The Witch, The Warrior, and the Vampire

Chapter 21
Patrol

At dawn, four hundred vampires assembled in the Master’s lair. He sat on his throne and allowed Trinity to address his followers.

“We are gathered here today to separate the weak from the strong, the worthy from the dust. In one hour a tournament begins. You will fight to the death in this tournament or you will be cast out to return to the surface and face the Slayer alone.” Trinity cast her steely gaze at the throng and grinned. “Trok, Mintaka, Nefer, Blade, Raven, Carlos, Jermaine, Graham, Riley, and Sam are excluded from fightinWe kWe know their strengths; each of them is to be considered a Captain in the Master’s Army. I am your General. Those of you I’ve singled out for servitude, report to your Captain. Captains, organize the tournament.”

Her eagle gaze had missed nothing as she addressed the group. She could tell which ones would be leaving too afraid to fight; approximately seventy, maybe even more, she mused. Glancing over them, she sniffed disdainfully and knew they would be better off without them. She spotted a group of twelve making their way toward her. She hadn’t expected those particular vampires to stay and fight and had decided they would be useless as servants, but each of them did have their qualities that she would sorely miss when they were forced to leave. They were a close-knit family and called themselves the Disciples.

“Mistress Trinity,” the obvious leader of the pack addressed her. She stared him down until he looked away. Immediately they knelt at her feet. “Mistress Trinity, w-we have no real skill for one-on-one fighting or servitude, but we do have skills you need.”

Trinity sneered at him, but knew he was right. “What skills are these, and how will they benefit the Master? If you cannot fight, what good are you against the Slayer?”

“Computers, ancient languages, spy work, as a team we’re successful assassins. We’ve done this before. We’ve worked together for thirty years. Individually we are weak, but together we could be a useful tool for the Master.” The leader gestured to the other vampires beside him as he indicated their individual skills.

“First, you must prove your worth.” Trinity wasn’t letting anyone off with a few well-chosen words.

“Anything Mistress, name the task and we will complete it.”

“You are aware of the traitor?”

“Yes, we know Spike.” The leader started to lift his head as he addressed her, but then remembered himself and quickly dropped his chin again.

“Hunt him down and kill him. Bring me his duster as proof and you may yet survive to see another night and serve the Master.” Each of the Disciples bowed to Trinity before they made their way back to their quarters to plot against Spike.

Riley and Sam Finn addressed the vampires that had been organized for the tournament. “Are the rules clear?” Sam waited a bit before she continued. “Only the Captains can call halt to a fight. We will do so only if both opponents are worthy of the Army. Winners of each round will advance until they are dead or selected by us. The tournament begins now.”

Riley, Sam and Graham held back until all the vampires had entered the arena. Sam held her husband and now mate’s hand tightly. “Don’t worry, baby, we’ll kill the Slayer.”

Graham slid an arm around each of their shoulders. “That’s right, Riley. That Slayer bitch won’t know what’s hit her. We know she’s not strong enough to stand against an actual army. Once we have them trained, nothing will be able to stop us.”

Riley rippled into game face and spat, “I want to be the one that kills her, after I show her what it’s like to fuck a real vampire, of course.” Sam shifted as he spoke, then kissed him viciously, fangs slicing into lips until the blood ran free. “Only if I get to join in, baby.”

“I get first dibs, then every vampire here can have the bitch for all I care.” Riley licked the blood from his wife’s lips, savoring the taste.

“You’ll give her over to your sire of course, and then when I’ve finished with her, Sam, you can do whatever you want.” Graham took a second to appreciate his childer. “Captains, we have a job to do. When this tournament is over we’ll plan the downfall of the Slayer.”

“Yes, sire.” Sam and Riley answered in unison.

~*~

Half an hour before sundown, the patrol groups met at the Magic Box. Spike, Xander, and Anya were the first to arrive. Xander heated up the last of the blood in the store’s refrigerator, gave Spike a mug and kept one for himself. Xander watched with an amused expression as Anya played with the weapon he’d made for her that afternoon. He’d taken Anya’s weapon of choice, a baseball bat, and sharpened one end into a stake. She took a couple of practice swings and knew she would have a good time on patrol.

The bell on the door jangled. Anya looked up and wasn’t surprised to see Buffy arrive next. ‘Where does she find all those wonderful leathers?’ She’d always admired the Slayer’s patrolling wardrobe, and decided to get Buffy to help her shop for the same the next chance they could get. Anya had felt much more at ease around the Slayer since their discussion, and had always admired the other woman’s wardrobe. The black low-rise leather pants, high-heeled steel-toed boots (honestly where does she find these things?), black tank top covered by a chic blacktherther coat completed the ensemble. The Slayer had pulled part of her short hair back and secured it with chopsticks. Two lethal weapons to have on hand when fighting vampires. Anya also knew there would be at least ten different stakes stashed on the Slayer’s body. Yep, definitely going to get Buffy to take me shopping,, Anya decided as the bell over the shop door rang again.

The two watchers entered wearing jeans, button-downs, and jackets suitable for concealing weapons. Maggie followed behind them in a pair of overalls and a short-sleeved shirt. Buffy shook her head at the girl and admonished her for wearing such inappropriate slay-wear.

“But it’s like 90 degrees outside! How can you stand to wear so many clothes, and all that leather, don’t you sweat?” The redhead pouted in a fashion that made Giles think that that particular expression might well be part of the slayer package, given how often he’d seen an identical look on Buffy.

“Of course I sweat! But you’ll learn it’s better to sweat than get your skin scraped off and your clothes ruined. And how many stakes are you carrying?” Buffy, having long ago mastered the pout, was having none of it.

Maggie looked down and scuffed her tennis shoe covered toe across the carpet. “Two.”

Buffy’s eyes narrowed and she shook her head. Had she ever been that young, foolish, naïve, and ill-prepared for her calling? Duh, and she’d died twice to prove it. “Come on, we’ve got time to fix you up.” Buffy dragged Maggie into the training room to finish getting her ready.

Spike was studying the map of Sunnydale. The vampires out tonight were going to be interested in feeding. According to the Slayer dreams, they would have little to no fighting prowess. The trick was to stake every vampire they could. It had been decided early on who would go where. They’d worked hard that afternoon to allocate the patrolling sections and gather weapons. Xander had made enough of his special crossbows to outfit the entire group, as well as multiple clips for each.

On paper it didn’t sound like a fair split of area to cover, and it wasn’t. But it was the most practical solution. Buffy and Spike could split up and cover twice the area, over 75% of town. Xander and Anya would stay at The Bronze, where the vampires were most likely to attack. Xander would take the back entrance, Anya the front. Both were to stake every vampire they saw on sight, before it entered the only nightspot in town. The Watchers and young Slayer were to patrol residential areas until sun up; driving would be necessary if the three were to last until dawn.

Spike took Xander aside for some last minute advice. “Look, Harris, know you’ve been doin’ this for years now and you don’t want my advice, but I’m gonna give it to ya anyway. The gits out tonight are going to be stupid. Stupid and hungry. Make your kills fast, don’t waste time tradin’ blows to see who’s got the biggest stones. Keep your game face hidden. Flashing a bit of fang will just show them the quickest way to kill you. If you get into trouble, remember how to call me, dinnit do all that practicing this afternoon for nothin’.”

“Got it.” Xander met his sire’s eyes steadily.

Buffy and Maggie emerged from the training room. Buffy had pulled the younger girl’s long red hair back into a low ponytail, two chopsticks shoved in behind the rubber band. A pair of Buffy’s oldest leather pants adorned the lower half of her body; combat boots had replaced the tennis shoes. She was wearing the same shirt, but Buffy had also loaned her a leather jacket. “Meet Maggie the Vampire Slayer.” Buffy said, extending an arm and bowing. All eyes turned to see her; James blanched when he saw his charge. She looked like a warrior, not the little girl he’d taken in as his daughter.

“Slayer.” Spike nodded his head once in greeting. “Let’s go kick some vampire ass.”

~*~

9:00 pm

The witches and Bridget were still searching for a spell that would block the Master’s call. “I’ve got it!” Bridget exclaimed. She carried the dusty tome she’d been reading to the table and showed it to the others.

“Yes, it could work.” Morgaine said as she studied the spell. “What do you think?” She asked as she handed to book to Tara and Willow.

“I think it’ll work, do we have everything we need?” Tara asked.

“Yes, I have all the ingredients.” Morgaine cast a quick gaze over the materials laid out on the table before nodding in confirmation.

“Let’s roll.” Willow affirmed.

“Do I know enough to perform this? It’s looks really hard.” All eyes turned to Dawn as she stared at her feet.

“Dawn, if you weren’t prepared for this, I would not let you attempt it. That’s my job as your Watcher and teacher.”

“OK.” Dawn nodded, raising her eyes back up to the others.

The five women began setting up for the spell.

~*~
10:00 pm

Maggie had never felt like this in her entire life. She’d staked fifteen vampires already. Giles and James were watching her back, but she was the one in charge. Adrenaline coursed through her body. She felt more powerful than she ever had. She loved slaying.

“I think this neighborhood is clear, let’s move on to the next.” James suggested. He was worried about Maggie. She was too young and inexperienced to be enjoying the kill this much.

~*~

11:00 pm

“Hey, I’ve dusted five, how many have you got?” Anya called to Xander. Both were on the roof of the Bronze using the crossbows.

“Six, so far. I expected more to show up here, what with the Happy Meals on legs dancing around.” He never lifted his eyes from the Bronze’s entrance as he addressed his wife.

“It’s early yet. They’re probably too hungry to remember the way.” Anookeooked briefly over at her other half, drinking in the way his jeans were clinging to his newly firmed buttoc
“
“I want to fight.”

“You will sweetie, just as soon as we run out of arrows. It’s quiet right now. Why don’t we…” Anya made a lewd gesture with her hands and Xander growled in anticipation.

“I like that plan.” He whispered in her ear as he slid his hands down her side to the button fastening her jeans.

~*~

11:15 pm

Buffy didn’t know what goingoing on. She hadn’t run across a single vampire all night. She couldn’t sense any either. Giving up on the cemetery, she headed towards the park and felt a definite tug that meant vampire. “Finally,” she said and ran towards her prey.

~*~

11:30 pm

The circle was cast, the pentagram drawn. Dawn stood on the South Point and breathed deeply, grounding herself to fuel the spell. Tara stood on the North Point, Morgaine the West, and Willow the East. Bridget remained outside the sacred circle and watched quietly, trying not to intrude.

As the witches began chanting, Bridget felt the air surrounding them become filled with electricity; it grew heavier, and smelled almost acrid. At once they cried, “Release” and the spell was cast. Lightning shot through the sky and thunder rolled. The wind whipped around the courtyard of the mansion and the candles went out.

“S-something’s not right.” Tara yelled over the thunder.

“What? I can’t hear you!” Dawn called back.

“We’ve got to break the spell, concentrate.” Morgaine forced the girls to focus. They began chanting again.

~*~
11:35 pm

“Oh God, Anya, hurry. There’s dozens of them.” Xander called frantically.

“I’ve got it, Xander, you take the ones on your side.”

Thunder and lightning crackled above them and Xander shifted into game face. “Something’s wrong, Anya. Run!! I can’t control it.”

With his last ounce of control, Xander leapt off the roof and started fighting the vampires trying to enter the Bronze. Anya fired arrow after arrow from the roof, dusting vampires faster than they could approach the building. She felt the magick in the air and knew something was terribly wrong.

~*~
11:36 pm

Buffy arrived in the park just as the heavens started rumbling. The streetlights flickered out and she couldn’t see. But she did hear the sounds of fighting. Lightning brightened the sky and she saw Spike surrounded by dozens of vampires. He was holding his own, then something happened. Buffy felt it and knew it was magick, but she was helpless against it. She couldn’t move; she could only watch helplessly as the vampires swarmed around Spike again.

~*~
11:36 pm

“You think you could stop me?” Dawn, Morgaine, and Tara turned towards the voice. Willow’s eyes had turned entirely black; she was levitating, and the voice coming out of her mouth wasn’t hers. It was maine.ine. They hadn’t blocked the Master’s call, they had amplified it. He had taken over Willow. The witches stood frozen in fear as Willow rubbed her hands together. She pulled them apart and lightning sparkled between them. “You will pay for this!” She shouted and hurled the lightning at them.

~*~
11:36pm

There were humans here in his lair. He was hungry; he would feed and feed now. Angelus headed towards the closest heartbeat. There, a teenage boy. What a delicious treat.

~*~

“Can’t you do something?”

“Sorry kid. I can’t interfere, it’s up to the Slayer’s people.”

“But they’re the one’s who did this. Angel’s going to eat his son!”

“That isn’t Angel, Cordelia, its Angelus. This isn’t the first time he’s been out lately either.”

“I’m not just going to stand here and watch, I’m going to stop this.”

“You can’t, it’ll be over in a minute.”

~*~

“Help! James! Giles! There’s too many.” Maggie felt fangs sink into her neck and suddenly she was soaking wet. ‘What? I can’t be bleeding that much’ she thought when the vampire began to howl.

Jerking herself out of his grip she spun around. Her Watcher, armed with a Super Soaker was dousing the vampires with holy water. Giles was shooting them with the crossbow.
“That’s more like it! Thanks for the back up, Watcher Men.” She turned once more to fight the vampires swarming around her.

~*~

In the space of a heartbeat, Bridget realized what had happened. She grabbed the sword Morgaine had drawn the circle with and shoved it into the path of Willow/The Master’s lightning bolt. The bolt bounced off the blade and back into Willow, knocking her out instantly. Bridget dropped the sword and pulled Willow out of the Sacred Circle. “Hurry! Break the spell!” She screamed and started to tend to Willow.

Morgaine, Tara, and Dawn joined hands and began chanting the necessary words reakreak the spell.

~*~

“Slayer!” The vampires fighting Spike called. “We can take them both, The Master will have to keep us then!” The leader addressed the others.

A sardonic chuckle struck fear in their unbeating hearts. They turned to face William the Bloody, Slayer of Slayers, in full demon mode. His hands were claws, his fangs easily three inches long, golden eyes gleaming in anticipation of the slaughter. His demon had taken over completely and the vampires wterrterrified. “That there’s my Slayer. MINE!” Then he attacked.

Buffy watched helplessly from the top of the hill. She was less than fifty yards from Spike and she knew if she couldn’t make her muscles move, when he finished with the vampires he was coming for her. ‘Damn it Morgaine! I trusted you to do this right. This is worse than any of Willow’s spells backfiring.’

Frozen in place, she watched Spike as he danced. Leaping, kicking, punching, spinning, ducking, within minutes the thirty vampires that had surrounded him were dust. Buffy could smell her own desire; there was nothing that turned her on more than watching Spike fight. Except fighting with him. The wind was blowing in his direction and she knew he could smell her need. Her pulse sped as he stalked towards her. She met his gaze and realized Spike was gone. Only the demon remained. This was it. She was going to die. At the hands of her lover. She was helpless she couldn’t move a muscle. Thirty, twenty, ten feet away.

She tried to talk to him, bring him back, but she couldn’t even open her mouth. Suddenly he sprung at her and she closed her eyes, preparing to die. She waited for the impact, but it never happened. She heard the sound of fighting, and managed to turn her head enough to see what was going on.

Spike had jumped a vampire that was trying to kill his Slayer. His Slayer. He sat on the vampire's chest pummeling him. “That is my Slayer. MINE.” Each word was punctuated with a punch to the vampire's face. “You will not hurt her. She is MINE.”

Spike plunged the stake into the vampire’s heart. He turned around and stalked towards Buffy again. He stopped inches from her body, breathing deeply to capture the smell of her fear. It infuriated him. With a snarl he grabbed her and kissed her savagely. His fangs sliced her lips and he greedily licked up the blood. After he captured the last drop, he released her and growled. “You are mine, Slayer. Only you are worthy of me. Only you are strong enough for me. You will be my mate.” He picked her up, pulled her legs around his body and lowered them both to the ground. Buffy thought she was going to lose her mind from the pure lust that was incapacitating her. Grinding his hips into hers, he began kissing her again.

~*~

“As I will it, so mote it be.” The power surged from their bodies and instantly the spell was broken.

“Willow!” Tara ran to her lover, who still lay crumpled on the ground. “Morgaine, her pulse is getting weak. We’ve got to do something.”

~*~

His vampire face receded, and Xander was faced with the dust of a dozen vampires blowing at his feet. He could hear Anya fighting on the other side of the building and ran to help her.

~*~

When his lips first brushed hers, all of Buffy’s fear evaporated. The demon loved her as much, if not more, than the man. His weight felt amazing pressing into her body and suddenly she could move and knew the spell was broken. She thrust her hips against his and kissed him passionately. She wanted him and she wanted him now. “Spike, now, please. I can’t wait any longer; I need you.”

Spike stopped moving and gazed deeply into her eyes. “Damn right you do. Glad you finally admi…”

Too late, she noticed the vampire as he plunged his stake into Spike’s back.

~*~

Xander fell to his knees as he felt the pain shoot through his back. “SPIKE!” He screamed. Clumsily, he scrambled to his feet and ran in the direction he could feel his sire in.

“Xander, wait!” Anya yelled, but he was gone. Casting a quick glance around to make sure there weren’t any vampires left, she followed.

~*~

“Dad!” Connor screamed as he evaded his father’s fangs again. “Stop it, Dad!” Angel crumpled to ground.

“Let’s go.” Ryvr said as she hoisted her bow over one shoulder.

“Is he…”

“No, elves don’t use wooden arrows. We’ve got to get out of here, now.”