The Secret Slayer, Chapter 4

Ford comes to town and the Specter gets jealous.
NC-17 for language.

Chapter 4

Chapter 1: here
Chapter 2: here
Chapter 3: here

“Hey, Jack,” Beth said in a friendly voice, “Spike’s here for my lunch break.” She nodded towards the table where the two vampires regularly met.

“When are you going to tell that boy how you feel about him?” Jack asked. She poured a Diet Coke for Beth and a whiskey for Spike.

“That boy is over 120 years old,” Buffy giggled, “Besides, he’s not ready to leave his Sire yet. I’ll tell him when the time is right.” She picked up the drinks, and she strolled over to the table where Spike was waiting for her. Jack was one of the few good friends that Beth had now, and she was glad that her friend was trying to look out for her without too much pressure.

“Hey, luv.” Spike lifted his hand in greeting.

“What happened to you?” Beth cried. She knew what had happened to the vampire. She, as the Specter, and the vampire had crossed paths the night before. “Does it hurt very much?”

Spike lifted his hand to his bruise. “Nah, it’s a badge of honor to play with the Specter. We’re not trying to hurt each other or anything.”

“You’re not scared she’ll dust you?” Buffy sat down, and she handed Spike his drink. She knew she had no desire to kill the blond vampire, but she was terribly curious if he knew it, too.

“Not really,” Spike answered, “I think the little bint enjoys beating me up too much to dust me.”

“I saw Angel meeting with a dark haired vampiress on my way to work,” Beth murmured to quickly change the subject before she said too much. Every time she was with Spike, she wanted to tell him that she was the Specter. “He didn’t see me, but she looked in my direction. The Slayer saw it, too, and I don’t think she was too happy about it.” She motioned her head towards the Slayer and her friends as they bounced around the dance floor. Beth missed the wince and hurt look in the vampire’s face.

Spike knew something was up between his Sire and his grandsire, and the male vampire was terrified to find out what it was. He hoped that the elder male vampire hadn’t noticed his interest in Beth. Angelus was a cruel fuck, and he would take great pleasure in breaking the young girl. Spike knew he would dust before he let that happen.

“Luv, listen to me.” Spike grabbed Beth’s hand. “Be careful of Angel. Dru says something is going to happen soon that will change everything.” Spike suddenly looked at the door of the nightclub, and he growled.

“What?” Beth swung around to look at the door behind her. She paled and that’s saying a lot considering she was a vampire.

“That little pillock showed up today at the factory,” Spike hissed, “Said he could deliver the Slayer for a price.” Then he caught a glimpse of Beth’s face. “What’s up, sweets?”

“I knew him. Before I was turned,” Beth whispered, and she scooted closer to Spike. “His name’s Ford, and he thinks I’m dead.”

“Bloody Hell. Damned good thing, too, Beth,” Spike growled, “He wants me to turn him into a vampire as his price.”

Beth looked at the master vampire in aghast. “He wants to be a vampire?” She turned to watch her old friend greet Cassie and the other teenagers. “You taking him up on his offer?” Although she was making a life for herself as a vampire, it wasn’t her first choice of career paths. She couldn’t imagine someone willingly asking to be turned.

“Not sure. The git puts off a weird vibe.” Spike watched the group of teenagers and Angel interact with Ford. “Dru wasn’t too pleased when he showed up at the factory. She bitched that if the Slayer’s dead, her Daddy can’t come back and make with the happy families.”

“What are you planning on doing, Spike?” Beth asked in a worried voice. If Spike got in the Slayer’s way, he might get hurt. She didn’t want harm to come to her best friend in the whole world.

“Just gonna tail the git when he leaves here to see what he’s up to. Later, I’m breaking into the Watcher’s library. He’s got a manuscript I need,” Spike said. He dug his Zippo lighter out of his pocket and fiddled around with it.

Beth glanced at the clock, and she jumped to her feet. “I gotta get back to work. Please be careful.” She took her glass with her back to the bar. She mentally made a note to keep an eye on Spike, or at the Specter would keep an eye on Spike.

Cassie noticed the blond vampire eyeing the group’s newly found ‘friend’. The Slayer found that highly suspicious, and on the premise of getting herself another soda passed Spike’s table. On the way back she dropped her napkin on the floor. Cassie squatted to pick it up.

“Don’t like our new friend?” Cassie asked casually.

“Not really, Slayer,” Spike muttered out of the corner of his mouth, “Wants to make a deal with me. Immortality for your life.”

“I’m surprised you told me so quickly,” Cassie said. She stood up, and she pretended to offer Spike another napkin.

“Beth would expect it of me.” Spike jerked his head towards the bar where Beth was standing watching the pair.

Cassie turned to look at the other girl. “You are an evil, soulless vampire. I know this because we read up on you, and yet a sweet little thing like that has you eating out of the palm of her hand. It’s sickening.” Cassie’s voice took on a teasing quality.

“I came to see how you move, Slayer. I found her instead,” Spike muttered. He glanced over at the Slayer’s group. “You better toddle along before the boy gets suspicious.”

In a few minutes, Ford left the nightclub totally oblivious of the vampire tailing him. Beth breathed a sigh of relief when her old friend left. She wondered what would have happened if she had been still alive as the Slayer when Ford showed up. Beth had the feeling that Spike and she would be mortal enemies instead of friends. For the first time, since she had come to Sunnydale, she was grateful for her vampiric status. Beth used her vamp hearing to listen in to Cassie’s conversation while she told her friends and Angel what Spike had said to her.

Angel didn’t seem to want to believe Spike, but Cassie reminded him that Spike saved her during Halloween. She pointed out that even if he was evil and soulless, he had no reason to lie to her about Ford.

When Beth got off of work, Spike was waiting for her at the back door. He walked her home in silence as he chained smoked several cigarettes. When they got to the door of Beth’s warehouse apartment, Spike gave her hand a quick squeeze.

Beth looked up at him expectantly. She could tell he had something on his mind. She waited patiently for him to start speaking.

“The soddin’ git has himself a little vampire cult,” Spike growled, “They have this whole thing about ‘the Lonely Ones’ and new levels of consciousness. These idiots wouldn’t even make good minions.” He rolled his yes.

“What are you planning on doing, Spike?” Buffy asked in a sad little voice. She knew sooner or later his nature would go against hers. Beth was terribly saddened by this. All parts of her were slowly falling in love with Spike. Beth the girl loved William the poet that he only let out in private. Beth the vampire loved Spike the demon that got growly and possessive on occasion. Beth the Slayer loved the fighter that he showed her alter ego, the Specter, who loved to ‘dance’ with the blond vampire.

“Bloody Hell, Beth.” Spike raked his hand through his hair. “Vamping the little fucker would mean killing him, and I haven’t actively killed anyone since I meet you. Not even an all-you-can-eat moron bar strikes my fancy.” Spike’s undead heart hurt when he heard Beth’s voice. He had no idea what made this vampiress different from all the others.

Beth’s eyes widened in surprise.  Did he just say what I think he said?

Spike knew he should be sickened by a vampire willing to get a job and drink pig’s blood rather than hunt and feed. He knew that he should be debauching the younger vampire, but her innocence made her all the more charming to know. He didn’t want to do anything that would change her inherent faith in him.

“Oh,” Beth spoke softly in amazement over Spike’s revelation.

“Yeah. Oh. Ya silly bint,” Spike snarked, “You’re my first friend ever, and I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” He sighed. “Now I have to go get the book from the high school. Will I see you tomorrow?”

Beth nodded shyly, and she reached up to kiss Spike’s cheek. She ran inside where she quickly stripped down to her underwear. Beth opened the secret panel in her bedroom, and she removed her black Specter garb. She had a date with her vampire at the high school. Beth swiftly switched into her Slayer game face, and she took a look at her clothing in the mirror.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Specter stood in the upper stacks of the library watching her vampire sort through the Watcher’s books. He was in game face so he could see the books better. The Specter watched him for a few minutes. She wished she could reveal her true identity to him, but she was so unsure of how he would react.

“Come on out, luv,” Spike called out, “I can feel you there, Specter.” He continued to shuffle through the books. Spike smiled to himself when the black figure melted out of the shadows and stood in the moonlight that filtered in from the skylight.

“Stealing is a bad habit. I don’t think your little friend from The Bronze likes it,” The Specter said in a voice harsher than her usual tones. She still didn’t understand how the blond vampire knew what she was saying.

Spike’s head popped up, and he turned to look at the Specter almost shyly. “Probably not.” He shrugged. “It’s hard to curb a century of tendencies in a few short weeks. I’ve already given up doing a lot of things.”

“Are we going to fight tonight, Spikey?” The Specter asked. She hopped up on the research table, and she swung her legs back and forth.

“I don’t think so, pet. Got a lot on my mind,” Spike answered honestly but with a little bit of resignation. He enjoyed ‘dancing’ with the Specter He finally found the manuscript he was looking for, and he tucked it under his arm. “‘ve got a vampire cult trying to sell me the Slayer. If I don’t go in with the minions and scare ’em half to death, they’ll just pick someone else to vamp them.”

“Why are you so worried?” The Specter asked. She loved being able to ask him the quesitons. She was scared to ask him certain questions as Beth.

“Beth says she knew that bloody git, Ford, before she moved here to Sunnyhell,” Spike revealed, “I worry that he won’t be very nice to her if he finds her here. Believe it or not, I admire the Slayer. She didn’t scream bloody murder when she found herself sitting with me when that Halloween spell wore off.”

“When did the ‘git’ tell you he was delivering the Slayer to you?” The Specter demanded.

“Tomorrow after dark at the Sunset Club,” Spike replied, “He’s going to lure her there, and then ‘m suppose to show up with the minions.”

“Go ahead and show up with them.” Beth smiled. “We’ll plan a bit of a surprise for them.”

~~~~~~~~~

Spike gathered the minions for a pep talk on the plan to attack the vampire club, “Alright, people, the Specter and the Slayer are going to be at this little event. You idiots are to scare the morons.” Spike sighed when none of the minions realized he had just insulted them. The only decent minion among the bunch was Dalton, who was busy trying to decipher the manuscript Spike had stolen from the Watcher.

“We can’t feed on the humans?” asked a pock marked minion.

“Isn’t that what I just implied?” Spike rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome to feed, but the Slayer or the Specter is going to dust your sorry ass.”

“So, we can’t feed on the humans?” asked a second minion.

“God God.” Spike slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead. “NO! YOU CAN’T FEED ON THE HUMANS!” Spike screamed. He turned to his Sire. “Dru, pet, we’re surrounded by idiots and morons. The minions are idiots, and the morons want to be idiots.”

“I want a treat, my Spike,” Dru said dreamily, “I need a treat.” Dru knew that Spike’s Moonlight and the Specter were one in the same. She could see the connections swimming around in his head like burning baby fishes. She knew Spike would realize it sooner or later. Dru wanted to meet the sunshine that danced beneath the moon to make sure she would treat her Spike in the manner that he deserved.

“And a special one you’ll have then.” Spike took his car keys out of his duster pocket and held them up in the air. “Lucius! Bring the car around.”

~~~~~~~~~

Cassie walked along with Ford. She casually chatted with the boy, even though she knew she was walking into a trap. She realized the boy hadn’t even noticed her friends trailing them by about a block or the black clad figure pacing them along the rooftops.

“So, no hints on what this surprise is, Ford?” Cassie flirted outrageously with the boy. In a different situation she might have found him attractive, but research had shown her group that he was using the vamp groupies to further his own goal.

“It’s a secret. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it, Cassie?” Ford rolled his eyes at the apparently naive Slayer. He was concentrating so hard on his reward that his attention narrowed to getting Cassie to the Club. The pains in his head were getting worse every day. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on without going insane.

“Ah, here we are. I’ve set up a party for us.” Ford gestured towards the Sunset Club entrance. He hurried over to open the door for Cassie. Ford did a small bow, and he made a sweeping gesture with one hand.

Cassie raised an eyebrow, but she entered the Club ahead of Ford. She looked over the assembled group. Cassie began to laugh. She just couldn’t help herself. The vampire groupies were so pathetic in her opinion. They dressed up goth-like in what they supposed that vampires dressed like. Hell, the only vamp Cassie had ever met that dressed all in black was Spike, and at least he had the panache to carry it off.

“Why is she laughing at us?” one of the boys demanded.

“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?” Cassie scoffed, “Most vamps don’t dress like this.” Cassie gestured to the group.

“Ford told us what Spike likes. So, we dressed to please him when he changes us,” the blond girl spluttered.

“You tell her, Chantrelle,” yelled one of the girls from the back of the room.

“Oh Chanty, you guys obviously haven’t studied William the Bloody very well,” Cassie said snarkily, “Otherwise you would know his little girl friend at the Bronze dresses just like me.”

“That’s enough talk,” Ford growled, “Down the stairs.” Ford pushed the Slayer down the stairs where she landed in a heap at the bottom.

Outside, Spike, Dru and the minions had arrived. They poured out of Spike’s Desoto, and they stood staring at the club entrance.

“Remember what I said, idiots. You’re only to scare the morons,” Spike growled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dru gracefully dancing towards Angel. Spike sighed as he watched his Sire flirt heavily with his Grandsire, and then he turned to the Slayer’s friends. “Watcher, Red, Whelp, glad to see you could make it.”

“Right behind you, Spike,” Willow said bravely. This was the first time she had been up close to the master vampire. She was surprised at how human he appeared. If she saw him walking down the street like this, she would have just thought he was a punk rocker not a undead creature of the night.

“What if your minions try and kill the people inside?” Giles asked.

Spike shrugged his shoulders and said coldly, “Dust ’em.” He whirled around, and he and the minions marched towards the club door. Spike stopped in his tracks when he heard the Watcher’s voice again.

“Why are you doing this?” Giles asked. His curiosity got the better of him. Giles found it fascinating that a soulless vampire was going against its own nature.

“Why does a man do most of the things he does, Watcher? For her. To be hers,” Spike answered. He continued to the door, and he opened it with a bang that echoed off down the street. “Come on, people. This isn’t a spectator sport.”

Giles watched as the master vampire and his minions descended into the club. He glanced over at Angel, and he saw that the ensouled vampire was going to be no help whatsoever. Giles gestured to Willow and Xander to follow him when a black clad figure leapt off the top of a nearby building and landed gracefully on the ground next to him. “The Specter, I presume?”

The Specter answered him in her harsh, lilting voice, but Giles had no clue what the girl said. The Scoobies, even with all their research, still had no clue what language the Specter spoke. It baffled them why Spike, of all creatures, apparently understood her. Giles was surprised when the female vampire that had arrived with Spike broke away from Angel, and she approached the Specter.

“I can see why my Spike likes to dance with you,” Dru murmured, “You have fire and ice running through your veins. You think you know what’s to come and what you are. You haven’t even begun.” Dru drifted back to Angel, and she acted as she was going to fall making him catch her. “Come Daddy. We must let Spike and his friends play their little game. We can go and play one of our own someplace else.”

The Specter watched the two vampires for a few minutes before turning her attention back to the Watcher. That was when Giles noticed two things; the Specter was small, even more petite than Cassie if that was possible and the Specter’s eyes glowed gold in the darkness. If Giles didn’t know better he would say she was a vampire, but he knew of no records of vamps with glowing eyes.

The Specter spoke and made a gesture that Giles could only take as meaning ‘after you.’ Giles, Willow, Xander and the Specter walked into the Sunset Club and utter chaos. Cassie was screaming insults at Ford, the minions were terrorizing the humans, and Spike had his fangs in the neck of a pretty young blond.

Spike dropped the girl as soon as he saw the Specter, and much to the amazement of the others, he apologized. “‘m sorry, luv. She threw herself at me, and I just wanted to give her a scare. Wasn’t gonna drain her.”

“You couldn’t have scared her without the use of your fangs, Spikey?” The Specter asked. She stared at the sobbing girl at Spike’s feet. Her head popped up and her eyes narrowed. “Do you want to fuck her?”

“What?” Spike’s jaw dropped in astonishment. If he didn’t know better he would say the Specter was jealous. “No, I don’t want to shag the bint.”

“What’s shag?” Willow whispered. Everyone else in the room stopped to watch the vampire argue with the black clad girl. They weren’t sure what the Specter was saying, but they had a pretty good idea what the girl just accused the vampire of doing.

“Shag, fuck, screw, boink, bang,” Spike spat out, “Take your pick.” He turned his attention back to the Specter. “Why would I want to shag an annoying little human?”

“You could vamp her.” The Specter practically shook with the jealousy she felt towards the blond on the floor. Spike’s fangs belonged nowhere but in her neck. She growled harder.

“Then she would be an annoying little vamp, and I still wouldn’t shag her.” Spike crossed the room until he and the Specter were standing toe to toe, nose to nose, and he lowered his voice to a whisper, “Why would I want anything to do with her when I have you and Beth?”

The Specter gasped in surprise. She was suddenly terrified that he knew her secret identity. The Specter turned, and she ran out of the club so fast that it appeared to the others that she had disappeared into thin air.

“Well, that was fun,” Spike sighed, “So Watcher, Slayer, what do you want done with these morons?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Spike knocked on the door of Beth’s apartment. When she opened it, he smiled down into her sweet face. He was glad he hadn’t really done anything more than bite the blonde bint. The shagging argument with the Specter had been a bit unsettling but nothing he couldn’t handle. Both he and Cassie had told the traitor Ford to leave town. He was warned that if either of them ever saw him again he would be dust. Spike had the feeling the boy would find some stupid vampire willing to sire him.

“How did the raid go?” Beth asked once the couple had settled on her couch. She tried to act nonchalant even though her stomach churned in confusion and worry over her identity and Spike’s previous comments to the Specter.

Originally posted at http://seasonal-spuffy.livejournal.com/140845.html