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Chapter Twelve


Turned out that Glory lived in a modern-looking mansion surrounded by palm trees. The trunks of the palm trees were bent, and in some cases snapped in two. Somehow, no windows were broken, which Buffy thought was very unfair. In fact, there was very little damage to the large home.



“The lack of destruction is very suspicious,” Giles said, reading Buffy’s mind.



“Totally weird,” Buffy agreed, redoing her ponytail which had come loose in the increasing wind. She crossed her arms. “My house looks like a disaster.”



“You do have a lot of foliage,” Spike commented. “Lot more than this.”



A vamped-out Harmony was holding the squirming captive minion by the collar. He somehow managed, “It is not unexpected. Dreg cast the storm spell, and Jinx cast a barrier for the home of her most magnificent. Only we did not account for power outages.”



“Oh, really,” Spike said. “Why pray tell, did Dreg cast the spell in the first place?”



“To find the Key in a very efficient way. To help her most wondrous with her mission.” The minion was being earnest.



“What key?” Harmony asked, gnawing at her lower lip with her long incisor. She had braided her hair in the car, and Buffy was now envious. “The glow-y ones?”



“Harmony, why don’t you take him to the car,” Buffy suggested. She really didn’t want Harmony to learn about Dawn, and Buffy was still feeling jealous if Spike even so much as looked at Harmony. The feeling was really out of ordinary. Buffy was never that jealous or uncertain. Was she?



“Why?” Harmony pouted, which looked absolutely strange with ridges and fangs.



“Because if we get closer, he’s going to give us away,” Buffy took a deep breath and added something to make the vampire feel important, “and we need someone strong enough to keep him at bay.”



“Fine.” Harmony jerked the minion back a little. He simpered at her, which she ignored. Instead, her eyes bored into Buffy’s. “I can tell there’s something you don’t want me to know. I’m not stupid.”



“She’s not saying you’re unintelligent,” Spike said gently.



Harmony narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between Spike and Buffy. Then, she addressed Buffy. “Don’t be moving in on my man just ‘cause your man skipped town.”



Buffy’s jaw dropped open, and her eyes found Spike’s. His gaze and expression were filled with a mix of something she couldn’t make sense of at first. She’d been expecting to find mocking derision in his blue eyes, and instead, she saw someone who’d been caught in a lie. . . the same way he’d looked when he’d been lying about her panties. In that space of a moment, she saw that he glimpsed something in her eyes and that something pushed past the I’m-in-trouble look. He tilted his head in surprise and. . . was that hope? Buffy quickly averted her gaze; she felt naked.



“Okay,” Giles interrupted the moment, conveniently rescuing Buffy as any good Watcher should. “We need to get on with things. Though I don’t know why I’m even here as you’re both very strong and capable even if Spike is on a bloody leash.”



Buffy put her hand on Giles’s forearm. “No more talking like that. I’ll say it one more time. I need you here.”



Giles gave a jerky little nod as if trying to suppress the urge to deny what she was saying. “Okay.”



“Insecurity party over?” Spike asked gruffly, and Buffy got that feeling that maybe he was hiding something again, but now wasn’t the time to confront him.



Buffy nodded. “Over. Let’s go.”



Once weaponed up, Buffy led the way closer to the mansion with Spike just behind her and Giles bringing up the rear. Buffy moved quickly and silently, keeping her ears alert to any sounds outside of the wind. She peered into the first window they came across and saw an open foyer free of Glory or minions. Furniture was tossed around and paintings were askew on the walls as if a hurricane had taken ahold of the inside of the house. But that was impossible.



As Spike squinted against the glass, too, the hand he was using to hold his ax handle brushed her hip, and she found herself stepping into the accidental touch. Though she kept her gaze fast on Glory’s front room, Buffy sensed how startled he was and was also very aware that he wasn’t moving away. She had the inane desire for him to stroke her hip in reassurance and an odd desire to drop her weapon and press him against the wall to kiss him. Maybe Harmony was right; Buffy was moving in on her man. . . er, vampire. A very annoying vampire.



With a shake of her head, Buffy righted her mind. Giles was here, and they had a mission, so she kept moving. Spike pushed ahead of her, easing around her and being careful to keep space between them. Her cheeks flared hot, and tears threatened, but she swallowed them back. Spike didn’t even like her. So much for the end of the insecurity party.



Almost like he read her mind, Spike glanced back at her and tapped an ear before pointing ahead, giving her a signal that he’d heard something and that they needed to focus.



Her eyes widened, and she passed along the silent signal to Giles.



Buffy heard an assortment of periodic clattering and thumping noises punctuated by the word, “Nope!” as they drew closer to the back of the house.



The clunking got louder as they approached, and Buffy peeked around Spike to see Glory surrounded by a group of minions, who looked like they might drop into grovel mode at any moment.



“Glory, I take it,” Spike breathed so low that Buffy almost didn’t hear it.



“Yeah.”



“Why’s she wearing heels in a hurricane? Real smart, that one. And Harmony thought she wasn’t smart.” Spike’s sarcasm about Glory was real.



Long hair curled and styled, Glory was wearing a tight red dress that showed off every inch of her curves. On her feet were heels higher than Buffy would ever dare wear. And Glory could kick Buffy’s ass in them.



“Well, technically, she’s super strong, and she flung me around like a rag doll.” Buffy winced at the memory of her body being slammed against walls.



“She looks human,” Giles said, sounding surprised. “Don’t know much about her minions. Never seen anything like them.”



“I don’t think they’re from here,” Spike noted. “And she’s not human. I can smell the difference from here.”



“I take it the pile of glowing green things she’s throwing to the side is a – ”



“A bunch of keys!” Buffy whispered with almost a little too much excitement.



Glory flopped down in the leather recliner that a couple of minions had just hauled outside. Another minion handed her the next key: a giant skeleton key of some sort. The dark metal glowed neon green against her palm. Glory squinted at it for a few seconds before rolling her eyes and tossing it aside. “Nope!” She slumped back. “None of these are my key! You’d think that Dreg casting such a magnificent spell would actually work, but all I got out of it was a pile of keys to nothing of importance. There’s no power in the house. All the food is ruined. And,” she gestured out into her yard which was covered in fallen trees, “my landscaping is a mess!”



A minion half-bowed to her with his palms pressed together. “If you’ll give us a moment, your most lovely, we have some other types of keys that might of interest to you.”



Glory produced a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes heavenward like she was bored. “Okay. Hurry it up. The eye is going to pass soon, and I’m going to have to wash my hair with all this wind blowing debris around.” She looked up. “And that tree over me is going to fall any second now. Did you have to create a hurricane?”



“It was the only way Dreg could think to get people out of town quickly and with efficiency.” Buffy couldn’t decide if this minion was talking about Dreg or if Dreg was speaking about himself in the third person.



Glory snapped her fingers. “The next keys please.”



Two shorter minions hobbled up with a giant glowing computer that they attempted to place in Glory’s lap.



She scooted upward, shrinking away from the giant piece of technology. “What is this?”



“A key, your most gracious,” Dreg said. “We are not sure what it is a key to, but look how beautifully it radiates light.”



“This is not my key. It’s an outdated hunk of junk!” Glory slapped it to the ground where it smashed, losing its luminance. “Get it away.” She glanced toward the other minions lined up with more bits of technology and odds and ends, including a card catalog drawer from a library. “You guys really don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”



The minions exchanged nervous glances and wrung their hands.



Then, one of them spoke up in a high-pitched whine. “We do have one more. But it’s a little different.”



“We think you’ll like it,” another piped up.



Glory raised her hands like she was in church. “Well, bring it on.”



Two minions ran back around the side of the house, luckily not by Buffy, Spike, and Giles, and they returned with a very disheveled looking man. His face was red, and his eyes were puffy like he had been crying. His skin was very faintly green – not quite Grinch-like but maybe more Yoda-pale-green.



Inanely wondering why Giles, Harmony, and even Spike weren’t green when they were talking about keys, Buffy took a step forward in alarm, but Spike’s cool fingers closed over her wrist. He didn’t let her go even though she stopped.



“Wait a minute,” he whispered so close to her ear that she had to suppress a shiver.



Glory climbed up further onto her chair so that she was standing on it like she was an elephant who was terrified of a mouse. “What is this?”



Dreg cleared his throat and held his head high with pride. “We found him wandering the street, muttering how he has the key.”



“A-and Gronx chased him down and captured him. He is perhaps our best hope.”



Panic was spreading over Glory’s face. “You know I can’t go much longer without sustenance. I-I won’t be able to control it much longer. Oh, my god. Why did you bring him here?” She jumped over the arm of her recliner and marched around the man in a circle, giving him a wild-eyed once-over. She plucked at the sleeve of his navy polo shirt. “What kind of key do you have, little man with the delicious brain.” She gazed at his head and then stared at the ground. “Huh? What kind of key?”



The man swayed on his feet. “T-the key to. . . to. . . to – ”



She grabbed him by the back of the head, latching onto his dark curls and jerking his head back. “What kind of key?!?”



The man swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “To her h-heart? She wants to divorce me, and I have to prove to her that I am what s-she needs and – ”



“Arrgghhhhh!” Glory stumbled away. “I can’t control it; I can’t control it; I can’t control it! God damn it all to hell!” She gripped her head, pulling on her own curls like she might rip them out of her head. “I’m too weak. Ahhhhhh!” She glared at a trembling minion. “I need a brain. That’s the key I need right now. Not all these useless – argh!”



Buffy couldn’t help it; she had to step in now, especially if broken-heart guy was going to get hurt. He reminded her of herself, blaming himself for the end of his relationship. Breaking away from Giles and Spike and ignoring Spike’s growl of frustration, she charged into Glory’s backyard. “Stop this! You can’t kill him!”



Glory seemed to snap back to herself for a second. “The vampire slayer. What are you doing here? Don’t you know there’s a hurricane?”



Buffy stepped in front of the man and lifted her chin. “Slayers don’t abandon the hellmouth, especially if it’s a storm of mystical origins.”



“Well, now, aren’t you just an annoying little flea.”



Glory brought her arm up swiftly, grabbed Buffy by the shoulder, and attempted to fling her out of the way. But Spike snuck up behind her and gripped her fist before it could get halfway to Buffy.



A delighted laugh rolled out of Glory’s throat as she pivoted to gain her bearings. She tossed Spike away instead. He landed with a crunch against the wall of her house, and as he did so, the wind howled, sending a gust through the yard.



The minions were done being stunned, and Buffy noticed some of them staring up at the sky in alarm. She used the distraction to snag heart-break guy by the arm and shove him in Giles’s direction. The minions were scrambling around gathering up the pile of keys and running them into the house. Two of the minions rushed Giles in an attempt to gain control of the human they thought might have the key Glory needed.



Buffy faced off with Glory who grinned at her. Something was up with Glory with the way she was gritting her teeth as if trying to hold on. Buffy didn’t question it too long, taking the opportunity to leap at her, shifting her hips and trajectory to land a one-two kick. Glory stumbled, and somehow Buffy stayed upright, going after Glory again with her fists.



Glory managed to cup Buffy’s fist with one of her hands, and she twisted hard. Buffy cried out in pain as she heard something pop and tear. The wind swept away her scream as she sank to her knees. Through the stars in her eyes, she heard Glory scream, too.



“Not now, you idiot! Not fucking now!” Glory hissed, dropping in parallel to Buffy.



Buffy blinked her eyes, trying hard to focus, and what she saw was hard for her brain to compute.



Glory’s features melted away, replaced by the rugged jaw and floppy hair of a. . . guy. A kinda cute guy. Buffy blinked. She was unable to do anything but stare as she sat back on her heels, clutching her arm to her chest.



The man sagged forward, his palms hitting the dirt. “What’s going on here?” He took in all the trees and the dwindling pile of keys and trashed computer. He frowned at Buffy. “Who are you?”



“Buffy.” Buffy swallowed, unsure what to do next. Her eyes went to Spike who was barely stirring several feet from her.



“Why are the trees all down? And what’s with the pile of keys?” He gestured at the referred-too pile. Squinting at the sky, he added, “What’s with the clouds and wind?”



Buffy noticed that the gusts had picked up even more.



“You have a lot of questions, sir Ben,” Dreg said in a placating tone as he hefted the computer. “Why don’t you come inside, and we’ll make you a cup of coffee?”



Ben frowned in Spike’s direction. “Who’s that guy? Glory didn’t suck his brain, did she? Because the psych ward is getting way too full.”



Buffy had no idea what he was talking about, but before she could say anything a huge burst of wind, stronger than any she’d experienced so far, knocked her over. All she could think was Spike was right about how she’d get blown away patrolling in a hurricane.



She didn’t have long to ponder this because, there was a sharp, loud crack, and the tree that had been threatening to fall. . . fell. A thunk resounded around the yard, and when the rushing air passed and Buffy could push herself up, she saw that the tree had landed on the man’s – Ben’s head.



She scrambled around and saw lots of blood coming from his skull, and his eyes were wide and staring. Her hand went to her mouth even as Giles rushed to her side.



The minions circled the unmoving body, and one of them reached over with a hesitating hand and finally rested two fingers on Ben’s throat. The other minions, Buffy, and Giles stared in anticipation.



Then, the pulse-checking minion threw back his head and howled a cry of utter anguish. His words were wretched when he spoke. “The most wonderful Glorificus, our queen, is dead.”



The minions all piled around Ben, and Buffy and Giles stumbled back and away. Buffy ran to Spike’s side as Giles went to check on the other man, who was bracing himself against the house as if he might faint.



Buffy’s knees hit the damp grass, and as they did, Spike opened his eyes and gazed at her upside down. “’Lo, Slayer. What just happened?” He attempted to push himself up, touching his fingers to the scrapes on his forehead and temple.



Holding his arm as gently as she could without hurting her own arm more, Buffy assisted him until they were both standing again.



“I’m not sure, but I think Glory’s dead.” Even as Buffy said the words, she felt immense relief.



“I can see that,” Spike said with irony, only able to see the bottom of the red dress and legs. “I don’t recall her legs being so hairy. What the bloody hell happened here? I was only out for a second.”



Winds gusted forth in response. Being mindful of her hurt wrist, Buffy clutched Spike’s arm, and they steadied each other.



“Later. First, we need to find shelter,” Buffy said when she could catch her breath. “I think the eye is almost past.”



Without warning, the minion that had shown them where Glory lived ran around the corner of the house. Spike, Buffy, Giles, and the other minions all stared at him and his panicked expression.



A flustered, windblown Harmony dashed around the corner a few seconds later. “Wait up!” She caught sight of the tree and the dead guy in a dress. “Oh, my god! I leave you guys alone for five minutes and what do you do? You go killing people! You have all the fun!”



Buffy shrugged – reasonably contrite. “Sorry?”


Chapter End Notes:
One more chapter to go... :o) Thanks for all the love for this little fic so far! *hugs*



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