BtVS: "Surrender" (3/?)
Jun. 1st, 2006 10:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alixtiiTitle: Surrender (3/?)
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: NC-17
Characters: Spike, Faith, and the entire ensemble.
Timeline/Spoilers: Goes AU during “Harsh Light of Day.” Spoilers up to “The Gift.”
Summary: “No,” said Buffy. “I can’t beat you. You win.”
Author’s Notes: For the What If? Spike Ficathon.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
deadsoul820 asked “What if Buffy had not been able to take the Gem of Amara from Spike in ‘Harsh Light of Day’?” and wanted mayhem and sunglasses. I have (or rather I will) significantly condensed portions of the timeline.
Chapter III: Reunion
When Dawn got out of school, Giles was waiting for her. Only he wasn’t waiting for her like time-to-pick-you-up-and-bring-you-home-from-school Giles. He was standing there much more like I-have-bad-news Giles. Possibly, the world was ending. Again.
“What is it?” Dawn asked, her heart plunging into her stomach.
“It’s your sister,” Giles answered. “She’s woken up.”
Dawn could feel her chin quivering. “Can I see her?”
Giles shook his head. “No one knows where she is. She beat someone up, took her clothing and disappeared out of the hospital. The police will be looking for them.”
The two of them began to walk to Giles’ car. “So what are we going to do?”
“We need to find her,” Giles said. “But our first concern is keeping you safe. I don’t want to chance the possibility of you running into—”
“Into me?” Faith interrupted, from where she was sitting on the hood of Giles’ car. “Hey, sis. Miss me?”
Giles moved slightly, positioning himself between Dawn and Faith. Which was stupid, really. Dawn knew that Faith wouldn’t hurt her. She just wasn’t sure she could say the same about Giles.
“What do you want, Faith?” Giles asked.
Faith looked hurt. “I can’t stop by to see my own little sister?” She shrugged, jumped off Giles’ car. “I’m looking for ‘B. Fancy she might be looking for me, too.”
“Buffy’s dead, Faith,” Giles said, his voice grave. “She was killed by a vampire armed with the Ring of Amara. Spike.”
Faith stopped, the surprise evident on her face. “Well, that does put a wrinkle in my plans,” she admitted. “Any idea where I might find this Spike?”
“None,” answered Giles. “He left town.”
“Well, I’ll just have to find him, won’t I?” Faith asked. It was then that one could begin to hear the sirens as police cars began to pull up in the school parking lot.
Faith pushed her way past Giles, kissed Dawn lightly on the cheek, and ran away.
*
“Spike,” Faith said. “I hear he’s known around these parts. A vampire.”
“I know who you mean,” the vampire Faith had held up against the wall said nervously. “He’s not here. He’s left town.”
“So I’ve heard,” Faith said, pushing him harder. “Any clue where he might have gone?”
“Last I heard,” the vampire said, “he was traveling north. Up the 101. I don’t know where he was going—don’t think he knew himself.”
Faith let the vampire down, released him. “You get ten seconds,” she said. “That’s it.” The vampire ran away as she began to count. “Ten. Nine.”
On “eight” she threw a stake after him. It landed right in his heart. Dust.
Faith smiled. She might have spent the last eight months unconscious in a hospital bed, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still have it.
“Faith,” an ominously booming voice broke in. “A friend sent me. I got a little remembrance from him—” Not letting the demon finish, Faith reached up and broke his neck, letting him fall to the ground. An envelope fell out of its coat onto the ground; when she picked it up and examined it she saw that it had her name written on the front.
Of course, that had to be the moment that a police car just had to come by. Faith hurriedly jumped onto a nearby fire escape and pulled herself up out of sight.
When she was safely out of sight on the top of the roof, she opened the envelope. Inside were a videocassette and a small black box.
Luckily, she was right on top of an electronics store. Perfect. She broke in, found a VCR and pushed play.
The sight that appeared on her television screen was a familiar one: an office. Not any office, of course—his office. The mayor’s. And there he was, sitting at his desk, that infectious smile of his on his face. “Hello, Faith,” he said. If you're watching this tape, it can only mean one thing. I'm dead. And our noble campaign to bring order to the town of Sunnydale has failed, utterly and completely.”
He stood up walked around to the front of his desk. “But on the other hand, heck, maybe we won.” He laughed, that crazy laugh of his. “And right now, I'm on some jumbo monitor in the Richard Wilkins museum surrounded by a bunch of kids sitting Indian style and looking up at my face filled with fear and wonder. Hi, kids!”
Faith smiled despite herself. Yeah, that was the mayor, all right.
“But the realist in me tends to doubt it,” he said. He sat on his desk, and his face grew serious. “Now, Faith, as I record this message you're sleeping. And the doctors tell me you might never wake up. I don't believe that. Sooner or later you will wake up, and when you do, you'll find the world has gone and changed on you.”
He had no idea.
“I wish I could make the world a better place for you to wake up in. But, tough as it is to accept, we both have to understand that even my power to protect and watch over you has its limits. See, the hard pill to swallow is that once I'm gone, your days are just plain numbered. Now, I know, you're a smart and capable young woman in charge of her own life, but the problem, Faith, is that there won't be a place in the world for you anymore. By now I bet you're feeling very much alone.”
Buffy was dead. That meant she was alone. The one and only Slayer.
“But you're never alone,” Mayor Wilkins said. “You'll always have me.”
He picked up what was clearly the same little black box she had found in the envelope. “And you'll always have this.” He laughed. “Go ahead. Open the box.”
Faith picked up the box, looked at it. “Don't worry,” the image of the mayor on the screen said. “It's not gonna bite. That's my job.” He laughed some more. “Go ahead. Open it.”
Faith opened it. Inside there was a small metal gadget.
“Surprise!” the mayor said. “You won't find these in any gumball machine. See, when you've been around as long as I have, you make friends. And some of them forge neat little gizmos like the one you're holding right now. And here's the good news: just because it's over for my Faith, doesn't mean she can't go out with a bang.”
Faith just stared at the gadget in her hand, thinking and remembering.
*
“So did she go to kill Spike,” Xander asked, “or to thank him?”
“Honestly, Xander,” Giles admitted, “I’m not sure.”
The group—Willow, Oz, Xander, and Dawn—were one again gathered in Gile’s living room. It felt oddly strange to have them all together without Buffy there, but they couldn’t just ignore what was happening around them. Someone had to continue to guard Sunnydale, after all. Without Buffy, their paltry talents were now desperately needed.
But what they really needed was a Slayer. And the only living Slayer was, as best they knew, already on her way to meet the invincible vampire who had killed her predecessor.
“Well, maybe one of them will kill the other,” Willow offered, hopefully. “That’d be a good thing, right? Then we’d just have to deal with one bad guy.”
“Or maybe they’ll team up and take over the world together,” Xander responded. “Two homicidal psychotics should get along just fine.”
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: NC-17
Characters: Spike, Faith, and the entire ensemble.
Timeline/Spoilers: Goes AU during “Harsh Light of Day.” Spoilers up to “The Gift.”
Summary: “No,” said Buffy. “I can’t beat you. You win.”
Author’s Notes: For the What If? Spike Ficathon.
deadsoul820 asked “What if Buffy had not been able to take the Gem of Amara from Spike in ‘Harsh Light of Day’?” and wanted mayhem and sunglasses. I have (or rather I will) significantly condensed portions of the timeline.Chapter III: Reunion
When Dawn got out of school, Giles was waiting for her. Only he wasn’t waiting for her like time-to-pick-you-up-and-bring-you-home-from-school Giles. He was standing there much more like I-have-bad-news Giles. Possibly, the world was ending. Again.
“What is it?” Dawn asked, her heart plunging into her stomach.
“It’s your sister,” Giles answered. “She’s woken up.”
Dawn could feel her chin quivering. “Can I see her?”
Giles shook his head. “No one knows where she is. She beat someone up, took her clothing and disappeared out of the hospital. The police will be looking for them.”
The two of them began to walk to Giles’ car. “So what are we going to do?”
“We need to find her,” Giles said. “But our first concern is keeping you safe. I don’t want to chance the possibility of you running into—”
“Into me?” Faith interrupted, from where she was sitting on the hood of Giles’ car. “Hey, sis. Miss me?”
Giles moved slightly, positioning himself between Dawn and Faith. Which was stupid, really. Dawn knew that Faith wouldn’t hurt her. She just wasn’t sure she could say the same about Giles.
“What do you want, Faith?” Giles asked.
Faith looked hurt. “I can’t stop by to see my own little sister?” She shrugged, jumped off Giles’ car. “I’m looking for ‘B. Fancy she might be looking for me, too.”
“Buffy’s dead, Faith,” Giles said, his voice grave. “She was killed by a vampire armed with the Ring of Amara. Spike.”
Faith stopped, the surprise evident on her face. “Well, that does put a wrinkle in my plans,” she admitted. “Any idea where I might find this Spike?”
“None,” answered Giles. “He left town.”
“Well, I’ll just have to find him, won’t I?” Faith asked. It was then that one could begin to hear the sirens as police cars began to pull up in the school parking lot.
Faith pushed her way past Giles, kissed Dawn lightly on the cheek, and ran away.
*
“Spike,” Faith said. “I hear he’s known around these parts. A vampire.”
“I know who you mean,” the vampire Faith had held up against the wall said nervously. “He’s not here. He’s left town.”
“So I’ve heard,” Faith said, pushing him harder. “Any clue where he might have gone?”
“Last I heard,” the vampire said, “he was traveling north. Up the 101. I don’t know where he was going—don’t think he knew himself.”
Faith let the vampire down, released him. “You get ten seconds,” she said. “That’s it.” The vampire ran away as she began to count. “Ten. Nine.”
On “eight” she threw a stake after him. It landed right in his heart. Dust.
Faith smiled. She might have spent the last eight months unconscious in a hospital bed, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still have it.
“Faith,” an ominously booming voice broke in. “A friend sent me. I got a little remembrance from him—” Not letting the demon finish, Faith reached up and broke his neck, letting him fall to the ground. An envelope fell out of its coat onto the ground; when she picked it up and examined it she saw that it had her name written on the front.
Of course, that had to be the moment that a police car just had to come by. Faith hurriedly jumped onto a nearby fire escape and pulled herself up out of sight.
When she was safely out of sight on the top of the roof, she opened the envelope. Inside were a videocassette and a small black box.
Luckily, she was right on top of an electronics store. Perfect. She broke in, found a VCR and pushed play.
The sight that appeared on her television screen was a familiar one: an office. Not any office, of course—his office. The mayor’s. And there he was, sitting at his desk, that infectious smile of his on his face. “Hello, Faith,” he said. If you're watching this tape, it can only mean one thing. I'm dead. And our noble campaign to bring order to the town of Sunnydale has failed, utterly and completely.”
He stood up walked around to the front of his desk. “But on the other hand, heck, maybe we won.” He laughed, that crazy laugh of his. “And right now, I'm on some jumbo monitor in the Richard Wilkins museum surrounded by a bunch of kids sitting Indian style and looking up at my face filled with fear and wonder. Hi, kids!”
Faith smiled despite herself. Yeah, that was the mayor, all right.
“But the realist in me tends to doubt it,” he said. He sat on his desk, and his face grew serious. “Now, Faith, as I record this message you're sleeping. And the doctors tell me you might never wake up. I don't believe that. Sooner or later you will wake up, and when you do, you'll find the world has gone and changed on you.”
He had no idea.
“I wish I could make the world a better place for you to wake up in. But, tough as it is to accept, we both have to understand that even my power to protect and watch over you has its limits. See, the hard pill to swallow is that once I'm gone, your days are just plain numbered. Now, I know, you're a smart and capable young woman in charge of her own life, but the problem, Faith, is that there won't be a place in the world for you anymore. By now I bet you're feeling very much alone.”
Buffy was dead. That meant she was alone. The one and only Slayer.
“But you're never alone,” Mayor Wilkins said. “You'll always have me.”
He picked up what was clearly the same little black box she had found in the envelope. “And you'll always have this.” He laughed. “Go ahead. Open the box.”
Faith picked up the box, looked at it. “Don't worry,” the image of the mayor on the screen said. “It's not gonna bite. That's my job.” He laughed some more. “Go ahead. Open it.”
Faith opened it. Inside there was a small metal gadget.
“Surprise!” the mayor said. “You won't find these in any gumball machine. See, when you've been around as long as I have, you make friends. And some of them forge neat little gizmos like the one you're holding right now. And here's the good news: just because it's over for my Faith, doesn't mean she can't go out with a bang.”
Faith just stared at the gadget in her hand, thinking and remembering.
*
“So did she go to kill Spike,” Xander asked, “or to thank him?”
“Honestly, Xander,” Giles admitted, “I’m not sure.”
The group—Willow, Oz, Xander, and Dawn—were one again gathered in Gile’s living room. It felt oddly strange to have them all together without Buffy there, but they couldn’t just ignore what was happening around them. Someone had to continue to guard Sunnydale, after all. Without Buffy, their paltry talents were now desperately needed.
But what they really needed was a Slayer. And the only living Slayer was, as best they knew, already on her way to meet the invincible vampire who had killed her predecessor.
“Well, maybe one of them will kill the other,” Willow offered, hopefully. “That’d be a good thing, right? Then we’d just have to deal with one bad guy.”
“Or maybe they’ll team up and take over the world together,” Xander responded. “Two homicidal psychotics should get along just fine.”