Numb and Number: Chapter Fifteen

[jesterladyfic]

Chapter Fifteen

“I’m beginning to find looking for this thing annoying,” Spike said after they’d been walking around for three hours. “I mean, what did she do? Get up in the morning and decide to cloak herself today?”

“I hear cloaking’s beneath her actually,” Oz commented.

“You hear very strange things,” Wesley told him. “I’ve got it this time.”

“Really?” Spike’s tone was less than believing.

“Really!” Wesley assured him, looking a little disgruntled. “Those other times were simply a miscalculation.”

“Simply?” Spike’s tone again dripped with sarcasm.

“Why are we talking like this about this?” Oz inquired.

“It’s called the banter before a fight, Dog Boy,” Spike informed him. “You associated with that lot before us.
Tune in to the bloody real world.”

“I hate that show,” Oz said. “Too unrealistic.”

“There’s a shock for you,” Wesley muttered. “Now, will you two stop your bickering and let’s put an end to
this? If you don’t mind, of course.”

“Never minded anything less.” Spike gripped his sword and they prepared to go in. The locator spell had been
the most difficult one to pull off so far but Wesley had extended himself. And then there they were, standing outside
a building that contained evil, all evil.

“What do we have here?” drawled a voice from the shadows of the entrance. “Some lost puppies. How too
adorably much for me.”

Willow sauntered into view. Her hair was jet black as were her pupils and she was dressed in a black version of
Illyria's skin armor. Her skin thrummed with energy that was palpable to even the human senses. But those same
senses could have picked up a dark evil so prevalent in her that even someone with a bad case of Sunnyd-enial
would run in the opposite direction.

“Don’t you want to say hi?” she asked. “Wait, you’re here to kill me. That’s not very nice. Maybe I should stop you or warn somebody or something.”

“Do whatever you bloody want,” Spike spat out. “I’m going inside. Just get out of my way.”

“Ooh, looks like I’m taking requests,” she purred. “But perhaps you should go inside, Spike.” She said his name very condescendingly and he flinched. “We all should.”

She turned around and went back into the building. The three men followed her.

“Like lambs to the slaughter,” Wesley said and sighed. “Oz, see if you can distract her. I’m sorry, but-“

“I know, got the need,” Oz replied. “Just get to Illyria.”

Spike and Wesley moved past Willow, who simply stood and watched them as they walked away.

“All alone and so many things to say,” her voice sang. “What to talk about first? Hmm, maybe your wardrobe.” She started to circle around. “Don’t you get tired of wearing shirts that barely show your dashing scar? Women love scars, Oz. How do you explain it away to them, I wonder?”

“I explain nothing,” Oz said firmly.

“That’s right, you’re the man who’s too good for all us common folk. Life is simply all about your righteousness and morals and silly little things like faithfulness and supposed forgiveness. Give it a rest, Oz. It’s all your fault I am the way I am, you know.”

“Your choices were your own,” was all he said. His body was screaming in terror at him, but one small voice inside him was the only chance he had to not break down in front of her. He just hoped Spike and Wesley had made it through.

***

“This place is like a bloody maze,” Spike complained. “We’ll never find her in here.”

“Yes, we will,” Wesley said determinedly. “I’m sure it won’t be long before-“

Six vampires jumped in front of their way.

“You see?” Wesley said as he pulled out a stake. “I believe we’re on the right track.”

“The demon has all the forces of darkness on her side and she sends out six vampires to protect her?” Spike
asked pointedly as he dusted one of the six.

“I’m sure there are more,” Wesley promised. Spike sighed.

“You’re sure sure about a lot of things, mate.”

***

Oz circled warily around Willow as she languidly paced, trying to keep anything solid at his back. It wasn’t that he didn’t know she could just zap him in the front, but he didn’t want anything getting behind him anyway.

“I really should go join the others,” Willow admitted, letting little sparks play along her fingertips, “but it is so
much fun watching you squirm.”

“Why?”

“Squirming things lead to screaming things,” she answered.

“So it’s not just me then?” Oz inquired. “It’s not that you just like seeing me squirm, it’s a general squirming
thing.”

Willow paused to contemplate but was plainly annoyed at having to do so.

“Well, I must admit there’s a certain appeal to seeing you particularly squirmish.”

“Why?” he asked again.

“Because you’re like the thing that wouldn’t go away!” she snapped and lashed out with her power.

***

Spike and Wesley entered a long hallway. There were more vampires there and demons and lawyers and various other uncouth and disgusting looking things. In the midst of them stood Illyria, blue and slender, with a look of disdain on her face.

“I am bored of this game,” she announced. “You shall die like the vermin you are.”

“Wes,” Spike said as he prepared to vanish within the oncoming onslaught.

“I got it,” Wesley assured him and began his spell.


***


Oz doubled over as the fire hit him and Willow’s laugh rang in his mind.

“You’re that insecure?” he asked her when he could speak again.

“Since when would my being more powerful than ever make me insecure?” she asked as she idly flicked more darts of her power, smirking as he ducked to avoid them.

“Because you know that it means nothing now that you’ve lost your humanity. You thought your humanity wasn’t enough and so you threw it away and now you know it was all there was. You can never come back.”

“I have the power here,” Willow snapped. “You’re just jealous like you’ve always been, afraid you would be overshadowed, unwilling to let someone be better than you. You had to turn on me so it wouldn’t happen.”

“Willow, when have I ever displayed any type of ambition?” he asked her incredulously. “I take backseat gladly, but that doesn’t mean I surrender to others dangerous driving positions if I don’t think they’re ready for it.”

“Then you underestimated me just like everyone else did. I was the meek, the quiet, brainy, geeky one that everyone else could depend on. Well, now I’m the bold, the loud, intelligent, powerful one and the only thing you can depend on from me is that I will make you feel what you’ve done.” Willow’s voice had grown very loud and sparks were now flying involuntarily everywhere as his words seemed to touch the core within her.

There was a crackling sound behind her. Willow’s head perked and she smiled slowly.

“Well, so Wes is going to try something. I do feel its power. Let’s go and see what it looks like.”

She threw a rope of magic around his feet and started to drag him as she walked back toward where the others were.

***

Wesley could feel his power draining; he knew he was dangerously close to pouring his life force into the spell. He couldn’t focus on anything else. Somewhere on the edge of his senses, he knew Spike was battling for both their lives and yet all he could see was Illyria as she pressed her overwhelming will against his and poisoned his entire being with her malevolent power.

He saw Spike spare a quick glance at him and saw how tired he must be. He was tired too. The demons never quit coming and Spike was bleeding from half a dozen places. He was getting slow. The spell needed to finish now if they had any hope.

***

Ducking underneath a sword, Spike fought to keep the demons away from Wesley who was now pulling out the lump of coal.

“Refining from dross,” was something Spike heard him mumble, though there were also a lot of other words in
some archaic language.

Sweat literally poured off of Wesley’s body and he was bending towards the floor. His veins rose and his skin
started to turn blue. But the coal began to glow and a white light shone from it and pierced into Illyria. She gasped
and put a hand to her mid section as light penetrated her shell and started to crackle along her surface.

“It’s not possible you have found this,” she spoke in disbelief even as she battled against it.

Neither of her foes had breath to answer her. Spike grunted as a well placed elbow caused black spots to
appear in front of his eyes.

***

Willow entered the room with Oz being dragged behind her. They both took in the situation.

“Mistress?” Willow asked, with a slightly insolent twist.

Oz struggled to get to his feet and succeeded.

“Forget it, Willow,” he gasped out. “You leeched onto the wrong team.”

“Destroy it,” Illyria commanded. Willow turned with a slow smile to Oz.

“You heard the boss,” she whispered and prepared to send him out of her life permanently.

Illyria suddenly straightened though the light continued to pour into her. She lifted her hand and pointed it at
Wesley. He fell to the ground, but as he fell he spoke the last words.

Illyria screamed. The light had gone inside and now there were cracks all along her skin and it shone through.
A blue glow fell over the whole room as she pulsed brighter and brighter.

Willow shrieked and fell to the ground as her own body started to shake as though it were going to burst from
within. Oz almost knelt down to help her, but did not.

Wesley lay limp on the floor. The room had gone quiet as it watched Illyria glow and Willow convulse. Spike dusted a vamp and then grabbed Oz and they ran over to Wesley and picked him up.

There was an enormous throb of energy and Illyria’s form began to disintegrate as did Willow’s; Oz could not turn his eyes away from the sight.

“Oz, we have to go!” Spike shouted. “I’ve got Wes, let’s go! There is nothing left.”

Oz nodded and turned away.

“Goodbye, Will,” he whispered. His eyes were hard as he and Spike ran from the room.

The blast came from behind them and they ran harder. They could feel the heat and the energy like a
smothering blanket and they ran. They ran until they got into the van and then they drove. They drove from the destruction of evil as it sought to destroy them through its own demise.