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The small dark apartment Spike had been given by Lindsey was the closest place with home comforts, first aid and enough blood to regain strength. The battle with the various demons that the Senior Partners had sent forth raged all night and the fast coming sunrise was all that stopped the two vampire heroes from finishing off the last dregs off the demons. Spike collapsed onto his couch, and the thoughts of the night evaded his dreams, replaying the events. Gunn was last seen fighting off a crowd of four demons. Both Angel and Spike knew Gunn wouldn’t last the whole fight. They had heard his heart rate slow and smelled his blood flood the street. Though they never saw what became of Gunn they knew he would never have scampered off to safety as they had done from the harmful rays from the sun. The street was lined with pools of ashes, acids and bloods of varying colours, some of the demon bodies remained, while some were just bones strewn in piles. When Spike and Angel had left the street there were few demons left. Illyria had urged them to leave. When she grabbed Spike by the arm and pulled him from his feet, Angel had lurched over beside them. “The sun is coming.” The demon spoke. “You’re feeble bodies cannot sustain the rays, you must find safekeeping.” “Bastards here took out Charlie boy and Wes, think we’re bloody well giving up just ‘cause there’s a little sunshine, got another thing coming.” Spike had spat out, knowing full well there was little he could do to the demons in the ten minutes before his whole body would go up in flames. “Spike’s right. We all go out together.” Angel said looking toward his wayward grand-childe, for once agreeing with him. “I have no use for your ashes once this fight has ended. These lingering beasts are not enough to slow me. Flee the sun and seek cover, I shall find you soon enough.” Illyria was stern in her tone, commanding the others to leave her. They knew she was more than strong enough to fight off the stragglers. Spike began to wake with a sudden flush of guilt hitting him. Angel was lying on the couch next to him. When they arrived at the apartment their bodies were sizzling and their wounds scorched from the rays – neither could make it toward the bed, and instead had found themselves on the couch. “Shouldn’t have left the fight.” Spike muttered his first coherent thought since they arrived. “Nothing we could have done, Spike, besides Illyria will be here soon.” Angel said, trying to ease his own guilt. Angel was harbouring most of the self-reproach, afterall he was the one that had asked them to swear their allegiance to him, to give their lives – Wesley and Gunn died in battle. Angel’s guilt was more painful than any of his wounds could be, knowing that his friends, people he had come to know as family, died for him. “It’s my fault anyway.” “Oh, no, now don’t give me any of your sodding bull just now. We got worse things to deal with than your self loathing right now. We haven’t got time for you to start a brooding session. Let’s get cleaned up and move on. It won’t be long before Wolfram and Hart gets one of their flunkies down here to check the place out.” Spike pushed himself from the couch, still wavering on his feet a little as he moved toward the bathroom to clean his wounds. Angel watched as the blonde disappeared. Spike’s scent still lingered in the air and it wasn’t until Angel looked back at the couch that he saw the extent of the blood loss. Struggling to move Angel managed to follow Spike and hanging by the door to the bathroom he just looked in at Spike, taking off his tattered leather duster. “Look mate you can quit eyeballing me, I’m serious about clearing out of here.” “Spike, they’re not going to think we’re dumb enough to come back to your apartment.” “Well you obviously didn’t see what was parked out front.” Angel just gave Spike a quizzical look. Then it struck it him exactly what Spike meant. “You didn’t?” “And why the hell not? Come on, it’s the least I could have taken from those bastards!” “You stole the red viper?” “Yeah, I nicked it before I went out yesterday and… hey wait, how’d you know it was the red one?” Angel’s face fell and he looked toward the ground as Spike began to laugh. “Where’d you park your one?” “Around the corner from the hotel, I left it there right before the fight.” Angel admitted a little embarrassed that he had lowered himself to petty thievery to get back at the Senior Partners. “Only I left it there so the Partner’s couldn’t find us.” Spike and Angel looked at one another in the dim light of the bathroom, a smile broke out across their faces and they began laughing. Even in the midst of all the guilt, pain and suffering they had found a way to connect, to see the humour in breaking free from the constraints of the law firm. The door opened and was slammed shut hastily. Illyria strode through the apartment with heavy steps until she reached the giddy vampires. “The demons are no more. We must leave this place and move on at once.” “We need time to regroup, by the looks of things you might need cleaned up a little too.” Angel said full of concern for both Illyria who was smeared with a mix of her blood and the various demons she had slaughtered and Spike whose blood was zinging through Angel’s senses. “My wounds are inconsequential.” Illyria was feeling pain, tugs on her heart for Gunn and Wesley – people she could relate to and ally herself with in this alien world. The only ones left now were the two vampire heroes. It was clear to Illyria that Spike and Angel were her ties to this dimension, and all three were now bound together as enemies of the Wolf, Ram and Hart. “Look, not like they know we got out alive – for all they know we clocked off hours ago and the rest of their little army scampered off for a right bloody riot elsewhere.” “We stay here for now. We’re in no condition to leave.” Angel’s decision was final and the discussions were over. They each took turns at keeping watch as the day drove on fearful of any follow-up attacks. Illyria took the first shift, allowing time for Spike to shower away the blood, and allow his wounds to close and he then slept for the better portion of Illyria’s watch. Spike wakened some time later to find Illyria perched on the end of his bed. The majority of his pain had subsided. “You are now healed?” “Yeah, pet. Just takes a while for us vampire folk you know? We ain’t got your strength.” Illyria laughed at Spike’s comment. “My strength has far been depleted by you and yours.” She took a moment’s pause, contemplating the events that lead her to a couple of vampires. “Yet I find myself here still. I do not understand my need for your survival.” Spike looked deep into Illyria’s eyes and for once saw past the shell. Spike saw the pain that the demon felt – the agony of trying to fit into this world, and he knew he could relate on some level. “It’s ‘cause we’re all you’ve got, love. You’re in a strange new world and you’ve got no one else to turn to. You’re trapped, not the old one anymore, but not one of them either.” “Yes. I feel no remorse for lives I have taken, and yet I find myself caring for those that were hurt. I had no use for these feelings in my time. I never had time to feel anything, I was worshipped, adored, feared by a great many. Never did I align myself with your kind, or with humans. But this world, this place I was brought to, I wakened here and I have nothing, no power, no followers, my understanding of who I am has fast been dwindling and now I find I am here helping two vampires.” “Can’t say I’m complaining love.” Spike smiled at her. “Looks like you could use a rest, here take a kip, I’m off to see how Angel’s doing.” Spike left Illyria’s side and she lay down in the empty bed, giving in to temptation and closing her eyes. She had never really slept, but lying still and resting her shell made her feel relaxed, hoping to be rejuvenated much like Spike, she began to think of Wesley and Gunn, slipping into a sorrowful slumber. Angel was sitting by the window when he sensed Spike approaching. “What’s the plan? We going our separate ways, saying our adios’ and moving on, or we sticking this out together?” “Do you think we could take them on solo?” Angel asked. “Don’t know. You really think they’ll come for us?” “Maybe not right away, but they’re not just going to let us walk away, especially not after a stunt like that. Partners have a personal vendetta against us now, each of us in time will pay.” “So, how’s Mexico this time of year?” Spike grinned. All of a sudden a huge banging on the door began, when both vampires snapped their heads around to look at it. Rooted to the spot they waited for the door to burst open before lunging at the oncoming attack. When the door finally gave way to the thumping and they began heir descent on their would-be assailant they had to stop in their tracks when it was just Eve standing there in exasperation. “Eve?” Both vampires asked simultaneously. “I can’t believe you boys were stupid enough to come back here.” She huffed pushing her way into the apartment “Have you seen the news?” “Eve, what the hell are you doing here?” Angel spat out disgusted at her for even coming to find them. “Oh sweetie, you really aren’t all that bright are you? Senior Partners want me dead, and they want you dead. As I am no longer an immortal I’m going to need some degree of safety – and as you’re no longer in the loop with the Partners, you’re going to need my contacts and my inside information on everything that company knows. So buckle up for the ride kids, ‘cause I’ve just come on board.” Both Spike and Angel stood dumbfounded in front of her for a few seconds before she spoke again. “Where are the others?” “Didn’t make it.” Angel said folding his arms and eyeing the girl in front of him cautiously. While he hated to admit it, Angel was completely blind in this new fight and she was their best shot so far at some kind of foresight to the Partner’s reaction. “So, Eve, how long before you betray or try to have us killed?” “Come on Angel, why would I have you killed when you’re all that’s standing between me and the Senior Partners. Think about it.” Giving Angel a quick wink, she then moved toward the television and switched it on. “Now pay attention for the real lesson.” Spike and Angel became intrigued, and slumped down on the sofa, waiting for Eve to find what she was looking for. As the news came up three sets of eyes became glued to the screen. The alleyway behind the Hyperion was being broadcast from a helicopter’s point of view. “Oh, hell.” Spike said at last. -------------------------------------------------- Faith was in the training room with a couple of the new slayers. They had been playing around with swords and training in various weapons. Giles entered the room solemnly and took Faith aside, gripping her elbow to drag her from her duties. “Gees Giles, what’s up?” Giles’ face fell at Faith’s question. He had just seen the news being broadcast of an all out war talking place in LA. Knowing what Angel meant to Faith he took it upon himself to be the one to tell her. “It’s Angel.” When Faith’s features turned grim and her skin greyed, Giles knew he had to take her away to tell her everything. Turning to the girls he gives a brisk smile and wave, before tugging the eldest slayer from the room. After the demise of the Council and Sunnydale, Giles had managed to contact many of the Watchers that had survived, and some of their allies, along with the coven in England. The Watchers that still existed also still had some political sway and managed to get Faith out of America and transferred to Giles’ guardianship. They created a new council, aimed at training and aiding the new slayers that cropped up all over the place. Faith took to training the girls up, and the Watchers to teaching them about their history and power, Andrew was there too learning what it was to be a Watcher – but in recent months he took to travelling the globe to bring in the new slayers. Life in England had become idyllic to Faith, she was trusted, respected, looked up to and she still had the chance to go out and have fun when she felt like it. She wasn’t working solo, nor was she working with just one other slayer – she had plenty of other slayers to watch her back and help her out. Giles had become Faith’s Watcher again, taking to training her one on one the way he had once done with Buffy – furthering Faith’s skills and sharpening her techniques. He felt like he had a place again, as a Watcher and not just as a father figure. Giles had long outgrown his position with Buffy, and when Faith stayed with him after the apocalypse in Sunnydale he couldn’t deny how it felt to have a slayer to train again. He had also become a pillar of trust and friendship to Faith, talking to her, and helping her. But he knew that whatever doors were now open in Faith it was due to Angel’s dogged devotion to helping her. As they sat alone in the kitchen to the new council building, there was another watcher in the background pouring some tea. Both Giles and Faith held their gaze low, never looking up from the blank surface of the table. As the other man left the uncomfortable silence, watcher and slayer heaved a sigh and braced themselves for the conversation. “It’s all over the news. They’re saying that there was a mutiny in Wolfram and Hart. Hundreds that worked for them, or were clients were killed, and the others they – went missing. They have the streets blocked off in LA, they found three bodies they believe were connected to the mutiny.” “Bodies?” Faith asked, her voice barely squeaking out her response. “Wesley and um, Charles Gunn I believe his name was. The other I – I don’t remember.” Faith hung her head and nodded in agreement. “Apparently the fight, it went on all night. Senator Brucker was murdered, she was found with an axe in her head. They believe that the attack started on the inside of the firm and – and it went from there. They announced that there were no survivors. They had footage of the street Faith, it was lined in ashes. If Angel were to – if he did go against the Senior Partners, and cause all of this – they would never have let him live.” “Had to go out with a bang I guess.” Faith half-heartedly smiled and she looked at Giles. Her tears were brimming and the water clung to her eyes refusing to fall. “I just, I need to go, you know kill something.” “Faith, Wolfram and Hart were undoubtedly evil. There is nothing we could have done to help them.” She didn’t answer, or look up, she had heard Angel shouting down the phone at Giles not long ago begging for his help – and she had heard Giles’ outright rejection. Whether or not they could have helped, as far as she was concerned they could have tried. Faith was ready to hop on a plane and take her chances with the cops in LA, but Giles had held her back, telling her that the firm was evil, that she shouldn’t get involved, that Angel was a fool for going there. She slinked off out into the night to think things through. ----------------------------------------------- Dawn was sitting up talking to Xander and Andrew when the breaking news had hit the television. When the photos of Wesley, Gunn and Lindsey were shown on the screen telling of their untimely deaths, neither could believe it. The scenes of the Senator’s office were shown, the bodies removed but the ash remaining more than apparent. There was a mutilated car totally destroyed. The footage from inside the firm showed the extent of the disaster. The newscasters spoke of the earthquakes and how that may have had some affect on the damage. Xander and Dawn sat agog looking at the screen in disbelief. Andrew meanwhile was trying to stop himself from bursting out about Spike’s presence in LA. He had kept the secret from Buffy and all of the others as per instructions, but now that he thought Spike may once again be deceased, he wasn’t sure if he could contain the information any longer. Making a flimsy excuse that he was tired, he slipped off out of the way and went off to the bedroom where he was staying. Buffy was meeting with her source again, he called himself The Immortal, and though she constantly joked behind his back about how corny his name was, while she was with him, she knew her act could never fail. Buffy had been moving through Europe with Xander and Dawn when she came to Rome and found the place quite appealing. As time went on, she got Dawn enrolled in school, Xander found some contracting work and she found herself a little café to serve at. Her night life, being the slayer, was never as eventful as in Sunnydale, but it was still enough to tide her over. She had met The Immortal about three months ago and was ready to kill him. When she found out that he held intimate knowledge of every demon in and around Rome and that he was of no immediate threat to anyone – she began to use him. Buffy kept herself limited to harmless flirtations, a dance or two and coy smiles here and there – but never anything more. Over time he spilled various snippets of information, guiding her to nests of vampires and demons, directing her to threats before anything happened. Their meetings became more frequent as she found herself longing for a good fight again – the puny vampires and demons she had been facing were no longer enough to fill her appetite. She prayed for him to tell her of demons planning an apocalypse, or a battle, something she could sink herself into once more, but he never did. As they danced mindlessly, she could tell her source was in a better mood than normal but she didn’t query it. His lips turned upward every now and then as he pictured the two vampires suffering a painful death – Angelus and William the Bloody, meeting their end at the hands of Wolfram and Hart. The Immortal suppressed his delighted smile that was growing and instead the edges of his lips just flinched now and then. Buffy watched him curiously. “What?” “You haven’t heard?” His heavily accented voice came through the pounding music. “Heard what?” “There was a huge apocalyptic battle between Angelus and the demons belonging to the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. Earthquakes, murders, deaths, they were all killed. Angelus was a foe of mine from years before – I am merely happy that the vampire has finally met his fate.” He watched as the colour drained from his dance partner, and she hastily began to push her way through the crowds, rushing toward the exit. The Immortal attempted to follow but as he reached the door the girl was long gone. Buffy came hurtling through the door to her apartment to see Xander and Dawn watching the news, Buffy was pure white, and panting from running over there. Xander looked at her and could tell she had seen something, or heard some part of the news. “You heard?” He asked kindly. “It’s true? I mean is it all – Angel’s – he died?” Buffy became inanimate once the words left her mouth. It was as though her body had shut down, and she had lost hope that any of them could survive. Both Spike and Angel were the ones she could rely on to continue forever, to go on living, and both of their lives had now been snuffed out – leaving her petrified of her own vulnerability to evil. Dawn could see her sister wrestle with the emotions inside. She had seen her break down after Spike died, her love for him finally exposed to Dawn. Though Buffy had never spoke a word of it to Xander, Dawn had heard her cry herself to sleep for so long, and had seen her sister become numb, devoid of expressing what was inside. They had quickly left America, Buffy was desperate to distance herself as much as possible from apocalypses, demons and the memories of her and Spike. Buffy stayed strong, used her slayer prowess to get the injured to hospitals or into suitable care, to see to it that Willow was alright after the spell, and to make sure that everyone had somewhere to go. It took about three days before she stood in a new country, everything was foreign to her and her total disconnect from the world and her emotions went on halt the second she saw the flash of blonde hair and the trail of a leather duster. Buffy had hurtled after that last shred of hope that some part of him was still with her. Xander and Dawn who were checking into the hotel hadn’t seen what it was that had her running, but Dawn had the sense to chase after her. Dawn reached the hotel lobby where she saw Buffy gawking at some random person with streaks of blonde and a leather coat. It only took seconds for the slayer’s defence system to falter and her body to hit the ground, sobbing so hard, her ribs felt constricting. Everything Buffy had been holding back hit her so hard it debilitated her instantly, leaving Dawn to scoop the sobbing mess into her arms and to hug her lovingly in front of the gaping strangers. Dawn wasn’t sure if Buffy was holding anything back now or not. Her love for Angel had long since vanished and her attentions never strayed from Spike. Dawn had noted that since Buffy and Spike’s relationship her sister had never entertained any thoughts of another man. The date with Principal Wood was Buffy’s last. “You okay Buffy?” Dawn asked at last. “I just – I guess I always thought Angel would be there. If someone managed to kill him, I just – maybe I won’t last as long. I don’t know, I guess it’s silly.” Buffy pursed her lips and moved off to the bedroom to be alone, and review all her thoughts on what mattered. She had just wished for a huge battle – and Angel had met his match in his own fight in LA. Buffy couldn’t help but feel guilty that she couldn’t have been there to step in, and help out – the way he always came to her to help when she needed it. Andrew listened in to the others talking and decided it was best not to open any raw wounds for Buffy by telling her that Spike too was dead once again. Andrew told himself that they were all better off not knowing. Buffy especially did not need to know that both Spike and Angel had set foot in this apartment just three weeks before. Lying back down into his bed, he shed a tear for those who had died in LA, and he began to think of his last meeting with the vampires, smiling at their everlasting love. -------------------------------------------------- Spike, Angel, Eve and Illyria were all seated in a circle, they had watched the news on ten different channels and managed to convince themselves that they were safe for now. Huddled together there was little that they had left to say. “Alright, we need to find somewhere to stay, Wolfram and Hart might not be hot on our tracks but if we stay close they’ll find us. I think Spike had the right idea suggesting Mexico, or possibly somewhere further - just until we get our bearings again.” Angel spoke with his usual level headed firm tone. “You’re just going to leave?” Eve asked totally shocked by Angel’s suggestion. When he turned to look at her, joined by both Spike and Illyria she then realised they had no idea how deep this fight was about to go. “You don’t know? You really thought that was it? Game over?” “Well, yeah, beat down the bloody bad guys, what else is there?” Spike was the first to speak from the three confused demons. “Well boys, I wouldn’t be breaking out the congratulatory champagne just yet – we still got an apocalypse on our hands.” “A what?” Spike’s mouth fell open, his worst fears just voiced openly by Eve. “You killed the Circle of the Black Thorn. But you didn’t honestly think that the Senior Partner’s wouldn’t have a back up plan did you?” “A back up? Oh, now that is just sodding brilliant, couldn’t have told us this earlier, no you had to wait until we iced the circle, and nearly got ourselves killed by your precious Partner’s and now that we’re not dead you decide to tell us that, oh wait, there’s more to come. I am at the end of my bleeding tether here with you and your sodding surprises! You wanna tell us exactly what you know right now, or I’m going to rip you a new one!” Spike was growling now, vamping out and grabbing Eve by her throat and thrusting her roughly against the wall. “Spike, maybe this isn’t the best way to handle this.” Angel began moving over to stand by him and glare into Eve’s eyes. Angel’s eyes turned amber before hers and the fear reflected in her pleading eyes was more than pleasing to the vampires. “We’ll get the job done much quicker with two of us.” Angel grinned at the wriggling former immortal. “Right, Eve, start talking.” Spike spoke. “Look hey, I thought you knew! Not my fault that you didn’t ask Lindsey for all the specifics before you sent him off to his death.” “Really not telling us what we want to hear yet Eve.” Angel growled with his menacing stare still fixated on her. Illyria too was hovering by the girl now. “The Partners have been planning an apocalypse for years, the circle was their instrument on earth, and now that’s gone, they’re going to be pretty damn pissed off, and probably not in the slightest bit concerned with you lot anymore. But they have demons, followers.” Spike loosened his grip and she felt her neck the sting from his grasp burning into her. “Alright, so who are these followers then?” Spike grilled her further. “The Gylliad demons work for them – and they can pull off this apocalypse. And it’s going to be coming real soon kids, Senior Partner’s are through playing. You bet your ass they swooped right in there to clean up your mess today, bribing the cops, extorting money to anyone that witnessed anything other worldly – but the demons, they know the real truth. The Partner’s can’t afford to look weak anymore. The Gylliad demons can force this world into a hell dimension, an underworld, ruled over by the Partners – keep the demons in their places.” “The Gylliad tribe are older than ordinary demons. They were pure demons. To my knowledge at least, but not a breed I paid much heed to in the time of my kingdom. How have the Wolf, Ram and Hart managed to bring them to this time?” Illyria remembered them briefly, but had no useful information to add, other than their age. “That I don’t know.” Spike was about to punch her when she dodged quickly and he stopped inches before his fist whacked the wall. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s Wolfram and Hart, they have the power to create temporal time folds, or know of someone who could do it, either way the Gylliad are the ones that are coming. That’s all I know.” Angel turned to see Spike, both had their human features back and both looked as though they were sweating under the stress of this new information. Spike just rolled his eyes at last, “Bollocks.” |