TITLE: Songs of the Present
AUTHOR: Simone of the Zordiak
PART: 2/?
EMAIL: [email protected]
RAITING: NC-17
DISCLAIMER: Joss owns them, I play with them.
I give them back when I'm finished
Feli and her friends are mine and I won't give them
away (unless you ask nicely)
For other disclaimers see part one
PS: I've heard rumors about Season 5 Spike being sired by Drusilla,
but when I started this sequel the things happening in the 5th season
were only rumors, since here in Germany the 5th season started only
this November.
So I can claim blissful ignorance to that fact and anyway Spike said
Angel was his sire and he has to know it. So in this story, Angel
is Spikes sire. Oh and Oz is still there... the Veruca-incident didn't
really fit into my timeline.
*** Sunnydale ***
It was scary, wandering through a silent city, wanting to talk with
your best friend but not being able to. Not hearing a single word
where normally was the loud noise of human voices. Willow glanced
around. There where people, eerily silent people, walking around, their
faces reflecting shock and confusion. For a moment she wondered if
her face was showing this emotions too, but she caught herself before
she could slip into a right blue funk. There was no time to be
depressed now, she and Buffy had to go to Giles to find out how and
why their voices were gone and how to get them back. With renewed
purpose she knocked at Giles' door.
***
Cordelia winced as the vision hit her. This time it was a particular
nasty one, full of ugly grinning *things*, slaughtered people and... .
"OhmyGOD!" She screamed, then collapsed on the ground, griping her
hammering head.
***
He hated the visions, hated them with a passion. Yes, they helped them
to find and stop the evil in the city, but did they have to hurt Cordy
like this? Couldn't they be more painless? He knew that something like
that was possible, because when Xander had talked about the messages
and visions he received, he had told them that he didn't really feel
pain, more something like an icy bolt of lightning that announced the
message, strange but not painful. So why did Cordy's visions have to
hurt so much? Angel didn't know it, just that he hated it. Because
there was nothing he could do to ease her pain, just hold her and wait
for her to come around, to tell him about the newest evil she had seen.
Carefully he held the shaking body as she rode out the last spasms of
the latest vision. The aspirin was standing on the floor, next to him,
so he could reach it easily and quick... Cordelia would need it.
"Angel?" He pressed her hand in reply, knowing by the tone of her
voice that the last vision must have been really high up on the
'unpleasant-and-painful-and-where-is-the-fucking-aspirin' scale. Such
visions were always indicating something really mean and truly unwanted
evil thing and he didn't really want to hear what the Powers had decided
to tell them now. But he had to. "Need to go to Sunnydale, all of us.
There are these really ugly things, that are grinning all the time and
they have stolen all the voices and now they want to slaughter a lot
of people and Spike will commit suicide and then everything will go to
hell." Had she just said all of this in one sentence? Wait, Spike?
"Spike?" Suicide? He couldn't believe it. If there was one person that
wasn't even the tiniest bit of suicidal, then it was Spike. Why should
he want to die of sudden? "Yes, Spike. Bleached blonde, always wearing
the some clothes, trying to shish-ka-bob you the last time he was in
town... Spike. But he was different. Something really bad must have
happened to him. He was so thin and depressed and then he was crying
and staked himself. And when he dies, lots of really and truly bad
things happens, so we have to stop him from becoming dust. Oh and we
all have to go. We are all needed. You and Xander, Wesley and me and
the kids. They have all something to do there, but the powers didn't
show me what and my head is really hurting now and why haven't you
given me my aspirin?"
Silently he gave he four of the pills and a glass of water, while
thinking about the vision. Thinking about Spike. His emotions were a
confusing mass. On one side he was proud of him, always trying to go
his own way, even if he had to go against his own sire, on the other
side he felt like he had failed him, like he should have done so many
things different. If he hadn't abandoned his childer after becoming
souled, hadn't mocked his injuries after losing his soul again, hadn't
taken Drusilla from him after Spike had healed her, maybe everything
would be different now. Better.
His head was swimming with lots of different possibilities, but one
thing was clear: he didn't want Spike to die. Spike was his childer,
no more than that, he was his son and he would do anything to protect
him.
***
Driving to Sunnydale had been an adventure in its own. Angel's car
was too small for them all and Wes' motorcycle was just being fixed
after the run in with a foul tempered Mitesh demon who had slashed his
tires and cut his break lines. In the end they had to call a rental
service and had rented the necessary vehicles. That had cost them two
precious hours of time but now they were passing the road sign for
Sunnydale. Soon they would be there.
He looked out of the window, watching the oh so familiar streets and
houses pass by. The hardest part was yet to come. The meeting with his
old friends. Would they forgive him for running away? Would they accept
him now, changed as he was, matured and mated with Buffy's ex-boyfriend?
Would he still recognize them? Cordy and Angel had told him so much
about what had happened in Sunnydale after his departure.
Willow was a witch now, Oz a werewolf, Giles not a watcher anymore. He
idly wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been turned or hadn't
run away, but that were just idle musings.
The car stopped. He took a deep breath and forced himself to let go
of the depressing thoughts. It was time. Slowly he followed Angel to
Giles' door, waited as Angel knocked.
***
The knock caused them to jump. Startled they looked at each other. Who
could that be? The entire Scooby gang was already here, so who would
knock now?
Giles went to the door, took a deep breath to ask who was there - before
he remembered that he had no voice to ask. With a frustrated sigh he
unlocked the door and opened it a tiny bit to see who was knocking.
Angel, Cordelia, Wesley (he sighed inwardly... why did Angel had to
bring along this annoying prick ?), a brunch of children and in the
middle of the clustering children... his eyes went wide. 'Xander ?' he
mouthed in disbelieve. Quickly he strode past the other people, stopped
in front of the boy whom he had believed dead for almost three years.
He touched his face. Xander's skin was cold, too cold for a human. So
Xander wasn't human anymore, but in this moment Giles didn't care about
that.
Xander was back.
"Giles?" He looked up when he heard Angel's hesitant voice. "Cordelia
received a vision that you'd need our help." Angel made a gesture to
include all the people he had brought with him. "Can we come in?"
Giles nodded and, with silent regret, let go of Xander. He wished he
could ask what had happened to Xander, how he had changed into the
silent and serious man he could see in front of him. But right now
there was no time for things like that. They had to find out what had
happened to them, why they had lost their voices, how to get them back
and who was responsible for all this chaos. He gestured for them to
enter, watched as fifteen more or less bouncy bundles of energy
practically stormed into his tidy and organized home, wincing
soundlessly as he thought about the havoc those kids could create in
addition to the confusion of Xander's reappearance. He didn't knew it,
but a tiny happy smile was playing on his lips the entire time.
***
It was a bit of a shock, when the children, the loud laughing and
chattering children entered the room. Their laughing sounded so loud
in the enforced silence, filling the room with cheer and excitement.
Buffy had jumped up when the first child entered the room, ready to
defend herself and her friends, but when she saw that it were only
children she sat down again... only to jump up a second time when she
saw the others... Angel, Cordelia, Wesley and then, shyly, half
hidden beneath Giles, a face she had believed long gone, a friend
that had been dead, her friend whom she had failed when Angelus had
appeared two and a half agonized years ago.
A small part of her noticed that Willow had jumped up with a toneless
scream on her lips. Oz, who hadn't known Xander for long before he
seemingly died, was holding her back as she tried to run to her
childhood friend.
Buffy's thoughts were slowing down to a stop when her slayer senses
told her that Xander wasn't human any more. He felt strange and very
powerful, but the warning tingle of evilness was missing, so he was
no evil demon. She could handle this, somehow, but later; right now
she needed to find out who had stolen all the voices and give that
jerk a good trashing.
***
Angel watched cautiously as the scene unfolded in Giles' living room,
always a watchful eye on his mate. This wasn't easy for Xander, he
knew this, but it looked like his old friends were accepting him back
into their lives. At least for the moment, for this crisis. Nobody
could know how they reacted after this mess was over, after they had
learned what Xander had become.
But he would worry about that later, there were other, more urgent
matters he had to take care of now. He had caught his first glimpse
of Spike and frankly said he was upset. Cordelia had told them that
Spike wasn't doing so well, but this was worse than everything he had
expected. His childe was painfully thin and his eyes... they were
dead, without even the slightest hint of emotion, worse than even
Drusilla's eyes had been before he had turned her. Now he understood
the warning of Cordys vision, but he didn't knew how to prevent it
from happening. All he wanted to do was taking him in his arms and
never let go until his son was safe again. Safe and happy. Acting on
his impulse he enfolded the smaller, frailer vampire in his arms.
***
Safe. For the first time in decades he felt really and truly safe. He
couldn't explain why or how being embraced by his sire made him feel
this way, only that it did. The tension slowly seeped out of his form,
leaving him exhausted and at the end of his emotional control. A faint
tremor rocked his form, growing stronger and stronger until he
couldn't hold back any more, couldn't deny himself anymore, until he
broke down and, for the first time in a century, allowed himself to
cry.
The entire time he was being held in strong arms, was being rocked
and stroked and a low voice was murmuring soothing words into his ear.
And he cried. Cried or all the pain he had endured, all the lies and
broken promises, all destroyed hopes. But before all he cried because
after all these long years and unsuccessful tries he had finally found
what he had been searching for so long. He finally had found back home.
***
She watched silently as the son cried in the arms of the father, saw
the looks exchanged by father and mate and could feel it, the moment
the mate came to his decision. She knew what would happening next.
The ka of the son would be returned by the mate to form the third
balance keeper, as it had been prophesied a long time ago. There had
to be three balance keepers to fight the battle. Three children of
Lillith and Raphael to return the old order. Three, the truest of
all magic numbers, three, the defender, the protector and the guardian.
A smile played around her lips as she watched the interplay unfolding
before her. Soon everyone would be on there predestined place and
Sachmets daughter would protect them all.
tbc
AUTHOR: Simone of the Zordiak
PART: 2/?
EMAIL: [email protected]
RAITING: NC-17
DISCLAIMER: Joss owns them, I play with them.
I give them back when I'm finished
Feli and her friends are mine and I won't give them
away (unless you ask nicely)
For other disclaimers see part one
PS: I've heard rumors about Season 5 Spike being sired by Drusilla,
but when I started this sequel the things happening in the 5th season
were only rumors, since here in Germany the 5th season started only
this November.
So I can claim blissful ignorance to that fact and anyway Spike said
Angel was his sire and he has to know it. So in this story, Angel
is Spikes sire. Oh and Oz is still there... the Veruca-incident didn't
really fit into my timeline.
*** Sunnydale ***
It was scary, wandering through a silent city, wanting to talk with
your best friend but not being able to. Not hearing a single word
where normally was the loud noise of human voices. Willow glanced
around. There where people, eerily silent people, walking around, their
faces reflecting shock and confusion. For a moment she wondered if
her face was showing this emotions too, but she caught herself before
she could slip into a right blue funk. There was no time to be
depressed now, she and Buffy had to go to Giles to find out how and
why their voices were gone and how to get them back. With renewed
purpose she knocked at Giles' door.
***
Cordelia winced as the vision hit her. This time it was a particular
nasty one, full of ugly grinning *things*, slaughtered people and... .
"OhmyGOD!" She screamed, then collapsed on the ground, griping her
hammering head.
***
He hated the visions, hated them with a passion. Yes, they helped them
to find and stop the evil in the city, but did they have to hurt Cordy
like this? Couldn't they be more painless? He knew that something like
that was possible, because when Xander had talked about the messages
and visions he received, he had told them that he didn't really feel
pain, more something like an icy bolt of lightning that announced the
message, strange but not painful. So why did Cordy's visions have to
hurt so much? Angel didn't know it, just that he hated it. Because
there was nothing he could do to ease her pain, just hold her and wait
for her to come around, to tell him about the newest evil she had seen.
Carefully he held the shaking body as she rode out the last spasms of
the latest vision. The aspirin was standing on the floor, next to him,
so he could reach it easily and quick... Cordelia would need it.
"Angel?" He pressed her hand in reply, knowing by the tone of her
voice that the last vision must have been really high up on the
'unpleasant-and-painful-and-where-is-the-fucking-aspirin' scale. Such
visions were always indicating something really mean and truly unwanted
evil thing and he didn't really want to hear what the Powers had decided
to tell them now. But he had to. "Need to go to Sunnydale, all of us.
There are these really ugly things, that are grinning all the time and
they have stolen all the voices and now they want to slaughter a lot
of people and Spike will commit suicide and then everything will go to
hell." Had she just said all of this in one sentence? Wait, Spike?
"Spike?" Suicide? He couldn't believe it. If there was one person that
wasn't even the tiniest bit of suicidal, then it was Spike. Why should
he want to die of sudden? "Yes, Spike. Bleached blonde, always wearing
the some clothes, trying to shish-ka-bob you the last time he was in
town... Spike. But he was different. Something really bad must have
happened to him. He was so thin and depressed and then he was crying
and staked himself. And when he dies, lots of really and truly bad
things happens, so we have to stop him from becoming dust. Oh and we
all have to go. We are all needed. You and Xander, Wesley and me and
the kids. They have all something to do there, but the powers didn't
show me what and my head is really hurting now and why haven't you
given me my aspirin?"
Silently he gave he four of the pills and a glass of water, while
thinking about the vision. Thinking about Spike. His emotions were a
confusing mass. On one side he was proud of him, always trying to go
his own way, even if he had to go against his own sire, on the other
side he felt like he had failed him, like he should have done so many
things different. If he hadn't abandoned his childer after becoming
souled, hadn't mocked his injuries after losing his soul again, hadn't
taken Drusilla from him after Spike had healed her, maybe everything
would be different now. Better.
His head was swimming with lots of different possibilities, but one
thing was clear: he didn't want Spike to die. Spike was his childer,
no more than that, he was his son and he would do anything to protect
him.
***
Driving to Sunnydale had been an adventure in its own. Angel's car
was too small for them all and Wes' motorcycle was just being fixed
after the run in with a foul tempered Mitesh demon who had slashed his
tires and cut his break lines. In the end they had to call a rental
service and had rented the necessary vehicles. That had cost them two
precious hours of time but now they were passing the road sign for
Sunnydale. Soon they would be there.
He looked out of the window, watching the oh so familiar streets and
houses pass by. The hardest part was yet to come. The meeting with his
old friends. Would they forgive him for running away? Would they accept
him now, changed as he was, matured and mated with Buffy's ex-boyfriend?
Would he still recognize them? Cordy and Angel had told him so much
about what had happened in Sunnydale after his departure.
Willow was a witch now, Oz a werewolf, Giles not a watcher anymore. He
idly wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been turned or hadn't
run away, but that were just idle musings.
The car stopped. He took a deep breath and forced himself to let go
of the depressing thoughts. It was time. Slowly he followed Angel to
Giles' door, waited as Angel knocked.
***
The knock caused them to jump. Startled they looked at each other. Who
could that be? The entire Scooby gang was already here, so who would
knock now?
Giles went to the door, took a deep breath to ask who was there - before
he remembered that he had no voice to ask. With a frustrated sigh he
unlocked the door and opened it a tiny bit to see who was knocking.
Angel, Cordelia, Wesley (he sighed inwardly... why did Angel had to
bring along this annoying prick ?), a brunch of children and in the
middle of the clustering children... his eyes went wide. 'Xander ?' he
mouthed in disbelieve. Quickly he strode past the other people, stopped
in front of the boy whom he had believed dead for almost three years.
He touched his face. Xander's skin was cold, too cold for a human. So
Xander wasn't human anymore, but in this moment Giles didn't care about
that.
Xander was back.
"Giles?" He looked up when he heard Angel's hesitant voice. "Cordelia
received a vision that you'd need our help." Angel made a gesture to
include all the people he had brought with him. "Can we come in?"
Giles nodded and, with silent regret, let go of Xander. He wished he
could ask what had happened to Xander, how he had changed into the
silent and serious man he could see in front of him. But right now
there was no time for things like that. They had to find out what had
happened to them, why they had lost their voices, how to get them back
and who was responsible for all this chaos. He gestured for them to
enter, watched as fifteen more or less bouncy bundles of energy
practically stormed into his tidy and organized home, wincing
soundlessly as he thought about the havoc those kids could create in
addition to the confusion of Xander's reappearance. He didn't knew it,
but a tiny happy smile was playing on his lips the entire time.
***
It was a bit of a shock, when the children, the loud laughing and
chattering children entered the room. Their laughing sounded so loud
in the enforced silence, filling the room with cheer and excitement.
Buffy had jumped up when the first child entered the room, ready to
defend herself and her friends, but when she saw that it were only
children she sat down again... only to jump up a second time when she
saw the others... Angel, Cordelia, Wesley and then, shyly, half
hidden beneath Giles, a face she had believed long gone, a friend
that had been dead, her friend whom she had failed when Angelus had
appeared two and a half agonized years ago.
A small part of her noticed that Willow had jumped up with a toneless
scream on her lips. Oz, who hadn't known Xander for long before he
seemingly died, was holding her back as she tried to run to her
childhood friend.
Buffy's thoughts were slowing down to a stop when her slayer senses
told her that Xander wasn't human any more. He felt strange and very
powerful, but the warning tingle of evilness was missing, so he was
no evil demon. She could handle this, somehow, but later; right now
she needed to find out who had stolen all the voices and give that
jerk a good trashing.
***
Angel watched cautiously as the scene unfolded in Giles' living room,
always a watchful eye on his mate. This wasn't easy for Xander, he
knew this, but it looked like his old friends were accepting him back
into their lives. At least for the moment, for this crisis. Nobody
could know how they reacted after this mess was over, after they had
learned what Xander had become.
But he would worry about that later, there were other, more urgent
matters he had to take care of now. He had caught his first glimpse
of Spike and frankly said he was upset. Cordelia had told them that
Spike wasn't doing so well, but this was worse than everything he had
expected. His childe was painfully thin and his eyes... they were
dead, without even the slightest hint of emotion, worse than even
Drusilla's eyes had been before he had turned her. Now he understood
the warning of Cordys vision, but he didn't knew how to prevent it
from happening. All he wanted to do was taking him in his arms and
never let go until his son was safe again. Safe and happy. Acting on
his impulse he enfolded the smaller, frailer vampire in his arms.
***
Safe. For the first time in decades he felt really and truly safe. He
couldn't explain why or how being embraced by his sire made him feel
this way, only that it did. The tension slowly seeped out of his form,
leaving him exhausted and at the end of his emotional control. A faint
tremor rocked his form, growing stronger and stronger until he
couldn't hold back any more, couldn't deny himself anymore, until he
broke down and, for the first time in a century, allowed himself to
cry.
The entire time he was being held in strong arms, was being rocked
and stroked and a low voice was murmuring soothing words into his ear.
And he cried. Cried or all the pain he had endured, all the lies and
broken promises, all destroyed hopes. But before all he cried because
after all these long years and unsuccessful tries he had finally found
what he had been searching for so long. He finally had found back home.
***
She watched silently as the son cried in the arms of the father, saw
the looks exchanged by father and mate and could feel it, the moment
the mate came to his decision. She knew what would happening next.
The ka of the son would be returned by the mate to form the third
balance keeper, as it had been prophesied a long time ago. There had
to be three balance keepers to fight the battle. Three children of
Lillith and Raphael to return the old order. Three, the truest of
all magic numbers, three, the defender, the protector and the guardian.
A smile played around her lips as she watched the interplay unfolding
before her. Soon everyone would be on there predestined place and
Sachmets daughter would protect them all.
tbc