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Kneeling at the centre of Giles’ living room, Eric was chanting.
When he had gotten William message he almost hadn’t believed in
his own eyes. William had never asked for anyone help.
Eric had trained William. For three years before he had been
activated, they had lived in symbiosis. Eric had taught him how to
move, how to think like a vampire.
He had taught him to bear physical torture, he had taught him to
find pleasure in the pain. He had been with him when for the first
time he had gone out spying on vampires and demons.
It had been him, who had chanted the spell to tie William’s soul
to his body.
He had chosen William, because he had been the best among the
young watchers of the time. He had seen his deep intelligence and
honesty. He had sensed the nobility of his soul and his
loneliness. William had been a very lonely man when he had
been alive.
Loneliness was the first lesson he had taught him.
The Eletti were alone. They spent their unlives alone, they fought
alone, they died alone. From the moment they were chosen to the
moment they died trying to keep the world safe, loneliness was the
only constant of their existence.
Funny how, William had showed him, time and again how that rule
didn’t apply to him. Spike had never been alone. He had chosen to
care, he had chosen to love. He hadn’t let the demon that
inhabited his body to take over; in it he had found the strength
to let himself care.
Eric admired him for that reason, but feared for him.
He could feel how on the edge William really was in that moment.
There was a deep connection between them, forged on the time they
had spent together.
He regretted having assigned him to Sunnydale. It had been his
decision, probably because he had thought he could have really
helped the Slayer. He hadn’t thought that William would have grown
to care so much about humans.
He had never written anything in his reports….but Eric knew
William, he had read through the lines the truths unsaid.
An Eletti in love with a human. No wonder there was so much pain,
so much sorrow.
There was only one thing he could do for now.
There was just one thing he could do to help his William and his
friends, taking the pain away from them, giving them back strength
and hope.
He would succeed in it…or die trying.
That was the lesson William had taught him.
~~*~~*~~*~~
“Am I interrupting something?” Giles asked, entering his bathroom.
Willow and Spike were there, talking. Willow’s eyes were red and
puffy with tears, while Spike was paler than usual
“Uhm…no, Giles…I was just going to get out…” Willow said, wiping
away some tears, with the sleeve of her shirt.
“I think perhaps both of you should come to the living room with
me, there is something we need to talk about…”
“Giles…” Willow started.
“I have possibly found a way to stop this, but I need your help,
especially yours, Spike….”
“Why should I help you, Watcher?”
“Because you are in love with Willow…and because you are one of
them…one of the Eletti….oh, take your blanket with you, you’ll
probably need it.”
~~*~~*~~*~~
Something wasn’t going according to the plans.
The demon had underestimated the Eletti and the Slayer. They were
strong, very strong. They had been able to get past their
animosity and had built a strong bond. The demon had expected to
be able to separate them instead, they were closer.
It took a look at the purple mist, it was slowly but unceasingly
fading.
It hadn’t been able to stop it. The two humans trapped inside were
getting stronger and stronger; the demon could clearly feel their
determination. They had somehow sensed what was happening, and
were working from the inside to break the spell. The demon knew it
was impossible, but still such a determination was scaring.
The demon could feel on himself the eyes of the other. A failure
was not contemplated, was not going to be accepted.
He blew to the mist, and felt the energy being dissipated before
it reached the two humans. Something was protecting them.
Something or someone was taking the pain away from them and
channelling it elsewhere.
“Let’s see how much you can take…” the demon hissed stretching a
hand toward the mist. Its smile grew when it heard the young woman
trapped in the mist crying.
Perhaps it had underestimated them, but it always learned from its
mistakes.
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