Cheekbones {a btvs Spike story Buffy}

Chapter 13 - Glorificus

Spike wanders the cemetery alone. Amber is busy hanging out with Xander and Anya - Spike would rather take a trip to the sunny seaside than have to indulge in Xander's company. He circles the headstones, reading the engraved names. From behind the iron entrance, he could have sworn he saw a flicker of movement...

"Fancy seeing you here." The slayer. What a pleasant surprise. "I actually need to talk to you." 

Spike looks around at her, bemused. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

He makes his way over to Buffy, hands in his pockets. Buffy continues, "We got attacked at the Magic Shop last night. It was brutal. Hey, there's no need to look so happy. Anyway, we don't know much about her, but she's dangerous and I've come to warn you."

Spike's suspicion grows, "Out of the kindness of your heart, eh?"

"Of course not. I wanted to speak to Amber but you can pass on the message. I want her safe. I don't care what happens to you." She adds bitterly.  "She's freakishly strong, has curly blonde hair and she was wearing a red dress when we last saw her."

"Blondie number two. Got it." Buffy rolls her eyes and concludes with "Her name is Glory. She's also after 'the key'. We don't know what that is yet, but she wants it real bad." She turns on her heel and leaves.

Spike thinks to himself. The threat must be big if Buffy needed to tell him and Amber. He pulls out a cigarette and lights it, wafting it in the air, watching the smoke dance. He takes a long puff, and catches sight of that same, shadowy flicker. A person running? Or something spying?

Dismissing it, he thinks back to the magical kiss he shared with Amber. He can't remember the last time he'd felt that way...

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"Spike?" Amber shouts, her voice echoing off the crypt walls. "I'm back!" 

As there's no answer, maybe he's lurking somewhere, ready to jump out and startle her. It's something he would take great joy in doing. When she realises Spike isn't back, worry bubbles inside her. The fact that she didn't meet him the graveyard on her journey back was bad enough, but now him not being home either?

A loud rap at the door makes her thoughts vanish and she goes to answer it. Standing before her is a short, timid-looking demon. Dressed like a monk in brown, rough fabric, he doesn't look like one of Spike's typical demon friends.

"Can I help you?" Amber asks sternly. There's an axe casually lying on a table nearby. She takes it and lets it hang by her side. The demon eyes it nervously with its beady black orbs.

"I have a message from the Magnificent One herself." His voice is greasy and annoying. "P-please attend the city hall at 9pm promptly - or- or -or you won't be seeing your vampire any time soon." He talks as if reciting something from memory. With one last awkward glance to the axe, he flees and Amber watches him go helplessly. 

She consults her watch - eight twenty five. There was no way on earth she would just sit around and let those demons do whatever they liked to Spike. What would Buffy do? She would heroically save the day, but with an unknown threat and no slayer powers, that may prove difficult for Amber. She thinks carefully.  

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"Come on, just tell me where my key is and I won't have to stake your little dead heart!" A woman moans, throwing her head back in despair.

"Glory, I presume." Spike says as he arouses from a deep sleep. His arms are fixed above his head, and his feet are tied with coils of rope. His head feels as if fireworks have been set off inside and are ricocheting off the sides of his skull. The cuffs around his wrists dig deeply into his skin. "This pinches, you know." 

Glory doesn't react. "Didn't you hear me vampire? I want my key. I saw you talking with the slayer. She knows where my key is, and if she thinks you're not worth staking, you must hold some importance!" 

The door whacks open and Amber steps through the threshold, an axe in one hand, her other curled into a tight fist. "Who are you?" Glory questions, a quick flash of panic across her face gives away her alarm. "Who is she?" She demands to one of her minions.

"Oh Great One, you instructed we alert every one of Buffy Summers' friends. This is Amber Hark, 18, lives at -"

"Riiiight." Glory cuts in, suddenly an air of nonchalance about her. "Cute shoes."

"Thanks. I think they'll look extra cute standing over your lifeless body."

"Oh, we've got a feisty one here!" Glory confidently gets closer to Amber, inspecting every inch of her. She has a natural authority, despite Amber having the obvious upper hand - she's literally holding an axe. "I like you!"

She retreats back to Spike and hovers a knife above his heart. Amber can already see she's done some damage - a black eye, ripped lip, cuts running down his arms.  "Now, the vamp's gonna get it if you don't talk." She practically sings the threat, a taunting smile erupting on her ruby-red lips.

"I don't even know what you're looking for. A key, you said? Have you tried under your doormat?"

Glory's face morphs to an exaggerated frown. "Look, missy, my patience is wearing thin. I've been stuck in this puny world for far too long, and I am this close..." She brings her thumb and pointer finger together, until they almost touch. "This close, to killing anything that's in my way. It's been so hard  - I'm the real victim here! It's disgusting! The food, the clothes, the people. I could crap a better existence than this -"

"God, you just love the sound of your own voice, don't you?" Amber interrupts.

Glory stabs Spike, missing his heart by an inch or two. He screams out in pain, the sound monstrous enough to curl her blood. Amber strikes with the axe, Glory dodges and sends her flying across the room without even touching her. "I tried to warn you."