With This Ring.... by Lilachigh
Chapter 14 All over again
Buffy stared down at the scene below her in disbelief. Even as she watched, frozen, Angel flicked the knife across XanT’s chest and a thin line red appeared on his pale skin.
She must have cried out as her friend in both Sunnydale’s gasped in pain. AngelT, CordyT and HarmonyT spun round to see where the noise had come from.
“Spike - ” Buffy forced her legs to move.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear, his hand under her elbow. “Remember, it isn’t your Angel. We don’t know who he is in this world.”
AngelT stood up, snarling, blood dripping from the point of the knife. CordyT grasped his arm. “Well look who’s come to join the party, lover. It’s my friend Buffy and Spike. I told you about them.” She gazed up at Buffy, her dark eyes glinting. “You should have kept on driving back to town, Buffy. This isn’t your concern.”
Buffy slid her way down the loose rock onto the cave floor, Spike following at her back. She circled warily round the three of them, desperate to see if XanT was badly hurt.
“What the hell are you doing, Cordelia?”
“Hi, Buffy. Hi , Spike. Long time no see.” It was HarmonyT who was still sitting cross-legged besides XanT’s bound body. “How you been keeping?”
CordyT stepped away from AngelT but Buffy never took her eyes off the dark haired vampire. Spike was right. This wasn’t the man she’d known, loved and lost. He looked the same but his eyes were hard, like stones, and the mouth that could be tender, looked cruel in this world. He still hadn’t spoken, but shifted easily on bare feet, tossing the knife from hand to hand.
“He’s a vampire, Cordy,” Buffy said, sensing that whoever else Angel was, that was still the same.
“Of course he is,” Cordy said impatiently. “Why do you always think that you’re the only person in Sunnydale who can have a relationship with one? You always were the drama queen. You and Spike, your great love. Oh no one has ever loved like us. Slayer and Vampire. What a mixture. God, I got so tired of hearing about it. Well, Angel is my boyfriend. I told you earlier I wanted you to meet him. Well, now you have. A pity it will only be for a few seconds before you die, but hey, that‘s life!”
“So this is the Slayer,” AngelT spoke at last with a thick Irish accent. “Who’s the other vamp?”
Buffy sensed Spike circling the cave behind her. She knew he had CordyT in his sights.
“You don’t recognise me?” Spike sounded surprised and, Buffy realised, a little hurt.
“Never seen you before, boy,” AngelT sneered. “Why don’t you clear off and go and find your own meal.”
“You’re feeding from Xander?” Buffy asked, horrified. “Cordy, Harmony, you’re not vampires. How could you - ”
“Oh, grow up, Buffy,” CordyT snapped. “We don’t have to be vamps to join in the ceremony of Turckpai. You must know that. You’ve been the Slayer long enough.”
“Turkey Pie?” Buffy moved again, trying to force AngelT away from XanT who she could see was struggling to free one of his hands where the ropes looked a little loose.
“Turckpai, pet,” Spike said from the shadows. “Haven’t heard that one since - well, for a very long time. It’s a sort of ancient initiation test vampires used to do on humans who consorted with them. You each make a cut in turn and the vamp drinks. Trouble is, you have to keep on cutting until the victim dies. Dracula was a dab hand at it. But I’ve never seen it done. Angel and Darla never did it, far as I know. But then they never hung round with humans - until you came along.”
“Who are you talking about?” Angrily, AngelT spun round to Spike. “Don’t use my name when you don’t know me. And who the hell’s Darla?”
“We get a badge,” Harmony T said eagerly. “Well, not a badge, exactly, but a sort of little mark on our arms. It’s fun. Far better than all those boring law books I’ve been studying. They are so dull, you would never believe it.”
“Harmony - ”
“I never wanted to be a lawyer,” the blonde rattled on, seemingly unaware of the tension all around her. “My parents were so keen. I wanted to be a model or a film star. When I get my mark, I’m going to Hollywood. I reckon I could be another Julia Roberts.”
“Harmony - ” Spike tried this time. “Shut the fuck up and get out of here now.”
His voice sliced through the damp air in the cave and the blonde stopped in full flight. She glanced up, startled, caught the sapphire blue stare and stood up, hesitantly.
“Harmony, sit down!” It was AngelT. “We haven’t finished with the victim.”
The blonde tossed back a riot of curls and stared nervously back and forth between him and Spike. “Well, Angel, I’d like to stay, I really would, but this was always yours and Cordelia’s game, wasn’t it? She only invited me because I was staying with her. And if I hurry, I can just make the mall.”
“Harmony - run!” Buffy snapped and the girl turned and fled out of the cave without a backwards glance.
AngelT smiled at Buffy and her blood turned to ice. She had once lived to see that smile. Now, in this world, it spelt out evil and a complete lack even the smallest hint of compassion.
“Angelus?” she whispered.
“Who’s he, Slayer? Another vampire boyfriend? Don’t know why you don’t just join Cordy and me in our little drinking session. Here - take the knife, make a cut. Sure, you don’t know what you’re missing unless you try it.”
Buffy swallowed and reached for the stake in her pocket. She felt sick and her limbs were heavy and lifeless. How could she kill Angel all over again? OK, it wasn’t her Angel and - the thought blazed through her brain like a comet - she no longer loved him, but the memory of love was still there.
And she couldn’t let Spike kill CordyT. She was still human and Spike was still a vampire. She hadn’t actually killed anyone yet.
“Just let Xander go,” she said.
“No way!” CordyT snapped. “You don’t know what trouble I went to getting him here. ”
“Why Xander?”
CordyT shrugged. “Who’d really miss him? He’s the town drunk. His new girlfriend would worry for a couple of days and then move on. His parents hate him and his best friend is far more concerned with her boyfriend than him. He was the perfect choice.”
“I’ve had enough of all this talk!” With lightning speed, AngelT leapt forward, the knife arching upwards in a vicious swing. Buffy leapt to one side, kicking out as she did, catching the vampire on the knee with her foot.
She was aware of Spike and CordyT struggling together. “Don’t kill her, Spike!” she screamed as Angel swung again with the knife, cursing as he did so.
“Fights like a hell cat!” Spike yelled, dodging to avoid the razor sharp, blood red nails that were aimed at his eyes. Bloody hell! It was all very well for Buffy to say not to kill, but it wasn’t going to be so easy.
The fight raged on and Buffy winced as the knife slashed a thin cut down her arm. AngelT growled in delight at the sight of Slayer blood and charged in for the kill.
“Buffy! Watch out!” Spike yelled anxiously, and let CordyT go as he tried to reach his wife and put his body between hers and the black haired vampire.
Buffy spun round, backed away from AngelT’s charge, tripped over XanT and went tumbling to the floor. As she rolled across the cave, she saw XanT free one hand, and lift it above his head as if to ward off a blow as AngelT bent over him.
Then, in disbelief, she realised he must have been holding the wooden peg they’d used to fasten the rope. It caught Angel full in the chest and with a roar of disbelief he went from flesh to bone to dust.
And was gone.
to be continued
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I find the fight scenes very hard to get right. Hope you can all use your imaginations a little bit. Thanks.