FIC: Inner Battle (3/?)

["Roman" <rrivaso@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TITLE (Tentative): Inner Battle
AUTHOR: Roman.
E-mail: rrivaso@xxxxxxxxxxxx , imroman@xxxxxxxxxx
PAIRING: Buffy/Willow
DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. I'm
just borrowing them for a little while and I'll retun them as undamaged as
posible. <g>
SPOILERS: Set like 3 or 4 months after Who are you. Adam's still at large,
or is he now?
SUMMARY : Let it be a surprise for now, ok?
DISTRIBUTION: If you want to place this on a website just e-mail me and I'll
say yes.
FEEDBACK : This is my first attempt to write a fic on any fandom so please
be gentle. However if it is your honest opinion that it s*cks, please tell
me. Just remember I have a weak heart <g>.

Sorry for the long delay in posting this bit. RL took most of my time this
past 2 weeks and couldn't find the time to write. My intention was to
finished the first chapter, but I have to ask for permission to include
some bits in the following part because it has some references to other
stories, that even though are vague and indirect, I thought it better to
ask before I did so.

------------

"Ok, spill it"

"What?"

"Why did you warn us? Why not skip town like the others?" Buffy asked while
she and Spike were walking along the street that would take them to Willy's
for a late night interrogation party. She glanced at him and gave him a
suspicios look "You wouldn't be working for someone trying to set us up,
wouldn't you?" She stopped suddenly, facing him, Mr. Pointy appearing almost
magically in her hand thus stopping the blond vampire on his tracks."You
know what would happen if you do"

He held his hands up defensively and backed off a step. "Hey! I'm a good guy
now remember?". Then he spread his arms and moved around in a circle
"Working for the greater good. Fighting the minions of darkness. That kinda
thing?" He looked at her spectantly.

The slayer looked back. "That's bolony"

He matched the slayer's stare for a while and then just drop his head and
sighed in defeat. "I can't leave"

"Why? You got a new honey here or something?"

"I just can't!. The bloody chip activates any time I try to leave this
godforsaken joke of a town." He said between his teeth. He threw his arms
up and smashed them against his sides in frustration. "I'm on a leash here!
Thanks to your bloody boyfriend and those GI Joe friends of his!"

"In other words you need *us* to keep *you* from finding your way in to a
vacuum cleaner bag, right?" Asked the slayer starting to walk again.

The vampire grumbled something that sounded very much like 'smartass' and
tried to keep pace with the slayer. He did not answer the question though.
Instead, he asked one of his own. "Speaking of ...Where is Captain America?
Thought you two were still in the siamese stage, disgusting as it is to
think about it"

"Not that is any of your bussiness, but he has been quite busy with the
Initiative and the whole Adam thing. They've taken it as a mistake to be
corrected at all cost." Buffy stared straight ahead, almost like searching
for something out there. "We talk from time to time but it's like we can't
get time to be together, something always seems to come up. We haven't...
been together since that whole bodyswitch mess and ... and why the hell am I
telling you this?!"

"Maybe you needed to talk to someone about it. Anyone." Came the surprising
aswer in a completely out of character lets-talk-about-it kind of voice. The
slayer could only stared, mouth opened, gaping in total surprise at the
vampire while he continued. "Maybe comando guy wasn't the one you were
looking for. For starters you found him thinking him to be this normal,
ordinary, vampires-are-movie-characters kind of fella. You have to accept
that your life is not and will never be normal. You need to find someone
that understands that and is willing to share that life with you, no strings
attached."

The slayer managed to close her mouth and speech made a come back to her
repertoire of skills. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. And the
worst and most terrifying thing about it, is that you actually make sense."
The slayer shook her head and chuckled a little bit. "This time the world
must be really coming to an end!"

"Take it all in Slayer because this is the only time you'll see me like
this." Spike said a unusually serious look on his face. "Remember that
sometimes to find something, or someone, you don't have to look around, but
look inside yourself instead." Spike stopped walking then. "Here we are"

The slayer blinked clearing her head from the sort of haze it was in and
looked around, realizing that they have reached the bar. There didn't seem
to be a lot of people. The little sign hanging on the door that read
'CLOSED' probably had something to do with it. "He may have skipped town
too, or maybe it was a slow night and he decided to close early." The Slayer
thought out loud, trying to put her thoughts on the problem at hand. She
tried the doorknob and it opened easily. "Lets see if he is home".

The two entered the bar. It was pitch black inside. Spike moved along the
wall searching and finally finding the light switch, turning it on as he did
so. They waited a bit for their eyes to adjust to the light and discovered a
mostly empty room, tables and chairs piled against a wall and covered with
blankets. The bar and shelves, ussually full of bottles, glasses and the odd
trinket, were completely bare and clean.

The slayer glanced at Spike, who just shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we can
take a look at the rest of the place, but I think it'll be pretty much like
this"

The slayer looked around the bar one more time "You're probably right. Lets
try that graveyard around the corner instead." She turned towards the door
when suddenly the door connecting with the backrooms of the bar flew open
nearly torned out of its hinges smashing against the wall, giving way to a
seemingly very pissed off demon armed with a double blade battle ax.

He charged against the slayer the second his sight fell on her. With a rage
filled roar, he swung the ax in a wide arc slicing towards the blond's neck.
Buffy ducked and rolled to one side letting the creature pass her, she then
stood and delivered a sidekick to the back of his head with little effect.

The demon turned around and charged again, this time to her midsection. The
slayer jumped back avoiding the blow and grabbed the demon's arm, pivoting
to one side and using the momentum of both of them to throw him crashing
against the pile of chairs and tables on the far wall.

With a little distance between them now she jumped behind the bar looking
for something to use as a weapon, all the while berating herself for not
carrying anything but Mr. Pointy. The demon was wearing a thick leather
armor that protected his chest, shoulders and joints, her favorite wooden
stake useless against it. Luckily, taped against the bottom of what once was
the money drawer, she found a double blade ax, similar to the one the demon
had.

She stood up to find Spike smashing a chair against the demon's face and to
her surprise the creature didn't even blinked. He backhanded the vampire,
making him fly 10 feet to smash against the wall and started walking towards
him with deadly initent, all the while roaring in rage.

Buffy vaulted over the bar and charged towards the creature, yelling at him
to divert him from the vampire on the floor, she poised the ax to strike a
blow to the demon's head. The demon turned around and used his left arm to
try and fend the blow. The slayer striked and the blade sliced neatly
through the demons arm, severing it just above the wrist, with a explosion
of blood and gore. The demon didn't seem to notice in the slightlest,
responding with a swing of his own that the blond bearly avoided by jumping
back and then rolling out of range.

The slayer chanced a glance down and saw her white shirt and pants now
stained red with the demon's blood. She looked back up to the creature,
outrage coloring her tone "Do you know how difficult it is to wash blood
stains?. My mom is gonna be pissed!."

The demon answered her by charging again, aiming high. Buffy ducked the blow
and get to a crouch, from where she then had a clean shot to the creature's
legs, she took it and cut off the right leg just above the knee. The demon
lost his balance and started falling sideways. The Slayer, not stopping the
swing, turned half circle, and diverted the moving blade upwards, meeting
the demon halfway in his fall, effectively beheading him.

Both head and body fell with dry thumps to the floor. The slayer stood up
and picked with dismay at her ruined clothes.

Spike got up and looked at the slayer, disaproval and a hint of disbelief in
his features. "You mother does your laundry?!"

The slayer looked back up to the vampire with a sheepish expression on her
face. "She wanted to. Besides, that way I visit her every week and we spend
a little time together. The clean clothes are just a bonus" Then she turned
to regard the remains of the demon. "Do you think it's a costumer with a
grudge on Willy? He looked very pissed off."

The vampire had a dark look on his features. "No. I know exactly what that
thing is. But I'll let Giles explain that to you and your friends, because I
don't know the whole story behind it and he probably would do a better job
telling it."

"Ok... hm... Spike, about what you were saying outside... about, you know,
finding someone who accepts and shares my life as it is, demons and
vampires and all..." Aprehension started to show on the slayer's features.
"Hm...you wouldn't have been talking about you, wouldn't you?" She asked a
little fear for the answer on her voice. He couldn't have fallen for her. It
was imposible, ludicrous even. She was hoping she wouldn't have to stake
him.

The vampire shot her a look reserved only for the clinically insane. "Bloody
hell no! What are you thinking?! Did you take a blow to the head during the
fight?!" He suddenly grab his head in his hands and a look of abject horror
took over his face "Aahrrg, I remember kissing you!! Gross!! Why did you
have to say that!? Stake me now please! Just end this torture!"

The slayer didn't know if she should be offended by this little
demostration, but just the same she released her breath in relief, thanking
god that she had read the vampire wrong. "Then who?"

For a second there, he seemed he was going to answer, but instead he crossed
his arms over his chest and shot her a sardonic look. "Do you want me to cut
your meat and handfeed you too?" Asked the briton, a blond brow arching
upwards.

"Ok, I take the hint, lets go" She took one last look at the demon laying on
the floor."Should we be worried? About this I mean"

The vampire just nodded.

**************

After a minute of the pair's departure, a small demon appeared at the
remains of the back door. Melor walked into the room and stood before the
downed demon.

"Malcon was right, she is a very special one this one."

He pushed the body a little bit with his toe and then turned to go to his
masters lair.

**************

TBC