Improvising Atonement, 3/?
Nov. 25th, 2007 12:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevendeadlyfunPairing: None this chapter (Spike, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: A vampire with a soul comes to Sunnydale to help The Slayer. Can a demon ever atone?
A/N: Thanks tonoandwhere for her beta work. Some dialogue taken from BtVS S1 episode "The Harvest", everything modified to suit my evil plans, of course!
“Okay,” Xander breathed out heavily. “See, this is where I have a problem. We’re talking about vampires. We’re having a talk with vampires in it. Anyone else feeling the creepy wrongness? Show of hands?”
Willow’s hand crept up timidly, but she said, “Isn’t that what we saw last night?”
“No.” Buffy shook her head, blonde curls flying. “Those weren’t vampires. Just some freaky guys in thundering need of facial. Or rabies! It could have been rabies. And that guy turning to dust? Just a trick of the light.”
She shot Xander a sympathetic glance. “That’s what I said the first time I saw a vampire. Well, after I got over the screaming.”
Willow nodded. She remembered the screaming part. She admired Buffy for getting over the screaming. She wasn’t sure she could get past it.
“So vampires are demons?” Xander asked, turning towards Giles.
“In a sense, yes,” Giles responded. “They are killed and infected by the demon’s soul. What you see is a…a simulacrum of the person they once were, but at their core, they are demonic. They walk the Earth, feeding, killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out and the old ones to return.”
“So how do we stop them?” Xander challenged, eyes hard.
“You don’t,” Buffy answered firmly. “I do.”
“Why you?” Xander asked. “What makes you so special?”
“She is the Slayer,” Giles said.
“He loves this part,” Buffy laughed lightly.
“Into each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, chosen to fight the vampires.” Giles told Xander, glaring coolly at Buffy. “Don’t tell anyone and don’t go out after dark. Now, if that’s all…”
“No, that’s not all,” Xander snapped. “Jesse’s my friend and I have to…”
“Stay put,” Buffy shot back. “Jesse’s my responsibility. I let him get taken.”
“That’s not true,” Willow protested. “If you and that guy hadn’t shown up, Xander and I would be…would be…does anyone mind if I pass out now?”
“Breathe,” Buffy coached, laying a comforting hand on Willow’s shoulder.
“Guy,” Giles repeated quietly. “What guy?”
“Harvest Guy,” Buffy informed him. “Jumped in, tried to save the day. I showed up in time to finish off the last few, but he was holding his own there for awhile.”
“Harvest Guy,” Xander said. “Did his parents not like him very much, ‘cause that’s a pretty ridiculous name.”
“I’m fairly certain that is not his name,” Giles responded dryly. “He delivered a warning about an approaching ‘harvest’ whatever that may be.”
“Do you…do you think Jesse has something to do with this ‘harvest’?” Willow asked nervously.
“Bet on it,” Buffy said confidently. “Big guy, Luke, talked about an offering to some master. Now that sounds to me like Jesse isn’t just a meal. He’s something more and that means he’s probably still alive.”
“So what’s next,” Xander said, walking towards the door. “We saddle up, right?”
“Uhm, less we more me,” Buffy said softly. “I’m the Slayer, you’re not.”
“Buffy’s quite correct.” Giles insinuated himself between the two teenagers. Xander’s eyes were dark, the anger and frustration a palpable presence in the room. “This is not a job for children.”
“I’m not a child,” Xander replied, voice shaking. “I’m Jesse’s friend and I’m going to help him.”
“Then help me research,” Giles replied smoothly. “If we can determine what exactly this ‘harvest’ is, then perhaps we can prevent it. Buffy, return to the cemetery and see if you can find out where they would have taken him. Perhaps there’s a sewer access nearby?”
“I didn’t see one,” Buffy said doubtfully. “But I can check.”
“There’s an electrical tunnel that rounds under the entire town,” Xander volunteered, grateful to be doing something productive. Inwardly, he seethed at the idea that he wasn’t good enough to help Jesse.
“Well, Buffy will investigate,” Giles said. “Meanwhile, I have a few books that could be of some use.”
***
Buffy walked cautiously towards the mausoleum. Bright sunny days meant no vampires, but sunshine didn’t prevent anyone non-demony from noticing a truant kid wandering through a cemetery. Second day of school and she was already out on Slayer assignment. Somehow, this fresh start was feeling decidedly unfresh, and she had a feeling that despite what those creepy commercials said, her Mom would not be super understanding about her not-so-fresh feeling.
“So,” she said to herself, surveying the interior. “If I were the entrance to a vampire hidey-hole, where would I be?”
“If you were the entrance to a vampire hidey-hole,” Spike pointed out from the shadows, “you’d be well-hidden. And silent. And less blonde. And…”
“Less likely to hit you in your annoying mouth,” she responded pointedly.
“True,” he agreed graciously. “Took you long enough to get here. I’ve been waiting for hours.”
She stared at him in amazement. “You know, you could have called me. Maybe, oh I don’t know, told me about this place.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Could have. Didn’t.”
She blew out an exasperated breath. Surveying the door, she jiggled it slightly. The chain rattled, sending dust flying into her face.
“I don’t suppose,” Buffy asked lightly, “you’ve got a key?”
“Fresh out,” Spike admitted. “Still, I’m betting you don’t need anything so pedestrian as a key.”
Buffy kicked the door in, spinning to face him. He smiled back at her, and then suddenly his face turned somber. This wasn’t a training exercise. A boy was already dead and if this little Slayer wasn’t careful, she’d follow him shortly into the beyond.
“You coming?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.
“Can’t,” he replied. “They’re not exactly fond of me.”
“Hmm,” Buffy mused sarcastically. “Hang on while I find my shock and surprise.”
“One of them is…was,” he corrected quietly, “family. They don’t appreciate the reminder.”
Her eyes softened and he bridled a bit under her pity. There wasn’t one lie in what he’d said, but he was misdirecting her and that chafed. Still, brutal honesty only led to ugliness and the coat he wore was proof of that. Its weight and heft was reminder of the penance he still had to pay. Can’t dance to the tune if you won’t pay the piper, he told himself sternly.
“Well if you plan on being my All Knowing Annoyance,” she teased, “can you at least tell me your name?”
“Will,” he answered promptly, sketching a slight bow. “Not quite at your service, mind. I don’t do windows or carry bags, but I might be up to watching your back.”
She turned somber, her face a mask of pain, and he could almost taste the sorrow radiating off her small frame. He felt a strange need to hug her, keep her close and fend off the monsters. It was disconcerting, this need to stand at her side. Slayers and vampires were meant to rub each other wrong, and he did feel the wrongness. It was an itch inside his head, colliding and bouncing off the desire to help. He shook his head, trying to shake something loose. That’s when he caught the scent. Burnt chocolate fear and intoxicating boy sweat.
“Best hurry,” he said, trying to nudge her forward. “Monsters to fight, boys to save and all that.”
“Gonna wish me luck,” she asked lightly, rolling her eyes.
“Luck,” he told her solemnly, “is for tossers with no skill.”
She glared at him before vanishing into the dark entryway. He grinned, pulling back a bit into the shadows. The boy would be here in a quick second, and there was nothing wrong with giving him a bit of a start. Might help dissuade him from the incredibly stupid thing he was about to do…
Chapter 4
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: A vampire with a soul comes to Sunnydale to help The Slayer. Can a demon ever atone?
A/N: Thanks to
noandwhere for her beta work. Some dialogue taken from BtVS S1 episode "The Harvest", everything modified to suit my evil plans, of course!“Okay,” Xander breathed out heavily. “See, this is where I have a problem. We’re talking about vampires. We’re having a talk with vampires in it. Anyone else feeling the creepy wrongness? Show of hands?”
Willow’s hand crept up timidly, but she said, “Isn’t that what we saw last night?”
“No.” Buffy shook her head, blonde curls flying. “Those weren’t vampires. Just some freaky guys in thundering need of facial. Or rabies! It could have been rabies. And that guy turning to dust? Just a trick of the light.”
She shot Xander a sympathetic glance. “That’s what I said the first time I saw a vampire. Well, after I got over the screaming.”
Willow nodded. She remembered the screaming part. She admired Buffy for getting over the screaming. She wasn’t sure she could get past it.
“So vampires are demons?” Xander asked, turning towards Giles.
“In a sense, yes,” Giles responded. “They are killed and infected by the demon’s soul. What you see is a…a simulacrum of the person they once were, but at their core, they are demonic. They walk the Earth, feeding, killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out and the old ones to return.”
“So how do we stop them?” Xander challenged, eyes hard.
“You don’t,” Buffy answered firmly. “I do.”
“Why you?” Xander asked. “What makes you so special?”
“She is the Slayer,” Giles said.
“He loves this part,” Buffy laughed lightly.
“Into each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, chosen to fight the vampires.” Giles told Xander, glaring coolly at Buffy. “Don’t tell anyone and don’t go out after dark. Now, if that’s all…”
“No, that’s not all,” Xander snapped. “Jesse’s my friend and I have to…”
“Stay put,” Buffy shot back. “Jesse’s my responsibility. I let him get taken.”
“That’s not true,” Willow protested. “If you and that guy hadn’t shown up, Xander and I would be…would be…does anyone mind if I pass out now?”
“Breathe,” Buffy coached, laying a comforting hand on Willow’s shoulder.
“Guy,” Giles repeated quietly. “What guy?”
“Harvest Guy,” Buffy informed him. “Jumped in, tried to save the day. I showed up in time to finish off the last few, but he was holding his own there for awhile.”
“Harvest Guy,” Xander said. “Did his parents not like him very much, ‘cause that’s a pretty ridiculous name.”
“I’m fairly certain that is not his name,” Giles responded dryly. “He delivered a warning about an approaching ‘harvest’ whatever that may be.”
“Do you…do you think Jesse has something to do with this ‘harvest’?” Willow asked nervously.
“Bet on it,” Buffy said confidently. “Big guy, Luke, talked about an offering to some master. Now that sounds to me like Jesse isn’t just a meal. He’s something more and that means he’s probably still alive.”
“So what’s next,” Xander said, walking towards the door. “We saddle up, right?”
“Uhm, less we more me,” Buffy said softly. “I’m the Slayer, you’re not.”
“Buffy’s quite correct.” Giles insinuated himself between the two teenagers. Xander’s eyes were dark, the anger and frustration a palpable presence in the room. “This is not a job for children.”
“I’m not a child,” Xander replied, voice shaking. “I’m Jesse’s friend and I’m going to help him.”
“Then help me research,” Giles replied smoothly. “If we can determine what exactly this ‘harvest’ is, then perhaps we can prevent it. Buffy, return to the cemetery and see if you can find out where they would have taken him. Perhaps there’s a sewer access nearby?”
“I didn’t see one,” Buffy said doubtfully. “But I can check.”
“There’s an electrical tunnel that rounds under the entire town,” Xander volunteered, grateful to be doing something productive. Inwardly, he seethed at the idea that he wasn’t good enough to help Jesse.
“Well, Buffy will investigate,” Giles said. “Meanwhile, I have a few books that could be of some use.”
***
Buffy walked cautiously towards the mausoleum. Bright sunny days meant no vampires, but sunshine didn’t prevent anyone non-demony from noticing a truant kid wandering through a cemetery. Second day of school and she was already out on Slayer assignment. Somehow, this fresh start was feeling decidedly unfresh, and she had a feeling that despite what those creepy commercials said, her Mom would not be super understanding about her not-so-fresh feeling.
“So,” she said to herself, surveying the interior. “If I were the entrance to a vampire hidey-hole, where would I be?”
“If you were the entrance to a vampire hidey-hole,” Spike pointed out from the shadows, “you’d be well-hidden. And silent. And less blonde. And…”
“Less likely to hit you in your annoying mouth,” she responded pointedly.
“True,” he agreed graciously. “Took you long enough to get here. I’ve been waiting for hours.”
She stared at him in amazement. “You know, you could have called me. Maybe, oh I don’t know, told me about this place.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Could have. Didn’t.”
She blew out an exasperated breath. Surveying the door, she jiggled it slightly. The chain rattled, sending dust flying into her face.
“I don’t suppose,” Buffy asked lightly, “you’ve got a key?”
“Fresh out,” Spike admitted. “Still, I’m betting you don’t need anything so pedestrian as a key.”
Buffy kicked the door in, spinning to face him. He smiled back at her, and then suddenly his face turned somber. This wasn’t a training exercise. A boy was already dead and if this little Slayer wasn’t careful, she’d follow him shortly into the beyond.
“You coming?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.
“Can’t,” he replied. “They’re not exactly fond of me.”
“Hmm,” Buffy mused sarcastically. “Hang on while I find my shock and surprise.”
“One of them is…was,” he corrected quietly, “family. They don’t appreciate the reminder.”
Her eyes softened and he bridled a bit under her pity. There wasn’t one lie in what he’d said, but he was misdirecting her and that chafed. Still, brutal honesty only led to ugliness and the coat he wore was proof of that. Its weight and heft was reminder of the penance he still had to pay. Can’t dance to the tune if you won’t pay the piper, he told himself sternly.
“Well if you plan on being my All Knowing Annoyance,” she teased, “can you at least tell me your name?”
“Will,” he answered promptly, sketching a slight bow. “Not quite at your service, mind. I don’t do windows or carry bags, but I might be up to watching your back.”
She turned somber, her face a mask of pain, and he could almost taste the sorrow radiating off her small frame. He felt a strange need to hug her, keep her close and fend off the monsters. It was disconcerting, this need to stand at her side. Slayers and vampires were meant to rub each other wrong, and he did feel the wrongness. It was an itch inside his head, colliding and bouncing off the desire to help. He shook his head, trying to shake something loose. That’s when he caught the scent. Burnt chocolate fear and intoxicating boy sweat.
“Best hurry,” he said, trying to nudge her forward. “Monsters to fight, boys to save and all that.”
“Gonna wish me luck,” she asked lightly, rolling her eyes.
“Luck,” he told her solemnly, “is for tossers with no skill.”
She glared at him before vanishing into the dark entryway. He grinned, pulling back a bit into the shadows. The boy would be here in a quick second, and there was nothing wrong with giving him a bit of a start. Might help dissuade him from the incredibly stupid thing he was about to do…
Chapter 4
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2007-11-25 07:41 am (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-25 01:20 pm (UTC)It's like watching th show again, only with an added bonus! Soled Spike helping Buffy! So cool!
More, more please!!!!!
*hugs*
no subject
on 2007-11-25 01:55 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-25 04:15 pm (UTC)I also loved this exchange: “Gonna wish me luck,” she asked lightly, rolling her eyes.
“Luck,” he told her solemnly, “is for tossers with no skill.” If Spike's delivery weren't so grim, this would have been a throw away joke. Instead it carries weight. Nice job.
no subject
on 2007-11-25 07:45 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-25 10:34 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-25 11:06 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 12:37 am (UTC)*Mwah*
no subject
on 2007-11-26 06:16 am (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:03 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-26 03:07 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-27 04:28 am (UTC)Spike is so much better at the lurking thing than Angel was. Looking forward to the encounter with Xan.
no subject
on 2007-11-29 10:26 pm (UTC)hee hee, a proper meeting between the boys.
Can't wait!
~Alice~
no subject
on 2007-11-30 10:20 am (UTC)no subject
on 2007-11-30 10:21 am (UTC)