SURVIVAL
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Author:
Dark Star TIMELINE:
Set during Buffy’s Season 3 DISCLAIMER:
Joss Whedon is creator and owner of all things Buffy and Angel. RATING:
Anyone old enough to watch it * The peaceful quiet of
the graveyard was shattered by a loud thump as a vampire landed
heavily onto his back. Buffy dropped down after him, her wooden stake finding
his heart with practised ease. She looked up when she
heard a muffled noise from her partner. Angel was struggling, stake-less,
with a vampire who was hanging determinedly from his back; one arm wrapped in
a stranglehold round his throat. “Catch!” Buffy whipped a
spare stake from inside her shirt and hurled it in Angel’s direction. He
grabbed it out of the air, elbowed his attacker in the ribs so that he
released his grip, twisted and drove the stake through the vampire’s heart. “Thanks.” “That’s OK,” Buffy
responded brightly. “What are friends for?” Angel moved to join her,
brushing dust from his jacket as he did so. He seemed a little distracted,
and Buffy asked, “You OK?” “Yeah. It’s just…” He
shrugged. “Just what?” “Hard to explain.
Something in the air, you know?” Buffy gave him a
cheerful smile, refusing to let his mood depress her. “Well, when you figure
it out, let me know. In the meantime, we’ve got a job to do.” She turned and walked
away, expecting Angel to follow her. He did, catching her up before she’d
taken many paces. Buffy stopped abruptly, her Slayer senses picking up danger
signals. Following her instincts, she and Angel ended up at the nearby crypt. “I have a bad feeling
about this.” Angel told her as he followed her down the steps. Buffy entered the crypt
cautiously, and came to a halt. In front of her was a swirling green mist,
spiralling away into a vortex. “What’s that!”
Buffy exclaimed. “Good question. And I
think we’d better get out of here.” The couple started to
move away from the mist, when the vortex flared and expanded, enveloping them
both. Angel made it to the
steps and looked back to see where Buffy was. She had been unable, with her
lighter body weight, to break free of the vortex; Angel could sense that it
was closing down. His eyes caught hers, wide with fear as she struggled to
free herself. He stepped back into the mist, wrapping her in his arms, just
as the vortex collapsed round them. Buffy instinctively
moved closer to Angel as the vortex’s crushing weight closed in on them. She
couldn’t breathe. Gasping for air, she glanced up at Angel who seemed to be
in as much distress as she. Her chest hurt from the strain; just before she
lost consciousness she thought ‘We’re going to die.’ When she came to, with
some surprise, she was aware of the hard floor under her legs. Her head was
against Angel’s chest and she could feel his arm round her waist. She opened
her eyes. “Are you OK?” Angel’s
voice sounded concerned. “I’ve been better.”
Buffy got to her feet, unsteadily. She accepted Angel’s helping hand
gratefully. “Where are we?” “I have no idea.” He
indicated the area around them. “Cave of some kind.” Buffy surveyed the area.
It was a large cave with a high ceiling. A glow seemed to be coming from the
walls, which gave them an eerie feel. There was no other light that she could
see, and she couldn’t tell why the walls gave off any either. There was no
sign of the vortex. A movement in the cave
caught both their attentions at he same time. A figure stepped into the
light. The figure was a humanoid male with a shimmering grey skin. He was
dressed in cream coloured robes with what looked like intricate embroidery on
them. When he spoke, his voice sounded course and scratchy. “Welcome. I am Voss.” “What do you want with
us?” Buffy said, curtly. She was in no mood for pleasantries; She didn’t
appreciate being whisked away and dumped in a strange cave, at who knows
where? Voss didn’t seem to mind
Buffy’s tone. He gave her a big smile, which did nothing to lighten her mood. “I don’t want anything
from you. You are free to go.” “Go where? Home? And how
are we supposed to do that?” Buffy snapped back, something about Voss was
really annoying her. “All you have to do is
find your way back.” Voss smirked. “Of course, it won’t be all that easy; you
may not even survive.” “We won’t play your
stupid games.” Buffy told him. “You have no choice. You
can stay here and die, or try and find your own way home. At least that way
you have a chance.” Voss studied the pair in front of him. “No-one ever has,
though.” “Or,” Buffy muttered
through clenched teeth, “I can….” Whatever Buffy was going
to say was drowned out as Voss raised his arm and a blue flash smashed her
and Angel against the far wall. Staggering back, they discovered that Voss
had gone. Buffy turned toward
Angel, much of her anger dissipatating; she just felt tired. She
allowed her head to rest briefly on Angel’s broad shoulder, needing to take
comfort from him. He held her in silence. Finally, equilibrium recovered, she
stepped away from him, her head held high. “Let’s go home, Angel.” Buffy led the way
through an arch and down a narrow tunnel, lit by the strange glow. She
stopped when the tunnel branched into four. “Eenie, Meanie,” She
said, softly. Selecting the far right tunnel at random, she started toward
it. “Wait.” She glanced back at
Angel; He was standing very still. “That way.” Angel
indicated the tunnel next to it. “Are you sure?” “Yeah.” Buffy shrugged, and
stepped into the tunnel indicated by Angel. He’d told her once that vampires
usually have an excellent sense of direction, and as far as she could recall,
he’d never been wrong before. It was a good a direction as any. The tunnel began to
spread out, becoming wider, until it opened out into a large cavern. As Buffy
and Angel stepped cautiously into the area, dark shapes began moving along
the perimeters. They both stopped, attention focused on the slithering
shapes. A squat creature ambled forward. It looked vaguely like a large
crocodile. It had a green scaly hide, four chubby clawed feet and a long
snout over a mouth of wickedly sharp teeth. It’s tail swished behind it as he
and his brothers crawled toward the Slayer and her mate. “My, what big teeth you
have,” Buffy couldn’t resist the comment as she and Angel stepped forward, as
one, and kicked the nearest creatures out of the way. At the same time they
tried to clear a path through the cave as the creatures threatened to surround
them. “This isn’t going to
work,” Angel grunted as he picked up a creature by the tail and swung it like
a club. Croc-things flew in all directions as the club hammered home. “Nice strategy,” Buffy
commented, approvingly. Angel was right, though. There were far too many of
them. Casting around for another exit, she had an idea. “Angel.” He stole a quick glance
in her direction. She was looking across the backs of the crocs, at a ledge
that ran around the cave wall, about seven feet off the ground. “Let’s do it.” He
agreed, knowing that they had very little option; that her suggestion was
very dangerous, and likely to be fatal if they misjudged at all. Buffy and Angel darted
forward, using the ‘crocs scaly backs as stepping-stones, and vaulted onto
the ledge. Scrambling to their
feet, they made their way into another tunnel and continued the journey. The
glow from the walls was fading, and before long they had to continue in
complete darkness. Even more disconcerting though, they could hear the crocs
shambling after them, having found other ways into the tunnel. They quickened
their pace but the going was painfully slow due to the lack of light. “Buffy.” Angel’s voice
sounded tense in the darkness. “I know, they’re gaining
on us.” Buffy retorted. “We have to go faster.” “I can’t.” Buffy
snapped, irritably. “I can’t see a thing.” “I can.” “I assume there’s a
point to this?” Angel halted, and turned
toward her. “Let me lead us.” Buffy considered Angel’s
suggestion. She didn’t much fancy dashing headlong down the tunnel and not
see where she was going. But she knew Angel’s night vision was much better
than hers; and she didn’t much fancy fighting croc-creatures in a confined
area in the dark either. She took a deep breath.
“OK” Angel’s hand found hers
in the darkness. A tingle shot up her arm at his innocent touch, and she
marvelled that he could still do that to her, even under these circumstances. Angel sprinted forward,
confidently guiding Buffy through the maze of tunnels. He moved slowly at
first, so as not to scare her. Buffy clung to Angel’s hand as his pace
quickened, and they careered through the darkness. She found it exhilarating
after the initial fear had passed, and apart from bouncing off the tunnel
walls once or twice their flight was uneventful. Rounding a curve of the
tunnel, Angel stopped abruptly. Buffy’s momentum carried her forward, and
Angel yanked at her hand and pulled her backwards. Buffy yelped. “What’s
up?” “Chasm. Right in front
of us.” “I don’t see it.” Buffy
replied, trying unsuccessfully to see what lay ahead. “It’s there.” Angel
assured her. “What now? Can we jump
it?” “Yeah, we can do it.”
Angel had hesitated for only a heartbeat, but Buffy heard it and knew he was
worried. Slowly Buffy and Angel
edged as far back from the chasm as possible, to give themselves a good run
at the jump. “Buffy.” Angel’s soft
voice betrayed none of the anxiety he felt. “The chasm’s pretty wide. It’s
not gonna be easy.” “Talk about a jump in
the dark.” Buffy muttered. She half-turned, hoping to see Angel in the
darkness. She could sense him, feel him, but she couldn’t see him. She was
very afraid; afraid that if she jumped too soon, too late or too far she
could kill them both. Reluctant
to put him in danger, she tried to pull her hand away from his. But he was
having none of it, and tightened his grip. “No.” He said, softly.
“We face this together. Are you ready?” “Nope.” Buffy tried to
say, but only managed a croak. As one, Buffy and Angel
sprinted forward. “NOW!” On Angel’s command, they
both sprung into the air. It was terrifying. Buffy had no idea where the edge
of the chasm lay or where the other side was; her heart was hammering in her
chest so hard she was sure it would burst. She guessed that the other side of
the chasm was close, and she braced herself for impact. She hit the ground
heavily, Angel’s hand torn from hers by the sheer force. Instinctively she rolled away from the
edge and lay still; her body shaking from the rush of adrenaline. “Buffy?” Angel
materialised next to her “I’m OK,” She managed to
say, and then promptly cried out as pain flared through her arm. Buffy winced
as Angel, apparently unharmed, helped her to her feet. “Just bruised, I think.” “There’s another
tunnel.” Angel told her. “Do you feel up to carrying on?” “Like I have a choice,”
Buffy retorted. Angel’s hand gripped
hers once more. His skin felt cool against hers, but she was grateful for the
contact. She was tired of wandering about in the dark. True, her eyes had
adjusted a little and her enhanced senses helped; but essentially she felt
helpless, and really didn’t like the feeling. The tunnel began to
curve upwards and to Buffy’s intense relief, the glow on the walls reappeared.
There was no longer any reason for Angel to guide Buffy since the light had
returned, but he still didn’t relinquish his hold on her hand. The tunnel levelled out
and from somewhere up ahead, they heard a loud bellow. Buffy cursed softly;
Angel raised an eyebrow but knew better than to comment on it. Whatever was
ahead of them sounded pretty big. The ground underfoot
felt softer and spongier. An unknown type of plant was growing there, some
moss perhaps, or fungus. The green plant covered the walls and ceiling as
well as the floor, and in several places roots and vines sprang out of the
wall. The tunnel opened out
and the origin of the bellow was revealed. A very large and distinctly
prehistoric looking creature gnawed at the vines. It was huge. Standing twice
as high as Angel, its leathery brown skin rippling as it shuffled along on
four powerful legs. It had a row of thick spines running down from the neck
to the pointed tip of its tail. “Maybe it’s vegetarian,”
Buffy muttered hopefully, indicating the lush vegetation. “I doubt it,” Angel shot
back, his gaze on a pile of bones; some of which looked suspiciously human. Buffy’s eyes met
Angel’s. Neither wanted to fight the creature – not least because they had no
weapons with them. They began to edge round the beast, hoping it wouldn’t
spot them, when it looked up and growled. Buffy and Angel
separated instantly, one each side of the creature, hoping to confuse it. No
chance. With a snort, it spun round, surprisingly fast for a beast of its
size and headed straight for Buffy. Buffy somersaulted over
its head, desperately looking around for some kind of weapon. There was none.
Angel went round the other side of the beast, trying to distract it from her.
It snapped menacingly at him and he had to sidestep to avoid it. The movement
took him close to the spiny back and he had an idea. Moving inhumanly fast,
he grabbed hold of one the spines, and yanked. Each spine was a narrow
horn-shape, tapering into a wicked point. Hanging on to the horn part, Angel
twisted and pulled, until the spine broke off in his hand. The monster roared
in pain, trying to snap at the parasite that had hurt it. But Angel was
faster, and had already gone. “Buffy!” Angel threw the
spine at her when she looked up. She grasped the improvised weapon gratefully
and thrust it several times into the creature’s side. Angel had already gone
back and was trying to wrench another spine out. By now, the beast was
thrashing around madly in pain and anger and it was hard to hold on. Angel
lost his grip, and grabbed the beast’s hide to steady himself. He hissed as
pain stabbed through his palm, and his hand was covered in blood when he
snatched it back. “Don’t touch its hide,”
Angel warned Buffy. “It’s like a razor!” “Got it.” She
acknowledged, still attacking the beast fiercely while trying to avoid being
monster food. Angel returned to his
task of freeing another spine, this time avoiding touching the rough skin.
Buffy squealed, and he glanced over to her. She was fine, fortunately, but in
the fraction of a second his attention wandered, the beast swung its tail
round and speared Angel straight through the chest. Buffy heard Angel’s
scream, and could only watch with horrified eyes as he was lifted up on the
spiked tail and shaken like a rag doll. Angel grabbed the tail, tried to
lever himself away but the rough hide cut into his hands; ignoring the pain
in his hands as best he could, Angel used all his strength to push at the
hide, but he was unable to prise himself free. The horrendous sight
momentarily froze Buffy; then rage took over. It was anger so deep, so
primeval in its intensity that it wiped away every other instinct and she
darted underneath the monster’s body, and hacked away at the sensitive
underside. She had no regard for her own safety; she was driven on by Angel’s
agonised screams and an overwhelming instinct to protect him, whatever the
cost. This fight was personal. Buffy grunted as she
forced her makeshift weapon into the soft flesh. Again and again, she rammed
the spine home, ignoring the blood that ran down her arms. She allowed
instinct to guide her movements; twisting her body to avoid the monsters
thrashing death throws. The noise in the
confined area was deafening. Angel’s cries were overshadowed by the beast’s
agonized screams. The thick tail swished about wildly until it finally
managed to dislodge Angel from his skewer, and hurled him crashing into the
wall. Buffy rolled out from underneath the beast as it toppled, dying, onto
the ground. She dropped to her knees, exhausted by her frenzied assault. Buffy looked around for
Angel, afraid that she would find him squashed under the huge carcass of the
beast. Instead, she saw him
lying unmoving at the base of the wall, his body a crumpled heap. She was on her feet in
an instant as panic overwhelmed her. Logically, she knew that as long as he
wasn’t actually dust, he would recover. Her chest hurt as her anxiety
mounted, and she rushed to his side. It took a lot to seriously hurt Angel,
and she was appalled at the bloody mess of his chest. She tried not to think
about what the spines had done to his internal organs. “Angel?” For several long moments
there was no response. Then, with a great deal of effort, Angel opened his
eyes to look at her. Buffy gave an involuntary gasp. His eyes, normally so
intense, looked glazed; the pain reflected in them was horrible to see. Unable to stand the
sight of the gaping wound in her partners’ chest, Buffy stripped off her
bloody overshirt, and tore it into pieces. Using the cleaner bits, she
bandaged the terrible wounds on Angel’s chest and hands. That done, Buffy
took a moment to stare at his handsome face. He was sleeping now and he looked
peaceful. Buffy suddenly felt her energy drain away. She was so tired she
could hardly think straight. Exhausted, she lay down next to Angel, wriggling
as close to him as she could, and being very careful not to touch anything
that looked remotely painful, she slept. Buffy’s eyes snapped
open as she felt Angel moving. “Are you OK?” She asked,
reaching out to touch his cheek, his colour even paler than normal. “I’ve been better.”
Angel winced as he tried to sit up. Then he noticed the dead beast and his
gaze scanned Buffy; she seemed to be all right. He couldn’t believe that she
had killed it, alone, with practically no weapons. She was really something. “Can you stand?” Buffy’s
voice broke into his reverie. “I think so.” Buffy slipped an arm round
his waist to help him up. But his legs held no strength and he collapsed
again. “Angel,” Buffy said
slowly, choosing her words carefully. She didn’t know how he would react to
what she wanted to say. “You need blood.” “I’ll be all right.” Ignoring him, Buffy
said, “I heard some rats in the tunnel back there. I could get you some?” “I don’t want rats.”
Angel’s gaze had dropped, refusing to meet hers. Buffy’s mouth suddenly
went dry. “You can feed from me.” Angel’s head snapped up,
anger replacing the pain in his eyes. “I would rather die than feed from
you.” Buffy sighed. “Angel, we
don’t really have a choice here. You can’t move, and you know I won’t leave
you. You need blood, Angel. We both know it. So what’s it to be? Mine or the
rats?” Angel looked away, a
tiny muscle twitching in his jaw as he struggled to contain his anger.
Finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “The rats.” He said, so softly that
Buffy could barely hear him. “Rats it is.” She said
brightly, deliberately ignoring his moroseness. When she returned a
short time later, she carried her precious cargo of two live rats contained
in a makeshift bag, fashioned from the remnants of her tattered
over-shirt. Angel didn’t look
up, didn’t acknowledge her in any way. Buffy dropped the wriggling bundle
into his lap, and still he refused to look at her. “It won’t take them long
to get out.” She warned him. There was no response from the vampire; without
another word, she turned and left the cave. On reaching the tunnel, out of
sight of Angel, she sat herself on the floor; resting her head against the
tunnel wall, and waited. After a while, Buffy
stirred. She guessed he’d had enough time to digest the blood. He hated
reminding her of his vampiric nature, and he had never drunk blood in her
presence. Returning to the cave, she was relieved to see Angel leaning
against the wall, looking stronger and more like his normal self. There was
no sign of the rats. “Angel?” Angel looked away from
her, his shame palpable. Sighing, she held out her hand. “Come on, Angel. I want
to go home.” Avoiding her
outstretched hand, Angel got himself unsteadily to his feet. Buffy was hurt
that he had so pointedly rejected her, but she followed him without comment
as he went towards the far tunnel, stumbling on the uneven floor. He was
mobile but still weak and Buffy caught him as his footing slipped and he
lurched forward. Almost immediately, Angel twisted out of her grasp, and
Buffy was furious. “What?” She snapped.
“You drink blood and suddenly you’re Superman?” “It’s not that.” He
still didn’t look at her. “So tell me,” She
coaxed, but he wouldn’t reply. “Talk to me, Angel!” She exploded. “You think
that I don’t love you? That I’m repulsed by you?” Angel flinched, dropping
his gaze even further from hers. So that was it, Buffy thought. She stepped
closer to him, deliberately invading his personal space, and reached up to
touch his face. Unexpectedly, his skin felt warm; no wonder he hadn’t wanted
her to touch him. She had completely forgotten that a vampire’s body
temperature increased after feeding. “How can you have lived
so long, and still be so stupid?” Buffy scolded him gently. “Don’t you know
me at all? I love you, Angel; I really don’t care if you’re human, vampire
or…or Slime Demon!” Angel lifted his head,
finally meeting her eyes. He said nothing, just looked at her. He didn’t
understand how she could love him, how she could even bear to be with him
sometimes. He was just glad that she did, and he pulled her into his arms and
held her against his chest, ignoring the pain her contact caused him. Buffy pulled away first.
“Do you know how much further we have to go?” “It’s not far.” He
replied. “I can feel the vortex.” Buffy helped to support
Angel’s weight and they carried on down the tunnel. “It’s close,” Angel
confirmed. “We only have to…” His words trailed off as
the next obstacle confronted them. They had come upon a clearing, and a
fierce wind howled along the tunnel. They looked at each other. The clearing
wasn’t very wide, but the wind was exceptionally strong. Angel’s mind was
working overtime. He didn’t think he had the strength to cross it, and
Buffy’s small body would get swept away. They didn’t stand a chance. “We need some of those
vines.” He said suddenly. “I’ll get them.” Buffy
offered instantly. She always felt better if she was doing something. She
returned a short time later, the vines coiled round her arm like a snake. She
handed them to Angel. Angel moved against
Buffy’s body, wrapping the vines round them, effectively tying them together. “Kinky.” Buffy grinned
at him. “You sure we have time for this?” Angel chuckled. “We’ll
make time,” He replied, playing along. “We can always pick it up later.” Their eyes met, and the
same thought passed between them. ‘I wish’ “Here, let me.” Buffy
took the vines from Angel, as he was unable to tie them with his lacerated
hands. She made short work of the knots and Angel tested them for strength “I’m impressed,” He
commented, surprised. “Yeah, well I do pay
attention to Giles sometimes.” Buffy grinned. “We did ropes and knots last
week. He said it might be useful sometime.” They stepped carefully
into the wind. Angel used his large frame to shield Buffy’s smaller one, but
he needed Buffy’s superior strength to help pull them across. The few feet
that they had to manoeuvre seemed to take hours, and it needed their combined
strength and determination to navigate it. After what seemed like
forever, they eventually stepped out the other side, exhausted by their
physical exertion. Together they sagged against the wall and Buffy fumbled
with the knots and untied them. “If I ever see that Voss
again,” Buffy snapped irritably, “I’m gonna kill him.” “Join the queue.” Angel
agreed quietly. He sounded tired, and Buffy glanced at him in concern. He
gave her a weak smile and allowed her to support him as they stumbled the
last few feet down the tunnel. The vortex swirled in
front of them, and they both sighed with relief. “That’ll take us home?”
Buffy looked at Angel for confirmation. “Yes.” Buffy resisted the urge
to ask him if he was sure. They were both tired and a little grouchy, and
Angel was injured and…. Oh! “You gonna be all
right?” She asked him, nodding toward the vortex. “I’ll live.” He replied
grimly. In truth, Buffy wasn’t
looking forward to the pain of the vortex either. But she took Angel’s hand
and they stepped into the iridescent mist. As the vortex folded in
around them, Buffy’s last words echoed round the now empty chamber. “Sunnydale, here we
come.” The End Return to Fiction Index
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