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 Ldynwaitin
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Notfadeaway.org

We'd like to extend an invitation to all of our readers to check out the site we have created at www.notfadeaway.org. It houses a huge gallery of photos of James Marsters plus screencaps of Spike from the TV series. It also has a posting board where fans of Joss Whedon's TV series, as well as fans of the characters, actors and writers from the series, may post and read messages about a variety of topics, including our Spike: Soul Survivor series. In fact, we'd like it very much if anyone would care to discuss our series on this board. Feel free to either register and become an actual member of the board or just read and post messages there as a "guest". We have plans to add other special "extras" to this site in the future. Hope you enjoy the new site, again at: www.notfadeaway.org

Split Decision (continued) Page 1, 2, 3

The next morning, Spike rushed through the glass doors that lead into Reliant Center. Stopping in a shadowed corner, he pulled his leather duster down from his head. Looking up at Mena, he saw her stifling a smile.

"What's so bloody funny?"

"See, I told you it's bad for your health to smoke."

Gazing down, he saw wisps of smoke slowly rising above his shirt collar and out the cuffs of his sleeves. He shook his head, and let out a small growl. "Of all the bloody places you shouldn't send a vampire to, it's sodding, sunny Texas. But no, Giles has that poofter Watcher sense of humor. 'Oh, we need someone in Houston? Let's send the vampire!'"

"Why did you laugh at his affliction?" Illyria asked Mena. She was still eager to learn how to fit in with the humans. Seeing her pet smoking from his extremities, she thought she should have felt sorrow for him. She was surprised to find that she should have been laughing.

"Just making a joke, Illyria," Mena explained. "If friends are close, they can tease each other with jokes that might hurt or anger an enemy."

"I see," Illyria said. Her face slowly contorted in confusion. "If someone is my friend, I would be happy to see him on fire, and if someone is my enemy, I would be happy to see him on fire?"

Spike shook his head. "You know, as crazy as that sounds, it actually makes some sense."

Xander pointed towards a large archway that led to where the dog show was being held. "As much as I love a good laugh and always enjoy seeing my friend Spike on fire, we need to concentrate on the job."

Focusing on where Xander was pointing, they all saw Red Sovaine walking through the arch. Spike was relieved to see that not only had Red brought his precious Bubbles, his vanity allowed him to make sure she was wearing Illyria's gem. The wanker wanted all the photographers to get a good shot of it. Unfortunately, he also had several of his bodyguards on duty. Illyria was definitely going to be needed to separate man from dog.

"Right, let's get this show started. Xander and I are going to step back, so the ladies can work their magic. Illyria, you can turn on that sex machine." Holding his finger up, he said, "Just remember what we taught you about flirting."

Illyria nodded her head. "I must rotate my hips in an uncomfortable position as I walk towards him. Once I am near him, I am to show him my mammary glands, so that the ugly human's pheromones will begin producing chemicals that will make him lose enough of his intelligence that I can easily trick him into letting me get close enough to steal the gem."

Spike frowned at Illyria's description of what she had learned from his lesson on the art of flirtation -- which he now realized was only the physical moves and none of the nuance. In other words, absolutely nothing! Still, it ought to work fine on Red.

"You know, as crazy as that sounds, it actually makes sense."

"You said that before," Xander noted.

"Yeah, but I didn't know what bloody else to say," Spike said through clenched teeth. "We need her to get close to that wanker. With Haley driving our getaway car, we don't have anyone else that his pheromones will produce for."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short," Xander sang out. "From what I saw before, I think Miss Spike could have a good shot at it."

Fisting both of his hands, Spike said in a tight voice to Illyria, "Just don't show him too much of your mammary glands. A woman needs to keep part of her a mystery."

Illyria nodded her head. "I will show him only one."

"Me, too!" Mena blurted out, before she let out a burst of giggles as Spike rolled his eyes.

Illyria glanced down. Inspecting her body, a small frown marred her beautiful face. "Am I on fire?"

This time Mena had to slap both hands over her mouth as she struggled to stop laughing.

Spike grabbed Mena's arm and whispered into her ear, "Make sure she doesn't end up being dragged away by Houston's finest. I'm sure we won't hear the end of it if Giles has to bail her out of the local constabulary."

"I shall try my best," Mena managed to say, through the last of her aborted laughter. Straightening her sleeves, she joined Illyria. "Are you ready, Thelma?"

"Yes, Louise," Illyria replied. Spike was surprised to see a beautiful smile break out. It was then he realized a touch of Fred had come out to help them. "Don't worry, I shall not fail my mission."

Spinning around, Illyria set her shoulders back. In unison, Illyria and Mena began to walk identically to the way Spike had showed them.

Both men breathed a sigh of relief. They thought that maybe, just maybe their plan might work. They quickly rushed towards the other side of the room. Coming through the arch on the opposite side, they made sure to keep an eye on Mena and Illyria.

They walked into a huge room. Dogs were lined up in a center aisle. Spike's and Xander's gaze slowly followed Mena and Illyria as they moved in Red's wake. Spike was proud to see how well the women emulated his flirtatious technique. They had his, or rather, Drusilla's walk down to perfection.

"What the hell is that?" Xander asked. He pointed towards a large white dog. It looked sort of like a sheepdog, but its coat was knotted in such a way, that for all appearances, it looked like a giant mop.


By Yours Truly and Ldynwaitin

"That can't be a real dog, It looks like either a demon fell in love with a mop, or someone was to lazy to mop their own floors and made a dog tha would do it for them."

His face painted in bewilderment, a small smile fought to escape as he stared at the strange looking dog.

"That's a Komondor, mate," Spike explained. "It comes from Hungary, and don't ask me how I knew that. If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Promises, promises," Xander said. He slowly shook his head. "Hungary, huh. I thought Dracula was scary. I guess he doesn't hold the Hungarian patent on that."

"Want to see something scarier?" Spike's voice was laced with concern. Grabbing Xander by the shoulders, Spike spun him around. Xander immediately saw the cause of Spike's concern.

Illyria had Spike's walk down pat. She was doing it so well that most of the men near her seemed to be infatuated. Xander saw a woman slap her husband on the arm when his eyes blatantly followed Illyria as she drifted through the crowd.

Mena soon realized that they had become the center of attention -- at least, for the male visitors to the dog show who were in Illyria's vicinity. Mena noticed that many of the men seemed to be mesmerized. They stood transfixed, as Illyria sashayed past them.

The young Slayer softly whispered to Illyria, "Are you using the pheromones you spoke of?"

Illyria nodded her head, "Spike had mentioned to fight fire with fire. I thought it would help."

"It will, but you're fanning your flames toward the wrong men." She pointed out the hypnotized men who began to slowly follow them. "Why don't you turn down the fire a bit, and then switch on all the burners when we reach Mr. Sovaine."

Illyria slowly nodded her head. In seconds, Mena noticed that the men following them began shaking their heads as if waking from a deep sleep.

"Now, that is something you'll have to teach me someday."

Spike and Xander were relieved to see Illyria stop whatever she was doing to the men in the crowd. Skirting past several tables covered with ribbons and trophies, the two women hurried over to where Red was headed. A small group of photographers and reporters circled him.

Stopping near an arch covered in vines and flowers, Red held his precious Bubbles in his arms. Lifting her to his face, he posed for the photographers. Hearing one of the photographers ask to show off Bubbles' jewelry, he proudly placed one of his hands behind the blue gem and lifted it slightly forward, so that it sparkled in the lights.

As Red posed for the photographers, he was suddenly taken by the strange beauty of a woman who stood behind them.

Her dark hair was streaked in a beautiful blue color. Her clothes implied that she must either be a rock star or into bondage. Hoping the latter, a small smile cracked his lips.

"Oh, Mr. Sovaine!" Mena gushed. She waved frantically at him. As she took a step forward, several of Red's bodyguards immediately blocked her.

Red was not interested in the young girl, but the ravishing woman that stood next to her -- now she was a woman that he definitely would like to be wining and dining later tonight.

"Let them pass," Red called out to his men. "Don't you recognize little Mena, who saved Bubbles yesterday? I promised her that she and her friends could have a place right up front."

As the well-armed men took a step back, Mena rushed over to where Red was standing. Illyria remained quietly by her side. "I'm so happy to see you again, Mr. Sovaine," Mena said. "I forgot to tell you earlier that I absolutely loved you in La Boheme. I have never heard anyone else sing so beautifully."

"Of course not, child, and you never will," Red smiled.

Mena had to screw on her smile as she spoke to this vain, pompous ass of a man. She was thankful when he actually pushed her aside to speak to Illyria.

"And who might you be, my blue beauty?" he said in his silkiest voice.

Illyria noticed a scent from this man that almost sickened her. It was not passion, but hunger and lust. It was human emotions that she did not enjoy being near. Eyeing the jewel hanging from the poodle's collar, she knew she had to do something drastic, something that would sicken her even more. Taking in a deep breath, she began to flirt back.

"My name is Illyria," she replied in a husky voice. Her gaze softened as she regarded him with lust-filled eyes.

"That is an unusual name, my dear. You from around here?"

Illyria slowly moved closer, "Would you like me to be?" Remembering what Spike had shown her, she moved her hand up and twisted a lock of her hair around her finger.

Red gulped hard. He had never met a woman who was nearly as seductive as he was. As he took a step closer, he felt his arm vibrating. Hearing a low growl, he realized it came from his Bubbles.

"Now, now Bubbles. Daddy is busy. Mustn't make a scene before the reporters."

Bubbles was furious. She didn't mind the young girl; she had fun playing with her, but this new woman? She did not like her at all. The smells coming from her made her nose twitch. Pulling her lips back, she made it perfectly clear that she was not a happy poodle.

"I'm sorry, my sweet, it appears that my little Bubbles is a wee bit jealous. But never you mind." Leaning closer, he whispered to Illyria, "Later, I can leave her with the baby sitter."

With Red so close, Illyria quickly saw her chance to steal the gem. Using her powers, her hand quickly reached out. In a split second, she managed to grab the gem hanging from Bubbles' collar, break the chain that held it to the collar, and step back. Her actions were so quick, no one had noticed her move or that the gem was missing.

She grinned in triumph as she held the gem tightly in her hand and indicated to Mena that it was time for them to meander away, pretending to be interested in the dog show.

Unfortunately, her joy was not long-lived. She felt the gem grow unnaturally warm in her hand.

"We must go now," she hissed to Mena.

As Illyria began to walk away, Red called out to her. "Wait, my dear, I did not give you my room number."

"I will come back later; then we can copulate."

Red let out a low growl, "My kind of woman."

"What is wrong?" Mena whispered as Illyria ushered her away from the reporters. Illyria's actions had been so quick, even Mena did not see her steal the gem.

Before Illyria could explain that she had already acquired the gem, it became too hot for her to hold. She released her grip and let it drop from her hand.

Mena froze as she saw the gem floating in the air. Spinning wildly, it began to glow a deep blue.

"What is happening, Illyria!" Mena searched the crowd for Spike and Xander. She let out a low curse when she was unable to find them.

Hearing a gasp coming from Illyria, she turned her attention back to the gem. She was shocked to see something actually growing out of the gem. It was small at first, but it appeared to be a head. Blue lights snaked out of the gem.

"Illyria, this is really bad, isn't it?" Mena now saw a neck and shoulders attached to the head."

"Very! Someone has laid a trap for me," Illyria snarled. "Stay back, Mena, for I believe one of my enemies has hidden an assassin within the gem. I do not want you harmed because of me.



By Ldynwaitin

As the the torso of a man began flowing out of the gem, Mena stepped up beside her teammate. "I won't leave you, Illyria. If there is a battle to be fought, I will be at your side."

Illyria and Mena stepped back. Whatever was emerging from the gem was growing in size. They could now see that it would be a very large man indeed. Dressed in an ancient warrior's clothing, he held a large club in his hands. Illyria proudly nodded to Mena. "We go in battle together."

Standing side by side, they waited for the warrior to fully emerge from the gem, leery of the electrical sparks zapping around him. Both were suddenly thrown back when a huge explosion came from the gem.

Landing hard on the floor, Illyria saw her assassin now standing before her. Letting out a deafening roar, he swung his club in the air and charged.

~~~~~~~~

Xander felt the rumbling as much as he heard it, and he wasn't sure if the floor was shaking or if the rattling was just in his bones. A brilliant, blue light obscured his vision, and the rumbling gave way to a sharp, piercing jangle - the sound of crystal breaking into millions of shards.

The black hole in his vision slowly dwindled to a pinpoint, but his flustered brain made little sense of what he was seeing. Everything seemed too close, strangely flattened. He suspected his distance perception was screwed up.

Illyria was locked in battle with some wild man in skins, who was swinging a massive club.

Xander's thoughts were as screwed up as his vision, but he knew Illyria wasn't supposed to be fighting anybody. They had made that clear. Yet he could see Spike flying through the air and locking his arms around the wild man's throat. They hadn't covered this in their grand plan last night!

The wild man's mouth was moving. He was speaking? Xander realized belatedly that he could hear what was being said. He just wasn't making sense of it. So he focused, and picked up the wild man's words in progress.

"...know then, Illyria, who it is that has come to bring your doom. I am Hyllus, beloved of Zeus! For long eons I have resided in the gem, awaiting your arrival so that you may be sent back to the Hell in which you were spawned! Your presence will not be tolerated in this sphere, and I will crush you like..."

Xander shook his head. All these demon-types sounded the same, whether they were talking to Slayers or Old Ones.

He drowned out the pompous boasting - he understood now why Illyria was fighting - and concentrated on the other strange sound. He focused his attention on a sharp series of clapping noises interspersed with high-pitched shrieks.

Xander suddenly realized the clapping noise was actual clapping. And the shrieks were laughter.

The crowd was stomping and clapping and laughing! They must think it was all part of the show. A circus promotion or something. Xander saw Mena diving under the arc of the wild man's club, launching herself at Hyllus' legs, working in tandem with Spike, who still clung to Hyllus' neck. They were obviously trying to overbalance the wild man and take him down. It didn't seem to be working.

Xander's vision was back to normal, and his brain seemed to be functioning again. He watched the fight and danced back and forth, hoping for an opening where he could jump in and help.

A sudden thought struck him. The gem! Where was the Gem of Illyria? Had it been destroyed?

Xander scanned the area frantically, his eyes searching for a sparkle, a glimmer, anything bright and shiny. He saw a crowd that was highly amused by the ongoing spectacle and competitors steadfastly going about the business of showing their dogs. The handlers were holding tight onto their excited animals and bringing them back under control with a few, sharp jerks of the leash.

Amazing.

His search grew more frantic. He remembered the sound - like crystal breaking. Had it been the gem? Their whole mission would be lost if the gem were destroyed.

Illyria now sat astride Hyllus' chest; Spike sat on Hyllus' arm, and Mena sprawled across Hyllus' legs.

One blue-leathered arm flailed, high in the air, while Illyria repeatedly smashed Hyllus' face with her other fist. Hyllus ignored her blows and clawed at her extended arm with his free hand. Xander saw the glint of the gem's brilliance peeping through Illyria's fingers.

He breathed a sigh of relief. The gem was whole and Illyria was protecting it.

Hyllus bellowed. "You seek to weaken me by keeping me from your gem of power. Fool! That power is now mine."

Illyria bashed her fisted hand across his jaw, and Hyllus convulsed, lifting Spike off the ground and smashing him back down. Illyria sneered. "You are the fool. If the power is yours, why do you seek to retrieve the gem? This jewel is part of me. I drew it forth from my living heart and invested it with the merest fraction of my power..."

Xander tuned out the warring god-things. What could he do now? Why hadn't they discussed this kind of stuff last night? Didn't he and Spike know that something like this always happened? Maybe he should try and get people to vacate the building? How much danger were they in?

Something appeared in the corner of his eye, and Xander realized that Spike was careening across the floor and sliding into Show Ring #9 -- where Komondors were currently competing.

Spike skidded beneath the cloth encircling the ring and disappeared from Xander's sight. He re-appeared a moment later, spinning toward the center of the competition circle, on a collision course with the dog trotting across the ring. The Komondor jumped into the air, his wiry cords flapping wildly, and Spike passed underneath the dog, his speed unimpeded.

He continued sliding until he disappeared through the cloth on the other side, once again out of Xander's line of sight.

The handler wasn't easily spooked and brought the Komondor neatly back into line, not stopping for so much as a glare at the interruption. Xander wondered if the dogs got extra points for evasion maneuvers.

A roar of approval from the crowd directed Xander's attention back to the fight. Hyllus was back on his feet, his doughty club in motion; Illyria was several feet in the air above him. Xander felt a squirm of uneasiness. First Spike, then Illyria. This Hyllus guy was tough.

Still, he didn't think it would do any good to sound an alarm. The audience was having too much fun, and for the moment, at least, Hyllus seemed to be concentrating on Spike, Illyria and ...and where was Mena?

Mena was colliding with a display of Science Diet dog kibble.

Dog food exploded in all directions as the bags burst; Mena slid to the floor; Illyria landed on the cement with a perceptible thud and rode several feet on a stream of kibble.

The handlers would have their hands full now. What dog was going to resist a free lunch? Xander watched as tiny pellets pinged their way into the obedience ring. Three dogs lay in the 'down' position, obediently awaiting their master's command. A heaping helping of crunchy goodness piled in front of them, and their noses twitched, but not one moved from its place.

Xander shook his head and spoke to no one in particular. "How come none of the dogs I ever owned behaved that well?"

He felt the applause dwindle. Maybe the crowd was getting a clue? Xander's hope was dashed as the clapping and laughter renewed.

Spike had flown through the air, like the Caped Crusader, his coat flapping in the wind, and the weight of his body took Hyllus down.

Illyria loomed over Hyllus' prone body, raised her knee high and rammed her foot downward in a deadly stomp. The crowd booed, and Spike's hand shot out in a 'V' sign.

Xander wondered how many in the audience knew they had just been flipped the bird? He hadn't realized, until just lately, that the American 'V' for victory is the British equivalent of a pointed middle finger - at least when the palm faced inward like Spike's did. Xander realized he had never discovered what it meant when the palm was out. Was that the hippie peace sign?

Hyllus' ravaging club struck Illyria's hand, and the gem soared, gyrating over and over in a brightly tinted arc.

Shards of harsh, crystalline radiance beamed through the air as light reflected off the facets of the gem. The room became a kaleidoscopic ball of brilliant color, and the crowd ooohed! The dogs began howling; even the handlers showed signs of being startled.

Xander kept his eyes on the ball - or the gem, in this case.

He reflected on his poor performance in sports during his high school years and wondered if Watcher training would help with gem catching. He ran, keeping his eyes pinned to the source of the radiance. His eyes burned, and tears streamed down his cheeks, but he refused to blink.

He heard a dog screech and realized he'd stepped on its foot; streams of invective followed his flight. He kept going, following the glow, following the glow, foll...falling on the floor.

His lip split as it collided with cement, and his jaw felt as if it were slammed around to lie under his ear. Damn! He wasn't sure what he'd tripped over, probably a chair.

He'd lost sight of the gem. He scrambled to his knees, ignoring the kibble that dug into them, and lifted his face to find it. Fortunately, its velocity had slowed enormously, or it would have probably killed him when it hit him between the eyes.

It bounced off his face and continued bouncing on the floor. Ping. Ping. Ping. Xander pounced like a cat with a mouse. He felt a distinct sense of unreality as his fist actually closed over the hard, cool surface of the gem.

I caught it?

He sat up, grinning wildly with victory, and the breeze from Hyllus' club ruffled his hair like a windstorm.

Eyes wide with fear, he scuttled backwards. He felt something big behind him, and a heavy weight tumbled down on top of him. He peered with shock at the frightened faces of Red Sovaine and Bubbles, and he shoved backwards -- hard -- hoping without faith that he could push all three of them far enough so that Hyllus' descending club would miss.


By Ldynwaitin

Bubbles dashed forward, sharp little claws skittering across the cement. She bit deeply into Hyllus' heel. Her teeth were mere pinpricks in his leathery hide, but it was enough - Hyllus jerked, and his club changed its arc, missing both Xander and Red by mere inches. Hyllus shook his leg fiercely, then grabbed the dog by the neck and flipped her into the air.

Xander propelled Red and himself behind a booth. Bubbles landed with a thump beside her master, and Xander's heart squeezed. The little pooch wasn't...

Bubbles rolled herself to her feet and wobbled a moment before prancing over to give her master a thousand kisses. Xander smiled and wished he had a hat so he could tip it to the World's Smallest Hero. Then he screamed as Hyllus grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him from behind the booth.

He was sure he felt every inch of his vertebrae rattling, but he kept his grip on the gem.

It was one of the hardest physical efforts he ever made in his life, but he forced his arm up and the gem out of the wild man's reach. Hyllus was hefting him into the air and didn't seem bright enough to realize that if he dropped Xander he could reach the gem. Or maybe he just liked torturing Xander.

Where is Bubbles when I need her? Xander's jangled brain coughed up irrelevant thoughts: why didn't Slayers have animal companions like cowboys did; if your entire skeleton was shaken into mush would you bounce like jelly; what did efficacious mean?

Mottled blue spots appeared in his vision, and he thought possibly he was fainting. He felt cool fingers plucking at his and realized that Illyria was taking the gem out of his hand. He let her have it.

Hyllus dropped him flat and jumped toward Illyria with a roar. They grappled.

"You only cripple yourself by shielding the gem! I no longer care if I retrieve it. I will be satisfied to crush you into oblivion." Despite his words, Hyllus twisted Illyria's wrist, digging his thumb into the nerves at the junction between arm and hand. Illyria's free hand clawed at his eyes, and she struck his arm. Hyllus' club clattered on the cement, close enough to make Xander's nose itch.

He huddled into a fetal position, attempting to protect his softer parts from their feet. They stomped around him, slamming each other with massive body blows. His world dwindled to a flurry of flying feet: Illyria's foot scraping his ear; Hyllus' sandal leaving its print on his back; the scent of Hyllus' feet turning his stomach. He oofed and ouched and tried not to throw up.

The battle moved away as Spike and Mena engaged, and he lay still for a moment before cautiously moving his body parts. Everything was sore but everything worked. He moved bleary eyes back to the fight. Hyllus had retrieved his club, and used it to send Illyria careening into Spike. Mena coiled her leg into place for a snap kick.

Xander stood, and a wave of dizziness made him close his eyes. A horrible crunching sound made him open them quickly.

Blood sprayed across his face, and Mena's foot clipped his shoulder as her body hurtled past him. She crashed against the cement wall with bone-breaking force and spun across the floor, where she lay -- a pale, waxen parody of her usual self.

Xander felt bile rising in his stomach. Oh, God! Is she dead?

~~~~~~~~

Spike saw Mena fly past his head, and he whirled around with wide eyes to follow her fall, watching as she crumbled to the floor with a sickening crack. He made a move to run to her but was immediately distracted when Hyllus' club hit the side of his head and sent him flying in the other direction. He landed in a defensive crouch that he was forced to keep for the long seconds during which his vision swam alarmingly, making him close his eyes tightly to regain his bearings.

When he opened them again, it was to the sight of Illyria backing Hyllus into a wall. Even from a distance, Spike could see she wouldn't be able to keep the attack up for much longer.

Rising back to his feet, he spared the human spectators a fleeting glance before his eyes landed on Mena. He growled loudly, face shifting into the game face he'd been holding back for the humans' benefit. With a roar, he threw himself head-on at Hyllus, aiming a kick directly to the demigod's chest that would have made a lesser being sport several broken ribs.

Spike was painfully reminded of fighting Illyria, back when she first arrived, as Hyllus barely spared him a glance, blocking his attacks before throwing him aside like a rag doll, focused instead on beating Illyria.

This time Spike landed against the wall next to Mena. He crawled over to her side, where Xander was already kneeling in a state of panic. Face shifting back into his human guise, Spike saw the girl's features were relaxed in unconsciousness; but, he was grateful to notice as he got nearer, her heartbeat remained somewhat steady.

"She's not waking up, Spike," Xander told him in a rush, hands roaming over the girl's body as he carefully arranged her so she laid more comfortably on the floor. "And she's bleeding from the head wound."

Spike came closer and peered at the girl's injuries. Running his hands gently over her chest, he noticed she had at least two broken ribs, in addition to the contusions and gash on her head.

"She always wakes up right away," Xander continued breathlessly. "Can you tell what's wrong? Should I call an ambulance?"

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered faintly when he realized the little Slayer was sporting what could possibly be a skull fracture, while her pale features made Spike fear internal injuries. He carefully felt around her neck area, relieved to feel that everything along her spine seemed to be in its right place.

Looking over to their left, he spotted the bench behind which the opera singer was now crouching, and he pointed Xander in that direction, keeping his voice steady.

"Xander, take her back there for now, okay? I think you can move her if you're very careful. Call an ambulance as soon as you get Mena out of harm's way. I gotta go help Illyria."


By Ldynwaitin

Looking over his shoulder, Spike saw said Old One being dangled against the wall, kicking ineffectually against Hyllus' hold. Meeting Xander's eyes only briefly and touching a gentle hand to Mena's face, he whirled around and ran back into the fight, noticing as he did that the humans around him were beginning to smell of fear.

So, they'd finally noticed the danger. Stupid humans.

Growing closer to the seething Hyllus, Spike quickly began searching for a weapon. With a sharp kick, he severed a leg from the table that held the main prizes for the dog show. He paid the furniture no mind as it crumbled behind him, while he used the severed table leg to stab Hyllus in the back.

The huge brute stumbled sideways, releasing Illyria from his hold. She delivered a swift kick to his head when Hyllus bent over in shock, sending the bigger creature flying to land in the scattered remains of a table.

Spike glanced over to meet Illyria's eyes, and what he saw there made him take an involuntary step back.

The Old One regarded him coldly for only a moment, holding the gem that she had recovered in a closed fist while her stance straightened, in full display of her powers.

That, Spike remembered, was exactly the same look he got, back when he'd been assigned to 'study' her, and he'd been thrown from wall to wall for her amusement. Illyria leapt at Hyllus, who had drawn the table leg from his back with a roar and hurled it towards the screaming spectators.

Right, they'd all finally bought a clue, Spike thought.

He spared a regretful glance at the man who had been pinned to a wall by the flying wooden projectile, but could do nothing about it.

"Run, you wankers! Get out of here!" Spike called out loudly, but could tell that panic was starting to kick in throughout the Center, and few people heard him. Dogs were running around loose, and humans were running after them, shouting out their names as the battle continued in their midst. The stupid blighters wouldn't step out of their bleeding way!

"Bollocks," Spike cursed beneath his breath, rushing after Illyria and jumping into the fray. Grunting when Hyllus' elbow caught him directly in the chest, slamming him back against the wall, he struggled not to cry out at the pain it brought him.

Hyllus' meaty fist trapped him against the wall, and Spike hung there, feeling the force of the fingers on his throat threatening to snap his neck in two if he didn't react. Snarling, Spike let his game face return while his hand darted forward, striking a specific spot beneath the larger man's throat that made him lose focus and loosen his hold on Spike. The vampire readily took advantage of the opportunity, wriggling out from Hyllus' grasp as soon as the grip on his neck faltered.

"Blue, get this over with already!" he snapped tiredly, watching worriedly as Illyria continued to be fascinated by the gem she held. A second later, Hyllus was on her, battling her grip on it.

"You are beneath me," Illyria announced grandly, making Spike flinch reflexively. The very next second, he realized she was speaking to Hyllus and was making their enemy retreat again, blocking his strikes with lightning-fast moves.

"You are but a worshiper. Human at your core, despite how my enemies may have tried to improve you with god-like attributes. You are not one of the true Old Ones. My gem whispers as much. How dare you challenge me? How dare you try?"

"Zeus aids me," Hyllus hissed back, breaking through Illyria's defenses with a round kick that sent her flying a few yards, only to twist in mid-air and land on her feet.

"The almighty one that defeated you," Hyllus raged on. "And I shall be the one to defeat you again, you accursed tyrant! I can sense you as well, locked within a frail human shell. Your powers are forfeit, are they not?"

The chaos around them dwindled as the two ancients circled each other in a deadly dance.

Spike took the opportunity to try and get the people to leave, but had little success in calming the hysterical humans. Rushing over, he joined Xander, where he knelt next to Mena's frighteningly still form, monitoring her vitals to the best of his abilities.

"I think she's getting weaker," the Watcher informed Spike, barely looking up as he hovered over the girl. "I called the ambulance on my cell, but it seems they're being held back. Outside, someone is claiming that terrorists have taken over this place and are holding hostages."

"Poofters can't handle the truth if it hits them in the balls," Spike muttered darkly, carefully touching Mena's neck and feeling for her pulse. Xander was right, it was slower.

"All right, listen to me. I'll try to lead those two Oldies over there as far away from the exits as I can, you hear me? They can tear each other new ones for all I care. You just be ready to run outside with our girl, first chance you get. You hear me? She'll be fine."

Xander nodded determinedly, and Spike gave him a small grin, then rushed Hyllus from behind, tackling him with all his might. Hyllus was propelled forward into Illyria's arms.

The demigod barely stumbled, but it was enough for Illyria to gain leverage as she sent Hyllus flying over her head to land in a heap on the floor. Then she pounced, Spike on her heels, as they tried to keep Hyllus down.

With a roar, Hyllus stood back up, sending them flying. Spike saw Xander hesitate, body ready to flee at the first opportunity, with Mena carefully cradled in his arms. Spike met the Watcher's eyes, shaking his head in silent command.

Not yet! He's not far enough away yet; he could hurt her again.

"You bore me," Hyllus' booming voice declared flatly, zeroing his gaze in on Illyria's unmoved features.

She, Spike noticed, still held the gem in a fierce grip that made his throat tighten. What if Blue turned on them now? Spike didn't stand a chance against this kind of power on his own.

"You are weakened, Illyria." Hyllus continued to taunt her. "Your might has fallen. I am the guardian of the gem now; you do not have a chance to defeat me."

"Wrong," Illyria told him, advancing with sure strides and blocking Hyllus' grab for the gem. "My power lays diminished but never extinct. My might will crush you like a worm."

"The power of Zeus thrives," Hyllus said smugly, and suddenly he twisted Illyria's hand at the wrong angle, making her falter momentarily, her features twisted in tightly controlled pain. Hyllus' fingers closed over the gem's surface for a second, and Spike saw its surface gleam dangerously in Hyllus' hold.

Without thinking, Spike launched himself between them, breaking Hyllus' hold on the jewel, but unwittingly placing himself in the direct reach of the bastard's new trick.

"You shall be dwarfed by His gifts!" Hyllus growled, pointing a hand out towards Spike in a gesture the vampire remembered from when Illyria had been able to freeze time.

Except, this time, nothing around him stopped. Instead, blue lines of energy rose from those big fingers; it looked like the wanker had other tricks up his sleeve.

"Spike!" He heard Xander's voice call out a warning and saw Illyria move to defend him. But it was too late. A sudden flare of light beamed, and it was as if a ray of lightning had been aimed straight at him, trapping him in its grasp for a long instant of frozen agony.

Through hazy eyes, Spike saw Hyllus laughing. Unfortunately, Spike's senses were already shutting down by the time he began to fall, his world going black before he even hit the floor.

~~~~~~~~

Illyria's eyes sparked with fury. Hyllus was killing her pet! Her mind whirled with angry thought.

My half-breed lies unconscious, and my human sits puling over his broken Slayer. Such is my diminished state in this world - my army consists of soldiers as insignificant as these, and I am left alone to fight one made mighty by power that has been stolen from me.

My stomach burns with gall. Hyllus is mighty and his might should be mine. Is mine. I will find a way to take it back.

The way of the warrior is comprised of many things. Hyllus commands great strength and energies, but he has no cunning, no subtlety, no quickness of mind. I will defeat him through superior skill and tactics; yet he destroys my half-breed.

This energy he commands - it is but the smallest portion of that which I once possessed, but it outstrips that which I retain in this shell. If I attempt to save my half-breed, I expose myself to energies I cannot withstand. Cunning directs me to allow Hyllus to drain his own energy, to waste his lightning on the destruction of my pet, while I seek to reclaim the power of the gem.

However, the power of the gem may kill me. Even now, with the lesser force I have left to me, I feel this shell struggling to contain it. I do not know if I can absorb more power without destroying myself.

Neither do I know if I can protect my half-breed without destroying myself. If I do not intervene, my pet will die, and this should be an acceptable loss.

It is the contamination of this shell that makes me hesitate in my decisions. It makes me weak at the thought of losing my pet. And once Hyllus has destroyed that one, he will surely turn his attention to my human and his Slayer. They will all die, and I will be alone again.

Why must I be forced to consider such petty concerns?

I can delay no longer!

Already my half-breed's vampiric life-force fades.


Illyria threw herself at Hyllus, pitching herself low so she avoided his blasts while her head collided with his soft stomach. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed him down. His lightning energy blazed, bouncing wildly across the room, no longer focused on Spike, and Illyria saw humans and canines crumple to the ground in burning masses.

Spike would no doubt claim she should also try to protect these weaker beings, but she would divide her focus no further. She ignored the crowd that milled around her, its panic increasing as exits were blocked by those outside the exhibition hall.

She slammed her fist into the small of Hyllus' back, allowing the unyielding surface of the cement floor to increase the efficiency of her blow. Before he could recover, she threaded her fingers through his hair, pulled his head back and flung all her weight against it, smashing it back down with deadly force.

The sound of his skull cracking reverberated loudly, even against the noise of the screaming humans. Small cracks spider-webbed in the concrete, but Hyllus still struggled against her, his skull immediately repairing itself. He seemed invincible.

He grabbed strands of her hair in turn and yanked her head down, thrusting upward with his pelvis. She fell forward, and he bashed his head into hers. Dazed, she noticed his triumphant grin; his teeth had been rotting before he had been turned into a demigod and retained that repulsive appearance.

Illyria felt herself sliding off Hyllus but couldn't prevent it.

Hyllus' energies snapped and crackled once more, and Illyria rolled away. The lightning bolt grazed her arm, and she felt it go numb. She slid the gem, from her other hand, into her mouth. It tasted like burnt ash against her tongue.

She scrambled to her hands and knees, scuttled forward, and felt ozone zapping the air at her foot. She cursed the indignity of her position but moved sharply in a direction that led away from her half-breed, her human and his Slayer.

"Crawl, Illyria. Crawl before me, and perhaps I will allow you to die quickly."

Illyria flattened herself, and Hyllus' bolt flew several feet above her. Did the fool actually believe she would respond to such taunts? He would die painfully for his temerity in making them, but she had no intention of allowing them to affect her.

She sprang forward while he gaped in surprise. He had thought she would jump up in protest. Fool!

But he was a quick fool, and his hands raised, full of gathering sparks, and Illyria knew she had miscalculated. His bolt had not yet released, and she slammed directly into the energy. Her body convulsed and shuddered. Her head flew back, and a cry forced its way from her throat.

Hyllus could not evade her spastic movements, and both of them tumbled into a heap. He grinned savagely and slapped his hands to her throat. The gem spurted from her mouth, but she blocked his attempt to grab it and clasped it firmly within her hand once again.

Illyria had no feeling in her limbs, but she still controlled them; she drew her knee up sharply, pulled it back and slammed it between Hyllus' legs.

Hyllus bellowed.

He tossed her away like a scrap and wrapped himself over to ease his pain. Illyria grappled with her own limbs, thrashing in an effort to rise. Hyllus recovered even as she stood, and he advanced upon her.

It took all her strength to stand, and Hyllus loomed in her vision, savoring her weakness.

Her weakness! Illyria lifted her head.

She peered deeply into Hyllus' eyes, very deeply, and swayed. She pumped out clouds of pheromones, profoundly lustful motes of desire, and after a moment of baffled surprise, Hyllus began swaying to her sway, lost in a hypnotic daze.

Suddenly appearing at her side, Xander swung the enormous club at Hyllus' head. He was unable to swing with any great strength, but it was enough, due to Hyllus' befuddled state.

The demigod lay on the ground, at first unmoving, but then beginning to slowly shake his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts from the trance.

Illyria's words ground in her throat like sand, "I am weakened from his attack. We must run. Gather your Slayer, and I will hold him back until you make your retreat. Then I will follow."

"What about all these people?" Xander gestured at the humans still trapped, fighting each other, crawling on top of one another to get through the exits.

Illyria was enraged. "They will die, just as we will die if we stay! I would fight to the death were I alone. I retreat only to give you hope."

Xander's face was chastened, but he wasn't through. "What about Spike?"

"I must fight, and you must carry the Slayer. I have done all I can for him."

"But-"

"Go! There is no time." Illyria kicked at Hyllus, clipping his chin and snapping his still groggy head back down as he attempted to rise. "Fight your way to an exit. Do not hesitate to push the humans out of your way."

Xander looked down at Mena's pale face and nodded. Within a second, he was lost in the swirling madness.

Hyllus recovered his club, and he and Illyria engaged in a savage dance: he swung and she evaded; she sought to duck under the club, and he blocked; she stepped back, and he advanced. Neither took heed of the humans that surrounded them, and many fell to the blows meant for Illyria.

Illyria felt no compunction in allowing them to do so.

Their dance moved at random, although Illyria attempted to direct it toward an exit. Her only hope would be to join Xander and Haley outside before they left, assuming that Hyllus would not have the speed to match their vehicle.

The frantic humans interfered with her plans, plummeting at her feet and crashing into Hyllus and her, even as the mortals tried to evade the dueling god-things. Insanity reigned; human and canine alike were thrown in every direction by their own kind. Illyria felt her already compromised strength dwindling further.

Hyllus was no longer using his lightning bolts, and Illyria believed his power was running low. She was uncertain whether he would be able to renew it without possession of the gem.

She and Hyllus both were caught up in the herd as they suddenly stampeded in a new direction. The sheep were following a new leader, hoping a different exit would grant easier access.

Illyria hoped Xander had been able to get clear before they trampled him in their frenzy. Already far more people had been crushed and wounded by the sheer press of humanity than those whom Hyllus had slain or damaged. Maddened dogs bit and tore at random, others scrambled between human feet or their canine bodies tripped unwary humans.

Once I would have gloried in such chaos. Now I seek only to flee it.

Illyria allowed herself to bemoan her change, and Hyllus took advantage of the moment. His club slammed into her midsection, and she was flipped into the air.

She flew over the rampaging crowd through the open doors of an exit from the exhibition hall.

The crowd parted around her crumpled form, recognizing even in their mad rush that she was one of the things that must be feared.

She gained her feet quickly. Where was Xander? Where was Hyllus?

Her eyes were overloaded by the light streaming through the windows in the corridor. She raised her hand to her forehead to block out the light's glare, but was unable to locate Xander. She did see humans thrown forward with great force, and the dark outline of Hyllus bulleting through the exit doors.

His form seemed to waver, but she believed it to be an effect of the blinding sunlight in her eyes. He raised his club, and she prepared herself for his blow.

The club hit - and passed through her, pulling at her atoms with ghostly force, then exiting with no real effect.

Illyria stumbled from the shock and hesitated a moment.


By Ldynwaitin

Hyllus stood, examining his hands, and the horror of comprehension distorted his features. His body had assumed a glassy translucence.

"He loses all substance in the sunlight!" The words fell from Illyria's lips in exultation as she realized that she and her own would be safe from him while sunshine warmed the earth.

Her human needed to be made aware of this. She stifled a pang at the thought of her half-breed. She must hope he would remain safe until she regathered her strength and came back for him. For now, she must find her human and see that he got his Slayer to a place of medicine.

She made the decision to pass through the glass barriers.

Fighting her way close to the far wall and bounding over the human throng, she thrust against smooth plaster with all her remaining strength to give herself momentum, and crashed through the windows in a spray of blood and glass.

Shocked faces watched her passage, and then a parade of humans and canines fought their way through the new opening, unheeding of the sharp edges that tore at their flesh.

Sirens wailed in the air.

Someone lifted a child over the edge of the window. His legs kicked high, clearing the glass. Suddenly, he tilted. A maddened woman, intent on her own escape, knocked him to the side, and he plummeted toward a gleaming shard of glass.

Illyria paused in her flight, slamming the offender back and clutching the boy before he was pierced. She placed him on an ornamental figure where he was safe from the throng before she left him. She could do no more for her half-breed, but he would have saved the child. So she did it for him.

She jumped into the air, orienting herself and looking for their vehicle.

Emergency vehicles were approaching Reliant Center: ambulances, police, fire trucks. The emergency workers burst forth from them like ants spewing from their nest.

If her human was still in the vicinity, he would choose to put his Slayer in one of the ambulances. Illyria assumed her human guise and began forcing her way to the closest ambulance. He was not at the first, and she continued moving from vehicle to vehicle.

She saw him climbing into an ambulance when she found him. Illyria listened to the sounds that emitted from within: the pulse of medical equipment, bursts of mutated radio voices, a low moan of pain.

"Xander."

He turned at the sound of her voice, and his face was as white as the flowers growing near him, in a small patch of garden that divided the parking lot from the driveway. His dark brown eyes were swollen and wet with tears.

Her human was so weak.

Disgust gnawed at her stomach, even as her heart squeezed. His pain should mean nothing to her! Why, then, did her mind harbor thoughts of concern?

"Illyria. Thank God! I wasn't sure you made it. Hyllus?" Xander's voice wavered with panic. "Is he coming?"

"We are safe for the moment."

"Thank God!" Xander couldn't seem to think of anything else to say.

"The Slayer lives?" Illyria wasn't certain she cared but felt compelled to ask. The Slayer's welfare seemed important to both her half-breed and her human. She must take care of what was hers.

"For now." Xander swallowed and blinked his eyes. Someone spoke to him from within the vehicle, and he turned away for a moment.

He pointed toward the street. "We have to go now. Haley managed to move our Land Cruiser outside the emergency area. We'll meet at the hospital. Texas Medical Center. We'll meet there."

"I will find you," Illyria said and watched until the ambulance pulled away.

Outside the building, the humans were calmer, though dazed and staggering. The canines seemed to have lost their frenzy, and many of those that had not run free, sought a comforting human touch. People were raiding their vehicles for bandages, and a few had set up stations for wounded canines. Illyria recognized most of them as handlers from the show.

She thought perhaps dog show competitors were a superior breed to the average human. They had taken much longer to panic and now recovered and behaved with more efficiency than those who were merely spectators. Or perhaps, they were more efficient because they had something to care for.

Illyria realized she would not have considered that two days ago.

~~~~~~~~


Stumbling, Hyllus fell to his knees in the shade, staring at his now corporeal hands for a long minute of incomprehension.

The nightmarish moment in which he found his world's colors dimmed, as if a film had been pulled over his eyes, had left him reeling. Running through the hordes of people that surrounded him, he had found he could not even think through his panic, and his fight with Illyria had been temporarily forgotten. The pitch of the humans' screams, the colors of their outfits, the smell of their fear -- it had all suddenly bypassed his senses, vanishing like a haze.

But now, safely back within the shade, he was assaulted with the return of those formerly lost sensations, blindsided by the explosion of feeling that slammed back into him. His body felt real. His new world was here once more.

Panting, Hyllus looked around himself, trying to regain his bearings. Strange objects stood outside the building's shade, including large metallic things with wheels. Loud sirens filled the air with screeching sounds, grating on his nerves. People ran everywhere while men in blue clothes attempted to lead them, like shepherds lead their animals.

Carefully, Hyllus pulled himself to his feet, grateful to be able to feel the wall he leant against. The gem's power was fading within his body, and he found he felt this absence keenly. His vision swam alarmingly.

What had happened? Had Zeus deserted him?

Fear, unlike any he had known before, invaded him. Taking a hesitant step forward, Hyllus approached the sunlight that taunted him, observing it warily as one would an enemy. It had been no nightmare. When he put his hand forward, bathing it in the dreaded light, he felt as if the limb had gone numb, detached from his body.

Hyllus watched his hand lose its substance, fading to a wraith-like reflection of what it was. Slowly, unbelievingly, he pulled it back from the light, noting that it immediately regained its flesh and that feeling returned to it.

He was cursed.

Howling with rage, Hyllus whirled around in a circle, intercepting the path of a woman who tried to run past him. She screamed at the sight of his face, desperately twisting to escape his grasp, but Hyllus paid no mind to her struggles. He grabbed one of her arms and twisted it with a satisfactory crunch, relishing her deafening wail as he easily overpowered her, grasping her neck in a large hand and lifting her to dangle above his head.

The gem's power had abandoned him swiftly once it was removed from his possession. Now these worthless creatures were the only source of energy Hyllus had within his reach, the only essence he could draw life from until he could regain the gem. Or at least be in its presence.

Focusing his eyes onto the woman's frightened, wide-eyed stare, he smiled coldly, tilting his head to one side in a mechanical move that seemed to hypnotize her for long seconds.

Her life essence pulsed within her flesh, and Hyllus felt it. Slowly, he increased the pressure on the human's neck, calling forth every drop of her life unto him, feeling it merge and strengthen his weakened shell. The woman whimpered once, twitching. Then Hyllus laughed, sensing as her cells slowly shifted, answering his body's call.

The woman screamed!

Her endless wail of agony danced through Hyllus' senses as he began to drain her, feeling every ounce of her energy seep into his form. She thrashed in his arms like a broken doll while her skin began to draw in on itself, drying and peeling like burnt paper. Blood poured from her ears and her eyes as Hyllus gripped her neck a little tighter, closing his eyes at the delicious tide of sensations that overwhelmed him. A wet gargling sound came from his victim, and Hyllus reopened his eyes to watch as she struggled to breathe. Her eyes, he noticed, were gone.

The gaping holes in her face dried and then closed as every bit of fluid from her little shell was absorbed into his. Hyllus smiled grimly when her broken whimpers faded into nothing, and her wriggling limbs ceased their struggle. Her life-force slammed into him, and he tossed her shell aside, hurling himself towards the mass of people still running around in the shaded space.

Hyllus heard the panicked cries rise in pitch and thrived on them. He jumped and easily caught a little thing by the scruff of the neck -- a boy, whose big eyes looked up at Hyllus in undisguised terror. The demigod smiled at the child, plunging his hand into the little mortal's stomach and watching it wiggle for just a few seconds before the boy went limp in his grasp, body twitching unnaturally as his life essence was absorbed by Hyllus. The boy's skin dried like paper too long in the sun, and Hyllus threw him away, laughing delightedly as he felt his strength growing with every person he killed.

But it wasn't enough.

Hyllus noticed the people in blue clothes were rushing towards him, away from the sunlight that protected them. He smiled grimly, moving further back into the shade of the building, watching as the stupid creatures ran straight to their deaths. In a minute, they had him surrounded, pointing little, black weapons at Hyllus as if they could harm him.

Worthless fools.

Smiling all the time, Hyllus reached out and grabbed the nearest one's face and squeezed, feeling the human's blood taint his palm as the man screamed wordlessly, struggling to pull the hand away from his face.

The eyes of the human once again disappeared beneath Hyllus' hand, melting while the other humans shot the demigod twice with their little weapons. The gunshot wounds closed in on themselves as quickly as the policeman in Hyllus' grasp dried to an empty shell, his organs collapsing within him one after the other.

Tossing the corpse aside with ease, Hyllus moved to his next victim, taking out the blue-clothed humans with relish, one by one, sometimes in groups, absorbing their life as they spouted curses and self-righteous speeches into his deaf ears.

He had no concern for them and no fear of their weapons, for the wounds they caused closed rapidly, long before he finished killing them. When their shells lay broken at his feet, Hyllus laughed, feeling power begin to course through his veins.

He'd be ready for Illyria when darkness fell. And once he was again within range of the gem, he would be able to draw strength from it. The gem would be his once more as would Illyria's might fall on this night.

By Alllie

Easily moving through the crowd in the shadows, he drained everyone stupid enough to cross his path, giving chase to those whose smell stank of the most delicious terror. They were the tastiest. Laughing madly, Hyllus came across the discarded form of the vampire that had dared defy him, lying there uselessly. He grinned faintly, considering draining him, but then thought better of it. Vampires were dead things, unworthy, insignificant now that he had a playground of screaming delicacies, full of the true life-force that the vampire lacked.

Taking hold of a woman who fainted as she saw him drawing closer, Hyllus dragged her along as he walked away, ready to stand in wait for the night. Retreating through the screaming masses and leaving a trail of corpses behind, Hyllus didn't notice Spike watching the proceedings with horrified eyes.

Struggling weakly to pull himself from his stupor, Spike tried to sit up, watching Hyllus' retreating back in hatred. But his limbs felt like lead weights had been attached to them, and movement seemed like an impossible task. In the end, Spike could do nothing but drag himself a few feet before his vision swam dizzyingly, and he was forced to stop.

"Bloody hell. No," Spike mumbled faintly as his world went black, surrounded by the screams of the few humans left alive in Hyllus' wake.

~~~~~~~~

Something was lodged beneath Spike's cheek -- something round and hard and rank-smelling.

Dog food?

Memories snapped into place: Mena's crumpled body, lightning flaring from Hyllus' body, and people falling into discarded husks as Hyllus sucked the life force from them.

Spike sprang to his feet. Or such was his intention. But moments later, he found himself still lying where he was, listening to the ocean roaring in his head. He wondered if there were sole swimming in his ocean.

Spike realized he wasn't making any sense. He wasn't getting to his feet, either, and he had really, really meant to be up and fighting by this time.

He hadn't even opened his eyes. He knew why, too.

The squeaking sound the people made, the veins erupting across their skin and beading up with blood -- he remembered it all too vividly. He knew their bodies were going to be there, tumbled in disarray like Dru's dolls after one of her tea parties.

Spike didn't want to see it -- to see them.

Something moved with heavy, plodding steps, and Spike heard the sounds of bodies being dragged and dropped. Growls of disapproval. Growing rage.

Hyllus!

An uncontrollable trembling seized Spike's limbs, and he bit down hard on his tongue. It took a fair bit to make him frightened of someone, but he was frightened of Hyllus.

What were his options here? Hyllus had already taken him down once, with the lightning bolt magicks, and he'd be even more of a target now. He wondered if Hyllus could drain him the way he'd drained the humans who had been trapped in the building.

He hoped not; it really wasn't the way he wanted to go.

All right. Enough fooling around. Spike flexed his fingers and toes, testing for take - off, and using every ounce of will he had, he forced himself upright.

Hyllus was lifting bodies and peering into faces. Spike thought he was probably looking for signs of life. Insatiably hungry, wanting another snack.

Spike steadied himself as Hyllus turned in his direction. He crouched, shifted into a fighting stance and centered himself. Hard to fight well when you were trembling. Spike wondered what it was about Hyllus that had him so spooked. He'd faced bigger opponents -- even ones that had defeated him previously.

Of course, they didn't throw blue lightning bolts and suck whatever it was Hyllus sucked out of the bodies of other beings. It must be the connection between Hyllus and the Gem of Illyria that was making him seem so invincible.

Bloody hell. What if the wanker actually is invincible?

One of the bodies lay close by, its face caved in like a withered apple. Spike thought the dried blood, crusted into the folds of skin, even looked like shreds of apple peel.

He shifted his focus back to Hyllus, frightened that he had let himself drift. What had Hyllus taken from those people? Their electrical energy? Their life force? Their souls? Were their souls now trapped in Hyllus' body?

Spike moaned before he realized he was going to do so. He had drifted again. Hyllus was approaching, coming directly toward him, and he couldn't focus. He was going to die, his soul sucked up into that rotten-toothed demigod stooge for all time.

Hyllus continued past Spike without sparing him even a glance. The enormous tosser trotted through an exit, silhouetted by the last rays of the evening sun, and then was gone.

Like I'm nothing. Spike laughed at the irony of the anger he felt welling up in his mind, but the anger grew nonetheless. I'm souled. Fought for it. Fought for what it stands for -- and yet my soul's not good enough?

Maybe Hyllus wasn't draining souls. Spike hoped not. He realized he had been projecting his worst fears, in addition to and intensified by the knowledge that Illyria had almost destroyed Fred's soul. Would have, if The Powers That Be hadn't intervened. He sighed. Now for the other thing he was worried about.

He moved through the bodies, looking for familiar faces.

It didn't take long. Hyllus had pulled everyone into a semi-circle, whether during the draining or in his search after the carnage, Spike didn't know. The important thing was that Spike didn't recognize anyone.

Spike felt something crawling down his cheek and realized it was a tear. As if the acknowledgement removed a dam, his eyes flooded over, and a small sob escaped his throat. He'd only just understood how important Mena and Xander were to him. Even Haley and, surprisingly, Illyria. He'd just found them, and he'd thought he'd lost them.

He'd thought he had been afraid for his own demise, but he had just been hiding from the fear that one or all of his friends were among the withered husks that Hyllus had left behind. That was his true fear of Hyllus -- that the demigod had killed his friends. He wasn't certain he could have dealt with that.

Wiping the tears away, Spike headed for the corridor. He could feel the dusk. He'd been lying unconscious most of the day.

Spike heard screaming. Gunfire. Sirens. The police had probably thought they were dealing with a hostage situation.

He hesitated. More people were dying out there.

Honesty compelled him to admit there was little he could do for them. He might be able to save one or two -- but there was something he needed to -- his brain was still so woolly. He fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone but came up empty. He needed to talk with Connor.

Stifling the feelings of guilt that washed through him, he headed for the exit to the loading docks. The police would be busy with Hyllus out front, so he should be able to get back to the hotel and a phone.

Hopefully, he could learn what he needed to know and find Illyria before Hyllus did too much more damage.

~~~~~~~~

Xander had been pacing back and forth in the waiting room ever since they had arrived at the hospital. Mena's vitals were so weak, the doctors had rushed her immediately into the Trauma Center's Operating Room, leaving Xander standing there devastated and numb.

Illyria had jumped into the Land Cruiser's passenger seat, and Haley managed to follow the ambulance to the emergency room. As they entered the hospital, she reminded Illyria to shift into the guise of Fred, so as not to startle anyone. Haley tried desperately to calm Xander and reassure him that Mena was in good hands, but Xander was too overwhelmed by his own feelings of guilt and helplessness to really listen to her.

"It's all my fault," he wailed. "I never should have let her take on so much so soon. She's -- she's just a kid."

"Xander," Haley said gently, patting his arm. "No one could have known what would happen. Every mission has its risks -- you know that. Mena knows that, too, as do all other Slayers. You can't go on blaming yourself."

Xander nodded mutely at Haley's words, although he really hadn't comprehended any of them. He was concentrating on the solemn doctor as she came through the double doors and approached them.

Dr. Cavanaugh nodded grimly as she motioned for Xander and Haley to take a seat. Xander's heart was pounding so hard, he thought it would burst through his chest. He tried to speak but could barely form the words.

"M---Mena?" he stuttered. "She's going to be all right?"

Haley found herself holding her breath in anticipation and worry.

The doctor smiled gently and explained the situation to the anxious couple. "The young lady's injuries are very serious. None of them alone are immediately life threatening; however, the combination of the severity and the sheer number of injuries dictate that we must admit her to the ICU. She has multiple contusions and extensive head trauma, hence the concern over her unconscious state and the probability of severe concussion. In addition to internal bleeding and several broken ribs, there is indication that her spleen is bruised and perhaps ruptured."

Xander gasped and began to tremble slightly. Haley grabbed one of his hands and held it, squeezing it in an attempt to comfort. Then the doctor continued.

"At this point, her vitals are stable, but her breathing is very shallow. In short, her condition is extremely critical, and the next 24 hours will be crucial. Quite frankly, all we can do now is wait and see if she regains consciousness before we can evaluate the situation any further."

The doctor paused and contemplated their stunned and anguished faces. Another woman had joined them as she was explaining the girl's condition, but the young couple hadn't noticed her.

"Well," Dr. Cavanaugh said softly as she stood to leave, "I'm sorry I don't have better news, but I assure you she will receive the best care we can give her, and let's hope we see some improvement in the next few hours. I'll be sure to keep you informed of any changes in her condition."

Xander mumbled a choked thank you as the doctor went back into the ICU, but he couldn't stop his tears when he looked at Haley and Illyria. Haley was lost in her own sorrow, and Illyria contemplated them both with confused emotions.

She understood that she felt pain for the wounded young Slayer, and the depth of it surprised her. She assumed the sorrow she felt was multiplied by the grief her human was experiencing because of it. Mixed with these emotions was concern for the welfare and uncertain fate of her pet. She regretted having to leave Spike behind, but she knew he would have wanted the humans and the Slayer to be safe.

Illyria marveled at the thought that these humans dealt with such emotions on a regular basis. They worried about each other, yet they continued to fight against such uneven odds. She assumed it must be their love of one another that sustained them. Spike was right in his assessment of Xander's capacity for love and his bravery when his comrades needed protection. Spike may be right about a lot of things.

Xander may have sensed her thoughts because in the midst of his sorrow, he blurted out, "Spike! My God -- what about Spike? Did he get out okay?"

Illyria shook her head. "I am uncertain of the half-breed's fate. I regret my inability to rescue him, but I was certain he would want me to insure the safety of you weaker beings first."

Xander bowed his head in defeat. "I don't believe this -- first Mena, and now, probably Spike, too."

Illyria regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. "The war that Hyllus wages is against my authority. He seeks to usurp my power. The half-breed is, therefore, of little consequence to him as I possess what he wants most." She patted her pocket to indicate she had the gem.

Xander rolled his eyes as he said, "Well, then, Highness, maybe we can go back for Spike. See if he's okay. Or maybe I can try to get him on his cell phone."

Xander pulled out his own cell phone and quickly pressed the speed dial number for Spike's phone, then sighed when it went immediately to voice-mail. "He often forgets to turn it on, and sometimes he doesn't take it with him. Not answering doesn't necessarily mean he's-- We've got to get back there!"

"Your concern for my pet pleases me, but my strength has been severely taxed. My power must be replenished before we can attempt to rescue him. Until then, his safety or his cunning escape are the most we can hope for."

Illyria paused momentarily and looked directly at Xander and Haley. "That and, of course, the survival of the young Slayer you all care for."

~~~~~~~~

Spike slipped out the back exit and made his way slowly down the darkening alley. Every muscle in his body screamed in agony with each step he took. Hyllus's lightning bolts had wreaked havoc on his nervous system, and Spike's legs threatened to give out on him as he walked.

His head was still pounding, making it hard for him to focus, and the blow that he had taken to the chest had aggravated the broken ribs he had suffered in Nebraska. Spike winced in pain, both physical and emotional, as memories of his cousin Nigel and Holly floated back into his consciousness. Then the terrible vision of Mena's crumpled body returned.

"Damn it, Spike!" he cursed. "Concentrate, man! Can't be falling apart now, you sorry git. Got to get to her, but got to stop this brute first, before all Hell breaks loose."

Steeling himself against the pain, he pressed onward down the street, but he knew that in his condition, it would take too long to return to the hotel. He needed help, and he needed it now.

In the back of his mind, something important wavered and lingered but wouldn't come into focus. Something Connor had said about Angel's fight with that bastard Hamilton. This tosser, Hyllus, reminded him of Hamilton in a way. Hamilton had been invincible, too, or so it had seemed. How did Angel take him down?

Spike's mind was still foggy and probably concussed, but he was sure that Connor held the key. He needed to talk to him. Fast.

Payback is a bitch, Spike thought, and as far as he was concerned, Hyllus deserved payback BIG TIME. Spike was prepared to do everything in his power to make sure that wanker got what was coming to him.

Rummaging through his pockets again, he cursed when all he came up with was a handful of loose change and a few crumpled bills -- but no cell phone. Spying a pay phone half a block down, he decided he'd have to do this the good old-fashioned way -- the infamous collect call.

Picking up the receiver, he dialed the operator, but suddenly realized he didn't have Connor's number or his address, for that matter. He scrambled to put together a coherent thought before the operator asked him again, but all he could think of was Anne, the woman who ran the homeless shelter in L.A.

She would know how to get in touch with Connor since he helped out there from time to time. So he asked the operator to place a call to the shelter and reverse the charges.

As he listened to the tones of the phone ringing, another wave of pain hit him, and he leaned back against the wall of the phone booth to keep from falling. He whispered a silent prayer that Anne would pick up the phone and answer. Soon.

The operator asked if Anne would accept the call, and Spike beamed as he heard her exclaim an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

"Spike?" asked Anne. "Spike, is it really you?"

Spike gathered his thoughts. "Anne, yes, it's really me, pet. Sorry about the collect call and all, but I suddenly found myself short on change and without my cell phone."

He heard her laugh softly as she assured him, "Oh, don't even think about it. I'm just so glad to hear from you. How are you doing? Are you in town? Can you stop by? There's someone here I'm sure will be very glad to see you again, Spike."

Anne stopped for a moment and directed her attention to another excited voice in the background. Spike grinned as he recognized Colin's voice. The child was begging Anne to let him talk to his hero.

For a moment, Spike's pain and weariness faded away and were replaced by fond memories of the young boy he had rescued in L.A. after that final battle when he'd lost Angel and his friends. It had made him feel needed. Made him feel that he still had a purpose in life, and that he had to go on.

On perhaps one of the darkest days of Spike's life, the simple trust that child had placed in him reminded him that his so-called destiny was still worth pursuing. No matter how hard the journey might be. Spike's train of thought was interrupted by Colin's happy chatter.

"Spike! I knew you'd come back. I told Anne and Connor you would because you promised me, and that you would need your coat, too. I took real good care of the coat, Spike. I cleaned it and put it away in a safe place till you could come back for it. I take it out and look at it, but I'm real careful, Spike. I guess you want it soon, though, 'cause maybe it's going to be cold where you are, and you'll need it to stay warm and--"

Colin paused briefly to catch his breath and then rambled on again.

"Anyway, are you coming to see us, Spike? 'Cause if you are, I can ask my aunt if we can stay and wait for you. We come here a lot to help out. I can't wait till my new family meets you, Spike. I tell them stories about you. My cousins, Tom and Alicia, don't believe all of them are true, but Anne and Connor tell them they are true. That you are a hero. So are you coming? Are you, Spike? I really miss you."

Something tugged at Spike's heart, listening to Colin's unabashed pride in him. He thought he'd better try to answer now if he hoped to get a word in at all.

"Whoa there, little man," he chuckled. "Slow down a minute, and let me talk a bit, yeah? I miss you, too, Colin, and I would love to see you, but I can't this time, sport. Problem is, I'm not in L.A. right now. I'm on a real important mission, and I need to see if Anne and Connor can help me out."

Spike could almost feel the child's disappointment through the phone, but Colin remained cheerful as he spoke, "Oh, that's okay, Spike. I know you need to fight the bad guys. As long as I know you are okay, I can wait till you have time for a vacation. But what about the coat? Will you be cold where you are if you don't have it?"

The vampire choked back his emotions, deeply moved by the child's concern.

"I'll tell you what, partner," he said, carefully emphasizing the last word, "I have another coat that will do me fine if we hit any cold weather. It's an older one, but it's a special one, too. And it's just like the one you have. So, why don't you keep that coat? Grow up big and strong so you can wear it yourself some day. It's my gift to you, Colin. One crime fighter to another, okay? What do you say? Can you do that for me?"

Colin was bursting with pride as he answered. "You know I can, Spike. I won't let you down. The next time you see me, I'll be bigger and stronger, and maybe I can help you more. But I still hope you will come see us as soon as you can. Will you try, Spike?"

"I will, Colin, but it may take quite a while, okay? The job I'm doing will take at least till the end of September -- maybe longer. Till then, I need you to take care of Anne and maybe help Connor a little. They need someone they can count on, and I can't think of anyone better than you. In fact, you can help me right now by letting me talk to Anne again, and I promise I'll do my best to come see you as soon as I possibly can. Does that sound like a deal?"

"It's a deal, Spike," Colin agreed proudly. "You can count on me. And don't worry, I'll take care of Anne for you. She's pretty nice for a girl. See you later, Spike. And thanks for the coat!"

"See you later, Colin," Spike said softly.

Anne returned to the phone as Colin bounded off to tell his family about his hero's latest exploits.

"He really idolizes you, Spike, and I wish you could visit, but something tells me this is isn't just a social call. Is everything okay?" she asked with concern. "You sound tired."

"Truth be told, we've come up against something I think only Connor can solve. That's why I called, although hearing your voice again feels real good. I don't have Connor's number or address, and I need to get in touch with him as fast as possible. Can you help me, Anne? If I give you this pay phone number, can you call him, and ask him to call me back here right away? I'd be very grateful."

"Of course, Spike, I'll do it immediately. Connor usually comes in here to help several times a week, but he should be home right now. I'll call him and have him call you back immediately at the pay phone, okay? While you're at it, why don't you give me your cell phone number and an e-mail address, if you have one?"

Anne wrote down both numbers and the e-mail address that Spike gave her and promised to send him a message with all of their various phone numbers and addresses.

She hesitated for a moment and then spoke quietly, "Spike, you take care of yourself, and if you ever need me -- don't hesitate to call. All right? I mean it, Spike. I'm here for you whenever you need me. We all miss you. Remember that."

"Thanks, love," he replied, swallowing hard to hide how touched he was. "I'll remember that, and the feeling is mutual. You take care, too. Bye now."

He stood there listening as she whispered goodbye and hung up.

Then, Spike hung up the receiver and leaned against the wall, waiting -- praying that Connor would have the information he so desperately needed.

~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, the pay phone rang. Before it had a chance to ring a second time, Spike reached forward and grabbed the receiver, quickly bringing it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked, hoping that it was Connor calling back.

"Spike? It’s Connor."

"Glad you returned the call so quickly," Spike said, relaxing just a bit.

"Yeah. Anne told me that you had something urgent and important to ask me. So I called right away."

"Thanks for that. Time is crucial for us tonight. I need to know what happened between Angel and Hamilton that final night at Wolfram and Hart."

"Why do you want to hear about that again?" Connor asked, his voice having dropped an octave or two, making it obvious that he didn’t really want to talk about it. Not today, and maybe not ever again.

"I’m only asking because I think it might help my current problem over here," Spike said.

"And where are you, exactly?"

"Houston, but that isn’t what matters. The point is that I need to know how Angel got rid of Hamilton. I remember that you told me about it when we talked about everything that night at the shelter. It’s just not coming to me at the moment. I've been unconscious most of the day, and I think my brains are a bit scrambled."

In his heart, Spike knew he didn’t really want to have this conversation again either. No one needed a reminder of the night that ended the lives of three of his teammates. Or in Connor's case, the loss of his father. He put his feelings aside, though, determined to focus on getting the answers he needed to defeat Hyllus.

"I know exactly what you’re talking about. I told you that Hamilton mentioned having the power of the Senior Partners in his veins."

"His blood," Spike repeated.

"Exactly. Dad bit him and helped himself to some of that power." Connor let a moment pass before asking, "Did I solve your problem?"

"You did more than that. Thanks for refreshing my memory."

"Anytime, Spike. It was great to talk with you, but I can tell from your voice, that you're in too much of a hurry to spend time catching up on the last several weeks, so I'll let you go. But first, promise me that if you ever need my help, you'll call without hesitation. I ran into a Slayer when I was out patrolling, and she told me you're on some major mission with serious ramifications for all of us. Of course, she wouldn't give me any details, so I'm dying to hear all about it when you get the chance. Anne gave me your cell phone number and e-mail address, so you can count on me hounding you if you don't keep in touch. So call more often, will you? That'll make Colin very happy, too."

"I’ll try to do that. Things are rather serious here, but you're not in the land of rainbows and lollipops, yourself. Keep your eye on Wolfram and Hart. Those tossers can never be trusted. In the meantime, keep everyone at the shelter safe. And you, too, of course. That goes without saying. Don't waste any of your time worrying about me. If I ever get in a seriously dodgy situation, with enough lead time for you to help us out, I'll be sure to give you a call."

"And I'll be on the next plane. You can count on it," declared Connor. "Good luck on obtaining some of the blood you need to solve your current situation. Later, dude."

"Thanks, mate, but careful of that 'dude-talk'. It'll rot your brain. Bye." Spike hung up the receiver and rested his forehead against the pay phone for a moment, thinking about whose blood he would need to face Hyllus and defeat him once and for all.

He grabbed the receiver again, punching in the numbers that would reach Xander's cell phone. He couldn't wait another minute to find out Mena's condition.

"Come on, pick up, pick up," Spike muttered under his breath, while glaring at a woman who was eyeing him strangely from across the street.

"Come on, Xander, answer the bleeding--"

"Xander here." A gruff voice came over the line, and Spike slumped in relief, leaning against an advertising kiosk to steady his still shaky balance.

"Hey, mate. It's Spike," he said softly.

Xander nearly dropped his cell phone and almost blew out Spike's eardrum as he exclaimed, "Spike! Oh, thank God you're okay! We've been so worried. We thought you might be a goner!"

Spike smirked as he closed his eyes for a moment while trying to ease the lingering headache that Xander's shouting had only exacerbated. "Where are you? Are you hurt? How's Mena?"

"Whoa. One at a time," Xander muttered, and he sounded so despondent that Spike straightened up, almost afraid of the response.

"First, I really am glad you're okay. Now, in order: only Mena was hurt badly. We're at the hospital, and -- Mena's not doing so well." Spike felt his throat tighten in worry. "The doctors say-- Hell, I don't know, Spike. It's all 'wait and see' for the moment, and the waiting part is killing me here."

"Bollocks," Spike muttered, tightening his grip on the receiver until the plastic creaked. "But she's a Slayer, remember. She'll pull through just fine. Tough bunch, they are. I should know."

"Yeah," Xander sighed. There was a rustling sound on his side of the line, as if he had just sat down somewhere. "How are things over there?"

"Like a bleeding war zone," Spike answered truthfully, turning to glance back to the flurry of activity he'd left a few blocks back. "It seems that Hyllus had a little feast while I was out. Look, I've got a plan. A way we could maybe defeat the ugly bastard."

"Defeating sounds of the good!" Xander chirped in a feeble attempt at levity. "What is it? And will it hurt Hyllus? Because I'm all for hurting Hyllus."

"I should certainly hope it hurts! I'll be beating that wanker into a pulp!" Spike growled, taking offense at the silent pause that followed. "Hey. Xander! Did you hear what I said?"

"Right," Xander answered at last, the flat tone of his voice making Spike grin despite himself. "Just how hard did Hyllus hit you, Spike? Because surely you remember how well that went the last time you tried it."

"Right, but my plan concerns what will happen before I start with the beating part," Spike explained calmly, looking around to figure out on which street he stood. "Look, is Illyria with you?"

"Yeah," Xander said after a moment. "Standing right where I can see her, in fact. And she is...talking to a plant?"

Spike laughed, remembering the incredulity on Angel's face when he'd reported that as one of Illyria's activities when she had first started wandering around the law firm offices.

"Most likely, although she claimed she could no longer hear their side of the conversation after we siphoned off some of her powers. So listen up, I'm still a couple of blocks away from the dog show. Where can I meet you? I need to talk with Smurfette."

~~~~~~~~

The cafe was empty when Spike entered it, so he chose one of the seats in the back to wait for the others to arrive. The waitress came over slowly, her excessive make-up giving her a strange glow beneath the fluorescent lights. She gave Spike a passing glance that dripped with obvious disapproval before asking what he wanted.

"I'm waiting on more people," Spike told her simply, shrugging at her glare. "Fine, get me a coffee in the meantime, yeah? Try not to spit in it."

He didn't pay attention to her muttering as she left him alone, and it was then that he spotted Fred's pretty face at the cafe's door, followed by Xander. Spike sighed, doing his best to ignore the painful tug in his chest when he saw Illyria using the disguise of the girl he'd cared about -- wearing Fred's face and body as if they belonged to her.

She obviously couldn't come here in all her blue glory, and Xander had probably pointed it out to her. Knowing that didn't help, though.

"Hey," Xander said simply, slumping onto the seat opposite him, with Illyria by his side. "Okay, it was a lot harder than I thought it'd be to leave Mena back there with only the slightly more warm-hearted than a lizard Haley at her bedside, so let's get this over with quickly. What's the plan?"

"You've got to lighten up a bit about Haley, you know. Not sure what got your knickers in such a twist about her in the first place, but she's really not as bad as you seem to think. Not that I completely trust her, but then I'm always suspicious of everyone. You're supposed to be the good cop on our team; I'm the bad cop. And you must've noticed how much Mena likes her."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Mena and Haley are gal pals. And I repeat, what's the plan?"

"The plan," Spike nodded, glancing at Illyria's serious countenance that looked so out of place on Fred's face. "Right. Blue, you remember when Angel defeated Hamilton, yeah? The night we annihilated the Black Thorn?"

"Yes," she answered simply, nodding once. "It was a great triumph. Hamilton had much strength."

"That it was," Spike agreed simply, frowning down at where his hands rested on the tabletop. "And yes he had. Luckily for us, I found out how Angel did it. You see, Angel drank some of Hamilton's blood and used his own power against him. I've been thinking hard on this one, Blue, and I'm thinking that a similar move will be the only way to fight Hyllus on equal grounds."

"Wait," Xander interrupted, frowning, "I'm not all that clear on the details of that particular apocalypse, and I will ask you about it someday, just so you know. But who's Hamilton? And if he's dead, whose blood are you planning on drinking?"

"Hamilton was the liaison to the Wolfram and Hart Senior Partners, and he was given some of their blood which made him extremely powerful," Spike explained, pausing when the waitress brought him his coffee, setting it down with a brusque move that almost spilled it.

The woman then turned a previously unseen sweet smile on Xander and Illyria-as-Fred to ask them what they wanted. Xander asked for another coffee, while Illyria just stared at the waitress strangely for long moments, before dismissing her and meeting Spike's steady stare. When the waitress left, Illyria cocked her head to the side, her eyes unwavering and flat.

"You mean to feed upon my blood," she declared at last, causing Xander to stare at her, then at Spike, then back at her again with an incredulous expression. "You think it will grant you power."

Spike just nodded, busying himself with adding spoonfuls of sugar to the black coffee he had no intention of drinking, still lost in remembrance of their last stand. The whole team dead, except Illyria and him. The grief the memory brought him hadn't yet faded over time. The waitress came back with Xander's order and stared at them curiously, before moving away towards the kitchen.

"All right," Xander spoke at last, breaking the tense silence. "Points for creepiness there, but are we sure this could work? Do you usually get the special features of the ones you drink, Spike? 'Cause that's just weird."

"No," Spike grumbled, raising an eyebrow at Xander. "Only when I drink from powerful demons. Or Slayers," he added hesitantly, surprised when Xander didn't flinch.

"I get an extra edge from that sort of blood," he continued. "But Hamilton was something else, because although he was a really muscular bloke, he was only a human. Not a demon. The entire source of his power was in his upgraded blood. And Illyria, it's sort of the same with you, isn't it? Although you're in a human body, you carry the blood of an Old One within you, not Fred's. That's why you still hold some of your power, even after your shell--" he paused for a moment, frowning at the word. "Even when Fred's body couldn't contain your entire strength and all your powers."

Illyria stared at him as he spoke, giving one brisk nod. "The idea does not appeal to me, Spike," she stated after a moment. "Sharing my power - even if it is with you - is unbefitting for any god. The gem is the key to my former glory. If I were to absorb its power, this plan would be unnecessary."

"That's the point of this," Xander countered, looking at Illyria while sipping his coffee with a grimace. "Hyllus is bound to that gem; you can't just try to absorb it because you might also absorb him. And no one wants that! I'm not even sure what 'absorbing' involves," he added, shuddering at the image in his mind. "Plus, from what Spike says, your current body can't contain all of the gem's power."

"There is no glory in relying on others!" Illyria responded coldly, her demeanor shifting into one Spike remembered from the early days of her arrival. He caught Xander's attention and gave him a warning glance, as the former god-king straightened up in her seat to glare at both men.

"If the great Illyria is fated to fall, I shall do so in the glory of battle. My battle. Hyllus is but a lowly ally to my enemies."

"Yes," Spike agreed easily, straightening up when Fred's brown eyes shifted into the icy depths of Illyria's orbs. "But you are no longer the full-on mighty, are you, pet? And Hyllus still has full access to the bleeding powers of bugger-all. What else are we supposed to do? You were there in Reliant Hall and got your ass kicked just like yours truly here."

"I dislike that expression," Illyria answered after a moment, inhuman eyes glaring daggers at Spike. "I dislike the whole of the situation. The gem strengthens Hyllus with my powers and feeds Hyllus like no human being should be fed. He is not a vessel worthy of an Old One's essence. If the gem should be crushed in my fist, he shall die, and my power will be restored to me. This is fate."

"No, it is not," Spike disagreed heatedly, leaning forward on the table in an unconscious attempt to intimidate which fell flat. "You remember what was happening before your power was limited; you remember how the time shifted unpredictably; how you were finally being destroyed by your own energy!"

"Wait, what--?"

"I remember," Illyria agreed, ignoring Xander's attempt to interrupt the conversation. "It does not matter. It might not happen. The gem is the heart of it, the source. In time, my essence could merge fully into this shell, bend it to my will--"

"We have no time!" Spike shouted, reining in his temper when the waitress yelled from the kitchen that she was calling the police if they didn't stop the racket.

Xander shook his head, taking the opportunity to talk, while trying to ignore Illyria's angry stare. "Look, destroying the gem is not an option. We need it for the Ritual Offering. You do remember the Offering, don't you?" he asked them both, receiving short nods in response.

"That little threat puts us all in danger, or have you forgotten that detail? Illyria, if you were to destroy the gem now, then you would disappear along with the rest of us when the Ritual Offering is supposed to take place, but can't because we have no Gem of Illyria. We would have blown our entire mission. Look, right now, Spike's plan is all we've got."

He paused then, taking another sip of the lukewarm coffee, frowning down at it. "Boy, does that sound depressing."

"Hey!" Spike protested but quieted when Illyria tilted her head to the other side, staring at nothing as if considering Xander's words. A long beat of silence followed. The waitress came back out cheerily, but upon spotting them still sitting there, she frowned and went back into the kitchen.

"Just a taste of my blood will suffice?" Illyria asked at long last, and Spike felt the tense muscles of his neck loosen a notch. He just nodded at her. "I will not allow you to defeat Hyllus on your own, half-breed. He remains my enemy."

"I know, pet," he sighed, giving Xander a small relieved grin that was quickly returned. "I'll only take a sip. Well, maybe a little bit more than a sip, but I promise it won't be too much, and I'll be sure to make it good for you, yeah? We'll fight the wanker together. He won't be able to beat the two of us, once I get the upgrade from your blood."

She finally nodded, inhuman eyes turning back into Fred's warm ones. She then smiled brightly, exactly like his dead friend, making Spike look away and Xander stare in amazement.

"Then we're all set, right, guys?" asked Xander. "That bastard who hurt Mena is so going down. When are we doing it?"

"Tonight. Now let's go back to the hotel," Spike muttered, dropping a few bills on the table and standing, not looking at Illyria. "And please, change back into yourself before we do it, yeah? I'm not biting Fred."

"No, you're not," Illyria's icy tones informed him as she walked past him out of the cafe, leaving Xander behind to catch up to them.

~~~~~~~~

The mood was somber when Spike, Xander and Illyria finally arrived back at their hotel room. Walking past Xander, Spike went ahead into the room, then stood there staring out the window, uncertain about how they were going to proceed. Stealing a glance at his companions, he could tell he wasn't the only one.

Spike knew only that Angel had drunk that bastard Hamilton's blood, but not the effect it had had on him. Spike couldn't be sure this would work. Couldn't be sure that the only chance they had against Hyllus wasn't useless from the start.

With a sigh, Spike turned away from Illyria's blank stare and Xander's uncertain eyes, going over to sit by the phone. The possibility that they could fail seemed all too real at the moment, and the consequences, if they were to bollocks this up

"Bloody hell, we can't rely just on ourselves," Spike found himself saying out loud, looking at his shoes as if they held the answers. He heard a shift and looked up to see Xander had taken a seat on the bed, facing Spike, his face strangely serious and pale. The thought of Mena lying in a hospital bed crossed Spike's mind then, and he looked away from Xander's gaze.

"I've been thinking about it while we were driving back. We could-- This could go wrong. In many, many ways. So, I think calling Rupert might be the best choice we have." Spike paused then, frowning, and looked up at Xander again. "And if you ever tell him I said that, the soul can bugger off while I kill you. Slowly."

"Oh, that will be the lovely sentiment expressed on my Christmas card this year, but we can talk about that later," Xander told him with a quick grin. He looked uncertainly at Illyria, who hovered around the room, watching them, before he turned back to face Spike. "I know how screwed we are, Spike. Trust me. So call them. Houston will desperately be needing backup if we blow this one."

Thinking back to the chaos at the dog show, Spike gave the Watcher a weary look as he picked up the cell phone he had so inconveniently left in the room earlier and selected Rupert's speed dial number. "I think we desperately needed backup earlier today."

Xander just shrugged and got up, moving away from Spike and towards the window, drawing Illyria into an uneasy conversation.

Spike ignored them, thinking of ways he could explain their situation to Giles. Somehow he knew that 'Hello Rupert, we're all probably going to die here tonight, so you'll be needing to send another team' wouldn't go down well.

"Hello," a groggy voice greeted him, and Spike grinned, leaning back in his chair.

"Why, Rupert, I knew you were an old fart, but sleeping while on duty now? Tsk, tsk," he chided good-naturedly, grinning at the muffled groan he heard from Giles.

"Yes, that would be unseemly, wouldn't it?" Giles grumbled, voice gaining that parenting voice that never failed to amuse Spike. "Except I'm not on bloody duty at 2:00 AM, you annoying bloodsucker! Some of us keep human hours."

"Bloody waste of perfectly good darkness, if you ask me," Spike told him, his mind already wandering down the serious paths where he needed to lead this conversation. "Didn't realize you'd switched time zones again. Thought you were still in Peru. Look Rupert, as fun as bugging you is, I'm actually calling for a reason here. We've run into a -- a bit of a problem over here."

"Do tell," Giles told him, immediately serious. Spike had to admire the man's sense of duty. "Is everyone all right?"

"Afraid not," Spike sighed, thinking of Mena. "Look, Watcher, let me start at the beginning. We ran into Illyria here in Houston, if you remember her." Rupert's 'oh, dear' told Spike all he needed to know.

"Right, well, turns out she hadn't died in L.A.'s apocalyptic battle after all; she'd just wandered off before we could reconnect. So, seeing as we were looking for the bloody Gem of Illyria, she stayed with us to--"

"Spike, are you sure that is wise?" Giles interrupted him, sounding worried. "I know Illyria fought by your side in L.A., but we can hardly expect to hold her allegiance."

"No, Rupert, I'm not sure at all," Spike muttered crossly, stealing a glance at Illyria, only to find she was watching him closely. Xander noticed and suddenly stood right in front of her, distracting her as best as he could. Spike shook his head, turning back to his phone conversation.

"Thing is, Giles, this gem business got a lot more complicated than we thought. See, there was this sort of demigod bound to the bleeding thing, apparently by Illyria's enemies, and he's on the loose."

"A demigod, you say?" Giles fairly squeaked, and Spike nodded, distracted enough to not remember that the Watcher couldn't see his movement. "How? Who would this be?"

"Some beastie-like bloke by the name of Hyllus. Heard of him?" Spike tensed when there was a steady silence as his answer. "Rupert?"

"Oh, dear. I'm afraid I have," Giles sighed. Spike could swear he heard those glasses being polished half-way across the globe. "Only vague mentions, I'm afraid. He was a Zeus worshiper, back in the heyday of the Greek gods and was allegedly granted immortality due to his extreme faith. He's mentioned as a great warrior of his time. Zeus was Illyria's greatest enemy, according to the scrolls. Are you saying he bound Hyllus to the Gem of Illyria?"

"Yeah, that he did," Spike muttered, understanding the tangled mess a little better. "Look, Watcher, it's bad enough he's set against Illyria while Her Blue Majesty is with us, but it's not just that. He's a horrific monster, Giles. He -- he killed a lot of people here, after he swept the floor with us. Mena was hurt badly."

"Mena? Dear God, how is she?" Giles asked quietly. There was a muffled sound from the other end, and Spike could immediately tell who was suddenly there with Giles.
Buffy.

"Not too great," Spike confessed quietly, closing his eyes. "Haley is staying with her at the hospital, in case she regains consciousness while the rest of us are busy. See, Rupert, we're going against Hyllus again. Illyria and I are going to face him, after I drink a taste of her blood. It's a little technique Angel used, and I'm hoping it'll work out for me as well. That's why I'm calling."

"In case it doesn't work?" Giles asked him seriously, and Spike sighed, nodding again before catching himself.

"Yeah, exactly," Spike admitted, meeting Xander's eyes from across the room. "I'm not going to lie to you Rupert. This could go down very badly, and all of us dying is a real possibility. We need you to organize a team of Slayers to come here and take down Hyllus, should that happen."

There was stunned silence on the other end of the line. Then there was a sudden rustling sound, and another voice took over the conversation, making Spike smile despite his worries.

"Spike? Spike, what's going on? Are you okay?" Buffy asked frantically, and the sound of her voice served to ground him somehow, soothing some of his nervousness. He had her love. Even should he die, this time, he really had her love. And she had made it clear that she loved him not despite what he had once been, but because of the man he had worked so hard to become. Buffy loved very part of him.



By Ldynwaitin

"Hey, love," Spike murmured tiredly, grinning when Xander rolled his eyes and looked away from Spike. "We're not doing too well, pet, to be honest."

"I know. You've just made Giles pour himself a very tall whiskey," Buffy joked lightly, but Spike knew her well enough to recognize the worry in her voice. "Talk to me, Spike, what's going on? Are you in danger?"

"'Fraid so, love. It's a bit uncertain at the moment," Spike mumbled, tiredly pinching the bridge of his nose. "To give you the short version, we're facing a guy that matches Illyria's former strength. You remember about Illyria, don't you?"

"Yeah," Buffy breathed softly. Spike hated himself in that moment, for burdening her further. "You mean, he's like a god, don't you? Like Glory?"

"No, pet, no. Nothing quite that apocalyptic," he reassured her quickly, grimacing at his next words. "It's just -- he's an enormous brute, and he hurt Mena rather badly. So now we're going to face him again, after I get a little upgrade by drinking some of Illyria's blood. Because Her Highness herself is here, as well, did you hear? She's helping out."

"No, I hadn't heard," Buffy murmured, apparently listening to something her Watcher was telling her on the other side of the line.

"Listen, Spike, Giles says he'll have a team sent down there as soon as tomorrow, for the backup you need. He says you should be very careful. Damn it, Spike, what aren't you telling me? You've got Giles worried about you!"

Spike laughed then, biting his lip when she threatened to come to Houston, herself, and 'do severe bodily harm to this bloody wanker who is threatening my boyfriend'.

"Sorry, pet, things are really bad here in Houston. I didn't lie to Rupert, and I certainly won't lie to you. We're talking about a serious threat to our lives and the lives of countless others."

There was a moment of silence. Then Buffy's voice came again, with a quality he wasn't used to hearing from her.

"You'll make it," she told him simply. Spike blinked, startled at her conviction. "Come on, Spike, you've taken down Hellgods and The First Evil. You turned Sunnydale into a crater! What's a little demigod gonna do?"

"Enjoy tossing me against walls, apparently," Spike told her, but he was grinning. "Look, Buffy, we'll do our best, you hear? I'm not giving up; you know that. We just need another team primed and ready as well, just in case it all goes wrong."

"It won't, Spike. Get that out of your head," Buffy told him firmly, almost reprimanding him. Spike was amused by the concept. "I trust you, you hear me? I believe in you, as I've told you before. If you think drinking Illyria's blood is the way to go, then do it. Get your little boost and kick that Helium's butt!"

"That would be Hyllus, pet," Spike laughed gently, wishing he could see her now. "Tell Rupert we'll be taking your advice now, okay? We've got some demigod's arse to kick."

"I'll do that," Buffy said softly. "And kick his ass once for me, too. I love you, Spike. Be careful, all right?"

Spike smiled brightly, looking down at where his hand was twitching in his lap. "Always, pet. Love you, too."

Then the line went dead, and Spike sighed, ever so slowly putting the phone away, with Buffy's words still on his mind. Of course, we'll make it, he finally decided. There was no other option.

Looking up, he met Xander's and Illyria's fiercely determined gazes and grinned at them. Jumping to his feet in one smooth motion, Spike approached them, watching as Illyria played idly with the gem resting in her palm. Nervous energy made him itch as Spike stood there, watching the gem for a long minute before shaking his head and looking up into Illyria's face.

"We're all set, then," Spike told them, nodding at Xander before facing Illyria again. "Ready to give me a tasty snack straight from the source, pet?"

~~~~~~~~


Spike watched Illyria secrete the gem neatly into a fold, hidden in her -- what was that -- armor? Skin? Maybe he'd ask her someday.

He felt jittery. He would have given an arm for a cigarette. Preferably not his own, of course. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to this blood drinking or fearing it. He really wasn't sure how it was going to affect him.

Would he be able to stop once he started?

Could Illyria stop him if he didn't?

"I wish to blend pheromones with you during the blood exchange." Illyria's voice was matter-of-fact, but Spike thought he detected a trace of excitement in her eyes.

Oh, this was all he needed. "This isn't a how-to-shag demonstration."

"You said you would make this good for me." Illyria's expression hardened into the one Spike recognized as her version of a pout.

"Well, I was thinking cool and soothing, not hot and bothered."

"I wish to be hot and bothered." Illyria lowered her head and her voice. "Unsatisfied sexual tension can be channeled into fighting energy. And human history suggests that warriors, who fight beside those they desire, will increase their efforts to be heroic."

Spike sighed. "We don't have time for it, Blue. And despite what history suggests, UST can just make you lose focus. Neither of us needs that kind of edge, anyway."

He didn't want to try and explain why a possibly dying Mena, and a rampaging killer on the loose, would dull his interest even if he had any to begin with.

"Nonetheless, we battle a great enemy. I cannot be truly killed, but may well be damaged in ways I cannot repair or be banished from this dimension. I have not yet understood human sexuality and would do so before such dire situations occur."

"Bloody hell! Are you trying to pull an 'I don't want to die a virgin' routine? You aren't a virgin, probably have never had the equipment to be a virgin, and we -- don't -- have -- time."

"Very well." Illyria made a sound that she would have denied was a sniff.

"Xander, you should wait in the bedroom." Spike knew he was going to get an argument about his suggestion, and he wasn't disappointed.

"What if you can't stop?" Xander's fingers tapped against his chair. "I mean, I don't really want to hang around for the...act, but Angel couldn't--"

"I'm not Angel."

"Got that. Still. Blood. Vampire. It's been a while since you fed from the tap, so to speak. Are you really sure either one of you will be completely in control?"

"It's kind of a private thing, Xander. Really don't want you here." Spike modulated his tone to keep the anger out.

"I really don't want to be here. I'm just thinking maybe I need to be."

"His presence is not needed, but neither do I object to it. I will allow you to make the choice, Spike." Illyria tilted her head, and Spike felt the desire to rip it off of her shoulders.

"Love the way you allow me to do things," he grumped. He just wanted to get this over with.

"Xander, Illyria's not going to be like doing a human. I won't deny the risk; just don't reckon it's much. You wait in the other room. If we don't come get you in -- let's say ten minutes, you come check us out."

"All right," Xander agreed but lingered.

Illyria stood facing him, and Spike thought of their bodies molded against one another, embracing, as he swallowed hot drafts of potent blood.

"Think this will work best if I come at you from behind, pet."

"Whatever you desire...pet." Illyria lifted her eyebrows.

Great. The dozy cow was attempting humor again. He glared at her, but his sour expression was undercut by Xander's tired chuckle. Spike shifted his glare in Xander's direction. "You were leaving?"

Xander shrugged. "What? It was cute. You called each other pet. Ahhh."

Spike continued to glower until Xander entered the adjoining room, speaking over his shoulder as he went. "I'm starting the countdown!"

"Let's do it, then." Spike moved toward Illyria.

She turned away from him and swept the strands of her hair away from her shoulder. She raised a hand to her throat and rubbed her fingers along its length. A vein appeared, pale blue threading across the white marble column of her neck and disappearing into the darker blue mottling clustered at its base.

Spike took an unneeded breath and stepped behind her, slightly to the side. He touched his lips to the pale skin. He had promised to make this good. He breathed on her flesh, cooling it so that his mouth was warm in contrast.

Goose pimples turned her skin into Braille against his tongue, and he read her. Inhaled her scent -- so different from Fred's -- tasted the tastes of her, salt and metal and leather, and something he had no word for.

His hands moved to the base of her spine. The leathery surface of her body-covering yielded to his touch, becoming thin and supple. His fingers dug gently along the sides of her vertebrae, worked their way up to the muscles surrounding the shoulder blades, and massaged them until they were warm and soft.

He read her changes: the yielding of tension, the slowing of her pulse, the acid and alkaline of her skin, and at the moment of her deepest relaxation, he slid his teeth into her flesh, just the tips of them, deliberately missing the vein. He wanted this to be slow and gentle.

Illyria's head lolled back, resting hard against his, her skin hot against the coolness of his own.

The bitch!

She was pumping out the pheromones in spite of his objections. He felt himself hardening, and he didn't want-- He'd just get it over with, then. He slid his hands around her waist, fitted them to the curve of her ribs and pulled her torso against him, until she was draped back over his chest and shoulder. He dipped to one side, sliding his head down, exposing her neck further to his teeth, and he bit, piercing deeply into her marbled flesh.


By Ldynwaitin

Illyria shuddered, and Spike's experienced hands held her firm, kept her in place so his teeth weren't dislodged. He bit harder, punctured the slippery walls of the vein, and her blood welled into his mouth.

The taste and texture surprised him.

Not just the flavor -- aged in oak -- but the substance of it, the way it sliced at his throat. He felt the power immediately, the spiny needles of it.

It wasn't pleasant.

The spines of power ricocheted through him, shooting outward from the very depths of him, as though seeking to stab through the walls of his flesh and his skin.

Still, the blood poured into his mouth, but he was no longer actually drinking. It was as though he had become part of Illyria, a limb to her body, and the blood and the power pumped through him as it did through an arm or a leg.

There was no longer anything sexual in their embrace. Illyria was giving to him and receiving from him because blood circulates through the body; hers circulated through him and became part of him and took part of him back to her. Spillyria felt an intrusion, an annoyance, and flicked it away without effort.

"Oh, God! Spike, let go."

The annoyance persisted, and touched again, and they moved to destroy it, but the left hand moved against the right hand and halted its deadly purpose.

"Spike. Come on. I know you're in there."

The voice grated on their ears but touched something deep within Spillyria this time. The essence in them that was Spike responded, and grew curious, and withdrew his body from the essence that was Illyria.

Spike felt vulnerable, alone without his counterpart, but his physical separation stretched the bond, and his single consciousness became stronger. He remembered his self that was Spike, yet knew also that self which was Illyria, and knew also the entity, Spillyria, that was both.

This, then, was what it was to live three lives at once.

All things were tripled. Ghostly images overlaying all his perceptions. His eyes saw what lay before him, even as his brain received the images of what lay before her. He smelled the scents that drifted to her nostrils, and they blended into complex perfumes with the scents that brushed the receptors of his own.

And Spillyria: saw, touched, felt, tasted and smelled that which neither could perceive alone.

And in his ears were the faint echoes of sweet voices, the last remembrance of the song of the green. Spike mourned that he would never hear them sing again.

Xander stood before them, and Spike noted the fleck of blood on Xander's chin from that morning's shave, while Illyria focused on the small insect that traveled across the back of Xander's collar.

Spillyria saw that already the cells, at the crown of Xander's head, were dying. He would have a small bald spot before his 30th year.

But even as Spike gloried in the magnificence that they were, Illyria revealed to him that Spillyria was dying, a momentary phantasm that could not be maintained now that they were no longer sharing blood.

It would die, was dying, and their bond would be broken. They would be cast adrift from one another.

Alone again.

"Come on, Spike, talk to me." Xander's voice was garbled in his ears.

"What would you have me say?"

"Oh, God. I knew this was a bad idea. How bad is it? Say it isn't that bad."

Illyria responded, though Spike said the words, "It isn't that bad," and Spillyria laughed at the humor.

Xander didn't laugh.

He ran his hands over his face and scrubbed his palms against his eyes. "Can you function this way? I guess that's the important thing for now. Can you fight?"

Anger swept through the three of them and spilled out in bitter speech. "We can fight. Hyllus will not see the dawn."

Xander sighed and nodded. "That's something. That's something." He paused for a long moment. "Will you...are...is this what you'll be like forever?"

Spillyria frowned, and their voices echoed, forlornly. "No. We are doomed to dissolve soon. Spike will retain this power, however, as long as even a single living cell of Illyria's blood remains within him."

Xander swallowed. "You mean he keeps it unless he bleeds to death?"

"No. All blood renews with life. Each cell dying and each cell remade until it can be remade no more. Spike's blood is not living in the usual sense of the word. It has supernatural life but cannot renew itself. Illyria's blood is living, but cannot be renewed within his body."

Illyria spoke now. "It was thus that the Gem of Illyria was invested with my power in eons past. Infused with my blood as it was formed in the fires of its creation. But that power was sealed in the gem. Spike can hold the power only until the blood is gone."

"So, that takes what? Days? Years? God, I should know how long it takes for blood to replace itself."

Spillyria answered. "Illyria's blood is not as yours. We are ancient, yet this shell is made new with the passing of each day. Already, that which binds us together as one -- now fades."

"I don't understand."

"It is beyond your comprehension. Go prepare yourself for battle now. We need a moment."

Xander's mouth opened in protest, but what he saw was evidently enough to convince him that any argument was futile. He went to the bedroom to gather his weapons.

Even as Xander left, Spike and Illyria staggered.

The entity that was Spillyria, born from their blood, existing only in the substance of their thoughts, was gone. Now there was only Spike and only Illyria, and they no longer lived one within the other.

Spike stared at Illyria. Already, mere seconds after their parting, he was forgetting much of what he had taken from her mind, unable to contain its vastness in such a small space as his own brain.

He knew that she would retain what she had taken from him, but it would be lost, buried in the glorious landscape of her godly magnificence.

Bitch.

Spike shook himself. She'd tried to place a compulsion on him to make him more susceptible to her bidding. He supposed he should be angry, but he understood now how lonely she was, with only one life to keep her company. She would bind others to her in whatever way she could.

For now, her power still burned within him. It tore at him, seeking release.

He was suddenly swept with a sense of elation -- exultation. Freed from Illyria, to whom this was but a paltry remnant of past majesty, he felt inundated by the sheer enormity of the might that blazed within him.

Not since he'd been a fledge had he felt such exuberance.

No, this wasn't pleasant. It was -- glorious!

"Xander! Get a move on it. I've got a bone to pick with Hyllus." Spike flexed his hand, feeling the power. Once he released it, it would burn out fast. He had to make it count.

"Coming. Coming." Xander sounded cheery. He barreled through the bedroom door and held up a taser. "Had to find this. These damn things work surprisingly well against all manner of beasties, you know. I might be able to give Hyllus a tickle or two."

Spike lowered his head and looked at Xander with burning eyes. "Assuming there's anything left once I'm through with him." He laughed, and even to his own ears, it sounded like a howl.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike was feeling g-o-o-od. Very good.

On the other hand, the power hurt. But in a really good way. Spurs seemed to be sprouting wildly from his bones, turning his skeleton into a porcupine's. He couldn't shake the feeling -- if he were to raise his arms, and think in just the right way -- his power quills would explode in every direction, breaking him into pieces while fragmenting the world around him into teeny, tiny atoms.

He wanted to try it.

"I do not wish to be enclosed in the moving shaft." Illyria passed the elevator and headed toward the stairwell.

"Yeah, it'd be too small for me, anyway. The way the power's throbbing in me, I'd probably make it explode." Spike looked back, wagging his tongue. "Might be fun."

Xander's hand was in his pocket -- the one with the taser -- and he let Spike and Illyria precede him on the stairs. "You know you're really scary right now." Xander was eyeing him, doubtfully, and it made Spike laugh.

Spike knew.

"He feels the burn of my blood." Illyria's voice was approving. "Once I had armies of such warriors. Multitudes of soldiers that covered entire continents, and when we marched, worlds trembled."

She closed her hand into a fist.

Xander's laugh was uneasy. "Hey, you've got only one warrior now, and look! I'm still trembling."

Illyria stood below him on the stairs. Her head was tilted to the side, and she looked up at him from under her lids. The dim light from the stairwell made her eyes gleam.

"You tremble because you are weak. But I understand now that even the weak can be strong. I return to battle with two warriors at my side."

Spike grinned. He could see Xander's chest puffing up with pride.

After a moment, Xander shook his head and moved on to more important matters. "Do we have a plan? I mean, other than walking around until we hear sirens and people screaming?"

"We know where Hyllus is. He takes his strength from my power, through the gem." Illyria stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "He knows where we are. He comes to us even as we go to him. It will not be long."

Spike's lids were lowered, his face grim, and for a moment, the exhilaration that had been emanating from him seemed to dampen. "It's not just your power, Blue. He's been stealing from others. From those that don't have the power to share. I saw it."

Illyria nodded. "Such energy, alone, cannot fuel him for long. While we have been preparing to fight him, he has wandered, gathering the strength to fight us. He hopes to get to the gem before this power fades."

Xander raised his hand. "I vote we leave the bauble here then. We can put it in the hotel safe. It'll be safe as houses there. Safe as hotels, even."

"Hyllus will seek to retrieve the bauble first. The pitiful defenses of this place would not stay him for a moment."

Illyria pulled the gem out of its hiding place and peered into it. She ran her hand across it, and Spike knew she desired the power that pulsed within it. Bloody hell. So did he.

"You don't want that tosser coming around looking for his fix, Xander. Believe me. He'd take the energy out of everyone here just for an appetizer. I couldn't do anything earlier." Spike held out his hand for the gem and after a moment, Illyria placed it in his palm. "Too many people have already died."

He raised the gem to one eye and peered at Xander through it. His eye was magnified by the gem, distorted by the facets, swollen to twice its size. Spike looked around the stairwell and giggled. "I can see my own eye."

Illyria gently took the gem from him and returned it to her hidden pouch.

Xander summarized for them. "So the plan is to meet Hyllus somewhere in the middle, between where we are and where he is, and then try to beat the crap out of him. If he loses his super strength first, we win, and I don't even want to talk about the vice versa."

Spike opened the door to the lobby. "Yep."

Xander shrugged. "Sounds as good as any of Buffy's plans. They usually work."

"The simplest plans usually do." Spike looked at the humans in the lobby, the clerk behind the desk, a young couple signing in, an older couple signing out. He was surprised anyone was out and about with all the hubbub going on at Reliant Center. He supposed things were a bit quieter now that Hyllus had left the building. People had to get on with their lives.

Spike wondered what his fangs would be like. He could feel their presence in his gums as he hadn't since he was a young vampire. He wished he could see his teeth.

He thought about slipping into gameface, but wasn't sure if he could change back. He thought possibly his fangs would be gleaming shards of power; that they would slice through his own jaw. He ran his tongue across the tips of his teeth and smiled like a wolf.

As the group entered the lobby, the guests and hotel staff turned to look at them. It was obvious everyone was uneasy.

Spike smiled again. Illyria was tall and blue and armored with leather scabs, but the humans were looking at him. They were shaking in their boots because of him. He liked it. He meant them no harm; he was going to risk his existence to protect them. So he guessed it was all right to enjoy the smell of their fear.

They were approaching the main doors, and Spike wondered if he could make them swing open without touching them, like magic. He placed his hands out in front of him.

"Don't waste your power, Spike. With each use, my blood within you diminishes," Illyria chastised him.

"You mean I could make the doors open like 'abracadabra, look Ma no hands'? Just wave them and 'open sesame'? Really?"

Illyria paused significantly. "No-o. Not really."

Spike blinked, dumbfounded, then burst into laughter. "You've been watching corn chip commercials!"

She smirked with satisfaction. "They have much to teach me about humor."

Xander stared at both of them with wide eyes.

Illyria and Spike stopped outside the doors, eyes half-closed, and seemed to listen for something. Illyria pointed toward the freeway. "Hyllus comes this way."

Spike laughed with delight.

"Uh. That isn't funny, Spike." Xander looked frightened.

"Everything's funny, Xander." Spike began running and Illyria followed.

He and Illyria bounded through the parking lot with great, loping strides, slowing for nothing. They took to the cars, bouncing off the roofs and the hoods, feeling the metal caving beneath their feet. Spike liked the noise it made. He particularly liked the noise.

There were sirens wailing in the distance. He supposed that might be a problem. Police would be following the trail of dead bodies that Hyllus was leaving. Spike could only hope that the hulking brute had evaded the ones that pursued him. He could only hope he hadn't left them all dead.

Illyria had stopped, poised atop one of the SUVs, with her hand thrust out. "He is there."

Spike followed her aim and saw a dark form silhouetted on the overpass to Astroworld.

Xander huffed up beside them. Spike noted with interest that Xander's cheeks were red with exertion, the blood in his veins pumping to the surface of his skin in a rosy flush. "Catch up when you can, Xander. I'll try to leave something for you."

"Don't do me any favors." But Xander was talking to the wind. Spike and Illyria were gone.

Neither of them spoke, but they moved in unison as they reached the bottom of the overpass. They parted, one to the left, one to the right, and scaled up the underside of the rough concrete structure.

Spike peered over the wall's edge, and he saw Illyria's eyes, gleaming in the moonlight, peering back at him over the other wall. He had come up behind Hyllus, and she had made her way past him.

She pulled herself up to draw Hyllus' attention while Spike slipped onto the overpass unseen.

"Illyria, you have come to give yourself to me." Hyllus' laughed, and Spike thought it sounded like he was gargling glass. "Perhaps, I will only send you into another dimension instead of crushing you and leaving you to exist in this world as a broken puddle of slime."

"Your words fall past me as withered leaves from a tree. I will step on you, as I would step on them, and enjoy hearing you crunch beneath my feet."

Spike marveled at the witty repartee. He couldn't wait to stop it.

He jumped up from behind and wrapped his hands into Hyllus' hair. Spike gloried in the sound of Hyllus' bellow, yanking the brute's head down and back, exposing the throat. Illyria wasted no time before thrusting her fingers deep into the junction under Hyllus' chin, crushing the hyoid bone into his voicebox. That would give them a few moments of silence.

Hyllus gathered the muscles at his neck and shoulders. Spike could feel it, knew what was happening, and was forced to choose between letting go or letting Hyllus' head slam against his mouth.

Spike held on, and his lips were pounded into his teeth from the force of the blow. He shook his head, sliding into gameface, pushing out any imprint that Hyllus had made on his face. Spike thought it only fair that Hyllus get a taste of his own medicine, and pushed the bullet-shaped head forward into Illyria's waiting fist.

Pain shot through Spike's back as Hyllus twisted and jammed him into the rim of the wall. Pulverized cement burst into a dry rain of powder, coating Spike's tongue and mixing with the blood in his mouth.

He jumped free, spitting out the gritty paste. This was great fun, but it was getting them nowhere. They could pound at Hyllus until the sun rose with no guarantee of success. They didn't have much in the way of weapons, hadn't expected this kind of fighting. Spike mourned for Angel's weapons cabinet and the armory at Wolfram & Hart.

Hyllus turned to Illyria, raising his fists, and sparks began forming between them.

"I smell your blood in this half-breed, Illyria. Disgusting. You lower yourself further than I thought possible. Why do you even fight me? You have shamed yourself and should welcome your dissolution." Hyllus' throat had healed quickly.

"I am already fouled beyond redemption by your use of my power. I cannot be shamed further."

Hyllus loosed a stream of lightning at her feet, a demi-divine soldering iron, melting and fusing the concrete into slag along the line of her retreat. Spike sprang up and landed hard on Hyllus' back, driving him forward, down into the molten mess, and pushing his face against the heated surface.

Spike felt Hyllus' body bucking beneath him and grinned. He could smell cooking flesh. Hyllus thrust his hands against the walkway and shoved against them, gaining the purchase to throw himself upright and throw Spike off his back. Spike heard the sound of skin tearing.

"You disgust me, vampire. Illyria's existence is an offense to me, and the smell of her blood in your veins is as putrid as a slug's innards. I will squash you like a slug, and watch your intestines sliding out of your body."

Spike fluttered his eyelashes and preened. "Sounds like you know how to show a bloke a good time." Without warning, he launched himself at Hyllus. The tit was talking instead of sparking, and Spike hoped that meant he was drained for the moment.

Hyllus wasn't.

A lightning ball formed between Hyllus' fists, and Spike slammed into it. The electricity jolted through him, his body shuddered, and he sank to his knees.

He looked back up at Hyllus with savage joy in his whirling, yellow eyes.

The lightning sang in his body! Those bolts were a manifestation of Illyria's power and merely heightened the power he already contained. Spike felt like a fury riding the lightning during a storm. He felt the strength bubbling beneath his skin; he felt blue, strobing light thrusting through his veins; he felt the buzzing snap of ozone zipping out of his pores.

Hyllus' blow snapped his head back, driving him down to the concrete. He was bent straight, leaning back from his knees, and he felt something pop in one of them.

Spike rolled, and the breeze from Hyllus' foot wafted across his face; the foot, however, stomped the ground where Spike's head had been. Spike grabbed at Hyllus' ankles and yanked the demigod down. Illyria's kick found her target, and Hyllus was sent skidding down the walkway.

She and Spike followed close after Hyllus, worrying at him like a pack of wolves.

When Hyllus moved to attack Illyria, Spike jabbed at him from the side. When Hyllus turned to retaliate against Spike, Illyria darted in and shoved him into Spike's blow. Blood sprayed from Hyllus' lips, and he was spun sideways. Illyria dodged to avoid colliding with him and kicked the back of his knee as he passed, making him stumble.

They danced around him, zipping in to smash a fist into his flesh, slamming him with body blows from behind, and kicking at his knees. They harried him with light blows but took none themselves.

Hyllus howled in fury, and Spike and Illyria laughed. Spike thought Illyria's laughter sounded like starlight.

Illyria levered her foot around Hyllus' ankle, tripping him, and he fell heavily. He tried to rise, but their blows rained down upon him, and he was kicked from side to side, rolled from stomach to back, from back to stomach, flipped ass over teakettle, and pounded into the cement.

Spike remembered watching children playing 'Kick the Can' and snorted. His foot sank deep into Hyllus stomach, lifting him up from the ground with its force. "Bet I can kick him further than you can!"

Illyria didn't reply in words. Her response was to thrust her foot savagely against Hyllus' buttocks, impelling him into the air and sending him bouncing down the walkway stairs in a heap.

Spike raised an approving thumb. "When this is over, remind me to talk to you about a career in football."

They clattered down the stairs, pausing when they saw no sign of Hyllus. Spike saw blood dotted against the cement but no sign of a body. "Where did he go?"

"Spike!" Illyria's warning was too late.

Hyllus rose over the stairway wall, propelled by a powerful leap, and wrapped his arm around Spike's throat, pulling him backwards and dragging him down toward the ground. Illyria dove over the side, following them.

She was met by Hyllus' crackling energies, a monstrous ball of electrical radiance that surged through her limbs. Spike was on the ground, shaking violently, his eyes rolled back into his head. Overloaded.

Illyria thudded to the ground beside Spike but wasn't overcome. She forced herself to one knee and thrust her pointed fingers into Hyllus' gut.

Spike felt his own neurons popping around his brain like Ping-Pong balls. He couldn't see or hear, in any significant way, but identified the world around him as negative shapes burned into the kinetic flow that heaved and whirled around him. The sense of explosion that had been building in him since drinking Illyria's blood was nearly unbearable.

He thought it quite possible that he might explode, burst apart into a gory mess of blood, and guts, and blue, blazing power.

It was Illyria's power that rumbled inside him. He knew that. The same stuff that was allowing Hyllus to shoot off lightning bolts. Hyllus seemed able to contain more of the power than either Spike or Illyria, but he had to have a limit. Maybe he could be shorted out.

His decision made, Spike coiled his fingers around Hyllus' leg, used it to pull himself upright and heaved himself up the demigod's torso.

He released his power -- the way he'd wanted to ever since drinking Illyria's blood. He clasped his arms around Hyllus and thought just the right way; he shoved the spiny protrusions of his power outward and felt them crackling out of his pores into a blue fireworks display. He rode lightning of his own making, and he sent it galloping into Hyllus.

The two grappled with each other like Titans, until the electricity separated them with its force. Spike's scintillating blue lightning, crackling and sparking, fenced stroke against stroke with the deeper blue streaks discharged by Hyllus. Their struggle had taken them back to the Reliant Center parking lot, and the heat of their battle melted the tar on the ground. The gooey stuff clutched at their feet and slowed their steps.

The air became heavy and humid as it expanded. A clap of thunder boomed, and the atmosphere was suffused with ozone.

Spike felt his own energy draining from him and felt Hyllus' energy surging into him, the push and tug ripping and tearing at his body. He felt his bones and organs burning, crisping, fusing and felt his body healing, energized, re-powered, only to be drained once again.

And then it was gone. His power was gone. He was only Spike, a very tired and weak vampire. He trembled. He felt like crying at the loss of his wonderful lightning, his porcupine bones, but his eyes were sanded dry from the electricity in the air. The hairs along his arms waved gently, charged by the atmosphere, but the rest of him felt sucked dry, all moisture gone, and he wondered if he might crumble into ash if he moved too quickly.

At least he had the satisfaction of seeing that Hyllus was lying prone and unmoving as well. He wouldn't mind dying if he knew that he'd taken that tosser with him. Taken revenge for all the lives that had been lost that day.

Illyria stood over Hyllus, prodded a bloody cheek with one finger, and his head lolled to one side.

"He is not dead, but there is little left to him." Illyria lifted her knee and poised her foot. "I shall enjoy crushing him. I will stomp his bones into mulch, and we will bury his pulped remains deep within the earth. He will exist here as a broken puddle of slime." She sneered, and the exhilaration in her eyes sent a thrill of excitement through Spike.

Hyllus' hands exploded into the air, grabbing Illyria's ankle and pulling her down. She flopped over his head, and he dragged her leg over his wide, gaping mouth and bit deeply into the meaty portion of the calf.

Spike dragged himself up on his arms, his eyes wide with dismay. "He's drinking you. Trying to restore his power with your blood!"

"I know what he is doing." Illyria clapped her hands over Hyllus' ears and smashed his nose, but he continued to suck at her blood, worrying and tearing at her leg to increase the flow.

Illyria pushed upward, forcing herself into a standing, upright position and sacrificing a chunk of her leg. Hyllus' loosened his bite enough to allow her movement without being knocked loose, and his teeth sawed through her calf, peeling away a large portion of flesh and skin.

Spike saw the meat of Illyria's leg, the blue flesh glistening like a fruit with a missing segment. Red drops of blood beaded to the surface, staining the flesh into purple, welling into the cavity, and dribbling onto the ground.

Hyllus was gobbling the piece of flesh. He shoved it down his throat, chewing only enough to get it past. His face was a gory mess of blood and tissue.

Two can play at that game, and I've had a lot more practice. Spike heaved himself up and stumbled more than ran at Hyllus.

Spike extended his fangs and struck at Hyllus' throat, knocking away the hands that sought to block him. He pulled at the veins, drawing the blood forth with all the efficiency of a hungry vampire. He'd taken power from Illyria this way. Why not Hyllus? This would be good. Hyllus would be drained, and Spike would have his power back. Why hadn't he thought of this before?

Poison!

The blood was tainted, chugging into Spike's mouth like curdled milk. It tasted old and rotten, barely tinged with the power Hyllus had just taken from Illyria.

Threaded through the rot, Spike could taste the murder, the essences that Hyllus had taken. The withered faces of the corpses flashed through Spike's mind. He could taste the lives, salt, sweet, bitter, sour, flashing against his tongue.

He jerked free from Hyllus, sinking back to his knees, and vomited up the blood he had swallowed.

Illyria slammed Hyllus into a nearby car, ripped off the door - the iron screaming as it twisted -- and bashed it against him. Her wounded leg threw her off balance, and she slid in the blood that oozed from the injury.

Hyllus took advantage of her slide and grappled the door away from her. He hefted the mass over his head and threw it. Illyria ducked and rolled on the ground before regaining her feet.

Happy with the idea of car doors as weapons, Hyllus peeled a new one free and sent it spinning in Illyria's direction. She attempted to move away but was struck in the midriff and thrown flying through the air. She landed head first on the roof of a car, her torso crashing down after, the metal scrunching into the shape of her body. Glass flew, shattered, from the car windows.

Illyria didn't move.

Hyllus grinned, and Spike could see gobbets of Illyria's flesh in his teeth. He could also see the sparks forming between Hyllus' fists. The demigod had regained his power. Spike hadn't. Never would.

Weakened, he could only watch as Hyllus advanced on him. Watch as the electricity grew, and lightning crackled and spat into a massive ball.

Spike wouldn't be able to withstand this one. He already felt as though he could feel gaps between his atoms, places where the moisture used to be. The lightning was going to blaze through him like he was tinder. He hoped Illyria would see to this tit's painful, gory death.

A horn blared shockingly through the night air, and an SUV, golden paint glowing in the moonlight, rumbled into Spike's view, its motor thrumming as the pedal was put to the metal.

The impact knocked Hyllus into the air, and Spike could see bone where ribs were protruding from his chest. The demigod's limbs flailed. He fell in a twisted spiral and thudded back to the ground.

Xander backed up the car, running it full speed over the prone body.



By Ldynwaitin

Spike couldn't see Hyllus from behind the SUV, but he could see the spray of blood splattered across the ground. He grinned as Xander stepped out and rushed toward him.

"About bloody time you got here."

"Well, it took me a while to find a car that wasn't locked and had keys. I'm not so swift with the hot-wiring. Tried but--" Xander shrugged and patted the SUV. "Trigger here was sitting with his keys in the ignition, just raring to go. I guess cowboy companions come in all varieties."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Spike groused, but a smile wreathed his face. He sagged and hunched over as the damage to his body made itself known.

"Long story, and I can see you don't want to hear it." Xander touched Spike's back hesitantly, afraid of causing more pain.

"Got that right. You know, you might be one of Illyria's warriors, but you're still a bloody geek."

Xander raised his hand and smiled proudly. "That's me. Warrior geek."

Hyllus took them both by surprise, lurching around the side of the car, stumbling toward Xander and grasping him by the back of the neck. Xander was whipped off his feet, and Hyllus shook him violently. Spike could hear Xander's teeth rattling.

Spike attempted to stand and fell forward, black dots dancing in his eyes. Spike tried again, got to his feet but staggered, unable to walk. He could see that Xander's eyes were rolled back. He could tell that the blood had drained from Xander's head, and he was unconscious. He could see that Hyllus was going to kill him.

And he realized he wasn't going to be able to stop it.

Spike saw Illyria bounding across cars, leaping from roof to roof. She wouldn't make it. Too far away. He struggled to move forward and staggered a few steps sideways. He slumped and dragged himself back upright, fighting the pain, fighting to stay conscious.

Hyllus threw Xander against the hood of the SUV and held him in place with a hand around his throat. He pulled back his fist and sent it hurtling toward Xander's face.

"NO!"

Spike heard Illyria's scream. He wanted to close his eyes; he didn't want to see Xander die but felt he owed it to the Watcher, to be able to remember this, to etch it into his memories. A warrior deserved to have his death commemorated in memory.

He made one last effort to go to Xander's aid, knowing it was too late, but trying anyway. Blackness sparkled at his vision, but he blinked it away and stumbled forward, watching the fist travel closer and closer, and...

 


By Ldynwaitin

Hyllus was gone.

Xander slumped to the ground and sprawled in the loose-limbed way of the unconscious.

Spike blinked his eyes, thinking perhaps he was hallucinating. He couldn't bear to see Xander killed, so he was fantasizing that Hyllus had simply disappeared.

Then he knew the truth. He could feel it through his brief connection with Illyria, through Hyllus' blood that he had tasted, however briefly. He could feel the power of the gem loosed. He shook his head denying it. Hyllus had been defeated, but now their entire mission would be lost without that gem.

Illyria would be in danger again, unable to hold the power within the shell that had once been Fred's body. It would destroy Illyria eventually. He knew. He knew how that power could destroy.

He was hallucinating, that was all. He had to be.

Xander stirred and moved slowly, moaning with pain. "What happened?"

Spike just pointed in Illyria's direction.

"Oh, my God! She didn't--"

Spike finally looked. Finally accepted. He supposed it was worth it -- to keep Xander alive. And countless others. They'd figure out something. Always did.

Illyria stood on a car roof, her head high, her posture that of a warrior. Her arm was thrust out as though she were holding an enemy's head in triumph, and a predatory smile twisted her face. Her eyes gleamed as she watched the powder from the crushed gem, slowly drifting from her hand.

And she reveled in her regained power.

Split Decision Page 1, 2, 3

~~~~~~~~

End of Split Decision

~~~~~~~~

James Marsters
....
Spike
Nicholas Brendon
....
Xander
Jennifer Freeman
....
Mena
Amy Acker
....
Illyria
Sara Michelle Gellar
....
Buffy
Rachel Weiscz
....
Haley
Tom Lenk
....
Andrew
Anthony Stewart-Head
....
Giles
James C. Leary
....
Clem
Tyler Mane
....
Hyllus
Charisma Carpenter
....
Cordelia
Benjamin Bratt
....
Mike
Zhang Ziyi
....
Lia
Vincent Kartheiser
....
Connor
Julia Lee
....
Anne
Rin-Tin-Tin
....
Bubbles

~~~~~~~~



By Cryssie

How long will it take them to heal after their battle with Hyllus? What will happen to Illyria now that her shell is once more filled with more power than it can contain? What could necessitate Spike's team being sent to Hungary instead of searching for the last U.S.artifact in their list? Does anyone in that part of the world still owe Spike 11 pounds? And will Xander's inner butt-monkey heed the siren call of his one-time Master?


To find out, return for our next episode,
Gypsies, Vamps & Thieves

~~~~~~~~

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The Meanness of the World -
Rated R for language and violence
Split Decision

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Part 2
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UPCOMING EPISODES:
Hoodoo You Love?
The Offering
To Dream Again - An Epilogue

 

Spark and Burn
by Diana G. Gallagher

Angel Season 5

Selected audio commentary by Joss Whedon, David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Sarah Thompson, Christian Kane, Juliet Landau, Adam Baldwin, Skip Schoolnik, David Fury, Steven S. DeKnight, Jeffrey Bell,and more.
Featurettes: Hey Kids! It's Smile Time, Angel 100, Angel: Choreography of a Stunt, To Live and Die in L.A.: The Best of Angel, Halos & Horns: Recurring Villainy, Angel Unbound: The Gag Reels


Angel: Live Fast, Die Never - Music from TV Series

Music for Elevators
Anthony Stewart Head, George Sarah

Tales Of The Vampires
by
Ben Edlund, Jane Espenson, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon
New stories set in creator Whedon's "Buffyverse" continue to appear in comics published by Dark Horse. Whedon and several of his shows' writers—Ben Edlund, Jane Espenson and Drew Goddard—contribute to this new collection of stories about vampires, set in disparate times and places.

Fray
by Joss Whedon
Tough but reluctant vampire-fighter Fray lives in the bad part of town and makes a living doing heists for Gunther, a blue and scaly criminal operator who directs operations while submerged in a living-roomâ€"sized tank. So when an enormous, goat-hoofed demon shows up at Fray's apartment, she's not terribly fazed, but she certainly isn't ready for his message: she, Melaka Fray, is destined to kill vampires.

Serenity
by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy and Angel, is finally coming to the big screen with his directorial debut, the blockbuster sci-fi adventure Serenity.Titan’s official companion contains a preface from Joss, his in-depth account of the making of the film, and his full screenplay, illustrated throughout with stills, storyboards and production art.

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