Where’s the Doctor? – Chapter Seven

Title: Where’s the Doctor?
Rating: PG at most
Pairing: Spike/Buffy

Summary: Some time ago, I wrote a short fic called Who’s the Doctor?. It was an AU version of “As You Were” that involved some characters from the recent seasons of Doctor Who. I’m having problems categorizing the current fic, because it’s a prequel from the Doctor’s point of view and a sequel from Buffy and Spike’s. As far as BTVS is concerned, it’s during or after an AU Season 6 where Spuffy is a happy reality and all the characters get along, more or less. In the Whoverse, it takes place during Tom Baker’s reign, when he was traveling with Leela.

Chapter One is here.

This is turning out to be longer than I anticipated. (Stop laughing at me, keswindhover!) But it’s still on track to be complete by midnight.

Chapter 7

The Fyarl opened the door to Spike’s cell and reached down to drag his body out. But the foot he reached out to grab caught him in the groin, and Spike jumped up as the demon reeled back. The two growled and snarled, Spike in game face, before leaping at each other.

The Doctor watched the fight from his cell, wincing from time to time as a body crashed into a solid object. It took Spike a few minutes to knock the huge creature unconscious and fish a ring of keys from its pockets.

“You wouldn’t have anything that’s pure silver on you, would you?” Spike asked as he opened the Doctor’s cell.

“Why?” The Doctor leaned over the Fyarl’s body, watching the enormous chest rise and fall.

“Only way to kill a Fyarl demon is with silver.” Spike shook his head as his features settled back into human form.

“Ah.” The Doctor straightened. “No need to kill him. We can just lock him in one of the cells.”

“What? So that he can get out later and come after us?” But Spike hoisted the huge body into an empty cell and slammed the door shut. “It’s not easy being evil when I’m surrounded by do-gooders, I can tell you.”

The Doctor headed for the exit. “You can tell me all about it later. Let’s get out of here. I have a feeling Mr. Rayne will be prompt in his return.”

Spike followed, complaining. “You didn’t have to encourage that git to shoot me. We could have just waited for the girls to come panting to the rescue.” He paused a moment, savoring that mental image of Buffy and Leela.

“Oh, don’t be a baby.” The Doctor opened the door a crack and peered outside.

Leela was wielding what Buffy had told her was a rebar. It was merely a long, thick metal stick without a sharpened edge or tip, but Leela had soon realized that it was indeed an efficient weapon to use against a mass of muscle and anger that seemed impervious to pain. The only tactic that worked against a Fyarl was beating it until it stopped moving, and she’d finally brought the one she was fighting to its knees.

A few feet away, Buffy tucked and rolled as a Fyarl dived for her, and the big body hit the ground with a thud. She found the axe she’d dropped and wacked the demon a few times until it stopped trying to get back up. She hadn’t even broken its skin.

As she turned to check on Leela, Buffy heard a mechanical roar from a few feet away, and jumped back just in time to avoid being hit by a car as it lurched from behind the warehouse out onto the street. Something about the driver stirred a memory that she didn’t have time to track down because another Fyarl took her to the ground.

As she struggled to get the demon’s hands off her neck, Buffy saw Leela run up and stab the Fyarl in the back of the neck. To Buffy’s surprise, this attack had an effect on the creature, and its eyes rolled back as its grip on her loosened. She shoved the body off her and accepted Leela’s offer of a hand to pull her to her feet.

The girls looked around. Four Fyarl demons lay unconscious, in and out of the warehouse, and a fifth was roaring defiance from a cell inside. She and Leela had each taken down two, and she could guess who was responsible for the one they’d found locked up. She just wished she knew where Mr. Responsible was.

“You have great strength and wield an axe well,” said Leela.

“Thanks. You’re a pretty good wielder yourself. What did you do to this one?” asked Buffy, bending to stare at the back of the Fyarl that had almost strangled her.

“I stabbed it with a Janis Thorn. They paralyze, then kill. The Doctor doesn’t like me to use them, but these creatures are not human.”

“That they are not.” Buffy gestured toward the street. “Who took the car?”

“That machine that roared past? I think it was a human. Not one of these at least.” Leela gestured at the Fyarl at her feet. “The Doctor also says it is not proper to celebrate the death of your enemies. Do you agree with him?”

Buffy smiled. “They’re not dead. That takes a weapon of pure silver. But I’m down with the celebrating.”

Leela was confused when Buffy raised one hand with its palm up, but some instinct told her to reach out her own and slap it. “Is this a celebration?”

“It will be as soon as we find Spike and the Doctor.” Buffy pointed at the grassy area surrounding the warehouse. Any chance those tracking skills of yours will work around here?”

Chapter Eight

Originally posted at http://seasonal-spuffy.livejournal.com/299063.html