Chapter 26 - Friday, Alternate Reality

As soon as he knew Cordelia was safe, Jack Singer put his machine back into commission. In fact, he had already unearthed enough information to confirm the details of the whole organ harvesting scheme. He rushed back to Sunnydale and made straight for the resistance complex. Cordelia was waiting for him when he arrived. She had made the other womens' lives miserable as she complained about the living quarters she had to put up with. Sleeping in a shared dormitory, no proper shower facilities, eating alongside demons with very perverse eating habits, no clean clothes, her list was endless. Yet they all ceased when Jack walked into the hub and saw her. He couldn't help himself. She looked untidy - nothing like the usual Cordelia, but she looked beautiful to him. He walked straight to her and put out his arms to hold her. He expected her to pull back, to put their relationship back on the purely professional level they had always maintained. Instead, she returned the action, holding him as tightly as he held her.

Having got her back, Jack knew he would have to talk to her. He had to know how she felt about him. She was obviously glad to see him, but that could mean anything. He promised himself a long conversation with her, just as soon as the current crisis was over. In the meantime, he got her to tell her story. Discovering that Snyder had been taken during her rescue, he decided to go and interview him. There were plans to hand him over to the authorities as soon as it seemed likely that they would believe the whole scheme. Until then, he was being held in as much comfort as security and the cave complex would permit.

Having the chance to interview Snyder was a big help. The little man was perversely proud of his achievements and irritated by the idea that the whole scheme belonged to anyone but him. As a result, he told Singer everything. There were some serious doubts as to Snyder's sanity, but at least the whole scheme was more or less understood.

When he had talked to Snyder, Jack decided he had enough to break the story. The whole thing would take weeks to pull together, but it was important to get the main facts onto the national stage so that any remaining conspirators would know that the scheme was over. He had a programme due to air that evening, and he flew back to his base to record a short exposé for that evening with promises of more details in subsequent programmes.

At Cordelia's insistence, the mention of demons was to be avoided. The resistance members agreed. The demons of Sunnydale had had enough to put up with lately without becoming California's latest tourist attraction. So, in standard Sunnydale tradition, the people being blamed for the hellmouth's problems became drug-crazed gangs. The rest of the story went more or less as it had happened. Of course, the resistance wasn't mentioned. The humans involved had, without exception, lost someone close to them at the hands of the Initiative or their vigilantes. All they wanted was to be allowed to rebuild their lives.

The show aired early that evening. The hub was full of humans and monsters watching the television that had been set up for the occasion. When the authorities agreed to investigate Jack's claims, a cheer went up. Among those watching was the most unlikely couple in the place. Buffy and Spike stood with the others. As had become their custom over the past few days, they were touching each other, almost unconsciously. His arm was draped around her waist, his hand gently stroking her bare arm. Her arm was similarly draped around his waist, her thumb hooked into his belt loop while her fingers ran little lines over his hip through his jeans.

When the show was over, Buffy had an idea. "Spike," she started.

He smiled at her, noticing what her fingers were doing and wondering how soon he could get her somewhere private.

"Yes, pet?"

"You remember, when the vigilantes were coming to my house?"

He nodded, unsure where this was going.

"Well, we haven't been back, and I'd kinda like to see how much damage was done. Could we go and look?"

"Not really what I had in mind just now," he admonished her, giving her a look which told her more eloquently than words could have, exactly what he had in mind. She didn't react, so he shrugged. "But if you want, love, we can go and look."

She hugged his arm, gratefully. "I've just got to get some things," she said, running off and leaving him standing there, confused.

She was back in a few minutes and they headed for the car park. Spike had obtained the keys to one of the cars there, and they headed into Sunnydale.

Driving along Revello Drive, Buffy was craning her neck to try to see her house as soon as she could. When she spotted it, her jaw dropped. From what she could see, it was undamaged. As they got closer, they saw signs of the events of the previous week. The door had been knocked in, and a couple of windows had been broken. The damage had been boarded up, and Buffy muttered a silent thank you to whichever neighbour had had the kindness to do that.

Spike prised off the wood boarding up the front door, and they walked in. Buffy looked around in amazement. It looked as though the place had been ransacked, drawers and cupboards had been emptied, but as far as she could tell, nothing was missing. Continuing on her way upstairs, she went to her bedroom. Again, things were lying around, but otherwise it looked pretty much as it had the day she left. Looking at the bedside cabinet, she spotted her other self's diary. On impulse, she took it in her hand and rummaged in the drawer for a pen. Thinking quickly, she started to write, outlining the events of the past days. At the end, she added some telephone numbers. She had run around the cave complex before she left, getting contact numbers for all the people she could who were important to her in her own reality. Willow, Oz, even Jenny. Xander would come with the Willow package.

Having completed her task, she looked up to find Spike standing in the doorway, a mug of blood in his hand. "I've been going easy on blood lately. Didn't have much with me, and I've been rationing it," He explained. "Gotta keep my strength up," he added suggestively.

Buffy smiled at him. "What about privacy? Anyone could walk in."

"I boarded up the door again," he told her. We'll have to use the back door until we get it fixed."

Buffy smiled happily. He approached the bed, the walk and expression at the same time new and yet familiar. He was stalking her. That much was apparent in his gait as he rolled his shoulders and moved silently towards her. She held out her arms to beckon him to her, and he finished the distance to the bed in record time.

Buffy thought afterwards that this was the time she finally accepted her feelings for the vampire. Sleeping with him in 'their' cavern had been amazing, but somehow it was temporary. It didn't say anything about commitment. Having him in her bed was special. Looking into his eyes much later, she knew it was special for him too.