Fic 9/12 - BtVS/Twilight - Buffy/Spike
Title: Debt Repaid
Author: angeluscado on TTH
Name: Luna (TTH) Luna_del_Cielo (lj)
Fandom: BTVS/Twilight
Characters: Spike, Buffy
Summary: Spike collects on a debt to be repaid, and it doesn’t go as planned.
Disclaimer: Not mine, they belong to Whedon and Meyer. Don’t sue.
Notes: Not entirely happy with this. Might continue it if I somehow find time to work on other projects.
“I was wondering when you were going to collect on your debt,” Laurent said with a smirk.
“You’re a damn hard man to find, Laurent,” Spike replied, lighting up a cigarette. “If it weren’t so important I probably would have given up a long time ago.”
“Well, I’m glad that you didn’t give up,” Laurent replied. “What can I do for you.”
“I need you to do something for me,” Spike said. He handed over a piece of paper and a photograph.
“What’s this for?” Laurent asked. He looked at the picture. “She’s beautiful. Who is she?”
“Buffy, love of my life,” Spike replied.
“What do you need me to do?” Laurent asked.
“I want you to turn her,” Spike said. Laurent looked up at Spike, startled.
“She’s human?” Laurent asked. “You know I don’t kill humans anymore.”
“I don’t want you to kill her, I love her!” Spike exclaimed. “I want you to turn her.”
“You want me to turn her?” Laurent replied. “Don’t you know what that entails?”
“I think I got the gist of it,” Spike replied.
“Well, why don’t you do it?” Laurent asked. “You’re a vampire. It’s a less painful transformation to your type. Why would you put her through that kind of torture if there was an easier way to do it?”
“Her soul,” Spike said.
“What about her soul?” Laurent asked, cocking his head to the side curiously.
“She’ll lose her soul if I do it,” Spike said. “You said your kind doesn’t lose their souls.”
“That is true, they don’t,” Laurent replied. “But the blood lust is so great that most of the time, especially in the first year, it overrides the desires of the soul. She will kill humans, and she will feel guilty about it. Are you sure you want to put her through that kind of torture?”
“I’ll keep her safe,” Spike reassured him. Laurent looked at him sceptically. “Will you do it?”
“Only because I owe you something,” Laurent replied. “If we didn’t have this connection, I would tell you to keep dreaming.”
“Good enough for me,” Spike said. He held out his hand. “Shake on it?”
“You have yourself a deal,” Laurent said, slapping his palm into Spike’s and shaking his hand. “Now tell me more about this girl that has captured your undead heart.”
***
Spike followed Buffy at a safe distance as she patrolled. Laurent said that he would be there tonight to do the deed, and there was no way he was going to miss it. He wanted to be there to make sure she was in a safe place as the transformation took place. He wanted to be the first person Buffy saw when she woke up. He hoped it would be a baby animal thing - the first person she saw after her rebirth would be the person she fell in love with.
A bloke could dream.
Spike kept to the shadows as he followed Buffy, using all of the stealth skills he had accumulated over the years. If Buffy knew he was behind her, she gave no indication of it.
Spike could feel the apprehension gripping his chest when Buffy reached the place where he told Laurent to meet them. Buffy had gotten extremely predictable in her patrol, to the point where she had a set routine on certain days of the week. Before long the demons and vampires would catch on and either avoid the places she hit, or all gang up on her on one night to get rid of her once and for all.
Spike just hoped that Laurent would be able to turn her before that happened.
Spike could feel his stomach clench a little when Buffy reached the point where he had told Laurent to attack her. If he could breathe, he would be holding his breath. If his heart could beat, it probably would have skipped one.
As if on cue, Laurent stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt left completely open, showing off a lean chest and toned abdomen. Spike could tell that Buffy was on high alert as soon as she saw him.
Good girl, Spike thought.
“Hello,” Laurent greeted pleasantly.
“What are you?” Buffy asked. She could sense that he wasn’t entirely human, but she couldn’t be sure exactly what he was.
“I am Laurent,” Laurent replied.
“I didn’t ask who you are, I asked what you are,” Buffy replied. “I’m guessing some kind of demon. Question is, are you a good demon or a bad demon?”
“I am a vampire,” Laurent replied.
“No you’re not,” Buffy replied. “You don’t feel like a vampire.”
“I can assure you, I am a vampire,” Laurent replied. “I have been for most of my life.”
“Well, it looks like you’re going to be at the end of your life,” Buffy said. “You vampire, me vampire slayer. Prepare to die.”
“William didn’t mention you were the vampire slayer,” Laurent replied, smirking a little in amusement. “I may have to ask for a higher payment for this.”
Buffy didn’t get a chance to let out a snappy retort because Laurent launched himself at her. He had been standing about ten feet away and Buffy could just barely get away.
He was fast. Much faster than any other vampire, or any other creature, she had encountered before. She was going to be in deep trouble if she didn’t stake him quickly.
“It has been such a long time since I have had any kind of a fight,” Laurent said. “I hope I do not come off as too eager.”
“I just hope you come off as dead,” Buffy retorted before the fight was going on in earnest. Buffy could barely block his blows - not only was he fast, he was strong - and he was moving so quickly that she couldn’t find an opening to get him on the ground.
“Are you beginning to tire, little Slayer?” Laurent asked. He was having fun, honest-to-goodness fun. He sincerely hoped that Spike would bring her around after she went through her change. She would be magnificent as a vampire, delicate looking with a thread of pure steel within her.
“Not on your life,” Buffy retorted. She was feeling tired, but there was no way in hell she was going to show weakness in front of this guy. She knew she couldn’t outrun him right now, so she hoped she could wear him down enough to be able to stake him or escape.
If there were a time she wished for Spike to show up and help out, even if it meant dealing with his advances afterwards, this would be it.
“Someone has been telling you half-truths,” Laurent said. “You’re a horrible liar.”
“And you’re beginning to piss me off,” Buffy said, lashing out with her foot and catching Laurent off-guard. She planted a foot in the middle of his chest and he stumbled back.
That kick should have sent him flying.
“I’m surprised, little Slayer,” Laurent said with a smirk. “Normally no one but another vampire would be able to land something like that.”
Buffy knew that this was going to be a losing battle and, not ready to die yet, decided to put into effect her best Plan B.
Buffy turned tail and ran as fast as her legs and Slayer abilities would let her. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to outrun him, but she hoped that if she was able to keep him on the run long enough, he would tire and leave her alone.
Spike watched from a distance, worried that Buffy would be able to shake Laurent. This did not work within his plans and if Laurent didn’t get Buffy tonight, the other vampire would most likely demand a higher payment from him. As much as he liked Laurent - as much as someone without a soul could like someone - he didn’t want to pay the man any more than he had do.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a blur that had to be Laurent tackle Buffy to the ground.
Buffy thought that she had the strange vampire on the run when she felt something heavy land on her back and knock her to the ground. She struggled as they rolled over the grass, although she knew it was going to be a losing battle. However, she wasn’t ready to die yet, and she struggled with everything she had, even as he leaned in and sunk his teeth into her jugular.
The pain was far worse than any time Angel or The Master had bitten her. It seemed to immediately radiate from the bite, all the way through her body until her entire body was on fire. Before she slipped into unconsciousness, Buffy saw Laurent’s face, his lips and teeth stained with blood.
“That should do it.” His voice was faint as her world slipped to black.
***
The pain had been indescribable. Nothing she had felt, not even jumping into that portal, had hurt so badly. The pain coursed through her like fire for what seemed like forever.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, except for the persistent burn in the back of her throat. It felt as if she hadn’t had anything to drink in days and was desperate for water.
Buffy opened her eyes and found herself laid up on an old, but comfortable couch. Even though she could see that she was underground, everything looked as if it were lit up in broad daylight. Even her Slayer senses weren’t that good.
Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
“Good, you’re awake. Laurent said you’d take about this long,” said a voice to one side. She turned to the corner where the voice came from and saw Spike sitting there like some sentient gargoyle, watching over her. She watched as he went to the microwave and pressed a button. He turned to her and flashed her a smile. “You must be thirsty. I guess it’s good that I was prepared.”
“What happened?” Buffy asked. Everything was bright and clear and she was getting distracted by all of the colours she could see. Why could she see all of these colours? Her vision had been good, but not that good. Something was going on, and she needed to get to the bottom of it. Quickly. The fact that Spike was acting , dare she think it, nice was enough to alarm her. Spike didn’t do nice.
“Just a little mishap, nothing to worry about love,” Spike replied as the microwave dinged. He took a mug of something out of the machine and brought it over to her. “Come on, sit up and drink it down. You’ll feel better after you do.”
Buffy could smell the liquid in the cup from across the room, and the smell had only intensified once Spike had placed the cup in her hands. It smelled sweet and spicy all at once and her mouth began to water as soon as she had caught its scent. She sniffed the liquid once it was in her hands, wondering if she could identify it. It was bright red and a bit thicker than water. “What is it?”
“Are you sure you need to know that, pet?” Spike asked.
“Well, I kind of want to know if you’re going to poison me or not,” Buffy replied. “You have three seconds to tell me what’s in this cup.”
“What’s the last thing you remember seeing?” Spike asked.
“Fighting a guy that was scary fast, scary tough and claimed he was a vampire,” Buffy replied. “He knocked me down and I remember pain. In my neck. Oh God, I’m dead again, aren’t I? I’m dead again and this is what they thought would be my Hell.”
“Not quite Hell, ducks,” Spike said.
“Purgatory?” Buffy asked.
“Depends on how you look at it,” Spike said, sounding a little wounded. “Eternal life doesn’t seem so bad, does it?”
“Eternal life?” Buffy asked. “Just what the hell happened to me?”
“Well, I’ll give you a hint,” Spike said. “The stuff in the mug? It’s blood.”
“Oh, ew,” Buffy said, the mug slipping from her grasp. As soon as the mug shattered and the blood began seeping into the dirt, Buffy had the urge to get down on her hands and knees and start licking the floor. Disgusted with herself, Buffy was on her feet and in Spike’s personal space, grasping onto his shirt to pull him down to her eye level. “What. Did. You. Do?”
“No need to get violent there,” Spike said, trying to remove her hands from his clothing and found that he couldn’t. Laurent hadn’t been joking when he said his kind were stronger and faster. “To be fair, I didn’t do anything to you.”
“But you had something to do with it,” Buffy said, narrowing her eyes at him. “So spill. Now would be preferable.”
“I knew this bloke who owed me a favour, see, and he said he’d turn you for me,” Spike replied. “But see, his kind are different because they have their souls.”
“You turned me into a vampire?” Buffy exclaimed, her eyes flashing. Spike tried to take a step back, but at the sound of his shirt ripping in Buffy’s grasp, he decided against it.
“With a soul,” Spike reminded her. “Now you can live forever, you get to keep your pesky soul and we can be together until the end of time. It works out for everyone.”
“What about Giles? Xander? Willow? Tara?” Buffy asked. “What about Dawn? God, you’re so selfish.”
“Soulless, evil bastard here. Kind of comes with the territory,” Spike reminded her. “Er, could you maybe let go of my shirt? I rather like this one and you’re ruining it.”
Buffy pushed him away from her in disgust, surprised that he went further than he would have gone normally. Spike stumbled back and Buffy took it as an opportunity to bolt. She ran from the crypt and booked it back to her house. It was thankfully night time. Buffy made it halfway across the yard before the smell hit her.
Humans. Food.
Her throat burned with thirst as she turned and ran, ran as far and as fast as her legs would take her. The scenery blurred around her as she tested out her new vampiric speed and reflexes as she left Sunnydale in her dust. It wasn’t until her stomach pains became unbearable that she collapsed, falling to her knees as she gasped for air she didn’t need. Feeling lost, alone and in despair, Buffy curled up in a ball and wept, no tears falling from her eyes.
***
Buffy had been perfectly still for many hours by the time the sun started coming up. Her stomach was in pain, her throat was burning and she knew she needed to find food. Fast. Humans were out of the question, no matter how good they smelled. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she took down some hapless hiker or something. However, the sun was coming up. Vampires plus sun equaled burning and ashes.
A noise sounded to her left, so soft that anyone with normal hearing would have missed it. The smell hit her next - food, glorious food. She giggled a little, remembering a musical she had seen when she was younger, before she got up and ran without thinking about the consequences, chasing her prey down until she caught it. Sated, she started to take stock of her situation. It wasn’t the best, but it could be worse. She could be dead.
It was then that she realized she was in the sunlight, as a vampire, and not bursting into flames. She looked down at herself and nearly laughed. She was sparkling. It was as if someone had dumped a bunch of silver glitter onto her skin. While she was glad she wasn’t bursting into flame, she couldn’t believe Spike had found a breed of vampire that sparkled in the sunlight.
***
It didn’t take Buffy long to realize she was faster, stronger and far more durable than she had been when she was human. It also didn’t take her long to realize she could still Slay, do what she was apparently born to do, and do it better. She didn’t have her human vulnerabilities any more.
It was go time. First order of business, Spike.