Chapter Ten.
Back in the Crypt. Spike's room.
Dawn ran up to her mom, "Are you okay?"
Joyce turned to Dawn and gave her a big hug, "I'm fine sweetheart. I need you to sit down because I don't know how much time we have."
"How much time for what?"
"I have to tell you some things and I know you are going to have so many questions, but I need you to just listen for now. Okay?" Joyce asked as she looked back at the door.
"Okay, I guess. I don't know what's going on." Dawn said as she waited patiently for her mom to explain things.
"I wanted to tell you and Buffy both at the same time, but that's not going to be possible right now. I will explain everything in more detail when we get out of here. For now though, I have to tell you something I've kept a secret for over 17 years." Joyce looked over at Dawn's innocent face and had to get up and walk away or she'd break down in tears.
"Mom, are you crying? Just tell me what's wrong. Please." Dawn said with a pleading voice.
Joyce took a moment to compose herself and she turned around to face Dawn, "There is no easy way to say this in such a short time, but I promise there is an explanation for everything. God, this is hard. I'm so sorry Dawn." Joyce said, needing another moment to get herself together, "I'm just going to say it, your father isn't your birth father."
Dawn sat there silent for a long time, not really sure what this all meant, "How can that be? Aren't you married? What about dad?"
"Your dad loves you so much. He does. He always has. So many things happened before your dad and I got married. It's a long and complicated story, but we did love each other. We got married so we could raise a family. Starting with Buffy, but there were so many things that got in the way and pressures I don't have time to explain, but what I need for you to do when you get out of here, and you will, you have to get Buffy to call a Rupert Giles in England. Here's his number. Put it somewhere safe. He can explain it all if something happens to me."
"Mom, you're scaring me." Dawn said as she got up and walked over to her mom, "Who is this Giles person?"
"Oh sweetie, I wish I could tell you all of it now, but I have to go. I'm sorry for everything, but I love you. Don't ever forget that. No matter what happens, I need you to hear this and know I never meant for any of this to happen. I love you. Stay here until it's safe. I have a strong sense that we're not alone in here. You will be safer if you don't leave this room. I love you Dawn. Tell Buffy I love her to. I have to go. I'm sorry." Joyce sat Dawn back down in the chair, walked over to the door, opened it and took off running.
Spike tried to grab her arm, but she shook him off and ran down the long dark tunnel. He motioned for his guards to chase her, then opened his door to make sure Dawn was still inside, "Your mom just made a very big mistake. Leaving you with a big bad vampire is just not good parenting. I need you to stay here until I find your mommy and bring here back. I will have two big bad vamps outside watching you, so you are much safer inside. Is that clear?"Dawn didn't say a word, she just curled up in a little ball, turned away from Spike and stared at the floor.
"I'll take that as a yes." Spike said as he closed the door and took off down the tunnel.
Buffy, Faith and Xander were going in circles, hitting one dead end after the other, so they stopped and took a break.
"This is getting us nowhere." Xander said kicking the ground in frustration.
"I know." Faith added, We need to try something different. We are just repeating the same path. Somehow we are missing the right turn off because of it."
Walking towards one of the dead ends to the right of her, Buffy spotted the tiniest little metal object right up in the corner and ran to have a look. It was too high up for her to reach, "Xander, your height is needed."
"I knew that would come in handy one day." He said and then marched over towards Buffy.
"What can you make of that?" Buffy said pointing to the object."
Xander reached up to have a look, made some strange humming sounds and then pushed at the object with his hand. A loud shifting noise behind them got their attention, so they all ran back and saw that a wall had opened up right where they had been standing.
With three big sigh's, they followed the path through some water and then up and under a bridge, before ending up on land again.
This time there was only one-way to go and that was up and to the left, so that's where they headed. As they approached an open area, they spotted a couple vamps guarding a large metal gate and stopped again to discuss strategy.
"It looks like we're finally here." Faith said as the adrenaline began kicking in.
Buffy smiled at the thought they were getting closer to finding her family, "I think so. We don't have a lot of options here either or the time to think of better ones, so the way I see it we just go through this place section by section until we find them. Whoever is in the way is dust."
"Sounds like a plan." Xander said, jumping up and down and shadowboxing to get ready.
Both girls looked at him as though he were insane, "Um, you can stop hopping there Ali, because you're staying in the back. We can't afford to have you killed. This is not a debate. You will be the one who takes my mom and sister back through this mess to safety. Okay?"
After some minor grumbling, Xander nodded his agreement.
"Good." Buffy said as she moved over to Faith, "Are we ready? Let's go then."
With those three words, the two slayers made their way along the side of the path, hopped on a couple large crates and then in unison jumped on the two guards. There wasn't much of a fight as the two guards were dust in a matter of seconds.
Opening the gate, they walked into a small compound with one room to the left and two more to the right. Straight ahead was a larger room that seemed to go on forever.
"Let's check these side rooms out and then move on to the big one." Buffy said, not waiting for a response as she moved towards the room on the left.
Carefully, she opened the door, but found nothing but some supplies scattered about on the floor.
Both Faith and Xander found similar sights in the rooms they checked out.
Forming back in front of the large building, they used hand signals to set things in motion and Buffy and Faith led the way through the door, catching the first vamp guard unaware, they dispatched him with no resistance.
Moving forward they took out every vamp they found and continued moving down the long and winding corridor until the came to an intersection. Just before the path went in three different directions, there was a door to the left with two guards in front of it.
Meticulously, Buffy and Faith took them out and Buffy opened the door and took a peak inside. In the far corner of the room she saw Dawn and with the biggest smile ever, ran over and gave her a big warm hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay. Did they hurt you? Where's mom? Is she okay?" Buffy said, pummeling Dawn with questions before she had a chance to breathe.
"I don't know where mom is. She took off. She told me stay here and said she loved me and then she left." Dawn said, still shaken up about the whole mess.
"Why would she leave? I don't understand." Buffy said, trying to envision a reason her mom would take off like that.
"She was saying all kinds of things. About dad and about this man named Giles. She said we should talk to him about all this. He's with some council? I don't know, but she said something about dad not being our real dad. That's not true is it?" Dawn asked, hoping Buffy would tell her what she needed to hear.
"I don't know about any of this." Buffy said, not really understanding most of what Dawn was saying, "I need to talk to mom. Where did she go? She just up and left for no reason?"
"No, she was talking to this Spike guy. He said he knew a secret and as soon as he mentioned this Giles guy, she freaked out." Dawn said as she tried her best to remember everything that happened, "She also said she sensed that we weren't alone and she was right. You guys are here. She knew that. How?"
Buffy gave Dawn another hug to comfort here, "I don't know Dawn. I just don't know. She was right and I need to find out how." She turned Dawn towards Xander, "This is a friend of mine, Xander. He's going to take you back out through the tunnels and take you home."
"Hi Dawn. It's a long way back, but I'll get you home safely. I promise." Xander said in his best reassuring voice.
"Oh and this is Faith, she's a friend to." Buffy said as she smiled over at Faith. "I have so many things to tell you about this whole day. Faith is going to be staying with us for awhile. But, we can talk about that when we are all back home."
"Okay, but I don't want to go without mom. Can't I wait until you find her?" Dawn asked as she looked up at her sister with her sad eyes.
"I'm sorry Dawn, but I need you to be safe now. Faith and I are going to find mom. It's going to be too dangerous for you. So please just go with Xander and I'll see you at home." Buffy asked and then motioned with her eyes for Xander to get going.
"Why is everyone telling me to do things and not telling me why today? I hate this. I want to see mom. She was so scared for me before and I'm afraid something bad is going to happen now." Dawn said, her eyes filling with tears again.
"Everything will be fine once you get back home. Please don't argue. I swear to you I will not leave here until I find mom. Okay? I want to bring her home as much as you do. You need to go Dawn. I love you." Buffy gave Dawn a kiss on the forehead, led them outside and watched them as they faded out of sight down the tunnel.
Wiping her own tears away, Buffy refocuses and turned to Faith, "This is it. Which way do we go? I say we go straight, and if that doesn't work we double back and check the other two."
"Okay, I'm ready."
With that, they were off again. Down the path and through a series of rooms, they cleared out each one and kept moving forward.
Spike stood across from Joyce, as she stood in a corner of a large dining room, waved his hands at the six other vamps that surrounded her, "Well, you have cost me about 30 minutes of my time. I don't like that. Either come quietly or we can do it the fun way. Your choice."
"You can save the threats, I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't know how you found about me, but you made a big mistake digging into my life." Joyce said, surveying the room as she took a couple small steps to her left.
"My, my, look who's making all the threats, the woman hiding in the corner." Spike moved forward and hopped on the extra long dining room table, "You aren't going anywhere. If you insist on making this difficult, it will cost you. I think you know that means."
"It's just like you Spike to go after the innocent. It is your motto."
Spike took another step towards Joyce, "I guess you've heard of me. Well, that's good then; there will be no confusion when I tell you what I'll do to your daughter if you don't start cooperating."
"I'm afraid not, everything is going to end here." Joyce said and then hopped across the table, grabbed the vamp to her left, elbowed him in the midsection, knocked him to the ground with a forearm to the back and then knelt down and staked him as she looked at the others closing in on her.
"That's one Joyce, but you'll never get us all. Keep going and I'll make you one of us." Spike shouted across the room as he waved his vamps to attack.
All at once, they rushed towards Joyce.
A Laboratory somewhere.
"Hit the kill switch." Riley ordered as he watched the vampires attack Joyce.
Oz pushed the switch beside his computer and then sat back and watched.
Spike's Crypt.
There were bodies flying everywhere. One by one, the vamps slowly began to turn to dust. With only two left Spike began to get impatient and angry and so moved in and just as Joyce staked another vamp, Spike lunged at Joyce.
Riley's Lab.
"Hit the kill switch! End the program. Now!" Riley yelled at the top of his lungs."I'm hitting it! It's not responding. Something is jamming the signal. We've lost control of Spike." Oz said, turning back to the monitor.
"No, no. This is not what's supposed to happen." Riley said, frantically looking for a solution, "Send some men to the crypt."
"There's no time. He's got a hold of her already." Oz said
Spike's Crypt.
Putting his teeth on her neck, Spike began draining her blood as she fell to her knees.
Slowly she began to lose the color in her face and with time running out Spike removed his teeth. "Feed. You still have time! Feed off me and you'll live for ever."
With her energy completely gone and her pulse slowing every second, Joyce managed to open her eyes and look at Spike, "This will be the last thing you ever do. I hope you rot in hell."
Seeing no chance of Joyce changing her mind, he dove back in with his teeth and finished what he'd started and sucked the last breath from her.
Buffy and Faith burst into the room as Spike stood up from Joyce's body, blood dripping down his face as he stared back at the slayers. "I didn't plan on this, but she gave me no choice."
Faith looked at Buffy, who was in shock at what she was looking at, and tried to get her attention, "Buffy. Buffy!" With no response, Faith jumped into action.
The first vamp rushed at her and was dust before he took a swing, leaving Spike the last vamp in the room.
"You think you can take me down? Think again little girl." Spike said as he stepped back, "Just take the other slayer and leave and maybe I'll let you live."
"Do you know what it'll feel like when you turn to dust?" Faith said, her eyes boring a hole in Spike. "You better start visualizing it, because you are not leaving this room alive. Words can't describe what I feel right now, but I don't need words to make you pay."
Spike could tell he was going to have to fight his way out the room. He looked around one last time and then made his move as he rushed towards Faith.
Moving with precision she didn't know she had, Faith avoided Spike's initial barrage of attacks and with cat-like reflexes, she jumped over his head, put her hand around his neck and with one quick blow she ended the reign of one of the most dangerous vampire's to ever exist.
When she turned around she saw Buffy holding her mom in her arms, tears flowing down her face in a stream that never seem to end.
Faith walked over and knelt down beside Buffy, rested her hand on her shoulder and waited until she'd let it all out.
Time stood still as Buffy replayed every good time she ever had with her mother, but couldn't get past how things ended the last time she saw her.
Looking up at Faith, her face beyond sad, Buffy tried to speak, "I was mad at her this morning. I don't know what I wanted, but I think I wanted her to keep me out school for another day. I knew she had a meeting, but I was still mad when she took off."
"It's okay." Was all Faith could think of to say.
"No, don't you see, my last feelings about my mom were anger and bitterness. If only I was a better daughter. If I didn't get in trouble at the other school we never would've moved here and none of this would have happened. It's all my fault." Buffy said, positive she was responsible for her mother's death.
"We need to get you home. I'm going to call the mayor and have him send a team here to help... to get your mom out of this horrible place."
"Yes, you're right." Buffy said as she looked around the room, "She should be somewhere warm and safe and not this dark disgusted hell hole."
"I'm calling them now." Faith said, and then walked away from Buffy and placed the call to the mayor.
It was 45 minutes before a team burst into the room. Faith filled them in on the situation and then walked back over to Buffy, "Are you okay? They are here to take your mom somewhere safe and warm like you wanted."
Buffy looked up at Faith, then saw the men behind her and then looked down at her mom one more time, "I'm so sorry. I should've gotten here sooner. Please forgive me."
Faith fought back her tears as she took Buffy's hand and pulled her back so the men could get the body ready for transport.
When they were ready, they gave Faith the signal and she turned to Buffy, "It's time to go now. I need to get you home. Dawn needs you right now."
"Oh god no." Buffy said with a muffled scream, "How am I going to tell her? She's never gonna forgive me for this."
"It's okay, let's just get you home and we'll deal with that when the time comes." Faith said as she put her arm around Buffy.
"Okay." Buffy said, too weak to say anything else.
Riley's Lab.Sitting at his chair with his head on the desk, Riley continued to look at the tape trying to figure out what went so horribly wrong. Oz stood beside him still shocked at what he'd just witnessed.
"We need to find the answer here. Something or more than likely someone, interfered with our program. This is not a mistake; this was deliberate. I want to know who did this. Bring me every single surveillance tape we have. From every single section of the lab as well as the outside feeds. I know we'll find something."
"I'll get on it." Oz said and then walked towards the door, "You can't blame yourself for this. It was someone else who is responsible."
"Maybe, but I created the program. I should've thought of a way to scramble the signal better. There are so many things I could've done to prevent this." Riley yelled as he smashed his hand against the desk, "Now I will, but at what cost."
Oz thought about saying something, but chose silence as he walked out the room to round up the surveillance tapes.
End of Chapter Ten.
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