LOST AND FOUND
SOMEWHERE
She slowly opened her eyes. Everything was covered in mist. Grey. Shapeless.
She was surrounded by nothingness.
It was so beautiful! She could rest. Her mission was over. She belonged here.
Buffy was at peace...
***
THE SUMMERS' HOUSE
Spike woke up with a start as a high-pitched scream filled the air. The pounding in his head left him temporarily confused. Where was he? Who was screaming? Did he actually finish that entire bottle of bourbon last night? He closed his eyes and tried to clear the alcohol-induced fog in his brain.
Another ear-piercing scream brought him to his senses as the answers to his questions came to him. He was in the Summer's home. Dawn was screaming. And yes, he had finished the entire bottle of bourbon last night.
Wait...
Dawn was screaming?!
Spike jumped off the couch, leapt up the stairs, and ran into Dawn's room.
"What's wrong?!" he asked with urgency. He could see through the darkness Dawn hugging her sheets tightly, face pale and scared as she stared at the closet.
"In there!" Dawn replied, "It's in there!"
Spike relaxed and sighed as he went to the closet and turned the knob.
"Aren't you a little too old to believe in closet monsters, platelet?" He asked, then screamed as something jumped out and pinned him to the wall, "BLOODY HELL!" he exclaimed as he tried to push the thing off him, "The lights, 'bit! Get the sodding lights!"
Dawn immediately jumped out of bed and flipped the light switch. The thing that had pinned the blonde vampire to the wall quickly let go and covered its eyes.
No. Her eyes. Spike saw the closet monster was female… and blonde… and...
"Buffy!" he gasped, not quite believing what stood before him.
The closet monster brought her hands back to her sides and stared at Spike, her intentions hostile. Spike furrowed his brow.
"Buffy?" Spike repeated, confused.
Buffy's eyes looked downright vicious, as if barely containing a dark primal instinct. He had seen that look before, but only from his own kind... before a killing.
Spike's elation quickly turned to apprehension. He slowly backed away, tensing his body as if waiting for an enemy to strike.
"Buffy?!" Dawn shouted happily, either not noticing what Spike had, or not wanting to. Without hesitation, the 15 year old ran to her sister and threw her arms around her, "Buffy! I've missed you so much!" she cried.
Buffy shoved Dawn away roughly, a hiss escaping her lips as she put her hands in front of her, readying for an attack.
"Buffy?" Dawn spoke quietly, "It's me! It's Dawny!" Dawn started forward again, but a cold hand clamped down on her shoulder tightly, halting her.
"That's not Buffy, nibblet…" Spike carefully pulled Dawn away from the thing that was her big sister.
"Yes it is!" Dawn cried, "Look! It's Buffy! It's Buffy, Spike… it…" but her voice faltered as she caught Buffy's eyes. Something was wrong. Something was... off.
Buffy's body stood before them, but Buffy wasn't inside.
"Enemy!" The thing that was Buffy spoke, her eyes never leaving Spike. She quickly grabbed the wooden table in the middle of Dawn's room and broke the leg off, holding the sharp end towards Spike, "Vampire! Slay!"
"Right, pet... you're a vampire slayer, and I'm sure there are plenty in the graveyard waiting for a nice stake through the heart," Spike began, putting his arms protectively over his chest, "But we don't stake Vampires that have been taking care of little Sis..."
Buffy screamed, and leapt at Spike, holding her makeshift stake high. Spike quickly jumped out of the way, and the stake ended up buried in the wall.
"BUFFY! DON'T!" Dawn shouted. Suprisingly, Buffy halted. Dawn looked at her sister pleadingly, "Please. He's been taking care of me, just like you asked! He's been really good!"
"You have to get through to her somehow!" Spike shouted desperately as Buffy pulled the stake out of the wall, setting her sights on him once again.
"I... I'm trying!" Dawn replied.
"Well try harder, else you'll have a nice, dusty pile-o'-Spike in the middle of your room!" he put his hands up defensively, turning his attention back to the slayer, "Now pet... put the stake down..." Buffy ignored Spike and Dawn's pleas, and thrust the stake into the English vampire, just barely missing his unbeating heart, "BLOODY HELL!" He doubled over, trying to pull the stake free. With a painful scream, he tossed it on the floor. Buffy didn't give him a moment to recover as she advanced on him.
In desperation, Spike swept his leg out and knocked Buffy's feet from under her, sending the slayer crashing to the ground. Buffy quickly picked the stake up off the floor and tackled him.
"NO!" Dawn grabbed Buffy's arm from behind just as the blonde was getting ready to thrust the stake into Spike's chest again. Dawn barely managed to pull Buffy off, but it gave Spike enough time to slide out from under her and jump to his feet.
Buffy pulled away from Dawn and ran at Spike once more. All he could do was block her blows, trying not to kiss the ground. Buffy was almost unrecognizable now, her eyes that of a wild animal.
"Will you bloody stop!" he shouted, "It's your old friend, Spike!" Buffy increased her attack. Spike dodged the stake once again, wincing with every movement. The petite blonde before him was like a feral animal, her usually beautiful face distorted by a snarl, "Ok, ok! I know you don't exactly consider me a friend... but I thought the whole helping you save the world bit would at least grant me a reprieve in the Slayer books!"
"STOP IT!" Dawn screamed, and threw herself at Buffy. Buffy grabbed Dawn by the hair and tossed the 15 year old half-way across the room.
"NOTHING!" Buffy hissed as she glared at a hurting Dawn, "NOTHING THERE!"
Without thinking , Spike hit Buffy with a punch that not only made a Buffy-sized hole in the wall, but knocked the slayer out cold.
Whatever this thing was, it had hurt the nibblet! He had promised Buffy... the REAL Buffy... that he would protect her sister until the end of the world.
Even if that meant protecting Dawn against Buffy herself...
Spike waited for the pain. He waited for the violent headache... but recieved nothing.
The experimemental chip that had been forcefully injected into Spike's head was still active. He could feel the electricity tingling at the back of his skull. The only other reason he would be spared a headache would be if...
"She's not human!" Spike gasped as he helped Dawn to her feet, eyes never leaving Buffy's unmoving form.
"What?" Dawn asked as she rubbed her sore head, "But... how's that possible?!"
"I don't know, 'bit. Best call the gang and find out what's going on here..."
***
SOMEWHERE
Accept me. Join with me. We must be one...
Buffy heard the voice in her head. But yet it wasn't just in her head. It was all around her. All around the nothingness.
They need you...
"Go away... go away go away..." Buffy said to herself.
Do not reject me...
"Leave me alone! Let me rest!"
The Slayer is not allowed to rest...
***
THE SUMMERS' HOUSE
"I don't understand," Rupert Giles said as he stared at Buffy. The blonde was currently lying unconscious on Dawn's bed.
"Tie her up tight, Red..." A freshly bandaged Spike commanded as Willow wrapped a rope around the prone slayer, "Don't want her trying to stake me again..."
"I do," Xander replied, "Oh please loosen the ropes!"
The vampire slipped his t-shirt carefully over the gauze on his chest and offered Xander a look that could kill.
"You know, if I didn't have this bloody chip in my head---" Spike started.
"Buffy would have staked you long ago," Xander interrupted.
"Enough Xander. Spike. Now's not the time," Giles spoke, "Dawn, what happened here, exactly?"
"I ... I don't know, Mr. Giles. She just sort of... attacked. First she went after Spike. Then she threw me across the room when I tried to help him," Dawn explained, the memory hurting as much as her head. She didn't repeat what Buffy had called her. Nothing. It was bad enough hearing it from psychos, it hurt a hundred times more to hear it from her big sister.
"She must have instinctively known what Spike was," Giles said.
"Or maybe she knew WHO he was. I mean, Buffy's never really liked Spike," Xander pointed out.
"Xander... please!" Giles started, "Whatever else Buffy feels for Spike, she would not outright attack him like this," the Watcher paused, "Well, not recently anyway,"
"Not exactly feeling the love in here," Spike muttered dryly, then turned to Giles. "So, Rupes. What do you make of all this?"
"Call me Rupes again and I'll stake you myself!" Giles replied, "And I don't know what to make of it."
Spike sighed and went to stand beside Dawn, probably the only person in the room who considered him a friend.
"Ugh... nasty bruise!" Anya spoke up as she inspected Buffy's face, "Think it hurts?"
Spike covered a cough and looked away. Xander noticed.
"Oh, of course. Nothing like showing a woman you love her by giving her a big honking BRUISE!" Xander snapped.
"HEY! I was protecting nibblet!!" "He was protecting me!" Spike and Dawn replied together.
"Never mind that now!" Giles snapped, "I'm sure Buffy will overlook that considering the circumstances!" his voice grew quiet, "Provided we find a way to bring her back to her senses..."
"Guess I should mention I felt no pain when I hit her," Spike started, then immediately sensed fear in the room from everyone except Dawn. He looked at the rest of the gang, and frowned, "It's still working!" he snapped, "I can feel the bloody electricity! What I meant is the only way I WOULDN'T feel pain is if she wasn't human!"
"But it's Buffy!" Willow exclaimed, "Buffy's a DEMON?"
"She can't be a demon! No Buffy demon! No way!" Xander insisted emphatically.
"Calm down, everyone! It's impossible for Buffy to be a demon," Giles started, but even he couldn't explain it.
"She's not a demon, " the normally quiet Tara stated matter-of-factly, "It's something else. Something older. Something... primal,"
"Well, whatever it was, it knew instinctively how to get to home," Anya pointed out.
Buffy began to stir. Spike quickly tensed. He didn't want to hurt her again, even if it wasn't really Buffy who was currently trying to lunge at him. Spike was grateful the rope still held.
"Wow... she really doesn't like Spike," Willow said.
"So what else is new?" Spike muttered, not allowing the gang to see how much it bothered him. Dawn looked up at the blonde vampire, not fooled by his words. She knew, and understood. She was probably the only one who did.
Giles knelt beside the bed, face to face with Buffy.
"Who are you? What have you done with Buffy...!"
"The Slayer does not walk in this world..." Buffy replied.
"Slayer?" Giles furrowed his brow, "Are you the Slayer? The first one?"
"No first. No second. Only one..." Buffy replied, "I am The Slayer!"
"And Buffy?" Spike asked.
"Not here..." Buffy replied, "Lost."
"All slayer, no human... no... SOUL..." Spike realized, then raised an eyebrow, "Sounds familiar,"
"That's impossible!" Willow started.
"No..." Giles spoke, "No it's not. It... it could be the spirit of the slayer without the human to tame it. All instinct. No control. Buffy may..." he stopped, not wanting to say it but knowing it had to be said, "Buffy may indeed be dead."
Everyone was silent, trying to digest Giles' words. They didn't want to believe Buffy was truly dead. Not when she was right in front of them. When she was so close!
A primal scream broke through the silence as Buffy freed herself from the ropes.
"Please don't make me hurt you again, pet!" Spike started as Buffy immediately advanced on him. She wasn't listening. Spike quickly dodged what could have been a vicious punch and attempted a weak roundhouse that Buffy easily ducked. The slayer grabbed Spike by the throat and flung him against the opposite wall. He took a moment to shake the cobwebs out of his head, then jumped back to his feet, "I won't bloody fight you!"
Buffy didn't seem to care. Giles, Xander, Tara, Willow, and Anya jumped in front of Spike, trying to contain the violent slayer.
"Stop it, Buffy! Come to your senses!" Giles pleaded.
"You can't stake Spike!" Xander paused, "And I can't believe I just said that!"
"DON'T INTERFERE!" Buffy hissed, and advanced on her friends.
"THICKEN!" Willow shouted as she held a palm out towards Buffy. The slayer was hit by an invisible barrier, blocking her off from the gang and the injured vampire.
Buffy put her hands against the invisible energy, confused as to what it was. She punched at the air, but the transparent baricade only rippled slightly.
"How long will it hold, Red?" Spike asked.
"Not long. She'll break through in a few minutes," she looked at Spike hopelessly, "I don't know what else to do!"
"If we could only contact her. Find out if she's even in there!" Giles spoke.
"I found her before... when she was all coma-ish... but I don't know if I can do it again!" Willow replied.
"She's not in there!" Tara started, "She's lost."
"Then if she's lost, we bloody well better find her!" Spike snapped.
"I... I don't know if we can!" Tara explained, "If she's lost in limbo, or the astral plane or somewhere, we may never be able to find her!"
"I know a few meditation spells that could give us access to the astral plane. We have to try!" Willow said.
"No... it's too dangerous!" Tara brushed a strand of hair off Willow's face, her voice quiet and comforting, "WE could get lost too!"
"Anchors!" Anya spoke up, "We need anchors. I remember reading something about anchors. You can go to the astral plane, but you need an anchor to pull you back." She looked at Buffy, the barrier slowing shimmering in and out before her, "But... she needs to be out cold in order to get the real Buffy back. If she's conscious, then Buffy has no vessel to go in to!"
"And... where does she go when Buffy returns?" Giles asked.
"Um... I never got that far," Anya replied sheepishly, "That's when D'Hoffryn came and offered me the whole Vengence Demon thing,"
"Maybe she'll go back where she belongs?" Tara offered, "At least, that's what would make the most sense,"
"But we can't be sure! For all we know, it could send this slayer into a demon, or something equally worse!" Giles said.
"Can't be sure of anything in this world, Rupes. If we have a chance to get Buffy back, then I say we should risk it," Spike spoke.
"Your vote doesn't count. You don't care about consequences!" Xander snapped.
"I care about BUFFY!" Spike snapped back, "But do YOU?"
"Don't you DARE!' Xander grew angry, "I've known Buffy for six years! She's the closest thing I have to a sister! How dare you even IMPLY that I don't care about her?!"
"Then what will you risk, bricklayer?" Spike asked smugly, "What will you risk to bring her back?" Xander opened his mouth to reply, but reluctantly had to admit Spike was right. He would risk everything to save Buffy, the Slayer spirit be damned.
"Fine," Xander said quietly, "I'll risk it,"
"Are we all in agreement then?" Giles asked, looking around the room. Everyone nodded. "Very well..." he took off his glasses and put them in his pocket, his voice quiet, "Drop the barrier, Will," Willow hesitated for a moment, unsure. Giles stared at her, all business, "Do it, Willow!" Willow took a deep breath, and did as he asked. Before the Slayer had a chance to revel in her freedom, Giles struck her hard, knocking her unconscious once again. With an eerie calm, he wiped his glasses with a handkerchief and put them back on, "Let's find Buffy..."
TO BE CONTINUED