Reminding the Fallen
by zenithar
Chapter 5
[reviews]
Disclaimer: Joss owns it all. grrrr
Everything up to the episode Empty Places has happened, just a few changes from the last season. One: Wood and Caleb did not show up. Two: So obviously much changeings to endings of series. Also the weapon that Buffy got is changed to an actual scythe.
Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updates I am working on following chapters.
The sun rose on an unusually quiet Summers home. The usual morning peppiness was missing due to last night's news. Willow shambled into the kitchen rubbing her forehead from an obvious headache. Seeing Dawn already sitting at the counter eating a bowl of cereal she decided to do the same. "Faith up yet?" she asked.
"No, she's still asleep in my room." At the raised eye brow from Willow Dawn immediately clarified, "Hey, nothing happened. She slept in my bed and I slept on some comforters on the ground. So see? No sleeping in the same bed." Dawn finished with sticking her tongue out.
Smiling at Dawns childish actions, "You should tell her."
"Huh? Tell her what?"
"That you care for her," the witch said simply.
"Ok that's it. How does everyone know Faith and I are together? I mean even Xander's caught on." Dawn was obviously frustrated with everyone already knowing her secret.
"Huh? Together? When did you actually hook up?" Willow said with a shocked expression.
Dawns eyes widened at her slipup, "Um... together? I mean to go there... to the um... I can't get out of this, can I?"
"No, not really," shaking her head, "And I don't think Xander's caught on yet, he has his imagination but that's it so far," seeing how that didn't really mollify Dawn Willow continued, "Did you two want it to be a secret?"
"Well we just got together two weeks ago and with the whole Buffy thing coming up we thought we would just sorta... I don't know," Dawn finished with a shrug of her shoulders. Then suddenly bolting up right, "Crap, she said she didn't want me to tell anyone before we talked about it, could you please pretty please not tell anyone," Dawn begged.
Laughing at Dawn antics, "Yes, you don't need to worry about me saying anything to anyone. Your secrets safe with me. But when Buffy's up you might want to really think about keeping quiet, at least for a little while."
"Hey Red," startling Dawn, Faith came fully into the kitchen and nodded to Willow then turned to look at Dawn, "what were you talkin' about?"
Avoiding the question "Do you really need to sneak up on us like that?"
Smirking "Yes, yes I do. So what's on the agenda for today?"
"Have Spike give the rest of his story then we start preparing to restore Buffy," Willow said glumly.
"Why are you so sure we have to bring B back? It's not like she was five-by-five the last time she was brought back and this time she's comin' back as a vamp."
"I know Faith and it's not as though I want to bring her soul back here! But this time there's a prophecy involved, and that is not something we can just ignore," she said while running a hand through her hair.
Spikes voice rose up from the basement to interrupt their argument, "Faith be a good girl and get the scary weapon from my Desoto."
Yelling back down the stairs, "Get it yourself!"
Coming to stand in the door frame of the basement, "Minor problem with that: vampire," pointing to himself, "sunlight," pointing to a stream of light that was crossing the counter. Turning to face Dawn, "Bit, get everyone else into the living room. I want to get this done as soon as I can." Dawn nods and goes upstairs while Faith grumbles as she heads for the front door. With the two gone Spike steps a little closer to Willow. "How're you holding up Red?"
"I've been better," as she poked at her cereal.
"I'm not sure if it will make you feel better but I don't think Buffy's in heaven this time," seeing the witches face begin to darken, "I don't mean that she's in hell or anything," adding quickly to forestall any violence from the redhead, "just in between. When I was turned I don't remember really anything from where I was, just sorta a floating feeling. Maybe people who were turned don't go to either heaven or hell until their body's destroyed," seeing Willow's disbelieving face, "Just think about it."
Faith at this point returns holding an eerie looking scythe with a dazed look in her eyes. Walking towards the counter she raises the scythe above it and almost seems to struggle with letting go of the weapon. At last she released it and looked at Spike accusingly, "What the hell was that?"
"What was what?" asked Spike.
"The damn thing it... it felt wrong to me," eyeing the scythe cautiously.
Spike moved over closer to take a better look at the weapon, "Wrong? What do you mean wrong?"
Willow butted into their argument, "Spike where did you get this?"
"Buffy had it when I found her. Why?"
Letting her hands graze the air above the black blade, "This thing has some dark and powerful mojo in it, I mean really really dark. Do you know what it is?" With a shake of his head Willow began heading for the living room. "We should really figure out what it is so the best place for us to start will be my laptop," calling over her shoulder, "and bring the scythe."
As those three were entering the living room everyone from upstairs came in as well. "What's that?" asked Dawn as she sat down on the couch next to Buffy's head. Willow went to double check that the curtains were pulled fully shut before going to her laptop, Spike simply propped the scythe up against a wall and did much the same with himself, while Xander and Anya sat in the nearby armchairs.
Faith squeezed in besides Dawn, "We're not sure D B had it so we're researchin' it."
"Oh, that's the Harvester of the Dead. Messy little thing," Anya explained with one of her usual random facts.
"What harvester? What are you guys talking about?" asked a very confused Xander that was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"The big angry looking scythe that Spike just put in the corner Xand," Dawn said pointing at the blade.
Shaking his head, "All what I saw was fangboy moving around kind of weird and that's it, no 'big angry scythe'."
"Oh, mortals that don't have an affinity for magic wont be able to see it. Has something to do with the magic that's in it I think," Anya added.
Hearing an ahha from Willow everyone turned their attention towards her as she read from her laptop, "It says here that the Harvester was forged by a race of demons for the soul purpose of destroying any demon race they considered imperfect. Vampires in particular were the focus of the weapon because they were thought to be the most inferior. With the gift of blood the scythe grants the wielder greater strength and speed but its greatest gift is clarity of mind. Through suppressing emotions the wielder is given a mind unclouded with petty feelings and acts without any hesitation or remorse." Looking up from her laptop Willow simply gazed at Buffy. 'Oh, Buffy what did this do to you?'
Dawn looked over Willows shoulder at the screen. "It looks like there's one difference though; this scythe has flames or something on the blade while that scythe doesn't."
Willow got up and left for the kitchen and returned a second later with a small needle, "If what I read is right all we need to do to really prove this is the Harvester is give it some blood." She said as she pricked her finger and let a few droplets of blood touch the blade. As soon as the blood touched it deep red flames began to appear in relief against the stark obsidian of the blade.
"Ok, let's see if I got this right. Some old Nazi-like-demons made a scythe that created a super soldier to help them out in destroying all other demon races?" asked Xander.
"Yeah, and what's more is that means that those rumors about Buffy killing humans were probably true then," Spike said. "Well I guess it's time I finished with my part of the story, it's not much just a lot of sitting, waiting, and watching. That is until Buffy showed up."
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Leaving the bar he had been staying in for the last few hours Spike went out on the most recent rumor, which said Death was going to be showing sometime tonight. It was a beautiful night; a full moon, crisp night air, and the smell of fresh blood. Following the scent of the blood Spike wondered through the dark allies of Santa Barbara to finally come to the outskirts of the city. From the shadows of the alleyway his eyes took in what looked like something from a ledged. A wraith like figure holding a wicked scythe was fighting a vampire that appeared to come strait from myth. Spike recognized the blazing sky-blue eyes and blood red hair that marked her as the ancient vampiress Serenity. While the ridges on her brow were not as prominent as current vampire it didn't make her any less fearsome to look upon. Wearing a tight fitting red leather outfit she appeared to be holding her own if not winning against Death.
Spike could only watch in amazement as the battle between Death and the ancient continued to build to points where he was having trouble following it. "I know what you seek," the vampiress said with a vaguely European accent, "you seek release from this life." Parrying the strike that came from the base of the scythe with her forearm, "Let me grant you rest from your war and allow me to bring a new child into this world." Ducking under a wide swing of the scythe the ancient moved inside the reach of the blade. Face to face with Death she spoke, "Let me give you a new life, one that does not view the past with regret." Placing her hands on her shoulder and moving her foot behind the wraith's she pushed, tripping her. Kneeling down to catch woman before she hit the floor, allowing the long blond locks to spill from the hood of the duster that Death wore, the ancient moved with unnatural speed and bite into Buffy's throat.
Spike finally came to his senses and realized he had been watching Buffy take on an ancient vampire by herself and went in to attack only to be stopped by three vampires. "You will not interfere with the Lady's gift," the one in the middle said. Immediately vamping and not even bothering to retort Spike just flew into them. Throwing a right punch into the middle vampire's gut then turning to kick the one to the left in the face. The third vampire attacked Spike's open back by tackling him to the ground forcing both to begin rolling. Finally managing to end up on top Spike rabbit punched the vampire under him hard in the temple, knocking him unconscious; just in time to be kicked in the side by vampire number two. Rolling on the ground again Spike managing to reach into his jacket and pull out a stake. Standing quickly he rammed the stake into the heart of the number two as he was charging him. The first one backed up some to think of a different strategy to use against Spike only to catch a fast moving left punch to the jaw that was rapidly followed up by a thrust from the stake. Barely avoiding the swing to his chest the vampire struck out with his fist and connected with Spikes side but having his next fist caught. With the vampire's wrist held tightly in his left grasp, Spike roughly pulled him forward onto his stake.
Blinking through the ash that fluttered in the wind from the destroyed vampire, Spike saw his worst nightmare happening. Buffy lay across the ancient's knee and was held up with Serenity's left hand on the back of her neck while the right wrist was placed up to the slayer's mouth. Buffy drank greedily from the vampiress' wrist until what was left of her strength fled from her leaving her head dangling lifelessly over Serenity's hand, while Serenity herself had a look of pure ecstasy upon her face. Spike saw only red as he rushed the old vampire landing a solid hit to her face. Not even bothering to glance at Serenity Spike picked up Buffy in one arm and the scythe in the other and ran. With sobs choking him he ran faster than he ever thought he could.
**************
"After that I made my way to where I was staying, picked the veil out of my stuff, and made my way here," Spike finished.
Everyone sat quietly just absorbing the story until Willow broke the silence. "I know she's never going to forgive me for it this time, but we need her." Looking directly at Buffy's still form, "I'm going to bring her back."
Author's Note: I hope you like the fight scene. It was difficult to write. Reviews please ^^