BtVS Ficlet: The Anger Of Ghosts
Title: The Anger Of Ghosts
Fandom: BtVS
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Angel, Willow, Buffy, Giles, the Scoobies.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: There’s not a lot that vampires have to watch out for, but they’re far from invulnerable.
Word Count: 528
Written For: My own prompt ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Any, Vampires are scared of ghosts,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BTVS, or the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon.
“Vampires are scared of ghosts?” Willow asked incredulously. The Scoobies were gathered in the library, discussing Halloween tactics, when Angel had dropped by.
“Not so much scared as… uncomfortable around them.” Angel shifted against the wall, folding his arms defensively over his chest. “Think about it; most ghosts come into being because of dying in a particularly traumatic manner…” he trailed off, and Buffy took over.
“And dying at the hands, or teeth, of a vamp can be pretty traumatic.”
Angel nodded.
“So what, ghosts of people killed by vamps go on some sort of vengeance kick and torment their killers?”
“Not all of them, but some. It’s one of the reasons vampires tend to move around a lot, never staying anywhere too long. Most ghosts fade away over time, only the particularly strong ones linger for more than a few years, unless they die in places where the realms of the living and the dead are so close together that manifestation on this plane of existence is easy.”
“Like on a Hellmouth?”
“Among other places. Halloween makes crossing over easier everywhere though, so vampires tend to stay out of cemeteries on that one night a year, and away from anywhere they killed someone. There’s not much they need to be wary of, but an angry ghost bent on revenge can do some serious damage, sometimes they’re even strong enough to kill. I’ve seen it happen, it’s not pretty. They get inside and rip a vampire’s demon essence to shreds. Getting dusted is over so fast it’s most likely pretty painless, but death by ghost is anything but. Trust me, you never want to see a vampire in the grip of that kind of death throes. It’ll stay with you.”
Buffy shivered. “I’ll take your word for it.” As much as she hated most vampires for the demons they were, and for the way they treated humans as a combination of plaything and ready meal, she liked the quick and easy stake through the heart and turn to dust method of killing them. Watching anything dying in agonising torment, even a demon, wasn’t her idea of fun. “Thanks for that, Angel. Now I think I’ll go home and have nightmares for the next month.”
“Sorry.” Angel’s dark gaze rested on her, concerned.
She shrugged it off. “No biggie. Besides, the info could come in handy. Know your enemy’s weaknesses and all that.” She looked around at her friends. “We about done here?”
Giles nodded. “I think we’ve covered all the salient points.”
“Good, then we should all head out.” She stood up and slipped her jacket on. “Night, guys. See you tomorrow.”
“Night, Buffy.” The others gathered their things and headed out the door.
Buffy turned to Angel. “Walk me home? I promise to protect you from any ghosts.”
He smiled down at her, knowing she would if she could; love was like that, selfless and brave, and her love for him warmed his dead, unbeating heart in a way nothing else could. He’d do anything he could to protect her too, face any number of vampires, demons, and even ghosts; she’d never even have to ask. “Always.”
The End
Fandom: BtVS
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Angel, Willow, Buffy, Giles, the Scoobies.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: There’s not a lot that vampires have to watch out for, but they’re far from invulnerable.
Word Count: 528
Written For: My own prompt ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Any, Vampires are scared of ghosts,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BTVS, or the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon.
“Vampires are scared of ghosts?” Willow asked incredulously. The Scoobies were gathered in the library, discussing Halloween tactics, when Angel had dropped by.
“Not so much scared as… uncomfortable around them.” Angel shifted against the wall, folding his arms defensively over his chest. “Think about it; most ghosts come into being because of dying in a particularly traumatic manner…” he trailed off, and Buffy took over.
“And dying at the hands, or teeth, of a vamp can be pretty traumatic.”
Angel nodded.
“So what, ghosts of people killed by vamps go on some sort of vengeance kick and torment their killers?”
“Not all of them, but some. It’s one of the reasons vampires tend to move around a lot, never staying anywhere too long. Most ghosts fade away over time, only the particularly strong ones linger for more than a few years, unless they die in places where the realms of the living and the dead are so close together that manifestation on this plane of existence is easy.”
“Like on a Hellmouth?”
“Among other places. Halloween makes crossing over easier everywhere though, so vampires tend to stay out of cemeteries on that one night a year, and away from anywhere they killed someone. There’s not much they need to be wary of, but an angry ghost bent on revenge can do some serious damage, sometimes they’re even strong enough to kill. I’ve seen it happen, it’s not pretty. They get inside and rip a vampire’s demon essence to shreds. Getting dusted is over so fast it’s most likely pretty painless, but death by ghost is anything but. Trust me, you never want to see a vampire in the grip of that kind of death throes. It’ll stay with you.”
Buffy shivered. “I’ll take your word for it.” As much as she hated most vampires for the demons they were, and for the way they treated humans as a combination of plaything and ready meal, she liked the quick and easy stake through the heart and turn to dust method of killing them. Watching anything dying in agonising torment, even a demon, wasn’t her idea of fun. “Thanks for that, Angel. Now I think I’ll go home and have nightmares for the next month.”
“Sorry.” Angel’s dark gaze rested on her, concerned.
She shrugged it off. “No biggie. Besides, the info could come in handy. Know your enemy’s weaknesses and all that.” She looked around at her friends. “We about done here?”
Giles nodded. “I think we’ve covered all the salient points.”
“Good, then we should all head out.” She stood up and slipped her jacket on. “Night, guys. See you tomorrow.”
“Night, Buffy.” The others gathered their things and headed out the door.
Buffy turned to Angel. “Walk me home? I promise to protect you from any ghosts.”
He smiled down at her, knowing she would if she could; love was like that, selfless and brave, and her love for him warmed his dead, unbeating heart in a way nothing else could. He’d do anything he could to protect her too, face any number of vampires, demons, and even ghosts; she’d never even have to ask. “Always.”
The End