Part 15 and Epilogue
[Oh, God! Please don’t let me be too late!] Buffy prayed frantically as she raced through the tunnels, jumping over piles of debris. Dashing through an opening, Buffy stopped as she saw the macabre figures of fallen trees, shards of concrete sticking up from the ground. Reaching for the wall to help her maintain her balance, Buffy stepped over a pile of rubble when she heard it. Her eyes shot to her left, and a sense of déjà vu hit her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Spike burst up from the water with a roar and lunged at the small demon, dragging it under the murky water again. “Get away from her!”
The Kappas screamed as its head was caught between the vampire’s hands and dragged back down under the water. The grotto became silent, then suddenly a figure burst from the water.
“Argh!” Spike shouted as he came up to surface. Getting his bearings, he started to swim towards his Mum’s still form when something caught his leg and dragged him back down. “Hell’s teeth!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A surreal feeling went through Buffy as she stepped over a pile of crushed flowers. Buffy looked to her left then her right, seeing nothing but the shambles of a garden. Water spewed from a small geyser, making crystal droplets fly through the air, then disappear in the darkness. Hearing the splashing sounds coming from the far side of the of the geyser.
Making her way around a fallen tree, Buffy saw the reflection of the crescent moon shining through the huge hole in the street on the surface of a huge black pool of water. Suddenly, a figure broke through the reflection of the moon, and Buffy froze as she saw it. Cackling madly as it bobbed up and down the black pool of water, the demon made its way towards the other side of the pool, away from Buffy. Towards a still figure lying on the other side, to a not moving, blonde figure. Without truly seeing the body’s face, Buffy knew who it had to be.
“Mom!” Buffy screamed as her heart leapt into her throat. “Mom!”
“Pretty food! Pretty, pretty toy!” cackled a child-like voice through the air. In slow motion Buffy saw the demon with head of seaweed and bulging eyes throw back its head, the seaweed swinging happily as it half turned, and Joyce’s Summer’s still face appeared over the crook of its arm. “Kappas pretty toy! Pretty food!”
A scream erupted from Buffy’s throat as the Kappas’ mouth opened wide, and just about to swoop down on her mother’s neck.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Where do we go?” Gabriel demanded as he followed the older man through another path. The two men had lost the Slayer as she raced down the tunnel, towards the screams. “Do you hear anything?”
“No, but I smell fresh air,” Giles panted as he made his way down a small ladder. Then he saw the remains of an entrance and started to slowly climb over it. “We must be near the underground garden. I’m smelling some flowers and such.”
“The Council had not covered many things in our schooling,” Giles said dryly as he looked around him, and made a quick assessment as he saw the various gardening equipment. He grabbed a hoe. “We’re in the supply room, plenty of weapons here. Grab one and let’s go.”
As Gabriel grabbed something, Giles walked out of the supply room and saw what the earthquake had done to the tourist site. “My, what a mess. I’m certainly glad that I do not have to clean this up. A destroyed library was quite enough. We seem to be near the rear of the garden, let’s go this way.”
“A demon destroyed your library?” Gabriel asked as he gripped the pair of hand-shears. He looked at the other man curiously. “Why?”
“It was actually an earthquake that was caused by the Hellmouth Beast,” Giles said absently as he stepped over a fallen branch. He looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge gaping holes allowed him to see the night skies. “Well, at least we know what time of day it is. Now let’s find that statue and end all of this.”
“Amen,” Gabriel muttered as he looked down at his hands. He saw the image of his beloved Suzi. He wondered about the information that Slayer’s friends had found. And with a calmness that had eluded him since the death of his fiancee, Gabriel realized what must be done in order to destroy the water demon. “My love, you will be avenged.”
“What was that you said?” Giles asked as he turned to look at the younger man. When Gabriel merely shook his head, Giles frowned. “Gabriel-“
“Look, there seems to be a clearing,” Gabriel interrupted as he pointed at a small gap between the debris of fallen trees, concrete and water. As they made their way towards it, they heard a deafening shout and a splash, then silence.
Rushing towards the sound, Giles hefted his hoe. “What the hell was that?”
“It sounded like fighting,” Gabriel shouted as he ran after the older man.
The two jumped over fallen trees and zigzagged past the slabs of concrete and crushed flowers. As the approached a smashed fountain, they stopped as they saw the Kappas standing diagonally across from them. With the Mother of the Slayer in its arms, and the demon poised to kill her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy screamed as she forced her legs to move faster, trying to get to her mother before the demon could kill her. “Mom! Mom! Get away from her you monster! Mom!”
Distracted, the Kappas looked up at Buffy as she ran towards him, and then giggled like a demented child holding a broken doll. “Food! More food!”
Suddenly, the Kappas fell forward as something hit him from behind, sending its food flying from its arms. “Food! My food!”
Leaping over a pile of rocks, Buffy screamed as she saw her mother’s body fall lifelessly to the ground. She landed next to her mother’s body, standing protectively over her as the Kappas quickly rolled to its feet. “Giles! Find that statue! Now!”
“Food!” the Kappas screamed as it charged at Buffy. “My food!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Good show Giles,” he breathlessly commented to himself as he leapt over a pile of debris. He grunted as his ankles sang at his ill footed landing. “A ten on the javelin-“
“Giles! Find that statue now!” Giles heard Buffy shout at him as he neared his Slayer and her mother. Stopping suddenly as the order processed through his mind, he pitched forward as Gabriel ran into him.
Getting up quickly, Giles looked quickly around as he tried to remember what the children had said about the demon and statues. “We have to find a statue, Gabriel, one that is possibly immersed in water. The fairy tale morals said that people must-”
“One must pay homage to a statue, and to keep it dry lest the demon come to life,” Gabriel finished for him. His eyes looked at the ruined underground garden and streams that had brought the demon back to life. “But how and where should we look? The earthquake had ruined everything!”
Thinking quickly, Giles looked at Buffy as she shoved the hoe into the demon’s stomach and then gave the demon a roundhouse kick. She threw a one-two punch at the demon, forcing the demon away from her mother’s still body. The demon retaliated by hissing, then lunged at Buffy.
Giles pointed towards the geyser of water. “Look at all the places that are near the underground stream. Any place that can easily get wet. You look there while I will start looking on this side. And for God’s sake, hurry!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy grunted as the demon tackled her and threw her to the ground as it screamed like a demented child. The demon’s talon-like hands tried to get closer to her neck. “Food! Food!”
“Not!” Buffy shouted as her fist landed on the demon’s jaw. The demon’s head rolled back as she punched it again. Drops of water and seaweed fell from the demon’s head, but it kept going. “Get away from me, you little slimer!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Frantically, Giles started to dig through a huge pile of rubble near a destroyed greenhouse and the water’s edge. A variety of smashed statues and water baths for birds brokenly stood guard over the door. He quickly looked at each unbroken piece, but found nothing in the likeness of a woman.
Looking for something to help him dig, Giles went into the greenhouse. After a few seconds the smashing of glass was heard, and Giles came out with a fireman’s axe. Immediately, he started to chop at the remaining piles of rubble with it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gabriel ran over to the geyser as he searched the rubble around it. Violently, like a man possessed, he stabbed at the rubble with his shears as he hoped to find a statue. Finding nothing, he stopped digging. In despair he fell to his knees. “By the gods! This whole place could have released that blasted demon! Suzi! Help me! Help me avenge your death!“
His head hung down as he struggled for control. When he looked up, his eyes then fell on the smashed fountain. And suddenly he saw something, the face of a woman covered in seaweed....
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Food!” the Kappas giggled madly, as he stood poised over the Slayer, ready strike a killing blow.
Buffy grabbed a handful of dirt then threw it into the demon’s face, sending it sprawling backwards. “Not, you ugly thing!”
Jumping on to her feet, Buffy kicked the demon as it clawed at its eyes. She knelt to grab the hoe again. “Time to die, you crapper!”
As Buffy swung the hoe down, the demon caught it with one hand and yanked it from her grip. The demon suddenly grabbed Buffy’s neck and dug its claws into her. “Kappas hungry! Want food! Want-”
With futile efforts, Buffy slapped at the demon’s arm as it started to crush her throat. Suddenly, the demon let her go and thrust her away from him. Gasping for air, Buffy watched as the demon fell to the ground, screaming as it clawed at its head, yanking seaweed out like a child holding a painful tantrum.
With another scream, the demon out a screech of rage as it ignored Buffy. Not one to lose a chance to do some serious damage, Buffy grabbed the hoe again and smacked it hard on to the demon’s head. The demon went down screaming, so she whacked at it again and again. Then stopped as the demon caught her hoe as she swung it down again. “Die! Come on! Die!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hearing an unholy scream, Giles looked up from the pile of rubble he had been digging through to see Buffy force the demon on to its knees.
He started to towards Buffy as the demon caught the hoe and backhanded her. But instead of tackling her, it started to run madly away from Buffy. Giles’s mouth opened in horror as he saw what the angry demon was running towards. “Gabriel! No! Gabriel-“
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Spots ran through his eyes as Gabriel forced himself to focus on his last act. He wiped a bloody hand on the statue’s mouth and face. “Drink, lady. Drink this blood, this poisoned water...taste my grief-“
Hearing the demon roar behind him, Gabriel turned around to see the angry and bulging eyes of the Kappas run towards him. Hefting the bloody shears high above his head, Gabriel shouted, ”Come on! Come on demon and taste my poisoned water! My poisoned blood!”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy quickly rolled to her feet and stared in horror at Gabriel. Her eyes locking on him, Buffy felt her feet move faster and faster towards him. Gabriel stood like a defiant, bleeding hero. Looking like the hero in the old war movies, the hero that dared the enemy to kill him, as he stood alone and bleeding to his death. He brandished his bloody shears over his head, daring the charging demon to kill him.
In slow motion, Buffy saw Giles shouting as he ran towards Gabriel. The demon’s clawed hands were poised to rend Gabriel to pieces. In an instant, she felt herself grab the axe from Giles’s hands and throw it with all her might. She saw the axe whirl through the air...and she closed her eyes as she heard the sickening thunk when the axe landed on its mark.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
With faltering steps as he made his way towards the fallen demon, Gabriel clutched at his mortal wound. As he stood over the demon’s still body, Gabriel took a deep breath. Falling to his knees, he squeezed at his wound, sending more of his life’s blood into his hands. Looking at his blood momentarily, Gabriel then shoved his bloody hands into the saucer shaped disc on the demon’s head.
The world went black and white as Gabriel started to scream with the Kappas as the demon’s body started to convulse.
“Gabriel! Move you hands!” Buffy shouted as she quickly pulled the axe out of the demon’s body. Giles grabbed the young Watcher’s hands and pulled him back just as Buffy quickly beheaded it. The demon gave another scream, then suddenly, it was blissfully quiet.
Buffy dropped to her knees as Giles cradled the young man into his lap. She touched the young man’s shoulders. “Gabriel? Are you still there? We’re gonna get you to a hospital! Don’t you worry! We’re gonna-“
“I am dead, Slayer. It is-it is as it should be,” Gabriel coughed as blood spurted out of his mouth. “Go tend to your mother, she needs you now.”
The color draining from her face, Buffy turned and ran towards the still form of her mother. Gabriel looked blindly at the older man. “Thank your Slayer for me, Watcher. I could not have done this without her. My Suzi is avenge-”
“I will, Gabriel,” Giles promised as he closed the young man’s eyes. Laying the man gently down, he started towards Buffy as she frantically called for help over her walkie-talkie.
He started to kneel down to touch Buffy’s shoulder when suddenly a roar exploded from the pool of water. Her eyes widening, Buffy stood up protectively over her mother. “Spike!”
“Where is it? Where’s that bloody little demon!” Spike roared. His eyes quickly fell on the Slayer. “Slayer!”
“Get out of here Spike! You don’t want to mess with me!” Buffy growled.
“And you don’t want to mess with me, girl!” Spike snarled back. “Where’s the demon with seaweed hair?”
“Dead, Spike,” Giles said loudly as he pointed towards the beheaded body. “Very, very dead.”
Spike looked over towards the dead demon, nodded than swan to the other side of the pool. “Until we meet again, Slayer.”
As they stood over the still body on the bed, some of the machines beeped while others hummed merrily in the quiet room. The street’s lights shone through the window, framing the resting body on the bed. A flood of light from the hallway entered the room; then again darkness filled the room.
“Joyce?”
The figure on the bed stirred, and a pair of brown eyes opened. A weary smile lit the tired and pale face. “Spike! You made it!”
“That I did,” Spike said as he cautiously approached the bed. He stood a foot away from her. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I had an argument with a demon,” Joyce said blandly. She looked at the cast on her left arm. “My arm’s broken, I have a quite a few cracked ribs, one of which decided to try and pierce into my left lung. And on top of that, I have several bruises and assorted cuts. Other than that, I’m dandy.”
Spike smiled faintly at that. “As long as you’re feeling better.”
“Yes, I am,” Joyce said pleasantly. She looked at his impassive face. “We had quite an adventure, didn’t we?”
“That we did,” Spike said curtly. “I have a question for you- why did you try to save me?”
“Why not?” Joyce said flippantly. “You’re really not a bad fellow, Spike. Well, other than the fact that you’re a dangerous, amoral, blood-sucking demon, you’re really not.”
“Are you still off your rocker? Did the quacks drug you up?” Spike demanded as his eyes narrowed at her.
Joyce tilted her head as she thought about it. “Probably, else I’d be screaming for Buffy right now. Why?”
“Because I need an answer,” Spike said harshly. “I want an answer. A straight one, is that clear?” He waited until she nodded. “Why did you save me?”
Joyce looked at him and said softly, ”Because it was one of the easiest and hardest thing that I had ever done in my life, Spike. Since we met in L.A., I consider you my friend, and it would have been wrong for me to kill you, especially since you were so incapacitated.”
Spike remained silent as he stared at her. “You should hate me, I’m a demon, Joyce. A horrible demon who’s done horrible things, and before that I was a horrible human.”
“Who loved his mother, grandmother and grandfather,” Joyce interrupted calmly as she looked at him. “And who hated the rest of his family because they stole what was rightfully his and who probably had done some heinous act to make you murder them. Sorry to say, I’d hate them, too.”
Walking towards the window, Spike remained silent as Joyce looked at his back. She was about to say something else when he spoke softly, ”They desecrated her grave.”
Joyce blinked at him. Spike’s posture was rigid with tension as he stared out the window. “When she-when she died- my uncle wanted to deny her place in the family crypt. He wanted bury her in the common graveyard of our village, where they buried the poor, the drunks, the suicides, whores and the sinners. Nana stopped him, and had her buried in the family crypt.”
Spike’s fists clenched as he remembered, and his demon came forth as the rage in his boiled, even after all these years. “After I had reached manhood, and after Grandfather died...I had earned some money to go back and visit her. I had earned some peace after learning what my uncle had done. But when I got there, she wasn’t there anymore...the house and the land had been sold-bought by a promising railroad company. The family crypt had been destroyed-the bodies all had been moved to the new family crypt...all except hers.”
Spike whirled around to look at Joyce with hot, yellow demon eyes. “They took her body and threw it into a common grave with no marker, no name, just a small note on her general whereabouts. I spoke to a man in the office, he said... he said my uncle told them that she was the family whore, and they could throw her into the ditch for all he cared.”
Spike looked down at his clenched fists. “On that night, something inside me snapped. Mum died because of me, she caught a cold because I was too stupid to come into the house when it rained. I had fought with my cousins and I was afraid of what my uncle would do, so I hid in the barn and didn’t answer when she called for me. I took Mum’s respectability when she had me, I took her life when she searched for me...and I took away her place in the family crypt.”
Dreamily, Spike stared at Joyce as he remembered. “It was like a dream...I went into the tavern and got drunk...one of the drinkers worked for the railroad and had been making jokes and said he had the biggest spike of them all...I paid him and I took it. Then I walked to my uncle’s new house...and killed them all. My uncle, my aunt...his two daughters and his three heirs...all with that bloody spike...”
“Oh, Spike,” Joyce whispered. Spike looked at her, his voice becoming harsh.
“Then I stole his coach, and went to kill my father and his legitimate wife and unborn heir,” Spike said coldly as his fists clenched. “By dawn the next morning, they were all dead...and my name had changed from the Honorable William Kensington of Oakwood Grange to William the Bloody. And all the while, Angelus followed me... and the rest is history.”
Her hand to her mouth, Joyce looked at him with huge eyes. “Oh Spike...how could you!”
Spike stiffened as he prepared himself for her rejection. Then blinked as he heard her next words. “You killed them too soon!”
Spike blinked again as he stared at her. Joyce looked at him pitifully, her mouth tightly closed in disapproval. “You killed them too soon! After the suffering they made you-you killed them too soon! You should have made them lose their fortune, ruin their name or something like that before they died! It would have been a better revenge!“
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Spike said dryly. He looked at her closely. “You’re really not shocked are you? Is it the drugs?”
Something inside Spike relaxed as he walked closer to her. “I see. I guess we’re two of a pair, aren’t we?”
“I guess we are,” Joyce said slowly. She looked at him cautiously. “So where does that leave us, Spike?”
“In a very strange place, I think. The Mother of the Slayer and a vampire, friends,” Spike said. He looked at her hesitatingly. “Sounds a bit strange, don’t you think?”
“Only if you dwell on it,” Joyce said simply. “You can always change the relationship if you want.”
When Spike remained silent, Joyce joked, ”Preferably one where you don’t think of me as your next meal.”
“I don’t think of you as my next meal, I can’t,” Spike said quickly as he looked at her…and saw his mother in her. A feeling of calmness filled him as Spike thought about her. “I won’t.”
“I guess I should change our relationship.” Seeing Joyce’s confused face, Spike swallowed and felt his undead heart start to beat. ”Can you call me Liam? May I call you Mum? I know that you’re not-but I thought while I was carrying you through the tunnels-”
“I’d be honored,” Joyce interrupted. She smiled as Spike stared at her outstretched hand. “I would love to call you Liam...Liam.”
Taking a deep breath, Spike smiled as he cautiously took her hand. “Thank you...Mum.”
