The Key

Spike held open the door to his apartment for Layla. She went in. He went in behind her and shut the door. "I don't want you to go to the school, Olivia," he said. She turned and faced him. 'I need to go. We need to know,' she thought. Spike stood there looking at her. "Give Buffy and Willow a day or two to research the seal. There has to be some kind of record out there about this thing. Then if they cannot find anything I will go with you into the basement. But you will NOT go without me. Understand?" he said moving towards her. His behavior towards her felt threatening. She cowarded away from him. His face softened when he saw he was scaring her. "I'm sorry baby. I am just scared of losing you again. I don't want you in any kind of danger," he said wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I will wait," she said. "That's my girl," he told her. Layla yawned. "Let's get some sleep. It's been a long day," Spike said. Layla cocked her eyebrow. "Sleeping isn't what I had in mind," she said as she went to the bedroom. Spike smiled and ran in there after her.

Buffy looked at the clock. It read 4:30 pm. 'Where did the time go?' she thought. She and Willow had been up all day searching the web for anything on the seal. They had no luck. Willow had went to get some sleep when Buffy had gone to check Giles' things. She looked through them and started crying. He may not have been a good man but he was the closest thing she had to a father. She was silently mourning. A knock came at the door. She went and opened it. "Hi. Does Buffy live here?" a girl asked. There were three girls standing on the other side of the door. "I'm Buffy," she said. "Great we are here to see you. I am Brittany," the tall girl said. "That is Charlemaine," she said pointing to a dark haired girl. "And the one with the tattoos. That is Gracie," Brittany said. "We have came to help," Charlemaine said. "Help with what?" Buffy asked. She let the girls come in and sit down. "A few days ago I got the shock of my life. A man contacted me and told me that I was a potential slayer. He told me to come here and see you. You needed my help," Brittany said. "Are you all potential slayers?" Buffy asked. "Yes, if something were to happen to you one of us would be next in line to be a full slayer," Gracie said. 'It was the same way with Marcy earlier. She too was a potential slayer,' Buffy thought. "We are going to need all the help we can get here. The seal has been broken on the hell mouth," Buffy said. She somehow felt that these girls were only the beginning. More would be coming soon. She set them up with rooms and told them about patrolling. Gracie and Brittany had some martial arts training but she knew she would have to work with Charlemaine. So the rest of the afternoon she worked with Charlemaine at the basics.

Layla woke up. Spike was still sleeping. She looked at him and smiled. He looked at peace when he was sleeping. Layla sighed. She knew Willow and Buffy wouldn't find anything that would help them. It was past sunset so if she were to go to the school now Spike would just follow her. She would just have to wait until daylight so she could go without him and he wouldn't get hurt. Layla rolled over to get out of bed when Spike grabbed her arm forcefully. Layla gasped. "Where are you going?" Spike asked opening his eyes. "I was going to go to the bathroom. Spike you're hurting me. What had gotten into you?" she said jerking her arm free and standing up out of bed. He stood up too. "I didn't want you sneaking off to the high school. This seal is dangerous, Olivia. Whatever is communicating from beyond the seal has got to be unspeakably horrible. You go and try to have a conversation with it and it might just use you to open the seal," Spike said. He was clearly upset. "But Andrew said only he could finish it," she said quietly. She had never seen this side of Spike directed at her before. "Andrew said he could finish it. Right but he didn't take into account your abilities. Let that thing get ahold of your mind and he could use you to kill everyone he wanted. He wouldn't need to be here on this side to do any damage," Spike said. Layla got upset too. "You know you can't go protecting me every time something bad comes along. Spike I was given these abilities for a reason and I want to help. You and I both know I can do what I want when I want to," she said being defiant. "Not without me," he said. Layla's heart was beating hard against her ribs. He was actually scaring her. "Okay Spike. No more talk about going to the school. I will not go not at all," she said lying to him. It seemed to work. He smiled and walked towards her wrapping his arms around her waist. "That's a good girl," he said. He vamped. "Not now Spike. I want to go to Buffy's. I would like to see my cousin," she said. He grew even more angry when she refused. "Why do you want to see her? She is not even your cousin. You have no real family but me," he said trying to bite her neck. She pushed him away. "I said no," she said looking at the floor. "You.. You want to go to Buffy's. Fine go and when I come back you better not be here," he said as he stormed out of the bedroom. A few seconds later the front door slammed shut. Layla couldn't believe what just happened. She sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. "Spike what is wrong?" she whispered as she silently cried and got ready to go. Layla left out of the building. Spike was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't even feel him. She headed down the street towards Buffy's house.

Layla had been too busy thinking about Spike's behavior to notice her necklace. The chalcedony stone was churning from blue to black. She didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Someone jumped out of the bushes and threw a cloth sack over her head and then tied her hands behind her back. She struggled against her captor but with no luck. Then she felt two pairs of hands forcefully grab her and drag her away. 'Spike,' she mentally thought. 'Spike I need your help,' she thought hoping he still wasn't mad at her. Spike never answered her. Her heart sank. 'How can he abandon me?' she thought. She felt them taking her over a grassy area and the she felt concrete again. She listened as she tried to get her bearings. Then she stumbled over some loose rocks on the ground. 'Rocks? Grass?' she thought. Then it hit her. They were taking her to the school. "No," she yelled even though the bag muffled her voice. She fought against her captors. They tightened their grips. Their fingers were digging into her arms. "STOP. Let me go," she continued yelling. They came to a stop. She thought she might could get free until something hard hit her on the back of the head, knocking her out.

When Layla opened her eyes she expected to see nothing but the inside of the bag but it was taken off. So were the restraints on her arms. A blinding pain shot through her head as she sat up. She felt the back of her head where she had been hit. Blood covered her fingers. "Where am I?" she said aloud as she carefully stood up. "You, my dear, are in the basement of the school." She recognized the voice. "Spike?" she asked looking around. Then he walked out of the shadow just past the seal. "Why did you bring me here? You said this place was bad for me," she said. "This place is bad for everyone," he said. Then Layla felt it. He wasn't Spike. She knew it was the evil thing that had taken control of Andrew. "Who are you?" she asked. "Don't you recognize the love of your life?" he asked mocking her. "I know you are not Spike. Now just what you are I have no idea," she said. The Spike creature came walking around the seal to her side. She backed away. "You are not fooled as easily as others have been," he said. She felt the evil reaching into her mind. "Stay out of my head," she told it. She went to run for the exit when the robed creatures stepped into the doorway blocking her escape path. She stopped. "Where are you going my dear? I need you," he hissed from behind her. She turned and faced him. "Why? Why do you need me?" she asked. If she wasn't going to make it out alive she was going to kill this creature also. It smiled at her. "Don't you know already? I want to use you to get my body out of the Hell mouth. I need you to open the seal completely so me and my army can come through. I want you to be with me forever," it told her. She hated seeing it as Spike. She missed Spike terribly even though he had been upset at her for no reason earlier. The creature read her mind. "You can't always predict how a once evil being is going to act once the seal has been cracked. It kind of plays with the mind," it told her. Layla thought about the words it said to her. 'Of course. Why didn't I know that? The seal made Spike act that way towards me. The evil was controlling him,' she thought. Now she felt bad. She wanted to help Spike get back to his normal self. She decided to play along. Make it think she wanted to help since it has a crush on her and maybe in the process get the answer on how to close the seal permanently. She walked towards the Spike creature. "And if I help you what's in it for me?" she asked smiling at it. He smiled back. "An eternity with me, of course," he said. "Of course," she repeated. She walked around the seal looking at it. "Just what would my part be in all of this?" she asked. "Well," he said circling the seal closer to her. "I would inhabit your beautiful body, say a few words, and then break the seal. After it is broken I will come through and claim you taking you here as mine for always," he said. Layla's stomach turned but she kept her mind blank so he couldn't see how revolted she was. She walked around some more. She knew if he took over her body she could read his mind and get the answer on how to destroy the seal. She just didn't know if she would be strong enough to keep him from opening the seal completely. "And if I refuse?" she asked smiling devilishly at him, toying with him. He came closer to her. "I will just enter your mind by force and still open the seal. Eventually coming through the seal I will take your body with equal force still claiming you as mine," he said. Layla didn't see any other way to do this. So she decided to let him into her mind hoping and praying she was strong enough to throw him out once she had all the information she needed. She stopped walking. "Okay then. Let's do this," she said her heart racing. The Spike thing looked shocked. "Really? You are going to do this willingly?" it asked. "Why wouldn't I? I have no one left to love me. Spike hates me. I have no family. You seem to be the only one right now that wants anything to do with me," she said trying hard not to throw up. The Spike creature smiled and walked up to her removing any space in between their bodies. It lifted his hands to her head. "This is going to hurt," he said as he touched her temples. She felt like her head was going to explode and then everything went black.

When she opened her eyes she was no longer in control of her body and the Spike creature was no longer there. "Ah, just as I thought. You feel so good," the evil creature said as he made Layla feel her own breasts underneath her bra. The heat between her legs growing as her nipples hardened. Her mind was racing. If she didn't find what she needed quickly he was going to be masturbating with her body. 'Don't you need to be opening the seal,' she thought. "Oh there is plenty of time for that," he said through her. She saw this good in a way. It did give her more time. He used her hand to unzip her pants. He slipped her hand inside her underwear feeling the wetness between her legs. "My. My. My. You are an eager one," he said through her. She felt disgusted but there was nothing she could do. He was in control of her. "I have been wanting to touch you every since I saw you in the graveyard that night," he said through her. 'The werewolf,' she thought. "Yes my dear. It was me then also," he said through her. He sat her down in a corner on a bean bag seat. 'How romantic,' she thought sarcastically. She felt him growing more excited by the minute. He used her to lift her shirt off, remove her bra, and pull down her pants and underwear. 'Good thing Spike can't see me now,' she thought. "On the contrary. I think he would enjoy seeing this," the evil creature said through her. He put her fingers in her mouth and made her suck on them, getting them wet. He then trailed them down her body, stopping to pinch her nipples, and then going to her vagina. He pressed hard on her mound. Her body was betraying her and arching for him. He was enjoying himself. He stuck one finger inside at first feeling around. "You feel wonderful," he said through her. As he began moving the finger in and out her stuck in the second one. At the same time he used the other hand to tug on her breasts. He felt her walls closing in on the two fingers and stuck a third one in. Layla gasped both mentally and physically. He was stretching the fingers opened as he pushed them in all the way. "I want to see if you can take in all of me," he said. He took the other hand away from her breasts and used it to pull at her clitoris. He rolled it between his fingers. "I want to make you want me," he said. Layla felt her body on the edge of an orgasm. She kept searching the evil one's mind as he did his business with her body. She was looking for anything he knew about the seal. It was hard to keep focused on what she was seeing. The pleasure he was giving her body was keeping her mind unfocused. He pushed four fingers inside of her body making her scream out. "Oh yes. You like it rough don't you?" he said. Her hips gyrated against her hand. He moved the four fingers in and out with swiftness. He pushed in harder and harder each time. Her body was sweating. She felt his pleasure and hated it. He reached her spot and kept the hand still while he wiggled the fingers inside of her. She knew she would have to teach that trick to Spike. He began pumping in and out again. As he used the free thumb to trail around her clitoris he used the other hand in other ways. He made her lick those fingers and began pinching and pulling at her nipples. He pushed into her harder as her walls clamped down on her fingers. He held them there for a minute and stretched all of her fingers and this time pushed her over the edge climaxing. As her breathing steadied he said, "As soon as I am free from the hole me and you are going to have a bang of a time." He pulled her fingers out of her body and licked them, enjoying the way she tasted.

He stood her body up and removed her pants and underwear, leaving her completely naked. 'Um aren't you going to put my clothes on?' she thought. "No, my dear. This is easier access for me," he said through her. As he stood by the seal she found what she had been looking for. He knew the way to destroy the seal. 'The necklace,' she thought. "What?" he asked. 'I know how to destroy the seal. My necklace can destroy it,' she thought. "That does you no good to know that. We are about to open up this bad boy," he said through her. He began saying some words that she had never heard before. The seal started shining. 'It's now or never,' she thought as she began to fight for control of her body. She closed her mouth. 'Get out of my mind,' she thought. "NO," he yelled. She closed her eyes and concentrated. "Get out of my body," she said aloud. The separation of the two caused her to go flying into the wall. She looked up. The Spike creature was back and looking angry. She quickly got up. "Sorry I hate to run but I have other things I need to be doing," she said as she ran back to the door. The robed creatures were now filling the room. "Stop her," the Spike creature ordered. The robed guys ran for her. She opened her palms and sent electric bolts at them. Knocking a few down but more were after her. 'I just need to get them away from the door,' she thought. Then she pulled out the major guns. Her hands engulfed in flames. She sent fire at the robed guys by the door. As they ran in they ran into others and caught them on fire. She saw a small opening and ran through it and out the door. She heard the Spike creature yelling for her to come back. She had no time to be embarrassed about being naked as she ran out into the school and outside. She ran all the way back to Spike's apartment without looking around to see what kind of evil thing was watching her.


Layla ran into the apartment and shut and locked the door behind her. "Spike? Are you here?" she asked hoping he wasn't. She needed time to think. He came out of the bedroom. "Didn't I tell you not to come...." he started saying until he saw her standing there naked. She was wearing nothing but her necklace. "So you came back begging for my forgiveness," he said as he vamped and stalked towards her. She threw up her hands. "Spike wait. Listen to me," she said. "All I want to hear from you is you screaming my name," he said. "STOP," she yelled. He stood there. 'This isn't you Spike. You are kind to me. You listen to me. This is the seal talking. It is making you act this way,' she thought to him. "This is me. This is the real me," he said. He rushed her pinning her against the door. "You just didn't know the real me before," he said as he pressed his body into hers. "Maybe I didn't know how you were before but I do know you now and I know you have changed," she said. "Spike please. I can't breath," she said as pressed her harder into the door. "You can't breath? Let's see how well you can breath with my hands around your neck," he said as he gripped her neck. 'He's choking me,' she thought in disbelief. "Stop it," she managed to say. She didn't have any choice. She put her hands on his head and sent electricity into him. He went flying into the living room. Layla fell to the floor gasping for air. Spike looked up at Layla and ran for her. She backed against the door pulling her legs against her body. "Oh what have I done? I am sorry Olivia," he said as he began crying. "Spike?" she whispered. "I saw what I was doing but I couldn't stop myself. I am sorry. I am so sorry," he said as they embraced. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her Spike was back with her. They were safe and together and she knew how to break the seal. She just didn't know how to tell him. She thought about waiting for the next day to tell him. He pulled back. "Why aren't you clothed?" he asked. Her cheeks grew red. She would have to tell him now. She looked into his eyes. If he was going to get angry with her she wanted to see it coming so she could zap him again. "When you stormed out earlier tonight I left to go to Buffy's house. Only I never made it," she said. "What happened?" he asked fearing the worst. "The robed guys jumped me and knocked me out," she said. Spike balled up his fists. "Did they hurt you?" he asked he felt like he was going to take them all on. "Not them. I was frightened. I called out for you but you never came to get me," she said tears forming in her eyes. He took her hand in his. "I am sorry, luv. I heard you but I didn't go to you," he said feeling ashamed of himself. "I know now the evil from the seal was controlling you," she said putting her hand on his cheek. She continued. "After I woke up I found out where they had taken me. To the hell mouth," she said looking at him. His heart dropped. "No, Olivia. Don't tell me that," he said. She shook her head. "Don't be angry with me," she said. "I am not mad at you. I am angry at myself. I call myself in love with you and when you are in the worst trouble I abandoned you," he said. He hit the floor with his fist. "There was nothing you could have done," she said. He wasn't paying attention. She could tell he had moved into the self hating mode. 'William,' she thought to him bringing him back to her. "Did they use you to completely open the seal?" he asked knowing he couldn't take anymore bad news. "The evil one tried. He took control of my body and tried to say the words that opened the seal," she said leaving out the part about the masturbation. "He didn't succeed?" Spike asked feeling hopeful. "Of course not. You know I wouldn't let him do that. While he was busy I picked at his mind. I saw how to destroy the seal, Spike. I know how to do it," she said excited. "What? How?" he asked. She pulled the necklace up. "By this. This necklace holds the powers to destroy the seal. But we have to open it and go into it to use the necklace," she said. Spike knew what that meant. The wearer of the necklace was going to get hurt. "Does he know that you know how to destroy it?" he asked. "He does," she said. "Then give me the necklace to wear. Since he knows that you know how to destroy the seal he is going to be sending more of those creatures after the wearer of the necklace. And I don't want that to be you. So hand it over. Let me wear it," he said. It made sense to her so she took it off and gave it to him. He put it around his neck grateful she wasn't the one going to be hurt this time. Layla's eyelids grew heavy. Spike stood up picking her up. "Come, luv. You have had an eventful day. You need your rest," he said carrying her into the bedroom. He laid her onto the bed. "Sleep in peace, sweetheart. I will be watching over you when you wake up," he said covering her up. She instantly fell asleep.