Hi All. Tinkered with the last bit. Y'all are right. "Unearthly fiend" was a bit much. That must have been the 2 a.m. talking. It's become "thing" until I can think of a better description.

More soon.

Yay!

pathetic feedback whore time...

I know it's Riley, but did anyone other than Deb read it and have thoughts?

The Resurrection Gambit

Part Fifteen: The Sting

China, 2023: Wesley drew a circle in chalk on the rooftop where Angel had died. He, Dawn, Xander and Spike took their places, holding candles. Wesley lit a match.

“Mind,” he said, and lit his candle. In the distance—so distant Wesley wasn’t sure it was real—he heard a voice whisper, “Descendent of the Shadowmen.” He lit Xander’s candle with his own.

“Heart,” said Xander. Human, traded peace for knowledge. Xander lit Dawn’s candle.

“Spirit,” said Dawn. Of the Slayer line, but separate from it. Dawn lit Spike’s candle.

“Hand,” said Spike, Vampire, but more.

The wind began to whip around them, and suddenly, the air was filled with dust. A portal of energy swirled above them, through which the Aurelius Gem fell through, landing between them.

“We represent four corners of the struggle,” shouted Wesley, into wind. “We seek the return of three fallen warriors. By the compacts of old, I implore, you. Bring them back.”

The dust began to coalesce into three pillars. Slowly, they began to resemble sand sculptures at a beach.

A mind-numbing anxiety overtook them, as the Juris appeared in the sky above them. It walked toward them as though it were descending a staircase.

“Ignore it!” shouted Xander. “Keep your concentration!”

“I have seen horror,” said the Juris. “I have committed atrocity, strewn bodies across continents. But this…”

With a wave of its hands, a nimbus of energy blasted toward the four. It dissipated like light rain on a windscreen, never touching them. The Juris arched an eyebrow in confusion, before an immense force knocked it backward.

Willow, bathed in white, appeared between the four and the Juris. The dust continued to shape into statues.

“You,” said the Juris. “I told you not to interfere in this, woman.”

“Uh-uh,” said Willow. “We’ve had this conversation.” With barely a crook of Willow’s neck, the Juris plummeted to the ground. It rose from the wrecked concrete, flying at her like a missile. Willow deflected him.

“I don’t know why you’re so angry,” said Willow. “You’re the one who set this up. You trapped the Master beneath Sunnydale. You cast both Angel and Spike out of Hell.”

“The balance must be preserved,” said the Juris, rocking Willow’s shield with a blow that could shatter buildings. “At all costs.”

“That’s what we’re doing, you doofus!” shouted Willow.

With that, the statues took on human form entirely. Shivering, naked and stunned, Angel, Drusilla and Darla fell to their knees.

“Now!” shouted Willow.

A nexus of energy flowed between the returned vampires and the four still deep into their spell. The energy flowed upward, through the portal the gem fell into, and then seemed to spread to everywhere.

All over the world, vampires froze in their tracks, looks of horror overtaking them. Some stopped in the act of feeding, casting their victims aside. Some left their crypts, running screaming into the daylight.

A green flame began to engulf the Juris, and it laughed so loudly and mockingly that everyone present experienced a chill. The laughter continued as it disintegrated.

“It’s done,” said Willow. “Every vampire in the world, they all have their souls back.”

The Juris’s laughter continued, unabated.

“What’s so funny?” asked Willow, rhetorically, before she was cold-cocked by Angel.

“What?” said Angelus. “You were expecting someone else?”

Plei, back from editing (note to self: kill novelists and bury their severed bits near the railroad siding) and will have commentary for you shortly.

Damn.

Did I say damn?

This:

Sprawled on the floor, sneer intact, Spike laughs at him. "You still smell like her, which I guess makes you the next best thing."

With a growl, Riley pulls Spike up and looks him dead in the eye. "And you're small and blond." It takes a moment for the implication to sink in, and while Spike's busy puzzling it out, Riley returns the favor with the pants. "On your knees, Hostile," he orders.

Damndamndamndamn.

Whoa.

Plei, back from editing (note to self: kill novelists and bury their severed bits near the railroad siding) and will have commentary for you shortly.

No worry (and you already commented on it), it's just the deafening silence making me whine. *g* Anyhow, I'm off to Canada now.

Riley being something of a persona non grata around these parts, I shouldn't be shocked.

Victor, chilling.

Yipe. Hot. Hothothot. Plei, only you could make me think Riley's shaggable.

Victor - WOOOOOOOOOO! Bring it on! This is getting hella-exciting. If you were going for a Primeval feel with the joining spell, Fist might better be Hand.

before she was cold-clocked

Cold-cocked, isn't it?

Plei, didn't I comment on it? I meant to. It's Riley, but it's ... Oh, small and blond. So very wrong. I love it.

But, err, turnabout is fair play, and I wrote two with Wesley and I'm a little afraid to hear what you think, but I'm such a whore that I'll still ask.

Hey Plei; I'm sorry for no feedback last night. I couldn't, exactly. It was one of those pairings I never even thought of, so it just made me go, "oh. Wow. That seems wrong somehow."

I'm a little more functional today.

a) what Deb said. Jeeze you can make anything hot, can't you?

b)

Black and white got him bruised and battered and damn near killed when they collided in a haze of grey and made the line between Good and Evil get fuzzy. He's stopped going to church, he's not sure how he feels about his country, and even if he knows how he feels about the girl, his feelings aren't the ones that make or break things.

I understand why the tense change here, but it did make my brain stutter, maybe it could be done in two paragraphs or something?

c.

He wonders again why they've let this particular Hostile live. Buffy'd probably tell him it was "complicated" or something like that, some excuse that rings false to Riley's ears. And everything Spike's said tonight is true.

I'm wondering. It seems to me he believes he knows why she let him live, so why "wonders" why not, "bets he knows" or something.

d.

It takes a moment for the implication to sink in, and while Spike's busy puzzling it out

what about something like: "taking it in" instead of puzzling it out. In my head, puzzling takes a little longer and Spike started it, so puzzling doesn't quite fit, for me.

e. What. Deb. Said.

f.

Riley pushes his cock inside Spike's ass

I expected either some super-vampire-strength resistance, or for him to require some sort of lube. brain-stutter again.

g.

Riley closes his eyes and tightens his grip on Spike's shoulders. He can feel the sharpness of bone through his palms, digging into the skin. Can feel the slide of his own sweat against skin that only gets wet by artificial means. Spike smells like smoke and whisky and nothingness. Oblivion. Riley stops holding back.

whew. just. whew.

f.

"It's over," he finally says. "You've seen to that."

perfect.

Thanks, Elena. I think you're right about both "cold-cocked" and "hand," and I changed appropriately.