Title: Mistaken Identity
Total Number of Parts:1
Author: Whitewolf
Spoiler Warnings: Up to the end of season 3. Not all things that happened on Graduation Day Part 2 were exactly as they seemed. . .
Rating: PG-13 (violence)
Summary: how Spike and Harmony met... :)
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Bros own all things Buffy
The streets were fairly empty at night in this small community, and those few individuals foolish enough to press their luck at this late hour hustled along their way quickly, avoiding the shadows, and casting furtive glances about them.
That's why the gathering of a half-dozen or so vampires on the street corner outside the only pub stood out so much.
Spike would have just continued on by them and into the small, dirty establishment without a second thought, but a flash of blond from the center of the group caught his attention and caused him to pause though he was still a block away. His eyes narrowed slightly as he flattened himself against the building beside him and tried getting a better look at the identity of the definitely foreign female in their midst, whose golden hair stood out remarkably against the vampires' darker locks.
A slight change in breeze brought an all too familiar scent wafting his way, and he quietly cursed under his breath.
This wasn't happening.
This *couldn't* be happening.
Growling as he kicked the base of the wall he was leaned against Spike looked back over at the gathered group. Blond hair, slim figure, hanging out fearlessly in a crowd of vampires, carrying a very fresh scent of Sunnydale - or more accurately, the Hellmouth...
Shaking his head incredulously, Spike wondered fervently what that little twit's problem was anyway. He couldn't recall killing anyone close to her those few months ago when he'd returned to Sunnydale - he'd had every intention of ridding himself of her and his cursed sire - he'd even kidnapped two of those geeky friends of hers - but he hadn't actually killed any of them, so what was she doing following him all the way to Paraguay?
He was about to turn around and quietly get himself out of this pathetic little town he'd stopped in, when two of the vampires standing behind the little Slayer started closing in on her. A slow smile crossed his lips, and instead of leaving, he settled himself back against the side of the wall to watch. This was going to be good - those stupid locals were about to get a very unpleasant surprise when their solitary and seemingly defenseless mortal prey single-handedly kicked the crap out of them.
Licking his lips in anticipation, he made sure he was in sufficient shadows to hide his presence from a casual glance in his direction, then crossed his arms, an eager grin on his face. He could never get tired of watching her fight. Sure, he liked telling himself each battle he witnessed simply allowed him to better analyse her style and techniques, but somewhere deep down, he just plain enjoyed watching her move - so graceful, so fierce, so deadly...
The one to her right finally vamped out behind her and shared a sly grin with his other comrades before reaching around the Slayer's neck and grabbing her in a choke hold from behind. He yelped in pain and surprise an instant later as he withdrew, clutching his arm to his chest and growling in anger.
Raising his eyebrows Spike shook his head - he'd been expecting her to throw the stupid bloke over her shoulder and into the group in front of her, not bite the dim-witted sod's arm. On the other hand, the unexpected tactic was just continued proof as to why it was so challenging fighting her - he never knew what he should expect - she was as clever as she was unpredictable.
The rest of the group had vamped out by this point though and the smaller, blond figure started backing away from them, a combination of fright and frustration evident in her body language and movements. Spike frowned curiously, unconsciously tensing, why on earth should the Slayer be frightened? He'd seen her go up against far worse - and more numerous - than this lot...
Her hand slipped into her purse and Spike relaxed, only to watch with a mixture of confusion and interest as a cross appeared in her hand, not a stake. The vampires snarled, both surprised and annoyed at this action, obviously unused to this kind of knowledgeable resistance to their attacks, and the Slayer continued backing away from them and closer and closer to the small alcove Spike had chosen to hide himself in for the show. Again he tensed.
What was she doing? Why was she heading this way? Was this some kind of trap? Did she know he was here, watching her? Maybe she hadn't been looking for a fight with those pathetic locals because she knew he was here...
Biting his lip, Spike considered his options, he could try attacking her himself once she got close enough, but if she was expecting his attack he'd be waltzing right into her trap. On the other hand, he could try sneaking off while her attention was still mainly focussed on the group of wary vampires that still hadn't decided if they wanted to chance going after a cross-wielding prey or not...
The group obviously came to the decision that their numbers would ensure them victory as they started towards the young blond once again - steering clear of her extended arm.
Another option occurred to Spike as he continued to watch - one that would undoubtedly buy him at least enough time to get out of this town in his currently undead state of existence, if not grant him an opportunity to take the Slayer by surprise later.
With a small smirk, he backed away until he'd reached the mouth of the first alley-way behind him then ducked in. He waited until she was just within arm's reach then grabbed the back of her shirt and flung her into the darkness behind him.
She let out a started yelp, and he quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, not looking at her as he glanced around the edge of the building he was pressed up against, carefully watching the reactions of the local vamps. For one brief moment, he felt a small wave of desire course through him at the feel of her warm, slightly moist lips beneath his palm, then he remembered why he'd dragged her in here with him.
"Tell you what, here's the deal, "Spike offered quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the vampires that had once again paused in their tracks, eyeing the alley-way with uncertainty. "You run back to Sunnydale right here and now, and I'll keep these buggers off your tail." Two of the braver vampires ventured closer.
He didn't wait for her to respond as he kicked out at the approaching vampires, his unexpected attack catching them completely off guard and sending them flying back into their cohorts. Only one was still standing as Spike emerged fully from the alley and flashed them an innocent grin.
The one still standing frowned at him, trying to look around him and into the alley, no doubt wondering if Spike had tried draining their dinner himself just then. He smiled with amusement as his hand closed around the stake in his duster pocket. He was suddenly glad he'd decided to hang on to the deadly weapon from his last jaunt to Sunnydale.
"Sorry, much as it pains me to say this: she's not on the menu for tonight." Spike apologized with mock sincerity.
From the blank look on the remaining vampire's face, Spike figured communication was not going to be very forthcoming with this lot... not that he cared one way or another, since for this plan to work he was going to have to dust them all anyway.
Charging at him blindly, the single vampire came lunging toward Spike even as his companions untangled themselves and stood once again as well. Jutting the stake forward at the last minute, Spike let the other vampire's own momentum drive the wooden weapon through the long dead heart, spying two more advance on him through the settling dust. The other two circled around behind him and the fifth stood further back, his arms crossed, a smug grin on his face as he silently nodded towards the others.
As they moved in on him, Spike quickly picked out the smallest of them and charged in that direction, his swift action causing his next victim to pause with confusion. The small vampire recovered somewhat and instinctively kicked out wildly at him, but Spike was ready for that and sidestepped slightly before grabbing the striking leg and tossing the vampire into the into next nearest attacker.
With those two no longer an immediate threat he focussed on the remaining two, noticing that the fifth, was heading for the alley, but dismissing him as a threat. The Slayer would have no problem taking care of one lone attacker, then hopefully this little scuffle would convince her to just go home and leave him be.
He delivered a quick roundhouse kick to one of the oncoming vampires, then, using the same leg, lashed out with a side to the other. His stake found the two dazed vampires a second later, and he quickly spun around to face the first two he'd knocked down.
These idiots were still fairly young, and obviously unaccustomed to having to actually fight... all the better for him, Spike supposed, closing in on his last two victims as they shrank back slightly.
He shrugged casually as he stopped before them. "It's nothing personal, boys, but I can't really have you running around spreading word that I've gone and helped the Slayer again, now can I?"
They relaxed slightly at his unthreatening posture and calmly delivered words, obviously believing themselves spared. He let them walk around him and start off back into the darkness, then spun around and grabbed the one on his right by the back of the neck, ramming his stake through the fledgling's back. The other one took off at a sprint and Spike let him run a few yards before launching the stake into the retreating figure.
His work done, Spike turned back to the alley and re-entered in time to see the fifth vampire stand from before the lifeless body at his feet. Spike stood in shock as he stared at the body lying face-down in the dirty alley, then gazed back at the smug looking culprit, his brain briefly freezing in disbelief.
There was no way some no-name, nothing, dickless, wanker could have so easily accomplished the one thing no other demon yet had been able to: kill the Slayer. Kill Buffy.
The moment of shock wore off quickly though as a wave of irrational rage filled him, this was supposed to be *his* kill one day - or if not his, some other better, bigger, stronger demon's - certainly *not* this bloody nancyboy's...
Without a single word, or thought as to why he wasn't just going off to celebrate, he launched himself at the taller vampire, tackling him to the ground and mindlessly pummelling him with blow after blow until his fists were coated with blood and the head beneath him was unrecognizably disfigured.
His eyes fell upon the lifeless blond-haired corps beside him again, and with snarl, he hefted the long ago unconscious body from beneath him and began slamming it into the wall, his mind's eye replaying every confrontation he'd ever had with Buffy, the spark of anger and annoyance always visible when their eyes first met, the nearly hidden look of eagerness at their impending fight... how could she have let herself get killed by such a pathetic foe? She was so much better than that!
Tossing the broken body to the ground beside the Slayer, Spike reached over to the small purse lying beside the body and opened it up, intending to search for a stake. He frowned slightly when he found no such object - there was a bottle of perfume, a small make-up kit, a wallet, a key chain in the shape of the Eiffel Tower with the word 'Paris' scrawled across the bottom, a passport... but no stake. Pulling the wallet out instead, Spike sighed, opening it and intending to find at least one keep-sake from the now deceased Slayer.
He flipped it open then frowned as the driver's license came into sight, and had to do a double-take at the smiling face plastered on the thin laminated card. He blinked and shook his head in disbelief, glancing at the accompanying name before looking at the picture once again. Still unable to believe what his eyes were seeing, he tossed the wallet aside, and reached for the passport. The name and the face remained the same.
Dropping the purse and the passport, he crouched down beside the young girl's body and reached out, his hand hesitating for a moment just over the body's shoulder, before he quickly rolled it over.
The face on the body matched the face on the various id cards he'd spied.
For a moment he just sat there in silence, then a small chuckle escaped his lips. Before he knew it, he was laughing hysterically, shaking his head at himself for jumping to conclusions so quickly.
Finally calming down somewhat he stood once again and glanced around the alley. He found an abandoned crate further in and deftly yanked a suitable splinter of wood free before returning to the two bodies and dusting the bloody remains of the vampire he'd just finished mauling.
With one last chuckle, he left the alley, looking back at the terror-filled gaze of the lifeless blond. "Harmony, huh?" he murmured quietly before turning his back to her and heading back down the street towards the pub.
Epilogue:
Spike tossed the small duffle he was carrying into the backseat of his car and shut the door, more than ready to get out of this sparsely populated town. He would have left the previous night had he not indulged in so much alcohol at that pub after the wasted scuffle he'd started with those local vampires. He still couldn't believe he'd nearly jeopardized his reputation over some chit he didn't even know - and all because he'd thought she'd been the Slayer...
Oh well, he'd been long overdo for a healthy dose of violence anyways.
Sitting himself down in the driver's seat, he went to start the engine when the passenger door suddenly opened and a familiar figure slipped into the car beside him.
He paused, leaving the keys dangling in the ignition, and leaned back in his seat, casting a slight glare at his unwanted travel companion. "And just what do you think you're doing?" he asked, brow raised questioningly. So the stupid dolt from the previous night had turned this 'Harmony' had he...
"You told me to head back to Sunnydale, but I can't." the blond replied evenly, folding her arms stubbornly over her chest. In a quieter, bitter voice she added, "No one thought to bury my stuff with me when they dumped me into that stupid grave. -and can we say ewww! They didn't even leave my stuff in that sorry excuse for a hotel, so I've been stuck in these same clothes for two days now!"
Quickly growing annoyed with her boring diatribe, and certainly not caring in the least, Spike was about to order her out of the car when she turned an alluring gaze on him. "You killed all the rest of us this pathetic town had to offer... you're not going to leave me here alone are you?"
Studying her dispassionately, he did have to admit that having such a... travel companion... would have its benefits, but looking at her, he could tell almost immediately that hers was not a strong demon. As it was, there was too much conflict in her eyes - even for a fledgling - as her human and demon qualities fought for dominance.
He was about to let her know just how much he didn't care one way or the other whether she was the only demon in this town or the only demon in this whole bleeding country, when he found his mouth suddenly full with her tongue, her hand running down his chest and towards his groin.
This, he realized, could easily lead to another delay in his plans to leave....
Capturing her wandering hand with his as it crossed over his abdomen, he pulled away and pushed her back onto the passenger side.
"Get buckled." he muttered, turning to face forward again and reaching for the keys still waiting in the ignition.
Smiling triumphantly, the female at his side moved to obey, and he pulled them onto the road, heading north. This was a mistake - he knew he'd regret his decision - but as long as she stayed out of his hair and kept to herself, there might be some pleasurable benefits to be had. After all, he hadn't had a decent shag since Dru had left him...
End.