School Grounds to Preserve, Evening, NFB
Today had been a good day, Buffy decided, leaning against a tree and smiling. You could, in fact, call it the best birthday ever! Well, she was still single, but she was sure it was just a matter of time. Seely had showed up at her party, after all. She started walking again, going over her fabulous presents in her head. She was still wearing the necklace she'd got from Mel, and she was wondering if she could talk Alec into a Bollywood marathon over the weekend. And Molly...
There was a sound and a shadow gliding past at the corner of her eye.
She hesitated, turning her head. There was something ...weird there. She debated with herself for a moment, then decided to find out what or who it was. Maybe it was a lost little teal deer?
Bel stalked out of the school. He needed some time and space to think, and being surrounded annoying teenagers was distracting. He needed privacy to work on the rituals he would have to do for his coronation, some place he would be free from interruptions. So he prowled through the school grounds toward the preserve.
Okay, not a teal deer.
Buffy followed the figure, and then realized that it was Bel. She was about to call out, and something stopped her. She halted her step and narrowed her eyes as she stared after Bel. She was getting hinky feelings all over the place.
Slowly she began moving again, a little more carefully.
Bel wasn't aware he was being followed, not yet. He picked his way through the trees until he reached a secluded clearing. Waving his hand in front of him, he conjured a pedestal, atop which rested a book with black pages and silver writing. Bel began flipping through the pages.
Buffy hid behind a tree and some bushes. If this turned out to be some innocent religious prayer thing, she was going to feel really stupid.
Bel chanted something in Latin. After a moment, a demon with black scaly appeared in front of him. "My liege," he said, bowing. "Preparations are nearing completion. Do you have specific sacrifices in mind, or shall we select some for you?"
Yeah, that? Was evil talk.
Buffy got up, and walked into the clearing, suddenly wishing really hard that she had a sword. And her cheerleading squad. "So what kind of sacrifices are we talking about? Cookies? Wine? Pie?"
Bel's head snapped around, and he glared at Buffy. "You shouldn't be here," he said. He glanced back at the demon. "Take the Grimoire. I'll deal with the girl." The demon nodded, gathered the book in his arms, and disappeared.
"And I don't think you ought to be doing that," Buffy pointed out, standing firm, but ready to drop into fight stance. "I'm thinking the principal might be interested in hearing about planned sacrifices. With or without pie."
Looking at Bel, Buffy was pretty sure no pie would be involved.
"You're not going to be telling anyone anything, Slayer," Bel said in a low, threatening voice. He started moving across the clearing toward Buffy.
Running like hell would have been the smart option now, but Buffy couldn't quite make herself believe that anything really bad could happen. Not at Fandom!
Her fists went up. "Oh yeah? Who died and made you boss of me? And what's with the name calling, mister Demon?"
Bel's eyes turned to flame, then pitch black. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, girl," he said.
Buffy was proud over not yelping at that. "Someone who spends way too much money on fancy contacts?" she suggested, a little hopefully.
Bel conjured a fireball. "Very funny," he said. "What do you think of this?"
Uh-oh. Buffy's eyes widened and she dived behind the bushes. She hit the ground rolling.
Bel threw the fire after her. This certainly would be interesting, fighting the Slayer. He knew he couldn't leave her alive, not with her potential abilities. He'd have to deal with her, and fast.
The sideways roll saved her from burning, but it also brought her further away from the school. She scrambled up and looked around for a handy branch to use as a stake. Killing him might not be a good idea.
Buffy could just picture that conversation. 'You killed Bel? Because he suddenly went evil? Riiiiight.' And then they'd bring up the whole burning down the gym incident and it'd be just a whole lot of bad.
She broke off a piece of a branch. Maiming now, maiming was definitely on.
"I'm not some vampire you can stake with a convenient piece of wood," Bel chuckled, but he kept a wary eye on Buffy, ready for an attack. "But that does give me an idea. I kill you, I leave your body in LA for Angel to find. Even if you're not his Buffy, it's bound to traumatize him to find you like that, all broken and bloody. He'll probably even find some way to blame himself for it."
"Who the hell is Angel?" Buffy asked, puzzled. She held onto the stake. She was pretty sure most creatures would be hurt by being stabbed with a sharp piece of wood. Had to get closer though.
"That's right, you don't know yet," Bel said. "Doesn't matter. He'll know you. But that means I'll have to leave your face recognizable. No burning you to a crisp then." He feigned disappointment, then disappeared in a burst of flames, reappearing a split second later behind Buffy.
Buffy spun around aiming a high, spikey-heeled kick at Bel's chest.
He wasn't expecting her reflexes to be so fast and wasn't able to move out of the way fast enough. Her foot connected with his chest, and he staggered back. "Not bad," he said. "But try this." He made a gesture with his hand, using his telekinesis to try to knock Buffy back into a tree.
Buffy flew backwards and slammed into a tree. "Ooof!" Okay, that was just unfair. She was quickly on her feet again though, grabbing a fallen branch. She threw the branch at Bel, then ran after it, hoping to catch Bel in a bad position.
The girl was tenacious, he'd give her that. Hitting the tree that hard should've stunned any normal person. Even if this girl was younger than the Buffy he'd known when he'd first come to Fandom, she still had her strengths and reflexes.
He dodged the branch and braced himself for her attack.
Buffy launched herself at him, aiming her right fist with the stake held pointy bit down towards his face, and her left following up with a punch to his body.
The Source snarled as the stake raked down his left cheek, leaving a bloody gash. He blocked the punch, then flung Buffy away from him.
She slammed into another tree, and this time she was slower to get back on her feet. Her back was going to be one big bruise after this.
"Okay, now you're starting to piss me off."
Bel touched his hand to his cheek, then looked at the blood on his fingers. "You'll pay for that," he growled. He stalked toward Buffy, feinting a punch at her face when he was in range, then aiming a vicious kick at her leg.
She dodged the fist, but she was too slow to get entirely out of the way of the kick. Her leg buckled under her, leaving her in an awkward position. Buffy grimaced in pain. Crap!
Without conscious thought her hand went up to block any hits from Bel, while she aimed her stake at his gut.
Bel sidestepped the stake. "Stupid girl," he muttered, his hand snaking out to reach for her throat.
Buffy twisted out of the way, but it hurt her leg even more. "Fuck!" She looked up at Bel, eyes wide. "Um. Can't we talk about this?"
"I usually enjoy the begging for mercy part," Bel said. "But I'm afraid I can't risk leaving you alive." He kicked his foot out again at Buffy's already injured leg.
Buffy yelped in pain. "Fuck off!"
"Not so quippy now, are you?" Bel said, making a grab for a handful of Buffy's hair.
"But still pretty!" Buffy winced at the pull and desperately lashed out with her fists aiming for whatever part of Bel's body she could reach.
She couldn't move. The agony was one thing, but she could. not. move.
"And you'll make a very pretty corpse," Bel said.
Time to end this before anyone else stumbled across the clearing. Bel yanked hard on Buffy's hair, pulling her head back as he moved his free hand to once again try to encircle her throat.
This time he succeeded.
Buffy grabbed at Bel's wrist, trying to tug him away. "No!" she gasped out. This was wrong! This couldn't happen! Not here, not like this...
Mom! she cried desperately in her head, gasping for air and fighting the demon. Mommy!
And then everything went black.
Bel kept squeezing Buffy's throat until he was certain she wasn't faking, then let her limp body drop to the ground.
He heard something rustling in the trees nearby and realized he should leave the scene of the crime quickly before they were discovered. So much for his plans for leaving Buffy's body as a present for Angel. Ah well. He had other plans for the vampire.
He vanished from the clearing in a burst of flame.
There was a sound and a shadow gliding past at the corner of her eye.
She hesitated, turning her head. There was something ...weird there. She debated with herself for a moment, then decided to find out what or who it was. Maybe it was a lost little teal deer?
Bel stalked out of the school. He needed some time and space to think, and being surrounded annoying teenagers was distracting. He needed privacy to work on the rituals he would have to do for his coronation, some place he would be free from interruptions. So he prowled through the school grounds toward the preserve.
Okay, not a teal deer.
Buffy followed the figure, and then realized that it was Bel. She was about to call out, and something stopped her. She halted her step and narrowed her eyes as she stared after Bel. She was getting hinky feelings all over the place.
Slowly she began moving again, a little more carefully.
Bel wasn't aware he was being followed, not yet. He picked his way through the trees until he reached a secluded clearing. Waving his hand in front of him, he conjured a pedestal, atop which rested a book with black pages and silver writing. Bel began flipping through the pages.
Buffy hid behind a tree and some bushes. If this turned out to be some innocent religious prayer thing, she was going to feel really stupid.
Bel chanted something in Latin. After a moment, a demon with black scaly appeared in front of him. "My liege," he said, bowing. "Preparations are nearing completion. Do you have specific sacrifices in mind, or shall we select some for you?"
Yeah, that? Was evil talk.
Buffy got up, and walked into the clearing, suddenly wishing really hard that she had a sword. And her cheerleading squad. "So what kind of sacrifices are we talking about? Cookies? Wine? Pie?"
Bel's head snapped around, and he glared at Buffy. "You shouldn't be here," he said. He glanced back at the demon. "Take the Grimoire. I'll deal with the girl." The demon nodded, gathered the book in his arms, and disappeared.
"And I don't think you ought to be doing that," Buffy pointed out, standing firm, but ready to drop into fight stance. "I'm thinking the principal might be interested in hearing about planned sacrifices. With or without pie."
Looking at Bel, Buffy was pretty sure no pie would be involved.
"You're not going to be telling anyone anything, Slayer," Bel said in a low, threatening voice. He started moving across the clearing toward Buffy.
Running like hell would have been the smart option now, but Buffy couldn't quite make herself believe that anything really bad could happen. Not at Fandom!
Her fists went up. "Oh yeah? Who died and made you boss of me? And what's with the name calling, mister Demon?"
Bel's eyes turned to flame, then pitch black. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, girl," he said.
Buffy was proud over not yelping at that. "Someone who spends way too much money on fancy contacts?" she suggested, a little hopefully.
Bel conjured a fireball. "Very funny," he said. "What do you think of this?"
Uh-oh. Buffy's eyes widened and she dived behind the bushes. She hit the ground rolling.
Bel threw the fire after her. This certainly would be interesting, fighting the Slayer. He knew he couldn't leave her alive, not with her potential abilities. He'd have to deal with her, and fast.
The sideways roll saved her from burning, but it also brought her further away from the school. She scrambled up and looked around for a handy branch to use as a stake. Killing him might not be a good idea.
Buffy could just picture that conversation. 'You killed Bel? Because he suddenly went evil? Riiiiight.' And then they'd bring up the whole burning down the gym incident and it'd be just a whole lot of bad.
She broke off a piece of a branch. Maiming now, maiming was definitely on.
"I'm not some vampire you can stake with a convenient piece of wood," Bel chuckled, but he kept a wary eye on Buffy, ready for an attack. "But that does give me an idea. I kill you, I leave your body in LA for Angel to find. Even if you're not his Buffy, it's bound to traumatize him to find you like that, all broken and bloody. He'll probably even find some way to blame himself for it."
"Who the hell is Angel?" Buffy asked, puzzled. She held onto the stake. She was pretty sure most creatures would be hurt by being stabbed with a sharp piece of wood. Had to get closer though.
"That's right, you don't know yet," Bel said. "Doesn't matter. He'll know you. But that means I'll have to leave your face recognizable. No burning you to a crisp then." He feigned disappointment, then disappeared in a burst of flames, reappearing a split second later behind Buffy.
Buffy spun around aiming a high, spikey-heeled kick at Bel's chest.
He wasn't expecting her reflexes to be so fast and wasn't able to move out of the way fast enough. Her foot connected with his chest, and he staggered back. "Not bad," he said. "But try this." He made a gesture with his hand, using his telekinesis to try to knock Buffy back into a tree.
Buffy flew backwards and slammed into a tree. "Ooof!" Okay, that was just unfair. She was quickly on her feet again though, grabbing a fallen branch. She threw the branch at Bel, then ran after it, hoping to catch Bel in a bad position.
The girl was tenacious, he'd give her that. Hitting the tree that hard should've stunned any normal person. Even if this girl was younger than the Buffy he'd known when he'd first come to Fandom, she still had her strengths and reflexes.
He dodged the branch and braced himself for her attack.
Buffy launched herself at him, aiming her right fist with the stake held pointy bit down towards his face, and her left following up with a punch to his body.
The Source snarled as the stake raked down his left cheek, leaving a bloody gash. He blocked the punch, then flung Buffy away from him.
She slammed into another tree, and this time she was slower to get back on her feet. Her back was going to be one big bruise after this.
"Okay, now you're starting to piss me off."
Bel touched his hand to his cheek, then looked at the blood on his fingers. "You'll pay for that," he growled. He stalked toward Buffy, feinting a punch at her face when he was in range, then aiming a vicious kick at her leg.
She dodged the fist, but she was too slow to get entirely out of the way of the kick. Her leg buckled under her, leaving her in an awkward position. Buffy grimaced in pain. Crap!
Without conscious thought her hand went up to block any hits from Bel, while she aimed her stake at his gut.
Bel sidestepped the stake. "Stupid girl," he muttered, his hand snaking out to reach for her throat.
Buffy twisted out of the way, but it hurt her leg even more. "Fuck!" She looked up at Bel, eyes wide. "Um. Can't we talk about this?"
"I usually enjoy the begging for mercy part," Bel said. "But I'm afraid I can't risk leaving you alive." He kicked his foot out again at Buffy's already injured leg.
Buffy yelped in pain. "Fuck off!"
"Not so quippy now, are you?" Bel said, making a grab for a handful of Buffy's hair.
"But still pretty!" Buffy winced at the pull and desperately lashed out with her fists aiming for whatever part of Bel's body she could reach.
She couldn't move. The agony was one thing, but she could. not. move.
"And you'll make a very pretty corpse," Bel said.
Time to end this before anyone else stumbled across the clearing. Bel yanked hard on Buffy's hair, pulling her head back as he moved his free hand to once again try to encircle her throat.
This time he succeeded.
Buffy grabbed at Bel's wrist, trying to tug him away. "No!" she gasped out. This was wrong! This couldn't happen! Not here, not like this...
Mom! she cried desperately in her head, gasping for air and fighting the demon. Mommy!
And then everything went black.
Bel kept squeezing Buffy's throat until he was certain she wasn't faking, then let her limp body drop to the ground.
He heard something rustling in the trees nearby and realized he should leave the scene of the crime quickly before they were discovered. So much for his plans for leaving Buffy's body as a present for Angel. Ah well. He had other plans for the vampire.
He vanished from the clearing in a burst of flame.