| CHAPTER 19 |
|
Buffy slid a thin-bladed dagger from a hidden sheath in her vest and handed
it to Anya. �Check the back door and make sure it�s locked would you? I don�t
need anything sneaking up on us.� �On it Buffy. I�ll take Xander with me so he won�t get in your way.� Anya said, taking the dagger and making her way into the kitchen, dragging Xander with her. Spike smirked, �So how many more of those things do you have tucked away in your vest?� He ran his eyes across her chest. �And why didn�t I find them last night? Thought that thing was a corset of some kind.� �It�s a little of both, and here,� Buffy handed him the twin to the dagger she had given to Anya. �Use it in good health.� Joyce wrapped her arms around Dawn and asked, �Mother, who is out there?� Without looking at Joyce, Buffy answered her in a hard tone of voice. �Angelus for one, the stupid asshole, approximately 15 various demons, and Hank�� Buffy trailed off on the last name and hoped Joyce hadn�t caught it. Unfortunately, Giles had and remarked on it. �Hank� as in Hank Summers, Joyce�s ex-husband?� Joyce gasped and cuddled Dawn closer. �He�s HERE? Why is he here?� Something resembling understanding appeared in Joyce�s eyes. �He is not taking Dawn from me. The judge told him he couldn�t have her, couldn�t even see her. So he is NOT taking her away from me!� �Relax Joy; he won�t be taking anyone anywhere. Except maybe himself to the morgue.� Buffy said as calmly as she could. Willow gaped at Buffy. �You mean you are going to kill him for wanting to see his own daughter?� �No, I�m going to kill him for wanting to use Dawn as a sacrifice to his bosses,� Buffy snapped irritably. Spike growled audibly and tightened his grip on the dagger. �Red, make yourself useful and put up a barrier around the house� doors and windows.� �Excellent idea, Spike. I think we need some time to get a little information on this problem.� Giles said. �I�ll give the girls a hand with that barrier spell and mayhap Buffy can fill us in on the details?� �I�ll tell you what I know, which isn�t much,� Buffy said softly, never taking her eyes off the door. �But we don�t have much time. They�re almost here.� �Tell us what you can Luv,� Spike said gently. �Please Mother, if it involves Dawn, I NEED to know,� Joyce looked scared and at the same time indignant. �Very well,� Buffy said, noticing that everyone else was listening as well. �A couple of months ago, Cassandra had a vision regarding Dawn. The details were sketchy but a couple of things were very clear. One was the New Moon, which is in 2 night�s time�� Willow interrupted excitedly. �OH! And it�s the winter solstice in 2 nights. Longest night of the year. Oh this isn�t good at all� �Indeed it isn�t. Added to that is the fact that Cass saw Hank�s face�� Buffy trailed off, looking sheepish. �What took me so long getting here is the fact I did a little digging on Hank. Seems he recently joined a new law firm. Wolfram and Hart.� �Wolfram and Hart? Isn�t that the law firm in LA? One of the most prestigious from what I understand,� Giles asked, intrigued. �Yup, that would be them,� Buffy replied. Spike interrupted, �Why would Hank Summers be working for a demon law firm?� �Beats me, but I think he likes the benefit package. Extended lifespan, money out the wazoo, lack of scruples,� Buffy snarked. �But part of the application is a sacrifice. A virgin sacrifice. And it�s preferred if the sacrifice is related to the applicant.� Joyce was outraged, �You mean that lousy son of a bitch wants to sacrifice my daughter so he can get a fucking job with a bunch of demonic lawyers? Over my dead body!� Xander stepped forward, �Okay G-man, backdoor is secure, as are the upstairs windows. Willow and Tara managed to ward all the doors and windows, but I think we're running out of time.� Turning to where Joyce and Dawn were sitting, Xander said, �Dawn, Mrs. Summers, I would like to apologize for my behavior towards Dawn earlier. And I just want you to know that nobody is gonna touch Dawn without going through me first.� �So are we talking complete body sacrifice here, or just a small blood-letting?� Anya asked. �I looked into it, well as best I could before Joe was locked out of their computer systems. It�s a combined sacrifice. Blood, sex and death combined to seal his bargain with the senior partners.� Buffy stated softly. �Hank has no problem with having sexual relations with minors, it�s the reason the judge didn�t grant him visitation rights. He was caught in flagrante delicto with the underage babysitter. Fortunately, he does have some scruples, and draws the line at incest. Unfortunately, it looks like he found someone, several some ones, to perform the actual �physical� act. Most of which are provided by Wolfram and Hart. All of them in fact, except one, from the looks of it.� Spike quickly caught on to what she was saying and his eyes bled to pure gold as his demon rushed forth, ready to defend his Nibblet. Willow�s eyes almost popped out of her head as she came to the logical conclusion. �You mean� he�s gonna let all those demons� Just so he can get a job? Not while I still drawn breath!� Willow was incensed. �Willow-girl, listen to me. I want you and Tara to take Dawn and Joyce down to the basement, cast a protection spell. Nothing comes in OR out. Take the others as well. I�ll hold them off up here. Anya, I want you to contact D�Hoffryn; he owes me big time. If I cant stop them� I want him to get them out of here.� Buffy started issuing orders, fully expecting the others to follow them. As everyone started down into the basement, urged on by Joyce, Spike stayed beside Buffy. �I�m not gonna leave you to take on that bunch by yourself Luv. I�ve got your back.� �Thanks Spike, I just hope we can stop them all. My senses are picking up at least 100 demon signatures.� Buffy said quietly. �Bring it on, I love a good rough and tumble,� Spike said with a fangy grin. |
| CHAPTER 20 |
| Buffy glanced towards the basement door, making sure Joyce closed it behind
her. �I hope she didn�t hear me about the 100 demon signatures,� she muttered quietly
to herself, but Spike overheard her anyway. �Wondered �bout that luv. Care to fill me in on the sudden jump in numbers?� Spike asked. �I originally said 15 so Joyce wouldn�t get worried,� Buffy replied. �You takin� on 15 demons, wouldn�t worry her? Hell, it would worry me,� Spike stated. �Spike, 7-1 odds are better than 50-1 odds. And frankly it�s the second set of odds that�s got me worried. How long can Willow keep that barrier up?� Buffy inquired as she reached for the door. Spike shrugged. �No clue luv, I try and stay as far away from that mojo stuff as possible. But with both Tara and Ol� Ripper helping her, should be a fair piece. Why?� �If she can keep it up for the next 48 hours, Hank is shit outta luck,� Buffy answered, stepping out onto the porch, closing the door behind them. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Giles stood at the bottom of the basement stairs, checking it over for defensibility and also for a place to set up a casting circle. �Xander, take those scraps of board and block off the windows please.� �Sure thing G-man,� Xander said, suiting actions to words. Nodding, Giles next turned to Willow and Tara. �I think if we cast the circle at the foot of the stairs, it will provide us with enough room.� He turned to Anya. �What do you need to contact D�Hoffryn?� �Not much, just a few words and Buffy�s dagger. I�ll just go over to the corner there. When I�m done I�ll give Willow and Tara a hand with the barrier spell.� Anya stated, turning away. �I thought you lost your powers when your amulet was destroyed?� Giles inquired with a puzzled look on his face. �I lost my demon powers, but I was a witch before I was elevated,� Anya answered in an offhanded manner. �I see. Well I am sure your assistance will be most helpful. Thank you,� Giles stated before turning to Joyce, who had a worried expression on her face. �What is wrong my dear?� Joyce looked at Giles with deep fear in her eyes. �I heard what Mother said, just before I closed the door. She picked up way more than 15 demon signatures, Rupert. I�m afraid she may be in trouble.� Wrapping his arms around Joyce, Giles kissed her tenderly. �Don�t worry my dear. Spike is with her. I�m sure that together they can handle anything.� �I hope so, Rupert. Otherwise, I fear we are all in serious trouble,� Joyce whispered. Extricating herself from Giles� arms, Joyce led Dawn over to Spike�s room. �Lie down and try to sleep baby. Everything will be just fine.� Joyce sank wearily into the chair by the door and tried not to look as terrified as she felt. Xander kept an eye on everyone while he boarded up the windows, ensuring that they were securely fastened before he hammered up the boards. Tara and Willow, using a piece of camping charcoal they had found, were drawing a circle at the base of the stairs and discussing how best to erect a barrier around the house. �I think we should ward the basement first, and then the rest of the house,� Willow was saying. Tara shook her head and replied, �No, we should ward the whole house first, outside, and then inside, then ward the kitchen, and then the basement door, and bottom of the stairs. And set up 2 more wards between us and Spike�s room. Then ward his room.� Having heard the conversation, Giles interjected a question, �Why so many wards, and with Spike�s room last?� �It�s something my grandmother told me about, how the destruction of one ward can be used to strengthen the subsequent wards. So if we start outside the house, and that ward gets breached, it will strengthen the next ward, inside the house,� Tara replied confidently. Anya inserted herself into the conversation as she joined them. �D�Hoffryn agrees with Tara, and has promised to yank us all out of here if the ward on Spike�s room is attacked. I�d suggest making the wards permeable to those of us here. So we can get into the room when the demons make it to the basement.� �Wait� you said �when�. Why did you say when, Anya?� Xander asked, concerned. Anya glanced around, making sure that neither Joyce nor Dawn could hear her. �Buffy is up against way more than the 15 demons she mentioned before we all came downstairs. D�Hoffryn indicated we may be in trouble.� �Right then. Let�s get these wards in place, starting just outside the walls of the house,� Giles stated, gesturing them into place. Xander, knowing he wasn�t of any use in this casting, took up position just outside the door to Spike�s room, doing his best impersonation of an immovable object. The other 4 took their places, and began the complex construction of the first ward. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* As the door clicked shut, Buffy felt the tell-tale tingle of a barrier ward being erected. �Looks like they got the house protected, time to get rid of the unwelcome guests.� Spike grinned and bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. Let�s go get �em then.� �Before I forget�� Buffy slid a thin-bladed dagger out of its hidden sheath in her vest, �C�mere.� Slicing the tip of her finger, Buffy grinned up at Spike. �Hey now, no need to go damaging yourself before the fight,� Spike all but growled. Buffy smiled enigmatically and gently rubbed her bleeding finger across Spike�s bottom lip. �Clean that off will ya?� As he licked his lips, savoring the taste of her, Buffy muttered a couple of words under her breath. �There, all set. Now they can�t kill you by the normal ways. Not while I�m alive anyway. Let�s go do this.� Turning to face the approaching horde, she missed the look of complete confusion, mixed with adoration on Spike�s face. |
| CHAPTER 21 |
| Gripping her sword loosely in her right hand, with the pommel down and
the blade resting alongside the underside of her arm, point towards the night
sky, Buffy stepped down off the front porch and stopped, feet slightly spread,
looking completely relaxed. Spike followed her, eyes focused on the mass of approaching demons. �Looks like this could be a right blast, pet,� he said, as he took up position on her left side. �Oh yeah. It�s gonna be a real fun time Spike,� Buffy replied. �Blood, guts and dismemberment. Just like I�m used to.� Casting a quick glance over the approaching horde, Buffy singled out one opponent. �I�m gonna take out the ass with the katana first, so you can use it, Spike.� �Okay pet, be careful. Don�t want you getting hurt.� Spike glanced at the katana-wielding demon. �Bugger looks vicious.� �Oh, he is, but not as vicious as me.� With that said, Buffy launched herself across the distance between herself and the demon. Before the demon could bring its weapon up to defend itself, Buffy brought her sword in a vicious arc across in front of her body, neatly decapitating it. Scooping up the katana, she tossed it towards Spike, who caught it in mid-air as he darted across the space between him and Buffy. �Okay, that was� neat,� Spike said as he stopped beside Buffy once more. �Really, did you have to do that?� A well-dressed, human-seeming male asked as he stepped forward from the crowd of demons. �All we want is the sacrifice as was promised us.� �Sorry mate, the sacrifice has been cancelled,� Spike said with a snarl, his golden eyes glowing with rage. �Come now, I�m sure we can reach an equitable arrangement. After all, the girl is only human. My name is Hammond, and I work for�� Hammond said with some pomposity. A low-pitched, rumbling growl issued from Buffy�s throat as she glared at Hammond. �I know who you work for, and I know exactly why you are here. As the vampire said, the sacrifice has been cancelled. The girl belongs to me.� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Down in the basement, Giles, Willow, Tara and Anya worked feverishly to construct the concentric wards. They had managed to finish 3 of them, and were all trembling with exhaustion. �I-I-I don�t think we can k-k-keep this up for m-m-much longer.� Tara stuttered. �She�s right. I�m just about drained, and if they do manage to get through the wards, none of us will have anything left to fight with.� Willow said quietly. Xander, having watched quietly thus far, asked, �Why don�t you use the electricity to power the remaining wards? After all, it IS just power you need. Right? I mean I�m no witch or whatever, but isn�t power� well� just power?� Giles looked at Xander with something akin to shock in his eyes. �Bloody Hell. The boy is a genius.� �Xander has good ideas Giles, just� not all the time� and not very often,� Willow said with a giggle. Thus said, the 4 of them started to plug the wards into the electrical system of the house. As they did so, they noticed the ward at the top of the stairs take on an eerie blue sheen. �You realize that this is going to send Mrs. Summers' electric bill through the roof,� Anya said to nobody in particular. �Ahn, somehow I don�t think Mrs. Summers will mind, if it saves Dawn. And the rest of us,� Xander interjected. �Quite right, now can we get back to the task at hand?� Giles asked with some frustration. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* �She is MY daughter, and she is coming with me,� Hank Summers said as he pushed his way to the front. �And no two-bit whore is going to stop me.� Losing his temper, Spike slammed his fist into Hank�s jaw, knocking him out. �NOBODY talks to her like that.� Hammond glanced down at the sprawled form of Hank Summers. �He isn�t really needed for this part anyway.� Looking at Buffy, he made a gesture towards the demon horde. �I�m sure you are wondering why nobody has noticed my little entourage. Our mages have cast a cloaking spell, both visual and auditory. Soon they will have taken down that feeble ward around the house. I really do suggest just handing over the girl, before you get hurt." Angel stepped forward, a gloating smirk on his face. �I told you Spike. Dawn will be mine.� He flourished a tightly rolled document. �In writing and everything. Seems dear old Hank signed over his daughter�s virginity to me.� Hammond interrupted, �Yes, yes, let�s do get on with this. We don�t have all day, or night, as the case may be.� Buffy looked at both Hammond and Angel, her eyes a brilliant silver, with an ebon flame burning in them. �You will only get Dawn over my cold corpse. And even then you wouldn�t stand a chance.� Silvery scales erupted across her cheekbones, and trailed down her neck. Soon her hands were covered in the same silver scales. �Know this, Hammond, Liaison for WolfRam and Hart. You will not pass. Neither you, nor your associates. None of those who stand with you shall pass.� Spike smirked. �I stand by what she said. None of you are getting past me either.� Hammond pulled Angel aside, and gave the order to attack. �Kill them both, and bring me the girl. And kill everyone with the girl.� Buffy�s eyes narrowed at his words and she made herself a promise to kill Hammond herself� slowly. Spike spun so that he was at Buffy�s back, guarding hers while she guarded his. As the demons rushed to attack, Spike�s eyes glowed with anticipation for the fight. Unbeknownst to Spike, but in full view of Hammond, Buffy�s eyes did the same, the flame burning higher. Just as the foremost demons engaged the duo in combat, a clash of blades was heard from the rear of the horde. And an undulating battle cry that Buffy had not heard in millennia brought a wicked smile to her lips. |
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