Shot in the Dark

* * * * * Chapter 34: A Prophecy * * * * *

Cupid continues explaining to Psyche, pride brimming. “See, my dear, it worked exactly as I described. Suadela doesn’t advertise it, but she is actually the goddess of persuasion. She has only chosen to use that ability in the ways of love and seduction. Our mother is Aphrodite, what can you expect, right? Suadela prefers direct contact, but was willing to touch my arrows with her power when I explained that I merely wanted to make a few humans a bit more…malleable. It’s a temporary effect, but should give our two lovers enough time to convince the group that their love is real. The arrows have left all of them happy with the idea of love – that’s my part – and extremely willing to believe whatever they are told – that’s the work of sweet Suadela.” Cupid’s self-satisfied grin slowly fades as he realizes his long speech is being ignored. Psyche is distracted, missing her lover’s words as she gazes down into the pool, her delicate brow furrowed in concentration.

“Cupid, darling – did you hear that?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing, sweetheart. What is going on down there? Did the arrows stop working?” Cupid leans over to share in her view, his face showing sudden concern. All he sees is the entire group sitting and staring at Spike in some kind of stunned amazement. He darts his eyes to Psyche. “What did he do? What happened?”

“Well, the other man…Giles, I think they called him, described a prediction or maybe a prophecy. Not uncommon, as we know. But…” Psyche is thinking so hard it appears to be causing her physical discomfort. “…it involved us. And what we did with the Vampire and the Slayer. It said he would save the world.” She turns to Cupid, her deep brown eyes worried. “I don’t understand.”

Cupid pauses, considering. He paces around the pool, watching the Scoobies. Finally, he stops, his handsome features drawn in thought. “The Fates. It’s the only explanation. They are the only ones with that kind of power.” He takes a few more steps. “Wait, they are talking again. I’ll explain in a second, my sweet.” Cupid takes Psyche’s hand and settles on the stone edge of the pool to watch. She reluctantly turns from her lover to the scene below.

* * * * *

“Um, ex-squeeze me? Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Spike as much as the next guy…apparently. But saving us all? Isn’t that more Buffy’s gig? And by all…you mean?” Xander rips his eyes away from the blond vampire to look at Giles.

Giles clears his throat as all eyes turn to him. “Well, Xander, I do realize it is a bit odd, but yes, the passage is clearly focused on a vampire. And this vampire appears to be Spike. I thought it was Angel when I began the passage today, but by the time I finished translating, I saw it could not be. Thankfully, with tonight’s wonderful news, I can say it is most certainly not him. It is our very own Spike.” Giles’ smile is nearly paternal as he looks at Spike, who squirms a bit. Being insulted is a bit more comfortable in this group. This lovefest is making him twitchy. Buffy squeezes his hand in reassurance, though she is equally thrown by the behavior of her friends.

He pauses, maybe for dramatic effect. “And by us all, I mean the world, Xander. Spike will preserve the future, the fate of humanity with his actions.” Spike’s eyes nearly bug out of his head and Buffy squeezes his hand a bit too tight, causing him to yelp in pain.

“Bloody hell! Save the world?! Rupert, what in blazes are you on about?” Spike starts to stand up, but Buffy holds him on the couch, lightly patting his arm in an attempt to calm him.

“It’s alright, Spike. Happens all the time to me. Giles is always telling me I have to ‘save the world.’ Usually he’s exaggerating. I’m sure it’s not…so…bad.” Buffy’s words fade as she observes the look on Giles’ face. Definitely his ‘apocalyptic’ expression, which she knows a little too well. She gulps. “Giles? Um, what does he have to do? And why are you sure it’s Spike, anyway?” A tiny stab of fear digs into Buffy’s heart. Really saving the world tends to be dangerous business.

“Fine, fine. Let me read it. Not like I have any experience interpreting ancient texts, now is it?” Giles’ snarky comeback is lost on the Scooby gang and he rolls his eyes. “Here we go. Pardon me if I don’t read the whole thing. They are rather wordy in these texts. The first bit goes on about the day these things will happen. I’ve done my calculations over and over and it all points to…tomorrow night.”

Willow sits up straight. “Tomorrow night? But that’s a mere 24 hours to work up a good solid panic.” She goes a shade paler than normal. She believes in Spike’s ability to love Buffy and make her happy, but save the world? Is he really up for that?

“Yes, tomorrow night and Willow, there’s no need to panic. We will be prepared, I’m sure of it. And Spike…he’ll do fine.” Giles puts his hand on Spike’s shoulder in a very father-son gesture, gently squeezing. It’s now Spike’s turn to go a few shades paler than normal. Buffy sees that Spike is strangely still, so she pops up.

“Now, Giles. About the rest of that darn prophecy. What does Spike have to do? Something lacking in the danger department, right? Save a kitten up a tree, kick a tiny demon’s ass?” Buffy strains for calm, as she feels the fear bubbling inside her as well. Giles is being way too vague and that has never been a good thing before.

“Alright alright. I’ll just read it. Get you lot to stop and just bloody listen.” Spike nods and smirks a bit. More like it to see Giles acting like something other than a nancy boy. “Okay…here it is. The part about the vampire: ‘One who does not breathe, yet walks the earth. Feeding on life, but never alive.’ Vampire, see? ‘His undead heart belongs to the woman warrior, the one who is chosen to protect humanity.’ See, that’s you, Buffy. And now that I know you and Spike are in love, it makes more sense. And there’s more. Details about this sacred location outside town. The stone circle on the hill at the edge of Breaker’s Woods? As usual, these things are not exactly written like instruction manuals. Finally, it says, ‘Fate will bring him to this night in the light of a half moon. His battle of will is his alone. His triumph will bring humanity to light, his failure will bring only darkness. His existence is the price.’ Giles pauses, looks around the silent room and clears his throat. “Well, they do tend to be a bit overdramatic, those Greeks…and it is a particularly difficult dialect...um, and my translation is a bit rough…might not be so…I mean, it might not be literal. The price.” Giles lets his words fade out as he tries a smile. “Oh, and it does say that the ‘circle of the chosen one’ is near but cannot interfere, so I think that would be all of us. Doesn’t say what we do, though, so…I think we just go with him…” Giles finally just stops talking. The rest of the group remains quiet.

Looking around at the nervous faces, Buffy stands up. “Giles, thanks for scaring the bejeezus out of us all. I’m taking Spike home now.”

“Honestly, Buffy, I’m just reading what I found. You know there is often a sacrifice...” Buffy turns a stony glare on the Watcher, making him fall silent.

“Sacrifice, shmacrifice. You’re not talking about a sacrifice, you’re talking about my boyfriend and…well, actually no, you’re not. ‘Cause we’re done talking. I’m the Chosen One. I take the risks, not him. We’re leaving. Spike?” Buffy pulls at Spike’s hand, but he doesn’t move. She realizes, as does the rest of the group, that Spike has been remarkably quiet throughout these proceedings, considering his rather primary role. His expression is unreadable as he stands to join Buffy. Holding Buffy’s hand tightly, he turns to Giles.

“Rupert, what time should I be there?” He meets Giles’ gaze, unwavering. Buffy’s mouth drops and is soon followed by the rest of the room.

“Spike, no.” Her voice is soft, scared. The look on his face is entirely too certain, too set. Her blood turns to ice water.

Spike turns, his voice dropping, gentle as he takes both her hands. “Slayer, love, it’s the…right thing to do.” The words stumble out of his mouth, but it doesn’t make his decision any less final.

Buffy is speechless. She wants to yell at him that he doesn’t do the ‘right thing’. He’s Spike, of the amoral outlook and the smartass remark suited for every do-gooder request. But in just a few days, she has learned he is more than he appears. Before he fell in love with her, he would have told them to sod off, she’s sure of it. Now, it feels like her fault that he might die. Buffy’s eyes glisten as she searches his expression. He’s not kidding. He really means to do the right thing.

Dammit.

Buffy’s shoulders drop in defeat. She can’t even fall for a soulless vampire without him getting sucked into this world of hers. A world that cycles between apocalypse and near-apocalypse with depressing regularity. She turns to Giles, meets his eyes and sees them soften. “What time should we be there, Giles?”

His smile is fleeting, but she catches it. And sort of wants to shove it down his throat, in a loving Slayer-Watcher kind of way. Yes, yes Buffy is going to do what she is supposed to…what else is new?

“Moonrise. Um…that’s 9:20 tomorrow.”

“Gee. Precise much? We’ll be there at 9.” Buffy purses her lips, unwilling to dull her tongue right now. If Giles wasn’t so into his books, she could be snuggling with Spike tomorrow at 9 instead of developing a big old case of dread. She sighs, knowing that the things Giles reads about tend to happen anyway and really, the warning is a good thing. Not that it feels that way.

Spike turns to the door with a startled Buffy in tow. “Right then. See you tomorrow.” Spike gives a brief salute to the group and yanks the door open.

“But…but Spike. Don’t you want to…prepare...and discuss strategies?” Giles stammers and Willow prepares to chime in as well. Xander looks startled as he looks between them all.

Spike cuts them all off with a wave of his hand. “Not necessary. Here’s mine. You lot read over your books, study them all night if you have to. Figure out there is nothing I can really do to avoid this thing and no weapon I can fight it with. And tell me all about it tomorrow. At 9. I’ll be leaving now with the Slayer.” And with that, he’s gone. Buffy manages a wave before being pulled out the door into the darkness. He may have to be good now, but he doesn’t have to be polite.

They get halfway to the street before Buffy exerts her strength and screeches them to a halt. “Spike! Stop!”

He does. When he doesn’t say a word, Buffy turns his face toward her. “Are you sure? We don’t even know what you are facing tomorrow.”

“Buffy, luv, you may have noticed that Rupert there was implying that I could do something to save humanity. Now, I like humanity as much as the next vamp, but that’s not why I agreed.”

“Then, why?”

“Has it escaped the Chosen One’s notice that she is in fact, human? Do you expect me to stand by and let the love of my undead life suffer?” Spike’s words are a caress to Buffy, but her fear is still a bitter taste. He leans closer, hands lifting gently into her hair. Their lips graze softly.

“Am I late? I brought dip!” Anya appears next to the pair, smile open and curious, a container of french onion dip in hand. “How come you two are not inside pretending to listen to Giles?” She leans toward Buffy conspiratorially, “That’s why I am often late, you know. I always tell Xander it’s because of the dip.” She grins, then looks at Spike. “Spike! What forces you here?”

“Slayer. ‘m in love with her.” He grins at Buffy, who smacks his leather-clad arm.

She mutters to herself, “Didn’t force him, exactly…”

“She does like the vampires. Good for you two. So, what else did I miss? Is it over?” Her eyes light up, hope springing eternal.

“For us it is. Watcher said I might die tomorrow trying to save humanity. They can tell you the details.”

“Oh crap. It’s not an Ascension, is it?” Anya looks put out.

“Nope. Greek prophecy.”

“Figures. Alright, guess I better go in.” Anya heads up the walk towards Giles’ door, before stopping, as if she forgot something. “Oh, you can go back to kissing now. ‘Night!” They watch her swing the door open and announce cheerily, “Am I late? I brought dip!”

Buffy, having watched this conversation like a tennis match, finally loses it and begins to giggle. Spike glances at her, a little surprised. She laughs harder and harder, bending double. “She brought dip. Oh god, do you have any idea how many times she’s brought that damn dip to Scooby meetings?”

Spike chuckles. “Demon bird’s got the right idea. Those meetings are bloody well weird. Remind me not to come next time you invite me.”

Buffy smiles up at him, laughter still bubbling. Anya’s interlude has totally broken her anxiety for the moment. “That’s it, blondie. I’m taking you home.”

“To have your wicked way with me?” Spike lifts his eyebrows, his tongue dancing out to trace his teeth.

Buffy decides the worry isn’t doing her any good right now. But something else surely will. “Wicked ways, Spike. Why stop at just one?” With that remark, she turns and walks away, hips swaying, hair swinging. Spike moans, looking up at the sky.

“If the damn prophecy doesn’t kill me, she surely will.” The grin that stretches across his face is full of sinister promise and anticipation. “Can’t wait to find out how.”


Chapter 35