My Immortal

Chapter 6


Giles had just finished his breakfast as a hurried and panting Buffy burst through his front door. Giles looked up and sighed.

"Do come in, leave the door on it's hinges though"

The sarcasm had been wasted as Buffy just frowned, shook her head and launched into her babble.

"Last night I dreamt of fighting a vamp and saw this tall man in the shadows and I saw him walk off, I followed and saw him with Spike. But before that he told me to be careful about the harvest but I don't know of any farms near here yet alone why I would go and help with the harvesting and then he , Spike I mean hugged me and the other man became a vampire and he attacked Spike, then he staked Spike and Spike said I was meant to be his not the other vampires . I think in fact, I know it was a slayer dream. Have you any idea what it means?"

Giles smiled and tried to recap what she had said, the one thing that seemed to stick in his mind and worried him, was the mention of the harvest. He went to his bookshelves and pulled out an old book that showered dust as he removed it from the shelf and released yet more dust as he dropped it onto his table. He flicked through page after page before he startled Buffy by yelling ' eureka!'.

"What kind of a word is that Giles? Is it English for found it or something?"
"Something of that nature Buffy , take a look at this"

Buffy looked over his shoulder at the passage that he held his finger against. As soon as she had finished the paragraph , Buffy sunk into the chair beside Giles. Her face was devoid of emotion and she stared off into nothing.

"Buffy? Buffy.... dear.. now we know about this we can stop it"

Still nothing. Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them furiously before putting them back on. Buffy seemed to snap out of the trance she seemed to be in after learning about the harvest. She took a deep breath and looked directly into Giles' eyes.

"So I die at the hands of this Master guy?"
"As much as this prophesies, yes"
"Any idea who this other vampire is?
"No idea Buffy, did you get the feeling that you are in danger from him at all?"
"Hello! He's a vampire! Who's ever heard of a good vamp, especially one that helps Slayers Giles. How lame would a vamp have to be to end up a Slayers guard dog"

She picked up the stake that sat on the table and twirled it in her hand as she watched Giles smile.

"There is talk of a vampire being cursed with his soul. As it happens , he was a member of the clan that included Spike . This prophecy also includes the rising of the Master of that clan. He is buried alive in a church that was sunk during an earthquake. That church is here, under the city somewhere"

Great! So Spike has his relatives coming to visit and one of those will kill me. As if my life could get any worse"

Buffy slumped on the table, her head buried in her arms. She turned her head to look up at Giles.

"Could you, have you got any pictures of Spikes relatives, maybe there would be one of the vampire in my dreams. And I need to know this 'Master' , if the vamp plans on killing me then I best be on my guard and ready for him."

Giles obliged her and got the heavy book that she had been shown only the day before. Within minutes Buffy had identified Angelus as the mystery vamp from her dream. Giles was unphased and even seemed relieved that it had been him. Curious Buffy asked him why.

"Angelus is the vampire that I was speaking of. He is the only vampire with a soul. If he is here then it must be to protect you, not to kill you Buffy, he will be a great asset to us in the fight against evil here on the hellmouth"
"So long as he doesn't stare at my neck or follow me around like a lost puppy , I'll be good. He best not go all manic depressive on me either. I'm not one for the whole weepy ' I killed , oh woah is me' , I'm not going to babysit a brooder Giles"

Giles stifled the laugh that promised to erupt. He nodded his understanding.

"Well before you psycho- analyse the vampire, we have to find him first or at least make first contact with him and find out exactly why he is here"
"Okay , you get on with that, I have a date at the Expresso Pump"

Giles looked at her with worried eyes

"Oh give me a break , it's with a tall hot and steamy latte, get your mind out of the gutter Giles!"

Buffy opened the door and exited the condo, she headed for the town and the coffee house.

Spike woke and felt a familiar sensation tugging at him. It took him a while to place it and when it clicked into place he groaned .

"Angelus. Oh bloody hell!"

His elder turning up was the last thing he needed. The last time he had seen him was during the Boxer rebellion and he had had a soul. He tried to be his bad ass self for Darla but had failed and she had kicked him out after he refused to feed on the infant Darla had taken after she had fed on the parents. Dru was upset and hadn't been the same after her precious 'Daddy' had disappeared for a second time. It worked out better for him though, as she had clung to him and had needed him more after that. So, Angelus was in town, but why? It couldn't be because of him.Angelus had never cared enough about him to track him down and either try and stake him or to be family again. Abandoning his thoughts of Angelus before he got a headache, Spike returned his thoughts to the Slayer. Today he would start to formulate a plan that would lead to her downfall.

Angel sat reading a book and groaned. The familial bond with the younger of his bloodline made itself known. So Spike was in town. That wasn't going to lead anywhere good. Angel knew that he was there for the Slayer. That was his thing and the active Slayer was here guarding the hellmouth. She was his charge now, he put the book down and growled. Come nightfall he would search for his childer and end his life before he could hurt the Sayer.

The red head from her class sat opposite Buffy and smiled sweetly at her. Buffy smiled back and rolled her eyes . This town was so bland. If the hellmouth wasn't here, Buffy swore she would be going crazy by now. The red head picked up her coffee and now stood beside her. Buffy put her cup down and wiped her mouth on the paper napkin.

"Um ... Hi"
"Hi, my names Willow. Aren't you in my classes?"
"Ya.. I'm Buffy"

Willow sat on the stool opposite Buffy and smiled nervously

"I'm waiting for my friend Xander, but he tends to be late alot, mind if I sit with you?"
"Not at all... do you mind if I ask you something?"

Willow smiled and shook her head as she shifted awkwardly in her seat

"Do you have like a caffeine intolerance cos you seem just a bit fidgety and kinda strung out"
"Yeah, is it really obvious, I kinda spaz out on it and then I ramble and then I get a bad case of giggles, I'm not quite there yet but another double latte and I will be, oh god I'm babble girl"

Before Buffy could say anything, Willow erupted into unstoppable giggles that drew attention to the table. Buffy smiled at the people that now stared. Thinking quickly, Buffy stood .

"C'mon giggle girl, how bout we go find Xander before they call the caffeine police and get you arrested for overindulging"

Willow laughed all the more and Buffy held her by the elbow and marched her away from the coffee house . Willow walked beside her and in the direction of Xanders house. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as the walk seemed to calm down the rush that Willow was under.They arrived at Xanders and Buffy knocked. A tall man in a dirty vest and jeans answered and looked down at the two girls and sneered. He held the door ajar and yelled for Xander. He left them stood on the porch whilst Xander made his way up from the basement.

Xander opened the door and his smile turned to a frown as he saw Buffy there with Willow. He smiled and then asked Willow who her friend was. Willow tucked her hair behind her ears and told him. He smiled at Buffy again and then grabbed his coat, he shut the door and walked out with the two girls.

"So, where do you girls want to go then? After seeing the jitters that was Willow, I take it the Expresso Pump would be a no go. So, um, cinema? I'll shout the pop corn"
" Sounds good to me , how bout you Buffy?"

Buffy looked at her watch to check the time. There was still three hours before sunset so it would be a great distraction. Nodding her acceptance , the three of them made there way to the cinema. Buffy had to force back the laughter as Willow and Xander chose the Lost Boys as the movie. Xander played up as a vampire and chased the two of them laughing like the count from sesame street and shouting "I vant to suck you bwood" . Buffy hadn't felt so carefree since before her calling and her Dad had left. They took their seats at the back of the auditorium and settled as the film started.

Spike was restless and paced the crypt .He knew that Angelus would know that he was there by now and he was eager to get their first meeting out of the way. Preferable by burying a stake in the wankers heart. Spike also knew that Darla followed Angelus around, so she wouldn't be far behind him, and she would bring Dru with her. He was not looking forward to that reunion, as he was sure Drusilla would bring that bloody huge half breed Chaos demon with her. What kind of a name was Kevin to a bloody Chaos demon anyway?

Angel rose from his bed and shrugged on a silk shirt. He put his silver chain on and wandered to the small kitchenette and threw a blood pack into the microwave. He walked around the small apartment , sucking on the packet and sat down to contemplate his first meeting with the Slayer and also how he would handle the first meeting with Spike. No good would come of it , of that he was sure. He sighed deeply and decided to make a quick patrol of the cemetery's before making his way back to his home. He figured that he would catch the Slayer in one of the grave yards , he would just have to make sure she understood that he wasn't a threat and that he didn't merit a stake through his chest.

Buffy had enjoyed the day with her mind not focusing on her after dark activities, although she did comment a few times on the lore in the movie as well as the fighting techniques. She snorted and upon seeing two confused faces, she made with the 'I took martial arts training back in L.A' excuse which luckily, worked .

Spike had sensed the sunset and threw his duster on and stomped out of the crypt. He watched as another vamp made his way out of the cemetery . The vampire halted and didn't turn to face him. Spike stopped and the recognition kicked in as the other vampire spoke.

"William"
"Angelus, told you before I go by the name Spike you wanker. Wouldn't bloody like it if I called you Liam, now would you"
"What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?"

Angel sighed and rubbed at his forehead and turned to face the younger vampire.

"Still as annoying as ever I see"
"Same could be said about you mate"
"Are you going to tell me why your here?"
"Thought I'd take a vacation, suntan a bit, take up surfing. What do you think I'm doing here?"
"Third Slayer? Never gonna happen"
"Right, cos your here to stop me right?"

Angel watched as Spike swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Angel looked over Spikes shoulder and saw a petite blonde walking towards them. Instantly Spike turned to face her , Angel stood , head towards the grass and waited. Buffy regarded Spike first, raising her stake so that it was highly visible to both vampires.

"Thought I might run into you, and oh looky , the new player"

Buffy twirled her stake and stood her ground. Spike sniggered. Angel stepped forward, past Spike and gave Buffy a smile and introduced himself.

"I'm Angel, I was sent to you by the Powers that Be, to guide you and to help you in your fight against the rising darkness. I hope that you will trust me and that we will become friends"
"Really? Well ... Angel, I don't need help from you and I certainly don't want you as a friend"

Spike leant against a headstone and lit up a smoke, he almost choked on the lungful as Buffy shot Angel down. Hearing the low growl, Spike stepped up behind Angel.

"He's got his soul, so he's been neutered Slayer, can't see it but it's there"

Angel frowned, why would his childe help him gain her trust?

"I don't care if he has or not, I refuse to work with him. And why would you want me too?"

Buffy walked up to Spike and eyed him suspiciously. The bite hummed and seemed to have a calming effect on her. She raised her hand to touch it , but Spike caught it and his jaw set, he glanced towards Angel and Buffy knew what he was trying to convey to her.She dropped her hand, but Spike kept hold of it. Angel saw the display and cleared his throat to interrupt their semi private moment. It unsettled him to see the Slayer so close to Spike. He had to put a stop to it immediately , before she became his next victim. So far Spike had been showing a different side to his character. This threw Angel. Usually he was all about the fight, all fist and fangs as he liked to quote. This soft approach had him eyeing him with curiosity .

Spike leant into Buffy and whispered to her , he still held her hand and with a quick snap of his wrist, he held her to his body.

"Watch your back pet, where he goes , others follow. True he's not a danger, but his bitches are.I won't be able to stop them if they turn up as they hold a bond over me that will prevent me from protecting you"

He watched as fury erupted in Angels eyes and he morphed . Spike laughed and turned his back to them, holding an arm up as a half hearted wave. He disappeared in the early morning mist . Buffy shook her head to snap herself out of the daze and watched as Angel walked away.

"Hey! Where you going?"
"Home, it's dawn soon and I don't want to end up caught out when the sun rises. You made it clear where I stand little girl. I'll assume you'll know how to get in touch should you need me. One word of advice, don't get involved with him Buffy. I can smell him all over you, has he marked you"

Buffy nodded. Angel sighed deeply and looked up at the lightening sky. He didn't have much longer.

"There's two ways to stop him from using it against you, be sure to ask your Watcher. Good night Buffy"

Angel sprinted away and she stood in the cemetery alone.