My Immortal

Chapter 35

A week had passed and Willow had sat with Giles on a daily basis , talking and showing him the magic that she had learned and that she had impeccable restraint and control over it. He had been impressed to say the least. Tara rarely glowed green, having now learnt to control her powers, which everyone was grateful for. They had enough with one spare Spike, they really didn't need another snarky vamp coming through any more portals.

Buffy came into the main room, young Spike, which they now called William, much to his disgust, trailing behind her.

"Can't see why the bloody pansy version can't be William, not like he's the vicious git that I am. "

Buffy stopped dead in her tracks and sighed.

"Because he was here first, he's older and trust me, he's still deadly, wind him up some more and you'll find out. Look just try not to aggrivate anyone today , okay?"

William stuffed his hands in his duster pockets and looked at the floor. Buffy rolled her eyes, even the way they sulked was the same. "Stop pouting you look like a child!"

"Could eat one right about now, that or a tasty Slayer"

"Shut up!"

"Make me"

"Grrrr! Giiiles!"

Giles walked out of the kitchen and raised his head from his cup of tea, closing his eyes as soon as he saw them both stood there, William smirking, Buffy looking like she was about to pop a vein.

"Yes, what is it Buffy?"

"Do something with him, before I get stake happy"

"William, perhaps you'd care to help me with a translation. It's of a particular passage regarding Hell dimensions"

"Right o Watcher, and what do I get out of this?"

Giles snatched his glasses off of his nose and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Nothing William, nothing but the chance to keep out of Buffy and Spikes way and to avoid the stake that she'll use on you should you continue with your incessant annoyance of her"

Reluctantly, William picked up a book that lay on the table and put his feet up on the table, ignoring Giles' splutters and obvious hints to remove them. He shook his head and returned to the book.

Faith sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen watching Angel fix the breakfast.

"So, what are we gonna be doing today and with William?"

"I have no idea, Spike wants to send him on elsewhere, Giles wants to study him and Buffy wants to somehow reform him"

"Another lap dog for B, makes sense, she always did like having you guys toe the line"

"I doubt it's like that, she just wants to know that he won't be a threat"

"You keep telling yourself that. Have you seen the way he follows her like a little lost puppy?"

"She was the one that helped him and nursed him back to health Faith, he's bound to feel loyalty towards her, especially when he gets negative vibes from others"

" Really not understanding it myself"

"Vampires are very much like pack animals, they need to belong in a familial group, William has lost his and so, he looks at us as his new family, Buffy being the strongest and therefore, the Master in his eyes."

"Woah , hang on, Slayer strength here! You saying that I couldn't take B now?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, hell , it's hard for even me to admit to not being able to, and I've been a Master for over two hundred years."

She laughed and turned as Spike and Buffy walked in. Buffy headed straight for the coffee, Spike for the blood. She sipped her coffee and narrowed her eyes through the steam at the comfortable way Buffy moved around everyone. She had a confidence now that ate at Faith.

"Where's the spare B?"

Buffy drew her head back out of the fridge and looked at Faith , confused by her sudden change in attitude.

"He's with Giles researching"

Giles slammed the latest book shut and threw it on the rapidly expanding pile of useless books. William looked up and smiled before returning his attention to his book.

"This is bloody useless, William? What happened to you and the others in the dimension of yours?"

William sighed and looked down sadly, his focus not on the text in his lap. Giles waited patiently for the young vampire to answer him. He cleared his throat as a gentle reminder that he was expecting an answer. William raised his eyes at Giles and mumbled.

"It was some bloody Hell Gods, they're determined to open up the gates and allow all dimensions to bleed into each other"

"What happened to the others?"

"Most made it here only to be killed by you lot, others could be hiding underground."

William shrugged

"Never was one to bloody hide, should of though, saw one of them soddin gods and thought I'd give em what for. You saw the state of me, she decided that she'd leave me for the sun to finish me off, stupid chit"

Giles rubbed at his temples. The stress of the dire situation was started to overwhelm him. 'I'm really getting too old for this shit' he thought.

"Can you describe this Hell God?"

"Human looking, small but bloody strong, oh and a bad home perm"

Giles raised his brows and watched as William began pacing, his face looked deep in thought , making Giles edgy, verging on curious.

"She came out of nowhere, in the cemetery. Now either she sprouted wings and flew or... She came at me from close by, as in, from a bloody crypt. We need to go back to where you found me and search the nearest crypts. My guess is we'll find they're hidey hole"

William had finally given them a lead. Giles pushed up from his chair and slapped the vampire on his shoulder.

"Thank you , I do believe you have given us something to work on... finally"

William smiled shyly, not used to getting praise of any kind. He looked up at Giles.

"Thanks old man"

"Less of the bloody old... "

The two men walked out to the kitchen to let the rest of the group know of their break through.

Across town, deep in the belly of an underground crypt, Glory paced angrily in front of her minions and the two Gods that had accompanied her through the portal.

"This isn't good. I want to know how your calculations could be so 'off'! You told me, swore to me that this dimension had no Slayers, had no horrid half breeds and no protection for my Key! You couldn't even tell me where the Key is!"

Glory slumped into the over sized chair and clicked her fingers. An ugly minion scuttled to her side and held out the mimosa, which Glory snatched and took a sip from. Now calmed ,Glory smiled.

"Fine, fine, I guess I'll find my Key myself. Jinx? Where would you hide an oh so important piece of mystical energy if you were the Powers?"

"I wouldn't dare to think of myself as an all powerful being Glorificus, but, I would hide the Key in plain sight"

She frowned at the ugly hobbit.

"Why in plain sight? That doesn't make sense... Oh!... Still it could be a table lamp for all we know. How do you suppose we find it?"

The male Hell God stood, his patience with Glory thinning.

"May I suggest you put some sort of surveillance on the group, study them all and perhaps learn which of them is new "

Glory narrowed her eyes before grinning maniacally at him.

"Why Reekus, I do believe you have got something there. And all this time I thought it was because of your huge muscled body"

Jinx watched as his Master stroked down the males body. It was time that they unleashed the 'Seeker'. Only Reekus and Kimber had the ability to conjure the being. He walked out of the room and returned just a few minutes later, the gods watched as he struggled with the large urn but finally placed it at Reekus' feet. Glory stood back as the other Hell Gods mumbled in Aramaic and the urn glowed white hot. The lid raised and dropped periodically to show that there was something inside, something alive. Alive, but most definitely demonic.

Glory licked her lips in anticipation, her new 'pet' was here and would find her 'key' . It blasted upwards, it's head rose from the urn, Glory reached out a hand to stroke the cobra like head. It's reptilian tongue darted from it's mouth and turned it's head to take in it's surroundings. The cobra shot from the urn using speed that seemed misplaced. It crashed through the upper floor and ploughed through the door. It raced across the cemetery towards the edge of town. Glory by now, had surfaced with the companions and watched as it slithered into the inky blackness beyond the gates of the grave yard.

"By morning I'll have that Mystical ball and this world will crumble before me... us"

She hoped that the other two Gods hadn't registered her slip of the tongue. Reekus stared at Glorys back and narrowed his eyes. He had heard her. He had hoped the dangerous liason would have been beneficial , but Glorys greed was now showing itself. He would have to rectify his mistake before someone died. He was determined that it wouldn't be him or Kimber.