Shadows of the Resurrection
By: Michelle
Notes are on Chapter 1.
Chapter 8
“Xander!” Spike yelled as he ran to the edge of the building. The last thing Buffy saw as he disappeared over the edge was the billowing tail of his duster.
“Wow. Guess he really does care about him.” She thought for a moment. “Cool.” Then took the same running jump as Spike.
Xander heard his name and looked up just in time to see Spike jump off the building, seeming to fly toward him. Didn’t know he knew how to fly. Huh.
On the heels of that thought, he felt the vampire hurtle into him, lifting him off his feet and away from the alley mouth as the shadows erupted like a giant tidal wave from the darkness. “Holy shit! What the hell is that?”
Spike snatched him up and started to run. “Later pet. Tell ya later.” Spike spared a glance behind him to see where Buffy was and grinned when he saw her right behind them, almost driving them with a wave of her arm. “Go on, Spike, let’s get the hell out of here!”
The three of them ran, well, two, as Spike was still carrying Xander, all the way back to Buffy’s house, where the rest of the gang were getting the spell components together.
They all looked up when the door burst open to let Spike, Xander and Buffy in.
“What in God’s name are you three doing back here? You were supposed to call us with the location to set up the spell. What happened?” Giles appeared very concerned, looking over the three of them for injuries and anything else that might explain the hurry.
“Oh, well. We found evil’s house. And barely managed to escape with all our bodily fluids.” Buffy shrugged out of her coat and sighed. “It nearly got Xander. Seems we stumbled onto its leftovers and it wasn’t happy. Couldn’t get to us, because we, Spike and I, were in the light, so to speak. We were surrounded, so Spike jumped us up to the roof and then it went after Xander who was at the mouth of the alley.” Buffy grinned. “And this is the cool part!”
“Ooh let me tell it!” Xander spoke up. “Spike flew! He literally flew off the roof of the building, picked me up and flew me out of the way.” He whirled on Giles. “Did we know vampires can fly? Huh? Cuz that would’ve been some really useful information this past summer, ya know!” At Giles’ nonplused stare, Xander turned to Spike. “Holy shit, Spike! You flew! That was freakin’ awesome.”
“Umm, thanks pet.” Spike didn’t share the enthusiasm. The sheer terror he’d felt at the thought of losing Xander floored him. There was no way he was old enough to fly. Even Angelus couldn’t really fly. Sure, he could leap buildings and sort of float, but to actually fly? That ability was something learned over centuries. There’s no way he could have been able to do that.
“You flew?” Giles asked him, in that distinctly watcher voice.
“I guess so, Watcher.” He shrugged, as though at a loss.
“Xander. Only the oldest vampires can actually fly. Even the Master couldn’t do it. I didn’t think it was necessary to know of an ability that none of Sunnydale’s vampires would ever have.” He looked at Spike again. “Are you sure you actually flew?”
“Giles, ask me. I actually saw him, and I’m the one who felt the air beneath my feet when he picked me up and flew me.”
“I know I shouldn’t be able to do that, Rupert, but there you have it. Even Angelus can’t fly, though he does a pretty damn good imitation with that floaty thing he does.”
“Ahh.” Giles smiled. “Well, perhaps some protective instinct kicked in, Spike.” He tossed a knowing look to Spike, then glanced over at Xander.
Spike didn’t miss the insinuation. He growled, “Whatever.”
“Umm, can we get back to the uber nasty?” Willow’s voice broke into the discussion. “We need to know what alley that was, and then we need to set up the spell parameters and stuff.”
“Right. Well, I for one am against setting up in the actual alley. There’s just too much there to deal with. Maybe in a building that’s next to it?” Buffy was adamant about not going back in there. “Plus? Don’t want Dawn anywhere where those things can get her unimpeded.”
“I can understand that, Buffy, but I need to be where it can get to me. Or rather, if this goes as I plan, where I can get to it.” Willow felt Tara’s reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, lifting her hand to cover Tara’s.
“That we can do.” Xander spoke up. “We can set up the spell in the building, with you outside just in front of the alley.”
“And I need to be outside to open the portal, Buffy.” Dawn arched an eyebrow at Buffy before she could begin to protest. “I’m older than you when you started slaying, Buffy. I’m not stupid. I’ve paid attention and I’m needed for this. You can’t keep me separate from your life. I’m in it, no matter what. Now. Let me be useful.”
Buffy looked genuinely terrified. “Dawn, I can’t lose you.”
“And you won’t have to Slayer. I’ll stay with the bit.” Spike came to stand behind Dawn, a protective arm around her shoulders. “I’ll not let anything get her. Gonna make sure of it this time.”
Xander smiled behind Spike and watched as Buffy walked up to the vampire and laid a hand on his cheek. “I trusted you then. You did nothing to break that. I trust you even more now.” She moved to hug her sister. “Fine. You do what you need to, but if you get killed? I’m tearing up your N’Sync posters.”
“Oh you so will not! I’ll haunt you!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night settled calmly as the gang headed to the center of town. Buffy, Xander and Spike led them to the alley and stopped.
“Are we really gonna do this?” Buffy asked them.
Willow nodded and said, “Absolutely. I’m not standing by another minute while those things just kill innocent people. I did this. I brought them here. I’ll make them go away.”
“Alright.” Buffy turned around to face them. “Let’s get this show on the road then. Xander, I want you and Spike out here with Dawn.” She looked over at Spike. “Keep her safe, or I’ll dust ya,” she said with a half smile.
“Right, Slayer.”
“I’m gonna be in with Giles and Tara working the mojo. If anything major goes down, it’s totally up to you three to stop it.” She clasped Dawn’s shoulders tightly. “You be safe, you hear me? I have faith in you. I know you’ve never done anything like this before, but you’ll do it.”
“I can do this, Buffy. I’m so totally ready for this. Trust me.”
“I do.” She kissed her sister’s forehead. “I’ve got to go. Be safe; watch out for Xander and Spike. Good luck.”
Spike, Xander and Dawn set up outside the building. Dawn poured out a circle of coarse green powder and set four white quartz stones at each of the compass points. Inside the circle she sat in lotus position and struck a match to light the large pillar candle in front of her. Lowering the match to the wick, she murmured a low incantation.
Xander studied her movements, his eyes following the shaking hand as it lit the candle, ears hearing the unsteady breath as she uttered her incantation. He leaned in to whisper to her, “Dawnie? You sure you know how to do this?”
Spike heard him and turned a concerned face to them. He waited to hear what she had to say.
Dawn took a calming breath and finally looked up to Xander. “No. I’m not sure I know how to do this. But Buffy trusts me, Willow needs me, and I have you and Spike to protect me. It will get done.” She lowered her gaze from his to stare straight ahead. “Now, get out of my circle and hush. I need to concentrate.” Xander grinned as she closed her eyes in deep concentration.
Shaking his head, he heard Spike’s low laugh. “What, Fangless?” He smiled. “What’s so funny?”
“You. And the Bit.” Spike lowered his eyelids in a bid to conceal the affection from Xander’s gaze. “So earnest, you two are. Fighters to the end.” He glanced back up at Xander. “Admirable. Stupid, but admirable.”
Xander grinned. “Yeah. I care about you too, Spike.”
“Xander!” Buffy’s voice sounded from the door she’d gone through just moments ago.
“Yeah, Buff. What’s up?”
“We need you in here. Spike?”
The vampire looked up at her, quirking an eyebrow.
“You’ll be ok out here by yourself with Dawn?” He nodded. “Ok. Come on Xander.” Xander followed her into the building, grinning when he heard her say, “Let’s get the party started!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giles and Tara had shaken out a circle of bright red sand and were sitting inside it, facing each other. Willow stood in the center, relaxed, head thrown back, eyes closed. Buffy and Xander took their places next to the other two and across from each other. Giles handed him a buff colored candle and Xander asked what Willow was doing.
“Drawing energy from the circle. She’ll need it when she faces the darkness outside. We’ll be in here keeping the spell going. The light from the candles will provide our safety.”
“Right, ok. Gotchya. So when do we start?” Xander nodded and looked out into the night through the window at Buffy’s back.
“As soon as Willow steps outside the circle and closes it again. So we have a few minutes. I want to explain a couple of things first, about the spell and how it’s different from the previous one. Buffy. You will be the strength aspect of the spell. I’ll say firmitas and light your candle. Tara? You, of course, will be the purity. Buffy will light your candle with hers, saying, Sanctimonia. You’ll then turn to Xander and light his candle saying spiritus, spirit. Then, Xander will light mine and say sapientia, wisdom. These are the components of the spell, the aspects of ourselves that Willow will need. We’ll call on Diana, Goddess of Strength and protection. As long as the candles continue to burn, the spell is cast. We will see what Willow sees and she will know what we know. She will draw on us as her strength and weapons. It may become uncomfortable, but not unbearably so.”
“Well, alrighty then Giles. Think we got it. No need to tell us all the bad stuff and make us want to take our toys and go home, now is there?” Xander stopped the man before the damage could be done to their confidence.
“Right. Quite right. Shall we go on then?”
At the question, Willow finally looked down and smiled. “Yeah. I think I’m ready.” She stepped out of the circle and whispered a closing word. Xander watched as the sand around them flared for an instant and shimmered, then disappeared. He twisted around again when he heard Willow’s voice. “The circle is cast. Do not break it, and do not let the light go out.”
“Right. Ok. Got it. No moving and no shaking the candles. Cool.” Xander nodded once and stared at Willow’s retreating back. “God, I hope this works.” Me too. Xander heard Willow’s subtle whisper in his mind and smiled with some hope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow stood in silence outside the building. The fading ambient light of sunset - that riotous colored light that washed everything in pinks and purples - surrendered, allowing the darkness to fall. She turned to stare down the street, noting the lengthening shadows as the night deepened and the light from the street lamp grew dominant. Taking a deep breath, she took stock of the events of the last few days.
The resurrection spell was a success and her pride in it swallowed her. She’d never been particularly proud before. She had always been so pitifully shy and wilting about her power. She alone had none. That wasn’t true. Alone she still had massive amounts of power. Had had since she used the curse against Angel four years ago. No, her problem was control. She had no control over her own magic. Her control was Tara. Tara was her grounding force, her focus point. Through her, Willow had learned control, stamina, and manageability. She wondered now if the resurrection spell would have gone better had Tara been there. Too late.
Lying in the hospital, listening to Xander of all people lecture her about her mistake. Blaming her for bringing Buffy back. He’d been so angry, so hurt, but he still loved her and made a point of saying that out loud to her. He loved her, but was so very angry and betrayed. Then Spike, so knowing. He knew what she had done, what was after her. Knew her only protection was in those who loved her, and he’d felt so free to point it out to her: Xander making Spike carry her to the ER, Tara using her soft protective magic to keep the shadows at bay. He always knew; that was his role.
She thought about the night Dawn nearly got killed by the darkness she had called upon. She’d been so terrified, immediately trying to channel the power away from Dawn and into herself, but Tara, again, was there. Keeping her safe, whispering wards to try to make it go away. Then Giles, focusing the light, driving them away. Tara said he’d been in this situation before. Fought off the darkness himself. He and Ethan Rayne. So good to have that kind of experience and power around. Giles had so much power and control. He was so focused. He didn’t need anyone else to create that balance. It was inherent to him. And he was so alone. Given the choice, Willow would take Tara’s control any day, so long as it meant she wouldn’t be alone. A soft smile curved her lips.
“So, Red. You ready to do this thing?” She heard the snick of a lighter and the slow inhale of Spike taking a drag. She turned to face him.
“Yes. I think it’s time I take some responsibility and clean up my own messes, don’t you?”
He took another slow drag from the cigarette and nodded. “I gotta be honest here, Red. I really didn’t think-”
“You didn’t think I’d come out of that without a thirst for more, did you? You thought I was gone.” Again, he nodded. “You were right. Or would have been right. Had I been alone. But I had Xander, who loved me the way only a real friend can. I had you, who told me the truth and let me see for the very first time just what kind of damage I was doing. Mostly, I had Tara, who refuses - even now - to let me be taken away from her. On my own, Spike, I’d be long gone. But my friends keep me here.” Shining green eyes turned to him, smiling. “Thank you.”
Spike turned to go, saying, “Glad you’re still here, Willow. This lot needs you; they need your strength. Gotta go take care of the Bit now. You be careful.”
“I will. You too.” And she watched as he made his way back over to Dawn.
She heard Giles begin the spell, calling on the Goddess Diana to “protect those who seek succor in you. Provide us with the shelter to make one what is five. We are here in supplication, asking for help and guidance in our quest. Grant us thy provisions. Fermitas.”
"Sanctimonia.”
"Spiritus.”
"Sapientia.”
She felt the power touch her, trickle along her skin, and brush through her hair. She breathed deep the cinnamon smell of it, felt it course through her lungs, her blood, her heart, her veins. It seeped into every single cell and she felt it. A diffuse glow shimmering through her body, her blood on fire, her eyes wide with the sensation of wholeness. Then, suddenly, it coalesced inside her, forging a new creature of the old, and she just knew. This is what real power felt like. Full, bright, shining. Not a void of black emptiness filling her. Real power was tangible, a spark, a flame, a bolt that zinged her skin and tasted so rich on her tongue. This was the power of her friends and this was why they never lost. She turned aware eyes on the night, seeking out the darkness that stalked her, tried to manipulate her.
The shadows floated down the street, writhing along the sidewalks and alleys, reaching in and draining the life from any creature there. Darkly satisfied in the knowledge that this night, she would belong to them. Skulking along the night darkened street, the shadows came to settle before her, lying incongruously over the bluewhite light of the street lamp. Fingers stretched out to her, touching her, ghosting up her legs, twining itself between her fingers and in her hair. She stood letting it feel her, taste her. And she heard it whisper.
“Ours now. You’ll finally surrender.” The cold silky slide of black fingers of nothing chilled her skin, but hardened her resolve. She casually looked over in Dawn’s direction. Seeing no indication of a way out, but trusting Dawn completely, Willow smiled.
“You’ll never have me. Even if I were to surrender, the people that love me would keep you away from me.” She repressed a shudder and the fingers closed around her neck, the empty caress chilling her to the bone.
“But we have you now. Even now, your flesh cools to our touch. Your eyes close to our presence. You fear us, and it feeds us.” She felt herself be pulled by intangible hands, urged forward into the pool of darkness before her. Then she felt the earthen pull of Xander, coaxing her back, the taste of chocolate sweet in her throat. He was with her, his refusal to back down, his determination and spirit helping to keep her grounded.
She stepped back in to the light. A strength of resolve and purpose flooded her, and she knew Buffy wouldn’t let anything happen to her. A sudden calm confidence and lightness of heart enveloped her and brought tears to her eyes; Giles and Tara, pushing themselves into the moment.
From the corner of her eye, a deep green light shone from out of the shadows. She smiled as she heard Spike give a hoarse laugh. Looking over to the pair, she saw Dawn sitting in the center of the earthen circle, her hands at rest on her knees, her head thrown back, and her mouth moving in concentration. Suddenly the air was split with silent thunder and the night brightened with a silver glow. Willow smiled serenely.
“You may like the taste of my fear, the feel of my flesh, and the smell of surrender, but you’ll get none from me.” She focused all of her own energy and the extra she received from the spell to light the air. The very molecules of the atmosphere seemed to burn and glow, and she focused that more than natural light on the darkness that writhed before her. The fingers on her skin retreated in an instant, the cold emptiness withdrawing. The limbs and hands of shadow that had been stretched toward her recoiled as though burned, and she stalked forward, lighting the air, forcing light into the darkest recesses of the street. She expanded the light to corral the shadows, herding them toward Dawn and the silver green portal she was holding open.
The darkness screamed, finally audible to the night, the sound rattling the windows of the buildings and shaking the doors in their frames.
“You don’t belong here. I called you to help me, not to take me over. I gave you virgin blood, the sacrifice of an innocent life. You can’t have any more.” She forced the shadows into the portal, hearing the screaming and the curses and the pleading, saying she’d need them again, and they would have her then.
“I won’t,” a step to the portal, “need you,” a shove with the light, “ever.” an atom on fire. The portal closed. The air went out and the lights dimmed back to normal, and Willow collapsed at Spike’s feet in front of Dawn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giles, Buffy, Tara and Xander felt the final push of power and collectively gasped as the candles all went out.
“What happened? Oh my god, Willow!” Xander was nearly shouting in fear but felt a reassuring hand on his arm.
“She’s asleep. She passed out.” Tara whispered, smiling. “She did it. They’re gone. I can feel them gone. She’s safe.”
“Oh thank God. I thought when the candles went out that she was dead.”
“Nope, just finished with what she needed us for.”
Giles searched Tara’s face. “You can really feel her?”
“Oh yeah.”
He whispered, “I envy you your connection. If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I’d never have believed it.”
“Don’t. I had no choice, remember?” A soft smile graced her features. “Let’s go outside, ok?”
“I need to get to Dawn.” Buffy finally spoke up. “She needs me. She’s a little afraid.”
They all rose as Giles whispered the word to open the circle. Exiting the building, they made their way over to where Spike sat with Willow and Dawn. He had Dawn curled up next to his side, clinging to him and crying. Willow lay stretched out before him, her head cradled in his lap.
“She’s alive, just completely knackered.” He turned smiling blue eyes to Buffy. “Bit’s a mite scared. Somehow she feels a little bit evil. I tried to tell her, ain’t no way. But she needs her big sis.”
Buffy leaned down to wrap her arms around Dawn. “It’s alright, Dawnie. You did fantastic. I knew you would.” She kissed the top of her sister’s head and continued to whisper loving reassuring words to the distraught girl.
Tara folded herself down beside Willow, lifting the woman’s head from Spike’s lap and brushing her hands through the silky red hair. Willow finally woke up, lifting smiling triumphant green eyes to Tara’s. “We did it. We sent ‘em back. They’re gone.” Tara nodded. “Let me up.” Tara let go of her and watched as she stood and headed over to Giles, who stood alone, some yards away. Looking in on his children as they celebrated another victory with each other.
“You. I’d never have been able to do this if not for you. You helped me set the air on fire, Giles. That was you. I’ve never seen anything so awesome. And the power, from all of you. So bright and beautiful. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head against his chest, hearing his heartbeat. “I know, Giles. How you feel.” She looked again into his eyes. “I know you didn’t want me to, that you thought it would be a burden. And that you knew this spell would reveal everything. But you did it anyway. This and other moments like it are the reason I love you like I do. And why she does, too.” Willow smiled at his silently indrawn breath. The silence stretched between them almost endlessly. “She knows that she belongs to no one; that it is her destiny to be and die alone.” Her gaze turned knowing. “And I think you know that.” She turned away from him to face her subject. “If there ever is a moment when that stops being true? I think she’d like to belong to you.”
“Willow, you don’t have to say - ” he began.
“I know. But I want to. It’s the truth.” He nodded. “Now, can you please come join us. You’re family and you shouldn’t stand on the outside looking in.” She took his hand in hers and dragged him back to the gang.
Buffy had finally calmed Dawn down from her jagged tears and the two of them stood up to envelope Giles into the tightest hug he thought he’d ever received.
Xander shuffled his feet a little, and never really looked at Spike. Then he felt a cool hand on his chin forcing him to meet blue eyes that were dark with questions. “Pet? Something wrong?”
“Umm, well. Actually...no. Or rather, I think there might be.”
“Well, out with it, then. What’s the matter?”
“The ‘end of the world’ thing didn’t happen. I mean it did, but we stopped it, even if it was only about our little world. And there’s us to consider, I mean, was it just pre-apocalyptic feelings manifesting or lust or the beer from the other night. I don’t know. It’s just...every time for me has been about disaster. First Cordy, then Faith - oh god then Faith - then Anya and now you and I never can get this stuff right and I want you and I thought you wanted me. But now I just don’t know.”
“Pet.” The quiet, almost hard tone forced Xander to look again at Spike.
“All that is utter bollocks.”
“Huh?”
“You may go in for that, ‘the world is gonna end, so I may as well get my end in’ shite, but not me. I was the end of the world for a helluva lot of people for a helluva long time. I don’t do ‘end of the world’ shaggin’. I do it because I want to.”
“You want to?” Xander’s stunned question drew everyone’s attention to them, but because his back was turned to the group, he didn’t notice. Spike did.
Spike grinned wickedly. “Oh yeah, pet. Have wanted to. For a while now.”
Xander began to smile. “Really? Since when?”
“Since you asked me to dance. And didn’t back down when I took ya up on it.”
“Good. This is a good thing, then.”
“Yeah. Now do you remember what I said to you before?”
“Umm, the ‘you, me, later’ stuff? Yeah. I remember.”
“Think we can get started on that then?”
“See, I told you all that dance was hot! And I knew we needed to do a de-lusting spell.” Dawn’s voice shattered the illusion of privacy that Xander had. His eyes grew anime wide and he turned around to find five pairs of eyes watching him.
“Ummm, gulp?”
Buffy shook her head and answered Dawn, “Nah. I think they’re kinda cute.”
“I for one do not. It would be a boon to mine eyes if I never saw the two of them clinched again.” Giles’ voice sounded less than sincere.
Tara grinned and said, “I’m with Buffy on this one. What about you Willow?”
“Hmm. It’s my bestest friend Xander and Spike. I’m thinking ‘shovel talk’ is in order.”
“See, pet? No one’s really objecting.” Spike stalked over to Xander, grabbed him by the hips and pulled him close. “And even if they did, I wouldn’t soddin’ care. You’re mine.” And he planted his lips on Xander’s, taking what was freely offered. He heard a whispered, “And you’re mine.” and smiled.
“Let’s go home, pet.”
And they left.
Finis
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