Prompt 100 - Crux - BtVS

[thismaz]

A day early, because I'm going away for the week end.

 Title: Crux
 Fandom: BtVS
 Prompt: 100 - Previous Prompt from #64 - Promise
 At: tamingthemuse
 Rating: Older Teen/Adult
 Summary: Part 39 of the ice cream 'verse. Set during the summer before season 1, Xander's life is changed radically when vampires invade it. In the meantime Angel and Spike have their own, separate agendas.
 Some dialogue borrowed courtesy of http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/
 Word Count: 2,745
 Comments: Are greatly appreciated, loved and cherished.
 Previous parts: In reverse order, in tags here In my memories.
 Or, starting here with links to the next, at the end of each chapter.
 Disclaimer: here.
Now beta'd by the wonderful laazikaat

Warning (highlight the white area to see the warning text):

Vamp Xander story

dark_amia made a wall paper and she turned it into a banner for me. Lookee here -

Isn't it pretty?

39. Crux

Tuesday 6th August

When Spike entered the living room he was feeling buoyant. They now had the last element for the ritual in their possession. By this time next week Dru would be restored to health. He refused to contemplate any alternative. Drusilla, herself, was sitting dealing her tarot cards onto the coffee table, which had been pulled up in front of her chair. Angelus wasn't there, but the kitchen door opening heralded his entrance, carrying a mug which he immediately put down on the bureau, leaving it neglected as he came over to see what they had brought back with them. Dru looked up, but didn't say anything. Spike figured that his expression was enough to tell her that he'd been successful in his mission.

Approaching her, he carefully placed the rag wrapped bundle he was carrying in his gloved hands down next to her cards and peeled away the layers of mouldy fabric, until the contents lay exposed. Although he'd studied it as he removed it from the reliquary, in the bright light of the room the detail of the pierced work and chasings on the gold cross were now clearly visible. Peering more closely at one of the piercings, Spike could also see the more sullen gleam of steel running up inside the shaft. Yes, it was both beautiful and deadly, in more ways than one.

Behind him, he felt his grandsire lean close. "What is it?" Angelus asked.

Without looking around, Spike shrugged. "Don't know. A weapon, by the looks of things. Dru just told me where it was and that it's needed in the ritual." Pointing, he added. "Has a blade inside, see?"

Angelus let out a breathy whistle of appreciation. "So it has," he agreed.

Looking up, Spike noticed that Xander had retreated to a spot behind Dru, obviously repulsed by the religious aspect of the thing. Dru however was leaning forward to get a better view. She reached out her hand, allowing it to hover over the cross. "It hums" she whispered. "I can hear it." Sitting back with a satisfied expression she reached down into the cushions beside her, retrieving her doll.

Sitting the doll gently on her lap, Dru petted its hair and cooed at it, before viciously twisting its head off and tossing it aside. Sticking her middle and forefingers down through the hole into its body she withdrew, one by one, five folded scraps of paper and handed them to Spike.

Quickly stripping off his gloves and dropping them on the floor beside him, Spike took the papers from her and spread each one out on the coffee table. They appeared to be pages torn from a book. "This is it?" he asked, glancing back up at Dru. "This is the spell that'll make you well again?" Dru merely narrowed her eyes and smiled.

A hand reached over Spike's shoulder and picked up one of the pages. Twisting around, he watched as Angelus scanned the sheet he held. "Where did you get this?" Angelus asked.

Dru laughed. "From a watcher who wasn't watching well enough."

Angelus gave a grunt, still studying the page in his hand, but Spike had turned back to his sire, a sudden chill causing him to speak sharply when he asked, "When?"

"In London," she replied, her voice smug.

The chill transforming itself into suspicion and then into certainty, Spike stared at her. "That night?" he breathed. He didn't need her slight nod for confirmation. "And you never told me?"

Dru looked back at him, one eyebrow raised in disdainful question. "I told you."

Surging to his feet, needing some sort of action, Spike took one step towards her before he managed to stop himself. Rigid with suppressed anger he yelled at her, "You didn't tell me you were out hunting a watcher! You didn't tell me you were going to beard the bloody lions in their bloody den!" Throwing up his hands, he spun and took two paces away before rounding on her again. "Bloody hell woman! London's the centre of their powerbase and you went after one? You could have been hurt!" As suddenly as it arose, the anger drained out of him. This was his sire and Angelus was right, he never could keep up with her. "I could have come with you," he said. "Made sure you were safe."

Instead of snapping back, however, Drusilla raised one hand to her head, bending forward in her chair and emitting a strangled whine.

In a flash, Spike was at her side, remorse shaking him as thoroughly as his previous anger. Getting his arms around her shoulders he eased her back upright. Contrite, he rested his forehead against her brow. "I'm sorry. Forgive me?" he murmured. Crouching down next to her chair he continued, "I shouldn't have shouted at you. But you know I hate to see you like this and the thought of you..."

Drusilla petted weakly at his arm. "It hurts," she moaned.

"I know, baby. I know. But we'll make it better. We'll make you well. I promise!"

Sighing as the fit passed, she gave him a weak smile. "Yes, yes, you will. I know you will."

Putting his hands around her neck, he kissed her gently but firmly, knowing he was forgiven and confirming his remorse. When she eventually pulled away she leant back in her chair, resting her head against the cushions. Spike stood up again and turned his attention back to his grandsire.

Angelus was frowning, his brows pulled together as he paced back and forth. While Spike had been preoccupied with Dru he had apparently picked up a few more sheets and as Spike watched he shuffled them, studying each in turn. Eventually, just as Spike's limited patience was reaching breaking point, again, he turned to look at them all and announced, "This doesn't make sense."

'No,' Spike thought. 'Not another problem. Not now.' They were so close. "What doesn't make sense?" he snapped.

Angelus shrugged. "This. It's gibberish."

Grabbing the sheets away from him, Spike scanned them quickly. "What d'y' mean, Gibberish? It's Latin! You do read Latin, don't you?"

Angelus made an attempt to retrieve them, but Spike danced back and held them away from him. Giving up on that, Angelus simply pointed. "It's not. Look at them. It looks like Latin, but it's not."

Behind him, Spike heard Drusilla protest, "Don't..." but he was too busy giving the papers a more thorough study, to take any notice of her. Angelus was right. It wasn't Latin. At least not any form of Latin Spike knew, and he considered himself fluent. Shocked, he looked up and caught Angelus' eye. They stared at each other for a long moment and Spike wondered what would happen to them if this last ditch plan came crashing down in failure, as all his previous attempts to find a cure had. He got no answer from Angelus, who broke their locked gaze, his eyes focussing past Spike. Spike turned.

At some point, Dru had returned to her cards. Now she was gazing down at them. "You can't read it," she intoned and Spike wasn't sure if she was simply seeing something in her cards, or whether it was a minor vision. She pointed down at the card closest to her, answering that question at least. "Not without the key."

"The key?" Bugger! Why hadn't he realised? "This stuff is written in some kind of code?"

Looking up, Dru smiled. "Yeah."

She didn't sound worried, but Spike felt like he couldn't face even one more complication. Tossing the pages down on the coffee table, he brought both his hands up to his face and scrubbed them back over his head, clasping them behind his neck. "Seven days!" he growled. "We have seven days. If we'd had a chance to study them before, we could've been working on them. But now?" Squaring his shoulders and dropping his arms he took a deep breath. "Shit!" He looked across at Xander. "Don't suppose you have hidden cross-word and code breaking skills, pet?" Xander grimaced and shook his head. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" He turned on Angelus. "Now what the fuck do we do?"

Angelus had picked up another page and was pacing again, but he stopped abruptly, his eyes coming up to meet Spike's. "Who do we know who might be able to translate dark necromancy written in code?" he asked rhetorically. His mouth curled into a small smile. "Time to call in my marker, I think. Aren't you glad now that I didn't let you kill him?"

Spike scowled and looked over at Xander. "Get the minion," he ordered. "We have a pantry to stock." Turning back to Angelus, as Xander scooted out of the room, he growled. "And you," he observed. "Don't say a word. We've got exactly one week to crack this and I don't intend to waste any of it on hunting. Just get Ethan Rayne here! If we don't sort out this mess by next Tuesday we'll have to wait another month. And frankly, I'm not sure there's time for that!"


Friday 9th August

Pausing at the top of the stairs leading up to the bookshelves, Giles watched the girl, the young woman, sitting at the library table. She was still reading, although the pile of books next to her right hand was smaller than it had been last time he'd checked on her. In the three days since she'd talked and threatened her way into his secrets, she'd worked her way through every reference book on vampires in his possession and had moved on to more general texts. On the first day she'd read silently and he'd hardly noticed she was there as he went about his business, shelving books and searching for information on rituals to cure sick vampires. When she left in the late afternoon she looked sad. On the second day she'd begun to ask questions and Giles had been surprised to discover that there could be some children whom he did not dislike on sight, as her obvious intelligence and her ability to absorb, retain and make sense of what she read were clearly apparent in what she asked. Today there was an air of grim determination about her and again she'd hardly said a word since she first arrived.

Giles had decided to leave her alone, unless she needed him. He'd continued to busy himself, putting away the last of his books, while scanning through those that he thought might contain something useful. It was unfortunate that Liam's information had been so slight. His main concern had been to get out of town and head home, curtailing his summer road trip. However, Giles had quizzed him carefully and believed he now knew everything the young man had heard.

Having spent three days searching with no success in the usual texts, Giles had eventually remembered the diaries of former watchers. It was there that he'd found the information he was looking for. It had not been reassuring but the tattoo he'd glimpsed had clinched the matter for him. The vampire, Angelus, was in Sunnydale.

Tracking down information on Spike had proved easier, although Giles was seriously worried that none of the references mentioned the familial relationship between the two. He'd sent a letter to the Council, informing them of the omission and asked that they do their utmost to speed the arrival of the slayer. To his mind, the advent of two very old and powerful vampires was more that enough to warrant her presence. All he'd had in return was an excited telephone call from some young woman wanting more information. He'd supplied what he could, until she'd explained that she wanted to know for her thesis. At that point he had regrettably allowed his frustrations to get the better of him and had slammed the phone down on her. She hadn't called back.

Liam had said that there was something wrong with a member of Angelus' family and it appeared, from the few scraps Liam had overheard, that whatever they had planned was an attempt to cure her. That had also gone into the letter, since it was obvious this must be Drusilla; which meant that the memo reporting her demise in Prague was overly optimistic.

The problem facing Giles now was that the information Liam had been able to supply was just not enough. The fact that the ritual would happen in a church on the night of the new moon was too little to draw any firm conclusions. The mention of a magical artefact of some kind might have been of some help, if he'd only known what it was. Without an idea of the type of magic, the task of discovering more was like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Until now.

Giles stared at the book in his hands. If he was right. The pieces all seemed to fit: the fact that William the Bloody had brought Drusilla to Sunnydale, the fact that Angelus had surfaced after a hundred years of obscurity, and finally, the fact that Josephus du Lac was interred here in Sunnydale... Giles pulled himself together and continued down the stairs to the central floor of the library.

Coming to a stop next to the table, opposite Willow, he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he said when she looked up, "but I have to go out. I, I need to check on something."

Willow carefully placed a scrap of paper in the page she was reading and closed her book. "Er, okay. Um... does that mean you need to lock up?"

"Oh! Oh dear. I hadn't thought, but, but yes, I suppose I should."

Tilting her head, Willow silently read the title of the book he still held and obviously concluding that his mission was not mundane, asked, "Where y'going?"

"I need to go and, um... I'm going to check a tomb. To, to see if a magical artefact is still in it."

"Magical?"

Something in the tone of her voice irritated Giles. "Yes," he explained, "magic also exists. I would have thought that the existence of vampires were proof enough of that!"

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh, yes. Umm... I'm sorry?"

Giles was immediately sorry too. Really, there was no need for him to have snapped at her like that. "It's getting on a bit anyway," he offered. "Won't your parents be expecting you home for tea?"

Apparently recognising the olive branch, Willow grinned. "Oh no, they're not back yet."

"Not back?"

"They're at a conference. Well, at a number of conferences. They'll be home in three weeks. At least, I think they will. That was what they said when they phoned last week."

But this was shocking. "My god! And they left you at home? Alone?"

It was obviously the wrong thing to say, arousing the stubbornness he'd witnessed in her on the night they met. "I can look after myself! I've been doing it for years."

For someone normally so polite, in her indignation she was amazingly rude. Giles opened his mouth to say more, but some instinct thankfully caused him to pause before he could make the awkward situation worse. He was really not accustomed to conversing with young women and there was obviously nothing to be gained by railing at Willow for her parents' shortcomings. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you can," he said instead. "I, I was just surprised."

Willow, also seemed to be regretting her tone because her voice was hesitant when she asked, "Er, so, um... Can I come with you?"

Considering that there were few risks, given that it was still daylight, Giles paused. He'd actually enjoyed her questions yesterday. It was a new experience to have an apt and eager student. And teaching her would be good practice for when he also had to teach his slayer. Since she had now learnt so much, it would be a shame if she lost interest through lack of encouragement. Also, if she went with him, he could ensure she got home safely. "Okay," he agreed. Heading into his office, and it was an unexpected luxury that he had an office he could hide in from the swarms of students when the school year began, he grabbed a torch and his keys. "It shouldn't take more than an hour," he said as he returned.

Willow was already half way to the door.

Continued here.

Comments

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

This Willow is very different without Xander to joke her out of those serious moods of hers. And of course she's trying to deal with the "deaths" of both Xander and Jesse at once. I'm curious to see how this is going to change her.

And I'm looking forward to seeing Ethan back in the mix again.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Yes, as you say, she's dealing with a hell of a lot at the moment with discovering vampires and learning that the walking talking facsimiles of her friends, really are just that and her friends are dead. But I'm not planning in getting inside her head in this story.
*pause* Hey, thank you, I think your comment has just sparked an idea.
And yeah, Ethan is fun. I'm looking forward to having him back too, although I don't find him particularly easy to write.

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

I know I've mentioned before how much I like your Dru, but the sentiment still stands. Here she is so strong and yet so vulnerable. No wonder Spike worries about her.

Nice to see Giles' dawning realisation of how detached the main Council is from the reality of the field.

I can picture Willow, soaking up the new knowledge like a sponge. Once she's over the initial shock of vampires, it's all about the shiny new knowledge irrespective of its content and origin. Oh and I love Giles' optimistic thoughts that instructing Willow will be good practice for teaching his Slayer. He's so going to get a shock with Buffy *g*

Oh, and very nice resolution to the problem we were discussing at the start of the week.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Thank you, hon. I think I've said it before, but balancing Dru is one of the tricky things with this story, so I'm glad you like her.
And Giles actually made me smile as I wrote him this week, writing to the Council about Angelus and Spike. Adding that to the letter he wrote last week about exposing young watchers to vampires, I had a sudden image of him as 'Angry of Tumbridge Wells' *g*
Yes, Willow has found a new source of knowledge to absorb, and if Buffy arrives she'll also have an element of teacher pet superiority which will change that dynamic dramatically. OMG, that would be complicated to write. I think I'm really glad I have never intended to include Buffy's arrival in this one.
Oh, and very nice resolution to the problem we were discussing at the start of the week.
Yes, thanks hon. Talking it over really helped me get it clear. I also solved the other problem, the one I couldn't remember. I'll tell you next time we talk, if you remind me.

[sevendeadlyfun.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with Sparrow here...it is so nice to see a Drusilla who isn't portrayed as a mentally handicapped five year old child or as a complete and utter loon. I have to say that Dru and Illyria are probably two of the most difficult characters in these 'verses and finding well-written and nearly canonical versions of them in fanfic is like striking gold: both rare and precious. Of course, I'm on record as enjoying the dynamic you've created between all of them. I'll be highly interested to see what (if anything) happens once Drusilla is cured.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

I am so pleased to know that I am hitting the right note with Dru. I don't find her easy to balance, so hearing that I'm still on that tightrope really is a relief. Thank you so much.

Edited, because I previously edited badly *g*

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

You satisfied my curiosity about Liam! Thank you! If I were him I'd get the hell out of Dodge as well. :)

Dru is a secretive one, isn't she? It's amazing how shocking her ripping the doll's head off was. Wonderfully effective reminder of what these beings that care so much for each other truly are. You would think Spike talking about restocking the larder would be more shocking, but somehow it isn't.

Willow clearly isn't finding what she wants. Having struck out with Giles, I wonder if Angel will make an approach through Willow. If he does, methinks she'll be very interested in his curse.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Yes, I hadn't forgotten him, honest. I did consider the idea that he might have hung around, but he said 'No way! I'm out of this freaky town!' so I had to let him go.
Dru is very secretive. She has plans and ideas that she doesn't tell anyone about, until the time is right. I'm so glad the doll thing worked.
And no, you're right, Willow isn't finding any text that says 'wave this magic wand and the vampire will be your friend again.' *sigh* Poor Willow - losing her friends and discovering a whole new world of knowledge all at the same time.
Yes, she would be interested in the curse, but I don't think I'm going there. I know she hasn't seen Angel, so he could approach her, but I'm not sure there is time. *g* And although I seem to remember that some comment of your has set me off in a new direction before, I'm going to do my best to resist this one. *g*
Thank you, hon.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

I would never presume to try to steer your story. I'm far more interested in what your fertile imagination comes up with. :)

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

I know you wouldn't, but I enjoy it when something you, or one of the others says makes me think. When it leads the story in a new direction, I love that too. Thank you.

[bumpkin-is.livejournal.com]

I missed this one when I caught up with the rest - but then I found it so all is well. :D Very interesting stuff, I am wondering what Dru is seeing in this altered future... she's let some things slip that have me wondering wildly. :)

keep penning,
Marns
~pN

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Yes, thank you very much for that reminder that I had forgotten to put the link on the bottom of the last chapter. Done now.
Ah ha, you're right there, what Dru sees is the driving force. And what she reveals, she does in her own sweet time.
More next Saturday. Thank you for reading and for commenting.

[laazikaat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for more of this. The plot is really heating up now, as they need to race against time to decode the spell.

I love your Dru, I could visulise so easily in the little scene where she cooed over the doll before ripping off its head. And then whining when Spike shouted at her, part real pain and part manipulation. Just wonderfull.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

And thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, I am working towards tying up the ends now.
part real pain and part manipulation
That's it, exactly. I'm so glad you like her. I like her too. Thank you.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

*g* Dru is very chilling here. (I see others have mentioned her frequently, but From a watcher who wasn't watching well enough. and I told you. really caught my attention.) Her edge in canon was always displayed within her madness, and to have it given so boldly here is both refreshing and illuminating. Well done.

Hand in hand with that, it's always nice to see the simpering side of Spike when he feels contrite for "wrongs" he's done Drusilla. He wants to act the sire to her, but then he remembers he's not. Plus, there's the whole problem of his consumptive love with her. Really very unhealthy. She wielded a great deal of power over him that I don't know was ever fully explored before, and it's nice to see some of that here. Again, well done.

As for Giles/Willow... I just have to smile. He thinks he's getting such a nice training for himself in with her before Buffy. *wild grin* Oh, poor Giles. Willow, of course, is so true to form despite the deviation from canon in story. Magical? Ha!

Off to the next chapter...

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Chilling is good. Thank you. She was an old vampire and she might have always had someone to look after her, but in the later seasons she seemed to do very well on her own. I wanted to recognise that.
Really very unhealthy.
Heee, I love that. But you're right, of course. Angelus was Darla's stud, but Spike was Dru's knight and carer, each carrying on the patterns of their human hosts' lives.
And thank you, I'm very glad Willow feels true. I couldn't resist the dig at her about magic. *g*