Transitory Evils

Part 4 The Demon Drink


Two months after the end of part 3


Spike and Willow were very drunk. They had just returned from Xander and Anya's wedding and had toasted the happy couple liberally.

"Goddess Spike, I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"Well, pet, remember to do it in the bowl, not next to it." He giggled inanely. In his present state the comment seemed to be high art.

Willow glared at him, took a step towards the bathroom and fell over. "Oh bugger it! Who made the floor move? If I was sober this could be fun. Can we get a vibrating floor Spikey?"

"Bloody hell pet! If we got one of those, we'd never get anything done!"

"'Cept each other!" Willow laughingly slurred.

"My god! Where did you leave your inhibitions pet?"

"I think they're under the gift table." Willow giggled.

"Pet, you're as pissed as a parrot!"

"No I'm not, I'm happyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy"

"Pissed drunk, not pissed off kitten."

"Well, I'd agree with that. I'm definitely drunk and I'm still here, so I haven't pissed off." Willow giggled. She then tried to stand up and fell over again. "I like it down here, I can hold the world and stop it moving! Only -- only, if I do that, everyone and everything will hurtle into space. Goddess Spike, should I hold onto the world?"

"Errrrrrr ... no pet. I don't wanna be an astronaut." Spike replied, laughing helplessly.

"Oh," Willow said. "I always did y'know. When I was little."

"Really pet?"

"Uh huh." Willow rolled onto her stomach, then pushed up onto all fours and crawled over to her lover. "I love you Spike," she sighed as she collapsed next to him.

Spike looked over at the very drunk redhead. "I love you too pet."

Willow closed her eyes, thought a moment and then asked, "Where would they be now?"

"Who?"

"Xander and Anya, silly." Willow expanded, slapping Spike on the forearm. "On their honeymoon."

"Errr ... up to the hilt?"

Willow laughed and grinned back at Spike. "The real question, my drunken friend," she slurred, "is who is up whom?"

Spike gaped at Willow and then began laughing. Willow joined in and curled up against him. Shortly thereafter, they slept.

* * * *

The phone, shilling loudly, cut through Willow's sleep like a knife. "Goddess! Stop that!" She lurched to her feet and staggered to the phone. She fumbled a moment before picking it up "What?"

"Er ? Willow?"

"Yes Giles. I'm just not feeling well."

"That's to be expected. You did consume rather a lot last night."

"Oh, I know. I know. I'll never do that again."

"Yes, well. We all have these little events in our lives. Talking of which, some of Xander's family got into a certain amount of ? trouble after they left the reception."

"What happened?"

"It appears that they went to what is called an 'English Pub', although I haven't ever seen a real English pub here. Anyway, it's called 'The Sweeney'. From the little I've gathered so far, it's quite new, but has already developed a somewhat unsavoury reputation. Xander's Uncle Rory and his parents got into a major fight with some of the other patrons."

"Goddess! Are they all right?"

"Just cuts and bruises. And assault charges of course."

"What did they do?"

"According to the police, Mrs Harris smashed a full pint mug into the face of a man who she alleges was trying to ... molest her."

"She what? Goddess! What else happened?"

"Well, apparently Mr Harris er ..." Giles looked down and consulted his notes. "Mr Harris was detained while holding a man's beard in one hand and repeatedly kicking his victim in the groin. And Xander's uncle Rory was demanding that the Miscegenation Act of 1868 be enforced, while hitting and beating anyone who came close to him."

"There's a Miscegenation Act in California?" Willow asked, shocked by what had happened.

"I have no idea, and I seriously doubt Rory does either," Giles said rather acerbically. "Now Willow, you know Xander's family better than anyone, is this behaviour at all within their normal range of statement?"

Willow thought for a moment before speaking. "Well, it is, except for his mother. But even for his dad and uncle the behavior is a little ... extreme. Xander has told me about incidents that were just as bad though."

"Oh," Giles said inadequately. "But Xander's mother is definitely behaving out of character?"

Willow nodded. "Normally she wouldn't challenge a mouse. Why are you being ask details guy? And please explain slowly, my head still hurts."

Giles chuckled. "Poor Willow," he said, his voice speaking volumes about his amusement at the little redhead being so badly hungover. "Well," he continued after a moment's thought, "I found a book that's helped me with that infernal machine that you insist I have. I was able to get into the newspaper archives with it." Giles sounded as pleased as punch as he told Willow.

"Giles, that's so cool! Which book is it?"

"Um ... er ... 'Computers for Dummies' is the title," Giles said quickly and indistinctly.

"I am so proud of you!" Willow bubbled enthusiastically. "So, what did you find out?"

"That there has been a series of fights, some of which have ended in near deadly assaults, that the police regularly patrol around there because of the levels of violence and to try and intimidate the kind of people that it usually attracts. It's not an isolated incident, Willow, and the events are far too frequent for there not to be some kind of supernatural force at work."

"So, we investigate or research?"

"Both. Tonight. I want you and Spike to go there and see what's happening. Cordelia and I will handle the research. We're short handed at present with Xander and Anya away. Cordelia will also, I hope, help me with the blasted machine."

Willow chuckled. "Be good then, Giles. I've seen how you look at her."

"Willow!" Giles sputtered. "She's young enough to be my daughter. Well, she would be if I had been an exceptionally precocious teen."

"Uh-huh." Willow's tone spoke volumes about Giles' sensitivity to his age.

"Willow, be careful tonight. I know Spike and you are the most skilled fighters in our merry little band, but ? there's something that makes me uneasy about this."

"We'll be careful Giles. I promise."

"Good. Bye Willow."

* * * *

Spike and Willow walked into the bar, Spike chuckling as he began to tell Willow the story of the pub's name. "It's a person's name pet. From before my time I think. Anyway, there was this bloke, Sweeney Todd, a barber by trade. And he ran a nice little barber's shop on Fleet Street. ? Yes pet, where the newspapers are now in London. Anyway ? every so often, clients would disappear. For a long while no-one knew that it was the barber that was taking them. He was slitting their throats and sending 'em down a chute into the basement where his wife was making 'em into pies. Very good business it was too, I'm told. Anyway when he was found out, they all referred to him as 'Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street.' And that's who this pub's named after."

"That's just so ... gross Spike! Did it really happen?"

"I dunno Thi Thing is though, it's either true or a very widely believed urban legend. Either way, I don't really like a pub named after something like that. Then there's the violence that's happened here. I got nothing against violence pet, you know that, but this seems ? off somehow."

Willow nodded in response as she scanned for seats. The place was packed but she saw a couple leaving a corner booth and she pointed to it. "Hurry up Spike! We can sit." She headed for the booth as nimbly as she could, seating herself in the just vacated booth. Spike followed and leaned on the table as he asked the little redhead, "What's yours luv?"

"Uh ... Coke?"

"Okay pet."

Spike moved through the crowded pub to the bar, and sliding to the counter, caught the barman's attention. "A Coke and a ?" He scanned the bar selection. "A Bass, thanks"

The barman nodded and filled Spike's order in silence, placing the drinks on the counter. Spike paid and took them back to the booth. As he sat he smiled at Willow. "Pet, you picked a good seat here. We can see almost the whole pub from here. And we have a wall at our backs."

"Oh -- good. I don't like it here Spike. It's wrong."

"Who do you mean pet? Who's wrong?"

"No, not who, the whole building feels ? evil. In a nasty uncaring way."

"As distinct from, say ... a kind, caring sort of evil like me? That what you're saying luv?"

Willow glared for a moment and then smiled a little, it really does scare me here Spike. Jokes aside, I don't like it here."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Really? Okay pet, let's just be careful and watch. See what happens. If you get too freaked we can always leave."

Willow nodded and almost seemed to huddle down in her chair. Spike began looking around and instantly started to see things that he would rather have not. People accidentally brushing against one another gained snarls and threats rather than apologies. Men pressured women far too intensely for dances or more. Women shrilled at and threatened perceived rivals. The whole building was a cauldron waiting to boil over. "I've seen more than enough pet, let's go. You got anything in your bag of tricks to get us out quietly?"

Willow smiled and nodded. Taking a small blue crystal from her pouch she placed it on the table and murmured a word so quietly even Spike's enhanced hearing could not detect it. "Shall we go ... Master?" Willow asked teasingly and swaying her hips. "Don't worry, we're invisible. No-one can see me except you. Let's go tell Giles about the place."

* * * *

"So, everyone in there was much ruder and more aggressive than in a 'normal' ," Giles gestured the quote marks, "bar? Is that right?"

"Yeah Ripper, that's right. But there was more. Willow sensed it. Hell I did too and I'm not a zap 'em and wrap 'em type. The place was a riot waiting to happen. And the hatred ... if I fed on emotions I'd have been stuffed for weeks."

"Fed on emotions?" Cordelia asked urgently.

Spike nodded, Willow shuddered and Giles raised an eyebrow. Cordelia began to explain. "Well, 'The Hyperion'--you know, the hotel formerly inhabited by my ex-boss--well, before we moved in it was inhabited by this paranoia demon thing ? what was it called? A Thesaurus?"

"A Thesulac?" Giles asked, trying to suppress his amusement.

Cordelia nodded. "That's the one. Anyway, this demon made everyone in the hotel go berserk, like years ago, and they hanged Angel. And we had to kill it before we could move in."

"Hanged him?" The question came as a chorus.

"Duh! But not really, since Angel decided to let the demon eat everyone in the hotel after he got loose." Cordelia added waspishly.

"Well, why don't we look at the Thesulac as a possibility?" Giles asked. If Willow can use the machine, the three of us can use the books?"

* * * *

The next night, they returned to Giles to assess their findings after a long night of research had eventually paid dividends.

"Well," Giles said, starting off the proceedings, "it seems that the behaviours we're seeing at 'The Sweeney' do correspond to the presence of a Thesulac demon. Increased reports of violence, misinterpretations and misunderstandings escalating to violence and so forth." Giles paused, took off his glasses, cleaned and replaced them.

"Now, Cordelia and I worked on the ritual to make the Thesulac materialise today. Her memories of the events in Los Angeles helped me a lot." He smiled gently at the young brunette before continuing. "The demon is very dangerous when it becomes corporeal ? becomes solid," Giles clarified. "It's very strong, very fast and its tentacles are very flexible."

"I did those jokes in LA," Cordelia interjected, hoping to keep the discussion on track, grinning at Spike as he appeared somewhat disappointed his joke had been shot down before he could even make it.

"Anyway," Giles picked up the thread of his briefing, "I have the ritual to summon the demon--it can only be killed while it's corporeal--and we have to use something potent, such as electricity, to kill it."

Willow smiled. "I can do that. I can charge a crystal repeatedly and detonate it. It'd be like setting off a magical explosive, with all the energy focused on the one thing. In this case the demon. And if I link it specifically to a Thesulac ?" Willow paused for a moment "It shouldn't hurt anyone or anything else."

"That's good pet, I don't really fancy the friendly fire type thing," Spike remarked dryly.

"That really brings us to the question of 'when'," Giles asked. "I suggest that we do this as soon as we possibly can."

"Well, what about after closing tonight?" Spike asked. "Does anyone have problems with that?"

"I think we can probably handle it whenever," Willow said. "After all, all we have to do is materialise it and then launch the crystal. What could go wrong?"