Voracity, Chapter 4

Warnings: No character death this time.

 Chapter 4

Buffy unlocked the door to her apartment. She had kept all her rage and hurt bottled up inside her all day. Too many people she knew personally had been found dead that day. While she didn’t really care for Harmony Kendall, the girl wasn’t truly evil. Then, there was Giles, her mentor, her Watcher. What would she do without him? Finally, she and Wilkins had found no sign of Stein, but his cell phone was lost in the darkness under the officer’s front porch.

Buffy knew her ex-friends, Xander and Willow, were going to blame her for Giles’ death as if she was directly responsible. Their righteous attitudes had strained the friendship between the three teenagers during their senior year of high school. After the disastrous Graduation ceremony where they had to blow up the school with the Mayor turned snake inside, Xander and Willow had turned their backs on Buffy, only having contact with Giles.

Once inside her apartment, Buffy closed the door, and she sank to the floor where she finally let the tears start to fall freely. She sat there sobbing until cool hands lifted her.

“Shh, luv. Everything will be all right, I promise.”

~~~

“I had your approval to get results,” Maggie Walsh protested. “I have done my job. We’ve made an effective weapon against the enemy.”

“What you made is something that killed five of my best officers to escape and doesn’t distinguish between friend or foe.” Colonel McNamara studied his subordinate.

“It was meant to compliment Adam.” Walsh’s eyes filled with tears. She actually cared for her hideous creation. “I don’t understand why Adam’s dead. The Yokk-Foi shouldn’t have been able to destroy him. It’s not like he had a soul.”

Graham Miller stepped forward. “Maybe the uranium somehow mutated the Yokk-Foi, sir. It did suck Adam’s power cell dry.”

“We need to find the creature and contain it before the Committee finds out.” Colonel McNamara glanced around the room at the remaining soldiers.

“I say we question the Yokks and the Fois that we used to crossbreed until they tell us everything, sir,” Riley Finn suggested.

“We haven’t got anything to lose,” Colonel McNamara replied. He pointed at Finn. “Make it so.”

Finn saluted the Colonel as did Miller and Gates. They left the room leaving Walsh alone with her boss.

~~~

“Buffy didn’t do her job, just like before,” Xander snarled. “Giles is dead because she’s off playing policeman.”

Willow nodded in agreement. “She should have been there to protect Giles.”

Anya glanced at Tara. This wasn’t the first time they had listened to Willow and Xander rant and badmouth the friend that they had dumped after she refused to live her life according to them. Anya had observed that the two ex-Scoobies were careful not to say anything bad about Buffy around Giles though. The late Watcher was a true gentleman, defending his Slayer against attack.

“B-but what if whatever killed Mr. Giles had k-killed B-Buffy too?” Tara said from beneath her long hair.

Willow patted Tara’s hand. “We hung out with Buffy for two and half years. We know what we’re talking about. You don’t.”

“You don’t have to be so patronizing.” Anya glared at Willow and Xander.

Willow, Xander, and Tara stared at Anya in astonishment. Each one had different thoughts on the ex-demon’s outburst.

How dare she tell me how I should treat my own girlfriend? Willow seethed.

Would you shut your big mouth? Xander silently screamed at Anya. If you weren’t such a fucking easy lay, I’d dump you in a heartbeat.

Anya’s so brave, Tara thought with admiration. I wish I had her strength. She didn’t realize that she whispered the last words loud enough for Anya to hear.

Anya let a smirk settle on her face when she heard Tara’s secret wish. With a single thought her demonic visage and power pendant appeared. Her loss of power was just a ruse provided by D’Hoffryn. In fact, her boss had pulled her away from her usual duties with one special assignment in mind, which was to wait for Tara Maclay to make a wish that could easily be granted. “Wish granted.”

Xander let out a terrified shriek when Anya changed her appearance. “What have I been sexing up?” he screamed.

Willow watched in horror while light infused with Tara. “Tara?” she said in a hesitant voice.

Tara’s head flung back and her body stiffened when she was hit with power. She felt herself become different than she was before. Tara knew that no one would mess with her now. Certainly not her family or Willow would be powerful enough to make her do anything that she didn’t wish to do. As Tara’s body changed, the earth trembled beneath their feet, throwing Xander and Willow to the ground.

“Tara!” Willow scrambled across the floor towards her girlfriend.

“Your Tara is gone.” Saddened eyes took in the cowering redhead. Willow had such potential to be of a help to the world, yet she followed her friend Xander’s petty lead to drop a good friend rather than be supportive. “I am Terra Mater.”

~~~

Spike lead Buffy to the bathroom where he helped her take a warm bath with lots of bubbles. He brushed away her tears until they finally dried up. After he toweled her off and rubbed scented lotion into her skin, he undressed and took her to bed in a candlelit room.

Buffy laid facing away from Spike with his cool body spooned behind her. Soft lips glided along her shoulder blade. “What am I going to do without Giles?” she whispered. “Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that we met up after graduation?”

“Yes, but tell me again,” Spike laughed into Buffy’s skin.

Buffy sighed while she rubbed her hand on her face. “That was a good fight, wasn’t it? Battling until we couldn’t move anymore.”

“Nobody getting the upper hand.”

“Too tired to fight, so we actually talked to each other.” Buffy bit her lip. “I haven’t made a mistake with you, have I?”

Spike tightened his grip on Buffy’s body. “No, pet. You haven’t made a mistake. The first time was a certainly a surprise, but not a mistake.” He gave a smirk that Buffy couldn’t see. “Always knew you’d fall for my tight, hot bod.”

“Tight, cold bod is more like it.” Buffy let out a giggle. After a moment of silence, she became serious again. “Did I mention we couldn’t find my partner?”

“You’ll manage and I’ll be here for you, luv. Why don’t you call the demon hunter tomorrow; see what he has to say?” Spike cradled Buffy close in an attempt to comfort her the best way he could. If there was anyone in his girl’s life he wished would have met up with this indiscriminate creature, he would have rather it had been the Whelp and Red instead of the Watcher.

Buffy pressed her face into the chilly pillow. “I’m glad Mom is away on that buying trip of hers. I’d hate to lose her too.”

“Tomorrow, I’m going to call a meeting with the Demonic Assembly. Hopefully they’ll listen to what I have to say since one of their own came to me to find out about the Uixa demon. Something fishy is goin’ on in Sunnyhell, and we need to get to the bottom of it.” Spike squeezed Buffy’s shoulder. “Just be careful out there, pet. I don’t know what I’d do without my favorite Slayer.”

Buffy rolled over, and she stared up into Spike’s crystal blue eyes. “You’d better be careful, too, Spike. If anything happened to you, I don’t think I could handle living here any more.”

Spike stroked down the side of Buffy’s face with the back of one hand. “Got myself a secret weapon, yeah? Plenty of invulnerability for me.”

“Just so we’re straight on that, buddy. Something happens to you, and I’m hunting you down to make you well acquainted with Mr. Pointy.” Buffy pulled Spike’s head down to hers, and she pressed their lips together. She tilted her head to the side where she could open her mouth to allow his invading tongue to conquer her. As always the earth moved when they came together.

Spike raised his head. “That was some earthquake we just had.”

“I didn’t notice,” Buffy whispered. She pulled Spike’s head down. “Let’s just hope the world doesn’t end before we’re done loving each other. It’s Faith’s turn anyway.”

Spike chuckled while he allowed Buffy to distract him. He was still amazed at how easily he slotted himself between her thighs. If he had known that first night he had seen her dancing at the Bronze he would have forgone trying to kill her and would have just shagged her into submission.

“I love you, Spike.”

“Love you, too pet.”

~~~

“Where’s Summers?” Corderman looked around the squad room.

Wilkins looked up from his desk where he was going over the case files. “Her shift was over. She was looking a little rough around the edges too. I’m sure her boyfriend is taking care of her as we speak.”

“I didn’t realize Cadet Summers had a significant other.”

Wilkins chuckled. He distinctly remembered the vibes that poured off of his younger colleague and the ‘witness’ at the last crime scene. “To tell you the truth, he doesn’t exactly fit the ‘boy’ part of boyfriend. She’s dating a vampire.”

Corderman stared at her officer in astonishment. “Little Buffy Summers is dating a vampire? Doesn’t she know what happens to girls who go out with those creatures?”

“You really don’t know, boss?” Wilkins shook his head. “Summers is the Slayer.”

Corderman wrinkled her forehead. “I thought that the Slayer was that girl named Faith?”

“She is, but Buffy’s the original.” Wilkins leaned back in his chair. “I only found out because Uncle Rich had files on just about everyone in Sunnydale in his safe. I read them after he died. There wasn’t anything on a creature that can suck the life right out of a person without leaving a clue though. I certainly wish there had been.”

“Do you still have those files?”

Wilkins nodded with a shrug. “I thought they might come in handy someday.”

“That day is now, Officer Wilkins.” Corderman tapped her chin with a finger. “I want you and Cadet Summers to pour over them tomorrow. Something tells me the answer, however indirectly, is in those records.”

“Of course, boss.” Wilkins nodded. “I also need to report that we couldn’t find Stein. He wasn’t at home or any of his other hang outs.”

Corderman dropped into the chair beside Wilkins’ desk. “That’s three officers connected with this case that something has happened to.”

“His car was parked outside his trailer, and Summers found his phone under the porch.” Wilkins shook his head. “No sign of Stein though.”

“Stick with Summers. This is an odd case. Hopefully she can solve it.”

Wilkins handed Corderman a file. “Only problem is this victim was part of her team.”

Corderman opened the folder. “Rupert Giles. Why is that name so familiar?”

 

Originally posted at http://seasonal-spuffy.livejournal.com/404587.html