Brethren, Where Art Thou?

You Say Mom, I Say Mum

“So, what you’re trying to tell me is that Angelus, Buffy, Morgan and Spike are all part of this? What does this ritual entail?” Giles scratched his brow and rubbed his eye. They’d gone over this dozens of times and yet it still didn’t make sense.

“It’s a sacrifice.” The half demon was comfortable, his feet on the table, hat over his eyes as he slunk into his chair.

“Of what?”

“Hearts.” Whistler half-smiled. “Only love will save us.”

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

Marie smiled as she heard the snap of the lock opening and the whoosh as the door opened and closed.

“Hey, darlin’, you remember the grub?” She kept her eyes on the book she was reading. She read a whole line till she realised her daughter hadn’t answered. “Morgan?” She stood up, book-marking the page and placing it on the table beside her favourite black chair.

Still silence.

Marie’s stomach began to hurt, the fear spreading through her. Her hands began to shake. It didn’t help that her daughter was the Slayer, forces of darkness always chasing her, trying to take her life. Marie couldn’t help praying on all gods she knew the name of that this wasn’t a force of darkness looking for Morgan.

Still walking slowly to the door, Marie entered the hallway her eyes wide and searching for intruders. Couldn’t be a vampire, she hadn’t invited anyone in…but she wasn’t safe from witches or demons or ghosts…

She couldn’t see anyone. Like a mother hawk she looked carefully around, stepping forward, covering more and more ground, the safety behind her. There was a sudden knock at the door.

Marie jumped.

It was like a bad horror movie. Her mind screamed at her to not open that door. But what was she to do? Instincts were to investigate, to make sure that her nest was safe. Her auburn hair was tied back and her brow knitted in a frown. She took the stake from the hall table draw and tucked it into her pocket. Then, took the stake and cross from the key box by the door and held them tightly in her hands.

Marie placed her sweaty hand around the handle, twisting her hand around it just so slightly for comfort. Taking a deep breath and blowing it straight out, like when you’re in labour, Marie prepared herself.

What if there was nothing there and she was just worrying herself to death because of what happened to Morgan’s sister?

But...What if there was something there?

Marie looked around. She spotted Morgan’s mobile phone on the hall table. Marie hadn’t reminded her to take it with her on patrol, and here it was, a possible emergency. That was why she bought the damn thing for her in the first place. Marie let out a tiny sound at herself, a mix between a scream and growl and started to cry.

She felt so weak, so helpless. For almost the first time in her life, Marie felt like she couldn’t protect her own daughter, a mother unable to keep her young from harm. She felt disgusted with herself. The woman leant heavily against the wall, dropping the stake and cross and put her hands over her face. She had never felt like this, defenceless, feeble and powerless.

The door opened.

Marie screamed.

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

“Mum? Are you okay?” Morgan rushed inside to her mother, checking her over for cuts or bites. Spike stood silently at the door, worry etched strongly on his face. “Mum, what happened?”

“I-I- the door opened, and I-I thought it…was you. But it…wasn’t and I went to check…but no one was there and…then someone, they knocked on the door…scared the mother of christ out of me.” she told her, sobbing and breathing in short and fast, her heart beating quicker than she thought possible. Marie looked to the man at the door. “Who’s he?” The slayer’s mother wiped her nose with her sleeve and took hold of Morgan’s hand and squeezed it.

“Mum, this is Spike, William, whichever. Sorry come in.” Morgan motioned him to come into her home and slipped an arm around his waist to comfort him.

“Is he a-?”

“Yeah…but he’s a good guy, like me.” The Slayer tried not to wince and prepared herself for a big scene with shouting and cursing.

“Oh, sorry, Spike? Or do you prefer William?”

“Whatever you feel more comfortable with Mrs Slayer.” He hadn’t meant to sound rude and would thoroughly regret this if it went down the wrong way. He hated the way his demon had spoken to people. It was going to change. Marie only laughed, pushing him affectionately.

There was another knock at the door. Morgan shrugged and opened it quickly.

Vampires.

“Mum, get back, very back.” Marie stared helplessly at their distorted faces. Spike lifted his shoulders up and down, warming up the muscles. They were severely outnumbered, it was almost a horde of them, an army. The Slayer shivered, cold chill down her spine. They couldn’t come in, but it wouldn’t stop them from burning her home to the ground. “We taking them?” she asked, looking back to Spike. Morgan couldn’t help but smile at him, he made her feel strong. The vampire nodded and jumped outside. The other vampires moved backwards slightly. They were wary of him, they knew what he was capable of. Taking a deep breath and looking back to see that her mother was safe, then picking up the stake on the floor, the Slayer stepped through the doorway.

There were 8 of them, all male and all in dark red robes or cloaks.

“Red is so not your colour.” She pointed out in her best ditz accent to a vampire as her tiny, still red fist connecting with his jaw so very hard, it broke and sent him flying across the front lawn. Spike smiled admirably at her and pounded into the nearest vampire, sending blow after blow to it's stomach until it crippled over in pain. Morgan tossed her love the stake in her hand and he thrust it down into the back of that vampire.

“Whoopsie.” Spike laughed evilly. “Missed.” He removed it with a wet squelch, pulled the vampire up and staked his heart, ripping away the red robe before he turned to dust. Spike would keep this to show to- he couldn’t believe he had actually thought this- but he was going to show it to Giles.

The Slayer battled well, moves executed in a momentum Spike couldn’t keep up with. He stared dumbfounded at her, she was moving so fast. Within moments all of the 7 remaining vampires were lying flat on their backs on the lawn. She then took the stake from the waistband of her jeans and staked them all one by one. It seemed too easy for her, and judging by the smile on her face, it was like fun. Putting her hands on her hips to help stable her breathing, Morgan smiled.

The violence always got to her, making her feel alive and powerful and strong. She was in love with it, and the more she fought, the more the slayer-lust grew. And right now, it was almost overloading her system. Strutting towards Spike, grin widening across her cheeky little face, Morgan opened her arms to him and unconsciously he moved into her embrace.

“Will you still love me when I smell?” she asked, closing her eyes and squeezing him just that little bit too tight. The vampire chuckled, squeezing her back.

“Well, luv, I’m not running away now.” Morgan hit him softly in the arm. “As much as I want to…” Spike laughed as she continued her small assault on him while trying her best not to smile.

“Leave me alone!” The slayer whined, her lips almost curled into an almost smile.

“Never.”

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