Previously on Grey
Lines:
Spike didn't leave after
all, he only went to walk Dawn home from school. The two get home and watch
telly, when Spike decides it's best to go back to the crypt, Buffy comes in and
sees the vampire. Buffy freaks out because Dawn didn't tell her Spike came by
regularly. Buffy and Spike fight (as always), she figures out he's been hanging
around and that he kissed her while she was sleeping. The fight is interrupted
by a call from Giles. The gang all meet up at the Magic Box (Spike included).
Giles reveals that a spell was cast and created a Foris Caliga - a strange
demonic version of a black hole that sucks in all creatures that are truly
demonic (no human soul). Whoever cast the Spell wants to have the power of all
the demons in Sunnydale.
Chapter 7 - The Clearing
Spike sighed as his
tired body hit the armchair.
"What happen?"
a sleepy faced Clem asked as he rubbed his right eye.
"Nothing." The
vampire grumbled.
"Nothing, huh?
That’s why you come home in the middle of the night and kick me out of the
chair?"
"Piss off!" he
hissed, not even bothering to look at the demon standing next to him.
"Well, if you’re
staying here I’m taking your bed. The deal was you have it during the days and
I have it during nights." Clem started sluggishly dragging his feet
towards the lower level of the crypt.
"I wanted to tell
her…" the vampire suddenly spoke and the demon stopped and turned to face
him. "About the soul."
"And did you?"
Clem started the conversation sitting on the sarcophagus.
"No." was the
simple answer that came from Spike’s dry lips as he stared into the distance.
Clem sighed before
continuing: "I don’t understand why you don’t just tell her."
"I can’t!"
Spike suddenly growled, standing up abruptly and pacing around the room.
"Why not?"
"Because I want her
to know that I loved her before, damn it! I want her to know that I will always
love her, with or without a bloody soul!!" Spike yelled upset.
"Then why did you
go through the trouble of getting it?" Clem was starting to get
exasperated at the logic of his friend.
"I don’t know! I- I
was confused and all I wanted was to give her what she wanted." Spike
struggled with the words as he nervously walked around in circles.
"I really don’t
understand." Clem shook his head from side to side.
"Neither do
I." Spike let out a frustrated laugh as he took his place back on the
armchair.
They stayed in silence
for a while before Clem broke it with a whisper.
"Tell her."
Spike sighed and stared
at the floppy skinned demon who gave him a comforting smile.
"Right then! Off I
go!" the vampire finally said standing up and heading for the door.
"You’re going to
tell her now?!" Clem asked incredulous.
"Good’a time as any."
Spike shrugged.
"It’s four in the
morning!"
"She’s already
gorgeous, she doesn’t need her beauty sleep." He said stepping outside.
*************************************************
Buffy jumped into
awareness as she heard a strange metallic sound. Standing up from the couch she
saw Anya standing by the front door. Coming closer she noticed the dazed look
on her face as the demon’s hand jiggled the handle desperately trying to turn
it.
Quick on her feet, the
Slayer jogged up the stairs into Dawn’s room.
"Dawn! Wake
up!" she whispered caressing her sister’s milky arm.
"Hum…?" the
young teenager moaned.
"Anya’s being
called, you have to go downstairs and watch her while I get dressed."
Buffy explained.
A sleepy Dawn nodded and
sat up on the bed rubbing her eyes as Buffy walked out of the room.
While the younger
Summers girl dragged herself downstairs, the older one entered her bedroom.
"Willow!"
Buffy called the ex-witch.
"What? Where? Who?
How?" Willow shouted as she jumped up from the bed.
"Nervous much?"
"Sorry! It’s just
this Foris Caliga thing is making me kinda jittery." Willow excused
herself.
"Speaking of it,
Anya’s being called, she’s trying to open the front door. I have to get dressed
so I can follow her. Will you call Giles and Xander and let them know?"
Buffy talked as her pulled her jeans on and started buttoning them up.
"Sure."
"Thanks." As
she was walking out the door, she remembered: "Could you watch Dawn for
me?"
"No problem."
Willow assured her following her best friend down the stairs.
As they reached the end
of the staircase, Buffy signalled Dawn to follow her into the kitchen.
"I’ll follow her
and see where this thing is. Once I find it, I’ll snap her out of the trance
and bring her home. Ok? You stay here with Willow."
Dawn nodded as Buffy
leaned in and gave her a light peck on the forehead. Putting on her denim
jacket, the Slayer reached for the door, unlocking it and making way for Anya
who immediately started walking out. From behind her she heard Willow’s
familiar voice whisper:
"Good luck!"
*******************************************************************
"Giles? It’s
Willow! Anya’s been called. Yes? They just left the house." Willow paused
for a second hearing a question from the other side of the line. "They
were heading south. If you hurry you might still catch them. " pause
"Ok, goodbye. Good luck!" And she hung up.
*******************************************************************
Buffy slowly followed
the vengeance demon, giving Anya enough room to manoeuvre, when she noticed the
familiar peroxide vampire coming her way.
"Spike? What are
you doing here?" she asked confused but never letting Anya out of her
sight.
"I need to speak to
you. What’s she doing here? Where you two off to?" he asked a little out
of breath. He had jogged all the way from his crypt.
"She’s been
called."
"Ah!"
Buffy was about to say
something when she noticed the strange change on Spike’s face.
"Spike? You did
remember to lock Clem up, right?"
"I forgot. I got
home and unchained him and forgot to chain him up again when I left."
Spike said a little afraid of the Slayer’s reaction and he was right to be.
Immediately, she started waving her arms around and shouting:
"You forgot?
How-"
"Hey! You’ll snap
Anya out of it and then we’ll never find Clem. Our best hope now is to follow
her and hope that we get there before Clem does." Spike shushed her.
"How could you
forget?" Buffy hissed under her breathe as she and Spike walked side by
side behind the vengeance demon.
"Well, I-I had
other things on my mind." Spike snapped back in a low voice.
"Other thing? What
other thing?" she had a deep furrow over her forehead as she spoke.
"It’s none of your
business!" he hissed, giving her a light pout.
They walked in silence
for a few minutes.
"I need to tell you
something." He started uneasily.
"What now?"
she snapped angrily.
She was making this very
hard. He wanted to tell her the truth but her haughtiness and stubbornness were
really getting in the way, even so he thought it was best to go through with it.
"When I left…
before the summer and Willow and… you know?" Buffy nodded as a shadow
covered her face at the memory of what had happen. "Well, I went to
Africa…" pause. "…there was this demon who could give me anything I
wanted if I passed his trials. Eventually I did and he gave me-"
"Buffy! There you
are!" Giles’ familiar voice was heard. They looked behind them and saw the
watcher step out of his car. "I’m so glad I found you. Is she still…"
he gestured towards Anya and Buffy nodded. "Good! I’ll come with you,
then." and he fell into pace with them.
"What were you
saying Spike?" Buffy asked after a long uncomfortable silence.
"Nothing. I’ll tell
you about it later." Spike sighed in frustration.
******************************************************************
"Where are they?
They should have come back by now." Xander pressed his sweaty palms
against his chest as he paced around the room.
"Don’t worry about
it. Buffy can handle herself." Willow tried to assure her friend, forcing
him to stop and patting him on the back.
He paused for a moment,
facing Willow but his gaze buried on the floor beneath his feet. The redhead
set her index finger under his chin and tilted his head up to reveal his eyes
filled his tears that threatened to spill over his flushed check. Eventually it
happened when he blinked as he spoke:
"If something
happens to her…"
"Nothing will
happen to her. Buffy wouldn’t allow it." Willow gave him a reassuring
smile and she brought him into her arms for a strong hug.
*****************************************************************
They walked around for
hours until and where now in the middle of nowhere. All around them tall trees
softly swayed as a chilly wind brushed over their leaves.
"Where is she
going?" Buffy whispered as she hugged herself in a frustrated attempt to
keep warm. "We’ve been walking around for-"
"Shush." Spike
hissed as he lifted his head, straining to hear something.
"What is it?"
Giles asked.
"Do you hear
something?"
"I won’t bloody
hear anything if you two don’t shut your gobs." Spike protested. He paused
for a second and then nodded. "I hear chanting and humming."
"Is it close?"
Giles didn’t have to wait for the answer. As they continued to walk he was able
to pick up a soft mumbling that grew loader with every step they took.
Eventually, a clearing
came into view. A bright white circle of light emanated from the ground and
next to it stood a man. With his back turned to them, he was dressed in black
and his arms were raised in the air as he chanted over and over. Closer to the
trees, a large groups of demons stood, paralyzed, with the familiar dazed look
on their faces and a strange humming came from their closed mouths.
"Oh my God!"
Giles whispered as he saw the variety of demons before him. "There are all
sorts of demonic creatures here. Vampires, fryals, miquots, skyloshs,
kung-"
"Giles! We get the
point." Buffy hissed. "We know where it is, now we have to snap Anya…
Anya?" she looked around but the demon was nowhere to be found.
"Spike, where’s Anya?" She turned to face the vampire but he was gone
too.