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Willow was looking at the Twilight, from the entrance of
Sunnydale’s tunnels. Its
colors were
amazing, she didn’t think she had ever seen something as
beautiful as those colors.
She wished Spike was with her, seeing them, but he had already
entered the tunnel. She could hear him arguing with Buffy about
weapons to use.
What Giles had told them in the living room
while had lifted a weight from her shoulders, had filled
her with a deep anger and sadness.
Nothing of what they had been living was true. They were under a
spell, trapped in their worst nightmares. Giles had been
researching on a way to break the spell, from within.
The only way he had found was going to face who had cast the
spell, metaphorically at least.
The knowledge that Giles and she were the only real people in that
complex spell hadn’t helped her at all,
it had only increased her rage.
She wondered how her real friends were doing, she wondered whether
they were close and if they were all right.
“Willow?” Giles’ voice made her start, she turned toward her
friend and said, “We have been trapped in this spell for what it
looks like years…and I don’t remember we’ve ever stopped and
looked around…”
Giles silently placed a hand on her shoulder, Willow looked at him
surprised. They had both changed so much since that nightmare had
started, she sighed and whispered, “We’ll
get out from here…whatever here is…. ”
She
turned toward his friends and met his eyes,
she realized his look mirrored hers: it was payback time.
~~*~~*~~*~~
“They’re fighting the spell” Eric announced opening his eyes. He
turned to look at Xander and Anya who were kneeling next to him on
the floor.
They both looked quite tired. Eric shrugged and said, “You’d
better take a nap, or you won’t be of any help…”
He slowly stood up and took his
black leather jacket from the couch.
“Where are you going?” Xander asked.
“I’m going into the galleries, William and the Slayer …”
“Buffy…her name is Buffy, she’s not
just the Slayer…” Xander hissed interrupting him.
“Don’t you think I know that? Sorry, Xander I’m not here to
discuss Buffy’s qualities as human being. I’m just here to help
them in any way I can…”
“I’m coming with you” Xander said.
“You’re not going anywhere…I need you here now, and we’ll need
your help when we come back…for now, you just have to stay here
with Anya…and stay within the circle.”
“What will happen under the galleries?” Xander asked.
“I don’t know…it shouldn’t be that different from the attempted
Ascension you witnessed a couple
of years ago, though.”
“Oh, that makes me feel so much better…” he mumbled.
“You asked for it, mate…” Eric said smiling while he went to the
door.
“Now, I know where Spike took his attitude….” Xander said under
his breath.
Eric laughed at his words, while he opened the door and said, “I
heard that, Xander…”
“It was meant for you to hear…” he said.
Eric turned, a serious expression in
his eyes, “We’ll come back soon, Xander…I promise you….”
Xander nodded. He didn’t know why he believed him. He felt that
vampire, would bring his friends back to him.
The door closed leaving Xander and Anya alone, Xander turned
toward his girlfriend and looked at her, she looked so tired, he
was so proud of her, he stretched his uninjured hand toward her
and brushed some hair away from her face whispering, “Have I ever
told you how much I love you?”
Anya shook her head no at his words, while tears filled her eyes,
Xander smiled at her and said, “I was stupid,
An…I love you…”
“I love you too, Xander…” she took his hand in hers and
lightly squeezed it, whispering, “Come here…you need to rest…Giles
and the others will need you when they come back”
Xander nodded, and got closer to her. he
placed his head on her lap and slowly closed his eyes, while she
slowly caressed his hair. For the first time since his friends had
been taken Xander was able to close his eyes.
~~*~~*~~*~~
Buffy was sure she was covered in blood. Never had she felt so
dirty in her life.
She didn’t know how many vampires and demons she had killed. They
were close to the center, she could
feel it, every cell of her being could
feel how close they were.
They had been fighting for what it looked like hours. She knew
Spike was fighting behind her, although she hadn’t looked at him.
She didn’t feel tired, she just feared the moment,
she was going to face a human being.
Spike had told her those were human beings only technically
speaking, and intellectually she was ready to do whatever she
could to stop them and save Giles and Willow…she was just afraid
that when moment would come she wasn’t going to be really able to
go ahead.
She knew that she couldn’t rely on Spike to do that, it was
something she was going to do alone.
She could feel Giles, she could feel how he
was fighting the spell, she could feel how determined
he was to end that nightmare. She wished he was with her, she
wished she could tell him how much she loved him, how she didn’t
want to live another day without him knowing how she felt.
The last demon fell on the pavement, she turned toward Spike. He
was still fighting a very ugly looking demon, he was in his game
face, yet never had he looked so human to
Buffy as in that moment. There was a
desperation, an urgency in each one of his moves.
He hadn’t told her anything about his feelings for Willow and she
knew there was another bigger battle they were going to fight, but
she felt he was fighting it for Willow.
The ugly-looking demon Spike had been fighting fell on the
pavement with a loud thud. The vampire turned toward her and said,
“They’re afraid, ducks….we’re too close….”
“Willow and Giles are fighting them…..can you feel it?”
Spike nodded while getting closer to her and said, “They had
underestimated them….but they won’t do that again, we have to…” he
suddenly stopped talking, both Buffy and he tensed.
“Someone is coming….” Buffy whispered.
Spike nodded and raised a hand to hush her. He grabbed her arm and
pulled her closer to him.
“What…” she said in a low voice.
A figure came out from a corner, Spike blinked, surprised. It
couldn’t be true.
That had to be another illusion created to weaken him. “If you’re
trying to mess with my head again….” He hissed.
A deep laughter echoed in the gallery. That was
a laughter he would have recognized
everywhere, it was deep and rich.
Spike lessened his grip on Buffy’s arm when the figure taking a
step forward said, “William…let me see if your roots are
showing”
A smile formed on Spike’s lips, he unconsciously morphed back in
his human face, he almost chuckled before saying, “Oh, I don’t
know…how can I be sure it’s really you? You know, it’s not
something I show to anyone”
“I guess you are right, mate…” the voice said taking another step
forward and both Spike and Buffy could see the young man who had
been talking. He was shorter than Spike and looked younger than
him, he was smiling widely at them.
Spike’s smile turned into a snort, he took a step forward as well
and said, “You’ve not changed Eric….”
“Too bad I can’t say the same for you, William….so that’s the bad
guys’ playground?”
Spike nodded, then said, “How kind of
you to join us…”
“Oh, you know me William, I would never refuse such a kind plea
for help as, ‘Drag your arse over here, you almond-eyed
pillock’”
Spike’s doubts about Eric’s real identity vanished. When he had
gathered information about the heta7tanatos,
he had specifically asked for Eric’s help, saying those
exact words. It almost looked like it had happened years ago. He
looked at his eldest friend and said, “How long have we been
here?”
“Almost three days, mate…I’ve been looking for you in the
galleries since yesterday”
“Almost three days? You mean the time is almost up?” Buffy chimed
in. Both the vampires turned toward her and Eric shrugged before
saying, “We are quite close, I've been checking on your
friends….they’re safe for now…” he looked again at Spike and said,
“William, as much as I wish we stayed here and saw how your
roots are showing, I’d suggest we just cut the crap and went
stopping heta7tanatos”
“Sounds like a plan” Buffy said looking at both of them. She
didn’t know who that Eric guy was, but she could feel how much
Spike trusted him, and she had learned to trust him since Willow
and Giles had been taken.
“So, what you have in mind, Eric?” Spike asked. He wasn’t
surprised when Eric didn’t answer
him, he had closed his eyes, and his lips were mouthing
something….Spike smiled when he realized what Eric was
chanting .
“What is he doing?” Buffy asked.
Spike shook his head no and raised a finger, hushing her, they
both blinked when an emerald green light enveloped them
Eric slowly opened his eyes and said, “That’s much better”
“What is that?” Buffy asked.
Spike was grinning when he said, “He has blocked them out…they
can’t feel, hear or see us….”
“Cool…” Buffy said looking around, she
then looked at Eric and asked, “So, magick
man, what’s your plan?”
“Let’s see we have two Eletti and a Slayer…and enough mystical
power and physical strength to
make them taste their own medicine, they’ve tried to mess with
your head and weaken you…let’s see if we can do the same with
them…”
Spike nodded and said, “You said you checked on Red and the
Watcher…did you find a leak?”
Eric nodded and added, “Good boy…and I take you know what we are
going to do now…”
“You’re going to widen the leak…while Buffy and I are going to
kick some asses…”
Buffy turned toward Spike surprised he had used her name, Eric
noticed it because smiling he said, “Our William is full of
surprises, under all that bleach there’s a brain….and a good
heart”
“Hey, I resent the last remark, you wanker!”
Spike said.
Both Buffy and Eric raised their eyebrows at his words, Spike
snorted and shook his head before
saying, “You’ll pay for that, Eric…”
Eric shook his head smiling, his smile faded, though when he
turned toward Buffy, he took a long look at her before asking,
“Are you ready, child? Really ready… This is going to be
hard…William will take as many demons he can…but you’ll have to …
”
Buffy nodded and interrupted him saying, “I'll do whatever I have
to…”
“Good…I’d say, we should put this show on the road, then….” Eric
said, he turned toward Spike and asked,
“Do you still remember your training?”
“Of course, I do…you wanker…”
“Good…do you remember the first lesson about fighting?”.
“Take a step back before they mess your clothes?” Spike asked
smirking
“Ah, bloody, ah…it’s…”
“surprise the hell out of them….” Spike
finished for him.
“Good…now, let’s go children…we don’t have much time…”
Buffy and Spike looked at each other, perfect understanding and an
identical look in their eyes, they nodded at each other, then
Buffy said, “Uh…Eric? Don’t call us children…ever, ever, again…”
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