FIC: Der Weidedämon (3/?)

["Shadowlander" <Shadowlander1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Der Weidedämon (3/?)
Author: Shadowlander
Email: Shadowlander1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx - or - Tankesly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters commonly associated 
with Buffy the Vampire Slayer; they are used without permission. No 
copyright infringement is intended.
Archive: The usual places, all others ask first.
Pairing: Spike/Willow/Faith
Rating: PG-17
Notes: This is for Ari and Karina, who are trying they damnedest not to 
have me sound like a complete idiot in my native language. Damn 
computer gremlins keep moving text around on me. 

Der Weidedämon (3/?)

As most of the Scooby Gang gathered around the makeshift altar to 
get a look at their friend, Wesley moved over to the sprawled form of 
Ethan Rayne. Taking a moment to check for a pulse, he noted his 
Slayer's work with a touch of pride. Only Faith would hit someone 
below the belt then kick them in the head, recalling the last time she 
had done such a maneuver during the graduation ceremony. Although 
why she had decked the principal was still a bit of a puzzle to him. 
Granted while Snyder could have been classified as a demon, if you 
used the Xander Harris Demon Classification system, he still didn't see 
the need to attack the annoying little trollkin. Of course Wesley had 
decided years ago not to ask too many questions about his Slayer, 
some things he was just happier not knowing. Like how Faith's bank 
account suddenly gained several thousands dollars right after the 
mayor-snake got blown into little pieces.
 
Once satisfied that Rayne would indeed live, even though he would 
regain consciousness with the world's worst headache, Wesley turned 
his attention to an old book laying not far from the alter. "Giles," He 
said raising to his feet and turning toward the other former Watcher. 
"Does this look familiar?" He questioned, flipping through the ancient 
text with a frown. Something was tugging at the back of his mind, 
telling him that the book was important, in fact quite dangerous in the 
wrong hands. 

Stepping over to the younger man, Giles accepts the book with a 
frown of his own. After a few moments, "Dear god, man. What where 
you doing?" He says himself, wondering if his old friend had taken 
leave of all of his senses after all, and not just the hundred or so 
brain cells he had originally thought Ethan had lost in their misspent 
youth. Closing the book, Giles makes a quick decision. They needed to 
research the book, there was no telling what spell Ethan had been 
attempting. Even if they did there may not even be a way to reverse 
it. "We need to get out of here." He said getting everyone's attention. 
"Angel, if you don't mind taking charge of Ethan," he continued his 
mind all ready going 
into research mode.

"Hey why is deadboy bringing him along!"? Xander demanded after a 
moment finally tearing his eyes away from the sight of his best friend 
lying on the altar. He had been silently entertaining thoughts of 
feeding Ethan to that bog-beast that was passing through town - the 
one that had slimmed Agent Finn and all his little commando buddies 
last week in front of most of the Scooby Gang. Xander just wished he'd 
had a camcorder at the time, the look on the commandos faces when 
their little ray guns only seemed to annoy the bog-beast as it slimmed 
the lot of them, was classic. He had never laughed so hard in his life, 
especially after Clarence the bog-beast just turned on his heel and 
departed into the night whistling a happy little tune. 

Hoisting Ethan over his shoulder, "He's going to tell us exactly what he 
did to Willow." Angel vowed, nodding briefly to Wesley and Giles, 
before heading for the surface. "Even if I have to beat it out of him." 
He added lowly, feeling his demon moving toward the surface, eager 
for the fun to begin. A part of him, the part that felt remorse and had 
a conscience, was strangely not voicing any objections to the acts of 
torture his demon half was all ready envisioning. Then it occurred to 
him that for the first time in countless decades, his soul and demon 
were actually in agreement. Angel wasn't sure if he should be glad that 
his two halves had finally found some kind of common ground, or 
terrified that such an event had actually occurred. Granted his demon 
and soul had radically different reasons for wanting to inflect massive 
amounts of pain on the person of Ethan Rayne over a long period of 
time. The demon annoyed that Rayne had touched someone that 'he' 
had made long term plans for. Plans that included turning and molding 
Willow into a vicious vampire to help run his little empire he was 
planning to build over the hellmouth. While his soul was enraged that 
Rayne had kidnapped and beaten someone 'he' thought of as a 
younger sibling. Either way, both halves were screaming for Ethan's 
blood. 

 

Shrugging off his trademark duster, Spike carefully wrapped Willow in 
it, before picking her up and wordlessly following his sire out of the old 
lair. He could feel his own demon thrashing about inside of him, 
demanding the head of the worthless mortal that dared to touch 'his' 
Red. 'She's mine!' the demon fumed. 'Mine to punish and bruise, as I 
see fit.not some lowly human.' Pushing down his rage as the 
pounding in his head increased, Spike shifted his dark musings to 
other things. Like finally being able to get Red into his bed, where she 
belonged. Because there was no way in Sunnyhell he was going to 
allow her out of his sight anytime soon, not until he was sure she was 
under his full protection and that wouldn't happen until the chip was 
removed. Red would be moving into the Kelly Street mansion with 
him, he decided firmly. Granted a bit sooner then he had originally 
planned and under different circumstances, but she would be where 
he could properly look after her. 
 
"He's up to something." Faith dryly noted before following the 
retreating vampires. She didn't like the look of possession Spike had 
been giving Willow, not one little bit. 'May have to do something about 
that,' she said to herself.
 
"You THINK!" Cordelia commented, putting her prized water gun back 
in her purse, and joining the rest of the little group heading for the 
surface. 

Taking one last look around the old lair, a place she had hoped to 
never see again, Buffy Summers let out a tired sigh and joined the 
others. The events of the last few hours weighing heavily on her mind, 
even before Giles rang to meet him back at his flat, she had been out 
looking for Willow. It wasn't like her roommate to miss class, hell as 
long as she has known Willow, she had never once missed or cut class. 
It was one of those annoying little quarks in Willow's personality that 
really got on her nerves. Well that and the redhead's ability to 
understand Wesley and Giles when they go into their "Watcher 
speak". Which tended to totally confuse the hell out of all those who 
had not had an incredibly boring childhood, or where the offspring of 
Watchers to begin with. In Buffy's opinion, there was just something 
totally wrong with Watchers being allowed to reproduce.it just 
seemed unnatural somehow. 

 

Later - Kelly Street Mansion

Willow drifted toward consciousness as Spike carefully placed her on 
the couch in the main room, he had refused to allow anyone else to 
hold or carry her from the moment he first picked her up back in the 
lair. Not wanting the Watcher or the Slayer to get any ideas about 
taking Red away from him. With a low, animal-like groan she opens 
her eyes only to find herself staring into a strange face. 

Xander was leaning over the back of the couch; reluctant to let Willow 
out of his sight while Spike was so close to her, when she opened her 
eyes. His moment of joy was cut short however, as Willow jerked away 
from his smiling face and scrambled off the couch as fast as she could 
toward Cordelia's waiting arms. 
 
Cordelia held the trembling form in her arms, trying to calm the 
redhead down. As long as she had known Willow Rosenberg, never 
once had she seen that type of reaction out of her toward Xander. 
"Shhh, its all right," she cooed gently rocking the figure that seemed 
like it was trying to curl itself into her body. 

Exchanging confused looks with one another, each trying to figure out 
just what the hell was going on with their friend. They could only stand 
there in stunned silence as the little drama plays out in front of them. 
Sharing a look with her fellow Slayer, Faith makes the first move, 
determined to get to the bottom of this whole weird little mess that 
surrounds the shy hacker. Crouching down in front of Cordelia and 
tentatively reaching out, she pushes down the jealousy threatening to 
overwhelm her at seeing Willow in Cordelia's arms. That annoying little 
voice in the back of her head, the one that shares a room with her 
"inner Slayer voice" - which was just as annoying - growling that 
Cordelia had no right to be comforting Red like that. 

"Hey Red, it's all right, you're safe now." Faith said putting a 
comforting hand on Willow's shoulder. Giving a reassuring smile, which 
on the dark Slayer doesn't always have the intended effect, as the 
redhead turned to regard her with eyes that seemed to glow from 
within as they bore into Faith's own dark ones. For one fleeting 
moment she could have sworn that she saw Willow's normally green 
eyes flash red before returning to their rightful colour. Little knowing 
that at the exact same moment her own eyes flashed the same colour. 
However, she did notice something else, almost equaling important 
about the redhead. "What the." she said in a near whisper, watching 
in disbelief as the cuts and bruises begin to close and fade before her 
eyes. 

Faith had little time to dwell on this new development as Willow 
climbed out of Cordelia's arms into her own. 'Did she just purr?' the 
dark-haired Slayer asked herself, once Willow had settled herself into a 
comfortable position.

End Part 3.