Chapter 23, Wednesday, Standard Reality

Buffy couldn't sleep. The whole night she had spent alone in her bed imagining what they had done to Spike. She had no more tears. She had cried when she first heard Dominic had him. She knew his own minions were terrified of the master vampire. Every time she closed her eyes, she imagined him, broken and bleeding, in pain. She had no clear idea of what she was going to do the next day. She just knew that if the only chance of saving him was for her to go to the Hellmouth, then she would be there. Living without him wasn't an option any more. Smiling mirthlessly, she tried to remember a time when living without him had been an option. She remembered her life before Spike. It was an existence.

She got up the next morning, still dazed. She had come out of her almost catatonic state when she was told he was alive, but she was still struggling to function normally. As she tried to eat some breakfast, she vaguely overheard a conversation between the two witches. Tara was still in the house, but there were signs that their relationship had taken a serious knock over Willow's nearly disastrous use of magic. They were talking about the Magic Box - Giles' magic shop. This worked its way into her brain, and eventually found something to connect with.

"The other Buffy, she used to train there? At the shop?" she asked.

Tara looked up in surprise. She hadn't thought Buffy was aware of what was going on. "Yes," she started, unsure of the point of the question.

"I think I'll go. I feel like hitting something."

Willow half-heartedly smiled. That sounded more like her friend. Her Buffy used to take out her worries on a punch bag. "Good idea," she approved.

When she had gone, the two witches conferred. "We've got to help her," Willow told Tara.

"Just remember the last time you tried to help," Tara reminded. "You almost got Xander killed."

"But, if Spike's right, Dominic plans to turn Buffy at the Hellmouth. We can't let him do that. We can't."

Tara looked at her lover's face. The problem was, she was right. Whatever it took, they couldn't let that happen. She just didn't know how to stop it. "Research?" she said placatingly. Willow nodded gratefully.

Buffy had spent the last hour and a half making the most of the training facilities at the Magic Box. She wasn't really tired, but was definitely feeling better. Something about the physical activity allowed her to think more clearly. She needed to make sure Spike was safe. That was her priority. She felt her stomach sink again when she thought of him and consciously wrenched her feelings away from him. She couldn't think about him, not now. She'd worry about how he was when she knew he was safe.

Spike was alone. He was still chained up in the middle of the room. His legs wouldn't support his weight. He suspected they were both broken in several places. The pain of his weight hanging on his arms was excruciating, but at least they were leaving him alone for now. He knew he was a mess. He knew he had lost a lot of blood. He hadn't been able to make his demon face retract for a long time. He was ravenous. He'd never felt hunger like it, not even immediately after his change. Rational thought was becoming more difficult, yet he knew he was the cause of Buffy's current danger. He just didn't see what he could do about it except hope that she didn't love him enough to do as Dominic wanted. He never thought he'd have hoped such a thing, but it was all he had left.

Willow and Tara had cut classes for the day. They spent the time at the Magic Box, arriving while Buffy was still working out. They'd called Giles and he promised to do what he could. The tone of his voice told them that he couldn't believe that the Slayer would put her life in danger for the sake of a vampire, but he was resigned. His own Buffy had done it, after all, albeit for a different vampire. He had made no progress on the alternate reality problem. Everything he had found simply implied that it would sort itself out in time. There was a suggestion, however, that if one of those affected happened to die, the return would not happen. So, the only way to be reasonably sure of his Buffy's return was to make sure the other Buffy survived, despite her current death wish.

Xander, on the other hand, was very supportive. He came to the Magic Box early, having arranged leave at short notice, ready to help in any way he could. Willow and Tara looked at him quizzically.

"It's Spike we're trying to rescue, you know that?" Willow reminded him. "At least that's one of the aims. If we can't do that, we'll try to find some protection for Buffy."

"I know," Xander looked a little embarrassed. "I know what I said before, how I acted. But I saw what he did. That girl, she was helpless. Sarah. He put himself in danger to give her a chance to escape. I saw him do it. I don't know how, but he's not your average vampire any more. And this particular Spike's never even been chipped. Hey, I'm not at the bosom buddy stage, but I'm starting to understand why Buffy always let him in. Not to say I won't be glad when we get our own Buffy back and he's only in when we need him, but.." He tailed off.

"So, what've we got?"

"Not much," Tara replied, despondently. "We tried to find something that'll track him, but everything we've got is intended to track a human. It won't work with the dead. We're looking at some sort of protection for Buffy. Thing is, she's supposed to go alone. Whatever we do, it'll have to be from a distance. She won't thank us if she survives but Spike doesn't - especially if she thinks we're the reason he didn't."

Xander was thinking. "You know, we've got an advantage, haven't we?"

The two girls looked up, confused.

"We can work in daylight. What if we set up some surprises at the Hellmouth right about now?"

They were both looking interested. "Like some lights?" he elaborated.

Xander reached for the phone. A few minutes later, he had what he needed. "Meddows is going to meet me in half an hour. We've got a few hours of daylight left, I hope that's enough. We're going to rig up the lamps so we can switch them on from somewhere away from the Hellmouth. I just hope I remember enough about the layout of the old school to get away with this. We need the area closest to the Hellmouth to be a sun-trap. We just have to hope that Spike's clear by then."

"What about something to hide you?" Willow asked.

Tara immediately started to protest.

"No, not invisible. There's something much simpler. I saw it earlier." She started to thumb through the books in front of her. "Here it is. It just masks your aura a bit." She pushed the book in front of Tara.

"Ok," Tara agreed. "Yeah, I can do that. Do we have any garlic?"

"In Sunnydale?" Willow laughed. She went over to a shelf and pulled out two bags with strings around their necks. "Standard vampire repulsion kits. Not very effective, but.."

Tara smiled back. "With a little extra oomph…"

Within ten minutes, the witches had done a simple incantation over the two bags and given them to Xander with the caution that they wear them all the time, and that they wouldn't cover their auras completely. There was still a chance that a vampire could sense them, it was just reduced.

Xander bounded out of the room, excitement radiating from him. The witches returned to their own job, trying to get Buffy some extra protection. They were disturbed half an hour later by a call from Giles.

"I've got something on Dominic. There's nothing recent, apart from a catalogue of his atrocities. But, way back, there was a suggestion that he had some sort of ability to mesmerise humans. It's not supposed to be at the level of Dracula, and it has to have physical contact to work. The thing is, he's been so surrounded by his clan for the past couple of hundred years, that there's nothing more recent on him personally."

"Regarding the Hellmouth, there are a number of deals he could have done. There are several possibilities, but most of them would be just about impossible, even for a vampire to achieve. The most likely deal he could have done is with Zabrok. It is said that he can grant invulnerability. Once he had that, the other possibilities become viable options. Apart from the current danger, and we absolutely must stop Buffy from being turned, if he succeeds in turning seven Slayers and achieves invulnerability, he will have the potential to become a veritable hellgod himself. Except, that this will be his hell."

Spike had spent the day drifting in and out of consciousness. They returned to him, periodically, and beat him a bit more, but he kept passing out, and that ruined their fun. Dominic was still seething at the way his clan had been destroyed. Not that he had made any attempt to save any who weren't essential to his own comfort. Even the various females he kept exclusively for his own pleasure had perished.

In this place, the bolt hole he always had, wherever he was, there was no room for extras. As soon as it was dark, he sent his guards out in pairs to feed and to bring him prey. He took his victim into the room where Spike hung, motionless, apparently unconscious. With blatant malice, he sank his fangs into the neck of the unconscious woman, knowing that in it's current starved state, Spike's demon would respond to the scent of blood. As he fed, he watched. Spike's demon watched as he drained the woman, fully conscious as he had not been for hours, and Dominic smiled at the pain on his face. He had no intention of giving Spike up in return for the Slayer. He fully intended that Spike would see what he planned for the human. He remembered what he had been told, the rumours which he eventually realised were most likely to be the truth, that the vampire loved the Slayer. Despite what Spike had told him, he had guessed the truth. And, Spike would see everything.

It was nine o'clock. Xander hadn't come back, and it was to be assumed that he was in place at the Hellmouth. Willow and Tara had used every protection spell they could think of, and applied them to Buffy. To try to counteract the mesmerising power Giles had warned about, they had included a spell which should clear her mind. Tara had been unsure of that one, as it dated back to Viking times, and its use was unclear. The other charms seemed pitiful compared to what she might face. She sat, looking completely resolute. She was grateful for everything the others had done and were doing. She was part of a team, and it made her feel so much less alone. Knowing she might lose Spike was still on her mind, but the terror she felt at that prospect was diminished by the presence of the others. The phone rang.

"Slayer," Dominic's voice was unmistakable. Tara had answered and as it was her voice he had heard before, she kept the phone.

"Yes"

" Be at the old entrance to the old High School in ten minutes, or your boyfriend will find out how it feels to drown in holy water. When the exchange is made, you will approach me alone. Do you understand?"

Tara passed on the message, although she kept the threat to herself. Buffy simply stood, and looked at Willow. As they had agreed earlier, the three women went out to Tara's car. The two witches had agreed to take Spike and try to keep him safe. They had worked out a barrier spell that they could use once they had Spike close to them. They parked as close as they could get, and walked the rest of the distance. As they approached, Buffy saw them. At least, she saw the other vampires, she thought she saw Spike. Dominic was apparent immediately. He was just as Spike had described him. He was flanked by burly vampires, eight of them. Spike lay on the ground, next to the outermost guard. He was crumpled and his legs were lying at the most unlikely angles. What she could see was a mass of gashes and torn and bruised flesh. That sight simply hardened her resolve. She approached, leaving the witches behind, but remained some distance away.

"Have one of your boys bring Spike over here," she demanded.

Dominic smiled. Spike had warned her about the cruelty of his face, but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

"I don't think so," he replied, calmly. "You come here, and then I'll release your boyfriend."

"No way."

Her Slayer sense was prickling and she knew something wasn't right. There were vampires right ahead of her, but something else was going on. Suddenly, four were upon her from behind. Willow and Tara saw this from a distance. They had erected the barrier around themselves as soon as they had arrived. At Buffy's insistence, she had not been included. Now, caught by surprise, Buffy was held fast. As they dragged her to their companions, the witches watched in dismay. One of the guards picked up Spike, and the group entered what had once been Sunnydale High school. Reaching what had been the library, they stopped. Two stood at the entrance, barring all comers.

Once inside the library, Spike was simply dumped in the corner. At a signal from Dominic, he was doused with water. He opened his eyes, and for the first time saw Buffy. He closed his eyes again, unwilling to see watch. A kick from behind elicited a groan of pain and forced him to open his eyes again. Buffy had continued to struggle, and the four vampires holding her had finally wrestled her to the ground. Making sure Spike could see, Dominic approached her, touching her face. At his touch, she became still. Dominic's face changed and he leaned forward, grazing her neck with his fangs. As he sank his teeth into her neck, his hand wandered up and down the Slayer's body, pulling clothing out of the way at need, almost like a lover.

Spike watched, unable to tear his eyes away. Inside his head, his demon roared. He knew Dominic was doing this to hurt him further. He had done as much as he could to his body, now he was torturing his mind. He couldn't bear to see his hands on her. Yet, the sight of his hands, touching Buffy where only he should, caused such rage in him that the purely physical pain started to recede. After a few minutes, he knew he had one attempt in him. His hands and ankles were tied, but he wasn't otherwise restrained. They obviously thought him too weak to be a threat. Spike lay there, letting his rage build, waiting for his opportunity.

Dominic drank deeply of the Slayer's blood. He knew he had to stop soon. She must actually die at the Hellmouth, not here. Yet she was intoxicating, the blood the most powerful he had ever tasted. In that at least, Spike had not lied. And he sensed something else too. Through her fear, he felt her determination not to give in. She was afraid, but she was not beaten. It excited him as nothing had for many years. None of his women had made him want them as she did. Reluctantly, he withdrew his fangs.

Buffy was feeling the loss of blood, but there was something else. She felt strangely relaxed. The world was spinning. Her thoughts were slow, everything was an effort. She felt Dominic's hands on her body and knew she should be outraged. Yet, she could do nothing about it. At last, he withdrew his teeth from her neck. Holding her in his vice-like grip, he moved towards the hole in the floor that would lead to the Hellmouth itself.

As they moved, Spike felt his gaze wrenched from Buffy to one of the guards. He had suddenly stiffened, as if he had sensed something. Spike concentrated his senses. He could feel it too. There were other humans here. The others hadn't noticed yet, too intent on watching their master with the Slayer. Spike moved his hands. He was trying to reach what had once been a chair leg, but would now pass as a makeshift stake. Slowly, hoping no one would notice, he moved his arms. The pain was coming back, even his rage unable to quell the agony caused by moving. For the first time in his life, Spike silently thanked his sire. If nothing else, Angelus had taught him to bear pain silently. Grasping the wood in his hands, Spike pulled himself to his knees and launched himself. Before the alert guard could do anything, the stake was through his heart. Spike collapsed to the ground, his one chance spent. Pain flooded through his body and he blacked out as two other guards landed on top of his pain wracked body.

Irritated, Dominic saw what had happened, but realised that Spike was spent. He wouldn't cause any more trouble. He dragged Buffy to the opening, and jumped through.

Buffy was only marginally conscious. Nothing made sense any more. Her brain was simply too sluggish. As she hit the ground, the pain brought her back a little. Dominic took one hand from around her and put it into his pocket. He pulled out a box. Buffy watched, mesmerised. Somehow, she knew this was important, but the reason escaped her. Out of the box he pulled a jewel. Buffy couldn't take her eyes off it. It was beautiful. In the back of her mind, the intense blue colour linked with something else. Eyes. Spike's eyes. He poured some powder over the jewel and said something. She couldn't make sense of the words. It was as if she was watching the TV abroad without subtitles, the noise just a drone. The beautiful stone started to glow.

As he held Buffy in one arm, Dominic intoned his request.

"Zabrok, witness the death of the first Slayer." He changed to demon face and was about to sink his teeth into her neck anew, when he screamed in pain.

Xander and Meddows had been watching and listening as closely as they could. They were in a service tunnel adjacent to the room containing the Hellmouth. A single peephole allowed them to monitor what was happening. The batteries on the remaining lamps were almost out of power and there had been no time to recharge them. When they realised they were out of time, they had switched on. They just hoped it was enough. Leaving their hiding place, they found their way back to the corridor outside the library. Their route hadn't involved them in going through the library. Once there, they met Willow and Tara. The two witches had followed the others into the school, waiting out of sight until the two guards at the door had jumped on Spike. They had waited, just out of sight until the scream of pain told them it was time. Holding hands, the two witches spread the barrier around all four of them. They moved into the library, pushing the barrier out in front of them.

The scene in the library was one of confusion. The guards didn't know what to do. They had been warned of the consequences if they followed their master to the Hellmouth, yet it was obvious he needed help. They looked at one another, each hoping another would tell them what to do. Seeing the humans coming in, they suddenly had an obvious target. Lunging as one at the group, they were surprised when they were thrown back again. As the humans continued their dogged approach, the barrier pushed the vampires further into the room and closer to the hole in the floor. Unable to resist, each of the eleven of them, was pushed down the gap.

At first, Dominic didn't know what had happened. He was about to finish the Slayer, and suddenly, every bit of uncovered skin on his body was on fire. Seconds later, it started to affect the whole of his body, even through his clothing. The pain was intense, and he dropped the girl, desperate to find cover. He jumped for the opening, trying to escape the Hellmouth. Maddened with pain, his first attempt failed. Every part of the room seemed to be filled with the radiation, and he watched as the skin on his hands started to blister. He made a second attempt to get out of the lower room, but failed as one of his guards fell on top of him. Within moments, the entire cohort was there. There was no room to move any more. Every time he turned, he was unable to move for the other desperate vampires. He was trying to reach the lamps, determined to stop them from working, but couldn't get close enough.

Buffy noticed the difference as soon as he had dropped her. Somehow, while he had contact with her, her mind was not her own. As soon as the contact stopped, she could think. She still didn't really understand anything other than the fact that she was surrounded by screaming vampires, but that was enough. Grabbing an appropriately shaped piece of wood from among the debris, she jumped into action.

She had heard of the theory of the berserker. In Norse culture, a berserker is a warrior who is taken over by a madness that makes them not only stronger than they would otherwise be, but removes any vestige of fear. That was how she was. There was only the fight. No thoughts were given space in her mind. There was only the stake in her hand and the heart of the next vampire. Meddows and Xander had jumped in to the fray after the last of the vampires, but both felt largely unneeded. Buffy was a veritable whirlwind of activity. She had dusted five before they got there, and as they watched, she got another two with an amazing double lunge. As the two men each took on a single vampire, Buffy held off the rest. Even in their pain, the guards were still putting themselves between Buffy and their master. He alone was making no attempt to defend himself.

Meddows and Xander each dusted their opponent and turned to see what Buffy was doing. To their surprise, only three were left. As they watched, she staked one and jumped towards the second. Two minutes later, the second was down, and she followed through with her stake. Now there was only Dominic. The three humans approached him, stalking him in unison as he backed towards the wall. As if on cue, the lamps around them started to blink off.

Dominic realised the lights were going off, but that didn't undo the damage already done. He saw the three approach, and he backed into the wall. Trying to ignore the pain, he got ready to fight back, to defend himself, but he hadn't fought for so long, and his reflexes were slow. A moment later, the two men had him by the arms. Buffy held a stake over his chest. She held it there, conscious thought filtering at last into her mind. "I just wish I could make this slower," she ground out as she pushed the stake against his skin.

As she started to push the stake into his heart, she felt her muscles seize up completely. In desperation, she felt an incredible weakness envelop her. She sank to the ground, unable to rise again. Then she heard a voice.

"You have failed, vampire. Now you come to me."

The look of fear on Dominic's face changed to a look of absolute terror at these words. The two men were still holding onto him, but suddenly he was being pulled from their grasp. They watched in horror as the form of the vampire was wrenched from them and dragged towards the opening of the Hellmouth. The actual opening was far too narrow to admit anything of his size, but that didn't seem important. He was pulled through the gap, a scream of agony on his lips as he fitted through that impossible gap. The two men could only watch in amazement as the scream drifted off into the unimaginable depths.