’m gonna go talk to Angel and see if he has any idea where Illyria might have taken them, and then I think I’m gonna go find that something to kill.”
Scowling at her own thoughts Buffy made her way towards the stairs and the vampire that was standing at the base of them.
************
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Well I'm back, and very close to finishing this story... yay me!
Big thanks to my beta Jill who is always so encouraging.
Big thanks to my beta Jill who is always so encouraging.