Riders by Winsomeone

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Chapter 29: How Deep do you Believe

Chapter 29 How Deep Do You Believe

Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you want to change it?
-Nine Inch Nails
The Hand That Feeds

Spike cursed his stupidity. The rider had circled back around and he’d let it. He stopped and listened for its distinctive heartbeat. Grimly he pushed through the reeds as quickly as he could. The demon was definitely headed straight back to the witches.

When Giles had fallen in the sand, Tara and Willow left the Crystal of Namine and ran to help him. Willow lifted his head and placed her soft leather bag under it while Tara tried to ascertain how badly the Watcher was hurt. They never heard the demon until it was standing right behind them.

“Bring them back.” The voice was deep, menacing, malevolent and right beside them.

Startled, they both looked up at the same time. Uh oh. Willow answered while she quickly tried to think of something to do. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The demon snarled. “You have used the crystal. Bring back the others or die.”

Willow and Tara knew they needed to stall for time until Spike returned. Willow grimaced, sure that he would have a few choice words for them both. By leaving the crystal, they had done exactly what the vampire had cautioned them against. Now they had made themselves completely vulnerable.

She swallowed and lied swiftly. “I’m not really sure how to bring someone back; I’ve only been working with this for one day. It will take me quite awhile to reset it.”

The demon growled. “Do it and if you take more than five minutes, I will kill the other witch. Perhaps then you can do it faster to save yourself.”

Tara gripped the knife tightly behind her back. She knew she had to help Willow stall for time, so she gathered her courage while her girlfriend and the demon argued. She drew in a sharp breath and watched closely, biding her time. Now. When the demon turned to look fully at Willow, Tara launched herself forward, driving the knife with her momentum. But the demon, much faster then she’d expected, stepped quickly to the side and raised his arm defensively. The knife, instead of landing in the middle of his chest, embedded deeply in his left arm. He grabbed Tara with his right, lifted her up and then dropped her hard to the ground. The rider grimaced, pulled out the knife and let it fall as he snarled, “Attempt something like that again and you will feel so much pain you will beg to die.” He raised his own longer knife and aimed it toward Willow’s throat. She backed up warily.

Tara struggled back to her feet and Willow glanced over sympathetically. Tara had tried her best, but the demon was just too much for either of them to handle without using magiks and it was much too dangerous to attempt any spells this close to the crystal.

Spike cursed fluently again. He’d cautiously followed the demon’s scent and heartbeat through the reeds and back toward the open desert. Once he had arrived at the outer edge of the reeds, just before the open desert, he caught not only the demon’s scent but that of the two witches as well. They were all three together. Spike sucked in an unneeded breath. The women had been caught. Now it would be impossible to force the demon through the portal, no one else but the witches knew how to use the crystal.

Looking over the landscape, Spike wished for some cloud cover. Now would be a good time for the harvest moon to disappear. Even without the crystal, there was too much light to sneak up on the demon from behind and Spike no longer had a weapon. He dug around in his duster, took stock and grimaced. Nothing. He tried to think of a plan.

The demon was obviously trying to coerce the witches into releasing its fellow demons. Spike watched as the blonde witch made her gutsy stand and although it failed, the attempted attack had caused the demon to move. He now stood a little farther away at the edge of the group while the witches leaned against each other closer to the fallen Watcher. Spike saw Rupert’s ax lying forgotten in the sand beside him and an idea struck.

He reached in his duster again and his hand closed on the only thing in his pocket other than his lighter and cigarettes. He smirked. It might just work, if Red and Glinda played it right. Hoping the witches caught on quickly he headed out into the open.

The rider was furious. His leader was still trying to suck the power from the Slayer and his fellow two riders had been removed to another dimension. He was about to kill the blonde bitch when a voice behind him spoke up.

“Hey ladies, what’s the git want you to do for ‘em?”

Willow breathed a shaky sigh of relief. Spike, no longer in game face, was standing there looking as cocky as usual, leaning back on his heels with his hand in his duster. She and Tara shared a questioning look while they tried to ascertain what Spike had planned. Wide eyed, they both watched him closely for a cue.

Spike raised an eyebrow and then nonchalantly cut his eyes to the ax.

The women subtly glided a step back, away from the ax.

“Come near me half breed and I will kill the witches. The demon stared furiously at Spike and moved a few steps closer. “But first I will kill you.”

Willow and Tara cautiously slid back another step.

All its attention and hatred focused on the vampire, the demon shifted, raised its knife and took several steps forward.

The witches were finally far enough away. Spike stared at the demon and snarled. “No, I don’t bloody think you’ll kill anyone.” He pulled his hand out of his duster pocket and the sound of the Beatles loudly shattered the quiet.

The demon, startled, backed away hurriedly. “I hear strange demonic voices! What kind of evil magick is that?”

Willow and Tara realized that was their cue and screamed. “Oh no!! Look out!! He’s got a dangerous cell phone!”

Spike launched the phone toward the demon, dropped, rolled and came up with Giles’ ax in his hand.

The demon flinched away from contact with the noisy supposed weapon.

Spike took the opportunity to raise the ax. “Yeah, it’s the very worst possible type of evil, too. It’s called an annoyin’ cell phone.” When the phone landed on the sand and nothing else occurred, the demon turned its attention back to Spike. Too late.

Spike swung the ax powerfully, neatly severing the demon’s head from its neck.

Nonchalantly dropping the bloody ax, Spike picked up his phone and gently wiped the sand away.

Turning off the ring tone, he growled, “When we get back, Red, you’re goin’ to change this bloody song, you owe me now.” He pocketed the phone and smirked at Willow. “But, since I nicked your mum’s battery from your backpack yesterday, I guess we’re really even.”

Giles groaned and opened his eyes and the women dropped back to his side.

“Not too much blood, that’s a good sign.” He placed his hand briefly on the older man’s arm, stood up and scanned the horizon.

Spike had suddenly realized that the Slayer was still unaccounted for. He shifted, looked out toward the open desert and saw Buffy, her sword at her side, walking toward the demon. Just like her dream and I’m supposed to be watchin’ her back. Spike started to run.

The rider held out his hand. “Come to me Slayer. You are mine. Let us finish this.”

Buffy had finally made her decision. She dropped her sword to her side and started forward toward the rider.

The demon was elated; a few more steps and all that power would be his. He waited impatiently for her to cross the last few feet; his fingers itched to touch her.

Buffy walked slowly and deliberately toward the black rider. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a black clad figure running from the edge of the desert toward her. Her mind flashed back to the Cantilly fight in the graveyard and irreverently she wondered if Spike had another bottle with him. But this time it wouldn’t matter; Buffy had a weapon and a plan and she would not allow herself to be defeated again. She was the Slayer and she had made her decision.

Squaring her shoulders, Buffy took a deliberate step forward and powerfully swung her sword, slicing it across the demon’s chest. Surprise and confusion flared in the demon’s eyes as he staggered backward and dropped his knife in the sand. He found his footing and his eyes flashed as he angrily reached for her. He had to touch her now. He could still control her. Her power would still be his.

But Buffy gracefully danced away from his reach and then swung again, catching him once more across the chest.

The rider screamed in frustration and anger. He reached down and grabbed his knife. Angrily, he moved quickly toward her. “Slayer, you are mine.”

“You just don’t know how to take no for an answer and that’s a very bad habit, even for a demon.”

Buffy tilted her chin up defiantly and finally stared in the rider’s eyes. “I’m the Slayer and what you need to understand is that no one owns me. The power is mine and I’m not letting anyone else have it. Not now, not ever.”

Spike ran across the open desert toward the two fighters. He worriedly watched Buffy until he saw her slash the demon across the chest for the first time. There was no reason to hurry; the Slayer had everything under control and this was her fight. Spike slowed down to enjoy the show. She’s always such poetry in motion.

Although bleeding heavily, the maddened demon raised his knife and ran toward her. Buffy danced lightly away. The rider quickly turned back and slashed again.

Gracefully avoiding the knife, Buffy lifted her sword. “Sorry, but it’s time for you to, wait how did you put it? Oh yeah, you get to be covered in a warm blanket of earth, or something like that. And hey, I get a warrior’s wish after all. I get to wish you dead and then do it, too. A Warrior Bonus.” With a powerful thrust, Buffy ran the sword straight through the black rider and then up, nearly splitting him in two. The demon collapsed to the sand.

Spike strolled up, lifted his foot and nudged the dead rider. “It sure took you long enough to finish off the one demon, Slayer.” He smirked.

“Well, I had to keep him occupied until you finally got around to finishing off the minions, didn’t I?”

Spike just shook his head amused. She is so bloody annoyin’ and so incredibly amazing. I can’t help lovin’ her.

He looked down again at the dead demon with Buffy’s sword still stuck in its chest. Shaking his head again, he reached down and pulled out the sword. Leaning over the dead body, he wiped the blood on the dead demon’s sleeve.

Standing up again, he offered her the clean sword. “Here, Slayer, it seems like I’m forever tryin’ to keep track of your sword for you.”

Buffy took the sword and grinned. He is such an absolute smartass. God, I love this guy.

Spike clasped her warm hand in his cool one as they turned and started back toward the witches.

“You know there’s a thing called a scabbard for your sword, pet. It would make things a whole lot easier. I wouldn’t have to follow you around picking it up. You should talk your Watcher into buying you one.” He smirked. “You might even find one cheap on the internet.”

Buffy looked over at him and asked innocently. “But if you’re not gonna follow me around picking up my sword, Spike, what will you do for fun?”

Spike stopped, pulled her close and kissed her breathless. When they finally moved apart, he murmured in her ear. “I’m sure I’ll think of somethin’.”

Her carefree laughter bubbled up.

Spike silently vowed to make sure Buffy sounded that way as much as possible in the future because watching her back now meant a whole lot more to him than just being there during a fight.

He put his arm around her waist. Farther ahead they watched Giles, supported by the witches, stand up on his feet.

“Well, you did it Slayer, you saved the world.”

“I did something else just as important.”

Spike looked at the powerful woman standing beside him. “And what was that luv?”

“I saved myself.”

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