Thirteen Steps -8- The Package
by Valyssia
Peripheral on the Package
[reviews]
The weight lifting from her arm, Buffy heard the word 'dilapsus.' "No!" she snarled, as she broke into a full run, following Willow out the door. The witch slipped between the cracks of the security door and disappeared. The Slayer crashed through the door behind her, hitting it with her shoulder. The hinges broke and the door clattered out onto the deck. Diving for the ground, Buffy rolled and flipped back onto her feet following the witch. She heard an alarm sound at the castle as she took off down the hill in the witch's wake.
"You're not doin' this!" Buffy shouted, pursuing Willow down the hill.
Stopping, Willow and flashed to solid in front of the Slayer.
Buffy arrested her momentum and struck the witch on the temple with a forearm. She crumpled and lay on the ground shuddering.
The Slayer felt something, ineffectually, rake at the skin on her stomach, as four claw marks opened in her shirt. She chuckled, despite herself and lashed out, striking Witiko, driving him away.
Straddling Willow, Buffy took up a defensive posture pulling the broadsword off her back and the dagger out of her pocket. With her thumb she unsheathed the little silver blade, letting the scabbard drop to the ground. She spun the blade in her fingers, holding it underhanded as she twirled the broadsword with a flourish of her wrist. "Come on Witiko...thought you said this Slayer mutt would die? Show me whatcha got."
Flipping around as she heard movement, she saw a flash of yellow light, and swung at it in a crossing blow. A spot of black blood appeared on the leaves in front of her and she heard a howling cry. "You know this whole mutt thing's a bit tedious. Lacks imagination...color me bored. Honestly, mutts have a lot of good qualities. You should totally look it up," the Slayer taunted, looking amused.
Turning around again she goaded, "You need to stop with the predictable... Pretty yawn worthy." She slashed out with a sweeping blow, feeling the sword make contact. Bingo, she thought with a smirk. Carrying through with a sweeping kick to the same area, she brought Witiko to the ground saying, "Mutts are usually good-natured...loveable even..." She smiled sweetly looked down at Witiko.
"Trouble is, you really jerked my chain." Using the broadsword like a stake she drove straight through his throat and deep into the ground. His chest visible now, she stuck the dagger in, as she spoke in a low growl, "Oh...one last tip... Mutts are fiercely loyal to the people they love." It felt like she was sticking the knife into a block of ice. Using the athames like an ice pick she chiseled until she felt it shatter.
"I'd part you out right here, but..." she reflected turning to consider Willow. The witch's body was convulsing. Just like my dream, she thought. His claws must be poisonous. God, I hope there's a cure for that... "Willow?" She took the witch's face in her hands. Willow's skin was clammy, her face drawn and gaunt. Moving her hand the Slayer felt for a pulse. Thready and weak, but she's still alive...that's what matters... Now I just have to keep her that way... That poison must be some nasty shit.
"Buffy!" Satsu called from the top of the hill.
"Get down here and take Will, Satsu... Get her to the house, " Buffy yelled back as she pulled the broadsword out of the ground sheathing it and swung around to take Witiko's wrist pulling him up out of the woods. "Stay clear of this thing. I won't be satisfied he's out of the game until I see him burn."
Satsu ran down the hill and took Willow into her arms carrying her back up the hill.
"Leah! Go to the castle, take the team with you...tell Xander I want Giles NOW!!! Giles or Miss Hartness...they're the only two I trust with this. Don't take no for an answer. Make one of them port here. Tell Xander I said if he sees me before I see one of them...well... He has an imagination...tell him to use it," Buffy growled as she pulled Witiko to the top of the hill.
"Right! On it..." Leah broke into a run as the rest of the team formed up behind her.
Buffy met up with Satsu at the front of the house. She scanned the other slayer in. "How is she?" the Slayer asked feeling Willow's forehead.
"Not well," Satsu replied, laying the trembling witch on the couch.
"Stay with her. If you feel and odd tugging sensation...just relax...its cool... She won't hurt you...just hold her hand... Trust me...I won't be upset. I need to get something," Buffy instructed, looking down at Willow.
The witch's body quieted as Satsu took her hand.
Taking three steps forward, the Slayer vaulted up into the loft and grabbed the book Willow had used to research Witiko. She hopped down over the railing, landing next to the couch. Tossing the book open on the table, she pointed to it. "There's a chapter called Wee Tee Go. Need you to find it and see if there're any antidotes listed. I've got to go part this thing out. I'm afraid he's going to wander off while I'm in here. Would be my luck."
Exiting the home, Buffy pulled out the silver dagger. She walked up to Witiko, and started the grizzly task of removing his head, arms and legs, with the small knife. She was a bit surprised as she considered, for something that looks two-dimensional this thing...well...it's not like cutting paper...
Buffy was just setting the head aside when a portal opened and Giles stepped out wearing a robe. "Giles, Satsu has the book you'll need. Willow's been poisoned. Help please! It clawed her...no bites...the reaction's different so... I just pray there's a cure." The slayer started weeping as she walked to the front door and let Giles in.
"I'll do everything I can, Buffy," Giles confirmed, looking extremely distressed.
"Please..." Buffy implored through her tears. "She's dieing, Giles... I'm sorry...I just don't... Well, it's Willow. I don't trust anyone else."
"I understand," Giles, responded, taking Buffy's shoulder and pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Go Giles. Willow has a ton of supplies in the kitchen pantry and in her office." Buffy turned to leave the house.
Buffy walked back to the body resolved to finish the task regardless how she felt. A simple notion struck her. It's the heart...it's always the heart, she thought. Getting to her feet, she bolted back to the house, and quickly typed in her code. Running to the kitchen she grabbed a bowl and darted back outside, ignoring the questioning stares.
At the corpse again, the Slayer sliced the skin open between two ribs. Setting the knife down, she used her hands to pry the cavity open. She cringed as the carcass cracked in her grip. Then she picked the athames up again and worked to chisel pieces of the heart out of the creature's chest. It came apart in little shards of black ice and she carefully fished them out, with the knife, until she had a pile in the bowl.
Setting off into the house again, in a run, keying in her code. She placed the bowl on the coffee table next to Willow. Buffy looked at Giles as he read. "It's always the heart, Giles." She pointed to the bowl. "I'm gonna to go finish."
Watching as the Slayer left, Giles looked over at Satsu, and said in an even tone, "She's right it normally is. Go fetch a spoon from the kitchen, please." He continued to scan the pages as Satsu dropped Willow's hand and moved to the kitchen.
"Ahhhh... Yes, here we have it. The claws of the Witiko are venomous. Feeding the victim shards of the creatures frozen heart is the only cure for this toxin. Well a lot of use I was." Giles sighed as he began to spoon the contents of the bowl into Willow's mouth.
Patiently, Satsu returned to Willow's side, reclaiming her hand, as Giles worked to spoon the pieces of foul looking ice into the witch's mouth.
Buffy came back in the door looking very grim, splotches of black blood covered her clothes. She had the same foul substance coating her hands and forearms. She used her shoulder to mop her forehead as she spoke, "Was I right?"
"Indeed... Good show," Giles answered, still spooning chips of ice into Willow's mouth.
The witch stirred. "That stuff's horrible," she gasped, trembling and half coughing. There were black circles under her eyes and her cheeks were drawn.
"Nice to see you too." Buffy smirked.
"What happened to you?" Willow asked, squinting in an effort to see across the room.
Buffy walked up to the couch and gave her witch a soft kiss on the forehead. "We'll talk about it later, dear. Just rest..." she replied, heading for the kitchen to wash up. Dropping the athames in the sink, she worked to scrub the blood off her hands and arms.
Giles looked down at Willow and gave her a soft smile. "How do you feel?"
"Awful," Willow answered honestly.
"Let me see your arm," he said in a fatherly tone.
"Satsu... Come here please," Buffy called from the kitchen.
"Buffy I'll need your first aid kit. In fact she might need some stitches. Now I look a bit closer. Perhaps we should just take her to the hospital?" Giles spoke in a thoughtful, concerned tone.
Satsu walked up to Buffy and looked at her expectantly.
"I'm sorry I'm such a mess, but..." she said as she pulled the Asian slayer into a tight hug. "Thank you. Here take these towels to Giles." Buffy opened a drawer and pulling out a stack of clean kitchen towels passed them to Satsu.
"Oh it was a pleasure. I know what she means to you. Again, thank you for the trust," Satsu replied in a low, gentle voice, accepting the towels and moving back to the couch.
"Let me get Giles the first aid kit and I'll show you out. I know you have to be tired." Buffy ran to the couch, flipping herself up onto the loft in one deft movement. "On it, Giles," she called running into the bathroom. Moments later Buffy landed next to the coffee table with a graceful bounce. She handed the white box off and turned back to Satsu.
Satsu stiffed a snicker as Buffy looked at her.
"I'll let you know in the next few days... I'd like to have you, Xander and the team down to join us for dinner. I think it's the least we can do," Buffy offered as she showed Satsu out. "We can do code things, so you guys can get in. That's sorta Will's department. Lucky there still a door here, after the night I've had."
"I look forward to it. Good night to you Buffy," Satsu replied with a bow.
Buffy walked back in the house and stooped on her knees next to Willow. "You gonna be okay, love?" she queried with a worried look as she brushed the hair away from Willow's eyes.
"I'll be right as rain eventually...or so they assure me," Willow responded, smiling weakly as she reached out with her left arm to take Buffy's hand.
"How is it Giles? Do we need to take her to the hospital?" Buffy asked, leaning over to look at the witch's right forearm. It'd stopped bleeding thanks to Giles attention.
"I believe we can care for it here if we have the supplies. Thankfully it isn't deep enough to have cut the muscle tissue," Giles responded, looking pensively at the wound. "It really is up to Willow though. Would you prefer to go to the hospital?" he inquired, giving her a meaningful look.
"You have to ask? I hate those places," Willow replied, looking a bit disgusted.
There was a knock on the door and Buffy got up to answer it.
"Is everything okay, Buff? I mean...well..." Xander asked looking hurt.
"Yeah... I'm sorry Xander." Buffy drew him into a tight hug. "She's over here and well... crisis averted for the moment." The Slayer gave him a weak apologetic smile.
"Hi Giles... Jeeze...all we need is the Dawnster and we could have a family reunion." Xander slumped a bit as he put his hands in his pockets and gave Giles and Willow a smile.
"So whatcha need, Giles. I'll go fetch," Buffy asked, smirking at yet another dog metaphor. Damn tonight has been too full of those. Need to get over it.
Giles looked up still applying pressure to the wound he responded, "A proper medical kit. There should be some at the castle. I fear she does need stitches."
"Oh...Kay... On it...I'll be back in a flash." Buffy set off out the door.
"Buffy! There's one in the com center, hanging on the wall. Don't just rip it down, please," Xander called after her as she shot out the door.
"How you feeling Wills?" Xander asked kneeling next to the redhead and offering her a hand.
"I'll be okay... My head feels a coupla sizes too big. Nothing we haven't been through before. I'd be a lot happier if I had some idea what happened," Willow replied with a weak smile.
Buffy returned with the medical kit a few minutes later. Giles cleaned the wound. Stitching it up and dressing it, with sufficient skill that it made her wonder why any of them had actually bothered with the hospital in Sunnydale. Between the demons and the vampires, that place was a deathtrap.
"Right so, you know the standard instructions. Keep it clean and dry for the fourteen days and it will heal on its own. Just clip the stitches and pull them out, at the end of that time. It was a large cut. Fortunately, it was also very clean and not terribly deep," Giles said, offering Willow a soft affectionate smile.
"Is there anything I can do Buffy?" Xander inquired looking up at the Slayer.
"Actually yeah, let's build a fire. You know anything about this consecrated fire stuff they call for in the book, Giles? I want that body off our drive," Buffy replied, looking anxiously at the two men.
"Yes, we can go sort that out while and give you two some time." Giles placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder, giving her a sympathetic gaze.
Buffy walked them to the door and entered the code. "Hold up, Giles. Willow said PI to the tenth digit, or some such. I know what PI is...if you know the rest, go ahead and program yourself and Xander in. Your code has to be nine digits," she offered, stopping to put her code into the main console, stepping aside when she was done.
"Yes... Very good...I'll handle this. Go back to Willow. She needs you," Giles responded as he began to press the keypad on the console.
Buffy stepped back inside and walked over to the couch, sitting on the floor next to Willow. "What do you remember, honey?" she asked taking the redhead's hand.
"Nothing past you talking about the mirror...total blank...my head hurts like hell. I assume you took my advice and conked me in the noggin?" Willow answered in a soft, strained voice.
"That would be about the, it. You're missing the part where you turned into a cloud and I chased you out the door. Not in this place 24 hours and I've already ripped one supposedly secure door off the hinges. That has to be a new record. I guess that thing got a claw into ya as I...well...I'm sorry honey...I had to. You were just standing there waiting for..." Buffy replied, looking tearful.
"Oh no, Buffy...you did the right thing. Don't cry..." Willow reached up to caress the Slayer's cheek.
"How 'bout I take you to bed?" Buffy offered as she reached down to cradle Willow in her arms. She lifted the witch, gently supporting her head, carried her up to the loft, and laid her on the bed. She reached down and untied the dirty blood stained robe. "I think this is history," she said regarding the garment.
"Yeah...you're probably right," Willow replied sitting up and pulling her arms out of the robe.
"I really need another bath." Buffy looked down at herself. "And well...I guess it might be time to find that key. That was a good plan...among the better ones I've come up with." She laughed. "And she went poof! Leaving the fool and her handcuffs behind..."
Willow tried to laugh, but finding it hurt too much, she simply said, "Ouch," instead.
"I'm sorry honey... I can't help it." Buffy leaned down to give Willow a careful kiss. "Here let's get you under the covers," she offered walking around the bed to turn the covers down, she returned and kneeled on the robe, next to Willow. Gently lifting the witch she moved her over enough to lay her on the sheet. Then she walked back around the bed and carefully pulled the blankets back up.
Willow gave the Slayer another weak smile. "Thank you honey."
"I'll be right back." Buffy grabbed the robe and collecting some fresh clothes out of the dresser. She walked into the bathroom and quickly changed. Tossing all of the foul clothing down the laundry chute, I can fix that later, she thought. Heading for her weapon's trunk next she tossed the broadsword back in, then fished around until she found the key and removed the handcuff. Then she tore off back to the loft, hitting the lights on the way through, and climbed in bed with Willow. "I hope this doesn't bother the guys. I know you need me," she whispered, pulling Willow up close.
"I think they understand by now," Willow replied in a weak voice.
"Take what you need, I'm yours." Relaxing and closing her eyes, Buffy felt the gentle pull as she drifted off to sleep, listening to the sound of chirping birds in the forest.