"The Buffy Effect..." VII...
PG-13
Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!
It's all yours and ME's.
Spoilers for Angel to this week...Flee at once!...
Summary: Similar to my Immortal Beloved series of sketches, and my
Semi-Parallel Lives bits mostly just short brainstorming ideas for
other tales...As with both of those, some bits may be multipart,
others just a few lines...
***
Part I=85
=93It should=92ve been bliss...=94 Spike smiled wanly at Buffy...Xander
watching carefully, silently, from the corner he=92d retreated to...
Mears sourly glaring at all from the bench where he sat, hands still
securely cuffed...Occasionally sipping from a Coke bottle...The
lukewarm Coke bottle, he frowned...
No ice...? Geesh...
=93I had a vamped Buffy who fancied me...And was as good killin=92 =91em
as
she=92d been saving =91em...And with quite an imaginative bent...But...=94
he shrugged at her quiet stare...
=93Somehow...It just wasn=92t...You...Though make no mistake, I wasn=92t
exactly holding her back...Even if the chip kept me from joinin=92 in on
some of the fun...But she knew I wasn=92t quite...A part of me not
quite...=94
=93Touching...Can we get the hell out of here now?...=94 Warren broke
in...
=93Shut up...=94 Buffy waved him off...
=93Look, you got your boyfriend...Lets find the other girlie and get me
home....My job is done...=94
Unless...He eyed her, a side glance at Spike...
=93If you might be thinking it=92d be best to leave the sisters here...I
might be of...=94
=93Shut up or you=92ll be using that straw for breathing...=94 she
said...Turning back to Spike...
=93She knew that...That you didn=92t...=94
=93She knew...You=92re a perceptive girl in any form, Buffy...=94 he
smiled... =93And being a Buffy, vamp or no, she set out to put things
right...=94
Buffy stared at him...
=93She tried to get her soul back?...=94
=93Yeah...=94 he nodded... =93Not that I put it in words...Not wishing to
offend a girl who=92d offered to put the US at my feet for a wedding
present, so to speak... But she=92d guessed I was missing something in
her...=94
=93We=92d kept our heads low for the first months...Only a few spectacular
kills...Strutting her stuff to impress me, I believe...But when she
decided to give me what she knew I wanted...=94
=93She went to Willow...=94 Buffy said, quietly...
Xander moved in his corner...
=93Yeah...=94 Spike nodded... =93But I=92m afraid Red was not in a
cooperati=
ve
mood...And Giles...Well, maybe he=92d figured we=92d want to take Willow
out first in our campaign of evil, something like that...=94
=93The man never understood me...=94 he shook his head... =93I=92m not cut
o=
ut
for world conquest...=94
=93Willow turned her down...=94
=93Lets say...=94 Spike grinned faintly... =93She put her objections a bit
more firmly...=94
=93And my girl...Feelin=92 she=92d made a reasonable request...In a
friendly, not-too-threatenin=92 manner...Took offense at an attempt,
mainly on my person...And chose to unleash holy Hell as only an
aggrieved Slayer-vamp could...=94
=93A note of despair in the whole thing, really...=94 he sighed... =93She
knew, maybe sooner than I did, without the soul things would never
quite...But she was magnificent...Giles=92d brought in some quite heavy
guns from England to deal...They were no match for Anne, even with my
chipped weight draggin=92 on her...And each try only inflamed
her...Hell, she=92d only wanted me...And her soul back...For me...=94
=93And she did all...This...=94 Buffy, flatly...
=93In part...Some of what Giles and Willow sent in to deal did their
share...Giles and his Council got a bit desperate after Anne took out
Angel and most of LA...=94
=93She=92d tried to get him to cough up the curse...=94 he explained...
=93When he wouldn=92t...On instructions from our Puritan tormentors who
preferred their dear friend soulless and therefore easier to
terminate...She freaked...It was her last chance, you see...We not
being persona grata with anyone demon or human magically gifted by
then...=94 he smiled, shrugging... =93Impatient lass, my poor girl...=94
=93I understand...=94 Buffy said, quietly...
Xander, staring at her from his corner...
=93I told them...=94 he said... =93But Giles wouldn=92t...=94
=93Always there for me, good ole Giles...=94 Buffy said, a bit grimly...
=93I wonder if he really missed that day...=94
=93He must have known about Cicely even before you and she...I...Found
out...=94 she answered Spike=92s look... =93He was out to kill you to stop
me from doing what I tried to do more than a century ago...But he
probably had orders to deal with me if necessary...=94
=93He did have a chance to take you out, Buf...Shortly after your
rebirth...=94 Spike sighed... =93He hesitated then...And I think maybe
that=92s what caused him to hold so grimly to his own stand...=94
=93Sure...But Willow...Wouldn=92t she even listen?...=94
=93I think...They may have told themselves they were doing what you
really wanted...That their Buf would never want existence in a vamp
body...But in fact, in their hearts, I think they thought...If they
brought you back...They=92d somehow lose you for good...To me...=94
=93And then after you=92d killed Tara trying to get Willow to take you a
hair more seriously...=94 he paused...
=93You meant to vamp her...Turns out she wasn=92t a good candidate...In
fact...She=92d already been vamped a long time ago...The soul went right
back to its old host...The body couldn=92t accept a new demon...So Annie
made the best of things and left the body on Wil=92s door step...A token
of her intent to have her way or else...=94
=93And Wil took that badly...=94 Buffy eyed him...
=93I think learning who Tara really was...Had been...=94 he paused...
=93Was=
worse for her...=94
=93Hard to find out you=92ve been in love with Drusilla for years...=94 he
shrugged... =93Though judging by Tara, my poor Dru was a wonderful girl
in her human day...=94
It=92s me he loves...Not her...Oh, I could...She thought, staring...
Warren is right...I could take him with me...He is my Will, really...
If I could just...
Be Anne for a few minutes...Like I was back home, with my
Willow...Only just a little more so...
Lucky bitch...She has the demon for an excuse...
=93What=92s that?!...=94 she asked, sharply...But relieved at the blaring
noise filling the room...
Thank God...
Spared my first...Yeah, she=92d never let it go without a knock-down,
drag-out...
=93Perimeter alarm...=94 Xander spoke up, rising... =93Something trying to
break through Willow=92s barrier...=94
My first...Murder...
=93Anne?...=94 Spike looked at Xander...Who trembled a bit, but shook
head...
=93You saw...Willow burned her...Bones and bits...=94
=93I saw...=94 Spike nodded... =93But even Red didn=92t believe after she
couldn=92t find the remains...And someone is out there...=94
=93My twin...Triplet...I=92d say...=94 Buffy said...Her cold tone causing
all three to look at her...
Only a part of me...Would it really be murder?...
I have a Will here, now...No, not my Will, exactly...Oh, but I=92ve
failed him so many times already...This might be my last chance...
Look at him...It=92s William...The damned soul=92s a quick trip to Africa
away...If I leave him here and my counterpart=92s gone...I know what
this Giles and Willow will do to him...
Am I the Cicely Walthrop who abandoned everything for him?...Am I
really ready to do...Anything...To save him...?
Hmmn...Warren thought, staring at her...I think...I may actually sense
a Summers growing part of a brain...
After all, isn=92t she?...Isn=92t that why she left us?...She wasn=92t
going=
to wait this time...And if she can...
=93Can you let her in, Xander?...=94 she asked...He looked at her set,
hard face...
=93Don=92t worry...Whoever she is, I won=92t let her hurt you...=94 she
gave=
him a faint smile...
***
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