Chapter 11: Six Months Later
Six Months Later
Buffy punched through a gray spiky demon's nose, but she didn't have the luxury to see him fall. Two more demons reached her line of sight forcing her to duck to avoid their projectiles. Glancing at the fallen objects, she couldn't decide if they were knives or darts. Either way she knew better than to touch them. Any weapon that came out of a demon's own flesh was probably poisoned.
She dived behind a dumpster and instead, she picked up littered beer bottles. Breaking them against the metal, she jumped out the other side of the dumpster and threw them at the demons' heads. She hit them between the eyes taking them both down quickly. Seeing no more demons immediately after her, Buffy ran to a pile of cardboard. She rummaged until she found it: the car seat.
"Hi sweetie." The cut on her brow dripped blood on his blanket. "That's my good boy being so quiet for mommy." Through labored breathing, she still managed a smile. She picked up the seat and continued running down the alley. She kept looking behind her and prayed none of her enemies had superior night vision. She honestly didn't know how long she could keep this up.
Angel cleaned his weapons mindlessly. His attention kept fleeing to his last conversation with Buffy.
One Month Ago:
Standing beside her, he looked down at her packed bag. "Going to Lilly's again?"
She nodded curtly.
"You've been spending the night a lot there."
She added Vincent's duck toy to the bag.
"Are you leaving me?"
He didn't think she'd answer, but after a moment, she sighed, "My mom wanted me safe." She glanced at Vinny. "She worried about us here. I'm starting to realize she was right. Everyone was right." Looking at a spot in front of Angel, she whispered, "I just didn't want it to be true."
"Buffy."
She met his eyes. "I know you want us." She searched his soul through his eyes and her eyes misted."You want redemption more." He didn't dispute the truth. Nodding, she straightened her shoulders. "That's not my fight, and we both know you probably can't win it without dying first."
"I would never let anything happen to you."
Looking down, she took his hand. "I have to do what's right for my family. You told me that." She let his hand go and turned away.
The end of an ax put splinters in his hand. Hissing, he threw the offending weapon across the room.
Wesley turned the page in his book."Give her time."
"I've given her time and space and I just. . ." Angel stared at the axe in the wall.
"She's grieving."
He surveyed the array of shiny weapons he'd spent all day working on. "I miss them."
Wesley looked up from his research. "She still hasn't reached out?"
As he dislodged the axe, Angel felt Wes watching him.
Wes observed, "Before the surgery, she'd been braced for her mother's death. When it went well and we all thought she was out of the woods . . ." He closed the book in front of him. "I wonder if it's better to lose someone early but be able to say goodbye than have time with them but no closure."
Angel returned to his tools and began sanding the axe's handle smooth. "Thankfully, we don't have to make that choice."
Wesley nodded and pulled another book from the pile.
Buffy stood anxiously by the pay phone. "Yes, I stole Gunn's truck. It's crashed, it's gone! Look I don't have time-" She tried to steady her breathing. "Lilly, listen! I need wheels now."
Vincent started to cry.
"I have to keep moving. Have Sunny meet me at Caritas." Out of frustration, she dented the phone booth with a palm strike. "If he doesn't know where that is, then get Gunn."
Movement in her peripheral vision sent her heart racing. "Just do what I said." Picking up the car seat, she dropped the phone and continued on.
It dangled by its cord as several figures followed her trail.
Two Months Ago
Wearing his earnest expression, Spike asked, "You sure you don't want me to stay?"
Her tone warmed and softened. "You belong somewhere else. . . with someone else."
"Shirty bint does right fine without me."
Faith sauntered down the stairs. "Duh."
"It means a lot that you came for the funeral, but I'm betting there's some evil that needs you to stop it."
Faith smirked. "Always." She joined them at the door. "Not sure this one would be much help though." Her eyes turned serious. "I'm thinkin' you should keep him."
Quirking a brow, Spike shrugged, "Don't everyone ditch me at once now."
Buffy looked at Faith with somber eyes. "I made you a promise: that if you need me, I'll be there - no matter what." Her mouth tightened. " I can't break that promise but I don't know if I can it keep either." She caressed Faith's hair. "I'm hoping with Spike there, you'll never need me." With her hand on Faith's hair, she looked at Spike. In a whisper, she plead, "So don't make a liar of me, alright?"
He nodded once watching her carefully.
Faith shook away eye-misting emotions. "Okay, where's the little lady's man? no way am I leaving without pinching those cheeks one last time."
Buffy smiled. "He's with Cordy in the kitchen."
Faith looked at Spike, but he shook his head. "Already had my goodbye with the tot."
She shrugged and hurried off to the kitchen.
When Faith was out of ear shot, Spike considered Buffy. "You're not long for this world, are you slayer?" Her silence made him glare. "Your mum's not buried a week and you're gettin' ready to die fighting."
She met his critical gaze evenly."If I need help, I've got a whole team here."
Her expression shuttered again, and he straightened. "Keep your bloody secrets then." He walked away huffing, "It'll serve you right if they end up killing you."
Instead of watching him leave, she looked to the ground and nodded to herself.
Lilly yelled into the hallway, "Sunny!"
From the radio table, Bernie held up two fingers and Dan added two more colored pins to an already colorful map. "She's got a ways to go on foot."
As soon as Dan scribbled something down, Cynthia took it from him. "Too far if they keep coming at this rate." She added it to her pile of notes and continued reading the computer screen displaying demon descriptions.
Sunny ran into the room. "What ya need?"
"Get Gunn and head to Lorne's bar. Anne needs her jeep." He nodded and sprinted out.
Covering a phone with her hand, Gemma hollered, "We know how to kill the orange ones yet?"
Cyn shook her head. "I'm still working on the spiky ones."
As Gemma apologized over the phone, Raquel whispered back at Lilly. "Where are they all coming from?"
Still holding the phone, Lilly stood guard in the doorway biting her nails. "We don't know yet."
Sunny ran into Gunn at the front door. "You're here. Good. Let's go."
"We know where Anne is?" He followed him down the stairs.
"She's headed to the demon bar."
The answer surprised him so much he bumped into a woman.
"Hey Gunn, Anne in there? Angel is still totally moped-out and-" She watched Sunny run passed her. "What's with the serious?"
"Cordelia, I don't have time-"
Sunny reached the jeep. "I'm gone man."
"Wait!" In spite of Cordy grabbing his arm, Gunn pushed forward. "You don't know where you're going."
"I have an idea." Sunny got in her jeep and started it.
"Sunny!"
"What's going on?"
"Sunny!" His cries were useless; Sunny was already pulling out.
"Gunn, talk to me." Cordy shook his arm. Should I call Angel?"
Seeing her reach for her phone, Gunn batted her hand down. "No!" He tried to calm himself. "No. If you want to help, that's not the way - not this time."
"I'm really going to need a reason." When he didn't answer right away, she marched up the steps calling out, "Anne!"
Gunn sighed and followed her back inside.
Lilly spotted them from her post in the office doorway. "What are you still doing here? Anne needs a car like yesterday."
"So she can crash another one?"
Cordelia's eyes widened. "We should so be calling Angel."
Lilly ignored her. "Gunn-" Something inside the office grabbed her attention and she abandoned them.
Gunn stopped Cordelia before she could follow her. "Your boss is being watched by Wolfram and Hart. You call him and whatever chance we have of fixing this is gone."
She begged pitifully. "What is 'this'?"
His expression turned grim. "Best we can figure, someone put a bounty on Anne and Vince." Cordy's gasp gave him time to continue. "Maybe it was the lawyers, maybe not. If it wasn't, they could make things a lot worse." He glanced at the office. "And tonight, that's a hell of a thing to imagine."
Three Months Ago
"Charles Gunn."
Coming out of Sanctuary, Gunn turned around and found a man standing on the other side of the stoop."That sign saying 'everyone's welcome' is a lie. Lawyers got enough rocks to hide under."
Lindsey fell into step beside him. "As long as you're outside, I don't need to go inside."
"I got nothing to do with you."
"I'm assigned to Angel's case and he knows Ms. Steele."
"I don't have a lot." Gunn jerked to face him. "Including patience. Get to your point. Fast."
Lindsey smiled. "I'm going to give you an envelope, and you're going to give it to Anne."
No sooner had Gunn guffawed than he found himself back-against a wall with Lindsey's forearm at his throat.
"Charles, I'm off the clock, and you're the only AI associate Wolfram and Hart isn't keeping tabs on, so I get to be impatient too." He released some of the pressure. "Now, you're going to deliver this envelope for the persuasive reason that if you don't, I will." He reapplied pressure. "And there's little my employers won't do to prevent that." He backed off some. "She needs this information to be safe." He took an envelope out of his jacket pocket and put it inside Gunn's. "And she can't get it safely without you." He patted the pocket, "So don't be an idiot." He stepped away.
Gunn tried to hide his cough. "What do you care if a civilian is safe or not?"
Looking back at Sanctuary, Lindsey announced, "I'm leaving, and I don't want the destruction of a mother and child to be the last thing I contributed to LA." He met Gunn's eyes again. "I've got enough sins to carry as it is." He walked back to his car. "Don't forget about that envelope."
