full 3/4 1/2   skin light dark       
 
Time after Time by BuffyMeetsSpike
 
Out of Time
 
   >>
 
Author's Note: This story goes AU in the middle of Not Fade Away. Reviews are most definitely appreciated. 

****************************************************************

Time After Time, by Buffy Meets Spike

****************************************************************

Chapter 1 – Out of time

***************************************************************
 
If he had to go out, this was the way to go. Fists and fangs and fighting, whirling and ducking, ripping and tearing. His hard won soul had tormented him with the memories of those whose lives he had snuffed out prematurely, but had never once regretted a good old fashioned brawl. Given that he was currently in the battle of his life, his love of fighting shielded him from the hopelessness of the whole situation.
 
Going up against the Circle of the Black Thorn had seemed like the right thing to do at the time. When he had raised his hand and agreed to join Angel in his quest to take out this ring of evil, it had seemed like a long shot. Now as he fought, surrounded by demons of every imaginable shape and size and a motherfucking dragon! to boot, he was starting to think that they had bitten off more than they could chew. Wesley was gone. Lorne had taken off, disgusted with the whole business. Out of the corner of his eye Spike could see Gunn lying where he fell, eyes open and staring, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. Ilyria was somewhere in the fray – he saw flashes of blue skin from time to time. Angel had gone after the dragon, sword in hand, like some kind of medieval knight. Spike had no idea where he was now. All he could do is keep fighting, keep punching, snap a neck here, land a kick there, wield his axe again and again as the onslaught kept coming. Some small corner of his brain wanted to just drop his arms and get this over with quickly. What’s the fucking use? There’s too many of them, and three of us. But his demon was in almost complete control now and wouldn’t let him quit.
 
As he struggled out of the grasp of something large and scaly he heard a noise like sudden pop somewhere off to his right. He flipped the demon over his head and turned to see the last thing he expected. Out of nowhere rushed a crowd of girls, wielding a variety of weapons. Spike blinked for a moment, then his head rocked as something knocked him upside his skull and his attention was diverted. As he defended himself it dawned on him. The Slayers. The Slayers are here. Shit, we might just have half a chance. Then he found he couldn’t give them a second thought as the demon he was up against aimed a series of razor sharp talons at his midsection.
 
Buffy gasped as she landed at the head of the Slayer army. “Shit! Watch your backs!” she shouted as they all tumbled out into the fray. The coven’s spell should have put them down slightly outside the battle, but apparently there had been a miscalculation, because they were right in the thick of things. Buffy hefted the Scythe and took out the first demon that came for her, as the other girls dealt with their foes. Buffy found herself fighting harder than she had in months, and it felt good on some level. Here was something she knew. She didn’t know how to be a mentor to all these teenagers, or raise Dawn, or navigate the dating scene in Italy, but by God she knew how to kill demons. As she dispatched another with a bone crushing kick she heard a scream and turned to see Vi fall to the ground. “Vi!” she called, but there was no way to get to her. Another monster reared up in front of her and it was all she could do to keep cutting a path through the horde.
 
A sound from above caught her attention and her eyes widened as she saw the dragon, wheeling around with a figure clinging to its back. With a shock she realized the figure was Angel. He was struggling to hang on while simultaneously trying to pierce the dragon’s thick scales with his sword. The dragon writhed, trying to bite this annoying creature like a dog biting at a flea. The dragon circled and spun, and as Buffy watched in horror Angel lost his grip and fell. The dragon turned and blasted the ground with fire. Several Slayers got caught up in the dragon’s scorching breath and fell, screaming in flames, while Angel simply vanished. “No!” Buffy screamed at the sight. There was no time to mourn the loss of the Slayers and her former love, however. Another creature loomed and fell under her scythe, and another. She fought like some out of control machine, adrenaline and Slayer instinct fueled by fury and desperation. Another head rolled, and her senses prickled with the telltale feeling that said vampire behind her. She whirled, Scythe at the ready to face the new threat.
 
With a roar Spike tore the throat out of another demon, trying to ignore the constant tingle in the back of his neck that screamed Slayer. Pipe down mate, he willed his demon. Slayers are not the biggest problem here. But the urge to fight his ancient enemy grew stronger, and a familiar scent filled his nostrils. He turned to follow it, and there she was, staring at him open mouthed in the midst of the chaos. Buffy. She was sweaty, bruised, battered, and utterly beautiful. The battle stood still around him as he drank her in.
 
“Spike?” Buffy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It can’t be… But there was no mistaking those eyes, that coat, those cheekbones. Spike was here, in front of her, and damned if she could figure out how or why.
 
“Buffy! Behind you!” Spike cried suddenly, breaking the spell. Buffy ducked and the demon’s sword went wide. She rolled out of the way while Spike dispatched it, leaping to her feet as soon as she was clear. She nodded her thanks and they wordlessly joined forces, fighting back to back, calling out instructions to each other. They fell instantly into their old dance, working as a team in what looked to be an effortless choreographed ballet. But there was nothing effortless about this fight. The demons kept coming in an endless stream and Buffy saw fewer Slayers on their feet every time she looked around. She fought the urge to cry in frustration, taking comfort in the familiar figure by her side. If she survived this, there would be time to figure out how her dead lover had returned to her. Right now, she was prepared to accept the fact and fight on.
 
They continued dropping demons left and right, but even their supernatural strength was starting to wane a bit. The battle had forced them into an alleyway, and they were fighting with their backs to a wall. Spike was to Buffy’s left, his axe and fangs flashing nonstop while her Scythe dripped with gore as it rose and fell over and over. From their vantage point they could see no one else. Ilyria, Faith, and the rest of the Slayers were either gone or hidden in the throng, and they felt a collective sense of futility as they struggled on. They were so preoccupied that they failed to notice that something odd was happening behind them. A thin line like a silver thread had appeared out of nowhere. The line grew, getting wider and brighter, then parting in the middle and opening slowly, like the slit of an enormous eye. The brightness finally registered on Buffy and Spike but before Spike could finish saying, “What the fuck…?” they felt a tremendous tug. Buffy cried out in surprise and Spike called her name as the unknown force pulled them into darkness.
 
TBC
 
   >>