9: Detectors and operations

They were to the Bronze again.

Julien liked that place even less.

On Friday night it was so full of people that she felt nauseated, but Willow had insisted so much that day that she couldn't refuse the invitation, so now she was sat near the red haired.

Xander was sunken in crowd, looking for some clients to saddle some disgusting black cherry bars.

A few before he sold one to her… Julien wasn't convinced she could recover from the happening. With any doubt it was the most disgusting thing she ever ate.

Anya was sat at the table, she was moaning about the long abstinence she was forced to by that group coming out and underlining that Buffy clearly chase Riley's company instead of their.

"It's not like that, you'll see she will come soon. She promised me. She said she miss us."

Willow seemed so hopeful that nobody had been so brave to go away, but it was obvious to everybody that the blonde was no supposed to show.

"You'll see she'll come" she repeated with her most steady expression and Anya sighed defeated.

Xander came back at that moment chewing the horrible bar that he obviously couldn't saddle to anybody, like he got such a stomach to eat it, Julien didn't know.

"Haven't Buffy shown yet?" he asked, unaware of the sore point he just touched.

"There she is!" the red haired shouted suddenly.

Buffy had just came into the club, but she wasn't clearly alone.

A few moments later the club had been overran by the Enterprise's guys.

Riley and Buffy came closer to the table to greet them and immediately the humor seemed to became worse.

Anya put on a disgusted look and brought Xander to the dancefloor, Riley instead got the duty to take the drinks, but Willow and her refused the offer, totally uncomfortable.

"You're not sorry, are you? The guys adlibbed a little party and I just couldn't go away."

Willow had an expression so deluded on her face that Julien felt sad for her.

"It's not that, I just thought it would be a coming out for few. You know, among us… if I knew that it was an open coming out I wouldn't bring a person."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, I guess it's time to leave" the brunette said, if the party was ruined she wasn't more forced to stay there, was she?

"But we're just come, still don't go away" the red haired prayed her with her best puppy look and the truth was that Julien couldn't ignore that look at all.

Luckily Buffy's beeper chase right that moment to ring, creating an hellish din "I gotta go" the blonde said apologetically and Willow nodded sadly.

"What's the problem?" the brunette asked, maybe she could help, lately they put her aside for all.

"I'm not sure, professor Walsh is calling us… I guess she wanna send us killing some kind of demon"

Julien nodded restraining herself from saying that maybe Walsh should care of her business and let demons to who killed them for job… and was amused by doing it… and got bored when the others cleaned the city instead of her…

"Buffy we gotta go" Riley called her from the entrance.

"Julien, would you like to come? If I said to Walsh that you are…"

"No, don't worry, I prefer make the patrol on my own, don't tell her about me. Actually I don't want to work with the Enterprise."

"Oh.. .are you sure? Don't you wanna be a part of the team, share the weigh? I know they can't be like us, but they could help, couldn't they?"

The brunette sighed "Listen, it's okay to me if you want to slay with them, it's your choice, but I want to avoid them. They're not on my taste, that's all. And then, there are worse fates than be a slayer."

"For example?"

"Being a tent phenomenon for example" she couldn't say it without opening a new worms can "Let it go, I'll leave. Hi Willow, see you tomorrow."

That night she went straight home, the patrol would be useless with Buffy and her terminator's team around.

She had a shower and took a new dasila phial "There are bigger weight than being a slayer" she whispered before taking it.

She woke up by the sound of someone who was screaming her name, hands that shook her strongly.

"Come on snotty, do you wanna wake or not?"

"S-Spike?"

Julien opened her eyes slowly, the vampire was bent on her and seeing him so near made her blush, she sat immediately, but she was hit by a strong headache and her stomach seemed to overturn.

"What are you doing here? It's morning, you must sleep now" she murmured painful.

"I have no time for this now, that damned soldiers are following me around, they even shot me, look."

The blond took off his jacket, pointing his shoulder where it seemed something shining was lodging, it didn't seem a bullet neither a downer, what if it was poisoned?

"It would be better to call the others, I don't like that thing at all."

"What are you waiting for? So, let's go."

The girl went calling for Giles, while she warned him about Spike's situation and asked him to reach her as soon as possible, her stomach seemed to become worse and her temperature fell down of many degrees was it normal to be so cold?

"Giles will come soon" she informed the vampire.

Just at that time a tough giddiness made her lose her balance, she fell down risking to throw up in a moment "What the Hell have you got now?" she heard Spike coming nearer, but his voice seemed far, she felt him taking her by an arm "You haven't got a good look snotty, these seems like an hangover… didn't they teach you not t drink at your age?"

"I didn't drink" she muttered, but she resulted less convinced when she had to run to the bathroom.

The blond stayed analyzing her from the doorstep "What's happening?" he asked, oddly serious.

Julien turned and looked at him asking how much he did understand, but it was impossible, was it?

Dasila was hidden under the floor's planks under her bed and even if he would find it he wouldn't understand what she needed it for. But it was also true that Spike saw her sleeping a lot of times and she didn't know the effects of the medicine on her body.

Sam said it caused a little coma, but which way?

What happened to her body while she was sleeping?

"Nothing" she whispered as answer.

The vampire seemed ready to deny, but he was interrupted by the doorbell ring… the others had arrived.

"Go down and open please. I'll come soon."

Spike looked at her for a few moments before he went down, without saying a thing.

Julien swallowed a pair of painkillers conscious they wasn't supposed to make any difference and she washed her face, she heard down Giles and Xander's voices, she went down the stairs and found them all into the living room.

Giles was at the phone, Xander was discussing with Anya and Spike leaning on the wall, with his arms folded and the eyes fixed on her like he was looking for the puzzle's missing tile.

"Willow will be here soon" the watcher informed them.

"Willow? Why, what's happening?"

"It seems that fangless has been hit by a detector, if we don't remove it they'll find him even here" Xander explained clearly pleased to know the answer.

"Oh..hey! I don't want the army to invade my home."

"That's why I called Willow, she'll make a spell to twist the signal the time we'll need t remove the detector. Have you got some alcohol Julien?"

"I got some brandy, why?"

"Do you wanna get drunk? I won't let someone half drunk operate me."

"I need it to anaesthetize while I remove that thing from your shoulder."

"Oh"

"What do you need more?"

Anya and her prepared all he needed and five minutes later even the red haired arrived in order to help them.

Spike laid down on the sofa and while Willow recited the spell, Giles took out the dector.

"How much time do you still need?" Xander asked anxious.

"I'm not a doctor so I need more time"

The red haired finished the spell, the light turned off for a moment while the air seemed to be full of electricity.

"I guess it worked" the witch said, satisfied, once that everything went back normal.

"I've almost done" Giles said.

Spike took the bandy bottle, he just finished it and he was almost asleep.

"Here it is" the watcher shouted, putting out the bullet and keeping it tight into the pliers.

"It's enormous" Anya said.

"Let's free of it" Giles started in a serious way "I don't know why I'm telling you this, but it's for your safe, you must leave the city, is dangerous with that soldiers aound"

Julien felt her breath missing, leaving the city? Forever? He couldn't do it…

"I won't go until that guys won't undo what they did to me."

"And how do you think to do it? Telling him to heal you because you miss killing?"

"Do you think it would work?"

"Spike, I'm serious, here's not safe for you."

"It isn't for none of us..."

Buffy stood on the doorstep with the expression of who just spent her life worst quarter, the face pale and bruised…

tbc...