Fic: Coming Apart (14/?)

["sochankitsune" <annelise@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Possible Spoiler Warning.

Mild spoilers for episodes:

17 - Normal Again.
18 - Entropy
19 - Seeing Red
20 - Villains
21 - Two To Go
22 - Grave

...Within this series.

Hope this goes to the right place this time!

Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.
Spoiler space.

Anne-Lise.

--

The explosion bathed the inside of the van with white light that 
faded to a dull orange, then back to the frizzled white static as the 
cameras in the graveyard were incinerated.
Moments later, the van itself was rocked by the blast.
"We'd better get out of here," Andrew cautioned.
Warren agreed. "But not too far. If we high-tail it right now, 
we're sure to be noticed by someone, or something."
"Or the Slayer," Spike added.
Warren glanced at him. "She's toast," he said.
"Don't count your corpses before you've ripped out their still-
beating hearts," Spike replied. "That's what my mommy always told me."
"Mommy's gone," Dru's silken tones came from up front.
Spike decided ignoring her would give him a greater headache in the 
long run. "That's right. Ashes to ashes. Back to dust."
Dru giggled. "Except she's coming back for you." She leaned back in 
her seat. "Coming for you all..." In her mind's eye Drusilla watched 
the Slayer rising up to her feet. "And she's not very happy with you."

*

Buffy stared around her at the scorched debris. Sunnydale was no 
stranger to wholesale destruction. She knew it'd get patched up 
within a few months. Okay, the school wasn't in great shape, but they 
were still scraping snakeskin off the walls even now.
"My head hurts," she sighed.
Xander came up behind her. "Even if I was to listen to really loud 
rock music, which I hate by the way, it'd still only be a whisper 
right now."
"You okay?" Buffy asked.
Xander nodded. "Still watching the Buffster's back."
"Hey!" Willow pouted, her eyes flowing liquid ebon. "That ass is 
mine, mister!"
Xander nodded once more, concern for his friend etched into his 
sultry features. "Will..." He didn't know how to say what he wanted, 
what he *needed* to say.
"I know," Willow agreed. "I can see it in your mind. I'm on top of 
it, though. For now."
Everyone looked away, unable to meet her eyes.
Everyone except Giles, who simply shook his head.

*

The scoobs sat round a table, fidgeting, while Giles helped himself 
to the last teabag.
"What do we do?" Xander asked. "Hey!" His voice rose. "British guy! 
Give us a plan!"
Giles looked up from his tea-making. "I'm afraid I have nothing to 
suggest beyond doing some old-fashioned traditional patrolling."
Xander boggled. "That's it? That's your sage wisdom?"
Giles shrugged. "There's nothing to research. We know who our 
antagonists are..."
"Yes," Buffy sighed. "The *Doctor*."
Blank looks.
"Spike," she elucidated.
Xander frowned. "I thought Warren would be the danger. I mean, 
you've paddled Spike's ass enough times in the past!"
Buffy blushed. "Yeah," she agreed. "Major paddlage."
"I've got a plan," Willow spoke up. "I think we should fight fire 
with fire!"
Buffy gasped. "Will, you're not gonna blow up Sunnydale, are you?"
Willow threw Buffy an exasperated look. "No, I mean Katrina!" 
Buffy's gaze still said 'nobody home'. "Let's frame them for 
Katrina's murder, the way they tried to do it to you!"
Buffy frowned. "That's dishonest, immoral, illegal..."
"They *did* kill her in the first place," Willow reminded.
Buffy sighed. "Let's do it."
"Do what?" Giles asked as he finally came to join them properly, mug 
in hand.

*

"I told you!" Spike raged. "She's not dead!"
Warren considered. "It must be the redhead," he reasoned.
"How so?" Andrew asked.
"Because this all reeks of magic," Warren answered. "And Jonathon 
said he'd felt the power coming from her." He considered some 
more. "Yeah... Remember back in high school... She was always the 
smart one."
Andrew nodded. "We're smarter," he added.
"Maybe," Warren mused. "But she concentrated her efforts while we 
diversified."
Andrew chewed his lip. "So what do we do?"
"Easy," Warren replied. "We kill her."
Andrew closed his eyes. Spike, meanwhile, seemed pleased at the 
direction things were going.
"Now *that's* a plan!"

*

End Part 14.