New Game Chapter 3/16

Sequel to Afterglow and third installment in Dive into Destiny Series

Author: T.Claybourne

Rated PG-13 to NC-17. Sex Violence and language

Pairings involve Spike /Original ( as set up in last story) Angel/ ? Wesley/? Faith /?

Thanks to my Beta, Hawera and my Muses, Kurt Cobain, John Lyndon (AKA Johnny Rotten) and Joe Strummer.

Just a reminder: You die hard Spuffy fans you will finally feel some validation in the next story following this one. ( I promise there is a definite and secure Spike /Buffy pairing in Part Four and final story of the series)]

Chapter 3 New Game Back Up Players

Xander and his nineteen-year-old daughter carried their luggage out of the International arrivals area of the London Heathrow terminal.

"Dad, I wish we had come to London while mom…" She stopped.

Xander put his hand on her shoulder. "I do too, Emma."

Willow and Giles were there then, embracing them, and for just a moment the grief of their loss was forgotten.

Xander pushed Willow away from him. "Are you sure you are getting better? You look so pale."

"I've always been pale; you're just used to seeing everyone so tanned."

"Emma, you've grown into a beautiful woman," Giles said.

"Thank you, Uncle Giles."

"Let's go and get you both settled." The elder Watcher opened the trunk and Xander picked up the suitcases.

"Any word from Buffy?" The suitcases went into the trunk.

"They are fine, except for waiting on Angel to get there," replied Willow

"What?" Asked Xander, with alarm in his voice.

"Yeah, he's stuck in some little town, waiting for a car part."

"No Will, he's not: you must have misunderstood me when I called. It was Angel who killed Diana. He stood there in my house and told me that it was him who had killed her. Mia told him to do it, but it wasn't her, she wasn't the one who actually did it."

Willow looked from Giles to Xander, and then glanced to Emma.

"She knows everything, Willow. You can talk freely."

Emma spoke. "I was thinking that with Uncle Angel now being a vampire, it wasn't really Alex and Willa they were after all along but Uncle Angel. Daddy, if everything you told me about Aunt Mia being so smart is true, doesn't this seem more like something that her vampire self would do? I bet she'd want the best on her team. Mom said she'd read everything in the Watchers' library and that, when he was a vampire and before he became human and before he got a soul, Uncle Angel was considered to be the most dangerous vampire in history. It was hard to believe her then, but now, I'm thinking maybe that's why they chose him.

Xander's eyes softened. "She got that sort of reasoning from her mother."

"Who was a very good Watcher. We will all miss her, Xander."

Emma turned and looked at Xander. "And you know that the thing, the demon, running around in Aunt Mia's body isn't her. Aunt Mia would never hurt Mom, in fact she would probably kill anyone trying to. I know that Mommy taught me about vampires and …" Emma's voice cracked.

"Yes, baby, I know. The Mia we know, she…" Xander looked away, while he put his arm around his daughter.

"I don't know what's harder…" said Willow, "…knowing that they are out there planning to kill us all or that we've actually lost our Mia and Spike forever. Giles, let's go. I have to call and tell Buffy about Angel." Tears filled Willow's eyes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith opened the door to a smiling Wesley.

"Wes, what the hell?"

"Faith, would you believe I was in your neighborhood and decided to drop by?"

Faith smiled, "Lame line, Wes, but glad to see you. Want to come in?"

"Wait. I brought another surprise with me, and you really will not believe it."

"Please, I can't believe you are here and…"

Mia came around the corner.

"Holy shit, girl."

"Hey, Faith."

"Get your butt in here." They walked into the house and on through into the living room. "They never said that Sanshu shit kept you young forever."

Mia shrugged.

"That's lucky: no extra moisturizing creams necessary?"

"Where's Robin?" asked Wes. "We've got a little Hellmouth business to discuss with you both."

Faith glanced at the clock. "He should be home soon."

"Good," he responded.

"I don't need creams, but I do need something extra."

"Oh please, don't tell me it's the sex because I know Spike and he…"

"Faith, sweetie are you off your game? Have you spent too much time here on the Hellmouth ?" asked Mia.

"What?"

Wes morphed into his demon.

"You just invited two vampires into your little Slayer house. What happened to that great spidey sense or now that you are in your forties are you too old to get tingly?"

Faith looked round for the nearest weapon.

"It's on the coffee table," grinned Mia. "So, Wes, do we do it now before he gets home or in front of him? He was so traumatized by his mother's death. Will he be able to take seeing Faith's?"

Faith decided to use this time that Mia was talking to try and move, she ducked down and somersaulted to the coffee table grabbing the stake.

"Mia, do you realize she thinks she's gone on the attack? It's rather exciting to see them preparing to struggle, isn't it. And your mock concern for Wood is just to distress her and cause her a bit of torment isn't it? Exhilarating!"

Mia turned and looked at Faith. "Do you think they will want to sell the furniture at the estate sale?"

Wes laughed. "She won't understand what you mean by that. Faith, Mia's asking you whether you want to fight, break up the house a bit?"

"Man, Mia, but you talk a lot since you went soulless vamp. Let's just get on with it."

Before Faith could move Mia threw a punch at her. Faith flew back hit the wall creating a huge body impression in the plaster and breaking the slats behind it. Mia was there to catch her before she even started to fall forward. Faith went to thrust with the stake and Mia slammed her wrist into the wall, knocking it all the way through to the kitchen. The sound of bones breaking could be heard and Faith was forced to drop the stake.

Mia stared into Faith's eyes. "Small change of plans. Wes, call the others, I have a present for Spike."

Wes used his cell phone as Mia stared at Faith. "When Spike and Angel get here you'll invite them in, but before that you and I will talk about how it feels being a vamped Slayer, ok."

Faith's eyes clouded over as she nodded.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spike jumped about three feet over Faith's dead body to land in a sitting position on the couch next to Mia. "Hey pet, what happened to we go in, kill the Slayer, bring her out and leave Wood to wonder?"

"I was thinking it might be more fun for you this way. Now that she's dead and waiting to rise, you can taunt Wood with her," Mia said as she smoked a cigarette. She handed him the pack and lighter.

Spike grinned.

Mia kissed him. "I'm picturing something like…'Here's another dead Slayer, with my compliments'…"

It was Angel who laughed. "You are the most evil thing roaming the earth right now, Mia, and yet you are willing to change your plans just so you can give Spike this. Can you say, teacher's pet?" "The most evil thing roaming the earth? Now that is a compliment. Wow, how bad you want into my pants. But there is more to this than a pressie for Spike, although I admit that was a factor in the decision. We do the little one act ditty on Wood, the one starring you honey" Mia's brow rose as she glanced towards Spike. " You got that acting part on merit because you didn't even have to do time on the casting couch with me. You can if you want though."

Spike just smiled as he moved her hair over her shoulder.

" Then we kill the man and raise our newest member here in what was her own house. We can stay here during our Hellmouth stay. Wes checked it out and there's enough room. Well, there is if Faith sleeps with someone and we know she will."

The jangle of keys could be heard at the door.

Wood walked in to see Spike, looking like the vampire he had been over twenty five years ago in Sunnydale. He was standing alone in the middle of the living room and holding Faith's body across both his outstretched arms.

Spike shrugged. "Sorry, Robin. I think I broke this slayer of yours too." Spike dropped her to the ground.

Faith's head rolled to the side and the fang marks glared up at Wood.

"I broke her neck first before I fed, out of nostalgia."

Spike smiled as disbelief crossed Wood's face, and he laughed aloud when the look on the one-time-principal's face turned to anger.

Wood reached into his pocket. Just as he grasped the stake there, he felt a hand fasten over his own. He was whipped around, and the stake he was holding was thrust it into his own chest.

Mia stood in front of him in demon face, golden eyes staring at him. "Oops…oh no, that one's not plastic and oh wait…" Mia turned back to her human face. "You're not a vampire so I guess that's a fatal mistake on my part: well, not too fatal yet. I mean, we can still feed."

Wood didn't know where or how it happened because he could see both Mia and Spike, but he felt fangs sink into his neck. As he faded he thought how he had fought some of the worst evil for all these years and on two Hellmouths, and here he was, dying in his own living room, killed by vampires let into the house by Faith, his Slayer, his love.

~ ~ ~~ ~ ~

Buffy didn't talk for two hours after the phone call. Alex had called his Aunt Willow back to find out what had happened. That's when he learned the truth. He and Willa had suspected something. They had run through various possible scenarios together and they had hoped that what had in fact happened was that their Mom and Dad had died fighting the dangerous pair of vampires from whom they had all been running; but they had both suspected all along that the big evil had actually been their parents. Willa had had a strange nightmare when they first left Malibu.

Alex asked Willow to arrange plane tickets for all of them. They would come over to London: his Aunt Buffy would need Aunt Willow and Uncle Rupert now. Then Alex called his Uncle Wes at the Hyperion.

"Hi, Aunt Fred."

"Alex?"

"It's Uncle Angel, Mom and Dad….Well, that's not who they are anymore, is it?"

"No Alex, I'm so sorr…."

"They… what do you call it when they turn you into a vampire? They did that to Uncle Angel. I thought I should warn you and Uncle Wes."

There was silence as an answer. Then he heard the phone hit something and a scuffle. " Aunt Fred?"

The next voice he heard was his Uncle Gunn's asking: "Alex, what did you say to her? She's fainted, she's out cold . I've never seen her do that before."

"I told her that my mom…. That Mia and Spike turned Uncle Angel into a vampire."

"Give me your number and don't move, Alex, without talking to me first. You got it, kid?"

"My Mom and Dad, they're gone, they're just demons now, right? We'll never…"

"Yes, I lost someone the exact same way. I plan on helping you with this."

"Ok." Alex's voice cracked for the first time since he realized he'd actually lost his parents.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith looked to Mia as they approached the house.

"You're sure this will work, because I'm fucking starving?"

Mia smiled. "We could hunt instead, but Slayer blood is the best and they know you."

"I want the best."

"Me too." Mia smiled at her. "Why else would I sit in a car for four days, with Spike and Angel sniping at one another, to come get you to join the team? Besides, I thought you'd love to get in on this game. I recall Spike mentioning you had unfinished business with that undefeated blonde Slayer. Now, Faith, you have a new team, new status and a whole new set of super powers to go with it. Right now, let's get you your first meal. Then we'll go show the Hellmouth what two vamped Slayers are like when they have a girls' night out. "

"Hell, yeah."

Faith knocked on the door. A small Asian girl answered it. "Hi, Ling Ling. This is my good friend Mia. She was one of us, then she got married and is retired now. I wanted her to meet you guys."

"Cool," replied Ling Ling "Come in , I'll call the others."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Faith came off the dance floor. "Have I said `thank you'? I feel fifteen again and the power… I thought being a Slayer was something, but this, this is wicked cool." Faith's demon face showed briefly. She looked seriously at Mia. "Hey, we're supposed to be partying here."

Smiling, Mia said, "I know but I feel like I want something. I might need a snack. Or I might just want me some Spike."

Faith looked at the dance floor and then back at Mia.

"Faith, you stay. I'll leave you the SUV, and meet you back at the house before sunrise."

"I'll be there. I do know all the rules of being a vamp, don't I? Hey girl, thanks again. After tonight I'm a permanent five by five."

Mia wandered out into the night. She decided to walk back towards the house and see what happened along the way. Maybe she'd catch a snack.

Suddenly someone grasped her hand and yanked her into a dark alley. Mia laughed, sensing her own kind and its scent, but was silenced as she was thrust against the wall and lips crushed her own. She tasted her own blood as a fang nipped her tongue. She responded as the cold hands went up under her shirt and cupped her breasts. Mia bit his lip and tasted his blood, then she pulled back and stared at Angel.

He smiled. "Mia. Having a nice night?"

Mia tipped her head back and stared at him. "Out on the hunt, are you?"

"You could say that."

Mia grabbed him and threw him against the other alley wall, then jumped on him wrapping her legs around his waist. She laughed as she kissed him, causing him to bleed as her human teeth bit his lip again. The force of it all was too much for him and he slid down the wall to a sitting position. Mia shoved his head to the ground and kissed him down his neck, pulling his shirt open and causing buttons to go flying throughout the alley.

Angel was caught up in the intensity of the moment. He'd had wanted this since he'd risen, but he knew when to wait for something. And this was worth waiting for. Mia's power was intoxicating, her brutality struck awe in him, her intelligence made each move they made count and her very Irish looking beauty seemed constantly to drive him crazy now.

Mia ran her hand down the hardness on the outside of his pants, as she moved her mouth down his stomach. She straddled him on hands and knees. Stopping briefly, she pulled back to look at him. She unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her hips. Angel grabbed her and flipped them so he was on top, her coat lying out beneath her. Mia laughed. He kissed her neck and she sank fangs into his shoulder. He strained against his pants. Mia's hand was there causing friction, until he finally felt the button undone and then the zipper freeing him. His need and desire was overwhelming as his hand drifted down her stomach to find his way in. Suddenly he was thrown down the alley and she was standing above him, zipping her pants up.

"The… want… take… have… mentality won't work with me."

Angel stood and very carefully re-zipped his pants. "Seemed to be working."

It was then that he saw the evil smile Spike had warned him about.

"I've spent a long time with Spike, and I've heard a lot of stories. Drusilla was not his destiny but I recall a story about one night, shortly after he was turned the first time, when you chose to make that fact blazingly clear to him. Well, she might not have been his destiny, but I like to think I am. I will not be with you. I do not want you, and I do not plan ever, even upon Spike's dusty demise, to let that thing." Mia motioned to his crotch. "any closer to me than it got tonight. Are we clear on that?"

Angel glared at her. "Crystal. So, this was payback for something that happened over a hundred years ago?"

With a grin Mia said. "Yes, yes it was."

Angel shook his head then smiled at her. "You're just amazing, Mia. I'll probably try again….."

Mia gave a short laugh. "I already know you're stubborn, but really I might not be so nice next time."

"Nice? You call leaving me like this nice?"

Mia looked him directly in the eye and said flatly, "Yes, it could be gone all together."

Angel lost his unnecessary breath because for the briefest of seconds he realized how very lucky he was. She just might actually have done it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spike sat on the couch watching a European football match on satellite TV with Wes. They'd already been out to feed and were just waiting for the others.

Mia stormed in, grabbed him by the t-shirt and pulled him up the stairs.

Wesley gave a chuckle, "Goodnight, Spike."

"Mia, bloody hell what are you doing? I was watching that. Germany was down by…

Mia thrust him into their room and slammed the door, interrupting him mid sentence with a kiss.

Spike stopped her, then shoved her back, she fell onto the bed.

"You bleeding smell of Angel. What in the bloody hell is going on?"

"Nothing is going on."

"Please, woman. I recognize that stink. It's all over you."

Mia's eyebrow went up. "And now you don't want me?"

Spike stared at her. He took an exaggerated breath and looked to the ceiling and back, shrugging his shoulders.

"No. I mean, bugger me, but I still want you."

"You might have picked up I still want you."

Mia started to remove her shirt. Spike removed his, pushed his boots and pants off. He helped Mia pull out of her jeans and worked his way up the bed to her.

Pulling him up to her, Mia grinned at him. "Oh, I do like naked Spike."

He chuckled but sucked in a breath as she sunk her fangs into his neck slowly and gripped her hand around his hardness that seemed to pulse with every swallow she made of his blood.

" Em." He pulled away from her fangs and kissed her, tasting his own blood on her lips.

When Spike entered her his moan was almost a deep growl. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. He could see it: she was his and always would be. Mia's orgasm seemed more intense than normal and she yelled out like never before.

Spike laid his forearms on either side of her head and gazed down at her.

"What was that about Em?"

Smiling she answered, "Destiny: those that have it, and those that try to take it."

Spike's brows came together in confusion.

"Angelus used to take yours whenever he wanted to, well… he tried, that being the key word, tonight."

Anger clouded Spike's eyes. "Are you bleeding saying…"

"Sometimes, even if it takes over a hundred years, pay back can be a bitch. Someone's jeans will be very tight and uncomfortable tonight. I lead him on up to the last second, he was so close he could've felt my heat, if I had any, but then…. surprise…I sent him crashing down the alley, everything hanging out. Spike, you should have seen him trying to zip back up. Just so you know, my exact words were `I will not be with you. I do not want you, and I do not plan ever, even upon Spike's dusty demise, to let that thing any closer to me than it got tonight.'"

"But just now with us, it wasn't about that, it was different."

With a smile she said, "You are so dim sometimes." She kissed him quickly to take the sting of her words away. "Baby, you didn't care if I had been with Angel, you still wanted me and you showed me how much, even though you thought I had just been with him. Once, a long time ago, you told me how deeply demons can love even without a soul. I didn't believe you then, but I do now."

Spike kissed her. "Woman, you…."

A banging on the door interrupted him. "Hey, there was a lot of loud noise coming from in here and suddenly today I have this really great hearing along with my vamped slayer strength so it seems even louder, try and keep it down will ya. I'm heading off to bed with Wes now Mom, goodnight or morning or whatever it is we say now."

Mia closed her eyes for a moment. "I knew I should have let Wesley do it. I was hoping nobody would ever call me that again."

Spike sank down and to suckle her nipple. "Is that why you had me sire Angel?"

"No, that was about payback too. Angelus hurt you a few times last time round: I thought it was his turn."

"Bollocks. The tosser never hurt me."

"So why did you detest each other?"

"Bugger. I hate how you do that, know things you shouldn't"

Mia put a hand to either side of his face, forcing him to look at her. "Spike, with our plans and where I sit with the group, I can't afford to have any weaknesses or vulnerability. I do have some and… You know each and every one of them, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Stop trying to sodding do that talking pretty to distract me thing to me, like you always do. It's just sunk in that you said, `It was so close he could have felt the heat if I had any'."

Laughing, Mia flipped them over. " How about a less wordy distraction. Do you want me to re-enact the scene but leave out the crashing-down-the-alley part?"

"No. I want you to shag… me."

"Done." Her eyes sparkled as she bent to kiss him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fred and Gunn met Buffy and the children at the Los Angeles Airport. They boarded a flight for London, sitting on the interior row of the 747. Buffy sat next to Gunn and Fred. Talk was minimal until well into the flight.

Buffy asked quietly, "So, what do you think they have planned? An apocalypse I could handle but this personal attack is something else."

"I don't understand why they haven't already killed us. Angel knew where you and the kids were; Wes could have come for Gunn and me, and we wouldn't have known until too late."

Willa leaned forward. "It's because it's all a game, like chess: sometimes you don't make obvious moves. It's logical also to think that they let you keep us safe because they knew you'd fight too hard if we, the kids, were at stake. It's a tactic to get you to relax a bit, get us safe and out of the way and then they think that you won't fight as hard. It's very smart if you think about it."

Alex leaned forward. "Aunt Buffy, you and the others defeated that First Evil thing. Your two groups have literally saved the world several times. This is about taking all of you on: it's the challenge of it. You know, they want to take out those that the evil ones in the world fear and at the same time make a name for themselves."

Buffy shook her head, and a tear dropped from her eye. "I just heard the perfect mix of your mother and father. You kids come and sit between us: we have something to tell you."

Buffy started to tell them the whole story from its very beginning when she first arrived in Sunnydale, and by the time they landed in London all the children knew the whole history. So did several of the surrounding passengers but as always happened they would forget it, block it out or write it off as fantasy.

The group stood by the luggage carousel

"It doesn't seem fair. Mom and Dad went through all that to end up this way?" Willa said to Alex, her voice sounding close to tears.

He put his arm around her. "Mom always said, life is what we make out of it. Now we know why. Willa, we have to be strong, go on. We're all that's left of Mom and Dad as they really were. We have to keep reminding the others of what they were really like."

"I guess this means we're both going into the training programs."

"Yes, but right now, this isn't OUR fight. We have to get ready in case Aunt Buffy and the others lose"

"You're right Alex. We know more about the four of them, Mom, Dad, Uncle Angel and Wes. If they lose then we'll know more than anyone else that'll be left. But then that means we're literally their second line of defense." Willa looked up at him. "Alex, I don't want to be THE second line of defense. I don't really even want to go on without Mom and Dad."

"Me neither. But we have to."