Who is Who ((COMPLETED))

Chapter 5, Encouragement
Spike heard his computer ding letting him know he had just received mail. ‘Gotta love this new modern technology. Much better than the post.’ Smiling slightly, he goes over to see what the Nibblet had to say, but was quite taken back finding mail from someone new. The contents of the email were more astounding than the fact that someone else besides Dawn was contacting him.

Sorrow: How can someone with a soul be so evil and a demon with no soul be so kind?

Carpe Noctorum: Can’t be the Slayer – way too many words to me without yet including a threat. A stranger with a riddle. Interesting. Who might you be?

Sorrow: Someone trying to understand, trying to make her way back into the light. Thought you could help.

Carpe Noctorum: “Her,” must be connected to Dawn somehow, and not happy with evil humans. Hmm…I think I prefer to call you “Red.” My memories of Red are perky, bubbling, always willing to help her friends or even an enemy when she thought it was needed. Sorrow just doesn’t fit you, luv.

Sorrow: It does now. I can’t seem to see past it, past the grief.

Carpe Noctorum: No time like the present and all that rubbish. I am not going to give you the pep gab as everyone else surely has. Tara was good through and through. She loved you, and I am sure she would want you happy. Respect that, keep the memories and move on, Red.

Sorrow: I know the grief will always be there, but will I always feel the pull of evil?

Carpe Noctorum: Yes. But everybody feels some pull towards evil. Even if it is just to flip someone off. Some succumb more than others. Some give in, and some don’t. You are right in that it is like grief: diminishes with time but never completely goes away. It’s a constant battle.

Sorrow: Thanks for the honesty.

Carpe Noctorum: I take it your riddle is asking about Warren. And the demon you are referring to?

Sorrow: Clem? See me wearing my innocent face, big puppy dog eyes…

Carpe Noctorum: And a very sarcastic ‘right’ to, pe, pet. To put a fine point on it, you want to know why Warren with a soul can be a cold blooded killer like a soulless demon, yours truly.

Sorrow: I can see where you would say that from the way you were treated in Sunnydale. Granted, you did deserve a lot of it – I do have personal experience, you know (cough forcing a love spell for Druscilla cough attacking me in my dorm room cough). But later you did help us voluntarily and received no thanks from us. But you should know that I’ve read your emails to Dawn. I look at those and the last two years with new eyes especially in light of these last couple of months.

Carpe Noctorum: Funny. My trip to Africa gave me reasons to ponder the same question as your riddle. There are too many exceptions to the soul = good, no soul = bad rule. It comes down to choice, soul or no soul. It’s easier to be evil without a soul because you have no conscience. So no guilt. A soulless demon can still choose to do good things – look at Clem. While a human can choose to be evil. Just read the newspaper for examples: mother killing her children, students shooting up their schools, priests molesting boys... It’s not the soul that makes the person, but the choices he/she makes.

Sorrow: I have a soul and chose evil. And I don’t think I feel the remorse I should.

Carpe Noctorum: As my prim and proper mum use to tell me, it may feel good but can still be wrong. But sometimes you have very good reasons for choosing an evil path. Besides, I would have done it much slower.

Sorrow: But that still doesn’t make it right.

Carpe Noctorum: The only thing you can do is live ‘right’ now. Those ponces like the Council want you to believe you are good or evil, no in between, no change ever. No gray. But it’s all grey, just different shades of gray.

Sorrow: You changed.

Carpe Noctorum: I thought we were referring to Clem.

Sorrow: Nice dodge. Did you ever take philosophy?

Carpe Noctorum: Yea, but Victorian philosophy was truly scary.

Sorrow: Thanks again. Gotta go. Buff just got home, and before you make any threats, no, I won’t tell her.

Carpe Noctorum: Grhh…


*****
Starting to tire but mostly annoyed, Spike was beginning to think that the demon he and Giles were running after was more squirrel than demon. Because squirrelly, he was. After many turns and twists, the chase had eventually taken them to an area beside the Thames River in front of an old dock-side building. Unable to get out more than “Bloody...”

“…Hell” Giles helpfully finished for him. “He went into that warehouse.” He caught his breath as he watched the small, spry demon slide under a large roll-up door that had been left slightly ajar. “Why is it always a warehouse? I’ll go cover the back.”

Spike loved the chase but this was approaching the ridiculous, he thought, as he quickly followed into the building. With ease, his golden eyes adjusted to the darkened surroundings. Listening for a moment, he could hear his prey making his way towards the back behind some abandoned machinery. Determined to make it there in time, he decided to go over instead of around, landing on the surprised creature.

Keeping the demon’s head crushed to the concrete under his boot, taking a brief break, he leaned one hand on a piece of equipment and another on his hip. Hearing noise from the back door, he looking up at Giles. “Glad you could join the party. The boy is going to lay here until I squash him.”

Giles managed to finally say, “Maybe I should jog more.”

“Maybe I should quit smoking.”

The “nah” came out in unison.

Suddenly, they heard the front door roll up, slamming into the ceiling. Instinctually ducking down behind the machinery, Giles and Spike watched a large, dark SUV enter the warehouse. Two guys jumped out dragging a third roughly between them by the arms and strung him up using a chain hanging from the ceiling. The intended victim was all the while loudly but clearly begging for his life. The driver got out with a pair of tin snips, lighting a hand-held blow torch. The next out was a slight, professional looking type followed by a very large demon best described as a cross between an eagle and a man. Only a very large hybrid. He was over 7 ft tall, brown feathers instead of hair, a severely hooked nose, and brownish complexion. Talons for hands completed the fearsome look and large, round eyes.

At their approach, the demon hanging from the chains started to softly whimper. “I’ve still got them. They’re safe.”

For a few minutes, screaming was the only thing heard as the driver stepped forward to snip off one of his fingers and then used the blow torch to cauterize the wound. Killing was obviously not the immediate goal. Persuasion was.

Giles and Spike heard the giant mumble and then the suit translate: “Alpha says you should have come to us in the first place. Instead we had to hunt you down since February to collect his property.”
“No, no. I had to take care of some other business first.”

Queasy in his stomach, Giles turned away as they heard another snip and then the blow torch.
After the screaming died back down, they could hear more mumbling and another translation: “What could be more important than your business with Alpha.”

This time Alpha came close to the victim’s face to mumble what was sure to be a threat. To add emphasis, he extended his retractable talons to mere millimeters from his prey’s eyes.
The suit calmly filled in the blanks. “Alpha doesn’t choose to believe you. Where…Are…The…Eggs?”

The whimpering started again. “Ok…Ok. I was paying a vampire to store them, but the Slayer found them and blew them up.”

Giles looked instantly to Spike who could only mutter, “Bullocks, I never got paid. So the Slayer told you about my bad business investment, did she?”

His voice and Giles’ reply was covered up by the screams. So Giles nodded and glared.

They both looked back as the bloody mess who was finally able to choke out, “…but I know when there are going to be more laid at the Hellmouth. I was going back next week to get you more.”
Alpha mumbled some more, and his translator said, “Tell us where and when.”

“I can’t…I have to show you. Go with you. The demon mum will only deal with me.”
Alpha gave orders and headed back to the car.

As the minions unchained the prisoner, the suit called to them, “Bring him. We will wrap up our business and leave for Sunnydale in a couple of days.”

Behind the machinery, Spike remembered that his foot was holding down another demon but was glad to have a distraction from Giles’ wrath that he knew was coming.

Getting sick of the struggle, Spike kicked the demon in the head, knocking him out cold. Better to get the butt chewing over and done. “I was only trying to get blunt for Nibblet and the Slayer.”

Surprising the vamp, Giles raised his hand to silence the explanation. “Don’t even start. I am well familiar with some of your plans and their usual results.”

Feeling relieved, Spike continued, “Looks like you need to call Sunneyhell and warn them, mate.”

Feeling like a father figure, Giles did his best to hide a meddlesome smile. “Not me. You are Sunnydale bound. Your mess, you fix it.”



*****
On her way home from patrol, Buffy had no idea what or who was coming her way. She just knew something was coming and hoped it was not another apocalypse since the last one had worn her out. Buffy was so antsy that she didn’t even think she could sleep, like she was going to have a Slayer Dream. Didn’t even want to go there. She had been trying so hard lately to be upbeat and positive.
However, when she finally got to sleep, wow, what a spectacular dream. She was enjoying a night off at the beach watching Xander meticulously constructing an elaborate sand castle. Dawn and Willow were there also trying to help but really weren’t. Xander sent them with a bucket each into the surf for water. Laughing as the two quickly began a splashing contest that quickly evolved into buckets of water being thrown. Squeals of laughter filled air.

Buffy was also laughing at their antics. She, however, was sitting back a ways on the grass but definitely not alone. She was happily nestled in her lover’s lap, her back against his front, both facing the scene. Only he wasn’t watching. With his arms securely wrapped around her, he was gently nibbling her ear lobe. It was one of those dreams where she couldn’t see his face, couldn’t put a name to him if she tried, but was certain it didn’t matter. She was happy and knew this was the right place for her to be at that moment. She felt loved, safe, and relaxed in a melting sort of way. Umm…She inhaled deeply as her lover started to kiss his way down her neck sending erotic sparks through her system. Her hazel eyes started to glaze over and slowly close with desire.

She reluctantly opened her eyes at Xander’s yelp. Dawn and Willow had made it back to the castle. However, her sister was now rolling in the sand consumed with laughter, and Willow was suspiciously standing behind a dripping Xander holding an empty bucket. Even with this distraction, Buffy had to focus hard to understand what Xander was saying, “… you two. Get a room or come help.”

Chuckling, she got up and headed towards the castle. She realized she was missing something, missing him. She stopped and turned back to look at her lover. He was still sitting on the grass, only a silhouette due to the street lamps from the costal road up the slope. She motioned him to join her with one hand, smiling, eager for his company. Happiness returned as she watched him start to stand and come towards her.


Sleeping comfortably on a red-eye plane bound for California, a vampire was having the same dream. He, however, knew who he was caressing so intimately. He didn’t need to see the face to know who he was wrapped around. Not only did her distinctive smell and feel give her away, and his sense of peace that he felt only with her told him all he needed to know.

As Spike continued to dream, y hay had headed towards Xander. Overwhelmed by the need to join them, he had just taken a step towards the beckoning girl but found that he could move no further. He knew he wasn’t frozen, that there was no invisible barrier but could not move any farther away from the spot he had just left. He looked back. Sitting on the grass, staring up at him, he looked at himself, seeing himself as the demon looked to the world. Bleach blonde and scar at his left eyebrow, hesitant and slightly sad but hard expression as if expecting rejection, expecting tragedy. Simultaneously, Spike was staring up at William, but not the same William he had been the night he died. Cocking his head to the side, he studied the sandy blonde hair now neatly coifed and somehow the features seemed more mature and sure of himself. Hope lit this William’s eyes.

Beyond William, motion caught his attention. Both turned to look at the woman motioning them to her.

Knowing she should have thought it odd for the lone man to suddenly become two, unable to leave each other, but also knowing this was a dream. It seemed perfectly normal and right. Taking a step back towards them, Buffy raised both arms this time in a warm, welcoming appeal.

Both William and Spike could see the outstretched arms to them, obviously including both in the gesture. Spike started to get up as William turned to face Buffy fully. Taking a step forward, everyone was momentarily blinded by the flash of white light as Spike melded with William. Two figures matched up perfectly, becoming one. Moving forward as one.

TBC