The second Angelus’ voice pierced the air, the Slayer began to tremble. Spike could actually see the tremors shaking her body as her eyes grew wide.
“Beautiful night to kill evil things, isn’t it?” Angelus continued, “Or what do you say, Buff?”
When he addressed her, the girl hastily scrambled backward and she would’ve toppled over if Spike hadn’t taken hold of her shoulder. Angelus’ eyes sparkled and beside him Drusilla giggled, hanging on his black clad arm.
Out here there was no house to escape into and it seemed impossible to avoid a fight if that was what Angelus wanted. Spike could only hope his Sire wanted to inflict mental breakdown now.
Love?
“You know, I was just thinking about the two of you,” Angelus said, before taking on a sad tone, “Long time no see.”
Buffy?
Spike, I –
All of a sudden Drusilla took a step forward. Her eyes were slightly unfocused as she pointed an accusing finger at Spike. “You!” she said, “Digging your way into her, just as she...” The vampiress cried out as she slumped to the ground and buried her face in her hands.
Angelus ignored her, all his attention fixed on the Slayer. “I was thinking about paying you a visit, Buffy, just for old times’ sake,” he said, “But actually I think I like this better.”
He held the girl’s gaze and she stared back at him, a small whimper escaping her throat.
No, pet, Angelus feeds off fear. He couldn’t fight off the plea in his voice. Don’t let him get to you, Buffy!
Today had been the first time he’d ever seen her be anything close to cheerful. She’d made progress these weeks, started to stand up for herself. It wasn’t fair that Angelus could rob that off her in a second.
“Stun you speechless?” Angelus sounded honestly surprised. “Never known you to be the quiet one, William, you wouldn’t even shut up when I strung you up in those chains.”
Spike refused to let those memories forth. Instead he vamped out, baring his fangs in a soundless growl. Angelus rolled his eyes.
Swiftly coming to a decision, Spike grabbed the Slayer by the waist, roughly pulling her to him. They had to flee. There was no other way. He simply couldn’t risk a fight when she was in this state. Better try to escape and survive, than die now when she was nowhere near able to put up a good fight.
The girl stumbled a little as he dragged her to him and Drusilla murmured something unintelligible. First now she raised her face from her hands and her head rolled back.
Angelus didn’t seem to notice what happened to his Childe, he was too focused on Spike’s arm where it lay wrapped around the Slayer. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to put the moves on my women, again, Spike,” Angelus said, “You know that never –“
You bloody... Spike suppressed the voice in his head that told him to rip his Sire’s eyes out.
“Sunshine will let go,” Drusilla suddenly called out to the night sky. “Make her stop, make her stop!”
“What are you going on about, Dru?” Angelus growled, gripping his Childe’s wrist and hauling her to her feet.
Spike, on the other hand, took a step back, bringing the trembling Slayer with him. He recalled the name his ex had called the Slayer before he’d rescued her: Sunshine. What did Dru mean ‘let go’? Not die, right? Maybe she was just rambling for once without sense. God, he hoped so.
Spike? The girl’s head tilted back and wide, terrified eyes focused on him.
It’s alright, pet. His grip around her tightened for a second. We gotta make a run for it, okay?
He didn’t think she even considered questioning him.
“What’s wrong with you?” Angelus said, letting go of Drusilla as he took a step closer. Now he was just scarcely a metre away. “Why won’t you say anything?”
This was their chance. Drusilla was still lost in her own world, whimpering about sunshine, and Angelus was looking more and more perplexed.
Ready, love?
The only response was that the girl drew in a shaky breath. It had to be enough. Spike let go of her waist and gripped her left hand with his right instead, prepared to drag her with him when the right moment came. He hoped he could just get away as easily as he had that time in the motel room, even though he doubted he’d have such luck a second time. The chances that they would succeed were probably bigger if, as he hoped, his Sire didn’t feel like hunting them yet.
Suddenly a cruel grin split Angelus’ face.
“You’re looking a little nervous, Slayer, is that why –“
Quickly, Spike raised his free hand and took a swing at the older vamp.
Angelus blocked.
She saw Spike aim. She saw him block and grin. All the while her body refused to cooperate. She wanted to flee. She wanted to stake him. She wanted a thousand things and her body refused to obey to any of them.
I’m supposed to be the Slayer.
Spike looked up, his fist still caught in his grip and he frowned a little. In the end it was all her newly risen instinct to survive, combined with pure fear. Her fist rammed into his face. He flew backwards and she was running, dragging Spike with her.
She’d never run so fast in her life. Her lungs burned and her ragged breathing echoed in her ears. When Spike started to lag behind, she grasped his wrist instead and pulled with everything she had.
Buffy! Slow down!
The same words over and over again. But she couldn’t stop now. If she stopped he would catch up with her... in one way or another.
At last Spike tugged hard on her, making her stumble and fall. It wasn’t until she lay on the wet ground that she realized how tired her body was. Before she managed to force herself up, his face was before her. She hadn’t gotten away.
Hush, love, it’s alright. A heavy hand on her shoulder rolled her over. He’s not here, kitten, Angelus is not here.
The tremors started anew and he came closer. A cold hand ghosted down her side. No, no, no.
Let me be! Please!
Buffy?
A part of her knew what was happening. A part of her was looking on from above and putting the pieces together. It remembered the time when he had showed up in front of her house. It wondered why this was happening now and tried to focus. It tried to stop it when she retreated inside herself. It failed.
She opened up, became swallowed, and she far away heard Spike cry out in pain.
The walls started to tumble down and suddenly she was bathing in a sea of pain. A scream rang in her ears; her own. Desperately gasping for air, she felt how all barriers fell away. She lay open and bare. But not alone; the presence inside her mind was not gone. It took her a moment before she remembered who it was. Spike.
Her eyes rolled back in her head with the next burst of pain; all her muscles cramped and she tasted blood. For a second she attempted to focus so she could send a thought to him, before she realized how ridiculous that was. He already knew. She could feel his struggle, how he tried to shut his mind from her. It was pointless.
”Oh Willie, you didn’t think you’d be good enough for her, did you?” Angelus leered, pressing his body up against... theirs. They leaned their head against the wall, forcing the least swollen eye to open.
“Oh yeah?” they said, “Then why was Dru –“
They were broken off when their t-shirt was ripped open. Something spilled down their chest and their jaw clenched. It felt like they were on fire. Holy water.
Buffy’s back arched and her head rolled to the side. Spike was melting against her mind, very clearly against his will. He was hurting too, hurting and fighting. She didn’t even attempt to put up a struggle, didn’t have the strength. Let it come. She was… he was… They were...
Buffy, it’s time for your medication,” a blonde girl said, offering them two white pills that they automatically brought to their mouth.
They didn’t see the girl’s face. She was just one of the brigade of white-clad figures. The only face they ever saw in front of them these days was their mother’s, and hers they didn’t want to see.
“How are you feeling today, Buffy?”
“Leave. Me. Alone.”
They could see their prey. The middle-aged woman’s brown hair trailed down her back and the tight dress clung to her curves. The sound of her pounding heart was all they heard. It pumped the blood through her veins, called them to her. They growled.
It seemed like she could sense them coming; she picked up her pace and glanced over her shoulder. They drew in a deep breath; drew in the smell of her fear. Soon.
That bloody bitch had known exactly what she was talking about. Spike snarled, trying to clamber to his hands and knees. He almost fell over when a new stab of pain went through him. Well, if she’d known so well what this was all about, why the hell hadn’t she told him? Could have given him a hint more than those ridiculous cryptic things; ‘explosion’ and ‘make sure you rock her world’.
They gripped the stake harder. The vampire leered at them, showing off its fangs. They swallowed hard. Even though they knew Merrick wasn’t far away, that he’d be there the second they called, their heart still hammered in their chest. Because they had a feeling it didn’t matter if the Watcher was there, in the end, it wouldn’t be much he could do. They were the Slayer, not he.
Next second the vampire took a step closer and they automatically fell into a fighting stance. This had gone fine the other night, right? They could do it again. Push the stake through the heart. No big deal.
“Out all alone, little girl?” the vampire said.
God, that had to be lamest line ever. They rolled their eyes.
She was so close; he was sure that any second now, her mind would merge together with his. Or maybe not, maybe they would stay like this forever – exchange thoughts and memories until… she knew everything about him. She’d want nothing to do with him then, that he was sure of. All the people he’d killed, it went against everything the Slayer stood for. She couldn’t find out.
She was just a couple of metres away, but it felt like miles. He tried to rise to his feet as his muscles screamed out with every move he made and he couldn’t keep his balance. Instead, his eyes focused on the girl and he began a slow crawl towards her.
She couldn’t know.
”My William,” Drusilla nipped lightly at their lips. “My Spike.”
Gently she stroked their chest, only to bury her nails in their flesh next moment. This was one of her favourite games, and they endured it because they loved her. They had a feeling though, that this would have been at least a little bit more fun, if she’d come just once when she wasn’t reeking of Angelus.
Drusilla’s hand trailed lower, gripping their soft cock. Cooing, she rubbed her cheek against their shoulder.
“Does my William not want his mummy?”
They could feel themself harden in her grip, almost against their will. Forcing a grin, they flipped her under them.
“Course I do, love,” they said.
No! Spike reached the Slayer, Buffy, just as his body couldn’t hold itself up anymore. It didn’t matter now; he was close enough to touch her. Then it occurred to him that he had no idea what to do to stop this. His sight was a little blurry and all he could make out from her expression was pain. He couldn’t even be sure if he actually saw she was hurting or if he was seeing it because he felt it… them, felt their pain.
Her warmth was overhelming when he was this close, strange. Spike could hear her heart hammering too and when her hand flexed the fingers brushed his knee. A new flash of pain went through him and he howled, his gaze suddenly fixed on the white skin of her throat.
She couldn’t know.
With one last effort he pulled her a little closer. He pushed himself up on shaking arms, but didn’t manage to bear his weight and he collapsed again, half on top of her this time. Her smell was sweet, so sweet... He licked her throat once, and her skin tasted sweet too. She couldn’t know. When the next burst of pain rushed through him, he sank his fangs into her neck.
Her heart accelerated and she tensed beneath him. For a moment Spike had Angelus’ face on his retina. She was thinking of his Sire. The thought angered him in two ways, and a deep growl rumbled through his chest. Whimpering softly, she shifted, but made no move to push him away. The taste of her blood made him wish he could stay like this forever. Without thinking, he reached up to stroke her hair.
His eyes rolled back in his head as he swallowed another mouthful of her blood and clutched her tighter against him. Could this go on and on for eternity? But she’d die. The thought entered the back of Spike’s mind and his whole being rebelled. No, she couldn’t die. The question of what he could do to stop it floated in his head for a second, and then it vanished.
Now was all that mattered.
A couple of more gulps of ambrosia were savoured and Spike slowly became aware of that his fangs were in someone’s neck. Hadn’t he been running from Angelus a minute ago?
Spike?
His eyes shot open. His mouth was filled with Slayer blood, Buffy’s blood. Her racing heartbeat was pounding in his ears. He had to stop himself from following his instincts and throw himself backwards, or he’d rip her throat open. Closing his eyes again, he carefully slid his fangs out of her skin.
What if he had killed her? The revenge. All his plans would’ve been destroyed. She had gone completely still beneath him, but just as he prepared to pull away, her arms suddenly wrapped around him. It was the last thing he’d expected and it was his turn to tense for a second, before he pulled himself together and pulled her to him. Soon the scent of her tears reached him.
“’m sorry,” he said.
“Angelus,” she breathed, “We have to get away, running…”
Abruptly she tried to push him off her, her head whipping from side to side as she succeeded; searching for an attacker. Spike refused to move and took her face between his hands.
“No,” he said, looking her straight in the eye, “Angelus never came after us, he just stood laughing.”
She stilled, her hands resting on his shoulders. “He didn’t?”
“No.”
When she slowly started to relax a little, Spike got to his feet, groaning a little as his stiff muscles protested. At least the pain had disappeared. He took her hand and she stood up too, wincing a little.
Then she lifted her head and met his gaze.
TBC