Fic: Magister 3, Ch 11 (FRM)

[gilescandy]

 See series here.

Ch. 11 – The Hunter’s Prey

Ethan walked through the back door into a relatively empty and quiet kitchen.  He couldn’t help noticing the even more oppressively melancholy feeling than normal.

“What happened here?” he asked as Buffy looked up from papers spread all over the countertop.  Her puffy eyes and completely exhausted posture sent a chill up his spine.  “Where’s my little goddess?” was the first terror he managed to articulate.

The Slayer half smiled, hearing his sweet endearment for her sister.  “Dawn’s okay.  She’s at the hospital with some of the others.”

“Another attack?” Andrew peeked around the Sorcerer’s shoulder.

“A whoppa,” Molly muttered from the fridge.

Buffy sighed tiredly.  “Dawn said you guys went looking for a clue on how we can fight this thing.  Please tell me you found something.”

Ethan frowned sympathetically at her.  “There was an ancient inscription hidden deep inside the building.  The monastery had likely been built around it.  They didn’t even know what they were protecting.”

“And…” one of the girls said impatiently as he paused.

Andrew stepped forward.  “All we found was the carving written in Latin using Greek lettering.  Lucky Ethan could read it.”

“Loosely translated, it said…  ‘The weapon is not for you.  She alone may wield it.’  Leave it to the ancients and their bloody cryptic messages.”

“Hey,” Rona stepped up beside Buffy.  “Maybe this weapon thing is what’s at the vineyard.”

“It’s too flimsy to worry about right now.  We need to focus on saving any hostages and finding him.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed and the Slayer could feel them boring into her.  “Tell me what happened here.”

******

Spike raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised that Wood seemed to easily keep up with him as he hurried through the young night.  He could tell that Giles’ only thought was to keep moving away from the Summers’ house and town in general.  There was no attempt to hide his trail at all.

“So,” he began conversationally.  “What makes a bloke like you go from principaling little demons to fighting them?”

Wood had to think for a minute to decipher the question.  “I’ve known about your kind for as long as I can remember.  The high school thing just kind of happened.  Over the years, I noticed that kids often become prey.  It also gave me the chance to work my way here.  All the signs pointed to Sunnydale High being the site of a hellmouth.”

Spike didn’t quite like the growl behind the words ‘your kind’, but wasn’t bothered to pay it too much thought.  “Gotta be a demon yourself or just plain mental to seek out a home on a hellmouth.”

“Is that what brought you here?”

The vampire chuckled.  “Naw.  I came to bag myself another slayer.  Didn’t know at the time she’d be so bleedin’ hard to kill.  Also didn’t know how much she’d change my life.”

“Buffy’s special, isn’t she?”

“To put it one way.”  Spike began to feel the hair rise on the back of his neck as Wood seemed to study him.  “I’m guessing usual story for you.  Saw a monster when you were a kid and mummy and daddy didn’t believe you.”

“I didn’t know my father.  And it was actually my mother who taught me all about vampires and demons.”  The large man stopped walking, making Spike instinctively stop with him.  “She was a slayer.  New York?  1977?”

Spike froze but didn’t look back.  His mind flashed back in time to a city.  A rainy night.   A subway train.  And an epic fight ending with a dead young slayer.  After several moments, he said, “I didn’t know slayers could have kids.”

“I was born before she was called.  She was fifteen and becoming the slayer didn’t make her life any tougher.”

It wasn’t hard for Spike to put the pieces together in his head.  The missing father.  The exceptionally young mother.  The unforgivingly brutal streets.  “And they dare to call us monsters,” he muttered softly.  He slowly began to walk forward again.  “Do you know what the first thing I did after I was turned was?”  Wood’s imposing presence followed behind him.  “I went home to give the same gift to my mother.  She was the only one who’d always been there for me.  The only one who’d ever supported me.  I thought, what better than to take away her pain and let her be with me forever.”  The blond dug a cigarette out of his coat pocket and lit it.  “I watched my mother turn into the monster I made her.  Then I staked her for it.”

“The remorse of a vampire,” Wood groaned pitilessly.

“Not then…” Spike turned to face him, “but now.  Part of me wishes you’d found me a few years ago.  I’d guess you’ve been hunting me… your whole life?  Back then I would have told you something heartless, like it was too bad your mum put her calling above you.  Too bad she loved coming after me more.  I would have laughed when you attacked me out of rage, and thought it even more poetic when you died just as she did.  But, in the meantime, I fell in love with a slayer and earned my soul.  Where does that put your quest?”

“Do you think your soul makes you an innocent… thing?  You murdered my mother with joy in your heart.  And how many countless more?”

“It’s all true.  And I don’t claim innocence.  I claim changed.  I don’t ask for forgiveness either.  But I do ask for a little time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Buffy’s in the fight of her life right now for a world that doesn’t know or doesn’t care.  She needs as much strength as she can get.  That means mine and yours.  You’ve seen what’s at stake here, and I don’t think you’d risk so much just for vengeance.”

“Spike, you have no idea how many times today I wished it was you who’d gone rogue instead of Mr. Giles.  It would have been the perfect excuse.  Kill you and eliminate the threat to the girls.”

“And you think they would just let you?”

“I’ve been watching.  Who would mourn you?  Buffy might have been upset for a while, but what have you done to earn the love from everyone that he so obviously has?”

Spike fought a deep frown, knowing it was true.  Some might even have helped.  “Yet you have a stake ready for the Watcher now,” was the only comment he felt like making.

Wood sighed heavily.  “Someone still has to.  I was told his story.  He was and is a Watcher first.  Never asked for what happened to him.”

“Very few of us get to ask, Mate.  An’ I’ll lay odds you didn’t get the half of his tale.  Just like you only know a piece of mine.”

“What’s your proposition, Spike.”

“Just wait a few more days, maybe weeks if we’re lucky.  I’ll trust you and you trust me, if only to put the protection of Buffy and those potentials first.  After this apocalypse is over and, if by some miracle, we both survive, I’ll meet you when and where you want.  Then we can try to kill each other, beat each other to a pulp, and see if it all makes anyone feel better in the end.” 

Wood thought in silence for several moments, his calculating gaze sizing Spike up.  “I will have justice for my mother.”

The vampire growled, feeling precious time slipping away.  “Not trying to deny that.  Yes, we both understand… me monster, bad, gurr.  What are you lookin’ for?  A down payment?”

Wood’s huge fist collided with Spike’s face an instant later, sending the blond spinning to the ground with fireworks in his eyes and church bells in his ears.  He shook his head, trying to clear it.  A mistake, as he became sure his brain had been knocked loose.  Spike got to his feet with only a slight wobble and gave the human a confused glare.  Wood held up his right hand, wiggling his fingers inside a set of brass knuckles.

Spitting blood, Spike huffed, “Fine.  You had enough?  Or do we really need to do this here?”

“I know who you are now, Spike.  There’s no place you can run that I won’t hunt you down.”

“Blah, blah, yeah, yeah.  Listen.  One free shot is all you get.  It’s more than anyone ever gets with me.  So, if we’re going…”  He took a threatening step forward.

Wood held up his hands in truce.  “But mom would be disappointed in me if the mission didn’t come first.  You have your deal.  First, we help Buffy save the world.  Then we WILL finish this.”

Spike slowly shook his head and rubbed his swelling jaw.  “You really are the son of a slayer.”

******

The principal looked around as he stepped off the bottom of the ladder.  He had followed Spike into a crypt and was now standing in what looked like a cave made into a lavish bedroom.  “What is this?”

“Used to be my place.”  Spike glanced around as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  Catching Wood’s surprised look, he smirked, “Even demons need a home.”

“Guess I never thought about it.  You’re sure Mr. Giles came this way?”

“Sure as you’re standing there.  The panic must have been pouring off him when he came through here.”  The vampire tossed a heavy-duty flashlight he’d pulled from a chest behind him.  “You’re gonna need that.”

Wood turned it on and followed his guide through an opening in the wall.  “You’ve gotta be kidding me.  Sunnydale has catacombs?”

“Kinda comes with the territory in a demon town.  Even if the founder hadn’t spent a hundred years turning this place into his personal hellion’s paradise, you got a lot of species that don’t tolerate sunlight, or the topside in general, too well.  Hence, the diggers and scavengers.  Lots of activity goin’ on under your boneyards.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Hey, you never had a Grunckler demon come up while you’re chowing on a burger an’ berate you for eating his cousin, have you?  They get it.  It’s easy to judge when you’re not hungry.”

“Guess it’s better than you murderers,” Wood conceded.

“Yeah,” the vampire grinned in spite of his soul.  “Not as much fun though.”

“Look out!”  Wood pulled Spike back as he turned a corner and was almost hit by a large rock rolling down a crumbling slope.  “I thought you knew where you were going.”

Spike put his hand against the debris.  “This shouldn’t be here.  I know this tunnel was clear.”

“Cave in?”

“Yeah, but the rock is warm.”

Wood shown his flashlight near the top of the blockage.  “Look at the walls.  Those look like scorch marks.”

“Bloody hell!” Spike cursed.

“Gas explosion maybe?”

“No.  Nobility in all its stupidity.”  He yelled at the wall, “Bloody wanker! You’re not taking yourself outta this fight that easily!  Not when Buffy needs you!”

“You think Mr. Giles is in there?  If he is under all that, wouldn’t he be…?”

“Naw.  It’d take more than a mountain coming down on him.  He’s good an’ buried, but alive…  So to speak.”

Scanning the debris, Wood muttered, “It’ll take us years to shift this.”

“No,” Spike suddenly crowed in triumph.  “I know what’s on the other side.  But we’ll need to swing by your school an’ pick somethin’ up first.”

******

“And you let him go?  By himself?” Ethan accused.

“Hey,” Buffy defended.  “There was no ‘letting him’ anything.  By the time we even figured out what was happening, he was gone.”

“No one went after him?”

“There are search parties out as we speak.  Ethan, you’re not the only one worried.  We love him, too.  But right now he’s dangerous and he can’t be here.  Giles can take care of himself for a while.  He’ll be careful.  He promised Dawn.”

“Stupid girl,” Ethan growled.  “He left here thinking he’d killed Dawn.”

“Did Spike find him yet?” were the first words out of the girl’s mouth as she entered the house.  Her voice still sounded tight, but she gave no other indication of pain.

“I thought they were having you stay overnight for observation,” Buffy sighed at her sister.

Kennedy walked in right behind.  “It’s the end of the world.  They had better things to do than argue with a couple stubborn little girls.”

“Ethan,” Dawn noticed the sorcerer had returned and rushed to hug him.  “Have you talked to Willow yet?  You guys need to find a way to help him.”

“We will, Luv,” he held her close, not caring who saw the depth of his affection.  “But how are you?  Did the doctors check you out thoroughly?  Should you be resting?”

“I’m fine.  Stop fussing like an old lady.  It doesn’t fit your charming rogue persona.”

Ethan couldn’t help his smile.  “Yes, my lovely.”  He glanced back to Buffy.  “Where is our resident witch?”

“She got antsy and went with Faith to check out Giles’ old apartment.  They thought there might be a chance he’d go somewhere familiar.”

“You didn’t go?” Dawn asked with surprise.

“I wanted to,” the Slayer admitted.  “Unfortunately, the First doesn’t believe in sending us one problem at a time and waiting patiently.  Robin spent this afternoon ‘visiting’ the courthouse and managed to dig up some paperwork on our local wine makers.  We’ve only got original blueprints, and who knows what the First’s really doing in there, but it’s a start.”

Kennedy stepped beside her to take a look.  “You’re still planning an attack?”

“Just because we were hit with the biggest distraction possible doesn’t mean we can forget they might be holding girls there.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the First was waiting for a time like this to trigger him.”

Ethan began to mutter, “I step away for one bloody day and…”  He glanced between Buffy and Dawn.  “All right.  I’ll leave the battle planning in good hands with the warriors here.  Dawn, you come with me and fill me in on every detail since my departure.  When Willow returns, please inform her that we’ll be, as usual, with the books.”  With that, he and Dawn scurried off.

After they had left the room, Andrew wandered over to the counter.  “So, what do we think, troops?  Frontal assault?”  He didn’t seem to notice the astonished and very annoyed glares leveled at him.

******

“I didn’t even know the school had an acetylene torch,” principal Wood said.  “How did you?”

“They spared no expense.  Even in the metal shop,” Spike answered, lighting the aggressive flame.  “And I’ve spent a lotta time hanging out in your basement.”  He glanced back into a reproachful glare.  “Buffy and the nibblet might’ve needed me,” the vampire shrugged dismissively.  “Better look away.”  Flipping a set of dark goggles over his own eyes, Spike began to guide the flame along the seam of the heavy metal door.

“What was this put here for anyway?” Wood nearly shouted, his back to the blinding light.

“Who knows.  Thing prolly hasn’t been touched in half a century.  Been stuck fast as long as I’ve been here.”

“You’re sure he’s in there?”

Spike spun around, waving the torch dangerously.  “Look this is gonna take a while.  Why don’t you go sit in the corner like a good boy?”

The big man bristled at the tone, but stood quietly as the vampire continued his work.

“That’s it!”  The announcement came so suddenly after a long wait that it made Wood jump.  “Grab hold and help me pull.”

Together they put all their strength into the door and felt it budge.  On the count of three they gave one more huge yank.  The solid door groaned in protest and swung open.

“Mr. Giles?” Wood coughed as dust poured out of the darkness beyond.

Spike rushed in, leaving the man alone for several tense minutes.  The atmosphere inside was too oppressive for any human to tolerate.  Wood began to hear the sounds of stones and dirt being shifted, then the distinct sound of struggling.  Soon after, he heard the shuffle of something heavy being dragged.

“Stop squirming, you daft prat,” Spike grumbled as his hunched back appeared in the doorway.  The principal bent to grab one of Giles’ shoulders and help pull him out.

“Let go of me!”  The Watcher flailed wildly before getting unsteadily to his feet.  “You should have left me in there.  It was best for everyone.”

“Bollocks!” Spike spit back.  “You think you get to sit this one out while the rest of us do all the dirty work?  You got another thing comin’.”

“Spike, I can be manipulated by the enemy.  I’m a threat.  Threats must be eliminated.  That’s how wars are won.”

Wood swallowed hard at the cold logic.  He knew it was the truth.  “I understand, Mr. Giles.  But perhaps we can mitigate the danger you pose until a solution can be found.”

“Yeah,” Spike added.  “The magick makers are figuring it out.  They say there’s a hole in your head and they just need to find the right plug.”

Giles ignored the blond’s comment and looked hard at the imposing demon hunter.  “And how will you mitigate a threat you do not comprehend?  You cannot begin to understand the danger that I am.”

Spike stood tall in the face of his anger, demanding his attention.  “And I can’t let you lock yourself away when Buffy needs you.”

He almost stepped back at the flash of rage in the other vampire’s eyes.  “Buffy never wants to see me again after what I’ve done.”  He bowed his head to the floor, his eyes clenched in despair, and whispered, “Tell me their names.”

“What?”

“Those that I… that I killed.  Please.  Tell me their names.”

“Watcher…” Spike’s tone softened when he finally understood, “Rupert, they’re all going to be fine.  You haven’t killed anyone.”

“Dawn?” Giles’ eyes sprang up, flooding with hope.

“Nibblet’s tougher than you give her credit for.  She was out for a minute and came right back worried about you.  As usual.”

The Watcher let out an uncontrollable sob of joy.  “Yes, but…  But I can’t go back now.  Not when I won’t be sure of any attack or if trouble arises.”

“We know.  We’ll find somewhere secure for you.  Somewhere that’s not a hole in the ground.  Then me and the man mountain here can go back and tell everyone you’re safe.  Won’t be surprised if Red has a cure ready for you by then.”

“Neither would I.”  The voice of Buffy came from the open tunnel behind them.  “That’s why I can’t let you two reunite.  Thanks for digging him out for me though.  That was a very silly thing to do, Giles.”

Before anyone could voice what they all knew, a dozen Bringers rushed past her.  Spike and Wood went into fight mode, but Giles stepped backwards.

“Come on, Watcher.  We can take this lot.”

“No,” Giles shook his head.  “I can’t be sure.  I can’t risk hurting…”

His two rescuers fought with all their might, but the swarm engulfed them.  No matter how many they felled, more minions were on them.  They lost sight of Giles completely.

Wood had just disarmed and disabled another when he heard Spike call out.  “They took the Watcher.  This way.  We can’t lose them.”

The demon hunter managed a glimpse of the bound and blanketed prisoner being carried along on an irresistible wave.  He and his companion bulldozed a path through their remaining attackers and followed.  They raced through the underground maze, never quite able to catch the surprisingly fast kidnappers.  Finally making it to the surface, Spike recoiled in pain.  The sun had returned.

“Go,” he pushed Wood forward.  “You have to find where they’re taking him.  Then go get Buffy.  Slayer’ll know what to do.  Tell her I’ll be there when she needs me.”

With a quick, sure nod, Wood continued on, tracking his prey.

“Blinded by the light again.  Huh, Spike?” Buffy cooed in the vampire’s ear.

He chuckled, rolling into a seated position on the cold floor and calmly lighting a cigarette.  “You’ve done it now.  You think the Slayer was miffed when you took me.  Just wait ‘til the whole lot comes after you for stealing their Watcherman.”

“Let then come.  Things have already been set in motion.  Things your tiny demon mind can’t begin to comprehend.”

“Yeah, well.  I comprehend enough to tell we’re getting under your skin.  Those meddling kids keep bollocksing up your plans.  I’ll put my money on ‘em doing it again.”

The vision disappeared, leaving Spike to wait out another interminable day.