Now this part has been written at 5am. So if it's not up to my usual standards I apologise unreservedly.

Hope you enjoy it anyway. Remember all feedback is appreciated (even the negatve so be honest)


Bad Tidings part 7.

Darkness fell, a little too fast and too early for Buffy’s liking. She sometimes thought that Mother Nature liked to play sick jokes on her. Knowing what lay out there in the dark, and letting it loose a little early. She moved these thoughts to the back of her mind as she moved through the eerily quiet halls. The decision had been made earlier to send the sophomore age kids home. With Angelus loose she didn’t want a bunch of hysterical pre teens screaming the walls down around her.

She walked from one end of the main building to the other, checking windows and any other entrances were locked and guarded. Three slayers on each door. Even if Angelus could find a way around the de-invitation spell, he’d have to go through three well-trained slayers to get into the building. Any one of them alone could take down the average vampire. But Buffy knew, Angelus was anything but average. The best she could expect the three to do was hold him at bay until either she or Faith arrived. They had both dealt with Angelus in the past, they knew how he operated, how he hunted. It was more sport to him than anything. Buffy wasn’t even entirely sure he needed to drink the blood of his victims, as though he could sustain himself on their fear and pain.

She hated him. But she loved the man he truly was. Angel and Angelus were part and parcel of each other; Buffy had learned that the hard way. Could she bring herself to kill him, again? “God, I need a shrink!” She muttered to herself as she continued her checks. She swung the ax of the slayer idly in her hand as she walked. It’s power coursed through her veins, with it she felt unstoppable, and yet, she swung it as though it were a common tool. “What is up with me?”

“Well if you want my unprofessional opinion? You’re worried about killing the love of your life.” Spike had appeared from one of the doorways that led to the basement of the large building. He had made it his home, his ‘crypt away from crypt’ as he had jokingly put it. No one had laughed then. Not even Spike himself.

“I thought you felt that was you? The love of my life I mean, not the guy I’m going to kill.”

“Yeah, I got the distinction.” Spike half smiled. “I know you still love that old flouncy haired pansy. Nothing I can do about that, but you may have to deal with him, once and for all. Are you really up to that Buffy?”

“Willow might be able to re-ensoul him.” Buffy didn’t sound half as sure about that as she had wanted to.

“And if Red can’t do it? What then?”

“Then I do what I have to do. If he comes here, looking to kill more people. I’ll stop him. Any way I can, any way I have to.” Again the sound of unwanted uncertainty tinged her voice.

“Maybe Faith should carry the pig sticker this time?” Spike pointed at the Ax. “Just in case you, well, you know, can’t do the deed.”

“I’ll do it Spike. But only if I absolutely have to. And Faith, well she has other stuff to deal with. Like the rest of the kids.”

“Yeah, vice principal Faith, who’d ever have seen that coming? Course, I think she only got the job ‘cos she’s shagging the principal.”

Faith’s relationship with Principal Wood was fairly common knowledge around the Academy. They weren’t exactly secretive, and their rooms were only two floors above the kid’s dormitories. Half the building could hear what they got up to sometimes. Buffy just smiled, “Actually, I was the one who talked Wood into taking her on in the position. He wanted to keep that side of his life separate from his w**k life. I told him that life was too short to keep people at a distance, for any length of time. Even if it’s only 9 to 5.”

“Wow! Buffy the philosopher comes into play. I’m impressed. Is that how you live your own life now?”

“Spike, I barely have a life now. We’ve gone global; I’m w**king my butt off, trying to stop the world being sucked into hell on a daily basis. I don’t have time to do anything. If I’m not jetting off to Tokyo to fight a Gr’shratki demon that’s determined to breed with every male child in range, I’m flying off to Paris because another hell mouth just opened up for business.”

“Or going to Rome to be with the Eternal?” The sadness in Spike’s voice jarred Buffy slightly.

“What? That is so over. It was a fling. Nothing more, no emotional attachments, just plain, old fashioned dirty deeds between consenting adults.” Buffy saw the pain in his eyes now. “I never felt for him what I felt for you, what I feel for you.” A glimmer showed in Spike’s eyes now. “And no Spike. I don’t ‘fancy a quickie’ I’ve got a headache.” Buffy’s rebuff of Spikes unspoken advance was rapidly followed by her smile. Which to Spike, felt like mana from on high.

Screams from the direction of the front door jarred the two back to reality. They were running together before they even realised.

The sight that awaited them when the reached the entryway, was one of devastation. Two of the slayers who had been on guard lay at odd angles on the ground, their necks obviously broken. The third, Buffy knew, a German girl by the name of Lianna, was holding her own against Angelus. She had always been the best in the martial arts training groups. Her moves were like fluid, she ducked parried and punched with such grace it almost looked as though she were dancing with Angelus.

“Back off Lianna. He’s mine.” Buffy shouted as she threw herself at Angelus. Knocking him off his feet.

“Oh, I’m yours am I? That’s so sweet.” Angelus laughed under Buffy’s onslaught of punches. “No. I mean it. It’s sweet.” There was anger now in his voice as he punched Buffy in the stomach. Buffy had never felt anything like it. She was lifted off the ground and felt her back hit the ceiling. From her odd perspective, she saw Spike running towards Angelus as a ferocious roar filled the air. He was pissed. Then after what seemed like forever, gravity took hold and she feel towards the floor. As she fell, she went limp, to absorb the impact. She was back on her feet seconds after she had landed. In time to see Spike being thrown off like a rag doll. He flew down the hallway that he had just run from.

Buffy was still a little winded from the punch; she needed to stall for time to regain her breath. “How did you get in? We did the spell to de-invite you.”

“Oh, Buffy. I don’t need to be invited in here anymore.” Angelus said plainly. A toothy vampiric smile on his face. The evil in his voice was palpable.

“But that would mean.. Oh my God, now. Dawn” She screamed at the top of her voice.

“Give the girl a prize for being so smart. Then kill her for taking so damn long in figuring it out.” The voice came from above her. Buffy didn’t need to turn but she did anyway. She saw Kennedy standing at the top of the stairwell, her face distorted by the facial features of a vampire. “Oh, and here’s you prize Buffy.” Kennedy threw something from the top of the stairs. It hit the ground with a bloody thud. The thing moaned.

“Dawn.” Buffy knelt as she recognised her sister’s prone form.

“She’s alive?” Angelus asked, looking at Kennedy.

“She tasted funny.” There was slight disappointment in Kennedy’s voice “Ah, but here comes a sweet meat.” Angelus turned and saw what Kennedy meant. Willow had just entered the hall. She glanced around until her eyes fell on Kennedy. Her jaw fell. “Aw sweetie. No hugs?” Kennedy’s voice filled with hatred, cut Willow to the core.

“No. No. Not again. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.” With the last cry Angelus found himself lifted off the ground and thrown through the still open doors. The vampire that wore the form of Willow’s lover was also thrown backwards with a great force. She struck the wall behind her and was immediately unconscious. The front door slammed behind Angelus, and a glowing blue field covered the doorway. “He won’t get in.” Willow said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Willow strode purposefully up the stairs to where Kennedy had fallen. “Now to deal with you.” Tears filled her eyes as she physically lifted Kennedy onto her shoulders and headed towards the sickbay again with her lover. Buffy had picked up Dawn and was hot on the witch’s heels.

They reached the small room almost at the same moment. Buffy laid Dawn on one of the beds and crouched down next to her sister. “Dawnie? Can you hear me?” Dawn moaned an indistinct response. Giles was at her back, and placed his hand on her shoulder. Buffy turned and smiled. Without even speaking she knew that her sister would be cared for by the man who had been more of a father to her and Dawn in recent years than their own father had been. She stood and took the couple of steps to cross the room to where Willow was watching Kennedy. “What are you gonna do with her Will?”

“Bring her back.” Willow held out her hand and a glowing orb appeared there in her open palm.

“What if she wakes up before you complete the spell?” Buffy never took her eyes off Kennedy. Not thinking for an instant that this former friend wasn’t capable of ripping them all to shreds.

“That’s why you’re here.” Willows eyes glowed white. Willow noticed Buffy looking at her eyes. “At least they’re not black? Right?” Almost a smile.

“Oh. Are you going to give me my soul back baby? I don’t want it!” Kennedy was awake and on her feet so fast. Buffy had barely taken here eyes off her for a second. She was running for the door, when a fist struck her in the face.

“Going nowhere bitch!” Buffy2 stood blocking Kennedy’s escape. Kennedy fell backwards, and Buffy2 was on her immediately. “Willow, spell. Now.” Buffy2 wrestled with Kennedy on the floor, never once allowing the vampire to gain an advantage. Willow began chanting as Buffy moved to help her double to restrain Kennedy.

“I’ll kill you both. I swear it; I’ll kill you both. I know that to you, death is a revolving door, but I’ll make sure you’ll never come back. I’ll tear you to shreds. I’ll..” Her ranting stopped. A brilliant light filled the room as Willow completed the spell to put Kennedy’s soul back in her body. Kennedy seemed to have fallen into unconsciousness.

“Will? Did it w**k?” Buffy still had a hold of one of Kennedy’s arms but looked to her friend for confirmation that it was over.

“It worked the last two times didn’t it?” Willow herself looked as though she were ready to faint. She found a seat for herself and fell backwards into it.

Under her weight, Buffy could feel Kennedy stirring. “Buffy?”

“It’s alright Kennedy. You’re back. Willow cast the spell, you’re back in control of your body again.”

“Willow cast the curse again?” Kennedy asked.

“Yup, you’re all better now. Come on Kennedy, you’re girlfriend needs a hug.” Buffy stood up. Buffy2 a little more cautious rose as well.

“Kennedy? What do you mean?” Asked Angel. Speaking from Kennedy’s lips.

“Oh, and this isn’t going to get complicated at all is it?” Buffy asked no one in particular.

To be continued…….

:thumbsup:

:lol:

Ooops

Poor Dawn :shifty: , still great Jamie, I can really visualise the characters :)

now the angel/kennedy thingie is excellent :lmao: :thumbsup:

Fantastic :thumbsup:

Thanks :blush:

it's weird the ideas I get at 5am with no sleep :lol:

Very good Jamie. :lol: @ Angel's soul in Kennedy's body.

This is fantastic Jamie :thumbsup: