[Reviews - 284]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 3815 times

- Text Size +




No, the supernatural and Windmont were unmixy things, and that suited Buffy perfectly. Spike, her new friends, bowling, and her job were more than enough for her.



But like all things in Buffy's life, nothing could ever remain calm and quiet for very long. Trouble blew into town the very next week and decided it wanted to stay awhile.



In celebration of Buffy's birthday, a small party had been planned at Larry's bar. Technically it was only her 18th birthday, but her falsified papers listed it as being her 22nd. The few choice friends rowdily celebrating her birthday with her at the bar were such a far cry from her angst-filled birthday of the previous year that it was almost easy to imagine that the drama that had unfolded with Angel had never taken place.



Almost.



Larry's Bar always reminded Buffy of the Bronze. It wasn't just a place to drink, but was also a social focal point. But unlike the Bronze, all age groups were represented since it was one of the only places to go.



"Come on, Greased Lightening, it's your turn," Rick announced, pointing his pool cue in Spike's direction. The others in their group had pretty much deserted them in favor of the dance floor. It was oldies night, and the sounds of Buddy Holly were spilling out of the speakers to the delight of many of the mixed aged patrons.



"Greased Lightening, eh? Bloody fine movie, that one was." Spike bent down to line up his shot. With uncanny precision, he sunk the ball he was aiming for before taking a leisurely sip from his mug of draft beer. He smirked in Rick's direction. "And I believe that makes it... still my turn."



"Shit."



Buffy and Elaine joined them after a trip to the bathroom. "Oh god, don't tell me you guys are playing for money again?"



Spike winked and leaned over to capture Buffy's lips in a heated kiss. "Of course we are, luv. It's more... challenging that way. Right, Rick?"



"Yeah, that's what you keep saying," Rick muttered good-naturedly.



"You do realize that Spike's been playing pool for like, ever, and you have no possible chance of winning?"



"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Buffy," Rick grumbled, knowing the words she spoke were the truth.



Didn't mean he had to like it though.



"Hey, it's not my bloody fault Rickie boy here keeps accepting my challenge," Spike protested, pausing to light a cigarette in between rounds of his dominance over the pool table. He decided to miss one on purpose to keep Rick on the hook, stepping back to let his friend try to win.



"How old are you anyway, Spike?" Elaine asked curiously. Every time the subject had come up, she'd always gotten an evasive answer and that just wasn't acceptable.



"Old," Buffy answered with a private smirk. "Way old."



"Hey, come on! Spill! It's a woman's prerogative to do the evasive thingie about age, not a guy's! You two are being totally lame, you know that, right" Elaine took pleasure in informing them.



Buffy shrugged nonchalantly, hating to keep lying to her friend.



Grinding out his cigarette in the ashtray, Spike answered, "I'm around thirty, give or take a few years."



Buffy couldn't help the snort that erupted at that answer. Arching an eyebrow in her direction, Spike asked, "Something you want to say, Slayer?"



"See? There you go again with the secretive stuff! So, what's the story behind this "Slayer" pet name?" Elaine asked, again receiving a shuttered look. "Oh come on, you guys!!! It's not nice to keep secrets from your best friends!"



"I don't care about their secrets," Rick injected, receiving a dirty look from his wife. "What? I don't."



Elaine shook her head in defeat. "Ok, ok! I get it! You guys are probably in the Witness Protection program or something, aren't you? And I'm like being totally obnoxious asking all kinds of personal questions, aren't I?"



Buffy just looked at her best friend and smiled, wishing she could just share everything with her, but fear kept her silent. She loved this woman, and hated all the secrets they had to keep from her. But she'd definitely have to remember the witness protection excuse...



Suddenly, the familiar tickle at the back of her neck made her senses go on immediate alert. This was a hit on the radar that she hadn't felt in ages, especially since she had gotten used to Spike's particular brand of tingles. Looking over at Spike, Buffy realized that he was also tense with anticipation, feeling the presence of other vampires in the very near vicinity. This was so not of the good, Buffy bemoaned, wondering why she thought she could ever have a normal birthday.



Rick and Elaine exchanged curious looks when their attempts at conversation were suddenly ignored, realizing that their friends attention was diverted elsewhere. It was a bit on the weird side too, because it seemed they were reacting to something that nobody else could see or hear.



"Do you two see ghosts are something?" Elaine questioned, studying Buffy's intent face. Her eyes followed the direction that her friend was staring.



What occurred next happened in a sluggish fashion, a muted blur of activity that seemed to slow down time.



The doors to the bar crashed open, and immediately the crowd in the intimate bar tensed as a group of bikers entered. By all outward appearances, with the leather, chains and grungy hygiene, they could have been a Hells Angels biker gang or something similar. But Spike and Buffy knew they were something more.



The gang spilled in, fanning out around the perimeter of the room, strategically blocking all possible exits. Their cocky manner suggested that they anticipated an easy massacre with little resistance before they rode out of town to wreck havoc on the next town. Buffy did a quick head count, coming up with at least fifteen. Still doable, she'd faced worse. She looked around the bar, noting the lack of panic but the high level of apprehension. Ok, apprehension was of the good. There would be panic soon enough, she knew.



The respect given to the last man to saunter in by the other members clearly marked him as their leader. He was tall and his human face was not quite as visually unpleasant as others she'd seen. The fact that they all wore their human faces told her that these were not fledglings - not that Buffy really cared, finding they all dusted the same.



With a sinister nod to one of his men, the door was slammed shut and quickly locked; causing apprehension to give way to rising panic. The plug was pulled on the music in the middle of Tequila , and that act alone had drawn a hint of outrage. Not having realized the gravity of the situation, it was quite clear by the ominous click of the lock that rang out through the silent bar that something bad was about to occur. To most of the patrons, the entire scene had taken on a surreal aspect, as they waited to see what act would unfold next.



With a mocking strut, the leader walked over to the smooth expanse of the bar and slapped his hand down on top of it. "I'd like some beer for me and my boys," he ordered, his voice low and chilling. Nobody moved and even though the customers far outweighed the gang in number, nobody was willing to find out what they were doing in their small town.



The bartender nodded nervously. "Uh.. tap?"



The leader vamp shifted into game face and grabbed the terrified bartender by his lapels, hauling him across the bar. "Why thank you, don't mind if I do," he announced with an evil grin, the disco strobe light bouncing off of his gleaming fangs.



"No,... please..." the bartender begged. Delayed panic now flooded the air as everyone in the bar caught a glimpse of the monster that now held one of their own hostage. Looking around in blind terror, they noticed that all the bikers wore the same evil face. Some part of their brains gasped and screamed that this couldn't be true, that such things did not exist, but they were unable to deny what was right in front of their eyes. With another sweeping glance, the realization that all the exits were completely cut off drew out an hysterical tittering from around the room, as they all began to fear for their lives.



Spike looked on as Gary, who had served him drinks and stimulating conversation ever since he had arrived in town, was seconds away from having his life taken from him. And for the first time, he felt true disgust for what he was. This swoop and kill was nothing less than he'd done hundreds of times before, but now it sickened him.



Well, there would be no killing here if he could help it.



Stepping forward, Spike sounded a warning growl, motioning with one hand for Buffy to stay back. She obliged, seeing the look on Spike's face and guessing the reason for it.



The vampire spun around, dropping the petrified bartender roughly on top of the wooden slab. Horrified faces watched Spike, the only one in their midst who seemed willing to stand up to god only knew what these men were, and their faces began showing a slight sign of hope. Silence had taken over with the hope of making themselves invisible, as the majority of the patrons huddled in a small circle on the dance floor where they had previously been enjoying themselves. The others kept themselves still in various locations around the bar. Elaine had grabbed Buffy and Rick's hands, beyond terrified.



Rick looked over at Buffy and wondered about the pissed-off look on her face, thinking it at odds with the situation. He himself was feeling a sense of terror he'd never before experienced, and was not ashamed to admit to it. These men were not normal, and they damned sure weren't wearing costumes. Their deformed faces were far too realistic for that. Rick didn't want to think of the implications of what that meant, the only thought consuming him was to get out of this situation alive. He silently watched his friend Spike approach the ring leader, with apparently no fear, whatsoever. He had always gotten a sense that something was different about Spike, some dangerous edge that he seemed to always be working to control. But now, Rick was more than glad that at least one of them was brave enough to face this threat, and felt just a minimal amount of shame at not backing his friend up.



"Well now, what do we have here?" the vampire asked, with a sinister grin. He'd sensed the presence of another vampire in the midst but had not been overly concerned, feeling security in the sheer number of his group. A primitive meeting of demons came in to play as they evaluated the other.



"Get back on your bikes, and shove off. This is my town," Spike snarled, his smaller frame appearing larger and more menacing due to his assured body language and the black leather duster he wore so easily.



The vampire laughed, taking the few steps that separated them and invading personal space. He looked down at Spike and smirked, knowing instinctively that this vampire was older than himself, but also knowing he was outnumbered. "Really?" the biker vamp drawled, making an issue of looking around the bar. "Not seeing any of your own here to back your claim. So I'm thinking I'm taking over your... town."



"Not gonna happen," Spike commented unperturbed, reaching into his duster for his pack of smokes. He lit one up nonchalantly and blew smoke into the other vampire's face.



The biker vamp laughed at the audacity, and crossed his arms over his chest, impressed despite himself. There was something familiar here... "You got a name?"



Spike took another leisurely drag of his cigarette before answering, "Spike."



Recognition dawned on the other vampire's face, and he broke into a delighted grin which appeared grotesque on the distorted face. The lineage was like royalty among the undead. "Ah... the missing 'William the Bloody'. Rumor had it that you went to hell along with the rest of your family."



Another indifferent shrug rolled off of Spike's shoulders. "Well, guess you heard wrong. So as I said, you can bloody well hop on your bikes and hit the road. This town already has a bloody master, and that would be... me. This is MY town."



"But I was just starting to like it here," the other vampire mocked.



"Go find yourself another town." Spike said, his voice cruel and menacing.



Elaine looked questioningly at Buffy, the knowledge that these... things knew her husband was just too much to take in, but she found her friend's focus was entirely on the confrontation taking place in the middle of the bar. Elaine could feel Buffy's muscles tense under her hand and had to drop it suddenly with the pressure that was being exerted.



Buffy never even noticed.



The same look of cold determination was set on her face and Elaine wished she had the nerve to voice a question, but fear of drawing attention to herself held her back. So she settled for just watching with bated breath as the next course of events unraveled. But she really wanted to know who William the Bloody was.



The biker vamp let out a petulant sigh. "Fine, if that's the way you are going to be. Thought you Aurelians were a bit more hospitable." He grinned at the cold look Spike continued to give him. "Pity. Oh well. I think I'll just have a snack before I go ."



He sauntered back to the bar and reached over to where the terrified bartender had been huddling behind the bar trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible - dragging him back over the wooden divider. The vampire laughed at the immediate scent of fear that permeated the air, taking a deep, appreciative breath.



Elaine gasped with fear when she saw her friend Gary at the hands of this monster once more, almost breaking into tears at the absolutely terrified look on the man's face. Then there was that slight bit of guilt that struck her when the voice in the back of her head whispered, "I'm glad that's not me."



The events that followed defied description, however.



With a savage roar, Spike closed the distance and grabbed the other vamp's wrist in a crushing lock, his vampire features having slid instinctively into place in response to his fury. "My town, my people," Spike growled, tightening his grip so the biker vamp was forced to release his hostage with a pained cry, rather than risk his wrist being crushed to powder. Gary scrambled away to safety, where he was immediately engulfed in protective arms.



Two sets of amber eyes were locked on the other, both challenging and focused. Spike was unaware of the gasps of shock that sounded through the bar as his real identity was revealed, his only focus was eliminating this threat. "Leave. Now," he ordered.



Even though it was an elder giving him orders - and a famous one at that - the other vampire saw himself as having the advantage and smiled with amusement. "I'm thinking...no. Way I see it, I dust you, I take this town. It must have something going for it, since you're all gung-ho on protecting it. Tell me, what's so special about it?"



Elaine didn't think that anything else could shock her until she saw Buffy take her pool cue and break it over her lifted knee as if it were a twig, then watched as she walked forward defiantly to stand next to her husband.



God, was he REALLY her husband? Elaine was going to throttle Buffy for keeping this kind of a secret from her, because best friends just didn't do that... Wait! Was Buffy a monster too? Oh god, she couldn't look. Wait, she had to look. Dammit, she couldn't.



Oh, who was she kidding? Of course she had to look. She became increasingly frustrated, just wanting to get the whole ordeal over with.



The biker vamp looked Buffy over lustily as she came to stand beside Spike, an amused smile curling across his face. "A human? Really, Spike, I expected a lot more from someone with your... reputation."



Buffy looked over at Spike and asked, "Was that supposed to be an insult? Should I be insulted?"



Spike smirked in her direction. "I think so, luv."



"Sorry, it's been awhile." Buffy told the other vampire. "I'm a little rusty at this, so if you could just identify your comment as an insult, I'd really appreciate it."



A laugh escaped the distorted face. "I like this girl. I can almost see the attraction." He gave a nod to one of his men, who promptly rushed forward and seized Buffy from behind, causing her to drop her makeshift weapon.



"Ugh. The least you could have done is take a shower before you rolled into town. You may not need to breathe, but hello, the rest of us do," Buffy announced, her nose scrunching up in disgust.



Elaine was outraged by the blasé attitude that Spike possessed about Buffy being in the hands of these monsters, merely smoking a cigarette like her friend wasn't in mortal danger. What the hell was wrong with him? Unless he really WAS evil or something. But wait, Buffy was with him and she was human, or at least that is what these monsters kept harping on...



Gah! She was so confused and god, she SO needed this to be over to get the total scoop. This had all the makings for a full night of gossip. Elaine impatiently began tapping her foot, causing her husband Rick to gape at her with a look of disbelieving outrage on his face at her seeming audacity. Curbing her impatience, she watched to see what would unfold next.



The vampire who held Buffy wrenched her arms cruelly behind her back, secure in the knowledge that a mere mortal was no match for his superior strength. Spike blew out a leisurely stream of smoke and commented, "Wouldn't do that if I were you, mate."



"Does it disturb you? Seeing your little woman helpless and knowing there isn't a thing that you can do about it?" The lead vamp mocked, walking over to where Buffy was restrained, nuzzling her neck before drawing back with a wide smile. "Why... William the Bloody has claimed a human. How sweet."



"Yeah, well, she can be a right bitch when she wants to be," Spike replied.



"Hey!" Buffy yelled indignantly.



"It's true, luv."



"You still don't have to go announcing it everywhere," she muttered under her breath, shooting Spike an icy glare.



Spike shrugged with indifference, biding his time until this group let down their guard just enough for them to strike.



"Well then, you probably won't mind if I do this, will you?" the lead vampire asked, trailing his finger along the side of Buffy's breast while keeping an eye on Spike's reaction. He knew full well he was playing with fire, touching the property of an elder vamp, but the deck was weighed in his favor and he was determined to milk this for all he could.



"As I said, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Spike commented, his voice deceptively calm voice, but inside his rage was close to the boiling point.



"Why? Think you can take us? All by yourself?" Laughter poured from the vampire at the absurdity of one against fifteen, regardless of the ancestry.



"No, not just me," Spike drawled.



A small hint of uncertainty colored the other vampire's face as he let his senses take another sweep around the bar to make sure that there were no minions tucked away. Assured that the only demons were present and accounted for, he opened his mouth to speak when all hell broke loose.



In an unexpected flurry of movement, Buffy broke her captor's lax hold and grabbed the fractured pool cue off the ground. With lethal accuracy, she spun around and thrust the tip into the chest of the vampire that had held her before he could even move, and watched as he promptly sprinkled to the ground in a rain of dust.



"He told you not to do that, but you just didn't listen, did you?" Buffy asked the raised pile of vampire ash on the floor, rising herself up into a graceful warrior's pose, breaking the cue in half once more and throwing one end in Spike's direction. Weapons were always of the good. "Did you?"





"Don't think he can hear you now, luv," Spike informed her.



The biker vamp threw his head back and laughed. "Oh Spike, I've always heard wild stories about you, but this one takes the cake. Alright, you win. Didn't expect to find the slayer here, so we'll tuck our tails between our legs and leave town."



Elaine let out a sigh of relief, glad that the danger seemed to have passed. The monsters had said they were leaving, and the sense of relief practically flooded the bar. But then Buffy did something that shocked the hell out of Elaine, who had already been shocked way past her limit for one evening, thank you very much. She calmly stepped up to the monster who had done all the talking and told him that that option was no longer available.



Was she insane?



Elaine couldn't wait to get the complete story on this one because well, this went beyond every piece of gossip she'd ever picked up. Her new best friend just killed something right in front of them. Her husband apparently had fangs, and Buffy seemed to be cool with that. Elaine needed to know the hows and whys, dammit.



When Buffy made the first move and got the fight started, Elaine‘s eyes practically bugged from her head as she exchanged bewildered looks with her husband. What the... Holy crap, this was her best friend??
.



tbc...





You must login (register) to review.