Chapter 8

 

Spike walked into the Summers’ living room, all eyes turning to stare at him as he made his entrance.  Surprisingly Graham had thought to gather together some clothing for him prior to his rescue.  Spike momentarily lamented the loss of his duster, but at least the army fatigues and t-shirt were better than having to borrow something from either the whelp or the watcher.

Dawn was sitting on the sofa with Joyce to one side of her, scooting over she made room for Spike, and clutched at his hand for support when he sat down.

Buffy paced the room, absently stroking the stuffed pig that was still clutched in her hand.  She let her eyes drift towards Spike, a small frown flitting across her face;, even in loose fitting clothes he still had an air of sensuality about him that was undeniable.

“Right, we’re all here then?” Giles interrupted her thoughts, stepping forward and motioning for Anya to bring the book of Dasnmahel over to him. “I’m sure that we all would like an explanation of what just occurred upstairs, as well as why a book,” Giles opened the book to display the pages within, “full of blank paper is so important?”

Buffy frowned as she studied the blank pages. “Huh? Why would this be so important? What was it written with, invisible ink or something?”

“Close,” Dawn spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room with her soft spoken words.  “You need the Key to open it.”

“So what we have to go looking for some sort of key to make the words magically appear?” Xander could see hours of research looming ahead of him. 

“No you already have the Key, well, Spike does anyway,” Dawn answered truthfully.

“Spike holds the key to one of the most powerful books in demon legend?” Giles stared at the pair incredulously. “Who would be so stupid as to give him something like that?”

Buffy thrust her hand out. “Ok, Spike, hand it over.”

“And where exactly do you think I hid the thing while I was being tortured, Slayer?” Spike smirked at her. “Up my…”

“Ewww, Spike, that’s just wrong.” Dawn slapped his arm lightly, cutting him off before he could go on.

“It’s not really a key.” Anya watched Dawn and Spike carefully. “I’ve heard about it before.  I thought it was just an ancient legend, some mythical story passed down through demon kind over the centuries.”

“Anya?” Giles turned to her, puzzled. “Could you please elaborate?”

Anya focused on Dawn, staring into her eyes intently as she spoke, “The Key is pure energy; unlocking the powers of the book of Dasnmahel is just one of the things it can do.  The book is said to contain within it all the spells and magic used to create this dimension, as well as others.  It can open doors between worlds, create and destroy them and everyone and everything contained within them.”  Anya moved closer to the sofa, never turning from Dawn’s gaze. “The energy of the Key is also said to be the source of all life, demon and human.  And I see it.” A look of awe settled over her. “It’s inside you.  You are the Key, aren’t you?” she finally asked.

“Yes I’m the Key” Dawn nodded

Spike tensed, he expected those within the room to erupt in protest at Dawn’s revelation, instead they were deathly quiet as though waiting for something more.

Anya reached a hand out. “Can I touch you?” she asked hesitantly, her voice carrying a note of respect.

Dawn smiled and nodded her consent.  She watched silently as Anya ran a trembling hand across her cheek.

“I can feel it,” Anya whispered. “All that power, in such a frail shell.”  She turned her attention to Spike, extending her hand to touch his face as well. “It’s here as well, within you.”

Spike nodded, he had relaxed a little when he realised that the Scoobies were going to wait for all the facts. 

Giles stepped forward breaking the spell that seemed to hover over the three. “If what Anya is saying is true and Dawn is this Key, how is it she has come to be in your company, Spike?”

“Well that’s a tale in itself, Watcher.” Spike motioned to the chair opposite him. “’Spect you’ll wanna sit for this.”

Everyone in the room made themselves comfortable, everyone except Buffy.  She still clung tightly to Mr Gordo, knowing deep inside that she wasn’t going to like what the blonde vampire was going to tell her.  That somehow the whole thing would end up with her having another apocalypse to deal with.

“Buffy,” Joyce called to her daughter. “Please, sweetie, you’re making me dizzy.”

Buffy sighed dramatically as she sat noisily on the edge of the coffee table. “Better?  Ok, Spike, go ahead.” She waved her hand imperiously.

“Right then.” Spike paused closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts for a moment.  When he opened them he fixed his gaze on the Slayer. “One night a few months back I was out huntin’ in … when I heard all this commotion at this big old monastery.  Being the inquisitive bloke I am I ducked in for a quick look see.”

“You mean you went looking for an easy kill?” Buffy snapped.

“Well yeah, luv, I am a vampire,” Spike responded quietly. “Anyways, I found myself a way in and sat back to watch the show.  Gotta admit I was a bit stunned when this blonde bint strolls into view and starts tossin monks left and right.  Thought the Slayer here had kicked the bucket for a minute, what with all mayhem the bint was making.  Then I realised that, hey, these monks were human and slayers didn’t go round killing humans.”

“Faith?” Buffy asked questioningly.

Giles shook his head. “Still in prison as of a few days ago.”

“Plus, Spike, said blonde,” Willow offered helpfully.

“Anyways, this bint was tearing the monks up pretty bad, yelling some crap about her key and sayin’ how they were hiding it from her.”  Spike slid his hand into Dawn’s as he continued, “This bird was getting pretty loopy as she was trashin’ the place, and I decided that good ole Spike wanted no part in this little party.  She had a gaggle of these ugly little minions bringing up the rear so I decided to head deeper into the place and find myself a way out.  Place was like a bloody maze, but I caught hold of this strange scent that kinda drew me down into this labyrinth.” He paused stroking Dawn’s hair tenderly.

 “In the end I found myself in this tunnel with a door off one side, there was this strange glow kinda peeking round the edges and whatever it was that had pulled me down there was leading me straight to that door.  Not sure how it happened, don’t rightly remember, but the next thing I know I’m in this room with these two monks.  They were chanting round this tiny ball of green light and inside it was this tiny little speck.”  Spike lost himself to the memory of what happened next.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Spike leant in carefully, eyes fixed on the light before him, he reeled back when he realised that the light contained a tiny human foetus.

The chanting suddenly fell silent. “Vampire.” One of the monks rose moving close to him.  “She will not survive the night without your help.” He motioned to the ball of light. “The beast will arrive soon, drawn by her power. We do not have time to complete her creation unless you help us.”

Spike continued to stare at the light, mesmerized, he faintly heard one of the monks begin chanting again.

“”We can give you what you crave.” The monk moved around him whispering quietly, “We can give you one who is made of your own flesh, one who will love you without condition, one who will give you the power to protect her and those you hold in your heart for eternity.”


“How?” Spike’s voice croaked.

“To create life from the ether takes much time and energy, but to create life from one that already exists takes less time and energy.”  The monk continued to move around him. “However to shorten the time to create her will mean that she will be unable to control her power for some time.  If she is made from your flesh then you will be able to wield the power that she contains.”
 

“You do realise I’m a vampire, right?” Spike couldn’t believe that this monk would offer a being of evil access to the immense power that he could feel radiating from the light.

“You would not destroy this world,” the monk chuckled, “We have the ability to see inside all creatures, vampire.  She would be protected well by you, we had thought of placing her in the Slayer’s care once her creation was complete.” A scream echoed through the tunnels of the labyrinth. “The beast grows close, you must decide.”
 

Spike turned to stare at the door that separated him from the destruction outside, before turning his attention back to the light before him. “Don’t know nothin’ about watchin over babies.”

“We will do as much as we can in the time we have left.” The monk motioned towards the circle. “You merely have to step inside.”

Spike paused watching silently as the monk returned to his chanting, casting him one last pleading look before returning to his task.  Spike straightened his body, closing his eyes he stepped forward and into… warmth? 

The air seemed to pulse around him, through him, vibrant and alive.  Opening his eyes he watched the energy as it danced across his skin with small sparks of electricity.  The tiny speck before him began to grow rapidly, soon forming into a perfect baby girl.  Spike stretched out his arms, plucking the child from the air and holding her close.  He felt as though a part of him was being pulled into the still-growing child in his arms.  Soon, as she grew larger, he set her at his feet; shrugging off his coat he wrapped it around her, before taking her small hand in his.  Soft blue eyes peeked into his and Spike felt as though she knew all his secrets, without either of them ever uttering a word.

The walls around them began to shake as the monks finally fell back, exhausted.  “That is all we can do. Dawn approaches, as does the beast.” The monk sprang to his feet hurrying the pair towards another small door. “This will lead you out; we will delay the beast as best we can.”

“Dawn?” Spike glanced at the now-teenaged girl beside him. “That’ll do.  Come on, Nibblet, let’s fly.”

Just as the monk ushered them through the exit the other door flew open, revealing the blonde woman. “So there’s my key.  You naughty monks tried to hide it from me.”  She strode across the room, pushing the monks aside as she headed straight for the pair.

“Go, little bit.” Spike pushed Dawn backwards, placing himself between his girl and the threat bearing down on them.

“Hey, no fair, vampire, that’s mine.” The blonde reached forward, attempting grab Spike when her hand came up against something solid. The barrier propelled her backwards, slamming her against the side of the room.

One of the monks leapt forward, and grabbing her by the hand began to chant.  The other turned to face the stunned pair. “You must go now; our barrier will hold her for some time, but not for long.”  He turned to watch as the other monk yelled out in pain, his body seeming to be drawn into that of the woman.  The pair seemed to fluctuate between the two, before finally settling into the guise of the monk. 

“What the hell is that?”  Spike questioned, not only wanting to know what had just happened, but also who or what the blonde was.

“Brother Benjamin has taken the beast into his body.  She will be imprisoned within him, however it will not last, she will be able to take control of him at times.”  The monk placed his hand against the barrier. “We will continue to strengthen this while we can, however once she emerges the beast will take mere days to tear it down.  Brother Benjamin will try and divert her efforts whenever he is able.  But you must get as far away from here as you can. If you use the power of the Key you will be able to protect the Key.”

Dawn took a step forward, using her voice for the first time, “What does she want with me?”

“To use you to destroy this world and return herself to her own.  There is a ritual, a spell that can be used, she will require your blood, your blood is the Key.” The monk fixed his gaze on Spike. “You understand?  Her blood is the Key.”

Spike nodded that he understood.

“The beast is known by many names although her minions here call her Gorificus, she is a hell god and not to be underestimated.”  The monk darted a quick look behind him. “Please, you must leave now.”

“Come on, Dawn, we need to get moving.  We’ll just go grab Dru and then we’ll be on our way.” Spike grabbed her hand and started pulling her down the long tunnel and out into the growing dawn.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike let his story trail off, memories of Dru temporarily clouding his mind.  He ached for the loss of his Sire, but deep inside he knew that he would never let Dawn be hurt.

“Wow.” Xander was the first one to break the silence he stared first at Dawn and then at Spike. “Wow.”

Buffy frowned staring at her friend. “Right there with you.  So that means Dawn is evil then?”

“What? No,” Spike protested, shifting forward as though forming a protective shield.

Giles spoke up, “From the little information Spike provided just now I would assume that Dawn is neither good nor evil, merely a tool that can be harnessed for either use.”

“Dawn is a teenage human girl, who just happens to have a great power inside her.” Spike glowered at the Watcher. “She isn’t some bloody tool to be used by anybody, just because you Watchers believe your Slayers are nothing more, doesn’t mean my girl is.”

“She’s your daughter,” Oz offered the simple statement to the room.

“Yeah.” All in the room could see the tender look that settled over Spike as he watched Dawn.  “She’s made from me and I’ll protect her from anything that threatens her.”

“All those demons we’ve been finding, the way you healed upstairs.  That’s the Key at work isn’t it?” Giles finally asked.

“It is.  Dawn’s blood is the source of her power.  She can’t control it yet, though.  But I can.”  Spike watched the others. “At the moment she’s a bit like a novice witch, all this power flowing through her but unable to wield it without major consequences.”

“So why haven’t you used it to take over the world?” Xander asked, watching the vampire closely.

“Why the hell would I want to do that?”

“Ummm because you’re evil,” Buffy offered.

“I may be evil, Slayer, but I like the world the way it is just fine. ‘ve told you that before.”  Spike was getting sick of sitting around talking.  “All I want is for this hell bitch to leave Dawn alone, which ain’t gonna happen any time soon.  You lot are the white hats, with all the research and save the world stuff.  There’s gotta be something in that bloody book,” he motioned to the blank pages, “that’s gonna tell us how to get rid of the bitch, then me an’ Dawn will be outta your hair forever.”

“But there’s nothing in the book,” Willow pointed out. “The pages are blank.”

Giles moved closer, suddenly serious. “I would gather that to unlock the secrets within the book, one would have to harness the power of the Key.”

“But Spike said that Dawn can’t control it yet,” Buffy stated simply.

“My guess is that Spike would have to do it.” Giles closed the cover of the book. “Do you have any idea how to go about it, Spike?”

Spike shook his head. “Never really tried it, only found out about the strength and healing bits by accident.”

“What, your fangs accidentally fell into Dawn one day and you just couldn’t help sucking her blood?” Xander’s voice held a note of puzzlement.  Part of him screamed at him that this was Spike, a vampire who would kill them all given half a chance.  However the other half kept reminding him of the torture inflicted upon the vampire by the human soldiers that had infiltrated their town.  After all he had witnessed Xander couldn’t quite make himself believe that Spike would willingly hurt Dawn.

“Was soon after Glory started sending demons after us. The first couple I took were easy, but they soon started getting stronger.”  Spike directed his next question to Buffy, “Ever come across a Tanliek demon?”

Buffy frowned and shook her head, glancing at Giles as though wanting confirmation of the fact.

“Big bastards.” Spike gestured. “Strong, with this skin like armour that’s covered in these sharp little spines, like razors.  One tracked us down and I was having a hell of a time trying to find a way through its hide, getting’ pretty sliced up too I was.  Anyway it managed to get past me for a minute and gave Dawn a good swipe, cut her real bad down her arm.”

Dawn rubbed at her arm at the memory; she could almost feel the tearing of her flesh.

“Anyway I managed to trip it or something, so I grabbed Dawn and made a run for the sewers. I got a bit of distance between but Dawn was losing blood; getting weak.  So I stopped and sealed the wound the only way I knew how.”

“Eww.” Buffy wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“Actually, Buffy, a vampire’s saliva is thought to contain antiseptic and clotting properties.  Fascinating.” Giles searched his pockets for his ever present pad and pen.

“Really didn’t need to know that.” Buffy shuddered before motioning Spike to continue.

“It was like nothing I’d ever felt before, just a few drops of blood and all my injuries healed before our eyes.  I remember Dawn yelling and the Tanliek coming up behind me.  Next thing I know it’s on the ground, head ripped clean off.”  Spike seemed amazed that he had wrought such destruction upon the demon.  “We kinda figured that I’d tapped into Dawn’s power, soon found out that a sip a day meant that I would stay all souped up; that I didn’t need to hunt any more.  Decided then that the best thing was to get my girl here where you lot could do your thing and tell us how to work it.  Plus, the Slayer could help watch over Dawn better than anyone else I could think off.”

“So suggestions on how Spike opens this book thingy then?”  Buffy turned to the others for ideas picking it up and turning it over in her hands. 

“Maybe there’s a spell?” Willow offered, she leant forward to take the book from Buffy.  Forgetting that that the ancient tome was extremely heavy, it began to slip from her hands. Spike darted forward to grab it, and nicked his hand on one of its brass hinges. A droplet of blood fell onto its cover.

Silence fell over the room as the book began to emit a greenish light, slowly getting brighter and brighter until those gathered had to shield their eyes from the glare.

Oz’s voice echoed softly around the room “I think we know how to activate it.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*

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