Chapter 4 - Wedding Present
Summary: Like a stopper pulled, the retrieval of the Everstone has set loose a maelstrom of powers. Things not dared been mentioned in all the ages of the world, stir and awaken within their putrescent hives in answer to the Hellmouth’s call. Clawing their way free from the poisoned earth, they are driven towards a single goal - the capture of the Key and the destruction of all the world.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Timeline: Immediately follows Book 1: Dusk
Rating: TV-14 (nothing worse than on the show)
Pairing/Characters: Buffy/Spike, Willow/Dusk(OC), Xander/Anya, Giles/Marlena(OC), Dawn, Faith, Angel, Dracula
Book One: Dusk (all chapters)
Previous chapter of Midnight
Banner created by edgehead73.
Hellmouth Ascendant Trilogy: Revamped Edition
Book Two:
Midnight
Chapter 4
Wedding Present
“Well, well, looks like our escort has arrived.” Alec commented wryly pointing out the window.
Dawn turned to look from her seat next to him. There were several figures standing or reclining on picnic tables in the motor park. One of them was very familiar looking. The RV pulled into its space in the park at Greenwich and stopped. Buffy got off first and was gathered in a crushing hug.
“Welcome back, mighty Slayer!” DeGanon boomed as the other gypsies cheered.
Buffy looked a little embarrassed, but was getting used to the gypsy chieftain’s exuberant style of greeting. The pair made way as everyone else filed off the bus, amidst cheers and warm welcomes. Alec grinned and slapped the gypsy’s back as the older man gathered him in a comradely embrace.
“Ah, the dark general. Is life well?” he asked.
“About as well as can be expected,” Alec replied wryly and nodded.
The pair began walking towards the far end of the park; the rest of the group following behind.
“My kumpania has had time to secure transportation for you while you are in the city. I truly hope you will find it satisfactory.”
DeGanon led him to a large tarp and gestured to a pair of gypsies. With a flourish, the man removed the canvas and Alec inhaled sharply.
“Oh… this’ll do,” he commented dryly.
The rest of the group caught a look and there were various exclamations of surprise.
A pair of gleaming motorcycles, all black leather and polished chrome, was resting against a picnic table.
“Bloody hell,” Spike swore fervently before laughing out loud, “I don’t believe it!” He ran his hands over one of the bikes’ handlebars. “These are gorgeous.”
He suddenly looked up at DeGanon. “American?” he asked suspiciously.
“But, of course,” DeGanon replied grinning.
Spike nodded. “Yeah, good man.”
The blond went back to studying the bikes. A black van pulled up next to them. DeGanon turned and said something in Romani; the engine was shut off and a gypsy got out of the car, tossing him the keys. DeGanon caught them and handed the keys to Giles.
“The van and the bikes are at your disposal. The van has already been converted for safe daylight passage,” he informed the Watcher, sending a meaningful glace at Angel, who was taking in the whole scene quietly.
Giles nodded. “That’s extraordinarily gracious of you,” he replied.
DeGanon waved it away. “We are family now. There is nothing too good for family.”
“Umm… out of curiosity,” Willow began, “just where did you get all this?” she asked carefully.
DeGanon nodded. “I understand your concern, little witch, but have no fear. Both the bikes and the car were found abandoned.”
Alec smiled slightly.
“Really?” he drawled out lazily, not believing a word.
DeGanon nodded. “Most assuredly.” He began to grin. “The bikes were carelessly left in front of a bar and the car was casually abandoned in a car dealership lot.”
Alec laughed. “Well, it’d be a shame to let such fine vehicles go to waste.”
“Exactly what we were thinking,” DeGanon replied.
Alec chuckled and threw a leg over the saddle of one of the bikes. Spike already had the other one up and running and was revving the engine appreciatively, grinning maniacally. Alec found a pair of helmets by his feet and turned to Willow.
“Want to go for a ride, milady?” he asked wryly.
To his surprise, Willow shook her head.
“Not me, mister, I don’t like motorcycles. Not enough separating me from the ground,” she replied.
She grinned and gestured to Dawn, who was talking to Buffy about something.
Ask her, she mouthed silently.
Alec frowned. You sure? he replied just as silently. The redhead nodded.
“Hey, petite!” Alec yelled out.
Dawn whirled around.
“Yeah, Alec?” she asked eagerly.
“Ask your sister if you’re ready to take your first motorcycle ride?” he replied grinning crookedly.
Dawn’s eyes widened with excitement as she spun around to face Buffy.
“Please?” she whispered fiercely.
Buffy exhaled hard, then smiled.
“It’s your call, Dawn, you can do whatever you want,” she answered.
Dawn squealed with glee and gathered her sister in a tight hug. Buffy laughed in surprise before returning the hug. Dawn pulled away and grabbed at her sister’s arms.
“Thank you SO much,” she said fervently.
Buffy laughed. “Get out of here, you little lunatic!” she teased.
Dawn sprinted towards the bike and Alec.
Buffy turned to speak to the driver. “Make sure she wears a-”
Alec held up a helmet, cutting her off with a smug smile. Buffy swallowed the rest of her warning and smiled, she really didn’t give her brother enough credit. Alec handed the helmet to Dawn, who strapped it on as she got onto the bike behind him. He turned his head and whispered a few things, before smiling. Dawn got a shy little smile and carefully wrapped her arms around his waist, holding tightly.
“Love!” Spike yelled out. “Let’s go already!”
Buffy shook her head. “No thanks, Spike, not my style.”
She turned to Faith, who was eyeing the bikes covetously. “You want on, girl?” she asked wryly.
Faith whirled around. “Hey, B, I mean, that’s your man on there,” she started.
Buffy cut her off. “And he’ll stay my man when the ride is over. Get going,” she grinned.
Faith stared a while, then her face broke into a wide grin.
“Thanks, B,” she replied.
Buffy smiled and patted her shoulder. Faith bounded off towards Spike. The vampire frowned.
“What the hell is all this then?” he demanded.
“Payment for me kicking your ass the other night,” Faith replied quickly, strapping on a helmet. “Let’s ride, Blondie!”
Spike muttered something obscene under his breath but began to ease the bike off the grass, onto pavement.
“Hey, Dad!” Alec yelled as the others began piling into the van. “We’ll follow you to this bar, all right?” Giles nodded and got into the driver’s seat.
Alec turned his head to Dawn. “Hold on tight, petite,” he told her.
With her arms wrapped around his waist, Dawn rested her face against Alec’s back, feeling the warm wool of his duster caressing her face.
“Not an issue,” she whispered, closing her eyes contently.
Alec revved the engine and guided it out of the motor park. Spike grinned at Alec.
“Told you Harleys are the way to go!” he yelled.
Alec just revved the engine louder before cupping his hand over the portion of his helmet covering his ear.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Did you just say that you couldn’t catch a ’53 Packard if your life depended on it?” he asked grinning.
Spike’s eyes widened and he flipped him off before peeling out of the motor park, Faith whooping loudly. Alec grinned and gunned the engine, eliciting a squeal from both the tires and Dawn as he rocketed behind the blond.
Dawn squeezed Alec tighter. She felt so… free and alive right now. Suddenly, a roar from her left interrupted her reverie as Spike pulled up along side them.
“This is the ONLY way to travel!” the vampire roared.
Alec grinned. “ ‘A charted course!’ ” he replied.
Spike grinned back. “ ‘And each careful step, along the highway’,” he finished laughing.
Spike stretched out his hand. Alec slapped it as Spike gunned the engine and shot ahead of them, weaving through traffic and receiving blaring horns from angry motorists. Alec turned back to Dawn.
“How you doing back there, Dawn?” he yelled.
Dawn looked up at him with eyes teary from the wind and grinned.
“This is AMAZING!” she yelled.
Alec laughed and turned his attention back to the road, gunning the engine. Dawn whooped in excitement. Alec shook his head.
They grow up so fast, he thought wryly to himself as he weaved through the traffic, keeping the black van in sight.
After a few more twists and turns, they arrived at their destination. Giles pulled into a large parking lot across the street from the address, and killed the engine. Angel opened the large sliding door on the side and hopped out, turning around to help Buffy and the others out. The Slayer smiled at Spike, who had just pulled in behind them with Alec close behind.
“How was your ride, boys?” she asked wryly.
Spike killed the engine and hopped off, grinning wildly.
“Goh! What a rush!”
He gathered the Slayer in his arms and hoisted her into the air, spinning her around. She laughed as he kissed her mouth. Angel watched, his eyes twin studies in pain before turning to help Anya out of the van. Alec hopped off and helped Dawn off the bike. She wrapped her hands around his shoulder, luxuriating at the feeling of his hands on her ribs as he hoisted her slim body off the bike and set her down on the ground.
“Have a good time, petite?” he asked, grinning wryly. Dawn swallowed and nodded.
“It was great…” she breathed.
She suddenly realized that her fingers were frozen stiff. She cupped them and blew breaths of hot air to warm them.
“And cold,” she finished, smiling slightly.
Alec took her hands in his.
“Here,” he whispered, taking her hands in his and rubbing, getting the circulation flowing back into them.
Dawn closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Within moments, warmth had flooded her hands as well as her entire body. She opened her eyes to gaze into his.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Alec smiled slightly, a smile that caused her to feel a little light-headed, before releasing her fingers and turning to address his father. Dawn smiled a secret smile and set to work stripping off her helmet.
“Is this the place?” Alec asked, gesturing to the bar across the street.
Giles nodded and squinted, trying to read the neon sign.
“Asura’s,” he read, frowning.
“She’s in Hindu lore,” Angel commented, walking up beside him. “A demon.”
Giles sighed and took off his glasses. Alec smirked.
“Another cult you think?” he asked.
Giles shook his head.
“I doubt it; if Marlena gave us this address, then she must believe it to be sound.” He turned to his son. “I doubt that there’ll be a significant demonic presence here,” he assured with a hint of finality.
“ ‘No significant demonic presence’?” Alec asked wryly, turning to his father with a grin.
Giles just sighed and rubbed his eyes. The bar was sprawling beneath them, with only a little more reserve than the trucker’s tavern had. Loud music blared from a jukebox in the corner. But that wasn’t the main attraction. Several women were dancing on the bar, not nude, but pretty close, doing some rather interesting things with pitchers of water.
The fact that every single one of them was either a vampire or a demon was also a factor.
“My God, it’s ‘Coyote Ugly’ meets Clive Barker,” Buffy commented with wide eyes.
Alec grinned and turned to the group.
“Split up. Me, Buffy, Angel, Spike, and Dad will stay here and check the place out. The rest of you head back to DeGanon’s and wait for us to come back,” he instructed.
There were a few moans of complaints but after their last bar encounter, they got the hint. Willow gave him a kiss and Dawn flashed him a warm smile before they left. Giles eyed his son thoughtfully.
“I say, Alec, you seem to be growing into the leadership rather well.”
Buffy snorted affectionately. “Yeah, like a weed,” she replied.
Alec shot her a wry look as the group descended a staircase into the main bar. Weaving their way through the crowd, the reached the bar. Giles cupped his hands over his mouth to shout over the music.
“We’re looking for the Maitre D’,” he yelled to a pink skinned woman with quills for hair.
She grinned, revealing a forked tongue, and turned to talk to someone else. Angel looked around thoughtfully.
“Reminds me of Madame Dorion’s,” he commented.
Giles frowned and turned to Angel. “Isn’t that that establishment in Bel Air? The one that…”
Angel shot him a look and Giles silenced instantly. Spike was too busy ogling a dancing vampire on the bar; Buffy was too busy glaring at Spike. Alec just smirked as a gray-skinned woman with flaming red hair and a dress that had holes in all the wrong places came up to the bar, grinning.
“I heard you’re looking for the ‘Maitre D’?” she asked, sarcasm dripping.
Giles cleared his throat and nodded.
“That’s right, Marlena sent us. We need some information,” he replied.
The demon nodded. “Well, I’m the owner. Name’s Satara,” she grinned crookedly.
The woman tossed her flaming hair back and flashed a grin and a pose that would raise a monk’s interest, celibacy be damned. “Marlena actually said ‘Maitre D’?” she asked.
Giles nodded. “She didn’t tell us this was a …” He struggled for the proper word.
“A demonic burlesque?” Satara finished, still grinning.
Giles colored and nodded. Alec decided to intervene.
“Terminology aside, Satara, we could really use some help. Name your price.” He flashed her his most charming grin.
Buffy rolled her eyes at her brother as Satara eyed him appreciatively.
“Is that a fact, handsome?” she asked demurely.
Alec looked momentarily taken aback. “Uh…”
Spike was trying not to burst out laughing as Satara continued to eyeball Alec with an intensely appraising look.
“Well, handsome, you have two choices.” She gestured to an unused stage. “One, you sing us a tune and I can tell you what I see.”
Alec frowned. “What you see?” he asked hesitantly.
Angel started paying attention.
“She’s anagogic, a psychic demon,” he informed them, eyeing her critically. “There’s a Karaoke bar in L.A. run by another one.”
Satara frowned at him. “Hold up, you’re Angel?” she asked.
Angel nodded slowly, Satara grinned.
“Yeah, Lorne told me about you. He and I are kind of in a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship.”
She grinned wickedly and the observing men were quickly losing their resolve in the face of this walking epitome of sensuality.
“So you’re the vampire who sang Barry Manilow, huh?”
Buffy, Alec, Giles and Spike whipped their heads around to gape at the vampire, who looked about ready to die… again.
“Something like that,” he commented dryly.
Buffy threw her head back and laughed, Spike was nearly doubled over, and Alec was pounding the bar, tears streaming down his face. Even Giles looked stunned.
“I would have given my left arm to see that,” Buffy finally gasped out.
Angel scowled and thrust his hands into his pockets.
“It was for a good cause,” he muttered defensively.
Alec, still laughing turned to Satara. “So, musical performance, huh?” he asked.
Satara shook her head. “You sing, and the girls play.”
She gestured to the scantily clad vampires, who were right now engaged in a fairly dramatic dance sequence on the bar, involving cartwheels, splits and more pitchers of water.
Alec frowned. “What if they don’t know the song?” he asked.
Satara grinned. “Trust me, that won’t be a problem,” she assured him.
Alec sighed. “Okay, what’s option two?” he asked.
There was a yell of surprise. Alec spun around to see a guy in a suit being dragged onto the bar and having ice water poured down the front of his slacks while a female vampire began tearing his clothes off.
“That,” Satara replied, gesturing to the scene.
Alec blinked a few times and turned back to Satara. “So… any song?” he asked mildly.
Satara grinned and nodded. Alec sighed and turned to Spike.
“Hey, Spike, I’ve got an idea.”
Spike snarled at him when he heard what the young man had in mind.
“You’re out of your bloody mind!” he sputtered.
Alec grinned. “C’mon, man, it’s for a good cause,” he cajoled.
Spike scowled and shook his head vehemently.
“There’s nothing you could say or do that would convince me to get onto that stage and make a fool of myself!” he finished.
Alec sighed then grinned as the perfect threat came to him.
“Well, it’s either that or we dress in drag and perform a cover of Bowie’s ‘Boys Keep Swinging’.”
The spotlight hit the stage as Spike, bare-chested and looking very unhappy, began to croon.
“ ‘And now, the end is near and so I face the final curtain…’ ”
Buffy, Giles and Angel were sitting, grinning. The girls were doing their part, playing back-up well.
“ ‘…and more, much more than this, I did it my way’,” he continued.
With a roar, the guitars and drums were pounding as Alec came out on stage.
“ ‘Mistakes, I’ve made a few, but then again, too few too mention!’ ” he sang into the mic.
The crowd went nuts as Spike and Alec began singing a duet.
“ ‘I’ve planned each charted course. Each careful step along the highway and more, much more than this, I did it my way!’ ”
Before long they were both getting into it, Spike seemed to be having a ball, dancing with one of the girls who were writhing on stage with them.
“Whooo!” Satara howled, waving a towel over her head. Spike and Alec got together for the last line.
“ ‘The record shows, I shot the bloke and I did it MYYYY WAAAAAAYYYY!’ ”
They finished with Spike throwing the mic off the stage and taking a long pull from a whiskey bottle, spewing it into the air with a grin.
“Fag off, everyone! Goodnight!” he cried before getting off the stage.
There were hoots and howls of applause as Alec bowed and followed Spike, who was grinning like a mad man.
“Yee-haw!” the blond strode over to the table as patrons slapped his back and applauded, then bent low to gather Buffy in a crushing kiss. The Slayer mewed in surprise before tentatively returning the kiss.
Alec grinned as he stepped off, getting some measure of applause, but Spike was the star of the show. Satara tossed him a towel and gestured to his bare chest.
“What’s with the strippage?” she asked wryly.
Spike shrugged and toweled some sweat.
“You seem to have a rowdy crowd that would appreciate it. Besides, what’s a few more shreds of dignity?” he replied evenly.
Satara shook her head and handed Giles a slip of paper.
“Here’s a rabbi you should see. He should be able to fill you in,” she told him.
Giles’ eyes widened. “You got all that from that… display?” he asked askance.
Satara grinned.
“Nope. Marlena called me ahead of time. That was just for fun,” she replied wryly.
Alec laughed. “Good to know I embarrassed myself for a good cause,” he laughed.
Just then a female vampire came up behind him and ran her arms down his chest and began stroking his skin.
“Come back to my crypt,” she whispered, her game-face in place, “and I’ll show you a good cause,” she purred… literally.
Alec smiled slightly and gently disentangled himself from the amorous vampire.
“Some other time, beautiful,” he grinned.
“Your loss,” she shrugged and replied, not unkindly, before tossing her hair back and walking away, swinging her hips back and forth. Alec eyed her admiringly as Spike joined him.
“I’ll agree with that,” Spike commented dryly.
Alec nodded slowly. “Oh, hell yes.”
Spike just nodded.
“Ahem,” Buffy cleared her throat.
Slowly, the pair tore their eyes from the retreating vampire’s backside and turned.
“I’m back,” Alec piped up.
Buffy just rolled her eyes and handed him the address.
Alec nodded. “Okay, this sounds like a plan. Do we snag the others?”
Buffy handed Spike the address. He read it and shook his head.
“No, mate, this is only a few blocks from here. DeGanon’s is clear across town and we’d never get there and back in time before sunup.” He handed the address back to Buffy, who nodded in agreement.
“Okay, let’s get going.”
Buffy, Angel, and Giles got to their feet as Alec pulled on his t-shirt and his duster.
Satara grinned at them. “Nice performance, boys. Sid Vicious?” she asked.
Alec nodded. “Once, then remade by Gary Oldman,” he answered.
Spike nodded as he lit a cigarette. “Mm. Can’t believe that soundtrack is out of print,” he snorted in disgust.
Alec just nodded. “You see why I covet yours, man?” he asked.
Spike glared at him. “Not in this lifetime, mate,” he retorted as the pair said their goodbyes and headed out.
“Yeah, but what about the next, oh immortal one?” he asked as he held up the door open.
Spike stopped to exhale a plume of smoke.
“Maybe. Talk to me after you kick the bucket,” he replied before exiting.
Alec considered before following. The elder Giles just shook his head disapprovingly.
“I suppose I should be the adult here and nay-say and wag my finger at your antics.”
His son shot him a look.
“Really? So what’s this Jenny told me about your participation in college musicals? Something about fishnets and ‘doing the time warp again’?”
Giles sighed before taking off his glasses and pinching the skin at the bridge of his nose.
“She swore she’d keep that to herself until the day she died,” he commented dryly.
Alec chuckled and patted his father’s shoulder.
“And so she did. Afterwards, however, was another story… doctor.”
Giles glared at this son as the pair of them headed out of the bar.
“Nice digs,” Alec commented as he parked his bike on the side of the road.
Giles opened the door of the van, climbing out in front of him, and looked over the building.
“Yes, I mean, for being located in such a dilapidated portion of the city, this synagogue is actually quite nice.” He took off his glasses and smiled.
Buffy walked over to them.
“So, we meet this Rabbi guy?” she asked.
Alec nodded and looked down at the piece of paper in his hand.
“Yeah, uh… Rabbi Mesha, I think.” He shrugged and turned to Willow. “Name mean anything to you?”
She frowned, thinking back to her Jewish school days.
“Sure, Mesha is another way of saying Moses,” she replied smiling.
Alec looked up and shrugged.
“Well, I suppose that’s appropriate.” He turned to Buffy. “So, who goes talking to the good Rabbi?”
Buffy shrugged. “I think it’s safe to say that isn’t trap-worthy, still…”
She turned to Spike, who had pulled up on his bike beside them.
“You want to stay out here with everyone else? Just until we get to talk to the rabbi?”
Spike nodded. “Sure, love, besides holy places and vampires just don’t mix.”
Angel frowned. “I don’t know, I’ve always had a thing for convents,” he replied evenly.
Spike snorted derisively. “Let’s not get into that now, okay?” he said with more than a hint of disdain.
Angel shrugged and turned to Buffy. “We’ll wait out here,” he told her.
Buffy nodded and turned to Giles and Alec.
“Shall we?” she asked.
They nodded and headed across the street up the stone steps. Giles checked his watch.
“It’s entirely possible that it may be closed for the evening, you realize,” he commented.
Alec strode up to the double doors and, with a grunt, shoved them open.
“Or not,” Giles finished wryly.
Alec flashed him a grin and entered the temple.
The décor was sparse but comfortable. Candles were lit and there were a few benches along with an altar. That was about it. Still, there was a sense of peace in the temple, of security. Alec smiled slightly and turned to face the others, who wore similar expressions.
“Feels nice in here,” he commented.
Buffy smiled and nodded. “Yeah, very Zen, grasshopper,” she replied wryly.
Giles cleared his throat and peered up at a painted window.
“Yes, well, with any luck the Rabbi-”
“Can I help you?” a voice called out from behind them.
They turned around to face an older man with dark skin, wearing a white wetsuit and carrying a white surfboard. He smiled at them through a salt and pepper beard.
“Yes, hello, we were looking for Rabbi Mesha,” Giles spoke up.
The man grinned and reversed the grip on his surfboard revealing a large Star of David in blue.
“You found him,” he replied evenly.
Buffy gaped. “You’re a Rabbi?” she asked dumbly.
He grinned and walked over to them. The man was a good six feet tall and pretty muscular underneath that wet suit.
“Who were you expecting? Grandpa Moses?” he asked wryly.
He took Giles’ outstretched hand in a firm handshake that had the other wincing.
“Rabbi Mesha, at your service,” he grinned.
Alec nodded and gestured to the surfboard. “You surf?” he asked.
The rabbi rolled his eyes.
“No, actually, I just felt like carrying this heavy thing around with me for the fun of it,” he replied wryly.
Alec grinned. “Okay, stupid question,” he admitted. “But isn’t surfing in the Atlantic at night a little risky?” he asked.
The Rabbi grinned and turned his eyes heavenward.
“God watches over his flock,” he replied simply.
Giles cleared his throat.
“Yes, well, we have a bit of a problem we were hoping you could help us with,” he told the other man.
Mesha nodded.
“I gathered that. Tell you what. Let me get into something a little more respectable and you bring your friends in here and we’ll swap facts,” he instructed.
Giles nodded. “All right,” he replied evenly.
Mesha gave them a mock salute and headed through a door at the back. The three turned to watch him depart.
“Interesting guy,” Buffy commented. “Reminds me of Oz,” she said thoughtfully.
Alec snorted. “Is it a full moon?” he asked dryly.
Buffy swatted him playfully. “None of that,” she chided gently.
Giles walked over to the open doors and gestured to everyone that all was well.
A few phone calls later and everyone was assembled either outside the temple or within its confines. The group within sat on a couple of benches a few minutes later. The rabbi, clad in more traditional Rabbi garb, was listening intently to their story. Dawn was outside chatting with Anya. She hadn’t really felt like hearing the story again and Anya had volunteered to join her. Because of this, Buffy was able to tell the Rabbi the whole story, including the truth about Dawn. Spike and Angel miraculously suffered little discomfort from the place, though Spike was grumbling about not being able to smoke. Finally the Rabbi spoke.
“Your story is… amazing,” he shook his head in awe, “and I would be honored to assist you in your quest,” he told them.
There were surprised smiles from everyone; rarely were things so easy.
“However, I must ask you for a boon,” he added.
The smiles faded; things were NEVER that easy.
Buffy nodded. “Okay, what can we do?” she asked.
The rabbi’s face grew grave.
“Something has been killing children in this neighborhood,” he told them grimly.
There were looks of shock.
“Children?” Willow asked aghast.
The rabbi nodded.
“Something is hunting them in their dreams. The children - those that are left - won’t go to sleep, claiming that a ‘scary man’ is after them. Children that are found…”
He shuttered slightly and the group got the hint.
“It has had to be closed casket ceremonies for those poor kids,” the Rabbi whispered.
Alec’s eyes narrowed. “It’s done.”
He turned to Buffy, who looked equally pissed.
“We find what’s doing it and we make it very dead,” she promised him.
The Rabbi nodded. “Thank you,” he replied.
Alec turned to Xander.
“What was that about Freddy Krueger?” he asked grimly.
Xander sighed and hung his head. “I know, I’m a jinx,” he replied glumly.
Alec turned to Willow.
“I want you and everyone else out of here,” he instructed firmly. “Buffy and I will stay here and go hunting for this thing.”
Willow opened her mouth to protest, Alec cut her off with a look.
“I’ve seen you die once, I’m not going to let it happen again,” he growled.
Willow closed her mouth and nodded. Alec turned to Faith.
“In case this doesn’t work out, you’re plan, B. If we show up as kibbles and bits, promise me you’ll find this thing.”
Faith nodded. “You got it,” she replied fervently. Alec nodded and turned to Spike.
”Can I see you outside for a moment, mate?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, sure, no problem.”
The pair of them headed outside, Buffy frowning at their backs in consternation, wondering what was up.
“What’s the deal mate?” Spike asked quizzically, reaching for a smoke.
“I’m going to get that bloody chip out of your head,” Alec replied evenly.
“You’re gonna do what now?”
“Just… try to hold still.”
“Oh, that’s comforting.”
Extending a single finger, Alec pointed it at Spike’s left eye, and a thin tendril of darkness began to emerge from the tip, making its way towards the vampire’s eyeball.
“Uh… Alec?”
“Trust me, mate, just don’t flinch.”
“Easy for you to say.”
The darkness tendril took on a point, fine as a needle; it came closer and closer to Spike’s eye and then, without a hint of resistance, punctured the vampire’s eye.
“How does that feel?” Alec asked.
“Bloody well strange, how do you think it feels?” Spike growled. “Now what?”
“Now things get interesting.”
Concentrating, Alec extended the darkness through Spike’s occipital cavity and towards the brain.
“Alrighty, I believe we’ve hit gray matter,” Alec announced. “Now to find that damn chip.”
He focused and the needle of darkness resting against his friend’s brain split into a hundred tiny hairs of writhing dark matter.
“Nyuh! What the hell are you doing?” Spike asked aghast. “Feels like there’s ants in my skull!”
“Just hold still and remind yourself that the brain itself can feel no pain. Be damn grateful you’re not going to have a massive cerebral hemorrhage from all this.”
Alec probed for several moments before he found it.
There!
He wrapped the tiny tendrils around the small piece of metal and plastic and let his power dissolve the bond that held it to his friend’s brain. Within moments it was free.
“Okay, I’ve got it; now time for extraction.”
“ ‘Extraction’? What do you mean ‘extraction’?” Spike demanded.
Twisting his wrist, Alec pulled the tendril back out of the inside of Spike’s skull and proceeded to pull it around and down, across Spike’s face and towards his nose.
“Ah-ah-ah-ah, careful!” Spike said with gritted teeth.
There was a small bulge as the chip reached his face. Alec twisted and pulled, there was a pop and a small piece of bloody plastic fell out of Spike’s nose.
“Consider that your wedding present,” Alec said as he dissolved the darkness.
Spike wiped at his bloody nose and then smashed his boot down onto the chip.
“Stupid sodding thing!” he cursed before sniggering and spitting a glob of phlegm and blood onto the shattered plastic fragments.
“Well said,” Alec put in.
“Now, I gotta ask, what inspired you to do that?” Spike asked.
“I want to make sure you’re on a level playing field with ‘Broody McVampirePants’ ”, Alec replied cocking his head towards the group.
“Angel?”
“Yeah. He’s taking way more of an interest in my sister than I’m comfortable with and I think it would help you guys if Buffy wasn’t worried about that chip holding you back in battle.”
“I did all right against those bloody cultists.”
“I know that and you know that, but if Buffy has any reason, rational or no, to think that she needs to protect you at all, you’re never going to be able to seal the deal and walk her down the isle. And that is something I would very much like to see.”
Spike reached out and clasped his friend’s hand. “Thanks, mate.”
“No worries, now let’s go rejoin the others.”
Spike nodded, still rubbing at his nose and trying to get the sensation of ants in his head out of his mind.
Alec and Spike rejoined the group.
“Okay then,” he turned to Buffy. “Let’s go have some bad dreams.”
The others began filing out of the temple. Giles turned to Alec.
“Alec, I must say this is terribly risky. A dream creature can supposedly only be slain in the waking world and bringing one across is incredibly difficult.”
Alec nodded.
“I know, Dad, but if we get our tickets punched, Faith is going to need a Watcher.” He smiled at his father. “I can think of no one better suited for the task. Faith has pulled a 180 but she still needs help.”
Giles sighed and nodded at his son’s logic.
“Very well.” He took off his glasses and gripped his son’s arms. “Be careful, Alec,” he said hoarsely.
Alec nodded. “Go give Buffy a pep talk,” he assured his father.
Giles nodded and turned to go talk to Buffy. Alec walked over to Willow, who looked scared. The part-demon young man grinned.
“No worries, love, I’ll be all right,” he reassured her.
Willow smiled slightly and handed him the playing card Oliver had given him originally.
“Here, for luck,” she whispered before throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“I love you, Alec,” she whispered, her eyes tearful. Alec smiled and kissed her hair.
“Oh…” he sighed longingly holding her, “I love you, too, Willow.” He smiled as he pulled back, kissing her eyes. “No tears, love, we’re going to be fine.”
Willow sniffled and nodded. “Better not tell Dawn,” she whispered.
Alec smirked slightly. “Thanks. I appreciate it,” he replied.
Willow smiled. “Dealing with two heartbroken women might be a bit much,” she sniffled.
Alec shook his head.
“Don’t let that heart get damaged, you gave it to me and I intend to take care of it,” he promised.
“Then come back alive,” she whispered fiercely.
Alec nodded and gathered her mouth in a long kiss. Willow mewled softly and took his face in her hands, not wanting to let him go.
Finally, they parted. Alec kissed her forehead; Willow’s eyes closed and she rested her head against his.
“Be careful, Alec,” she whispered.
He nodded and gestured to Xander with whom he’d made his peace. Gently disentangling himself from Willow, he led her into Xander’s arms who held her supportively.
“Hey, don’t give it a thought, Wills. Alec’s scary, trust me, I know,” he grinned wryly.
Alec smirked and nodded gratefully as Xander led his friend away.
Dawn walked over to Alec, watching Willow go.
“What’s the matter with her?” she asked.
Alec shrugged. “She’s just a little tired,” he lied.
Dawn turned to him slowly peering at him.
“Alec….” she said with a hint of warning.
Alec sighed; he should have known better.
“She’s scared, petite. Buffy and I need to help out the rabbi with something a little tricky,” he told her.
Dawn’s eyes widened. “What kind of thing?” she demanded.
Alec braced himself. “The, uh…demonic kind,” he confessed.
Dawn paled and Alec quickly placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay, this isn’t going to be a repeat of the Deadlands, don’t worry,” he reassured her. “There’s something killing children, a dream demon or something. Your sister and I are going to hunt it down so it can’t hurt any more kids.”
Dawn swallowed painfully a few times before nodding.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Alec smiled and gathered her in a tight hug. Dawn clutched at him desperately as he stroked her hair, whispering soothingly. Placing a kiss on her head, Alec released her, setting her down gently.
“I’ll see you when I’m done, promise,” he whispered.
Dawn nodded and sniffled before smiling slightly.
“Gonna go play hero, again, huh?” she asked wryly.
Alec nodded. “Something like that,” he replied chuckling.
Dawn’s face grew calm and she gently reached out a hand to stroke his face.
“It suits you, Alec,” she whispered, suddenly looking a lot older.
Alec frowned puzzled. “Dawn?” he asked carefully.
Dawn shook herself and laughed gently talking back her hand.
“Sorry, I was having an ‘impending doom’ moment,” she replied sardonically.
Alec grinned. “Not a problem.”
Taking her hand in his, he bent low and placed a lingering kiss on it. Dawn smiled and bit her lower lip in pleasure as Alec straightened.
“Now, go join the others and I’ll see you soon, okay?” he asked.
Dawn nodded. “You bet,” she replied, trying to be brave.
Alec smiled. “That’s my girl,” he said to her, his voice full of compassion. Dawn’s face brightened.
“I can live with that,” she commented perkily before blushing and hurrying away.
Alec chuckled and turned to face Buffy, who was walking away from a very concerned looking Spike.
“Said your goodbyes?” he asked.
She nodded and tried to smile.
“You’d think we’d get used to these kinds of things,” she replied.
Alec shook his head and watched as people began disappearing into the van.
“You never get used to it,” he whispered in a strained voice.
Watching his father pull away in the car, he stared after it until it disappeared from sight. Buffy looked up at him.
“You okay?” she asked concerned.
Alec nodded.
“Yeah, I just got this funny feeling, like I’m not going to see them again or something,” he replied.
Buffy hit him upside the head hard.
“Ow! What was that for?” Alec demanded.
Buffy pointed a finger at him. “Don’t go all fatalistic on me, you hear me?” she growled.
Alec smiled slightly as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Fair enough, just don’t hit me anymore, okay?” he pleaded.
Buffy narrowed her eyes.
“We’ll see,” she replied before heading up the stairs back into the temple.
Alec chuckled and followed; as he reached the threshold he stopped and turned to gaze off at the point where the van had disappeared. He sighed and closed the door.
In the van there was silence as the group drove away. Willow sighed and looked over at Dawn who was facing the window.
“Hey Dawnie, you okay?” she asked.
Dawn didn’t turn around.
“Yeah,” she whispered as tears streamed freely down her face. She did her best to hide the quaver in her voice. “I’m fine.”
She closed her eyes and prayed. God, if you ever cared about me, please, PLEASE let Alec be all right.
“So, what do we do?” Alec asked as he, the Rabbi, and Buffy entered a small room in the back of the temple. Rabbi Mesha removed a stick of incense and lit it. A strong, tangy smell filled the room as he began to pray. Alec promptly shut up so as not to interrupt. Buffy leaned in to whisper.
“I think this is the part where you get real quiet and let the nice holy man do what he needs to,” she whispered, her voice heavily sardonic. Alec’s lips curled in a wry smile.
“I will have to put you into a deep sleep; you will be living a waking dream,” the rabbi informed them.
Buffy frowned. “That’s really kinda vague,” she commented.
Rabbi Mesha sighed.
“I know and I apologize, all I can tell you is this: when you enter the dream world, what you see will not always be what is.” He held up a finger in warning. “And you must always remember: a wound suffered in the realm of dreams will be here when you awake.”
Alec nodded grimly. “Translation - die in dreams, die here. Got it.” He turned to face Buffy. “You ready?”
Buffy screwed on a brave smile. “Dream me up, Scotty,” she quipped lightly.
The Rabbi chanted in Hebrew then, taking a handful of fine white sand, he began to sift it onto Buffy and Alec’s head. Their eyes began to droop.
“God be with you,” Rabbi Mesha said from what sounded like a faraway place to the pair.
And the world faded into white, then black.
Chapter 5 - Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Timeline: Immediately follows Book 1: Dusk
Rating: TV-14 (nothing worse than on the show)
Pairing/Characters: Buffy/Spike, Willow/Dusk(OC), Xander/Anya, Giles/Marlena(OC), Dawn, Faith, Angel, Dracula
Book One: Dusk (all chapters)
Previous chapter of Midnight
Banner created by edgehead73.
Hellmouth Ascendant Trilogy: Revamped Edition
Book Two:
Midnight
Chapter 4
Wedding Present
“Well, well, looks like our escort has arrived.” Alec commented wryly pointing out the window.
Dawn turned to look from her seat next to him. There were several figures standing or reclining on picnic tables in the motor park. One of them was very familiar looking. The RV pulled into its space in the park at Greenwich and stopped. Buffy got off first and was gathered in a crushing hug.
“Welcome back, mighty Slayer!” DeGanon boomed as the other gypsies cheered.
Buffy looked a little embarrassed, but was getting used to the gypsy chieftain’s exuberant style of greeting. The pair made way as everyone else filed off the bus, amidst cheers and warm welcomes. Alec grinned and slapped the gypsy’s back as the older man gathered him in a comradely embrace.
“Ah, the dark general. Is life well?” he asked.
“About as well as can be expected,” Alec replied wryly and nodded.
The pair began walking towards the far end of the park; the rest of the group following behind.
“My kumpania has had time to secure transportation for you while you are in the city. I truly hope you will find it satisfactory.”
DeGanon led him to a large tarp and gestured to a pair of gypsies. With a flourish, the man removed the canvas and Alec inhaled sharply.
“Oh… this’ll do,” he commented dryly.
The rest of the group caught a look and there were various exclamations of surprise.
A pair of gleaming motorcycles, all black leather and polished chrome, was resting against a picnic table.
“Bloody hell,” Spike swore fervently before laughing out loud, “I don’t believe it!” He ran his hands over one of the bikes’ handlebars. “These are gorgeous.”
He suddenly looked up at DeGanon. “American?” he asked suspiciously.
“But, of course,” DeGanon replied grinning.
Spike nodded. “Yeah, good man.”
The blond went back to studying the bikes. A black van pulled up next to them. DeGanon turned and said something in Romani; the engine was shut off and a gypsy got out of the car, tossing him the keys. DeGanon caught them and handed the keys to Giles.
“The van and the bikes are at your disposal. The van has already been converted for safe daylight passage,” he informed the Watcher, sending a meaningful glace at Angel, who was taking in the whole scene quietly.
Giles nodded. “That’s extraordinarily gracious of you,” he replied.
DeGanon waved it away. “We are family now. There is nothing too good for family.”
“Umm… out of curiosity,” Willow began, “just where did you get all this?” she asked carefully.
DeGanon nodded. “I understand your concern, little witch, but have no fear. Both the bikes and the car were found abandoned.”
Alec smiled slightly.
“Really?” he drawled out lazily, not believing a word.
DeGanon nodded. “Most assuredly.” He began to grin. “The bikes were carelessly left in front of a bar and the car was casually abandoned in a car dealership lot.”
Alec laughed. “Well, it’d be a shame to let such fine vehicles go to waste.”
“Exactly what we were thinking,” DeGanon replied.
Alec chuckled and threw a leg over the saddle of one of the bikes. Spike already had the other one up and running and was revving the engine appreciatively, grinning maniacally. Alec found a pair of helmets by his feet and turned to Willow.
“Want to go for a ride, milady?” he asked wryly.
To his surprise, Willow shook her head.
“Not me, mister, I don’t like motorcycles. Not enough separating me from the ground,” she replied.
She grinned and gestured to Dawn, who was talking to Buffy about something.
Ask her, she mouthed silently.
Alec frowned. You sure? he replied just as silently. The redhead nodded.
“Hey, petite!” Alec yelled out.
Dawn whirled around.
“Yeah, Alec?” she asked eagerly.
“Ask your sister if you’re ready to take your first motorcycle ride?” he replied grinning crookedly.
Dawn’s eyes widened with excitement as she spun around to face Buffy.
“Please?” she whispered fiercely.
Buffy exhaled hard, then smiled.
“It’s your call, Dawn, you can do whatever you want,” she answered.
Dawn squealed with glee and gathered her sister in a tight hug. Buffy laughed in surprise before returning the hug. Dawn pulled away and grabbed at her sister’s arms.
“Thank you SO much,” she said fervently.
Buffy laughed. “Get out of here, you little lunatic!” she teased.
Dawn sprinted towards the bike and Alec.
Buffy turned to speak to the driver. “Make sure she wears a-”
Alec held up a helmet, cutting her off with a smug smile. Buffy swallowed the rest of her warning and smiled, she really didn’t give her brother enough credit. Alec handed the helmet to Dawn, who strapped it on as she got onto the bike behind him. He turned his head and whispered a few things, before smiling. Dawn got a shy little smile and carefully wrapped her arms around his waist, holding tightly.
“Love!” Spike yelled out. “Let’s go already!”
Buffy shook her head. “No thanks, Spike, not my style.”
She turned to Faith, who was eyeing the bikes covetously. “You want on, girl?” she asked wryly.
Faith whirled around. “Hey, B, I mean, that’s your man on there,” she started.
Buffy cut her off. “And he’ll stay my man when the ride is over. Get going,” she grinned.
Faith stared a while, then her face broke into a wide grin.
“Thanks, B,” she replied.
Buffy smiled and patted her shoulder. Faith bounded off towards Spike. The vampire frowned.
“What the hell is all this then?” he demanded.
“Payment for me kicking your ass the other night,” Faith replied quickly, strapping on a helmet. “Let’s ride, Blondie!”
Spike muttered something obscene under his breath but began to ease the bike off the grass, onto pavement.
“Hey, Dad!” Alec yelled as the others began piling into the van. “We’ll follow you to this bar, all right?” Giles nodded and got into the driver’s seat.
Alec turned his head to Dawn. “Hold on tight, petite,” he told her.
With her arms wrapped around his waist, Dawn rested her face against Alec’s back, feeling the warm wool of his duster caressing her face.
“Not an issue,” she whispered, closing her eyes contently.
Alec revved the engine and guided it out of the motor park. Spike grinned at Alec.
“Told you Harleys are the way to go!” he yelled.
Alec just revved the engine louder before cupping his hand over the portion of his helmet covering his ear.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Did you just say that you couldn’t catch a ’53 Packard if your life depended on it?” he asked grinning.
Spike’s eyes widened and he flipped him off before peeling out of the motor park, Faith whooping loudly. Alec grinned and gunned the engine, eliciting a squeal from both the tires and Dawn as he rocketed behind the blond.
Dawn squeezed Alec tighter. She felt so… free and alive right now. Suddenly, a roar from her left interrupted her reverie as Spike pulled up along side them.
“This is the ONLY way to travel!” the vampire roared.
Alec grinned. “ ‘A charted course!’ ” he replied.
Spike grinned back. “ ‘And each careful step, along the highway’,” he finished laughing.
Spike stretched out his hand. Alec slapped it as Spike gunned the engine and shot ahead of them, weaving through traffic and receiving blaring horns from angry motorists. Alec turned back to Dawn.
“How you doing back there, Dawn?” he yelled.
Dawn looked up at him with eyes teary from the wind and grinned.
“This is AMAZING!” she yelled.
Alec laughed and turned his attention back to the road, gunning the engine. Dawn whooped in excitement. Alec shook his head.
They grow up so fast, he thought wryly to himself as he weaved through the traffic, keeping the black van in sight.
After a few more twists and turns, they arrived at their destination. Giles pulled into a large parking lot across the street from the address, and killed the engine. Angel opened the large sliding door on the side and hopped out, turning around to help Buffy and the others out. The Slayer smiled at Spike, who had just pulled in behind them with Alec close behind.
“How was your ride, boys?” she asked wryly.
Spike killed the engine and hopped off, grinning wildly.
“Goh! What a rush!”
He gathered the Slayer in his arms and hoisted her into the air, spinning her around. She laughed as he kissed her mouth. Angel watched, his eyes twin studies in pain before turning to help Anya out of the van. Alec hopped off and helped Dawn off the bike. She wrapped her hands around his shoulder, luxuriating at the feeling of his hands on her ribs as he hoisted her slim body off the bike and set her down on the ground.
“Have a good time, petite?” he asked, grinning wryly. Dawn swallowed and nodded.
“It was great…” she breathed.
She suddenly realized that her fingers were frozen stiff. She cupped them and blew breaths of hot air to warm them.
“And cold,” she finished, smiling slightly.
Alec took her hands in his.
“Here,” he whispered, taking her hands in his and rubbing, getting the circulation flowing back into them.
Dawn closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Within moments, warmth had flooded her hands as well as her entire body. She opened her eyes to gaze into his.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Alec smiled slightly, a smile that caused her to feel a little light-headed, before releasing her fingers and turning to address his father. Dawn smiled a secret smile and set to work stripping off her helmet.
“Is this the place?” Alec asked, gesturing to the bar across the street.
Giles nodded and squinted, trying to read the neon sign.
“Asura’s,” he read, frowning.
“She’s in Hindu lore,” Angel commented, walking up beside him. “A demon.”
Giles sighed and took off his glasses. Alec smirked.
“Another cult you think?” he asked.
Giles shook his head.
“I doubt it; if Marlena gave us this address, then she must believe it to be sound.” He turned to his son. “I doubt that there’ll be a significant demonic presence here,” he assured with a hint of finality.
“ ‘No significant demonic presence’?” Alec asked wryly, turning to his father with a grin.
Giles just sighed and rubbed his eyes. The bar was sprawling beneath them, with only a little more reserve than the trucker’s tavern had. Loud music blared from a jukebox in the corner. But that wasn’t the main attraction. Several women were dancing on the bar, not nude, but pretty close, doing some rather interesting things with pitchers of water.
The fact that every single one of them was either a vampire or a demon was also a factor.
“My God, it’s ‘Coyote Ugly’ meets Clive Barker,” Buffy commented with wide eyes.
Alec grinned and turned to the group.
“Split up. Me, Buffy, Angel, Spike, and Dad will stay here and check the place out. The rest of you head back to DeGanon’s and wait for us to come back,” he instructed.
There were a few moans of complaints but after their last bar encounter, they got the hint. Willow gave him a kiss and Dawn flashed him a warm smile before they left. Giles eyed his son thoughtfully.
“I say, Alec, you seem to be growing into the leadership rather well.”
Buffy snorted affectionately. “Yeah, like a weed,” she replied.
Alec shot her a wry look as the group descended a staircase into the main bar. Weaving their way through the crowd, the reached the bar. Giles cupped his hands over his mouth to shout over the music.
“We’re looking for the Maitre D’,” he yelled to a pink skinned woman with quills for hair.
She grinned, revealing a forked tongue, and turned to talk to someone else. Angel looked around thoughtfully.
“Reminds me of Madame Dorion’s,” he commented.
Giles frowned and turned to Angel. “Isn’t that that establishment in Bel Air? The one that…”
Angel shot him a look and Giles silenced instantly. Spike was too busy ogling a dancing vampire on the bar; Buffy was too busy glaring at Spike. Alec just smirked as a gray-skinned woman with flaming red hair and a dress that had holes in all the wrong places came up to the bar, grinning.
“I heard you’re looking for the ‘Maitre D’?” she asked, sarcasm dripping.
Giles cleared his throat and nodded.
“That’s right, Marlena sent us. We need some information,” he replied.
The demon nodded. “Well, I’m the owner. Name’s Satara,” she grinned crookedly.
The woman tossed her flaming hair back and flashed a grin and a pose that would raise a monk’s interest, celibacy be damned. “Marlena actually said ‘Maitre D’?” she asked.
Giles nodded. “She didn’t tell us this was a …” He struggled for the proper word.
“A demonic burlesque?” Satara finished, still grinning.
Giles colored and nodded. Alec decided to intervene.
“Terminology aside, Satara, we could really use some help. Name your price.” He flashed her his most charming grin.
Buffy rolled her eyes at her brother as Satara eyed him appreciatively.
“Is that a fact, handsome?” she asked demurely.
Alec looked momentarily taken aback. “Uh…”
Spike was trying not to burst out laughing as Satara continued to eyeball Alec with an intensely appraising look.
“Well, handsome, you have two choices.” She gestured to an unused stage. “One, you sing us a tune and I can tell you what I see.”
Alec frowned. “What you see?” he asked hesitantly.
Angel started paying attention.
“She’s anagogic, a psychic demon,” he informed them, eyeing her critically. “There’s a Karaoke bar in L.A. run by another one.”
Satara frowned at him. “Hold up, you’re Angel?” she asked.
Angel nodded slowly, Satara grinned.
“Yeah, Lorne told me about you. He and I are kind of in a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship.”
She grinned wickedly and the observing men were quickly losing their resolve in the face of this walking epitome of sensuality.
“So you’re the vampire who sang Barry Manilow, huh?”
Buffy, Alec, Giles and Spike whipped their heads around to gape at the vampire, who looked about ready to die… again.
“Something like that,” he commented dryly.
Buffy threw her head back and laughed, Spike was nearly doubled over, and Alec was pounding the bar, tears streaming down his face. Even Giles looked stunned.
“I would have given my left arm to see that,” Buffy finally gasped out.
Angel scowled and thrust his hands into his pockets.
“It was for a good cause,” he muttered defensively.
Alec, still laughing turned to Satara. “So, musical performance, huh?” he asked.
Satara shook her head. “You sing, and the girls play.”
She gestured to the scantily clad vampires, who were right now engaged in a fairly dramatic dance sequence on the bar, involving cartwheels, splits and more pitchers of water.
Alec frowned. “What if they don’t know the song?” he asked.
Satara grinned. “Trust me, that won’t be a problem,” she assured him.
Alec sighed. “Okay, what’s option two?” he asked.
There was a yell of surprise. Alec spun around to see a guy in a suit being dragged onto the bar and having ice water poured down the front of his slacks while a female vampire began tearing his clothes off.
“That,” Satara replied, gesturing to the scene.
Alec blinked a few times and turned back to Satara. “So… any song?” he asked mildly.
Satara grinned and nodded. Alec sighed and turned to Spike.
“Hey, Spike, I’ve got an idea.”
Spike snarled at him when he heard what the young man had in mind.
“You’re out of your bloody mind!” he sputtered.
Alec grinned. “C’mon, man, it’s for a good cause,” he cajoled.
Spike scowled and shook his head vehemently.
“There’s nothing you could say or do that would convince me to get onto that stage and make a fool of myself!” he finished.
Alec sighed then grinned as the perfect threat came to him.
“Well, it’s either that or we dress in drag and perform a cover of Bowie’s ‘Boys Keep Swinging’.”
The spotlight hit the stage as Spike, bare-chested and looking very unhappy, began to croon.
“ ‘And now, the end is near and so I face the final curtain…’ ”
Buffy, Giles and Angel were sitting, grinning. The girls were doing their part, playing back-up well.
“ ‘…and more, much more than this, I did it my way’,” he continued.
With a roar, the guitars and drums were pounding as Alec came out on stage.
“ ‘Mistakes, I’ve made a few, but then again, too few too mention!’ ” he sang into the mic.
The crowd went nuts as Spike and Alec began singing a duet.
“ ‘I’ve planned each charted course. Each careful step along the highway and more, much more than this, I did it my way!’ ”
Before long they were both getting into it, Spike seemed to be having a ball, dancing with one of the girls who were writhing on stage with them.
“Whooo!” Satara howled, waving a towel over her head. Spike and Alec got together for the last line.
“ ‘The record shows, I shot the bloke and I did it MYYYY WAAAAAAYYYY!’ ”
They finished with Spike throwing the mic off the stage and taking a long pull from a whiskey bottle, spewing it into the air with a grin.
“Fag off, everyone! Goodnight!” he cried before getting off the stage.
There were hoots and howls of applause as Alec bowed and followed Spike, who was grinning like a mad man.
“Yee-haw!” the blond strode over to the table as patrons slapped his back and applauded, then bent low to gather Buffy in a crushing kiss. The Slayer mewed in surprise before tentatively returning the kiss.
Alec grinned as he stepped off, getting some measure of applause, but Spike was the star of the show. Satara tossed him a towel and gestured to his bare chest.
“What’s with the strippage?” she asked wryly.
Spike shrugged and toweled some sweat.
“You seem to have a rowdy crowd that would appreciate it. Besides, what’s a few more shreds of dignity?” he replied evenly.
Satara shook her head and handed Giles a slip of paper.
“Here’s a rabbi you should see. He should be able to fill you in,” she told him.
Giles’ eyes widened. “You got all that from that… display?” he asked askance.
Satara grinned.
“Nope. Marlena called me ahead of time. That was just for fun,” she replied wryly.
Alec laughed. “Good to know I embarrassed myself for a good cause,” he laughed.
Just then a female vampire came up behind him and ran her arms down his chest and began stroking his skin.
“Come back to my crypt,” she whispered, her game-face in place, “and I’ll show you a good cause,” she purred… literally.
Alec smiled slightly and gently disentangled himself from the amorous vampire.
“Some other time, beautiful,” he grinned.
“Your loss,” she shrugged and replied, not unkindly, before tossing her hair back and walking away, swinging her hips back and forth. Alec eyed her admiringly as Spike joined him.
“I’ll agree with that,” Spike commented dryly.
Alec nodded slowly. “Oh, hell yes.”
Spike just nodded.
“Ahem,” Buffy cleared her throat.
Slowly, the pair tore their eyes from the retreating vampire’s backside and turned.
“I’m back,” Alec piped up.
Buffy just rolled her eyes and handed him the address.
Alec nodded. “Okay, this sounds like a plan. Do we snag the others?”
Buffy handed Spike the address. He read it and shook his head.
“No, mate, this is only a few blocks from here. DeGanon’s is clear across town and we’d never get there and back in time before sunup.” He handed the address back to Buffy, who nodded in agreement.
“Okay, let’s get going.”
Buffy, Angel, and Giles got to their feet as Alec pulled on his t-shirt and his duster.
Satara grinned at them. “Nice performance, boys. Sid Vicious?” she asked.
Alec nodded. “Once, then remade by Gary Oldman,” he answered.
Spike nodded as he lit a cigarette. “Mm. Can’t believe that soundtrack is out of print,” he snorted in disgust.
Alec just nodded. “You see why I covet yours, man?” he asked.
Spike glared at him. “Not in this lifetime, mate,” he retorted as the pair said their goodbyes and headed out.
“Yeah, but what about the next, oh immortal one?” he asked as he held up the door open.
Spike stopped to exhale a plume of smoke.
“Maybe. Talk to me after you kick the bucket,” he replied before exiting.
Alec considered before following. The elder Giles just shook his head disapprovingly.
“I suppose I should be the adult here and nay-say and wag my finger at your antics.”
His son shot him a look.
“Really? So what’s this Jenny told me about your participation in college musicals? Something about fishnets and ‘doing the time warp again’?”
Giles sighed before taking off his glasses and pinching the skin at the bridge of his nose.
“She swore she’d keep that to herself until the day she died,” he commented dryly.
Alec chuckled and patted his father’s shoulder.
“And so she did. Afterwards, however, was another story… doctor.”
Giles glared at this son as the pair of them headed out of the bar.
“Nice digs,” Alec commented as he parked his bike on the side of the road.
Giles opened the door of the van, climbing out in front of him, and looked over the building.
“Yes, I mean, for being located in such a dilapidated portion of the city, this synagogue is actually quite nice.” He took off his glasses and smiled.
Buffy walked over to them.
“So, we meet this Rabbi guy?” she asked.
Alec nodded and looked down at the piece of paper in his hand.
“Yeah, uh… Rabbi Mesha, I think.” He shrugged and turned to Willow. “Name mean anything to you?”
She frowned, thinking back to her Jewish school days.
“Sure, Mesha is another way of saying Moses,” she replied smiling.
Alec looked up and shrugged.
“Well, I suppose that’s appropriate.” He turned to Buffy. “So, who goes talking to the good Rabbi?”
Buffy shrugged. “I think it’s safe to say that isn’t trap-worthy, still…”
She turned to Spike, who had pulled up on his bike beside them.
“You want to stay out here with everyone else? Just until we get to talk to the rabbi?”
Spike nodded. “Sure, love, besides holy places and vampires just don’t mix.”
Angel frowned. “I don’t know, I’ve always had a thing for convents,” he replied evenly.
Spike snorted derisively. “Let’s not get into that now, okay?” he said with more than a hint of disdain.
Angel shrugged and turned to Buffy. “We’ll wait out here,” he told her.
Buffy nodded and turned to Giles and Alec.
“Shall we?” she asked.
They nodded and headed across the street up the stone steps. Giles checked his watch.
“It’s entirely possible that it may be closed for the evening, you realize,” he commented.
Alec strode up to the double doors and, with a grunt, shoved them open.
“Or not,” Giles finished wryly.
Alec flashed him a grin and entered the temple.
The décor was sparse but comfortable. Candles were lit and there were a few benches along with an altar. That was about it. Still, there was a sense of peace in the temple, of security. Alec smiled slightly and turned to face the others, who wore similar expressions.
“Feels nice in here,” he commented.
Buffy smiled and nodded. “Yeah, very Zen, grasshopper,” she replied wryly.
Giles cleared his throat and peered up at a painted window.
“Yes, well, with any luck the Rabbi-”
“Can I help you?” a voice called out from behind them.
They turned around to face an older man with dark skin, wearing a white wetsuit and carrying a white surfboard. He smiled at them through a salt and pepper beard.
“Yes, hello, we were looking for Rabbi Mesha,” Giles spoke up.
The man grinned and reversed the grip on his surfboard revealing a large Star of David in blue.
“You found him,” he replied evenly.
Buffy gaped. “You’re a Rabbi?” she asked dumbly.
He grinned and walked over to them. The man was a good six feet tall and pretty muscular underneath that wet suit.
“Who were you expecting? Grandpa Moses?” he asked wryly.
He took Giles’ outstretched hand in a firm handshake that had the other wincing.
“Rabbi Mesha, at your service,” he grinned.
Alec nodded and gestured to the surfboard. “You surf?” he asked.
The rabbi rolled his eyes.
“No, actually, I just felt like carrying this heavy thing around with me for the fun of it,” he replied wryly.
Alec grinned. “Okay, stupid question,” he admitted. “But isn’t surfing in the Atlantic at night a little risky?” he asked.
The Rabbi grinned and turned his eyes heavenward.
“God watches over his flock,” he replied simply.
Giles cleared his throat.
“Yes, well, we have a bit of a problem we were hoping you could help us with,” he told the other man.
Mesha nodded.
“I gathered that. Tell you what. Let me get into something a little more respectable and you bring your friends in here and we’ll swap facts,” he instructed.
Giles nodded. “All right,” he replied evenly.
Mesha gave them a mock salute and headed through a door at the back. The three turned to watch him depart.
“Interesting guy,” Buffy commented. “Reminds me of Oz,” she said thoughtfully.
Alec snorted. “Is it a full moon?” he asked dryly.
Buffy swatted him playfully. “None of that,” she chided gently.
Giles walked over to the open doors and gestured to everyone that all was well.
A few phone calls later and everyone was assembled either outside the temple or within its confines. The group within sat on a couple of benches a few minutes later. The rabbi, clad in more traditional Rabbi garb, was listening intently to their story. Dawn was outside chatting with Anya. She hadn’t really felt like hearing the story again and Anya had volunteered to join her. Because of this, Buffy was able to tell the Rabbi the whole story, including the truth about Dawn. Spike and Angel miraculously suffered little discomfort from the place, though Spike was grumbling about not being able to smoke. Finally the Rabbi spoke.
“Your story is… amazing,” he shook his head in awe, “and I would be honored to assist you in your quest,” he told them.
There were surprised smiles from everyone; rarely were things so easy.
“However, I must ask you for a boon,” he added.
The smiles faded; things were NEVER that easy.
Buffy nodded. “Okay, what can we do?” she asked.
The rabbi’s face grew grave.
“Something has been killing children in this neighborhood,” he told them grimly.
There were looks of shock.
“Children?” Willow asked aghast.
The rabbi nodded.
“Something is hunting them in their dreams. The children - those that are left - won’t go to sleep, claiming that a ‘scary man’ is after them. Children that are found…”
He shuttered slightly and the group got the hint.
“It has had to be closed casket ceremonies for those poor kids,” the Rabbi whispered.
Alec’s eyes narrowed. “It’s done.”
He turned to Buffy, who looked equally pissed.
“We find what’s doing it and we make it very dead,” she promised him.
The Rabbi nodded. “Thank you,” he replied.
Alec turned to Xander.
“What was that about Freddy Krueger?” he asked grimly.
Xander sighed and hung his head. “I know, I’m a jinx,” he replied glumly.
Alec turned to Willow.
“I want you and everyone else out of here,” he instructed firmly. “Buffy and I will stay here and go hunting for this thing.”
Willow opened her mouth to protest, Alec cut her off with a look.
“I’ve seen you die once, I’m not going to let it happen again,” he growled.
Willow closed her mouth and nodded. Alec turned to Faith.
“In case this doesn’t work out, you’re plan, B. If we show up as kibbles and bits, promise me you’ll find this thing.”
Faith nodded. “You got it,” she replied fervently. Alec nodded and turned to Spike.
”Can I see you outside for a moment, mate?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, sure, no problem.”
The pair of them headed outside, Buffy frowning at their backs in consternation, wondering what was up.
“What’s the deal mate?” Spike asked quizzically, reaching for a smoke.
“I’m going to get that bloody chip out of your head,” Alec replied evenly.
“You’re gonna do what now?”
“Just… try to hold still.”
“Oh, that’s comforting.”
Extending a single finger, Alec pointed it at Spike’s left eye, and a thin tendril of darkness began to emerge from the tip, making its way towards the vampire’s eyeball.
“Uh… Alec?”
“Trust me, mate, just don’t flinch.”
“Easy for you to say.”
The darkness tendril took on a point, fine as a needle; it came closer and closer to Spike’s eye and then, without a hint of resistance, punctured the vampire’s eye.
“How does that feel?” Alec asked.
“Bloody well strange, how do you think it feels?” Spike growled. “Now what?”
“Now things get interesting.”
Concentrating, Alec extended the darkness through Spike’s occipital cavity and towards the brain.
“Alrighty, I believe we’ve hit gray matter,” Alec announced. “Now to find that damn chip.”
He focused and the needle of darkness resting against his friend’s brain split into a hundred tiny hairs of writhing dark matter.
“Nyuh! What the hell are you doing?” Spike asked aghast. “Feels like there’s ants in my skull!”
“Just hold still and remind yourself that the brain itself can feel no pain. Be damn grateful you’re not going to have a massive cerebral hemorrhage from all this.”
Alec probed for several moments before he found it.
There!
He wrapped the tiny tendrils around the small piece of metal and plastic and let his power dissolve the bond that held it to his friend’s brain. Within moments it was free.
“Okay, I’ve got it; now time for extraction.”
“ ‘Extraction’? What do you mean ‘extraction’?” Spike demanded.
Twisting his wrist, Alec pulled the tendril back out of the inside of Spike’s skull and proceeded to pull it around and down, across Spike’s face and towards his nose.
“Ah-ah-ah-ah, careful!” Spike said with gritted teeth.
There was a small bulge as the chip reached his face. Alec twisted and pulled, there was a pop and a small piece of bloody plastic fell out of Spike’s nose.
“Consider that your wedding present,” Alec said as he dissolved the darkness.
Spike wiped at his bloody nose and then smashed his boot down onto the chip.
“Stupid sodding thing!” he cursed before sniggering and spitting a glob of phlegm and blood onto the shattered plastic fragments.
“Well said,” Alec put in.
“Now, I gotta ask, what inspired you to do that?” Spike asked.
“I want to make sure you’re on a level playing field with ‘Broody McVampirePants’ ”, Alec replied cocking his head towards the group.
“Angel?”
“Yeah. He’s taking way more of an interest in my sister than I’m comfortable with and I think it would help you guys if Buffy wasn’t worried about that chip holding you back in battle.”
“I did all right against those bloody cultists.”
“I know that and you know that, but if Buffy has any reason, rational or no, to think that she needs to protect you at all, you’re never going to be able to seal the deal and walk her down the isle. And that is something I would very much like to see.”
Spike reached out and clasped his friend’s hand. “Thanks, mate.”
“No worries, now let’s go rejoin the others.”
Spike nodded, still rubbing at his nose and trying to get the sensation of ants in his head out of his mind.
Alec and Spike rejoined the group.
“Okay then,” he turned to Buffy. “Let’s go have some bad dreams.”
The others began filing out of the temple. Giles turned to Alec.
“Alec, I must say this is terribly risky. A dream creature can supposedly only be slain in the waking world and bringing one across is incredibly difficult.”
Alec nodded.
“I know, Dad, but if we get our tickets punched, Faith is going to need a Watcher.” He smiled at his father. “I can think of no one better suited for the task. Faith has pulled a 180 but she still needs help.”
Giles sighed and nodded at his son’s logic.
“Very well.” He took off his glasses and gripped his son’s arms. “Be careful, Alec,” he said hoarsely.
Alec nodded. “Go give Buffy a pep talk,” he assured his father.
Giles nodded and turned to go talk to Buffy. Alec walked over to Willow, who looked scared. The part-demon young man grinned.
“No worries, love, I’ll be all right,” he reassured her.
Willow smiled slightly and handed him the playing card Oliver had given him originally.
“Here, for luck,” she whispered before throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“I love you, Alec,” she whispered, her eyes tearful. Alec smiled and kissed her hair.
“Oh…” he sighed longingly holding her, “I love you, too, Willow.” He smiled as he pulled back, kissing her eyes. “No tears, love, we’re going to be fine.”
Willow sniffled and nodded. “Better not tell Dawn,” she whispered.
Alec smirked slightly. “Thanks. I appreciate it,” he replied.
Willow smiled. “Dealing with two heartbroken women might be a bit much,” she sniffled.
Alec shook his head.
“Don’t let that heart get damaged, you gave it to me and I intend to take care of it,” he promised.
“Then come back alive,” she whispered fiercely.
Alec nodded and gathered her mouth in a long kiss. Willow mewled softly and took his face in her hands, not wanting to let him go.
Finally, they parted. Alec kissed her forehead; Willow’s eyes closed and she rested her head against his.
“Be careful, Alec,” she whispered.
He nodded and gestured to Xander with whom he’d made his peace. Gently disentangling himself from Willow, he led her into Xander’s arms who held her supportively.
“Hey, don’t give it a thought, Wills. Alec’s scary, trust me, I know,” he grinned wryly.
Alec smirked and nodded gratefully as Xander led his friend away.
Dawn walked over to Alec, watching Willow go.
“What’s the matter with her?” she asked.
Alec shrugged. “She’s just a little tired,” he lied.
Dawn turned to him slowly peering at him.
“Alec….” she said with a hint of warning.
Alec sighed; he should have known better.
“She’s scared, petite. Buffy and I need to help out the rabbi with something a little tricky,” he told her.
Dawn’s eyes widened. “What kind of thing?” she demanded.
Alec braced himself. “The, uh…demonic kind,” he confessed.
Dawn paled and Alec quickly placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay, this isn’t going to be a repeat of the Deadlands, don’t worry,” he reassured her. “There’s something killing children, a dream demon or something. Your sister and I are going to hunt it down so it can’t hurt any more kids.”
Dawn swallowed painfully a few times before nodding.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Alec smiled and gathered her in a tight hug. Dawn clutched at him desperately as he stroked her hair, whispering soothingly. Placing a kiss on her head, Alec released her, setting her down gently.
“I’ll see you when I’m done, promise,” he whispered.
Dawn nodded and sniffled before smiling slightly.
“Gonna go play hero, again, huh?” she asked wryly.
Alec nodded. “Something like that,” he replied chuckling.
Dawn’s face grew calm and she gently reached out a hand to stroke his face.
“It suits you, Alec,” she whispered, suddenly looking a lot older.
Alec frowned puzzled. “Dawn?” he asked carefully.
Dawn shook herself and laughed gently talking back her hand.
“Sorry, I was having an ‘impending doom’ moment,” she replied sardonically.
Alec grinned. “Not a problem.”
Taking her hand in his, he bent low and placed a lingering kiss on it. Dawn smiled and bit her lower lip in pleasure as Alec straightened.
“Now, go join the others and I’ll see you soon, okay?” he asked.
Dawn nodded. “You bet,” she replied, trying to be brave.
Alec smiled. “That’s my girl,” he said to her, his voice full of compassion. Dawn’s face brightened.
“I can live with that,” she commented perkily before blushing and hurrying away.
Alec chuckled and turned to face Buffy, who was walking away from a very concerned looking Spike.
“Said your goodbyes?” he asked.
She nodded and tried to smile.
“You’d think we’d get used to these kinds of things,” she replied.
Alec shook his head and watched as people began disappearing into the van.
“You never get used to it,” he whispered in a strained voice.
Watching his father pull away in the car, he stared after it until it disappeared from sight. Buffy looked up at him.
“You okay?” she asked concerned.
Alec nodded.
“Yeah, I just got this funny feeling, like I’m not going to see them again or something,” he replied.
Buffy hit him upside the head hard.
“Ow! What was that for?” Alec demanded.
Buffy pointed a finger at him. “Don’t go all fatalistic on me, you hear me?” she growled.
Alec smiled slightly as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Fair enough, just don’t hit me anymore, okay?” he pleaded.
Buffy narrowed her eyes.
“We’ll see,” she replied before heading up the stairs back into the temple.
Alec chuckled and followed; as he reached the threshold he stopped and turned to gaze off at the point where the van had disappeared. He sighed and closed the door.
In the van there was silence as the group drove away. Willow sighed and looked over at Dawn who was facing the window.
“Hey Dawnie, you okay?” she asked.
Dawn didn’t turn around.
“Yeah,” she whispered as tears streamed freely down her face. She did her best to hide the quaver in her voice. “I’m fine.”
She closed her eyes and prayed. God, if you ever cared about me, please, PLEASE let Alec be all right.
“So, what do we do?” Alec asked as he, the Rabbi, and Buffy entered a small room in the back of the temple. Rabbi Mesha removed a stick of incense and lit it. A strong, tangy smell filled the room as he began to pray. Alec promptly shut up so as not to interrupt. Buffy leaned in to whisper.
“I think this is the part where you get real quiet and let the nice holy man do what he needs to,” she whispered, her voice heavily sardonic. Alec’s lips curled in a wry smile.
“I will have to put you into a deep sleep; you will be living a waking dream,” the rabbi informed them.
Buffy frowned. “That’s really kinda vague,” she commented.
Rabbi Mesha sighed.
“I know and I apologize, all I can tell you is this: when you enter the dream world, what you see will not always be what is.” He held up a finger in warning. “And you must always remember: a wound suffered in the realm of dreams will be here when you awake.”
Alec nodded grimly. “Translation - die in dreams, die here. Got it.” He turned to face Buffy. “You ready?”
Buffy screwed on a brave smile. “Dream me up, Scotty,” she quipped lightly.
The Rabbi chanted in Hebrew then, taking a handful of fine white sand, he began to sift it onto Buffy and Alec’s head. Their eyes began to droop.
“God be with you,” Rabbi Mesha said from what sounded like a faraway place to the pair.
And the world faded into white, then black.
Chapter 5 - Nightmares and Dreamscapes