One-Shot: Hope is a Thing with Sharp Teeth: BtVS/VHD
Title: Hope Is a Thing with Sharp Teeth
Author: Patriciatepes (Patricia de Lioncourt @ FFNET and PatriciaLouise @ TTH)
Fandom: Vampire Hunter D/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: PG
Summary: Set after Normal, Not. With Buffy's slayer strength still not returned, they find that they have run out of time, and a fight must happen whether she's ready or not…
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Vampire Hunter D. All the characters belong to their respective owners, making no money here.
Word Count: ~1800
A/N:.I'm sure I'll have more in this series, as I know this story isn't the end. Also, I'm using this for my hc-bingo square, hostile climate. And yes, the title is inspired by Emily Dickinson.
Hope Is a Thing with Sharp Teeth
Shamans, witches, wizards, and even a few well-dressed trolls later, and Buffy was still sans Slayer strength. Weeks, they had been at this. Buffy was pretty sure she had added it up to at least three months worth of weeks, actually. Now, at least one-thousand miles away from their first shaman in the coastal town of Blue, they had stopped to rest and recharge at a little dusty town called Mite. Buffy stood outside by the hitching post that D's stallion was strapped to. Her hand shielding her eyes from the light of the sun glaring down-which so intense that she was pretty sure that was why there wasn't a speck of greenery anywhere to be seen-she huffed. The horse imitated her, and she grinned. The poor thing was unnamed, according to Left Hand, all because D went through them too fast. Something about that bothered the Slayer-but-not, so her thoughts were now temporarily distracted by trying to come up with a suitable name for the creature.
"Blackie is a little on the nose," she murmured to it as a dry breeze blew by, feeling like sandpaper on her skin. She'd kill for a good moisturizer right about now. "Maybe Ebony? Nah… I'd hum 'Ebony and Ivory' every time I said it. What else could we call you?"
D exited the inn behind her, and Buffy turned. The dhampire didn't look happy, but then again, he never did. Buffy supposed though that he looked less happy than usual.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"We've got to go," D said, mounting the stallion and reaching down to pull Buffy up behind him.
She held on around D's waist, no longer shy about it. At the speeds at which he rode, it was more a necessity than ever a flirtation. He pulled the horse's reins, digging in his heels once, and off they trotted in the opposite direction that they had entered the town from. Buffy leaned ever so slightly around, looking up at the pale man.
"Where we goin'? Another witch? Please tell me not another troll. Those things are rank!"
"None of the above, sweetheart," Left Hand responded. "We heard some pretty disturbing news in there. We've been hired, to boot."
"But, wait a minute, I thought-" Buffy began, but D cut her off.
"It's escalated."
Buffy pursed her lips, nodding grimly. She had hoped, beyond everything, that it wouldn't come to this. That Angelus-the new problem for them and a very old one for Buffy-would hold off on whatever he had planned long enough for her to get her Slayer strength back. But things never did work that way for her. And, she couldn't help it, but a little well of fear rose up in her. After all, she knew just how bad Angelus could be… and here she was, Helpless Girl Number Seventy-Six.
"What about me? Are you dropping me off somewhere?" she asked.
"No," D responded.
Buffy blinked. "Okay, so what? I'm just supposed to cheer you on?"
"You'll fight."
"Excuse me?"
Left Hand cleared his, um, throat or whatever, cutting in.
"You know Angelus the best… well, considering. So you'll help us get into the castle that he's holed up in. Then, we'll take it from there."
Earlier in their travels, Buffy had been very confused by the idea of castles as actual homes to vampires. Seemed very old school for a very new age. But Left Hand had explained that the Nobles, what vampires had taken to calling themselves, liked old designs. Now, Buffy just settled into her place behind D, trying to act like she was okay with going up against Angelus or anything that he might have guarding him, when she totally wasn't.
#
The Frontier, what they called the land now, was a flat, dead thing, save for where humans had forced life back into it. The weather was harsh and varied from region to region and the switch between each region came with no warning. One minute, the weather was dry, hot and dirty, then it was cold and wet. They were finally resting in a region that was relatively mild, at the edge of a forest that Buffy had the inkling that they were going into, despite every fiber of her being wanting to stay right where she was. She could hear creatures calling from within the line of trees, snarls and snaps and howls. And that happened wherever they went, not just the forest. She sat by the fire that D had built, her knees tucked under her chin.
"What caused this?" she asked.
They didn't actually look at one another, but Buffy could feel the mental glance exchanged between D and his left hand. Finally, D was the one that answered.
"A world leader pushed a button that launched several missiles."
Buffy's brow furrowed. "Nuclear missiles. You've told me that much."
D nodded. Stretching her legs out, Buffy swallowed hard.
"But when?"
Another mental exchange. This time, it was Left Hand that spoke.
"2005."
Buffy felt the tears well up before the thought even sank fully in. 2005… one year after she was frozen.
"Only a year…" she whispered.
Neither D nor Left Hand spoke.
She had given it all up. Her life, her friends, her family, everything. All for the greater good, as it always was. And The Powers That Be couldn't even have given her loved ones a happy life? No, instead, without her to protect them, they were plunged into a nuclear-spawned Hell on Earth. And now, here she was, awake as promised, but without the one thing she needed. She felt sick.
She was standing and crying, and she didn't remember when she had done either.
"Not all humans perished," D said.
If only she had her strength, she would've hit him. Instead, she just entered the tent and went to sleep.
#
They stood at the entrance of the castle that supposedly held Angelus. And Buffy told them everything she knew, because she knew that without her powers she would do more harm than good to them in there. But it had been twelve-thousand plus years since she had last seen soulless Angel. He might have learned a few more tricks. D handed Buffy something that looked like a road flare, and he explained that it was a special candle that could produce daylight.
"Just in case. Now, wait here."
And they were gone into the castle, leaving Buffy out in the dark with the creatures that she could hear all about her. Snarling, snapping, growling, and howling surrounded her. Buffy had a bad feeling about all this. About D going up against Angelus alone. About Buffy standing outside with nothing but a candle.
Trees snapped in the distance. Whole trees. Buffy's eyes widened. Thankfully, D had also left her with the horse and she ran now to it. She began rummaging through the saddlebags, trying to find anything that might be a bit more useful than a candle. Finally, she managed to find a sword that was much shorter than the one D carried on him always. Perfect size for her, really. And she found it just in time.
Charging through the trees was a monster of a thing that Buffy could not put a single name to. It looked like a wolf/horse/demon hybrid. Its maw was soaked in its own saliva, and it bared all its teeth, stained pink, to her. It galloped toward her at break-neck speeds, and for the first time in a long time, Buffy was sure she couldn't win. She went one way and D's horse went another, with the Wolf-thing going straight down the middle.
"D warned me about the experiments that the vampires had done on creatures… but he didn't tell me they were all huge!" she muttered, turning and holding the sword like she remembered she should.
The creature was already coming back around to make another pass at her, its hulking figure easily able to crush her if it landed on her. She was tired, and the sword was heavier than it looked. She couldn't fight this thing until D came back. She had to make a stand, because the odds were that she was dead anyway.
The creature charged, and Buffy held her ground. It was running nearer and nearer, and just at the last second, she jumped to the side, turning and slamming her sword into its side with all her might. It slid in with no resistance, but the creature's momentum yanked the weapon from her hands. It bucked and ran about in circles, wailing as it did. Finally, with a last ear-splitting cry, it fell over. Buffy waited a moment, making sure that its chest no longer rose and fell, before she finally collapsed to the ground. Her own breathing was heavy and she was near to sobbing.
Suddenly, a blinding light made her reel, and a familiar voice said, "Dude, I can't believe I did it!"
Buffy blinked against the light, letting her eyes adjust. When they did, she could see the glowing form of her long-dead BFF and witch, Willow, standing before her. She was dressed in a white, flowing dress, her red hair glowing brighter than the rest of her.
"Willow…" Buffy said. "Willow, I don't have my strength."
Willow crossed her arms. "Jeez, Buffy. I cross into this world-and it's really me, not some holographic recording-and I don't even get a hello?"
Buffy grinned. "Hi… but something's wrong with me. I've tried everything. It's gone, Willow. I'm not a Slayer anymore. I left all you behind for nothing."
Willow waved her hand in dismissal. "You're fine."
Buffy pushed herself to her feet. "What?"
"I said that you're fine. You've got your Slayer strength. It just took a little push to find it."
Willow jerked a thumb behind her at the dead creature. Buffy shook her head.
"What?"
"See whatcha did there? That thing, by all rights, should have killed you. But instead, you planted a sword right into its lungs. That was all Slayer. You just had to believe you could do it."
Buffy blinked. "Are you kidding me? All that was keeping me from being a Slayer was just 'believing' I 'could do it'?"
Willow shrugged. "Magic and science mixing produces some funky side effects with even funkier cures. Now, don't you have a fight to join? Because, I hate to tell you this, but D's getting his ass handed to him in there."
Buffy nodded. She walked over to the creature, pausing for just a moment. Then, with a grin, she kicked the thing over like it weighed nothing. It was back. Every ounce of her strength. She pulled the sword free and turned. Willow smiled.
"That's our girl. We'll be waiting for you."
With that, she vanished. Buffy's smile hadn't. She brandished the sword once, then glared up at the castle looming over her.
"I'm so back."