Fic: Murphy's Law (2/12)
Title: Murphy's Law
Author: gabrielleabelle
Rating: R
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Just the canon ones for Season 6.
Disclaimer: Not mine. It all belongs to Joss.
Warnings: Character death. Really and seriously, this is not (and will not be) a happy or lighthearted fic. Note that this warning applies for the entire fic.
Summary: What if Giles hadn't killed Ben in The Gift? It is now mid-season 6, and the Scooby gang is falling apart when Ben awakens from his coma, letting loose an angry Glory. Buffy, dealing with post-death depression, bills, an "evil" Trio, and a faltering support system, now has to contend with a vengeful hellgod. Just when things couldn't get worse.
Author's note: Thanks to all who left feedback on the previous chapter. Thanks also to those who just read it, even if they didn't say anything. This chapter has some dialogue from Smashed, though events are about to veer away from canon. Please enjoy.
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Chapter Two: Discovery
Spike was messing with her head. And with other parts of her.
She was in a fog. She had been since she'd come back. It was a dark fog that made her slow, and it made it difficult for her to think about what was going on around her. Or care. Most people were far enough away, she couldn't see them through the haze. And she didn't want to see them.
Spike, however, was right in front of her. She couldn't not see him. She knew, if she chose to, she could take him and forget about the fog around her. Just be with him. But she was afraid of where that might lead her.
And it sure didn't help that Spike had been a complete ass about the kisses.
If only she hadn't kissed him those times. Then she could still take his company without him offering her more. Talking to Spike was okay. Drinking with Spike was borderline-bad. Getting physical with Spike? Completely out of the question.
She'd wanted to talk to Willow about it, but then Willow was distracted because she'd just de-ratted Amy, and really now, couldn't Willow have done this way earlier?
Buffy walked down the steps to see Amy hunched over a plate of cookies while watching TV. It was odd. Apparently, her hair had grown while she was a rat.
"How you doing? You need anything?" Buffy sat down beside her.
"No. Thanks. Good cookies." Amy chirped. No, no. She wasn't a rat anymore. She said it. She didn't chirp. "I'm sorry about your mom."
And that unexpected display of sympathy hit Buffy like a punch to the gut. She liked it. It was better than feeling numb. "Thanks." Her stomach churned as her eyes were drawn to her mother's photo. Feeling grief was better than feeling nothing.
"Crazy all the things that have happened since I went away."
"No kidding."
"Snyder got eaten by a snake, the high school got destroyed…"
"Oh!" Buffy interrupted, trying for perky. "Gatorade has a new flavor. Blue."
"See, head spinning." Amy said.
Buffy tried to go along with the banter, but was distracted when the news came on.
"We have some breaking news. It's been reported that there's been some sort of terrorist attack on American Airlines flight 134 going from Los Angeles to London-Heathrow. Authorities aren't releasing any information except that the flight crashed somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
"Second-hand reports from family members of passengers who received panicked phone calls from their loved ones say that there was a woman involved in bringing the plane down.
"The Defense Department has invoked SCATANA to ground all domestic air travel and international flights have been grounded by the FAA while they investigate as to who is responsible for this tragedy. It is unclear, at this time, if this attack has any connection with the recent attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th.
"Rescue efforts are currently underway to try to find survivors of the crash."
Her stomach dropped. "Will!" She called, standing and going back up the stairs, leaving Amy behind.
"What?" Willow came back out of her room.
"Will, what was Giles' flight number? Back to London?"
Willow looked flustered, "I…I don't know, Buffy. He just left. He didn't give us an itinerary."
Buffy shook her head. She knew. She knew that that report was about that flight. Life couldn't possibly grant her any mercy right now.
Running back down the stairs, she grabbed the phone, ignoring Willow and Amy coming up behind her. She dialed The Magic Box.
"Hello, and thank you for calling The Magic Box, where we're happy to take your money!" Anya's perky, grating voice answered the line.
"Anya, do you know what Giles' flight number was?"
"Buffy? Well, yes. At least, I have the records," there were some sounds of movement. "Besides, the flight's long gone. If he missed it, then he's going to have to reschedule."
"Anya -" Buffy gritted her teeth.
"Oh! Here it is. I have it in my special 'Silent Partner' file. It's where I put everything relating to Giles."
"Anya, please…" Buffy said again. She heard Willow's gasp behind her and knew the redhead was watching the news report about the crash.
"Let's see, he left LA on flight 134."
"Yesterday?"
"Yes. What's this about?"
Buffy couldn't answer. She turned back to the TV and met Willow's eyes. She swallowed down her tears. "His plane crashed."
***
The world was punishing her for something. She couldn't figure out what, though.
At least when Giles had left, she still knew she could call him. But he was gone. Completely gone. And Buffy couldn't bear to think about it. If she stopped to think about the pain, the hopelessness, the complete emptiness she felt inside herself, she knew she would curl up in a hole somewhere and never come out.
She had responsibilities. Somehow, she had to take care of them.
So she hunted. She left Willow to cry with Xander, Anya, and Dawn, and she went out to patrol. She couldn't possibly mourn with them. She knew what they did to people who died. They took away their peace and shoved them back into a world that obviously didn't want them.
The vampire in front of her had stopped fighting back minutes ago. She didn't care. She wished she could be mad at it, but she couldn't blame it for giving up. She staked it and walked away.
"I don't know. Y'don't seem to have that same zest that I'm used to."
Buffy's shoulders sagged as she turned around to face Spike, her ever-persistent shadow.
"Not tonight, Spike," she said, knowing that she sounded like she was begging. She knew that right now, after hearing about Giles, she'd be likely to give into the temptation he offered. Anything to drown out the pain.
Spike stomped out the cigarette he'd been smoking and approached her. No, he prowled towards her, showing off the grace and litheness of his body. She knew full well she could take advantage of what he was showing her if she wanted. She could take that body and pour out all her anger and sadness and pain, and he would let her.
She couldn't let that happen.
"What's the matter, pet? Not afraid of the Big Bad, now are you?" He leered, leaning closer to her.
She shook her head, backing up a step. "I'm going home." Hopefully, the moaning mourners would be gone by now. If not, she'd just wait around outside till they all left.
As she turned away from him, Spike grabbed her arm, exerting just enough force to keep her still.
"I'd wager that you don't really fancy seeing any of your mates, luv. Look," he stepped forward again. "Not asking for another kiss." He grinned, eyes overtly running down the length of her body. "Though I wouldn't complain. But we've partnered up before for the patrolling. No reason you have to run off just 'cause I show up."
"Yes, there is," she said. "I don't want to be around you." Her heart was beating, and she knew he could hear it. Her heart always beat faster around him. It's usually why she sought him out nowadays. She sometimes doubted that she was really alive, and, with Spike, she could always feel her pulse. It frightened her. It excited her.
But now, with Giles, it was too much. She didn't want to deal with it. She wanted the comfort that the fog offered her.
He just smiled, though, tilting his head. "Y'don't mean that."
"Spike, let go of me," she tugged away from him and started walking back to her house.
"Buffy, stop walking away from me!" Spike called out, obviously frustrated.
She felt his hand on her shoulder, and she whirled around, punching him in the face. She had to get him away from her. She couldn't let him get close. Punching had always seemed to work before.
This time, though, he punched back. Buffy was unprepared for the blow, and she fell back onto the ground, rolling to slowly stand up. When she did, Spike was kneeling, looking puzzled with his hand to his head.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to stake him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to be buried in one of the graves she was standing on. She wanted Giles to not be dead.
But she didn't want to deal with Spike.
Buffy walked back over to Spike, punching his nose again and sending him sprawling back onto the ground.
"You're just a thing," she said in a shaky voice, trying to find the conviction to believe the words she was saying. "An evil, disgusting thing. And I don't want anything to do with you. All right?"
Without waiting for a response, Buffy turned to go back to the refuge that was her house, hoping against all odds that the others wouldn't be there.
***
Willow didn't think there were any tears left in her. She'd cried so much in the past year. Mrs. Summers. Buffy. Tara leaving. And now Giles. Her pillow was soaked through, and she was too lazy to get up and find another one. So she just lay in her own tears.
If Tara were still with her, she could hold onto her. That would help. But Tara had left.
They'd kept the news on for a while, but it quickly became apparent that there were no survivors. Giles was gone. And not across-the-world gone but gone gone.
It was the next night when Amy suggested going out to the Bronze to cheer Willow up. Willow eagerly jumped on the offer. She needed to get out. Lying around, crying, thinking about Giles, wanting Tara. She couldn't deal with that.
When the Bronze hadn't done its job in cheering her up, Amy had leaned closer to her and suggested a better place to go. Willow had agreed without hesitation.
Anything to stop the pain.
The place wasn't clean. And it was giving off some bad mojo vibes. But, soon enough, Willow didn't care. The guy called "Rack" gave her some sort of magic boost, and Willow felt electrified.
She was outside herself. She was everywhere, and she was everyone. What had happened didn't matter, because she was above all of it. She was outside of it. And in the base of her spine was a tingly pleasure that she'd rarely ever felt before.
It was the best of magic.
Willow didn't quite know what Rack was doing. He'd managed to tap into her own magic, somehow, and give it a jolt. Churn it up so she was buzzing. Through half-lidded eyes, she could see the arcs of energy fly across the room. Amy was collapsed in some rat-eaten armchair, laughing at something.
This was far beyond anything Willow had experienced. Calling back Angel's soul, fighting Glory, Tara. Even Tara. Nothing compared.
She forgot about Giles.
***
"Where's Willow?" Anya asked as soon as Buffy and Dawn walked in.
Anya had called them all to the Magic Box. Buffy had just wanted to stay in bed, but Anya had said it was urgent.
"She went out with Amy," Buffy said.
"Now?" Anya asked.
Dawn sank down in one of the seats around the circular table. Xander was already seated, staring at some spot beyond the table. Buffy had only seen that shell-shocked look on Xander a few times before.
She shrugged. "I really don't know. What's the meeting for?"
"You all haven't been watching the news," Anya said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
"No," Dawn said in a monotone. Buffy knew that Dawn had been crying since she'd heard about Giles yesterday. "Not since last night."
"We don't want to hear any more about it, really," Buffy tried to explain. Having the news blaring all about the crash was like somebody repeatedly driving a hatchet through her gut. She couldn't take it.
"Well, you should. It wasn't an accident," Anya said, fidgeting with her sleeves. "They released a description of the terrorist woman who brought the plane down. She was white. And blonde. And very stylish."
"Huh?"
"Glory. She told the people on their cellphones to tell people that her name was 'Glory'." Anya said.
The bitch from hell that terrorized her sister, tortured her friends, and caused her death. Shallow, insane, angry, horrible, strong, invincible, unstoppable Glory.
Buffy forgot how to breath for a few seconds. It wasn't possible. She'd defeated Glory. She'd -
Buffy's eyes met Dawn's, her sister looking more afraid than she'd ever looked.
- she'd left Ben alive below the tower. He'd been alive when she had died.
She'd left Glory alive.
The shop phone started to ring, but not even Anya moved to answer it. It stopped after several rings.
Buffy shook her head, "They must have been mistaken." She looked to Xander, who just looked down, unable to meet her gaze.
"It was a lot of witnesses, Buffy. I really don't think so," Anya said. "Obviously, Glory's going to try to kill us all."
She couldn't do this again.
"We need to get the gang together," Xander spoke up, his voice sounding very mechanical. "Set up a base somewhere. Get Willow to put up magical protections while we figure out what to do."
It had taken everything she had to defeat Glory the first time. How could she possibly do this again?
"For now," Anya said. Obviously, she and Xander had planned ahead of time as to what to say. "We should stay at your house. It has the most weapons. Weapons are good."
She should be in heaven. She shouldn't have to deal with this. Hadn't she earned her rest? Her peace? How could she fight Glory when she wanted nothing more than to go back to heaven?
"Buffy?" Dawn's voice snapped her out of her racing thoughts.
Buffy looked up, realizing that everybody was waiting on her. She was the leader. Right. She'd been the leader before.
"You guys take Dawn back to your place," she said, trying to find her leader-voice. "Grab your stuff and go back to my house. I'll meet you there."
Xander stood up. "Shouldn't you come with us?"
"No," Buffy said. "I'm gonna gather up some supplies here to take with us for now. I'll be fine."
Xander and Dawn looked skeptical, but they left with Anya anyway. Buffy sat down, pressing her head into her hands. This just could not be happening.
***
He'd been waiting a damned long time. Nobody had answered when he'd tried to call earlier in the evening, and the rest of her little friends had wandered off over an hour ago. He was about to just go in after her, but Spike didn't want to destroy anything in the shop. Anya would be mad as hell at him if he did.
And he did want to fight her. Today had been a day of discovery. Finding out that his chip was working just fine. It just wasn't working on her. Oh, how he had saved up some punches for this moment. To finally be able to go against her like they'd used to so long ago. And to get some payback for all the beatings she'd given him since he'd gotten chipped. The irritating bitch had been yanking him around the past several days. Acting like they were friends, then kissing him senseless, then acting like it was nothing. Last night, though, had taken the cake. Calling him a disgusting thing. Fuck that. He'd discovered today that there wasn't anything wrong with him. Not at all.
Buffy came out of the shop carrying a box of knick knacks. Spike paid it no mind. He stepped out from his place in the shadows a few buildings down.
"Slayer," he said by way of greeting.
Buffy gave him an exasperated look. She did seem to be at her wit's end. He'd noticed it last night. Course, then she'd started using him as a punching bag, and he decided he didn't give a bloody fuck. Besides, a good fight should liven her right up.
"Thought you should know," he continued, moving in closer to her. "Things might be a little different now. You oughta be careful."
"Enough!" Buffy said. "Enough, move."
"Or what?"
She looked sad. Then she looked pissed. Then she dropped the box and punched him across the jaw. Spike took the punch, remaining standing. She kept getting to the violence faster and faster. She thought he'd just take it without complaint? Without even fighting back? Well, not anymore.
He turned back to her and threw his own punch.
It knocked Buffy back a few steps.
"Oh, the pain, the pain…is gone." Spike stalked closer to her.
When Buffy looked up, he could see the look of fear in her eyes. Fear and something else he couldn't put a finger on.
"Guess what I just found out," Spike continued. "Looks like I'm not as toothless as you thought, sweetheart."
"How?" Her voice was shaky.
"Don't you get it? Don't you see?" He smiled, looking forward to throwing this back at her. "You came back wrong."
He'd been expecting her to deny it. He'd been expecting her to punch him again. He'd been expecting her to be a complete bitch to him like she'd been ever since that bloody song demon had blown into town.
He hadn't expected her to gasp, "Oh, god," as her knees gave way. She held her hand out to grip the brick building beside her as she slid to the ground, body shuddering from enormous sobs.
Not what he'd expected at all.
"Slayer," he said.
Bloody bitch. Of course she'd steal his thunder. He tried to hold onto his anger, but it was hard when the object of his rage was curled up crying at his feet.
He crouched down to see her face-to-face. "Buffy, you're supposed to hit me."
She shook her head, face already red and puffy from the tears that kept falling.
Spike could tell that this wasn't about him right now. Something was going on that he was missing. Hell, something had been going on last night. Course, nobody ever kept him in the bloody loop, so he didn't know what it was.
"Hey, pet. What's the tears for? I imagined you'd stake me or something over this, not fall down crying."
She was crying too hard to answer him right now. Her entire body was still shaking. Despite every instinct he had telling him to hold her, he kept his hands off. He wasn't sure where he stood with Buffy right now. Hadn't known since she'd come back.
It was then that Spike felt the intense heat of a fire suddenly jump up. He yelped, standing up quickly and looking in the direction of the flames. Well, fuck. The Magic Box was roaring like an oven.
How the hell had that happened? He'd heard of spontaneous human combustion, but buildings just didn't break out into huge fires like that. The entire place was charring up.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buffy struggle to her feet, holding the wall for support. They were far enough away from the fire to be safe, but Spike was feeling a little singed from the heat.
Buffy grabbed the arm of his coat. "We have to go," she said, crying apparently over, though she was still sucking in huge breaths in an effort to stop the tears.
Spike looked at her before looking back at the fire. "Think we should call someone. Fire department or -"
"They'll come," Buffy was already gathering up the box. "We have to get back to my house. Now."
"Why?"
"Glory's back," Buffy said, her voice betraying the tears she was holding back now. "She killed Giles, and now she's coming for us."
TBC...
Final AN: Obviously, I moved up Willow's visit to Rack. In-fic reason? Overwhelming grief over Giles' death made her more susceptible to Amy's suggestion earlier on. Real reason? I needed her to go there for the story. :) Yay for tweaking canon.
If you'd like to be a beta for future chapters, let me know in a comment or email (gabrielleabelle(at)gmail.com). I have one beta, who's wonderful, but I always value extra input before posting.
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Author: gabrielleabelle
Rating: R
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Just the canon ones for Season 6.
Disclaimer: Not mine. It all belongs to Joss.
Warnings: Character death. Really and seriously, this is not (and will not be) a happy or lighthearted fic. Note that this warning applies for the entire fic.
Summary: What if Giles hadn't killed Ben in The Gift? It is now mid-season 6, and the Scooby gang is falling apart when Ben awakens from his coma, letting loose an angry Glory. Buffy, dealing with post-death depression, bills, an "evil" Trio, and a faltering support system, now has to contend with a vengeful hellgod. Just when things couldn't get worse.
Author's note: Thanks to all who left feedback on the previous chapter. Thanks also to those who just read it, even if they didn't say anything. This chapter has some dialogue from Smashed, though events are about to veer away from canon. Please enjoy.
Previous Chapter | Chapter List | Next Chapter
Chapter Two: Discovery
Spike was messing with her head. And with other parts of her.
She was in a fog. She had been since she'd come back. It was a dark fog that made her slow, and it made it difficult for her to think about what was going on around her. Or care. Most people were far enough away, she couldn't see them through the haze. And she didn't want to see them.
Spike, however, was right in front of her. She couldn't not see him. She knew, if she chose to, she could take him and forget about the fog around her. Just be with him. But she was afraid of where that might lead her.
And it sure didn't help that Spike had been a complete ass about the kisses.
If only she hadn't kissed him those times. Then she could still take his company without him offering her more. Talking to Spike was okay. Drinking with Spike was borderline-bad. Getting physical with Spike? Completely out of the question.
She'd wanted to talk to Willow about it, but then Willow was distracted because she'd just de-ratted Amy, and really now, couldn't Willow have done this way earlier?
Buffy walked down the steps to see Amy hunched over a plate of cookies while watching TV. It was odd. Apparently, her hair had grown while she was a rat.
"How you doing? You need anything?" Buffy sat down beside her.
"No. Thanks. Good cookies." Amy chirped. No, no. She wasn't a rat anymore. She said it. She didn't chirp. "I'm sorry about your mom."
And that unexpected display of sympathy hit Buffy like a punch to the gut. She liked it. It was better than feeling numb. "Thanks." Her stomach churned as her eyes were drawn to her mother's photo. Feeling grief was better than feeling nothing.
"Crazy all the things that have happened since I went away."
"No kidding."
"Snyder got eaten by a snake, the high school got destroyed…"
"Oh!" Buffy interrupted, trying for perky. "Gatorade has a new flavor. Blue."
"See, head spinning." Amy said.
Buffy tried to go along with the banter, but was distracted when the news came on.
"We have some breaking news. It's been reported that there's been some sort of terrorist attack on American Airlines flight 134 going from Los Angeles to London-Heathrow. Authorities aren't releasing any information except that the flight crashed somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
"Second-hand reports from family members of passengers who received panicked phone calls from their loved ones say that there was a woman involved in bringing the plane down.
"The Defense Department has invoked SCATANA to ground all domestic air travel and international flights have been grounded by the FAA while they investigate as to who is responsible for this tragedy. It is unclear, at this time, if this attack has any connection with the recent attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th.
"Rescue efforts are currently underway to try to find survivors of the crash."
Her stomach dropped. "Will!" She called, standing and going back up the stairs, leaving Amy behind.
"What?" Willow came back out of her room.
"Will, what was Giles' flight number? Back to London?"
Willow looked flustered, "I…I don't know, Buffy. He just left. He didn't give us an itinerary."
Buffy shook her head. She knew. She knew that that report was about that flight. Life couldn't possibly grant her any mercy right now.
Running back down the stairs, she grabbed the phone, ignoring Willow and Amy coming up behind her. She dialed The Magic Box.
"Hello, and thank you for calling The Magic Box, where we're happy to take your money!" Anya's perky, grating voice answered the line.
"Anya, do you know what Giles' flight number was?"
"Buffy? Well, yes. At least, I have the records," there were some sounds of movement. "Besides, the flight's long gone. If he missed it, then he's going to have to reschedule."
"Anya -" Buffy gritted her teeth.
"Oh! Here it is. I have it in my special 'Silent Partner' file. It's where I put everything relating to Giles."
"Anya, please…" Buffy said again. She heard Willow's gasp behind her and knew the redhead was watching the news report about the crash.
"Let's see, he left LA on flight 134."
"Yesterday?"
"Yes. What's this about?"
Buffy couldn't answer. She turned back to the TV and met Willow's eyes. She swallowed down her tears. "His plane crashed."
***
The world was punishing her for something. She couldn't figure out what, though.
At least when Giles had left, she still knew she could call him. But he was gone. Completely gone. And Buffy couldn't bear to think about it. If she stopped to think about the pain, the hopelessness, the complete emptiness she felt inside herself, she knew she would curl up in a hole somewhere and never come out.
She had responsibilities. Somehow, she had to take care of them.
So she hunted. She left Willow to cry with Xander, Anya, and Dawn, and she went out to patrol. She couldn't possibly mourn with them. She knew what they did to people who died. They took away their peace and shoved them back into a world that obviously didn't want them.
The vampire in front of her had stopped fighting back minutes ago. She didn't care. She wished she could be mad at it, but she couldn't blame it for giving up. She staked it and walked away.
"I don't know. Y'don't seem to have that same zest that I'm used to."
Buffy's shoulders sagged as she turned around to face Spike, her ever-persistent shadow.
"Not tonight, Spike," she said, knowing that she sounded like she was begging. She knew that right now, after hearing about Giles, she'd be likely to give into the temptation he offered. Anything to drown out the pain.
Spike stomped out the cigarette he'd been smoking and approached her. No, he prowled towards her, showing off the grace and litheness of his body. She knew full well she could take advantage of what he was showing her if she wanted. She could take that body and pour out all her anger and sadness and pain, and he would let her.
She couldn't let that happen.
"What's the matter, pet? Not afraid of the Big Bad, now are you?" He leered, leaning closer to her.
She shook her head, backing up a step. "I'm going home." Hopefully, the moaning mourners would be gone by now. If not, she'd just wait around outside till they all left.
As she turned away from him, Spike grabbed her arm, exerting just enough force to keep her still.
"I'd wager that you don't really fancy seeing any of your mates, luv. Look," he stepped forward again. "Not asking for another kiss." He grinned, eyes overtly running down the length of her body. "Though I wouldn't complain. But we've partnered up before for the patrolling. No reason you have to run off just 'cause I show up."
"Yes, there is," she said. "I don't want to be around you." Her heart was beating, and she knew he could hear it. Her heart always beat faster around him. It's usually why she sought him out nowadays. She sometimes doubted that she was really alive, and, with Spike, she could always feel her pulse. It frightened her. It excited her.
But now, with Giles, it was too much. She didn't want to deal with it. She wanted the comfort that the fog offered her.
He just smiled, though, tilting his head. "Y'don't mean that."
"Spike, let go of me," she tugged away from him and started walking back to her house.
"Buffy, stop walking away from me!" Spike called out, obviously frustrated.
She felt his hand on her shoulder, and she whirled around, punching him in the face. She had to get him away from her. She couldn't let him get close. Punching had always seemed to work before.
This time, though, he punched back. Buffy was unprepared for the blow, and she fell back onto the ground, rolling to slowly stand up. When she did, Spike was kneeling, looking puzzled with his hand to his head.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to stake him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to be buried in one of the graves she was standing on. She wanted Giles to not be dead.
But she didn't want to deal with Spike.
Buffy walked back over to Spike, punching his nose again and sending him sprawling back onto the ground.
"You're just a thing," she said in a shaky voice, trying to find the conviction to believe the words she was saying. "An evil, disgusting thing. And I don't want anything to do with you. All right?"
Without waiting for a response, Buffy turned to go back to the refuge that was her house, hoping against all odds that the others wouldn't be there.
***
Willow didn't think there were any tears left in her. She'd cried so much in the past year. Mrs. Summers. Buffy. Tara leaving. And now Giles. Her pillow was soaked through, and she was too lazy to get up and find another one. So she just lay in her own tears.
If Tara were still with her, she could hold onto her. That would help. But Tara had left.
They'd kept the news on for a while, but it quickly became apparent that there were no survivors. Giles was gone. And not across-the-world gone but gone gone.
It was the next night when Amy suggested going out to the Bronze to cheer Willow up. Willow eagerly jumped on the offer. She needed to get out. Lying around, crying, thinking about Giles, wanting Tara. She couldn't deal with that.
When the Bronze hadn't done its job in cheering her up, Amy had leaned closer to her and suggested a better place to go. Willow had agreed without hesitation.
Anything to stop the pain.
The place wasn't clean. And it was giving off some bad mojo vibes. But, soon enough, Willow didn't care. The guy called "Rack" gave her some sort of magic boost, and Willow felt electrified.
She was outside herself. She was everywhere, and she was everyone. What had happened didn't matter, because she was above all of it. She was outside of it. And in the base of her spine was a tingly pleasure that she'd rarely ever felt before.
It was the best of magic.
Willow didn't quite know what Rack was doing. He'd managed to tap into her own magic, somehow, and give it a jolt. Churn it up so she was buzzing. Through half-lidded eyes, she could see the arcs of energy fly across the room. Amy was collapsed in some rat-eaten armchair, laughing at something.
This was far beyond anything Willow had experienced. Calling back Angel's soul, fighting Glory, Tara. Even Tara. Nothing compared.
She forgot about Giles.
***
"Where's Willow?" Anya asked as soon as Buffy and Dawn walked in.
Anya had called them all to the Magic Box. Buffy had just wanted to stay in bed, but Anya had said it was urgent.
"She went out with Amy," Buffy said.
"Now?" Anya asked.
Dawn sank down in one of the seats around the circular table. Xander was already seated, staring at some spot beyond the table. Buffy had only seen that shell-shocked look on Xander a few times before.
She shrugged. "I really don't know. What's the meeting for?"
"You all haven't been watching the news," Anya said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
"No," Dawn said in a monotone. Buffy knew that Dawn had been crying since she'd heard about Giles yesterday. "Not since last night."
"We don't want to hear any more about it, really," Buffy tried to explain. Having the news blaring all about the crash was like somebody repeatedly driving a hatchet through her gut. She couldn't take it.
"Well, you should. It wasn't an accident," Anya said, fidgeting with her sleeves. "They released a description of the terrorist woman who brought the plane down. She was white. And blonde. And very stylish."
"Huh?"
"Glory. She told the people on their cellphones to tell people that her name was 'Glory'." Anya said.
The bitch from hell that terrorized her sister, tortured her friends, and caused her death. Shallow, insane, angry, horrible, strong, invincible, unstoppable Glory.
Buffy forgot how to breath for a few seconds. It wasn't possible. She'd defeated Glory. She'd -
Buffy's eyes met Dawn's, her sister looking more afraid than she'd ever looked.
- she'd left Ben alive below the tower. He'd been alive when she had died.
She'd left Glory alive.
The shop phone started to ring, but not even Anya moved to answer it. It stopped after several rings.
Buffy shook her head, "They must have been mistaken." She looked to Xander, who just looked down, unable to meet her gaze.
"It was a lot of witnesses, Buffy. I really don't think so," Anya said. "Obviously, Glory's going to try to kill us all."
She couldn't do this again.
"We need to get the gang together," Xander spoke up, his voice sounding very mechanical. "Set up a base somewhere. Get Willow to put up magical protections while we figure out what to do."
It had taken everything she had to defeat Glory the first time. How could she possibly do this again?
"For now," Anya said. Obviously, she and Xander had planned ahead of time as to what to say. "We should stay at your house. It has the most weapons. Weapons are good."
She should be in heaven. She shouldn't have to deal with this. Hadn't she earned her rest? Her peace? How could she fight Glory when she wanted nothing more than to go back to heaven?
"Buffy?" Dawn's voice snapped her out of her racing thoughts.
Buffy looked up, realizing that everybody was waiting on her. She was the leader. Right. She'd been the leader before.
"You guys take Dawn back to your place," she said, trying to find her leader-voice. "Grab your stuff and go back to my house. I'll meet you there."
Xander stood up. "Shouldn't you come with us?"
"No," Buffy said. "I'm gonna gather up some supplies here to take with us for now. I'll be fine."
Xander and Dawn looked skeptical, but they left with Anya anyway. Buffy sat down, pressing her head into her hands. This just could not be happening.
***
He'd been waiting a damned long time. Nobody had answered when he'd tried to call earlier in the evening, and the rest of her little friends had wandered off over an hour ago. He was about to just go in after her, but Spike didn't want to destroy anything in the shop. Anya would be mad as hell at him if he did.
And he did want to fight her. Today had been a day of discovery. Finding out that his chip was working just fine. It just wasn't working on her. Oh, how he had saved up some punches for this moment. To finally be able to go against her like they'd used to so long ago. And to get some payback for all the beatings she'd given him since he'd gotten chipped. The irritating bitch had been yanking him around the past several days. Acting like they were friends, then kissing him senseless, then acting like it was nothing. Last night, though, had taken the cake. Calling him a disgusting thing. Fuck that. He'd discovered today that there wasn't anything wrong with him. Not at all.
Buffy came out of the shop carrying a box of knick knacks. Spike paid it no mind. He stepped out from his place in the shadows a few buildings down.
"Slayer," he said by way of greeting.
Buffy gave him an exasperated look. She did seem to be at her wit's end. He'd noticed it last night. Course, then she'd started using him as a punching bag, and he decided he didn't give a bloody fuck. Besides, a good fight should liven her right up.
"Thought you should know," he continued, moving in closer to her. "Things might be a little different now. You oughta be careful."
"Enough!" Buffy said. "Enough, move."
"Or what?"
She looked sad. Then she looked pissed. Then she dropped the box and punched him across the jaw. Spike took the punch, remaining standing. She kept getting to the violence faster and faster. She thought he'd just take it without complaint? Without even fighting back? Well, not anymore.
He turned back to her and threw his own punch.
It knocked Buffy back a few steps.
"Oh, the pain, the pain…is gone." Spike stalked closer to her.
When Buffy looked up, he could see the look of fear in her eyes. Fear and something else he couldn't put a finger on.
"Guess what I just found out," Spike continued. "Looks like I'm not as toothless as you thought, sweetheart."
"How?" Her voice was shaky.
"Don't you get it? Don't you see?" He smiled, looking forward to throwing this back at her. "You came back wrong."
He'd been expecting her to deny it. He'd been expecting her to punch him again. He'd been expecting her to be a complete bitch to him like she'd been ever since that bloody song demon had blown into town.
He hadn't expected her to gasp, "Oh, god," as her knees gave way. She held her hand out to grip the brick building beside her as she slid to the ground, body shuddering from enormous sobs.
Not what he'd expected at all.
"Slayer," he said.
Bloody bitch. Of course she'd steal his thunder. He tried to hold onto his anger, but it was hard when the object of his rage was curled up crying at his feet.
He crouched down to see her face-to-face. "Buffy, you're supposed to hit me."
She shook her head, face already red and puffy from the tears that kept falling.
Spike could tell that this wasn't about him right now. Something was going on that he was missing. Hell, something had been going on last night. Course, nobody ever kept him in the bloody loop, so he didn't know what it was.
"Hey, pet. What's the tears for? I imagined you'd stake me or something over this, not fall down crying."
She was crying too hard to answer him right now. Her entire body was still shaking. Despite every instinct he had telling him to hold her, he kept his hands off. He wasn't sure where he stood with Buffy right now. Hadn't known since she'd come back.
It was then that Spike felt the intense heat of a fire suddenly jump up. He yelped, standing up quickly and looking in the direction of the flames. Well, fuck. The Magic Box was roaring like an oven.
How the hell had that happened? He'd heard of spontaneous human combustion, but buildings just didn't break out into huge fires like that. The entire place was charring up.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buffy struggle to her feet, holding the wall for support. They were far enough away from the fire to be safe, but Spike was feeling a little singed from the heat.
Buffy grabbed the arm of his coat. "We have to go," she said, crying apparently over, though she was still sucking in huge breaths in an effort to stop the tears.
Spike looked at her before looking back at the fire. "Think we should call someone. Fire department or -"
"They'll come," Buffy was already gathering up the box. "We have to get back to my house. Now."
"Why?"
"Glory's back," Buffy said, her voice betraying the tears she was holding back now. "She killed Giles, and now she's coming for us."
TBC...
Final AN: Obviously, I moved up Willow's visit to Rack. In-fic reason? Overwhelming grief over Giles' death made her more susceptible to Amy's suggestion earlier on. Real reason? I needed her to go there for the story. :) Yay for tweaking canon.
If you'd like to be a beta for future chapters, let me know in a comment or email (gabrielleabelle(at)gmail.com). I have one beta, who's wonderful, but I always value extra input before posting.
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