"Four hours! How can a 45 minute drive take FOUR bloody hours?! It's
simply inconceivable!" Rupert Giles was growing more and more frustrated
as the deadlocked traffic inched along I-5 towards LA. And it certainly
didn't help to have Xander Harris along for the ride. Apparently the young
man had built up a lot of repressed anger towards the erstwhile Slayer, and
decided to vent. Completely.
".And she just ups and runs off to LA! Like none of us really even mattered to her! She is so completely selfish! All of us were hurting! But we, unlike her, turned to each other for support. That's what friends do! Can't you make this car go any faster? I feel like we're sitting still."
"That would be because we are. Traffic is deadlocked. I think that maybe we should call Willow and Oz, and get off on the next exit. You all have school in the morning and there's no way that we'll make it to LA in any reasonable." Giles stopped speaking as he noticed the traffic moving again. In a matter of moments, what was once hopelessly deadlocked traffic became a smooth highway drive upwards of 85 miles an hour. Both he and Xander kept their mouths shut until entering city limits, not wanting to jinx their good fortune. Giles guided his battered Citroen onto the first off ramp, followed closely by Oz and Willow in his van. The two vehicles drove to the nearest parking lot where they both stopped, their occupants leaping out, eager to stretch their legs after spending so much time in a seated position. After walking around some, regaining feeling in their extremities, Giles gathered the group around.
"Alright, the investigator had fairly detailed notes from his observations. There are two locations I want to check first. I-if both turn out to be dead ends, we'll start going club to club until we can get a lead on Buffy's whereabouts. Willow, Oz, I want you check up on this street mission that Buffy was spotted leaving last night. Chances are that there is at least someone who may have seen her there. Plus, the two of you asking questions there will be less suspicious than a middle aged British man and a teenaged boy. Xander, you and I will check out the club that Buffy was observed leaving when she went to the mission. What was it called again?"
"Carrot Top's or something", Oz offered.
"No, it was Carrie Taw's", said Xander, "I think. Or not. Hey, really stopped paying attention after 'Buffy's with Spike'."
"Yes, that is a concern of all of ours. Remember, much as I pray for a good explanation for this, which there couldn't possibly be, we must remember that Buffy may have been turned." Giles removed his glasses to clean them.
"Uhm, if she was turned, wouldn't another Slayer be called? That's how it works, after all. One Slayer dies, another is called", said Willow, unconsciously shivering. Oz took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.
"Truthfully, I don't know, Willow. Never in the recorded history of the Slayer has a Slayer been resuscitated, much less there be more than one. For all we know, the Call may be a one time deal. You die, new Slayer called. You die again, nothing." Giles put his glasses on again and looked at his notes again. "Ah, yes. The club is called Caritas. So, shall we get going? The sooner we find Buffy, the sooner we can deal with the repercussions." The group split up again as they returned to their vehicles, driving off in opposite directions.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You know, I wish we could have taken the time to look. It would've been right. He could have still been there. But you know what? Even though we didn't get any resolution in the whole Angel matter, I feel good about myself. We did a good thing last night, helping those kids. And Lily, wow! She just took charge of that situation, didn't she? Got them all moving, leading them to a decent shelter. Of course, I don't get why she changed her name again, but hey? Can't blame a girl for a little hero worship." Buffy kicked back in her chair at Caritas, sipping on a Dr. Pepper. The light had completely returned to her eyes, and she had begun to wear her normal clothing again. This bothered Spike, if for no other reason that it meant that she was one more step closer to leaving him. He didn't know if he could handle that. The reason that he got over Drusilla's death so quickly was his new purpose in keeping Buffy from flying apart at the seams. In essence, he traded one broken doll of a woman for another. But this doll was mending herself. Even with the unresolved Angel issue, having been to Acathla's dimension and all, she was still moving closer to being the old Buffy once more. He didn't like it one bit, but no way was he going to let her know that.
"Oh, yeah, Slayer. Must feel good, that poor bint naming herself after a fictional character an' all that. At least she didn't take yer real name, seeing as how she knew it an' all. Don't think th' world's quite ready for two Buffy's." Spike downed another shot of Jägermeister, relishing the black licorice taste that he hated in any other form. Black licorice, black jelly beans, they were all terrible tasting. But put it in a shot glass, and it was as close to Heaven as a vampire could ever hope to get. He poured himself another shot from the bottle that the bartender handed over when he realized it would be futile to argue with the blonde vampire. He downed the shot quickly, then leaned in toward Buffy. "So, luv, what are we doin' tonight? Fancy another trip t' a Hell dimension? Or maybe we can go crack some demon skulls right here in LA. How 'bout it, Slayer? Wanna start a bar fight in some demon rat trap? Or maybe th' Whisky a Go- Go? Go beat on some human trash? C'mon! Evil's afoot! Grrr! Nasty! Let's go annihilate 'em! For.Christmas! An' th' safety of puppies!" Buffy looked at Spike with an incredulous look on her face.
"The safety of puppies? Since when was William the Bloody concerned about the safety of puppies? And aren't you evil? Not that I don't appreciate the backup, or the fact that you're ruining your 'precious' reputation to even be seen with me, but you are still a bad guy, right?" Buffy took another sip of her Dr. Pepper as Spike's face fell, almost as if she had hurt his feelings. Buffy's face scrunched up. "Spike?", she said, "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Spike leapt to his feet in anger, his game face struggling to come forth.
"Bloody well right y' said somethin' wrong! I put everythin' on th' bloody line t' HELP you, an' you treat it like a big joke! I am not a joke! I am not some thing that can be dismissed th' very second Buffy Summers feels like her old self again! I did all of this fer you! I would've been perfectly content t' 'ave my ashes scatter in the morning breeze, t' join my beloved Drusilla in eternal night, but I didn't! You needed me! An' so, there I was, an' here I am, thinkin' maybe I should've thought this partnership out a little better." Spike's rage subsided, and he sank back into his chair, dejected. He knew he had just blown everything. Now that he had said what he said, Buffy was sure to leave him now. He stuttered out an apology, "Buffy, I-I'm s-sorry, I."
"Save it, Spike! I don't need to hear you try to apologize. You think you hurt so bad, that you have the only right to feel miserable? Uh-uh, buster. I still hurt every single day. The pain drives me, makes me take that next step; It makes me live just a little bit more each day. I'm dealing, for a change. You should try dealing. It might do.you.some.". Buffy's voice trailed off as she peered over Spike's shoulder, transfixed on what she saw. Her eyes grew large, and she tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't obey.
"What's th' matter, Slayer? What's wrong?", said Spike as he turned to look behind him. All of a sudden, a pair of hands grabbed him by the duster, lifting him out of his chair and slamming him onto the table, spilling Dr. Pepper and Jägermeister everywhere. Spike attempted to break free, but was forced down again, this time with a wooden cross with a sharpened bottom. "Bloody Hell! What is goin' on 'ere?!", he shouted as he looked into the face of his assailant. He recognized the face. Wavy, almost black hair, brown eyes, the ears that stuck out just a tad too far. "You, you're th' whelp! Th' one Angelus tried t' sucker me in with!" He struggled against the boy's hold on him again, to no avail. Xander peered down into Spike's face, locking on his eyes.
"I'm gonna enjoy dusting you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"The Family Home. This is it, Oz!" Willow clapped her hands in excitement. They found the place after what seemed like hours of searching. Oz walked up to his girlfriend, took her hand in his.
"So, do we knock, 'cause I'm thinking they probably don't know we're here."
"Yes, let's knock." Willow strode up purposefully and rapped on the wooden door. No answer. She pouted for a moment, then knocked again. Nothing.
"Maybe they're not home." Oz shrugged. This was confusing to him. A street mission with no one inside? Impossible. Unless. "Buffy was here last night. She left with a bunch of kids. You think maybe."
"This place is a front! Of course! That's why Buffy was here! She was doing the superhero and rescuing innocent kids from some skanky demon thing!"
"Skanky?"
"Well, I was gonna say ooky, but that seemed childish." Willow smiled coyly, batting her eyes at her boyfriend. Oz grinned. He loved it when Willow smiled. It brightened even his gloomiest day. He thought about all the things he wanted to do with Willow. The fantasies that spun in and out of his head with reckless abandon, from the apple pie and white picket fence to the kinky. But now was not the time to go exploring, it was Scooby time.
"Willow, maybe we should go inside, see what we can find?"
"How? The door's locked?"
"Never stopped me before." He pulled some tools out of his backpack and set to work picking the door's lock. Within minutes, the door swung open. "After you."
"Why thank, kind sir." Willow stepped into the shelter, flicking on the light switch. Soft yellow light chased away the shadows revealing.an abandoned building. The duo searched room to room, looking for anything that would shed some light on this mystery. Eventually they made their way to the back room. Opening the door, they found the pool that once was the conduit between Acathla's dimension and Earth.
"This room smells different", said Oz, sniffing the air as his heightened senses took in their surroundings. "It smells like.fear and.pain. A lot of people came through here, and it wasn't a good thing. Wait, there's something else.". Oz peered deeper into the room, focusing on the distant corner. As his eyes adjusted further, he began to see a shape take form. It looked.human. "There's someone in here, Willow", he said, slowly entering the dark room. He found the light switch and flicked it on. Bright fluorescent lights flooded the room, illuminating everything, including the figure huddled in the corner. It appeared to be a man, curled in the fetal position. He wore tattered remnants of a black long sleeved shirt, and what used to be leather pants. He seemed to be talking to himself.
"Hello? Are you okay?" asked Willow, slowly stepping toward the man. She reached out to touch his shoulder.
"Willow, be careful", cautioned Oz, moving closer to his girlfriend.
"It's okay, we can help you. What's your name?" She placed her hand on the man's shoulder. It was cold to the touch, much like the room. It was as if his core temperature was room temp, like a reptile or.
"I'm no one, I'm no one." The man pulled away from her touch. The voice was familiar. Curiosity getting the better of the always inquisitive Willow, she reached to the man's face turning it so she could see. His face was thinner, and his hair was longer than she remembered, but it was him.
"Angel?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Xander! Leave him alone!", cried out Buffy as she finally got her legs working. She bolted from her chair and pulled Xander off of Spike, putting her body in between the two. "Back off, now. Spike's with me."
"Giles, I think we're too late. She's defending Spike. Buffy wouldn't do that", said Xander, backing away slowly as he held the cross out towards Buffy. "We'll have to dust them both."
"Dust us both? You think I'm a vampire? God, a girl runs away, makes a new life for herself, and what do her friends say? 'Oh, she's hanging with Spike, so she must be a vampire!' Here, does this help you feel better?" Buffy grabbed the crucifix out of Xander's hand with alarming speed, catching him off guard. As he and Giles looked on, Buffy held the crucifix, touched it to her forehead and then handed it back. "See, still human. I even have a pulse." She put her finger to her carotid artery. "Ooh, it goes thump thump."
"Y-yes, i-it appears that you are--are still you, Buffy", said Giles as he approached her. She assumed a defensive posture, unsure of Giles' motives. But when he stopped just within reach of her and opened his arms, she gave in to the feelings that had shut her down just moments before. She collapsed into his embrace, sobbing. He gripped her firmly, as a father would his missing daughter, as tears ran down his face as well. "Oh, Buffy. I've, I've missed you so."
"I missed you too, Giles", she managed in between sobs. Pulling herself away from the Watcher's embrace, she ran her fingers across her eyes, drying the tears. "Geez, just when a girl finally gets all tough again, you show up and pull the blubbering idiot out of me again." She sat back down and composed herself further. Giles grabbed Spike's chair and sat right next to her.
"Buffy, why did you leave? We've all been terribly worried, your mother especially. What happened?" He put his hands on her shoulders. "Surely, it couldn't have been so terrible that we couldn't have dealt with it together?"
"Mate, you don't 'ave th' slightest clue how bad it was", Spike said as he finished dusting himself off. Grabbing another chair, he sat next to Buffy on the other side of the table, putting his hand on her knee. If he noticed Xander and Giles' reactions to this, he didn't show it. "No one in this bleedin' world should 'ave t' go through what we did that night."
"Oh, yeah? Well, what happened that made Buffy think that shackin' up with Deadboy Jr. was better than coming to her friends?" asked Xander as he took a seat as well, glaring at Spike.
"I think Bu-th' Slayer should tell you. Prob'ly wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"You're right, fang face, I wouldn't believe a word coming from your frozen ass!"
"Oh, you talk a big game, whelp. Care t' put it to th' test, or is yer mouth writin' checks yer skinny arse can't cover?"
"Skinny? The poster child for vampire anorexia, and you're calling me skinny? At least Deadboy was a bruiser. You look like you gotta put rocks in your pockets on a windy day. Or is that why you wear that stupid duster?"
"Yer one t' talk 'bout fashion, boy. At least I'm not th' one wearing Hawaiian print shirts with those ridiculous khaki pants. Who dresses you anyway, yer mum?"
"Alright, that's it! I'm staking you!"
"Bring it on, you nancy boy poofter!"
"Stop it! Both of you! Stop fighting!" Buffy stood up from her seat, backing away from the table. She began wringing her hands then she ran them through her hair. "Geez, why do you have to fight like this? Can't you just this once get along?"
"Ain't gonna happen, Buff. See, the way I figure, after you kicked Dead boy's ass all the way to Hell, Junior here made with the freaky mojo and brainwashed you into leaving with him and Drusilla. By the way, where is loony girl? At home, doing the laundry like a good little vamp homemaker?"
"She's dead, you git, so watch your tongue, 'fore I yank it out of yer mouth an' have myself a snack", snapped Spike, seething with rage at the boy's callous remarks about Drusilla.
"What did you do, Spike? Stake her when you figured the Slayer would be a wilder ride? You're sick", shot back Xander.
"I killed Drusilla, Xander", said Buffy quietly. "Back at the mansion, before Acathla awoke.
"B-Buffy, you slayed Drusilla AND Angelus in the same night? That's-that's remarkable", said Giles, amazed at the fact that his Slayer not only survived a battle with two powerful Master vampires, but killed them both.
"I didn't dust Angel, Giles. He had me beat. If it wasn't Spike, I don't think any of us would be standing here right now. He's the one who killed Angel." Buffy sat back down, her face in her hands. "Spike saved the world. Then he saved me. He's the hero."
"Bollocks! You tell 'em th' bloody truth, Buffy, or I will!" exclaimed Spike.
"That is the truth, Spike. I was weak and you, you were the strong one. Drusilla died, by my hand, and still you were strong enough to finish off Angelus. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you."
"That's it! Fairy Tale time is over!" Spike stood up, knocking his chair away as he whirled around to face the group. "You want th' truth, Watcher? Can you handle believin' a vampire over yer precious Slayer? 'Cause you need t' hear this."
"G-Go ahead, Spike. Tell me your version of the events, a-and I-I'll make my own decision." Giles motioned for a waitress. Once one arrived, he made his order. "Single malt scotch, double shot, neat, and two Dr. Peppers, and.", he motioned at Spike to make his order. Spike looked at Giles with perplexion, then decided to roll with it.
"More Jägermeister, a bottle would be nice. I think I'll be needin' it. You tell Lorne its fer Spike, as well as whatever they wanna drink while we're here." The waitress nodded, then hustled off to get their drinks. "You can put yer money away, Watcher. Th' Slayer an' I know th' owner. Drinks are on th' house."
"Yes, well, th-thank you, Spike, I think", replied Giles. As quickly as she had left, the waitress returned with their order. Spike grabbed the bottle of Jägermeister, opened it and took a long swig. After the black licorice taste had passed through his body, he began to tell Giles and Xander what had really happened, sparing no detail. When he was finished, Xander looked despondent, and Giles pulled Buffy close to him, letting her sob into his chest.
"That's simply.amazing th-that you two did wh-what y-you did that night", said Giles. "Now I understand why Buffy left us all. But I'm still unclear on your reasons for staying, Spike. It's been a couple months now, so why haven't you moved on?"
"That's an easy one, Watcher. I've grown fond of Bu-the Slayer. I couldn't jus' leave her t' her own devices, now. What, was she gonna do, be a waitress at a diner or somethin'? Can't 'ave that now. The Slayer's too good for that sort of thing. Plus, we got th' mission now, an' all that. Ya know, put on th' white hat an' charge into battle."
"Yeah, we heard about that. The street mission last night. An investigator from a law firm that Buffy's dad hired to find her told Mrs. Summers that you two and some other guys left there with a bunch of street kids. What happened there?" Xander was still upset, as if he was dwelling on some other topic in his mind. Buffy picked up on that.
"Yeah, that was a funny thing. It seems that the mission was a front for these demons who were abducting kids for slave labor. There was a portal in this room, and it lead to an alternate dimension. Acathla's dimension." Buffy paused, letting the information sink into Giles and Xander. "So, the head flunky, Ken, never found out his real name, he tells me that they sent a champion back here to free Acathla again. So, I'm figuring that this guy's already in Sunnydale. Are Willow, Cordelia and Oz covering patrol, or did you stop doing that when I left?"
"Actually, Willow and Oz are here in LA. I-I sent them to the mission to look for clues. Cordelia really doesn't participate in patrol." Giles finished his drink, then looked at Xander. "Xander, here, he has, well, he's."
"I run the team now, Buff. Cordy, she thinks you're a hero, for getting out of Sunnydale. She doesn't think you should come back. Except whenever she gets into an argument with Faith. Then she wishes you'd show, just to kick her ass."
"Who's Faith? Is she.?"
"Yeah, she's the new Slayer. She's even more independent than you. Doesn't play nice with others, except Will and Oz. Her 'Watcher' and her are patrolling tonight, so we could come find you."
"Giles, I'm worried here. Think about it. I was in Acathla's dimension, and they sent a champion to free their leader. You don't think.?"
"N-no, it couldn't b-be him. Buffy, you yourself said that his soul had returned to him. Even after centuries of-of torment, which would be likely as time passes differently from dimension to dimension, he wouldn't just become evil. Angel was much too strong willed for that." As Giles finished, a light flashed in Xander's eyes. He had a thought.
"Hey, G-man, remember what happened the week Buffy left, with the Mayor? Think that could be the guy?" "Yes, that's a good thought Xander, it could be th-that this 'champion', he has been in Sunnydale for weeks now, and killing the Mayor would throw the town into a tailspin, distracting all the right people until he was so deeply entrenched, he would be very difficult indeed to remove. I take it back, Xander. That was a brilliant piece of deduction."
"Thanks, G-man. So, what are we gonna do about it?"
"W-well, the-the most prudent option would be to police up Willow and Oz, then return to Sunnydale and see what we can uncover about this 'champion' fellow."
"And then kill him?" asked a way too cheerful Xander.
"Y-yes, Xander. By all means, once we uncover who this creature is, you, Faith and Buffy can kill it."
"Who says she's going with you?" interrupted Spike, eliciting an assortment of responses from the others. Giles coughed, Xander looked dumbstruck, and Buffy looked impassive. Giles was the first to speak.
"Yes, well, I assumed th-that Buffy would be returning with-with us, as there is a danger in Sunnydale that only the Slayer can face."
"There are dangers here too, mate. Plenty of action for th' Slayer t' get her rocks off."
"The Scooby Gang needs Buffy, even though she deserted us", offered Xander, who put on a smug face after seeing Buffy's hurt expression at the mention of her 'desertion'.
"We got us a team 'ere, that needs her. In fact, Slayer, I 'xpect Doyle an' Gunn will be waltzin' in any time now." Buffy thought about what everyone had said. She had a decision to make.
"Where do I go? Who needs me more? Giles? He misses me so much, and I miss him. And he's right about finding this 'champion' that Ken spoke of. But what about the people here who live with death and destruction every day, and not just from demons? My work here is important. Xander and the Scoobies? Despite Xander's words and actions, he misses me too. I can see it in his face. He wants me to come home. So does Willow and Oz, or they wouldn't have come looking for me. But then there's Gunn and his crew. They need a Slayer's strength to support them. And Doyle. He's just the messenger. He can't act on his visions on his own, he needs the team. And he's so new to this, fighting for good. He needs my support and strength to continue, or he'd probably just crawl into one of his liquor bottles. But I just met these guys, they're not the Scoobies. Then there's Spike. We've been through a lot in these last few months. We'll probably never really be friends, but we're definitely not enemies anymore. I need Spike, and I think he still needs me, doesn't he? But he won't go back there. Too many bad memories, for the both of us. He thinks my place is here, with him and the others. Others that would probably dust him in a heartbeat if they knew what he was. I can't leave him alone here, can I? But he can take care of himself. He's been doing that for longer than anyone I know's been alive. He says they need me. He says he needs me, but does he? And then there's.
"My mom? How's she.?"
"She's holding herself together, Buffy, but she misses you terribly. I- it's because of her that we were able to find you at all. She got your father to hire an investigator from a law firm he deals with to locate you", said Giles as he sipped from his glass. He put down his drink and reached his hands to Buffy's grasping them lightly. "The truth of the matter is, is that she is doing all she can to just exist, hoping that you'll j-just walk in the door. You never gave her a chance to fully digest the situation, Buffy. I know that time was of the essence, but you can't expect someone to just blindly accept the truth of the world. Joyce would have no doubt let you do what was necessary, had you just given her time to deal with the truth." Buffy let that thought sink in. She had acted rashly, and didn't give her mother a chance to let it all sink in. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe things were different. The past was the past. Everyone had gone on with their lives, maybe it was time to make things right.
"It's time to go home", she said, getting up from her chair.
"So early, luv? What about Gunn an' Doyle?" asked Spike, not catching on.
"No, Spike, I mean it's time to go home." Giles smiled at her words, and Xander shot out of his seat.
"I'll go get the car. Wait here", Xander said as he dashed away, stopping to make one last comment. "You lose, Evil Dead!" Spike leapt from his seat, grabbing Buffy by her shoulders.
"What are you doin', Slayer? Th' librarian shows up with his little sob story, so now th' dutiful Slayer rolls over an' plays dead? I can't believe this! What about what happened?" Spike shook her slightly as he spoke, trying to knock some sense into her. She couldn't be serious, after all this time, to just run back home?
"What happened happened, Spike. The past is just that. Sometimes, to move forward, you have to move back." Buffy lightly shrugged Spike's hands off of her, moving towards the exit. "Tell Gunn and Doyle that I had to go, that it was for the best. Give them my best, then get out of town. If Gunn finds out you're a vampire, and I'm not here to stop him, he'll stake you, or you'll kill him. Either way, it won't be pretty, and you'll lose in the end."
"I don't accept that, Slayer. You don't just get t' up an' leave me like this! Not after what we been through together! It's jus' not right!" He started digging through his duster pockets, looking for his cigarettes. Not finding them, he began to spin around, looking around the area where they had been sitting. His world was unraveling and he needed that sweet nicotine fix. He became more and more frustrated, knocking back chairs, searching the ground, desperate to find his pack. As he began to shake with rage, a small touch on his shoulder caused him to spin around. Buffy stood in front of him, Marlboros in hand. She placed the slightly crumpled pack in his hands. He yanked the pack open, withdrawing a cigarette, and lit it, savoring that first drag. "See? I'd fall apart if you weren't here t' keep me together!"
"No you wouldn't. You're stronger than that. You are probably the strongest person I have ever met. You're a survivor, Spike. Above everything else, it's what you do best. Survive at all costs. You don't need me." With that, Buffy retreated to the exit, Giles at her side. She let him go slightly ahead, then turned back to the blond vampire who had been her constant companion for so long. "Goodbye, William", she said, then walked out the door.
To Be Continued.
".And she just ups and runs off to LA! Like none of us really even mattered to her! She is so completely selfish! All of us were hurting! But we, unlike her, turned to each other for support. That's what friends do! Can't you make this car go any faster? I feel like we're sitting still."
"That would be because we are. Traffic is deadlocked. I think that maybe we should call Willow and Oz, and get off on the next exit. You all have school in the morning and there's no way that we'll make it to LA in any reasonable." Giles stopped speaking as he noticed the traffic moving again. In a matter of moments, what was once hopelessly deadlocked traffic became a smooth highway drive upwards of 85 miles an hour. Both he and Xander kept their mouths shut until entering city limits, not wanting to jinx their good fortune. Giles guided his battered Citroen onto the first off ramp, followed closely by Oz and Willow in his van. The two vehicles drove to the nearest parking lot where they both stopped, their occupants leaping out, eager to stretch their legs after spending so much time in a seated position. After walking around some, regaining feeling in their extremities, Giles gathered the group around.
"Alright, the investigator had fairly detailed notes from his observations. There are two locations I want to check first. I-if both turn out to be dead ends, we'll start going club to club until we can get a lead on Buffy's whereabouts. Willow, Oz, I want you check up on this street mission that Buffy was spotted leaving last night. Chances are that there is at least someone who may have seen her there. Plus, the two of you asking questions there will be less suspicious than a middle aged British man and a teenaged boy. Xander, you and I will check out the club that Buffy was observed leaving when she went to the mission. What was it called again?"
"Carrot Top's or something", Oz offered.
"No, it was Carrie Taw's", said Xander, "I think. Or not. Hey, really stopped paying attention after 'Buffy's with Spike'."
"Yes, that is a concern of all of ours. Remember, much as I pray for a good explanation for this, which there couldn't possibly be, we must remember that Buffy may have been turned." Giles removed his glasses to clean them.
"Uhm, if she was turned, wouldn't another Slayer be called? That's how it works, after all. One Slayer dies, another is called", said Willow, unconsciously shivering. Oz took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.
"Truthfully, I don't know, Willow. Never in the recorded history of the Slayer has a Slayer been resuscitated, much less there be more than one. For all we know, the Call may be a one time deal. You die, new Slayer called. You die again, nothing." Giles put his glasses on again and looked at his notes again. "Ah, yes. The club is called Caritas. So, shall we get going? The sooner we find Buffy, the sooner we can deal with the repercussions." The group split up again as they returned to their vehicles, driving off in opposite directions.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You know, I wish we could have taken the time to look. It would've been right. He could have still been there. But you know what? Even though we didn't get any resolution in the whole Angel matter, I feel good about myself. We did a good thing last night, helping those kids. And Lily, wow! She just took charge of that situation, didn't she? Got them all moving, leading them to a decent shelter. Of course, I don't get why she changed her name again, but hey? Can't blame a girl for a little hero worship." Buffy kicked back in her chair at Caritas, sipping on a Dr. Pepper. The light had completely returned to her eyes, and she had begun to wear her normal clothing again. This bothered Spike, if for no other reason that it meant that she was one more step closer to leaving him. He didn't know if he could handle that. The reason that he got over Drusilla's death so quickly was his new purpose in keeping Buffy from flying apart at the seams. In essence, he traded one broken doll of a woman for another. But this doll was mending herself. Even with the unresolved Angel issue, having been to Acathla's dimension and all, she was still moving closer to being the old Buffy once more. He didn't like it one bit, but no way was he going to let her know that.
"Oh, yeah, Slayer. Must feel good, that poor bint naming herself after a fictional character an' all that. At least she didn't take yer real name, seeing as how she knew it an' all. Don't think th' world's quite ready for two Buffy's." Spike downed another shot of Jägermeister, relishing the black licorice taste that he hated in any other form. Black licorice, black jelly beans, they were all terrible tasting. But put it in a shot glass, and it was as close to Heaven as a vampire could ever hope to get. He poured himself another shot from the bottle that the bartender handed over when he realized it would be futile to argue with the blonde vampire. He downed the shot quickly, then leaned in toward Buffy. "So, luv, what are we doin' tonight? Fancy another trip t' a Hell dimension? Or maybe we can go crack some demon skulls right here in LA. How 'bout it, Slayer? Wanna start a bar fight in some demon rat trap? Or maybe th' Whisky a Go- Go? Go beat on some human trash? C'mon! Evil's afoot! Grrr! Nasty! Let's go annihilate 'em! For.Christmas! An' th' safety of puppies!" Buffy looked at Spike with an incredulous look on her face.
"The safety of puppies? Since when was William the Bloody concerned about the safety of puppies? And aren't you evil? Not that I don't appreciate the backup, or the fact that you're ruining your 'precious' reputation to even be seen with me, but you are still a bad guy, right?" Buffy took another sip of her Dr. Pepper as Spike's face fell, almost as if she had hurt his feelings. Buffy's face scrunched up. "Spike?", she said, "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Spike leapt to his feet in anger, his game face struggling to come forth.
"Bloody well right y' said somethin' wrong! I put everythin' on th' bloody line t' HELP you, an' you treat it like a big joke! I am not a joke! I am not some thing that can be dismissed th' very second Buffy Summers feels like her old self again! I did all of this fer you! I would've been perfectly content t' 'ave my ashes scatter in the morning breeze, t' join my beloved Drusilla in eternal night, but I didn't! You needed me! An' so, there I was, an' here I am, thinkin' maybe I should've thought this partnership out a little better." Spike's rage subsided, and he sank back into his chair, dejected. He knew he had just blown everything. Now that he had said what he said, Buffy was sure to leave him now. He stuttered out an apology, "Buffy, I-I'm s-sorry, I."
"Save it, Spike! I don't need to hear you try to apologize. You think you hurt so bad, that you have the only right to feel miserable? Uh-uh, buster. I still hurt every single day. The pain drives me, makes me take that next step; It makes me live just a little bit more each day. I'm dealing, for a change. You should try dealing. It might do.you.some.". Buffy's voice trailed off as she peered over Spike's shoulder, transfixed on what she saw. Her eyes grew large, and she tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't obey.
"What's th' matter, Slayer? What's wrong?", said Spike as he turned to look behind him. All of a sudden, a pair of hands grabbed him by the duster, lifting him out of his chair and slamming him onto the table, spilling Dr. Pepper and Jägermeister everywhere. Spike attempted to break free, but was forced down again, this time with a wooden cross with a sharpened bottom. "Bloody Hell! What is goin' on 'ere?!", he shouted as he looked into the face of his assailant. He recognized the face. Wavy, almost black hair, brown eyes, the ears that stuck out just a tad too far. "You, you're th' whelp! Th' one Angelus tried t' sucker me in with!" He struggled against the boy's hold on him again, to no avail. Xander peered down into Spike's face, locking on his eyes.
"I'm gonna enjoy dusting you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"The Family Home. This is it, Oz!" Willow clapped her hands in excitement. They found the place after what seemed like hours of searching. Oz walked up to his girlfriend, took her hand in his.
"So, do we knock, 'cause I'm thinking they probably don't know we're here."
"Yes, let's knock." Willow strode up purposefully and rapped on the wooden door. No answer. She pouted for a moment, then knocked again. Nothing.
"Maybe they're not home." Oz shrugged. This was confusing to him. A street mission with no one inside? Impossible. Unless. "Buffy was here last night. She left with a bunch of kids. You think maybe."
"This place is a front! Of course! That's why Buffy was here! She was doing the superhero and rescuing innocent kids from some skanky demon thing!"
"Skanky?"
"Well, I was gonna say ooky, but that seemed childish." Willow smiled coyly, batting her eyes at her boyfriend. Oz grinned. He loved it when Willow smiled. It brightened even his gloomiest day. He thought about all the things he wanted to do with Willow. The fantasies that spun in and out of his head with reckless abandon, from the apple pie and white picket fence to the kinky. But now was not the time to go exploring, it was Scooby time.
"Willow, maybe we should go inside, see what we can find?"
"How? The door's locked?"
"Never stopped me before." He pulled some tools out of his backpack and set to work picking the door's lock. Within minutes, the door swung open. "After you."
"Why thank, kind sir." Willow stepped into the shelter, flicking on the light switch. Soft yellow light chased away the shadows revealing.an abandoned building. The duo searched room to room, looking for anything that would shed some light on this mystery. Eventually they made their way to the back room. Opening the door, they found the pool that once was the conduit between Acathla's dimension and Earth.
"This room smells different", said Oz, sniffing the air as his heightened senses took in their surroundings. "It smells like.fear and.pain. A lot of people came through here, and it wasn't a good thing. Wait, there's something else.". Oz peered deeper into the room, focusing on the distant corner. As his eyes adjusted further, he began to see a shape take form. It looked.human. "There's someone in here, Willow", he said, slowly entering the dark room. He found the light switch and flicked it on. Bright fluorescent lights flooded the room, illuminating everything, including the figure huddled in the corner. It appeared to be a man, curled in the fetal position. He wore tattered remnants of a black long sleeved shirt, and what used to be leather pants. He seemed to be talking to himself.
"Hello? Are you okay?" asked Willow, slowly stepping toward the man. She reached out to touch his shoulder.
"Willow, be careful", cautioned Oz, moving closer to his girlfriend.
"It's okay, we can help you. What's your name?" She placed her hand on the man's shoulder. It was cold to the touch, much like the room. It was as if his core temperature was room temp, like a reptile or.
"I'm no one, I'm no one." The man pulled away from her touch. The voice was familiar. Curiosity getting the better of the always inquisitive Willow, she reached to the man's face turning it so she could see. His face was thinner, and his hair was longer than she remembered, but it was him.
"Angel?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Xander! Leave him alone!", cried out Buffy as she finally got her legs working. She bolted from her chair and pulled Xander off of Spike, putting her body in between the two. "Back off, now. Spike's with me."
"Giles, I think we're too late. She's defending Spike. Buffy wouldn't do that", said Xander, backing away slowly as he held the cross out towards Buffy. "We'll have to dust them both."
"Dust us both? You think I'm a vampire? God, a girl runs away, makes a new life for herself, and what do her friends say? 'Oh, she's hanging with Spike, so she must be a vampire!' Here, does this help you feel better?" Buffy grabbed the crucifix out of Xander's hand with alarming speed, catching him off guard. As he and Giles looked on, Buffy held the crucifix, touched it to her forehead and then handed it back. "See, still human. I even have a pulse." She put her finger to her carotid artery. "Ooh, it goes thump thump."
"Y-yes, i-it appears that you are--are still you, Buffy", said Giles as he approached her. She assumed a defensive posture, unsure of Giles' motives. But when he stopped just within reach of her and opened his arms, she gave in to the feelings that had shut her down just moments before. She collapsed into his embrace, sobbing. He gripped her firmly, as a father would his missing daughter, as tears ran down his face as well. "Oh, Buffy. I've, I've missed you so."
"I missed you too, Giles", she managed in between sobs. Pulling herself away from the Watcher's embrace, she ran her fingers across her eyes, drying the tears. "Geez, just when a girl finally gets all tough again, you show up and pull the blubbering idiot out of me again." She sat back down and composed herself further. Giles grabbed Spike's chair and sat right next to her.
"Buffy, why did you leave? We've all been terribly worried, your mother especially. What happened?" He put his hands on her shoulders. "Surely, it couldn't have been so terrible that we couldn't have dealt with it together?"
"Mate, you don't 'ave th' slightest clue how bad it was", Spike said as he finished dusting himself off. Grabbing another chair, he sat next to Buffy on the other side of the table, putting his hand on her knee. If he noticed Xander and Giles' reactions to this, he didn't show it. "No one in this bleedin' world should 'ave t' go through what we did that night."
"Oh, yeah? Well, what happened that made Buffy think that shackin' up with Deadboy Jr. was better than coming to her friends?" asked Xander as he took a seat as well, glaring at Spike.
"I think Bu-th' Slayer should tell you. Prob'ly wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"You're right, fang face, I wouldn't believe a word coming from your frozen ass!"
"Oh, you talk a big game, whelp. Care t' put it to th' test, or is yer mouth writin' checks yer skinny arse can't cover?"
"Skinny? The poster child for vampire anorexia, and you're calling me skinny? At least Deadboy was a bruiser. You look like you gotta put rocks in your pockets on a windy day. Or is that why you wear that stupid duster?"
"Yer one t' talk 'bout fashion, boy. At least I'm not th' one wearing Hawaiian print shirts with those ridiculous khaki pants. Who dresses you anyway, yer mum?"
"Alright, that's it! I'm staking you!"
"Bring it on, you nancy boy poofter!"
"Stop it! Both of you! Stop fighting!" Buffy stood up from her seat, backing away from the table. She began wringing her hands then she ran them through her hair. "Geez, why do you have to fight like this? Can't you just this once get along?"
"Ain't gonna happen, Buff. See, the way I figure, after you kicked Dead boy's ass all the way to Hell, Junior here made with the freaky mojo and brainwashed you into leaving with him and Drusilla. By the way, where is loony girl? At home, doing the laundry like a good little vamp homemaker?"
"She's dead, you git, so watch your tongue, 'fore I yank it out of yer mouth an' have myself a snack", snapped Spike, seething with rage at the boy's callous remarks about Drusilla.
"What did you do, Spike? Stake her when you figured the Slayer would be a wilder ride? You're sick", shot back Xander.
"I killed Drusilla, Xander", said Buffy quietly. "Back at the mansion, before Acathla awoke.
"B-Buffy, you slayed Drusilla AND Angelus in the same night? That's-that's remarkable", said Giles, amazed at the fact that his Slayer not only survived a battle with two powerful Master vampires, but killed them both.
"I didn't dust Angel, Giles. He had me beat. If it wasn't Spike, I don't think any of us would be standing here right now. He's the one who killed Angel." Buffy sat back down, her face in her hands. "Spike saved the world. Then he saved me. He's the hero."
"Bollocks! You tell 'em th' bloody truth, Buffy, or I will!" exclaimed Spike.
"That is the truth, Spike. I was weak and you, you were the strong one. Drusilla died, by my hand, and still you were strong enough to finish off Angelus. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you."
"That's it! Fairy Tale time is over!" Spike stood up, knocking his chair away as he whirled around to face the group. "You want th' truth, Watcher? Can you handle believin' a vampire over yer precious Slayer? 'Cause you need t' hear this."
"G-Go ahead, Spike. Tell me your version of the events, a-and I-I'll make my own decision." Giles motioned for a waitress. Once one arrived, he made his order. "Single malt scotch, double shot, neat, and two Dr. Peppers, and.", he motioned at Spike to make his order. Spike looked at Giles with perplexion, then decided to roll with it.
"More Jägermeister, a bottle would be nice. I think I'll be needin' it. You tell Lorne its fer Spike, as well as whatever they wanna drink while we're here." The waitress nodded, then hustled off to get their drinks. "You can put yer money away, Watcher. Th' Slayer an' I know th' owner. Drinks are on th' house."
"Yes, well, th-thank you, Spike, I think", replied Giles. As quickly as she had left, the waitress returned with their order. Spike grabbed the bottle of Jägermeister, opened it and took a long swig. After the black licorice taste had passed through his body, he began to tell Giles and Xander what had really happened, sparing no detail. When he was finished, Xander looked despondent, and Giles pulled Buffy close to him, letting her sob into his chest.
"That's simply.amazing th-that you two did wh-what y-you did that night", said Giles. "Now I understand why Buffy left us all. But I'm still unclear on your reasons for staying, Spike. It's been a couple months now, so why haven't you moved on?"
"That's an easy one, Watcher. I've grown fond of Bu-the Slayer. I couldn't jus' leave her t' her own devices, now. What, was she gonna do, be a waitress at a diner or somethin'? Can't 'ave that now. The Slayer's too good for that sort of thing. Plus, we got th' mission now, an' all that. Ya know, put on th' white hat an' charge into battle."
"Yeah, we heard about that. The street mission last night. An investigator from a law firm that Buffy's dad hired to find her told Mrs. Summers that you two and some other guys left there with a bunch of street kids. What happened there?" Xander was still upset, as if he was dwelling on some other topic in his mind. Buffy picked up on that.
"Yeah, that was a funny thing. It seems that the mission was a front for these demons who were abducting kids for slave labor. There was a portal in this room, and it lead to an alternate dimension. Acathla's dimension." Buffy paused, letting the information sink into Giles and Xander. "So, the head flunky, Ken, never found out his real name, he tells me that they sent a champion back here to free Acathla again. So, I'm figuring that this guy's already in Sunnydale. Are Willow, Cordelia and Oz covering patrol, or did you stop doing that when I left?"
"Actually, Willow and Oz are here in LA. I-I sent them to the mission to look for clues. Cordelia really doesn't participate in patrol." Giles finished his drink, then looked at Xander. "Xander, here, he has, well, he's."
"I run the team now, Buff. Cordy, she thinks you're a hero, for getting out of Sunnydale. She doesn't think you should come back. Except whenever she gets into an argument with Faith. Then she wishes you'd show, just to kick her ass."
"Who's Faith? Is she.?"
"Yeah, she's the new Slayer. She's even more independent than you. Doesn't play nice with others, except Will and Oz. Her 'Watcher' and her are patrolling tonight, so we could come find you."
"Giles, I'm worried here. Think about it. I was in Acathla's dimension, and they sent a champion to free their leader. You don't think.?"
"N-no, it couldn't b-be him. Buffy, you yourself said that his soul had returned to him. Even after centuries of-of torment, which would be likely as time passes differently from dimension to dimension, he wouldn't just become evil. Angel was much too strong willed for that." As Giles finished, a light flashed in Xander's eyes. He had a thought.
"Hey, G-man, remember what happened the week Buffy left, with the Mayor? Think that could be the guy?" "Yes, that's a good thought Xander, it could be th-that this 'champion', he has been in Sunnydale for weeks now, and killing the Mayor would throw the town into a tailspin, distracting all the right people until he was so deeply entrenched, he would be very difficult indeed to remove. I take it back, Xander. That was a brilliant piece of deduction."
"Thanks, G-man. So, what are we gonna do about it?"
"W-well, the-the most prudent option would be to police up Willow and Oz, then return to Sunnydale and see what we can uncover about this 'champion' fellow."
"And then kill him?" asked a way too cheerful Xander.
"Y-yes, Xander. By all means, once we uncover who this creature is, you, Faith and Buffy can kill it."
"Who says she's going with you?" interrupted Spike, eliciting an assortment of responses from the others. Giles coughed, Xander looked dumbstruck, and Buffy looked impassive. Giles was the first to speak.
"Yes, well, I assumed th-that Buffy would be returning with-with us, as there is a danger in Sunnydale that only the Slayer can face."
"There are dangers here too, mate. Plenty of action for th' Slayer t' get her rocks off."
"The Scooby Gang needs Buffy, even though she deserted us", offered Xander, who put on a smug face after seeing Buffy's hurt expression at the mention of her 'desertion'.
"We got us a team 'ere, that needs her. In fact, Slayer, I 'xpect Doyle an' Gunn will be waltzin' in any time now." Buffy thought about what everyone had said. She had a decision to make.
"Where do I go? Who needs me more? Giles? He misses me so much, and I miss him. And he's right about finding this 'champion' that Ken spoke of. But what about the people here who live with death and destruction every day, and not just from demons? My work here is important. Xander and the Scoobies? Despite Xander's words and actions, he misses me too. I can see it in his face. He wants me to come home. So does Willow and Oz, or they wouldn't have come looking for me. But then there's Gunn and his crew. They need a Slayer's strength to support them. And Doyle. He's just the messenger. He can't act on his visions on his own, he needs the team. And he's so new to this, fighting for good. He needs my support and strength to continue, or he'd probably just crawl into one of his liquor bottles. But I just met these guys, they're not the Scoobies. Then there's Spike. We've been through a lot in these last few months. We'll probably never really be friends, but we're definitely not enemies anymore. I need Spike, and I think he still needs me, doesn't he? But he won't go back there. Too many bad memories, for the both of us. He thinks my place is here, with him and the others. Others that would probably dust him in a heartbeat if they knew what he was. I can't leave him alone here, can I? But he can take care of himself. He's been doing that for longer than anyone I know's been alive. He says they need me. He says he needs me, but does he? And then there's.
"My mom? How's she.?"
"She's holding herself together, Buffy, but she misses you terribly. I- it's because of her that we were able to find you at all. She got your father to hire an investigator from a law firm he deals with to locate you", said Giles as he sipped from his glass. He put down his drink and reached his hands to Buffy's grasping them lightly. "The truth of the matter is, is that she is doing all she can to just exist, hoping that you'll j-just walk in the door. You never gave her a chance to fully digest the situation, Buffy. I know that time was of the essence, but you can't expect someone to just blindly accept the truth of the world. Joyce would have no doubt let you do what was necessary, had you just given her time to deal with the truth." Buffy let that thought sink in. She had acted rashly, and didn't give her mother a chance to let it all sink in. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe things were different. The past was the past. Everyone had gone on with their lives, maybe it was time to make things right.
"It's time to go home", she said, getting up from her chair.
"So early, luv? What about Gunn an' Doyle?" asked Spike, not catching on.
"No, Spike, I mean it's time to go home." Giles smiled at her words, and Xander shot out of his seat.
"I'll go get the car. Wait here", Xander said as he dashed away, stopping to make one last comment. "You lose, Evil Dead!" Spike leapt from his seat, grabbing Buffy by her shoulders.
"What are you doin', Slayer? Th' librarian shows up with his little sob story, so now th' dutiful Slayer rolls over an' plays dead? I can't believe this! What about what happened?" Spike shook her slightly as he spoke, trying to knock some sense into her. She couldn't be serious, after all this time, to just run back home?
"What happened happened, Spike. The past is just that. Sometimes, to move forward, you have to move back." Buffy lightly shrugged Spike's hands off of her, moving towards the exit. "Tell Gunn and Doyle that I had to go, that it was for the best. Give them my best, then get out of town. If Gunn finds out you're a vampire, and I'm not here to stop him, he'll stake you, or you'll kill him. Either way, it won't be pretty, and you'll lose in the end."
"I don't accept that, Slayer. You don't just get t' up an' leave me like this! Not after what we been through together! It's jus' not right!" He started digging through his duster pockets, looking for his cigarettes. Not finding them, he began to spin around, looking around the area where they had been sitting. His world was unraveling and he needed that sweet nicotine fix. He became more and more frustrated, knocking back chairs, searching the ground, desperate to find his pack. As he began to shake with rage, a small touch on his shoulder caused him to spin around. Buffy stood in front of him, Marlboros in hand. She placed the slightly crumpled pack in his hands. He yanked the pack open, withdrawing a cigarette, and lit it, savoring that first drag. "See? I'd fall apart if you weren't here t' keep me together!"
"No you wouldn't. You're stronger than that. You are probably the strongest person I have ever met. You're a survivor, Spike. Above everything else, it's what you do best. Survive at all costs. You don't need me." With that, Buffy retreated to the exit, Giles at her side. She let him go slightly ahead, then turned back to the blond vampire who had been her constant companion for so long. "Goodbye, William", she said, then walked out the door.
To Be Continued.