Coming Through

Chapter Thirty Six – Oi! Again!

Spike chuckled, "The vampires. Where did they move to?"

Lavelda nodded toward the fireplace. "They're in the woods behind the mansion."

Spike followed her gaze, "Are they now? And how long have they been out there?"

Lavelda leaned back in the chair, puffing on her cigarette. "They showed up about an hour after you did."

Tara turned and looked at the fireplace, "What do they want?"

Spike shrugged, "Me. Buffy. What did you find out from that sod in the basement?"

Tara turned back to Spike with a frown. "Nothing. He won't talk. At all. All he does is snarl and growl. I did manage to get his name, but only because I went through his clothes and found an expired driver's license. His name is Thomas and he's from Tennessee, if that helps. He also had a military ID. Army."

Spike frowned, "I got him to talk last night. Took a lot of poundin' and a fair amount of cuttin', but he finally opened his mouth."

Tara smirked at Spike, "How much talking did he actually do? What words did he say?"

Spike looked at her in confusion for a minute then grinned a little sheepishly, "Well… the only word the bloke actually said was 'Slayer.' I could smell Dru in him, so I knew he was hers and I know how her mind works… most of the time… so I guess I filled in the pieces myself."

Buffy looked thoughtful, "Maybe he's scared to talk because he's afraid of what his boss will do to him."

Tara shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't get fear from him at all. He's not afraid of Spike, or me, or whoever he reports to. He's just really, really stubborn." She slid her foot over and nudged Spike's boot. "Bleach his hair and hand him a cigarette and he could be you."

"Oi!"

Buffy giggled, "Well, he is Drusilla's. Maybe she has a type. Infuriatingly stubborn men."

"Oi! Again!"

Buffy and Tara giggled as Lavelda glared. "So the vampire in the basement is Drusilla's Childe?"

Spike shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "No, he's her minion. Strong git, though." He looked at Tara. "Did you suss out what makes him so strong? Magic or…"

She shook her head with a look of frustration. "Whatever it is, it's not magical. The only magic vibe I get from him is the inherent magic that all vampires have. His aura, though. There's something almost… artificial… or synthetic… in it. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was on some kind of medication."

Buffy's brows knitted together, "Vamps on meds? What kind of drugs could make vampires stronger? And what kind of idiot would want to do that?"

Spike tilted his head in thought then looked at Lavelda, "Are all the blokes out there vamps? No humans mixed in?"

She shook her head, "All vampires. The only humans I sense anywhere near here are the two in this room and one sleeping upstairs."

Spike quirked an eyebrow at Tara, "Who's upstairs?"

She blushed slightly, "Willow. She wanted to come to Court, but I told her she couldn't, you know, because of the biting and everything. She wants to talk to you about that later, when you have time."

Spike nodded, "All right, pet. We'll sort that after we sort this."

Buffy leaned back and looked at Spike, "You've figured something out, haven't you? Do you know who's controlling Drusilla?"

"Not who in particular, but maybe what. If Dru's under the college… it might be a vamped soldier boy come back to the Initiative. That would explain the drugs. Adam told me all about it… at length… git really liked to hear himself talk. The stuff those scientists were feedin' the grunts to make 'em so strong might work on vampires."

Buffy's eyes widened, "That place is still there? I thought the government would have… I don't know… taken it apart or something. I didn't really think about it after we kicked Adam's ass, what with Dawn… and Glory… and dying… and coming back… you know… it kind of slipped my mind."

Spike shook his head, "Nope. Gits just left it… walked away. Left all the bodies – demon and human – the equipment… everything. I had a group of demons go in and clean it up… got rid of the bodies, at any rate… thought maybe to use it for some kind of demon housing, but they all refuse to live there… so it's empty. Or, it was. Looks like we may have some new neighbors."

"Who are waiting outside to kill us." Buffy sat up and slid her feet to the floor. "Well, it wouldn't be polite to keep them waiting, so we should go." She glanced over at Lavelda, "How many are out there?"

Lavelda looked slightly offended at being addressed directly by Spike's pet, but she covered with a saccharine smile that made Buffy's teeth ache. "Four."

Spike snorted, "Four? That's all? Well… that's just… insulting."

Buffy grinned, "Shouldn't take very long then. You up for it, Big Bad?"

Spike grinned back, "I'm always up for a spot of violence, luv, but how do you plan to scrap in that cute little number?" He leaned close and whispered in her ear, "Might show off a bit more of your… bits… than you… or I… would like, kitten."

Buffy blushed and looked down at her rather short skirt, suddenly remembering that she wasn't wearing any underwear, per Spike's instructions. "Oh… right. Um…"

Tara chuckled, "Come with me, Buffy. I can fix you up something else to wear and then I'm going to bed. I'm pooped."

Buffy climbed off Spike's lap and followed Tara out of the room. When she came back a few minutes later, she was wearing clothing that was more appropriate for fighting; a long-sleeved black shirt under a leather jacket, black jeans, and a pair of clunky black boots. She walked over and stopped in front of Spike's chair, giggling just a bit. "She took some of your spare clothes and turned them into a girl version." She held out one arm and pulled up the sleeve of her motorcycle jacket, "See? My shirt has a little rose on the cuff."

Spike chuckled and pulled her down onto his lap. "You look delicious, luv." He nuzzled against her neck and whispered in her ear. "Still no knickers though, right? Seein' as how I never wear 'em, I wouldn't have any 'spare' ones lyin' around."

She blushed and shook her head, "Nope."

He reached up and ran his fingers along the collar she was still wearing. "What 'bout this, pet? You want me to take it off now?"

She shook her head again and whispered in his ear, "No… I kind of like it. Makes me feel like you're with me all the time." She sat up and looked down at herself, "Besides, it really goes with this outfit. I look like a female you."

Spike burst into laughter, "All you need is loads of black eyeliner, some black nail polish, and a few safety pins in your jacket. Then you'd be the bird version of me… well… from the 70s, at any rate."

Lavelda got to her feet, smoothing her skirt as she tried not to retch on the couple snuggling in the chair. "I'll just be going. You two have… uh… fun."

Spike smiled up at her, "You're welcome to watch, if you like. I know how much you enjoy a good scrap, Vel. Although with only four vamps, it's not gonna be much of one, but you'll still get to see Buffy in action."

Lavelda looked like she'd rather see pretty much anything else but Buffy doing anything, except maybe disappearing… or bleeding to death. She reached up; brushing her fingers against the largish locket that was nestled in her cleavage, then nodded her head as her mouth twisted into a wicked grin. "Sure. That would be… um… nice."

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Buffy's skin tingled as they passed through the wards on the mansion and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Why aren't we going out the back? That's where they are, right, Lavelda?"

Lavelda grimaced at being addressed directly… again. 'And she used my name! Of all the nerve!' She wrapped her fingers tightly around the locket, hiding the pulsing red glow that emanated from the back as she activated the device. When the light blinked out she smiled and nodded. "Yes, Slayer, that's where they are. Four vampires behind the mansion."

Spike squeezed Buffy's hand. "We're going out this way because anybody hiding in the tree line would be able to pick us off too easily if we left by the back door." He looked over his shoulder at Lavelda. "Can you pinpoint them?"

Lavelda closed her eyes and pretended to concentrate. "They're almost directly across from the back door." Her brow furrowed and she frowned. "Wait. Now they're splitting up." She opened her eyes and smiled. "They're circling around the house."

Spike nodded to his left. "I'll take the right side of the mansion." He smiled at Buffy as he nodded to his right. "You take the left side and we'll meet in the middle, yeah?"

Buffy grinned as she leaned up to kiss him. "All right. See you in a few minutes." She pulled a stake from the inside pocket of her jacket and looked at Lavelda, eyeing her silky dress and shiny shoes. "You ready? Might be kind of hard to follow me in that."

Lavelda smirked, "Lead the way, I'll manage." She closed her eyes again and the air around her seemed to shimmer. Buffy's eyes got wide and her mouth dropped open as Lavelda's dress changed to a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved knit top. Her black pumps seemed to melt into a pair of black hiking boots, and her long, loose curls were suddenly snugged tight to the back of her head in a large bun.

Buffy blinked and closed her mouth. "Wow. That was way cool." She grinned over at Spike. "Having that power would make getting ready take a lot less time."

Spike chuckled, "Might, but somehow I'm doubtin' it, luv."

She smacked his arm then pulled him into a kiss, murmuring against his lips. "Love you, Spike."

He slid his fingers into her hair as he deepened the kiss then pressed his forehead to hers. "Love you back, kitten. Be careful, yeah?" She nodded and he let her go then started off down the sidewalk. Buffy watched him for a few seconds then turned and walked off in the opposite direction. Lavelda grinned wickedly as she fingered the locket through her shirt and followed Buffy.

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Riley frowned as he pressed his fingers against the receiver in his ear. "She's here. Buffy's here."

Nathan's eyes went wide. "I thought you said she'd never go to Court with him, Sire."

Riley growled. "That's because I didn't think she would." His brow furrowed and he shook his head. "She waited in the kitchen or something. There's no way she went into the chamber with him. She'd never kneel at his feet. Never." Something else coming through the receiver made him smile widely. "She got them to split up. Spike will be coming from that direction." He pointed into the trees then pointed at six of the vampires clustered around him. "Nathan, take them and get Spike. I'll take the other six and get Buffy."

Nathan smiled and pulled two tazers from his belt. "I can hit him with both, right, Sire? You're not worried about damage?"

Riley shook his head. "Nope. As long as you don't dust him, you can do whatever you want. Have fun and I'll see you back at base."