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What's It Worth to You?
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Brimstone - Stone is sent to Hell after killing his wife’s rapist, then makes a deal with the Devil. If he returns all the 113 souls that escaped Hell, he gets his life back. Destroying the eyes sends them back.
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Prologue
Detective Ezekial Stone woke up with a start. At first he didn’t know what had awakened him, but after a minute he realised what it was. “Don’t you ever knock?” he asked the Devil.
“Boy, somebody’s awfully cranky first thing in the morning. Besides, why should I?” Looking at the alarm clock beside the bed, Stone groaned, knowing he’d get no sympathy from him.
“One, it’s not first thing in the morning, it’s ‘last thing at night’. And two, because it’s polite, though I don’t know why that should make any difference.” he said. Knowing that there was no way he was going to get anymore sleep tonight, Stone got out of bed and walked to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee, hoping to wake up enough so he could actually figure out what the Devil wanted. “What do you want?” he asked, dreading the answer.
“Why, I just want to help you get your life back. Is that so wrong?” came the Devil’s mocking reply. At Stone’s pointed look, he still didn’t drop the attitude, but he did get serious. After all, the business at hand was the retrieval of those 113 souls. Stone, following his gaze, looked down at the kitchen counter to see a newspaper. Looking back up, he was not surprised to find himself alone. Picking up the paper, Stone read the title and where it was from. A sigh escaped him as he said “Well, looks like I’m off for some fun in the sun. Sunnydale, California here I come.”. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part One
Stepping off the bus, Stone looked around at the town. On the outside, it looked like a normal, urban site. But he felt something underneath it all. Almost the same feeling he got whenever the Devil decided to pay him one of his enlightening visits. Checking his watch, he noticed it was close to midnight, and hoped he could find a motel that was still open at this time of night, that wasn’t a complete rat-hole. Taking off down the street, he noticed that this wasn’t the nicest part of town, and quickly scanned the area for a likely motel. Seeing the glimmer of fluorescent lights through the trees, he took off across the park, praying (to whoever) that it was still open.
Making his way through the park, Stone felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle up. Stopping abruptly, he scanned his surroundings, looking for the threat. Just as he was about to call out, they stepped out of the shadows.
Stone caught a look at their faces in the light and winced. “The face only a mother could love.” he said, wondering what was up with them. Dropping his bag to the ground, he reached around to his back, where his gun was resting. About to pull it out, and hopefully scare them off, <Whatever the hell they are...> he was stopped by a very familiar and vexing voice.
“I wouldn’t, if I were you.” said the Devil, appearing next to Stone.
“And why not?” asked Stone, becoming more uncomfortable by the second, due to the unearthly growls emanating from the creatures surrounding him.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Detective.” he said in his plain-speaking way. “I was warning them.”
“And they are what, exactly?”
“Vampires.” was his only reply. Turning to the creatures, the Devil pierced the leader with a deadly stare that promised his slow and painful death, if he dared to disobey him, as he spoke. “Leave this one alone.” Seeing recognition flash in his eyes, the Devil then turned to Stone as the vampires faded into the darkness. “Well, that solved that.” About to disappear, he was halted by Stone’s words.
“You brought me to a town full of vampires?!” he asked incredulously. In Hell, he’d heard of all sorts of creatures, but had never actually seen one until tonight.
“Relax, Detective. They won’t harm you.” this was said in a tone that parents used to reassure their kids that the imaginary monsters won’t get them as long as they’re asleep. It was also full of patronizing sarcasm, as well.
“They’ll listen to you?” he asked the dark-haired devil.
“If they know what’s good for them, they will.” seeing his companion’s unbelievable look, he decided to elaborate. As much fun as it would be to watch Stone take out a couple of dozen vampires - because that’s exactly what would happen (the Slayer had nothing on Stone) - this ‘mission’ was too important to let Stone get distracted by some demons. He had a soul to hunt down. Sighing, he explained. “They’re my children - of a sort. They know me, in a way. It’s ingrained into their very demon, that I am to be obeyed.”
Deciding he wasn’t going to get much else out of the Devil, Stone changed the topic.
“So, who am I here to get?” he asked, not really expecting an answer, and therefore wasn’t disappointed by the reply he got.
“You’ll recognize him when you see him. In the meantime, you may want to catch up on your reading, Stone. The high school library has some fascinating books.”
Stone shook his head in disgust and walked towards the motel, not surprised to find that the Devil was gone when he looked back.
Taking the hint for what it was, Stone made the decision to go and visit the high school library the next day, since it was Saturday and would be closed. Finding that the motel was still open, he got a room for a week, never seeing the shadow run from the park, a silent observer to his confrontation with some of Sunnydale’s vampires.
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Part Two
Making his way through the stacks, late the next afternoon, Stone laughed to himself. <Well, at least someone knows there’s something off in this town.> Looking at the titles of the books again, he had to contain another chuckle.
Demons of the 1600's.............Diaries from the Dark Ages..............Book of Lycos
About to descend the steps and have a look in the office, Stone was stopped short by approaching voices.
“......I’m telling you, Giles.....This guy was mucho freaky. The vamps just left him alone, like they weren’t interested.” said a blonde teen-age girl, as she came into the library, following behind an older man in glasses and tweed.
“Buffy, are you certain? I’ve never heard of vampires leaving anyone alone, unless the individual was more powerful that they were. And even then, it’s not likely that they would just leave.” said Giles. He prayed that Buffy was wrong in what she had seen, as anyone who could control the vampire population was indeed frightening.
“Giles, I know what I saw! The vamps circled him, were about to have a late night snack, and then just stopped when this other guy appeared. He said something to them, and the fang gang took off. Then the two guys were talking for a bit, before the second one disappeared.”
“Disappeared?... As in ‘into thin air’?” asked Giles, this turn of events was even more disturbing.
“Yup. Poof - he’s here. Poof - he’s gone!”
Realizing that they were talking about him, Stone stepped further back into the shadowed depths of the library. All the while cursing himself for being so distracted that he hadn’t noticed anyone else in the area. Also, he was cursing the Devil for this whole mess.
“Well, call the others and get them here as soon as possible. We need to do some research to see what we can find - if there’s a prophecy or something else that’s going to occur.” about to enter his office, Giles paused and turned back to his Slayer. “And tell them to hurry. Sunset is almost upon us.” That said, he went into his office, as Buffy picked up the phone to call her friends.
Stone, in the stacks, moved to the furthest corner in the back, realizing he was stuck there until they all left.
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He was getting a cramp! He’d been sitting in the dark, waiting for them to leave, for several hours now, and knew he’d be there for a few more, as these kids didn’t seem to be leaving any time soon. He’d been watching them research, dodging them as they came into the stacks to find different books. Stone had also listened to their conversations. He knew that Buffy was a vampire slayer, one of two - but there should only be one! The tweed-clad librarian was called Giles, and he was Buffy’s watcher. The red head was Willow, a witch of some power, who had a troubled relationship wit the blonde haired boy named Oz. Xander was her best friend, who used to date the dark haired girl named Cordelia. And lastly, there was Wesley, an imbecile who thought he was Buffy’s watcher, but apparently she disagreed with him on that point. <So would I.> thought Stone, shifting positions again. <He’s an idiot.>
About to fall asleep, he was jarred awake by the swift entrance of another person. Stone couldn’t see his face, but his voice seemed familiar somehow. Wanting to find out who this other person was, he moved his way up near the front of the book stacks.
“We may have a problem.” Angel said as he quickly entered the library. Looking at the expectant faces turned in his direction, he went on to explain. “There’s someone new in town. Someone with dangerous friends.”
“What kind of friends?” asked Giles. He had a feeling that the man Buffy had seen last night was the one Angel was talking about.
Hearing a loud but distinctive click, they all turned to see a man pointing a gun directly at Angel.
“None you’ll ever find in any of your books.” he said as he slowly made his way down the steps, never taking his eyes off his target. The gun never wavering for even a second. “And he’s not really a friend. More like a tormentor.”
“Who are you ?” asked Angel, the first to come out of his shock. He had a feeling that he should know this man, but didn’t know how or why or from where.
A voice from behind Angel answered for him. Looking back to the man now sitting on top of the check out counter, Angel recognized him immediately, even in the dark blue suit he wore.
“He’s my great white hunter, Angelus.”
“I know you!” exclaimed Buffy. “You’re the guy from last night! Both of you!”
“Ah, the Slayer. You have been an enjoyment to watch work, even while being a thorn in my side...... Always defeating this monster, or that demon. There are quite a few people seriously ticked with you, my dear.” said the Devil, as if unconcerned with the events taking place in the library.
“You’re just a load of help, lately.” Stone asked the Devil, gun still aimed at Angelus. The instant he’d seen his face, Stone knew who this was. In Hell, he’d passed by Angelus’ cell a couple of times, always hearing his screams and seeing his tortured body. “Why?” he asked. He held off shooting Angelus, because there was a reason he was getting all this help. He wanted to know why.
“Why, Stone... don’t tell me you LIKE to do things the hard way.”
“Why?” he repeated, his tone cold as ice that even the fires of Hell couldn’t melt. The Devil sighed and explained.
“Because he’s the reason you’re here. The reason they ALL are.” his answer was meaningless and confusing for everyone in the room, except for Stone, who understood what he meant. The man standing before him had been the cause of the break-out of the other souls. “Oh, do put the gun down, Stone. He’s not going anywhere as long as I’m here. Are you, boy?” swinging his gaze to the dark vampire.
“No.” came the forced reply. He’d known the instant he appeared, who this dark haired man was. The Devil. The Ruler of Hell. The demon inside him was subdued and submissive to this man, and it carried over into his soul. Angel wasn’t going anywhere unless the Devil gave him permission to.
“What the hell is going on?” demanded the irrate Slayer. There was a conversation going on that no one but the three of them seemed to understand, and she didn’t like it one little bit. Added to her fury over some guy holding a gun on her honey, and you came out with a VERY pissed off slayer.
“Funny you should mention Hell.” said Stone, lowering the weapon and walking towards a chair to sit. The cramps had finally gone away.
“I do love your sense of humour, Stone. It’s so refreshing after a long decade of torturing souls. But, back to the matter at hand. He - “ pointing to Angel “belongs in Hell!” he stated.
“Ain’t that the truth.” mumbled Xander under his breath.
“Xander!” came Buffy’s shouted retort.
“What?” asked Xander, offended. “He does.”
“Oh, I do love this boy.” said the Devil.
“See, someone appreciates me.”
“Shut up, Xander. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.” snapped Angel. He didn’t relish the prospect of going back to Hell, but his guilty conscience told him it was what he deserved.
“Who are you?” Buffy asked the Devil. This guy was really starting to bug her, and the blonde with the gun wasn’t high on her ‘don’t kill’ list, either.
“He’s the Devil, Buffy.” said Angel, mentally preparing to go to Hell, again.
“Excuse me, ‘Devil’?!” inquired Giles.
“Yes. Ruler of Hell. Tormentor of Souls. Pain in the Ass.” said Stone.
“Oh, I’m truly hurt, Detective. And here I thought we were getting to know each other.” mocked the Devil.
“Hello! Confused Slayer here. Would someone mind explaining to me what’s going on?” said Buffy in a very ticked off voice.
“Certainly, my dear.” was her polite reply from Lucifer, himself. “112 of the most evil, vile and violent souls recently escaped from Hell. Stone, here, has been gracious enough to leave Hell and find them for me.”
“112?” said Stone, confused. “I thought there were 113 souls?”
“There are. Angelus, here, is number 113.”
“So, you figured you’d add another onto the pile, while you were at it? Unbelievable!” exclaimed Stone, though he should have expected something like this from the Devil.
“That’s beside the point, Detective.” turning to the group of young people and two Watchers, he continued. “Now, which one of you little hooligans dragged Angelus out of Hell?”
“We don’t know how he got back.” said Buffy after a short silence. “He just appeared one day.”
“We believe the First may be responsible, though we are uncertain on the matter.” explained Giles, referring to the First Evil. He hoped to get out of this with his soul intact, as well as the souls of the others in the room. He really couldn’t care less about Angel’s, as he shared Xander’s feelings.
“I’ve already thought of that. He wouldn’t dare to do something like this.” he said, hopping off the check out counter on which he’d been sitting. “Anyways, the essence of the person who took Angelus from Hell was exquisitely pure and good. I can feel it in this room.”
“Why does it matter who got Deadboy out of Hell?” asked Xander. From what the Devil had said, he was pretty sure he knew, but would protect her as best he could.
“Because, dear boy, when Angelus was pulled out, it weakened the barriers that keep the souls in Hell, for a brief time. It allowed these 112 souls to flee and return to Earth. They’ve been wreaking havoc ever since. “ said the Devil, his voice becoming harsher as he spoke. Seeing everyone sufficiently shocked, and then horrified, he scanned the faces, looking for the one with guilt. “Now, for the last time.... Who was responsible for getting Angelus out of Hell? If the guilty party doesn’t step forward, I’ll be forced to take you all back with me.”
“It was me.” came the quiet, small voice of the red head.
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Part Three
“Willow! What are you doing?” asked Buffy in an harsh tone.
“You can’t, Will!” said Xander.
“You mean geek-girl got Angel out of Hell? Whoa!” was Cordelia’s input.
Everyone started talking at once, while Stone, Angel and the Devil listened on. Buffy, Giles and Xander were trying to convince Willow there was no way she could do something like that, Cordelia was impressed, Oz was asking her why she would do such a thing, and Wesley was stuttering, as usual.
“SILENCE!!!” roared a voice. All heads whipped around to look at the Devil, who was now smiling like a cat who’d just been dumped in an aviary. “I congratulate you on your accomplishment, Willow. You’re turning into a very powerful witch, indeed, but you still have much to learn.” he began. “Also, you must be dealt with, as you’ve caused me more problems than any Slayer ever has.” the last was said seriously. Waving his arm over the room of people, everyone but Stone and Willow disappeared.
“That’s better. Less interruptions.” said the Devil, turning to face the witch. “You do know I can’t let this go unpunished.” It was more of a statement than a question, but Willow still nodded her head a little. She wasn’t regretting her action, she was just feeling seriously guilty about the consequences. Namely, the souls that got out. <All those monsters loose on the world.>
Turning away from the Devil’s hard look, she let her eyes rest on Stone. He was the one chosen to hunt down the souls and send them back to Hell, yet she would rather face the Devil, than be scrutinized by this man’s sharp eyes.
“Where did my friends go?” Willow began, knowing they were safe. He wanted her, not the others.
“Just for a stroll in the park. I didn’t want anyone here while we talked. They should be back soon.”
“What do you want from me?” she asked, looking back at the creature who held her future in his hands, trying to be brave.
“I want your soul, witch.” he said, slowly advancing upon her.
Willow let this sink in, while trying her best to control the impulse to run in the other direction. In her mind, there was no question of fighting him for her soul. If she could stop Angel from being sent back to Hell, it was worth it.
“If I go with you - willingly - will you let Angel be? Let him stay?” she asked nervously. This made him stop, directly in front of her.
“Why?” he asked, not quite understanding, but not adverse to the bargain. Angelus would suffer more knowing that this innocent girl was taking his place in Hell, while he was back on Earth, doomed to live for eternity.
“You love him. Don’t you?” said Stone, jumping into the conversation. He didn’t like the deal she was making, but there was no way he could stop it.
“Yes.” she said quietly, meeting his eyes after a moment of staring at the floor.
“Deal.” said the Devil. This was turning out better than he’d thought. Cupping her face with his hands, he pulled Willow close, placing a burning kiss on her forehead, just as the doors burst open. Willow was oblivious to the commotion of her friends rushing into the library, too consumed with the fire currently burning it’s way through her body, clouding her mind. She was vaguely aware of what was going on around her.
“Get away from her!” shouted Buffy. They’d burst into the library to find the Devil placing a kiss on Willow’s forehead. When he pulled away, a pentagram was visible on her forehead. Now, her face was flushed and her eyes glazed.
“I’m sorry, Slayer, but you’re too late.” announced the Devil in mocking sympathy. “She’s already given me what I want.”
“And what would that be?” asked Angel. He had a feeling he knew what was going on, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“Why, her soul, Angelus. She’s agreed to take your place in Hell, in exchange for allowing you to remain here.” he said, sending shivers of horror through the group.
“No!” cried Angel in anguish. Not Willow. He deserved to be in Hell, not good, pure Willow. “Why?!”
“You were never any fun to torture, Angelus. Always suffering, but you always felt that you deserved it.” the Devil explained. “Now, you get to suffer with the knowledge that an innocent soul is in Hell, while you are walking free.” Seeing the stricken look on the vampire’s face made him grin in glee. “And I get Willow.” brushing the hair away from her face, he caressed her cheek, causing her to gasp, in pain or pleasure no one knew, and making her glazed eyes meet his hard ones. He continued on softly, almost reverently as he kept his hand on her face and his eyes locked with hers. “A pure soul in Hell.”
Seeing that the Devil was about to leave with his new toy, Stone stopped him with a sharp “Hey!”
“What about me?” he asked when the Devil stepped away from the red head and looked at him.
“Don’t fret so, Ezekial. She’s taken Angelus’ place.” was all he said before holding out a hand to Willow. “Come, my dear. It’s time to go.” Before anymore could say anything to stop her, Willow reached out and grasped his hand. A second later, the pair disappeared, leaving a shocked and bewildered group of people behind.
Just as Willow disappeared with the Devil, Stone felt a burning pain in the very centre of his chest. He knew what it was, but it was so much stronger this time, that he doubled over and collapsed to the ground in pain.
Seeing this, Angel rushed over to him and, noticing the hand over the middle of his chest, pulled it away and ripped open his shirt. What he saw there made him pause. In between the two halves of Stone’s ribcage was a tattoo - amidst dozens of others. But this one stood out for two reasons. One, it was a miniature of the one he had on his back, and two, it was bright red.
Hearing Stone’s ragged moan of pain, the others moved to stand around Angel, just in time to see the tattoo vanish. As soon as it was gone, Stone quickly recovered. When he saw the seven faces looking down at him, he quickly stood up, brushing them out of the way.
“OK.” began Buffy, very confused. “What was that?”
“And what’s with tattoo-ville? You get drunk on couple dozen times too many?” asked Xander in his careless way.
About to answer them, Angel did it for Stone. “Each one represents a soul he has to send back to Hell.” he said, not taking his eyes off of the Detective.
Surprise flared in Stone’s eyes before finishing the explanation given by the dark vampire. “As each soul is returned, I lose a mark. When they’re all gone, I get my life back.”
“And you stood by and let.......HIM, take Willow to Hell?!” exclaimed Giles. He couldn’t come to terms with the fact that Willow was gone. In Hell with the Devil. That she had traded her soul for Angel’s didn’t seem to register, yet.
“It was her decision. She made a deal with the Devil, and he’ll make sure she honors it.” he said, then began to slowly walk out the doors they had recently burst through.
“Wait.” cried Buffy, making him stop. “Don’t you even care that an innocent person is in Hell? She is a good person and doesn’t deserve an eternity there!” trying to get him to listen. To understand.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked, exasperated, as he turned around to look at them. “Go to Hell myself. Find her and bring her back? I don’t think so! I’m not going back there if I can avoid it.” he could tell by the look on her face, that that had been exactly what she’d hoped he’d do. “I have another 92 souls to hunt down. I’m not going to worry about one that’s already taken care of.” that said, he turned and left the library, leaving the town an hour later.
The people still left in the library stood staring at the doors. Their one hope had just walked out. After a few minutes of stunned silence, they began to get their things and go home.
“Why not just get her out ourselves?” said Cordelia suddenly. At their questioning looks, she explained, as if she were talking to five year olds. “Willow got Angel out of Hell, so why doesn’t somebody get her out the same way?”
“Yeah? Why not?” asked Xander, mostly to himself.
“Great idea! All we have to do is find the spell Willow used, and perform it again!” said Buffy, getting excited.
“There are several reasons why not!” exclaimed Giles. <Don’t these children ever think of the consequences?> Giles thought, unintentionally speaking aloud.
“What consequences, G-man? We get willow back. What more do we need to know?” asked Xander. Like the rest of them, Xander was totally oblivious to the repercussions.
“What makes you think the same thing won’t happen again?” demanded Giles. Seeing the blank looks, he elaborated. “When Willow retrieved Angel, it allowed 112 souls to return to this world. What makes you think it won’t happen again?”
“So, we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.” reasoned Buffy. “And if it does, we’ll just deal.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” said an exasperated librarian, turning to Buffy. “How do you think Willow would feel, knowing that her freedom allowed more evil to escape from Hell? What would that do to her?”
Finally, they understood. Willow would not be able to deal with the guilt. She’d feel it was her fault that the souls had escaped, more so than she already had, for her role in the last break-out. Going to his office, he suggested they all go home for the evening. Once he had his things, he shooed them all out of the school, locking the doors behind him, never seeing Xander slip a few spell books into his bag, or the determined look that he shared with Buffy.
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Epilogue
The blonde haired vampire was laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. His long time love had left him, again, after his unsuccessful attempt to get her back. But he found that he was relieved that she was gone. Now he could enjoy his unlife without constantly worrying over her. The only problem now, was where to go. At the moment he was in a cheap motel room in New Mexico.
“Oh, quit moping over her, Spike. She’s not worth it.” came a hauntingly familiar voice, interrupting his thoughts. Sitting up, Spike glared at the intruder, not surprised that he’d given no warning of his arrival.
“What the bloody hell do you want?” he growled, already knowing the answer. The Devil had come for his favor. Years ago, he’d made a deal with the Devil, himself. Angelus had gotten the return of his soul, and left Drusilla alone with Spike. In return, the Devil had asked for a favor. Any time. Any thing. Any where.
“I’m sure you know, Spike. I’ve come for my favor.”
“What is it?” he asked with a resigned sigh, not really caring. If he was lucky, it was to just kill someone. But no one had ever claimed that he was lucky.
“I want you to look after someone for me. Protect her, make sure no one tries anything funny with her.” said the Devil.
“I’m not a bleedin’ baby-sitter.” he then paused, thinking over the other’s words. “Her?” Spike asked with raised eyebrows.
“Yes. I thought that might get your attention.”
“Who is ‘she’?” he wondered aloud.
“She’s my daughter. Adopted daughter.” he added at Spike’s incredulous look. “I want you to help her wreak some havoc on her old friends.” The Devil held out his hand, just as a black gloved hand appeared in his. The hand belonged to a figure cloaked in black. Spike watched in fascination and curiosity as the hand rose to pull back the hood, to reveal her face. If his heart were still beating, it would have skipped a few beats at the face of the Devil’s adopted daughter.
“Spike. Long time no see.” said Willow as an evil smile curved her lips.
The End (maybe?)
On to the Sequel
Back to Willow/Spike
