Somewhere between Sunnydale and Los Angeles -Three days later.
Angel drove as carefully as he could, pushing 80, and worried as hell. Cordelia sat beside him, still looking pale from the vision that had sent them packing. Wesley muttered to himself in the backseat, reading through various books by the interior light.
Cordelia moaned and watched as the scenery whizzed by, feeling slightly sick. She had never had a vision about the end of the world, and it seemed, they were a hell of a lot more painful than the normal, mind-splitting kind. She knew they were killing her. But from what the vision had told her, none of them had time enough to worry about that.
"So, you're sure that Buffy will know what is going on?" she weakly asked Angel.
His knuckles white on the steering wheel, he replied through gritted teeth.
"Yes. You said that the vision centered around her. Explain it again."
The brunette moaned once more. For the third time, she started from the beginning.
"The vision hit, all mind pounding and such. I saw Buffy, surrounded by vampires crumbling to dust. I saw Drusilla, and then she was gone. I saw Spike." She winced as Angel growled, and pressed the accelerator down a little further. Quickly, she continued. "I saw you, hurting, I don't know why. Then I saw the world consumed in flames. And no, I can't explain further, I only know that you can't see Buffy or the others till the time is right. Again, I don't know why, or when, but I guess, I'll get another vision." she sighed, and flopped back into the seat.
Angel sighed as well.
"How am I supposed to help if I can't talk to them? What am I supposed to do, stalk them? Or..." he trailed off suddenly, his eyes widening.
Cordelia looked over at him, annoyed. Until she saw the look on his face.
"Angel? What's wrong?"
The vampire doubled over the steering wheel, gasping for unneeded air. He managed to hit the brakes, sending the car skidding to a halt, right in the center of the highway. Wesley, who hadn't been paying attention, looked up just as Angel fell out of the car. Cordelia ripped her door open and ran around to Angel's side, kneeling.
"Angel? ANGEL!" she screamed, panicking, watching as Angel writhed in pain, his eyes unfocused.
"What happened?" Wesley asked, climbing out.
"I don't know. We have to get him somewhere safe. Help me get him into the car!" Wesley nodded and they both hurried to shove the crippled vampire in the back seat.
///
Sunnydale
"So, you're sure you're healed enough to patrol?" Buffy asked, looking over her shoulder at her pretty much constant vampire companion.
"Of course." Spike replied, striding a little faster to catch up. "Wouldn't be traipsin' 'round with you if I wasn't up for the fightin', luv."
She chuckled, and shook her head. He did LOOK better. The bruises were pretty much gone; he said his eyes and hearing were almost like new.
She sighed as three vampires jumped out from hiding, circling the two.
"What do you think, Spike? Can we take 'em all in three seconds?"
It was Spike's turn to chuckle.
"Sure, luv," he said, pulling out his own stake. And the fight was on.
Buffy was thrilled. The vamp population had been sparse lately, leaving her nothing to kill. She was so ready for this, and flew into battle, staking one of the vampires before it even had time to register what it was it had attacked. Spike was doing well against the other two, trading blow for blow.
Suddenly, it seemed as if the texture of the air had changed. Spike and the other two vampires froze. The fledglings took off running. They got three steps before they both fell to their knees, screaming. And then they dissolved into dust.
Buffy furrowed her brow.
"What the hell?" she asked, turning around.
Spike was on his knees, his eyes wide. "Oh, god." he breathed, holding his sides. Buffy was suddenly consumed by the fear that he was about to be dust as well. She dropped her stake and ran to his side, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Spike?! Spike!" She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not when she was beginning to realize how much he really meant to her.
Spike didn't seem to hear her. He would have fallen over on his side if not for the fact that Buffy's arms were around him. His entire body shook, every muscle clenched.
She nearly broke down when he screamed, thrashing his arms and legs, as if fighting off a mob. She watched in horror as bruises emerged on his face anew, and then faded away. The scar on his eyebrow split open, splashing his face with blood. Then it closed, and the blood vanished.
He managed to throw her off of him, and he fell onto his back, his hands clawing at the grass. The noises he made were of pure agony, choking in his throat. His demon emerged for a moment, before the pain caused it to retreat again. His back arched, as if something was pulling his chest upwards, and then he collapsed, babbling, relaxing slightly.
"Only the strong...Only the strong..." he muttered, his eyes glazed and unseeing. Buffy quickly pulled him to his feet.
"Come on Spike, stay with me," she commanded, fear clutching at her heart. He continued to mumble, his eyes half closed, and barely put forth effort into walking as Buffy half dragged him toward her house. Giles. Giles would know what to do.
///
Buffy slammed open the front door, staggering in with her half-conscious burden. Giles and Dawn looked up from the couch.
"What happened?" Giles said, rising.
"Dawn, go to your room, NOW!" Buffy said, in a tone that warranted no argument.
Dawn, nearly in tears, did as she was told.
It had happened again on the way home. His whole body had tensed and she was forced to let him go, only able to watch through the tears as he thrashed and screamed. The second time it was worse. She knew there would be a third. Drusilla said three times.
"I think this cleansing thing has started..." she said, and was cut off when Spike keened, and stumbled out of her arms, hitting the floor hard.
"Oh God, Giles! What do I do? Oh god..." she watched, panicking all over again. He had survived it twice. He would survive the last time. She hoped.
Giles too, watched in horror, as it seemed every wound ever inflicted on the vampire opened again. He screamed, thrashing. Buffy tried to hold him down, but once again she was thrown away, and only able to watch, helpless.
Giles pulled her into his arms, and she sobbed on his chest, unable to bear her lover's pain. When she finally had control of herself, she settled down next to Spike, and watched as the fit came to an end.
Smoke rose from his chest, causing the fear to tighten in her throat again. This time, when Spike's back arched, his eyes flew open, not in pain, or terror, but in awe. Then he clenched them shut, and fell back down, gasping. Shuddering all over, he rolled onto his side, whimpering, and began to sob.
Angel drove as carefully as he could, pushing 80, and worried as hell. Cordelia sat beside him, still looking pale from the vision that had sent them packing. Wesley muttered to himself in the backseat, reading through various books by the interior light.
Cordelia moaned and watched as the scenery whizzed by, feeling slightly sick. She had never had a vision about the end of the world, and it seemed, they were a hell of a lot more painful than the normal, mind-splitting kind. She knew they were killing her. But from what the vision had told her, none of them had time enough to worry about that.
"So, you're sure that Buffy will know what is going on?" she weakly asked Angel.
His knuckles white on the steering wheel, he replied through gritted teeth.
"Yes. You said that the vision centered around her. Explain it again."
The brunette moaned once more. For the third time, she started from the beginning.
"The vision hit, all mind pounding and such. I saw Buffy, surrounded by vampires crumbling to dust. I saw Drusilla, and then she was gone. I saw Spike." She winced as Angel growled, and pressed the accelerator down a little further. Quickly, she continued. "I saw you, hurting, I don't know why. Then I saw the world consumed in flames. And no, I can't explain further, I only know that you can't see Buffy or the others till the time is right. Again, I don't know why, or when, but I guess, I'll get another vision." she sighed, and flopped back into the seat.
Angel sighed as well.
"How am I supposed to help if I can't talk to them? What am I supposed to do, stalk them? Or..." he trailed off suddenly, his eyes widening.
Cordelia looked over at him, annoyed. Until she saw the look on his face.
"Angel? What's wrong?"
The vampire doubled over the steering wheel, gasping for unneeded air. He managed to hit the brakes, sending the car skidding to a halt, right in the center of the highway. Wesley, who hadn't been paying attention, looked up just as Angel fell out of the car. Cordelia ripped her door open and ran around to Angel's side, kneeling.
"Angel? ANGEL!" she screamed, panicking, watching as Angel writhed in pain, his eyes unfocused.
"What happened?" Wesley asked, climbing out.
"I don't know. We have to get him somewhere safe. Help me get him into the car!" Wesley nodded and they both hurried to shove the crippled vampire in the back seat.
///
Sunnydale
"So, you're sure you're healed enough to patrol?" Buffy asked, looking over her shoulder at her pretty much constant vampire companion.
"Of course." Spike replied, striding a little faster to catch up. "Wouldn't be traipsin' 'round with you if I wasn't up for the fightin', luv."
She chuckled, and shook her head. He did LOOK better. The bruises were pretty much gone; he said his eyes and hearing were almost like new.
She sighed as three vampires jumped out from hiding, circling the two.
"What do you think, Spike? Can we take 'em all in three seconds?"
It was Spike's turn to chuckle.
"Sure, luv," he said, pulling out his own stake. And the fight was on.
Buffy was thrilled. The vamp population had been sparse lately, leaving her nothing to kill. She was so ready for this, and flew into battle, staking one of the vampires before it even had time to register what it was it had attacked. Spike was doing well against the other two, trading blow for blow.
Suddenly, it seemed as if the texture of the air had changed. Spike and the other two vampires froze. The fledglings took off running. They got three steps before they both fell to their knees, screaming. And then they dissolved into dust.
Buffy furrowed her brow.
"What the hell?" she asked, turning around.
Spike was on his knees, his eyes wide. "Oh, god." he breathed, holding his sides. Buffy was suddenly consumed by the fear that he was about to be dust as well. She dropped her stake and ran to his side, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Spike?! Spike!" She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not when she was beginning to realize how much he really meant to her.
Spike didn't seem to hear her. He would have fallen over on his side if not for the fact that Buffy's arms were around him. His entire body shook, every muscle clenched.
She nearly broke down when he screamed, thrashing his arms and legs, as if fighting off a mob. She watched in horror as bruises emerged on his face anew, and then faded away. The scar on his eyebrow split open, splashing his face with blood. Then it closed, and the blood vanished.
He managed to throw her off of him, and he fell onto his back, his hands clawing at the grass. The noises he made were of pure agony, choking in his throat. His demon emerged for a moment, before the pain caused it to retreat again. His back arched, as if something was pulling his chest upwards, and then he collapsed, babbling, relaxing slightly.
"Only the strong...Only the strong..." he muttered, his eyes glazed and unseeing. Buffy quickly pulled him to his feet.
"Come on Spike, stay with me," she commanded, fear clutching at her heart. He continued to mumble, his eyes half closed, and barely put forth effort into walking as Buffy half dragged him toward her house. Giles. Giles would know what to do.
///
Buffy slammed open the front door, staggering in with her half-conscious burden. Giles and Dawn looked up from the couch.
"What happened?" Giles said, rising.
"Dawn, go to your room, NOW!" Buffy said, in a tone that warranted no argument.
Dawn, nearly in tears, did as she was told.
It had happened again on the way home. His whole body had tensed and she was forced to let him go, only able to watch through the tears as he thrashed and screamed. The second time it was worse. She knew there would be a third. Drusilla said three times.
"I think this cleansing thing has started..." she said, and was cut off when Spike keened, and stumbled out of her arms, hitting the floor hard.
"Oh God, Giles! What do I do? Oh god..." she watched, panicking all over again. He had survived it twice. He would survive the last time. She hoped.
Giles too, watched in horror, as it seemed every wound ever inflicted on the vampire opened again. He screamed, thrashing. Buffy tried to hold him down, but once again she was thrown away, and only able to watch, helpless.
Giles pulled her into his arms, and she sobbed on his chest, unable to bear her lover's pain. When she finally had control of herself, she settled down next to Spike, and watched as the fit came to an end.
Smoke rose from his chest, causing the fear to tighten in her throat again. This time, when Spike's back arched, his eyes flew open, not in pain, or terror, but in awe. Then he clenched them shut, and fell back down, gasping. Shuddering all over, he rolled onto his side, whimpering, and began to sob.