Chronos' Puppet

( *whistles* Finally got the nerve to add my own fic after reading SOOO many fantastic tales in here. Thought it was only fair to contribute one of me own *S*. This is my first fanfic, so be nice. Feedback is greatly appreciated, though any that contain the phrase "this sucks!" or its ilk will be set upon by Spiffy, my rabid pigmy marmossette.

No summary, as it will wreck the story, but it's Slash *YAY!*, so you have all been warned *EG*.

Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer do not belong to me. I am a college student/ starving artist. I can't afford copyrights. This is purely for my own twisted amusement to keep me sane during finals, which I happily share with the rest of the planet. Ain't you folks lucky! *EG*

This story is dedicated to my closest compadre, the one who got me hooked on Buffy slash to begin with. You know who you are, girl *hug*. And yes, I'm going to ge don done someday *L*.)


Chronos' Puppet

The damp October wind blasted suddenly through the cemetery, rattling the shadowed Wisteria that coiled around the now unoccupied crypt. Unoccupied, because its tenant was weaving through the waist-high labyrinth of tombstones, his duster's collar upturned against anymore unexpected gusts. The grave markers stood upright or slanted like a set of jagged teeth and for a bewildering moment Spike thought he could hear them chattering...until he remembered his company.

Xander had maintained the same nine-foot distance between them during the entire watch, his flashlight creating odd shadows that writhed against the stones and caused the younger man to startle. They both knew why they were paired together though neither of
them admitted it to the other; no one wanted to be with either man during patrol. Spike, though chipped, was never one to be trusted and always looking for for his own interests, a fact that grated at the other Scoobies to no end. Xander meanwhile, was just that; the Zeppo. Comic relief and hellspawn bait. Who more suited to pair with the former Big Bad then a demon magnet? Irritating enough that trouble seemed to shadow Xander anywhere he went, but his clicking teeth was a beacon that screamed "cold, scared mortal here! Come and get it!" Spike lost his patience (something he never really formally claimed to have had initially) and he broke stride to round on the other man. Blue eyes blackened from the darkness engulfing them both bored into the widening hazel as he growled low enough for Xander's ears to hear. "Bloody hell, do up yer fuckin' coat! Ya wanna tell everyone we're here? Christ!"

Xander had kept his jacket open for easy stake access. The belt that held his jeans up had always been the best place to 'pocket' it as long as he didn't forget that it was there, sit, and promptly stake himself in the ass (which was precisely what had happened one night and hopefully to no one else's knowledge). Muttering softly about blonde hair being similar to the bat signal and knowing fully well that the vampire was well within hearing distance, the younger man followed him and waited for the patented 'spike-ism' on his similarly bright, and somewhat garish choice of shirt.

The retort never came. Tfissfissures appeared in Xander's brow as he glanced over at the other. A silent Spike was never a good sign. "Hey fang-free, what's going..."

"Shurrup!" he hissed back, sharpened canines sliding neatly into place as the ridges on his brow caught the moon's light. Silence settled over them quickly and Xander to his credit stilled his breath enough as his eyes searched the darkness beyond what the
flashlight would illuminate.

There it was again! That familiar, nagging feeling, like someone was picking at his brains. Spike knew that if they had happened on another vampire that this was was not the ordinary, minion kind. It was older, stronger, and his demon pulled at the bit whenever it circled close. Not because its territory was being compromised but because somehow it knew the other. There was no sound but the wind and the rasping of dried tree branches that brushed together above their heads. The blonde lifted his chin slightly, breathing in the air in short takes that reminded Xander of a wolf scenting for nearby prey. The remaining Scooby members had taken to splitting up in pairs and patrolling in various patches throughout the city; Spike and Xander were effectively on their own for the night.

Hours in front of a mirror in the Harris bathroom perfecting the stake-drop into Xander's hand had paid off as it slipped deftly into the waiting grip and he restrained himself to quote John Wayne during the 'draw'. Spike, who would have taken every sadistic opportunity to torture the whel the the cowboy slip took no notice as his attention focused on a shadowed area under the nearby cluster of birches.

Twin glittering, golden orbs perched eye level stared back at the game-faced, bleached vampire and the somewhat apprehensive brunet. They seemed to study the pair and they shifted as if the head the glowing eyes belonged to had angled itself in
amusement. Spike never liked to be on the receiving end of a game of hide and seek, and a low growl started to roll from under the trenchcoat. "So, are ya gonna cut the foreplay and show yourself, or are we gonna stand around like a bunch of wankers all night?" The shadowed figured laughed before stepping into the antiseptic moonlight. Dressed in black from head to foot he resembled something of a ninja. Even the mask that concealed evhinghing except the obviously vampiric eyes fitted the style, right down to the very deadly looking kitana hanging by his left hip. "Nice to see that some things haven't changed, Will," came the oddly muffled reply from the stranger.

"Right. Who the fuck are you now?" Spike was getting very annoyed at this. Who did this git think he was to try to play with his head like that? A quick glance back to Xander showed that there was no help coming from that corner, as he looked just as
confused as the vampire.

"Uh, are we, like, supposed to be impressed? So you did your homework. Big fucking deal, Jackie Chan." Okay...not quite so clueless from the whelp. Spike flashed a grin that wilted slightly as a gloved hand tapped against the hilt of the sword.

"Not really. And Jackie Chan's human, while I'm not." The 'ninja''s voice made the hairs on the back of Spike's neck stand up and mutiny from his skin. It was oddly familiar...gravelly and strangely accented somehow but if he only had more time he could
place it. His wish was not granted as they were rushed, Xander trying to get his stake into the frey without hitting Spike, while the vampire focused mainly on keeping in one piece. The volley of blows was blindingly fast; the combination of martial arts and preternatural speed was always a deadly combination, but this one had honed that fact to a point that could very well dust the Englishman if he didn't watch what he was doing.

The intruder had worked himself between the patrollers, one arm efficiently blocking Spike's punches while the other hand grappled with Xander. All the time he seemed to be talking to himself, as though dictating a labouriously memorised script. The realisation of what exactly that muttering was hit Spike between the eyes as effectively as a blow, which came a moment later and knocked out the warning.

A spell. The fucker was casting. All at once it was complete and a fissure opened before them, a knife-slice of bluish light in the air that fed from the black clad stranger. Gripping Spike tightly in one hand, the stranger threw a flailing, yelling Xander into it and
the portal closed behind the Scooby with a sucking 'zip'.

*****