The door burst open, Anya and Tara clammored in, out of breath.
"Well, two out of four." Spike said, looking past them to out the door.
"Where are the others?"
"They're in the woods, Spike. You have to save Xander." Anya panted.
"The woods where?" His brows bunched together.
"We're not sure." Tara said, distressed.
"We saw them last at-a-a..um, uh, near Buffy's grave." She caught herself, but stuttered.
Anya gave her a menacing look.
Spike puckered his mouth.
"And why exactly was a Scoobie meeting taking place there?" He asked, inquisitively. Voice low, tongue on his canine.
"U-uh-um, we... we just w-wanted to go and see her." Tara managed after much difficulty. Her nerves on edge with Spike's gaze fixed on her; an eagle on its prey. He'd made her and she knew it.
"Well, what if I wanted to go?" Dawn crossed her arms and put a hip out. "What if Spike wanted to go?"
"Yeah, Bit. Good point. What if we wanted to go? Is there some reason why you wouldn't want us there?" He crossed his arms, as well, directing his attention to Anya. She shrunk back in response.
It clicked for Dawn and she looked at Spike with shocked.
"Y-you don't think? Spike, no. They wouldn't do that. Not after what we..what I did."
"No?" Spike raised a brow, not taking his intense gaze from the ex demon.
"Look, it's all Willow's stupid idea, anyway!" Anya shrieked.
"Anya!" The witch turned on her.
"Look, I'm sorry, but we're busted. He knows!"
Dawn turned to them. "It's true?!!" Her eyes filled with tears.
"Are you insane?! How dare you!"
"Wait, you haven't heard everything." Tara said.
"The bot led a bunch of the demon biker gang straight to us and they destroyed the entire ritual. I-I don't think it worked." Her voice saddened at the end.
"We had to run away after that and we got split up from Xander and Willow." Anya finished.
"You just left?" Spike's face was cold, his blue eyes shone like fire out of his face.
He advanced on the two of them and grabbed Dawn by the arm, as well.
"Hey!" Anya yelled.
"Spike, what are you doing?" Dawn screeched.
"Get in the basement. Hurry. Let's go!" He ushered them into the kitchen and down the stairs. He led them into a corner under the stairs in the dark.
"What're you gonna do?" Tara asked.
"Stay here. Don't make a sound. I'll be back." His face was stone.
"Please, save Xander." Anya pleaded.
"Spike, don't go! Please." Dawn begged, grabbing him by the arm with desperation.
"Don't worry, kid. Not gonna let anything happen to you, yeah?" He looked deep in her eyes and she slowly nodded her head.
"Gotta help the others." He motioned with his head off into the distance. "Gotta save the day." He smirked and she let go.
"Go do what you have to do." She said.
He turned and ran back up the stairs. That kid had so much of Buffy in her. That's why it killed him to betray her trust like he was.
He had to know. It drove him forward through backyards and alleyways, ducking out of view every couple minutes. The hellmouth was positively strewn with bikers and demons. He stopped dead and flattened flattened himself against one of his normal route alley walls. He listened to the voices on the other side, there was a lot of them and they were discussing a pretty little doll.
'Damn, bot!'
Sounded like they had her. No getting it back after whatever they were about to do to it. Spike felt relief wash through him at the thought. It had been bloody useful up until now, but Spike couldn't stand to look at it. Beautiful and peppy, the way Buffy would've been if she had never had the world forced onto her shoulders. The thought always broke him and so he pushed it away. More important things.
"We're gonna have some real fun with it! Let's get going, boys!" One demon led the bunch away.
Just when he thought it was safe, a straggler came down the alley and spotted Spike. He opened his mouth to yell and Spike punched him straight in his throat, cutting off his air supply.
The demon choked and hit his knees. Spike put a boot in his face and he dropped like a log. Spike was gone before he hit the ground, climbing a ladder and running from rooftop to rooftop of businesses that were being looted and burned. One roof gave under him and he started to fall, but grabbed at the edge. It broke and he grabbed agan, this piece, thankfully being sturdier. He pulled himself up and away from the flames. He slid down a fire escape and ran into the trees.
He broke through the other side and approached the already too familiar grave. A feeling of disappointment mixed with relief washed over him to see the ground still in place. No zombie, but no Buffy, either. It gave him pangs to see the remnants of the spell and the ambush strewn about her resting place. She wouldn't like it so untidy.
There was nothing to be done about tire marks, but candles and broken bits could be removed. He kneeled to remove the remnants of what appeared to be an urn of Osiris. 'Go figure!' Red would think of that.
On the other side of the coffin, Buffy gasped for air as she ripped through the thick, unknown puffiness. Almost too dark to see and blurry. She didn't know what was happening, but when she felt wood on the other side of the puffy, her instincts had her pounding and hitting it.
Spike put his hand on the ground and felt a light thump! He yanked his hand away in shock!
'No, Spike, you're imagining things!' He told himself sternly. But what if he wasn't? He put his hand to the ground and felt more intense banging.
"Buffy?" His eyes flew open in realization and disbelief. "Buffy!"
He shoved his hands into the ground and began digging furiously.
'Is she really alive in there? Am I digging up her corpse? This is batty!'
Using his boots to push soil backwards, he started working on a round hole. Dig down, push out. Down and out, down and out. About three feet down, he saw movement and moved like a madman! A small, dirty hand poked out and felt around.
He gasped and grabbed her, feeling the ghost of his heart thundering through his whole body making him numb. He grabbed her by her hand and the other emerged. Grasping her by the arms with all his vampire strength, he hauled her straight up out of the earth and he felt the magic crackle in the air around her. She was unsteady and he went down with her landing on top of him.
She shakily made her way to her feet and looked at him quizzically. The most unsure he'd ever seen her.
He stood and reached a hand out to help steady her.
"Buffy? Can you hear me, Love?" He asked, gently. "Do you know what's happening?"
She slowly, shook her head in a manner like she had forgotten how.
"It's me. It's Spike. Your friends brought you back, Love."
She only squinted up at him, confused.
"I'm gonna take care of you." He said, the most sincere he'd ever been in his life. He waited for her to back away as he reached for her. Instead, she took his hand and clung to him, the only familiar face in sight. With a massive stone lifted off his chest, he walked her home. Finally feeling alive, despite being dead.