Dueling at Dusk:
As Willow’s door creaks open she turns around fearful that Kennedy has come looking for her. Willow cares about Kennedy but things with them are still new and she’s not ready to talk in depth about the woman she loved and lost. She’s glad to see that it’s not Kennedy but Buffy at her door. Through watery eyes Willow watches Buffy close the door behind her and make her way to the bed where she sits. Buffy places a hand on Willow’s shoulder, even with skin as cold as death there is still something warm and comforting about her best friends presence.
“How are you?” Buffy asks.
“I just don’t know if I can do this.”
“Willow… we can try to find another way I don’t want to make this harder on you.”
“I don’t know, I think Dawn was right… I think this is the only way, I just… what do I say to her… after what I’ve done.”
“You just tell her that you love her and I’m sure she’ll tell you the same and then you get a chance to say goodbye.” Buffy knows that it’s a rotten deal, but she also knows that if she could have her mom back, even if it were just for a short while that she would want the chance to actually say goodbye.
“But what if… what if she saw what I did and…”
“And what? Willow, Tara loved you more then anything and that hasn't changed… she’ll forgive you and she’ll be happy to see you.” Willow smiles and Buffy pulls her into a hug.
“Thanks Buffy.”
--
Wood once again sits in his car outside the Summer’s residence. He watches through the window as Spike comes into view. They survived. Wood knows that he has to try again; he can’t rest and won’t rest until his mother’s death is avenged and he’s done his part to keep the vampires from aiding the First. Wood is a little bruised from his encounter with Spike but he knows that Buffy and Spike have to at least be injured and he thinks he’s ready to take them on again. The green lights on his clock turn from 11:45 to 11:46 and Wood watches as Buffy and the potentials return from their patrol. For a moment somewhere in his mind Wood wonders why the potential slayers are still alive, he wonders why if Buffy and Spike are aiding the First is Buffy carrying on as if she were still human; but Wood’s need for vengeance overcomes all logic. He drives off with a plan in mind to attack once Buffy and Spike are the only ones left awake.
--
Buffy has wandered out to the back steps for a meal before bed. She stares down at the cold pig’s blood in her coffee mug. She thinks back to when Spike had first shown up on Giles’s doorstep so many years ago and she had fed him blood through a straw. She had been so grossed out then, but now this is a way of life for her and she doesn’t find anything gross about it.
Buffy thinks about her impending battle with the First. They plan to bring Tara back tomorrow night and that’s when the big battle will happen. Buffy’s wounds from the other day have already healed completely, Spike’s however will still need another night to be one hundred percent, Buffy’s healing ability is much faster then his since she’s not only a vampire but the Slayer as well, because of this she knows that she’s stronger and that she actually has a chance to win this, even if it’s still a slim chance.
“Care for some company?” Spike calls from the doorway. Buffy turns around to face him and smiles. He sits down beside her. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good… I’m all healed up now and… a little nervous about tomorrow.”
“A little nervous?”
“Okay, a lot nervous… I’m really really strong, but…”
“It’s still stronger.”
“Yeah… right now I’m just hoping that mom was right and that I can do this.”
Fire. The arrow flies and sticks through Buffy’s arm. Spike’s eyes grow wide and he reaches for the arrow sticking out of Buffy’s body before she even has a chance to realize what’s happened. His hand curls around the flames before they have a chance to set her body aflame and he puts it out. A gasp of pain escapes Buffy’s lips as she looks down at Spike’s hand curled around the arrow in her shoulder. Then she turns back to Spike and notices that he’s looking out into the yard.
Robin Wood stands in the middle of her yard with his cross bow raised and another flaming arrow ready to take flight. Spike stands up and puts himself between the revenge seeking principal and the wounded slayer.
“Come back for another round I see… what I didn’t beat your face in enough the first time?” Spike asks.
“I’m just here to finish what I started.” He fires the arrow at Spike but he sees it coming and moves out of the way. The arrow sticks into the steps of the porch behind him mere inches from Buffy.
Buffy pulls the arrow from her shoulder and stands up placing herself next to Spike. She watches as he charges at Wood, but also sees that as he does Wood pulls out something shiny. A pistol is gripped in his hand and he shoots Spike in the stomach as he runs at him. It’s obvious to both Buffy and Spike now that Wood isn’t here for a fight he’s here on an assassination mission and his only goal is to take them out. Spike doubles over as four bullets rip through his skin. Wood uses Spike’s split second distraction from the bullets to hit him with the crossbow he still holds.
Buffy’s eyes are wide, even for a vampire everything seems to be happening too fast. The crossbow connects hard with Spike’s jaw and he falls to the ground. Wood took them by surprise and he hasn’t left a second open for either of them to think. Then just as Spike’s back is flat against the grass Wood pulls out a stake and raises it high. Buffy rushes forward as he plunges it toward Spike’s heart. Spike’s hand reaches up and grabs Wood’s wrist, his pale fingers stand out in dark contrast to the dark brown of Wood’s skin. Then Wood is thrown back into the grass by Buffy. She’s pulled forth the only weapon available to her at the moment and within seconds her fangs are at Wood’s neck.
“Buffy!” Spike yells as he pulls himself to his feet, but he can already smell the blood in the air.
Buffy has done the one thing that from the day she was turned she’s promised herself she never would. She’s tasted human blood and despite the fact that her reaction to do so is in self defense she knows she’s wrong. The blood tastes so good, it’s like a drug, an addiction and she’s already hooked. She could kill him now all too easily. It would be completely effortless to take his life; and so Buffy does the hardest thing imaginable in her current situation. She stops. Buffy withdraws her fangs from Wood’s neck and lets her face morph back to its human form. She stands up, her body shakes slightly, and she looks down at Wood. He lies there weak and broken and yet his eyes still glimmer with revenge.
The porch light turns on just as Spike makes it to Buffy’s side and the two of them turn around to see Xander standing on the porch and Anya in the doorway. The young man looks over the scene in the yard before him. He takes note of Spike’s hand clenching his stomach, the gun and crossbow on the ground as well as the blood that smeared across Buffy’s lips. It doesn’t take him long to figure out what happened.
Buffy can smell Wood’s blood, his human blood and she rushes into the house to avoid being so tempted by it that she kills him. She pushes past Xander and Anya leaving Spike in the yard and goes up to her room.
“Buffy,” Xander says as she rushes past him.
Her face is completely terrified and Xander assumes it’s because of what she nearly did. He walks out into the yard to stand beside Spike to stare down at Robin Wood. Xander glances at Spike for a moment and then looks down at Wood again; he kneels down and grabs Wood by the collar of his shirt.
“Look I know you’ve got some vendetta against Spike and any other day of the week I’d say go for it, but you’re wrong if you think that Buffy’s switched sides and you just now almost pushed her to do something that would kill her…” Wood coughs but Xander only tightens his grip. “So here’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to let you go and you’re going to leave town and if you ever come back or ever hurt Buffy again I will kill you… that is if someone else doesn’t do it first.” Xander and Wood both glance back at Spike. “And trust me, no one will stop him.”
Xander drops Wood and turns to leave as does Spike, however the bleeding in Spike’s stomach makes him wince and Xander notices.
“You alright man?” Xander asks.
“I’ll be fine.”
Wood takes a deep breath and brings his hand up to his neck while the two men walk into the house. Xander turns off the light leaving Wood alone in the darkness and shuts the door.
--
Xander and Anya stand alone in the kitchen. Spike made his way up to the bathroom to tend to his wounds right after he came in. Now Xander stands staring out the back window to make sure that Wood leaves. Currently his fingers are holding the blinds apart to see better.
“Think he’ll stay gone?” Anya asks.
“I don’t know… hopefully.” Xander turns from the window to come face to face with Anya. She stands before him with her arms crossed.
“That was nice… what you did… well not nice, you were very threatening, but it was a good thing.”
“Yeah, well he wasn’t going to believe anything she or Spike said… and she’s still Buffy.”
“You know… as misguided as you are sometimes, you really care about your friends… they’re lucky to have you.”
“Thanks.” Xander and Anya share a smile and a look that lingers then Anya turns to go back to sleep in the living room, however that short moment remains in both of their minds.
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