| Disclaimers: I do not own Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel, or any of their characters. I am making no profit from this. It is purely for entertainment purposes. Notes: As with all of my BtVS fics, I ignore everything after the 5th season except for the fact that Buffy has been revived from the dead. And as for the characters of Angel . . . Connor simply never happened. Now, on with the fic. More notes: A demon comes to Sunnydale looking for a mate. Unfortunately, it finds one. Acting on Instinct Prologue He came to this world of humans for one simple reason . . . a mate. Here, he would find what he sought, unlike where he normally resided. In Hell dimensions it was not easy to come across suitable options . . . besides, the flesh of the those from this world was so much better, the taste untainted by the agony of torment. They were best when fresh . . . even the demons here were more delicious. He walked along the dark, vacant streets, seeking out his new mate. His last mate had died . . . it had not been worthy and had succumbed to the pain most quickly. So far, he had not found a creature worthy to bear his offspring . . . yet time was not a problem . . . he still had ages of life left to live. A scent swept through the air, making the creature pause in his steps. Wonderful, he thought, craning his neck to look around. That was his new mate . . . that was the one he wanted. The smell was tangy, unfamiliar . . . intoxicating. It was not human, nor was it female . . . but those facts mattered little . . . the creature could make due with male or female. It would only take a bit of experimenting to alter his mate's body. To him it was a most pleasurable experience to hear his mate's screams of agony, to watch the writhing of a pain-consumed form. If it died, then no matter, he would begin again with a new mate. He swept through the shadows and stalked his mate, wanting to see the face and body that went with such a delectable scent. He was not disappointed by what he found as he turned the corner of a city street. There, in an unobstructed opening . . . what he knew to be called a 'park' by the creatures of this world . . . was the one he sought. It was a vampire, a slender man that reeked of pleasure. It was pummeling another vampire, fighting alongside a number of humans . . . one of them a witch. The creature could feel the power in that witch, so he kept his distance for the time being, content to simply watch as his new mate moved, as it killed other demons. A strange one this was . . . not many vampires killed their own kind . . . it was an intriguing oddity that the creature was eager to examine more closely. Finally, when the last of the weak vampires had been turned to mere dust, the creature stepped from the shadows, his heavy feet loudly hitting the ground beneath as he approached the small band of fighters. ***** Xander smiled as the last vampire was dusted. Yet, his happy demeanor was soon crushed at the first loud boom. Was that thunder, he wondered to himself, looking to the sky. No, it wasn't thunder . . . there wasn't a cloud in the sky. "What the bloody hell is that?!" Spike asked loudly, drawing the attention of the others. Xander's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open as he took in the sight of the demon that was approaching them. It was huge, bigger than anything Xander had ever seen before . . . with the exception of the mayor when he had turned into that giant snake. Its skin was a charcoal grayish shade, covered in what appeared to be scales, its massive body garbed with what looked to be mere rags. Sharp yellow eyes peered at them, its bald head shining under the moonlight. Yet, it was heavily armed, stones tied to a sash of leather, an axe held securely in one hand. "Woah! Is that thing ugly!" Xander heard himself saying before he had known that he had opened his mouth. A trace of movement caused Xander to look away from the demon. He blinked, watching as Spike backed away from it, looking paler than usual, if that was even possible. "You know tubby there, Spike?" Xander asked. Spike's eyes were wide as saucers, his mouth gaping open as he whispered. "Can't be . . . it can't be one o' them." Xander was confused. Did Spike know what this thing was? It sure as hell seemed like he did recognize him. Xander turned his gaze over to Buffy, Giles, and Willow, wondering if any of them had any ideas. All of them looked to be just as shocked as Xander himself was. "Um, guys! I think we better decide what to do here. I'd rather not be trampled on by big and ugly here if he means to kill us all." Xander shouted, taking a step back as the demon continued to approach. "I have no interest in you pathetic humans!" The demon's loud voice boomed. "I only want that one!" He pointed to Spike. Xander blinked, looking to Spike again. "What the hell did you do to piss him off?" He asked, thinking that Spike must have done something serious to get that guy's attention. "Bloody hell." Spike muttered to himself, continuing to back away, his body seemingly trembling in terror. "Not me, mate . . . I mean . . . oh, no way. You don't want me. Find someone else . . . ANYONE else!" The demon's eyes glowed a deep gold and Spike froze in his tracks. Xander could only watch as the glint of terror in Spike's eyes faded to nothingness, becoming empty and vacant as if he were no longer there at all. This was wrong . . . Xander knew it was. But what could he do? There was no way he could go up against something like that. "Buffy . . . are you going to do something?" Xander asked, looking at her helplessly. He just didn't have the strength to help Spike and he knew it. If anyone could do something, it would be Buffy. She was the slayer after all. "Hey, big boy . . . leave him alone." Buffy shouted, running to stand between Spike and the massive demon. "If you want a fight, I'll be happy to oblige." The demon stopped, looking down at Buffy curiously. However, he ignored her presence, motioning for Spike to approach. "Come to me. We have to leave now." The demon ordered, dropping his hand to his side. Surprisingly, Spike obeyed. Without so much as a sound, he walked toward the demon, brushing past Buffy, as if she wasn't even there, as he took a place in front of the demon. Spike bowed his head, his voice hollow and empty as he spoke. "Yes, Master." Spike uttered, kneeling before the large creature. Xander was sure that his eyes would drop out of his head if he continued to gape in such a manner as he was. There was no way that he had just heard what he thought he had heard. Spike . . . calling someone master? No, it simply couldn't be. But it was . . . and it was so surreal. By the time Xander shook off his shock, it was too late. The demon set a thick hand down on Spike's shoulder. A wash of brilliant, green light appeared behind the demon . . . a portal of some sort . . . and Spike rose to his feet. The vampire followed the bulky demon as if in a daze, walking forward as he was led toward the open, shimmering portal. Just before the portal closed one last time, Spike turned his head, his gaze boring into Xander's very soul. Those eyes . . . they were so empty . . . cold and vacant. A single tear fell, running along one of Spike's smooth, pale cheeks. And then, in an instant, Spike was gone. The portal closed, leaving nothing but the vacant park where once the blonde vampire and the giant demon had been standing. To Be Continued . . . |