New Game Chapter 5 /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)]

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New Game Chapter 5 Calling the Team Out

Willow sat in the middle of a pile of discs on the vault room floor. "How, how can it be gone? We changed the combination to this vault at least a hundred times since she worked here?"

"We've made our first mistake, Willow. We underestimated her."

"First, Giles? This is like the twentieth!" snapped Willow. "She fricking broke into the vault somehow. We have no curse: that thing was lost for a century until Jenny died finding it. Who knows what else they have taken from this vault or the weapons locker or the computer. We are so not…. listen to me, she's made me all crabby and snapping at you. This is bad, really bad. Maybe we should just not play."

Giles gave her a small smile. "That's exactly what we do. We don't play. We don't let her provoke us. We keep every one safe, on the move until they tire of the game."

"Gunn won't go for it."

"Then he goes it alone. This is about our survival, Willow. We are all getting too old for this."

Willow smiled. "We are. This might work. Let's go tell the others."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia stood in the crypt looking at the copy-cat-team they had put together. She cocked her head. They'd work; they would fool most people from far away, some even from up close.

She pointed to the Spike look-a-like. His hair was newly bleached and he wore a recently stolen long black leather coat. "You….. come here." He walked up to her. "What's your name?"

"Rob."

Mia slapped him and he flew to the back of the crypt, smashing a cement urn to pieces.

Angel chuckled as he gave the kid a hand up." Try again."

"Sssawrrry, it, it, it's Spike."

"That's just bleeding embarrassing, pet. He's sniveling."

Mia closed her eyes and when she opened them again anger was clouding them.

"Fine," she snapped. "One night, you each take your doubles and give them some of your personality. Angel, training yours will take so little time you can work with mine too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" scowled Angel.

"Hey, Angel's double, see that: there are like only five other looks you have to learn besides that one, and then you're set." Mia glared at Angel, daring him to say anything.

"Pet, not really sure I should, but I'm wanting to chuckle at that."

Mia turned and looked at Spike, then ordered, "Everyone else but Spike, out."

The others wandered out and congregated around outside the crypt.

"Em?"

Mia touched his face. Spike's eyebrow went up.

Mia stuck her bottom lip out. "I don't want to be boss any more."

Spike smiled slightly and pulled her to him. "Why's that, pet?"

"I have to think a lot, and it's not as much fun. That, and I just keep getting this feeling that the Scoobies aren't up to this: that they'll flake on us, and it will all be for nothing. We could just be killing and maiming, and not spending our time planning and plotting."

"Let's just do some blood bathing. We'll have a second honeymoon on the Hellmouth. We'll bring the doppelgangers with us and make them watch but we'll ignore `em, be ourselves, have a bit `o fun, forget all about the others."

Mia sighed, and then her eyes started to gleam with anticipation. "We haven't been out, just us, in a long time." She ran her tongue over her top teeth. "Suddenly I'm famished."

Mia and Spike walked out, hand in hand. Mia grabbed her look- a- like, Spike motioned to his and they all went out into the night, coats flapping.

~ ~

"You know, it's weird: even before, when I first met Mia, she was disgustingly soulful and in love with Xander Harris, but she and Spike were always like that together," said Faith.

"Like what?" asked Angel.

"I don't know. They always seemed to look out for one another, but even more they seemed to ah..…"

"They balance each other out," said Wes. "Even now, Spike's love of life probably keeps her from using all her power. Faith knows all about the strength, but Mia has her psychic abilities too, and she probably has some other untapped ones as well that we know nothing about. Now, without the repercussions of a soul, they will assert themselves eventually. If she used them all to her full potential she really wouldn't need any of us."

"That's very comforting, Wes, after seeing her show real anger for the first time. You could tell that she was mad this time because you could hear the caution in Spike's voice," commented Angel

"Yes. You may have noticed I didn't add to the conversation."

Faith laughed. "You two are so whipped. Come on, Faith number two, we'll find some goodies to eat and I'll give you a little crash course on… me." Faith and her double jogged off.

"Did Faith just call me whipped?"

"She did, Angel."

Angel took off running after Faith.

Wes turned to Angel's look-a-like. "Better go after him, lessons start now. There are bound to be some very interesting ones."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia and Spike walked hand in hand through the cemetery. Mia gave a little exaggerated sniff. "I smell wine, Spike."

"I think there also might be brie, and a boy for you, a girl for me. Look what I did there, pet, a rhyme: how romantic of me."

They turned a corner, and under a tree sat a couple on a blanket with a little electric lantern in the middle of it.

The vampire couple approached the human one.

Spike spoke. "How nice and romantic: a night-time picnic in the cemetery."

The man turned and eyed Spike. "Yes, it's a beautiful spot and usually very …private."

"We picnic in cemeteries a lot," stated Mia. "In fact that's why we're here tonight."

The woman looked at Mia and Spike. "Where's your picnic stuff?"

With a grin Mia replied. "There are many people of Polish decent here in Cleveland: are you one of them?"

The woman nodded.

"Know what a Strzyga is? Probably not, but maybe the male form of the word… wampir will be familiar." Mia laughed, then morphed into her demon face.

The woman screamed and the man stood to feebly protect her.

~ ~

The Spike and Mia doubles hid behind a headstone.

Rob looked at the girl that resembled Mia. "Hey, what's your real name?"

"Michelle."

"I think we got the best ones to double."

Michelle grinned at him. "Me too, Rob. We get to be in charge when they leave."

"I see you're getting her already."

"You think?"

"Oh yeah."

"What about you?"

"I can't do that accent."

"We could practice. You look a lot like him."

"Me? You are…never mind. So what do I do to be more like him?"

Michelle motioned to the picnic blanket.

~ ~

Spike sunk his fangs into the woman's neck and pulled back, laughing in glee. "Oh yeah,, this is just what we needed: a night out, a picnic under the stars."

Mia tore the man's head off and handed it to Spike. Spike growled and threw it to one side as he crushed her to him.

~ ~

Michelle touched Rob's shoulder to get his attention. "I think he might like Punk Rock. Do you know anything about that? Maybe we could start there. Also I heard someone say that he killed two vampire slayers. I'm not too sure what that means but it sounds like it's a big deal and not too many vampires do it. I think he just loves doing what he does as a vampire. He loves that and he loves Mia. See…."

Michelle and Rob stood up to see Spike and Mia in demon guise in the middle of the couple's picnic blanket. Spike was undressing Mia.

Rob looked at Michelle. "I think I can play this part."

Michelle grinned up at him. "You think?"

He yanked her out of her new duster, pushed her to the ground, and began to undress her.

"Oh yeah."

~ ~

Spike smoothed the shoulders of Mia's coat out as they walked.

"I told them to bleeding stay over…."

Mia stood next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist as they looked down at their would-be imposters. "Look at that, we didn't even give them notes and they have it down already."

Spike turned his head to the side, looking at the two rutting vampires. "'s almost disturbing. Like watching ourselves."

"We're better," she whispered in his ear. "We've got years of practice, even if we were alive then. Besides, you have a better ass than that."

"Oi!" Spike yelled at the two vampires.

Rob stopped mid-thrust and turned his eyes toward Spike.

Mia smiled. "Ok, so here's the deal. You, bleached one, learn to throw words like `bloody hell', `bleeding', `bugger', `wanker', `tosser' and `sodding' into your sentences and you're a dead ringer."

"`snot true, pet."

"It is."

Michelle pushed Rob off her and sat up. "Do we argue a lot?"

"Yes," answered Mia

"No we don't," Spike said. his brows coming together.

Mia snorted, "Yes we do, and I usually win."

"Well that's not sodding true."

"And there you go: he demonstrates what I was telling you earlier."

Spike growled and bit at her neck. Mia laughed and said, "You kids go reek havoc. Let me hear tales of destruction."

The two fledgling vampires gathered their clothes and ran off.

"We don't argue, love."

"No? What is it then?"

Spike grinned, "Sparring with words. That's the only way you'll spar with me nowadays."

"Oh, baby, you miss the play?"

"I miss how you used to leave your jaw open."

Mia's brow went up. "Oh, you'd better…."

Spike threw the punch and landed it on her jaw. Mia staggered back several steps.

"…give it to you good?"

Mia laughed. "…hope that I hold back a little or you will be crying with the pain of your broken bones when I make you be the one on top doing all the work in bed this morning."

Mia threw a kick to his shoulder that knocked him to the ground.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Angel tackled Faith and pinned her to the ground.

Faith laughed, and with one arm she thrust him off her.

"Please, Angel: vamped Slayer here, and remember I took you out when I was only a Slayer."

"With a poison arrow, Faith; I'm a little more seasoned than you." He threw a blow and landed it on her face.

"Hey!"

Faith and Angel fought back and forth, their doubles watching. Angel held his own against Faith's increased strength. Somehow they ended up against a crypt wall, and Angel held Faith there.

"Do you want it to be you?" he asked. "You said I was whipped. Do you want it to be you?"

"What?" asked Faith

"That whips me?"

Faith gave him a half smile. "Do I get to pick the whip?"

Angel cocked his head, "Doesn't even have to be a traditional whip."

Faith grinned. "Oh yeah. I'm thinking we can teach the two tag- a- longs a thing or two."

Angel smiled slowly. "This night is sounding better and better."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wes sat in the chair, enjoying the twenty-year-old scotch he had taken from the liquor store tonight, just before he killed the clerk. It had been the best the place had to offer. He'd sent his impersonator off to bed down long ago. His demeanor wasn't too hard to mimic, at least when it came to passing from afar.

They'd be leaving soon and he'd enjoyed his time here on the Hellmouth. He had killed the magic store owner and found several books they could draw on. One in particular would be of great use against any barrier spell Willow might erect against them. Wes smiled at the thought of breaking that barricade, oh the shock it would give her: that witch who had always been so powerful could use a little slap down.

Angel and Faith came in, bruised and bleeding in a few places.

"Hey, Wes," smiled Faith

Wes's brows went up as he observed their condition. He noted their scents all over one another.

He chuckled briefly and smiled. "Showed your two some of your habits. Good show, I'm sure Mia will be quite proud." He held the glass up to them.

Mia laughingly pushed Spike through the door and followed him into the living room.

Wes stood up. "Bloody hell! Am I the only one not bruised and bleeding?"

Mia walked forward and smiled. "I could help you with that, Wes."

He grinned, his brows raised once more. "Can I put my scotch down first?"

"Sure," Mia stepped closer to him.

Spike stepped forward and between them. He flashed his demon momentarily at Wes and turned to Mia.

"You may want this, pet, but you don't get everything you want."

Mia stared at Spike, her eyes narrowed. She lifted a brow. "We need to go over the definition of a bruise, Spike."

Mia turned and went up the stairs. Spike followed her.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Faith.

With a chuckle, Angel replied: "Spike just marked his territory. He actually put reins on Mia, and it was all over Wes. Wes, why do you warrant such attention?"

"Angel, that's really none of your business."

Faith laughed. "This sitch gets more interesting as it goes on."

~ ~ ~ ~

Mia slammed the bedroom door open and Spike slammed it closed as he came in behind her.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

"What?"

Spike growled, grabbed her and pushed her on to the bed. "You know what. You as good as said you would….with Wes, and in front of them all."

"You believed it?" Mia asked, holding back a laugh.

Spike looked at her and rolled his eyes. "So it was just a bleeding act. Woman, you are …"

Mia got to her knees and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to her. "Yours, always, but I couldn't help it. Angel's scent was all over Faith. Now Angel will wonder if there is something going on with me and Wes, especially after you got all growly."

Spike shook his head. "Sometimes I almost feel sorry for the poor sod."

Mia kissed him. "You'd better not. I would see it as a sign of weakness, and I'd have to find someone else."

Spike yanked her hard up off the bed holding her to him, but off the ground. "Right, love, and that wasn't you feeling a bit sorry for Wes?"

Mia smiled. "I have no weakness but you."

Spike grinned and bit her neck. "Say it again."

"Tell me again how I don't get everything I want." She sucked in.

"I can't say that now. You can ask me anything now and it's yours."

Suddenly Mia went slack and her face sobered. She closed her eyes, her jaw stiffened then she opened her eyes again.

"What is it, pet?"

"The other team. They don't want to play. They think that if they skip their turn we'll end the game. They're talking about hiding."

Spike sat them down on the bed.

"Did you just see that in your head? Wankers interrupted us, just as it was getting to the good part."

Spike could see Mia's anger but she was holding it in check.

"They don't know about Faith: maybe she can call an: what's that phrase you Yanks say after a game of Hide and Seek, an all out and free."

"Honestly I never had to yell it, I always found them but in Oregon, where I grew up it was, olly olly ox and free."

"You lot are just so strange… regardless how it's said, she can call it."

Mia grinned and kissed him hard. "You are so bloody brilliant!"

Spike chuckled at her use of words. "What did you just say, love?"

"I said, you were bloody brilliant. How come you don't let any one see that?"

"Takes 'em by surprise."

Mia laughed. "Still takes me by surprise sometimes."

"Oi!"

"Come on, we have to tell the others. We have to get it all ready to go."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They sat in Giles's living room, going over the different places they could use as safe houses. It had been nearly a week since they had heard anything.

"Well, they don't know about the house in Norway: we completed the purchase after their visit to my office," said Willow.

"Norway? Burr. Cold," frowned Buffy. "I hate this running part."

"Me too, Buffy," added Gunn, "but they might have something with this idea. If we refuse to play, maybe they will just…"

"….step up with the inflicting grizzly deaths on our family and friends," Xander snapped. "Once Mia makes up her mind it's difficult to change it. This won't work."

"Xander, please. We understand, with losing Diana why you want to….we have to try it this way," said Willow.

The phone rang and Giles answered. The others watched as he grew still and quiet while he listened. "Oh, dear lord. Just a minute, Faith. The others are here; let me fill them in."

He turned. "It seems they made a visit to the Cleveland Hellmouth. Fifty people have been reported missing in the last six days, and all the Slayers and their Watcher are dead. Faith came home to find Robin dead on the living room floor. Spike was standing there and told her, "Guess what. You get to join the team."

Buffy stood up. "Giles, tell her to get here."

Everyone turned as the front door was ripped from its hinges.