Breaking a Slayer

Breaking a Slayer: Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Spoilers/Ships: This is AU. Buffy/Spike/Angel. Xander/Anya. Willow/Tara.

Distribution: Sure, just let me know.

Feedback: Is always nice. DarkRhiannon@aol.com

Rating: NC-17.

Author's Note: Quotes are from Ats "To Shanshu in LA." I've taken considerable liberties with them in order to include Spike (Gunn and Kate are gone because Kate annoys me and Gunn distracts me. *mmmmm Gunn*).

Spike woke from dreaming groggy and confused, unsure of where he was or what was going on. It was decidedly not his usual state, and hardly conducive to continued life as a predator. He felt, even more strongly than before, the absence of Buffy in an almost tangible way. Curling himself tighter around Angel, he stroked the older vampire's bruised and battered face with a surprisingly gentle hand. "Angelus, wake up, you great poofter," he growled.

Angel's dark eyes fluttered slowly open and his slumberous gaze met that of his childe. He smiled at Spike for a moment and Spike's breath would have caught at the love in that gaze, had he need of air to breathe. Then Angel winced as the pain all over his body overtook him again in consciousness and Spike cursed at the sight.

"Spike, Childe, is it time?" Angel whispered hoarsely.

"Not yet, Sire. D'ya need anything? 'M goin' upstairs to see the twits and thought if you wanted coffee or tea, or somethin' else, I could get it for you. Save you the trip."

Angel smiled and lifted one shaking hand to stroked Spike's face softly. "No, thank ye, Childe. I've no need of aught. I don't want anything."

Spike nodded slowly and stroked a hand quickly across Angel's face. "Sleep s'more, then, Angel. Ritual is tonight, gotta be up and about for it. No slackin' off."

Angel sighed unnecessarily and closed his eyes. He didn't feel the kiss that Spike brushed furtively across his head or see the look of concern in the younger vampire's eyes at the lethargy that had overtaken his sire.

Spike went up the elevator and into the office, grabbing a mug of blood on the way. Cordy and Wesley came into the office to greet him.

Spike looked up in mild annoyance at their entrance. "Morning."

"Morning," Cordy replied. "Does Angel want some coffee?"

"No, thanks. Asked him."

Cordy was relentless. "How about a doughnut? Chocolate..."

Spike leafed idly through one of Angel's books. It wasn't one he'd read before. The first edition looked relatively well-preserved. He wondered where Angel had found it. "No. He doesn't want to eat."

"Creamy fillings?" Cordy added hopefully.

Spike laughed a little as he looked at her: "No. He doesn't want anything." Cordelia made a sound of dismay and looked at Wesley, irritating Spike further. "Am I supposed to know what this is about?"

Wesley stepped in, "We - were just discussing how - Angel doesn't - want man many things."

Cordy added, "He's cut off. But don't worry, I'm gonna help you with that."

Spike was unimpressed antremtremely uninterested. "Oh. Good."

Cordy, however, was irrepressible. "We'll start small. Keep it simple. - How would he like a puppy? (Spike just looked at her) Right. - A Ficus? They're low maintenance. - Ant farm?"

Wesley chimed in, "I have to go."

Spike wasn't sure if getting rid of one human was a good or bad thing. If it left him alone here with Cordelia the Irritating, it was a bad thing. "Where are you going?"

Wesley explained, "Rare book shops. I need references to translate the prophecy. Probably not a good idea to take the scroll with me."

Spike agreed. At least the former Watcher had some brains. More than could be said for the cheerleader, though he supposed that wasn’t quite true. T'was just that she rarely used the damn thing. "No. I'll lock it up downstairs in the weapons cabinet."

Wesley continued, "Spike - I hI'm I'm wrong about all this but - it might be a good time to consult the Oracles."

Spike was disgruntled, "I don't need to see the Oracles about this."

"Well, think about it," Wesley urged, leaving the store.

Cordy attempted more cheer, "Oracles… Get out of the house… Could be fun."

Spike turned and went back down the elevator with the scroll.

*

In the chamber of the Oracles, the blue female hissed at the intruder before her, "How dare you enter this sacred space?"

The blue male added haughtily, "Who do you think you are?"

"We do not appreciate being summoned by a lower being," said the female.

Male added, "Who knows no better than to come here on a whim."

Voca replied, "I'm not here on a whim."

The female Oracle was unimpressed. "We do not council your kind. The powers of darkness are not allowed to cross this threshold. How did you get it?"

Voca quoted, "The old order passes away and the new order is come. He that was first shall now be last and he that was dead shall now arise."

The female Oracle was actually pissed enough to drop her haughty mien, "Yes, and he that is trespassing shall now depart."

Voca put his hand behind his back.

The male added, unnecessarily, "We shall speak no more."

A battle scythe grew in Voca's hand. "Yes - I know."

*

Cordy was walking through an open market. She picked up a set of paints.

The woman selling them asked, "Do you paint?"

Cordy replied, "Oh, no. I was just looking for something for a friend. I thought maybe if he had a hobby... He's a little detached from things."

"Well, they say art is the best therapy for that," the saleswoman replied.

Cordy was struck by a thought, "Really?"

"Sure, they use it in mental institutions all the time. You get the patients drawing and working with clay - helps them to get back in touch."

Cordy qualified, "Well, he is not crazy or anything. He's - just different?"

"Depressed," the saleswoman guessed.

Cordy agreed, "Well, he wears a lot of black. - How much are these pastels?"

"Oh, these are on special," the woman said. "You get the entire set, the large one, and some drawing paper and little..."

*

Voca strolled through the crowd. Sheep all of them. One good slaughter would be so rewarding. But no. Not now. He just needed to find…ah!

The saleswoman was ecstatic. "I think you have everything he'll need and then some. You made my Th Thanks."

Cordy was happy with the presents. "You're welcome. Perhaps after the ritual this would perk Angel up. He'd been alone for too long. Even Buffy and Spike couldn't help him get over all of the pain of his curse, at least, not till it was taken care of. Ick, she didn't want to think about that.

"You must be really good friends," the woman added.

Cordy hoped so. She cared about Angel like he was the brother she'd never had. He'd been there for her. Now it was her turn to help him. "Yeah. Thank you."

"Take care."

Cordy said, "Bye," and walked away. Voca passed her from behind and brushed his hand lightly against hers. Cordy looked around but didn't see anything. She started to walk on when she got hit by a short vision. She pulled out her cell phone, but before she could dial out she got hit by another, stronger vision. This one didn't end, and she fell to the ground screaming.

The saleswoman ran over and crouched down beside her and screamed for someone to dial 911.

*

Voca walked slowly into Angel Investigations.

Spike walked down the steps to his sire's apartment, studying the scroll. He rolled it up and locked it into the weapons cabinet. He sensed something and turned back to the cabinet when the phone rang.

"Hello?" he said. "Yeah, what happened to her? - I'm with her employer. - This is her only family in town. What happened? - I'm on my way." He was torn between Angel and Cordy, but knew that his sire would never forgive him if he left Cordy alone in hospital. Sides, Angel didn't have to do the damned ritual till midnight. Plenty of time. He hung up the phone and hurried out, snagging his duster on the way.

Voca walked in, broke open the weapons cabinet, took the scroll, put something in its place, and closed it again.

*

Spike ran down the hospital corridor. He stopped at the nurse's station. "I'm looking for Cordelia Chase."

The nurse really didn't want to tell him what was going on. "She is ah, the doctor is with her. If you'll just have a seat over there... " Just then, Cordy screamed. Spike hurried on. "Wait! You have to let the doctor handle this!"

Cordelia was convulsing on a bed.

The doctor said urgently, "Try another five mil of Ativan."

Spike entered.

"Hey, you can't be in here," the Doctor said.

"What happened?" Spike asked.

"Are you family?"

Spike was too hurried for this bullshit. "Yes!"

The doctor explained, "They brought her in a few hours ago. I'm not sure what happened. Does she have a history of mental illness?"

Personally, Spike thought cheerleading definitely indicated mental aberration of some kind. "No."

The doctor asked, "Does she use drugs?" pikepike said, "No."

"Well, she is having a psychotic episode. We've done a CAT scan. There is no organic damage that we can see, but we can't seem to sedate her."

Spike leaned over her, figuring his disliked voice was certain to awaken the bint. "Cordelia, can you hear me? - Cordelia! Cordelia!"

The doctor continued, "We're trying a number of different drug therapies. Do you know if she has any allergies?"

"I don't think so," Spiaid.aid. "Drugs won't help her."

The doctor was grim. "Well, something better. I need to inform you, if we don't find a way to stop it..."

Spike looked from the convulsing Cordy to the doctor and back.

*

Wesley walked into the office carrying books. He went downstairs and saw the broken lock on the weapons cabinet. He put the books down and opened it slowly, then started to back away.

*

Spike pulled up across the street and gets out of his sire's car. When he was halfway across, a fiery blast coming from the lower story lifted him into the air. He landed in a heap on the road while flames engulfed the building and car alarms started blaring all along the street.



Spike ran into Angel’s burning apartment from the parking garage, glad not to need air, since it was foul and hazy about him. "Angel! - Sire! -Angelus! Sire!"

He saw Wesley laying on the stairs leading up. He checked for a pulse. "Bloody hell! He slung Wesley over his shoulder and headed out.

Fire engines and police had appeared in front of the building. Wesley, wearing an oxygen mask was wheeled over to an ambulance as Spike started back towards the apartment at a dead run. His sire was in there. Angel was trapped in the burning rubble of his former home and chances were good that he was too weak to get out on his own.

Spike cursed the humans in his way, plowing through them with his wiry strength, his slender form's amazing vampiric strength unleashed in his effort to reach Angel in time. He plunged back into the fire from which he'd saved Wesley, concentrating all his keep senses on one thing only, Angel. He must find Angel. Now.

To be continued...