The Gem of Amara

“Here, I’ve found something,” Giles said excitedly.

The Scoobies turned their attention to the Watcher.

“It says here that the Gem makes its possessor invincible –”

“But, we already knew that,” Buffy interrupted, “The whole not being able to kill the big evil, not so good.”

“Yes, but now we know that the gem actually exists,” Giles stated.

“And that helps us how?” Cordy asked.

“I’m not entirely sure. Buffy, we need to get this gem before Spike. It will be more difficult for you to kill him if he has it, and your knowledge of him might not help you,” Giles said. He started to clean his glasses.

“Do we know where to find the gem?” Buffy asked. Her Slayer side kicked into overdrive as the idea of an invincible Spike came into her mind.

“It says that it’s hidden inside a crypt –”

“Oh, goodie, something new for us,” Cordy interrupted.

The group glared at Cordy, who shrugged it off as she sat down next to Xander.

“The details are very vague, you see, the gem itself is sort of a myth, a vampire’s Holy Grail. It isn’t supposed to exist,” Giles finished.

“Well, it does. I’m going to find Spike,” Buffy said.

“What if he already has the gem?” Willow asked with concern.

“Gem or no gem, Spike’s going to be dust,” Buffy stated.

Buffy walked out into the daylight. The sun was high overhead. It was quite a change from the dusty, dank school library. Buffy couldn’t help but worry; if Spike had the gem…Buffy bit her lip. “If Spike has the gem, I’ll kill him.”

“Big words, Slayer,” Spike said as he fiddled with his new gem ring.

“Spike,” Buffy said casually with out turning to face him.

Spike was leaning against the wall. Buffy turned to face him. A broad smile crept upon his lips.

“Out in the sun, with the lack of nasty dustiness. Life seems a bit brighter, don’t you think, pet?” Spike arched a brow.

“You’re a pig,” Buffy said.

“Guilty. See, now I can kill you,” Spike paused and looked at the Slayer. “Does it ever bother you?” Spike asked.

“What?”

“Losing? Being defeated. The Slayer being slain,” Spike questioned.

“I should be the one to ask you that, Spike. Seems to me that you’ve lost a lot more than I have. Here you are out in the sun, but only because of some gem. You don’t have a pulse, a reflection, a soul. You’re just a shell, an empty shell. And I’m going to make you fit inside a zip-lock baggie,” Buffy said calmly.

Spike’s nostrils flared. “I’m not the only one who has lost their life, pet.”

“Yeah, but you see, I’m better at it. When I came back, I came back better. Same Buffy, just smarter. When William died, he came back Spike; not exactly a high point,” Buffy said.

Having enough of her little speech, Spike jumped off the wall and lunged at her. Buffy, expecting such a reaction, sidestepped him. While he was regaining his footing, Buffy seized him by the arm and threw him into a nearby tree. Spike slipped into game face and rounded on the Slayer.
Giles paced the library muttering to himself. Buffy had been gone far too long. Normally, if she hadn’t found anything she would contact him, and they would create a plan – together. It had been several hours and he hadn’t heard a word from his Slayer. “Something must be terribly wrong. She shouldn’t be gone this long,” Giles said out loud.

“Oh I’m sure she’s just fine, Giles,” Willow said in her best convincing voice.

“Either that or Spike ate her,” Cordy said casually.

Everyone in the room glared at the brunette, and Willow’s eyes widened in horror.

“How can you say something like that, Cordelia?” Willow asked.

“Like what? Oh come on, you all were thinking it, I just actually said it,” Cordy said defensively.

“Well, next time, don’t,” Willow snapped.

“I’m sure she’s just fine. She’s defeated the Master, Angelus, and all sorts of other nasties,” Xander said.

“But, didn’t the Master kill her?” Cordy asked.

“Hun, not helping,” Xander said.

Cordy shrugged her shoulders and began to wander aimlessly around the library. Giles shook his head and realized that he was no longer pacing.

“There’s no need to jump to any conclusions. Xander is right. I’m sure Buffy is doing just fine,” Giles said half-heartedly.

“Maybe we can help her. Go looking for Spike?” Willow offered.

“Why? So he can have us for a snack?” Xander asked.

Willow smiled sheepishly and sat down next to Oz. Xander shook his head and took Giles’ job of pacing.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Mr. Snyder snapped.

Xander stopped pacing and Willow stood up suddenly.

“One of you is missing,” Snyder paused, “Where is Buffy Summers?”

“She was feeling ill, and went home,” Giles lied.

“And you just assumed it was your place to send her home?”

“The young lady was sick,” Giles said.

“Then it will be alright if I call her mother to see how the young lady is feeling,” Snyder stated.

“O-of course,” Giles stammered.

Snyder nodded slightly, not buying the story for an instant. “I’ll figure out what you are up to. I need to begin looking for a new librarian.”

The group watched as Snyder stormed out of the library.
“What’s the matter, Spike? Did I hit a nerve?” Buffy taunted. He hadn’t made a move to attack her, and she really wanted this to be over. Knowing intimate things about Spike was really beginning to wig her out, in the major sense.

“Just giving you a chance to run, luv. I don’t mind a hunt,” Spike said.

“That’s right. You get off on the chase. That’s what you did with the Slayer you killed in the ‘80’s. I have to ask, do you realize you wear a woman’s jacket?” Buffy asked as she pointed to Spike’s duster.

Spike looked down at his duster and growled. “What in the bleeding hell is wrong with this bint? A death wish she has, they always do.” Spike took a step towards her and waited for a reaction. When she squared him, he took a shot.

Buffy ducked his first blow, but was on her ass with the second. Spike seized the moment and straddled her, effectively restraining any movement she might have had.

“See, this is where I start to have fun. The Big Bad is going to make you his third,” Spike drawled.

“Do you always refer to yourself in the third person, or is that just an uber-vamp thing?” Buffy asked.

“Bloody hell, do you ever shut up?” Spike asked.

“Not if I can help it. It doesn’t matter, you can’t kill me,” Buffy stated.

“Right. Such fantasies, luv,” Spike said.

“You’re too intrigued. You want to know how and why I know what I know about you. You need me,” Buffy paused as she heard Spike growl, “Plus, I don’t have a death wish, and you said yourself that the only way to kill a Slayer is when she wants it, when she begs for it, and Spike – I don’t beg.”

Buffy shot her head up and struck his hard. While he was recovering, she kicked him in the gut and watched him fly into the wall. Before he could react, she had him pinned against the wall and quickly removed the ring from his finger.

Feeling the sun burning his skin, Spike shoved the Slayer off him and dashed to the manhole. “This isn’t done, Slayer,” Spike said as he dropped down.

“Far from it, Spike,” Buffy said softly.
“Buffy, thank God, we were worried sick,” Giles said as Buffy entered the library.

“Sorry,” Buffy said casually. She walked over and sat on the table in the middle of the library.

“Did you manage to retrieve the gem?” Giles inquired.

Buffy idly fiddled with the ring, the afternoon with Spike on replay in her mind.

“Buffy?” Giles asked impatiently.

“Huh? Oh, yeah here,” she handed the ring to Giles.

“Spike all dusty then?” Xander asked excitedly.

Buffy shook her head in the negative hearing a moan from Xander. She smiled slightly; her sentiments weren’t far from his. “He jumped into the sewer before I could introduce him to Mr. Pointy. Was kind of funny to see him get all smoky from the sun, in a creepy, wrong sort of way.”

“You can get him another time. We have the gem. Now we need to decide what we are going to do with it,” Giles said.

“Angel,” Buffy said.

“Excuse me?” Giles asked.

“I’m going to see Angel, and I’m taking the ring with me. Nothing any of you say or do will stop me. I need to talk with him about Spike, he knows Spike, and I need to know what he knows,” Buffy said.
“Nasty Slayer took away all of your toys, my William,” Dru cooed.

“I had it, and she took it from me. I have the power, I’m the Big Bad, and that little blonde…” Spike broke off as he paced the floor.

“You said the Gem would help you kill the Slayer. I don’t see any dead Slayers, Spike,” a brave minion said.

Spike grabbed the minion and choked him. He slipped into game face and growled at the minion. “It was supposed to help me. What’s your problem with it? You couldn’t come up against the Slayer without being dust.”

“So, why aren’t you then?” the minion squeaked out.

Spike’s grip on the minion released slightly as he pondered the question. Just as the minion felt safe, Spike tossed the minion into a wall.

“You mean we dug for him for nothing? Now the Slayer has our Gem?” another minion asked.

“It’s not our gem, you stupid git, it’s my gem. You lot were just around to get it for me,” Spike spat, “Now I’ll just have to get it back myself.”

“Right, just like you held on to it in the first place?”

In a flash, Spike was in front of the offending vampire, his amber eyes reflecting unrestrained rage. “What was that, mate?”

“Just saying you should have held on to it a bit longer, or had someone else get rid of the Slayer…you obviously can’t kill her.”

Spike snapped the neck of the vampire in front of him, watching with glee as it turned to dust.

“Anyone else want a go?” Spike challenged.

“Spike,” Dru cooed, “Come on, let’s go. Let’s find something tasty to eat.”

“Whatever you want, luv,” Spike said. He shifted out of vampire guise and pulled Dru close to him. As he kissed his Dark Princess, his mind wandered to Buffy. “Bloody hell, won’t that bitch ever leave me in peace?”

“Am I the only one who doesn’t want the brooding wonder to have the gem?” Xander asked once Buffy had left.

“I can not say that I’m not with out my reservations about it, however, we must trust Buffy,” Giles said as he cleaned his glasses.

“Because that worked out so well for us last year,” Cordy said crossly.

“Angel has his soul back and now that Buffy knows what makes him loose it, she’ll be careful. She wouldn’t do that…would she?” Willow asked.

“No, no of course not. Buffy’s a smart girl, I’m sure we have nothing to worry about,” Giles said.

“Convinced yet?” Cordy snapped.

“Either way, it’s out of our hands now. What happens, or doesn’t happen is all up to Buffy,” Giles said in an attempt to end the conversation.

“But – ” Cordy began.

“Enough,” Giles hollered.

Cordy closed her mouth and the group looked at the floor with deep interest. It was not a good idea to say anything further to the Watcher about Buffy. All of them had the same question: What is going to happen now?