Willow was still trying to console her friend, ten minutes after Angel and Cordy had
arrived.
"Buffy, you would know if he was dead..er...You're bound, remember? You can
find him if you concentrate. Come on!" the witch gently shook her sobbing
friend. "Crying isn't going to help right now!"
Buffy sniffled and looked up, staring at all of them for a moment, before
blinking slowly, one last tear sinking from her eyes.
"You're..you're right." She wiped at her face angrily, and stood, shaking her
arms out as if they were sore. "We've got work to do; I don't have the time
to break down."
She looked expectantly to Giles, who met her gaze and ripped his
glasses off, tossing them down on the table next to the book he was poring
through.
"I wish I had a solution for you, but I have nothing new to offer. All the
writings simply repeat the same litany: the world will end if the Bridge,
which we have established as being Spike, is destroyed. You, as the Child in the
prophecy, must eventually sell your soul for him. The binding was essential for one
reason: that we might have a chance to stop whoever took Spike from killing
him, by finding him before that happens. The rest is just bloody riddles and
nonsense."
Buffy sighed, and crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly.
"So what are we supposed to do?" she asked, a hint of pleading in her
voice.
"Try and get some rest, Buffy. At least an hour. Then, we'll work together
to locate Spike. For now, that is all we can do. I will continue here with
Xander and Anya. Willow?" He looked to the witch. "I want you and Tara to
find a spell of some sort, anything that could help us. Perhaps, barring
horrible dreams, something akin to what we did to defeat Adam. Angel? Call
Faith, and get her here as soon as possible. Pull strings, do whatever it takes,
but get her out of prison and get her here. We need all the power we can muster."
Angel nodded and left his post next to Cordy, moving to the phone.
Willow, after an uncomfortable shared look with her estranged lover, followed
the girl up the stairs into the upper level of the shop.
Buffy rolled her shoulders, feeling totally useless. She absently
petted Dawn's hair, knowing that her sister was being strong for her sake,
but was as torn up about this as she was. The youngest Summers gave her a
small smile.
"Go sleep. I'll hold down the fort," she said with a shy grin.
Buffy gave a forced chuckle and nodded. She moved off toward the
training room, giving one last look around the busy room, and disappeared
behind the door.
///
Buffy dreamed.
She stood in a dark room, surrounded by the scent of blood. Firelight
flickered, throwing haphazard shadows at the walls. Spike hung motionless
in chains, his head resting against his chest.
She started towards him, when a woman appeared before her, laughing. Rage
flowed through the Slayer, and she whipped out her stake, shoving it into
the vampiress's heart. Buffy looked up to smirk at the bitch before she
turned to dust, and her heart leapt into her throat. It was Spike that
stared at her, confusion on his face, before he disintegrated.
She woke up screaming, hugging her knees to her chest. Gulping in air like
a woman drowning, she pushed off the mat that served as a makeshift bed and got to
her feet, trembling.
"Giles!" she stormed out into the main room.
All eyes turned to her.
"I had another dream, and there was this woman, and I killed her, but then
it was Spike that I killed, and does this mean I kill Spike?" her lower lip
trembled.
"Oh, Buffy, no." Giles rose from his seat, moving to give his Slayer a much
needed hug. "No....It could mean many things....You mustn't assume the worst. I
don't think a literal interpretation is called for...."
She pushed away from him, pacing.
"That's not good enough, Giles! I need to know what to do!"
Angel cleared his throat.
"I got Faith out. She's on her way, she'll be here in a few hours.
Until then, we just wait."
Buffy turned her rage-filled eyes on him for a moment, before calming. She
took a deep breath.
"Well, now I can't sleep. I'm going to train." She spun on her heel and
returned to the training room.
///
The scent was what woke him. Lapping at his battered senses like the
moon-driven waves, snapping him to attention when he would rather return to the
dreamless sleep of unconsciousness. It had first touched his nose, flowing
through his nostrils like a snake, jerking his head up and his eyes open.
Through the dim haze that had become his world, he saw the woman again,
holding a silver chalice. It was important, somehow, this place, this
woman, but he couldn't remember. As she came closer, he watched her
curiously, something tugging at his memory that just didn't want to
register. The pictures of the girls, the blonde and beautiful one, and the
slighter dark-haired one, kept floating past his eyes. THEY were important,
he knew. It pissed him off that he couldn't remember their names. But they
were important. He held onto that.
The woman (a name -- Kahamet -- for a moment, before it was lost again)
held the cup out to him, passing it under his nose. He finally recognized what it
was before him, and his body sang with bloodlust, sweeping away everything
else. The girls floated at the edges of his vision, not quite pushed away,
but at this moment, the blood was more important.
He licked his lips, straining his head out to taste the cup, but she pulled
it back. He whimpered and bucked in his chains, not even wondering WHY he
was chained. He hurt so bad, and the scent of the blood was pulling sharply at his
dead veins.
"Shh, lover. Just showing you who is in control here," the woman
whispered, and then brought the cup back to him.
He lapped at it like a dog, until she tilted it, allowing it to fill
his mouth before he swallowed, his parched lips and throat screaming in
exultation. But it wasn't enough. Oh lord, it wasn't enough, as the cup
emptied and she pulled it away. He licked his lips again, whimpering,
knowing only that he wanted more, but not recalling how to ask for more.
As the small amount of blood rejuvenated him slightly, the girls returned
to his foremost thoughts, their faces replacing that of the woman's before him.
Buffy. Dawn. Their names! He smiled a little, before letting his body
relax again, sweeping himself back into the sleep of the dead. They were
important, he knew.
///
When he awoke again, she was still there, and had the cup again. But he
didn't remember her from before, from when she had fed him earlier, from
when he had been captured. Nothing but the now, and the girls. Such pretty
girls, they were. He wondered where he had seen them. That thought was
shrugged aside as she gave him the cup again, replaced by the ecstasy of the
blood.
She gave him three more cups before he became something of himself again.
Spike. Yeah, that's who he was, William the fucking Bloody. She must have
registered the change in his eyes.
"It's almost time, Bridge," she said casually as she set the cup down.
She looked a lot better, thanks to his blood, he guessed. He snarled, remembering
that Buffy was counting on him. He had to keep her here, with him. Her and
Dawn.
Kahamet approached, using one hand to hold his back against the wall
before sinking her teeth into his already sore throat. This time, it ached. He
threw curses at her, struggling while he could, while he was once again
drained of his lifeblood. His knees weakened and his struggling stopped.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he called out with all his being to his Slayer,
before the light melted before him, and darkness overtook him. The cycle
began again for the fourth time.
///
Buffy, pacing, suddenly stopped, her muscles tensing, her eyes wide. Her
hand flew to her throat, as if she were injured, and she moaned, sinking to
her knees.
"Oh god.." she said as the world swam back into focus. Spike needed her.
For a second there, she had sworn she was feeling his pain.
Angel and Xander were at her side, helping her to her feet.
"What happened?" the vampire asked, steadying her with a strong arm.
"This binding thing...." she whispered, staring around her wildly for a
moment. "I know where Spike is."
At that moment, the bell chimed to announce someone entering the Magic Box.
Nine heads whipped around, looking to the newcomer.
Faith stood, a bag slung over her shoulder, her hair in tangles. She still
wore a prison uniform. She almost appeared sheepish, which was laughable,
considering who they were looking at. She looked at the floor, before
looking up again and meeting Buffy's eyes for a moment.
"Hey B." she said, with a little wave.
Silence.
A sly grin from the dark haired Slayer took in all in the room.
"So, you guys miss me or what?"
///
arrived.
"Buffy, you would know if he was dead..er...You're bound, remember? You can
find him if you concentrate. Come on!" the witch gently shook her sobbing
friend. "Crying isn't going to help right now!"
Buffy sniffled and looked up, staring at all of them for a moment, before
blinking slowly, one last tear sinking from her eyes.
"You're..you're right." She wiped at her face angrily, and stood, shaking her
arms out as if they were sore. "We've got work to do; I don't have the time
to break down."
She looked expectantly to Giles, who met her gaze and ripped his
glasses off, tossing them down on the table next to the book he was poring
through.
"I wish I had a solution for you, but I have nothing new to offer. All the
writings simply repeat the same litany: the world will end if the Bridge,
which we have established as being Spike, is destroyed. You, as the Child in the
prophecy, must eventually sell your soul for him. The binding was essential for one
reason: that we might have a chance to stop whoever took Spike from killing
him, by finding him before that happens. The rest is just bloody riddles and
nonsense."
Buffy sighed, and crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly.
"So what are we supposed to do?" she asked, a hint of pleading in her
voice.
"Try and get some rest, Buffy. At least an hour. Then, we'll work together
to locate Spike. For now, that is all we can do. I will continue here with
Xander and Anya. Willow?" He looked to the witch. "I want you and Tara to
find a spell of some sort, anything that could help us. Perhaps, barring
horrible dreams, something akin to what we did to defeat Adam. Angel? Call
Faith, and get her here as soon as possible. Pull strings, do whatever it takes,
but get her out of prison and get her here. We need all the power we can muster."
Angel nodded and left his post next to Cordy, moving to the phone.
Willow, after an uncomfortable shared look with her estranged lover, followed
the girl up the stairs into the upper level of the shop.
Buffy rolled her shoulders, feeling totally useless. She absently
petted Dawn's hair, knowing that her sister was being strong for her sake,
but was as torn up about this as she was. The youngest Summers gave her a
small smile.
"Go sleep. I'll hold down the fort," she said with a shy grin.
Buffy gave a forced chuckle and nodded. She moved off toward the
training room, giving one last look around the busy room, and disappeared
behind the door.
///
Buffy dreamed.
She stood in a dark room, surrounded by the scent of blood. Firelight
flickered, throwing haphazard shadows at the walls. Spike hung motionless
in chains, his head resting against his chest.
She started towards him, when a woman appeared before her, laughing. Rage
flowed through the Slayer, and she whipped out her stake, shoving it into
the vampiress's heart. Buffy looked up to smirk at the bitch before she
turned to dust, and her heart leapt into her throat. It was Spike that
stared at her, confusion on his face, before he disintegrated.
She woke up screaming, hugging her knees to her chest. Gulping in air like
a woman drowning, she pushed off the mat that served as a makeshift bed and got to
her feet, trembling.
"Giles!" she stormed out into the main room.
All eyes turned to her.
"I had another dream, and there was this woman, and I killed her, but then
it was Spike that I killed, and does this mean I kill Spike?" her lower lip
trembled.
"Oh, Buffy, no." Giles rose from his seat, moving to give his Slayer a much
needed hug. "No....It could mean many things....You mustn't assume the worst. I
don't think a literal interpretation is called for...."
She pushed away from him, pacing.
"That's not good enough, Giles! I need to know what to do!"
Angel cleared his throat.
"I got Faith out. She's on her way, she'll be here in a few hours.
Until then, we just wait."
Buffy turned her rage-filled eyes on him for a moment, before calming. She
took a deep breath.
"Well, now I can't sleep. I'm going to train." She spun on her heel and
returned to the training room.
///
The scent was what woke him. Lapping at his battered senses like the
moon-driven waves, snapping him to attention when he would rather return to the
dreamless sleep of unconsciousness. It had first touched his nose, flowing
through his nostrils like a snake, jerking his head up and his eyes open.
Through the dim haze that had become his world, he saw the woman again,
holding a silver chalice. It was important, somehow, this place, this
woman, but he couldn't remember. As she came closer, he watched her
curiously, something tugging at his memory that just didn't want to
register. The pictures of the girls, the blonde and beautiful one, and the
slighter dark-haired one, kept floating past his eyes. THEY were important,
he knew. It pissed him off that he couldn't remember their names. But they
were important. He held onto that.
The woman (a name -- Kahamet -- for a moment, before it was lost again)
held the cup out to him, passing it under his nose. He finally recognized what it
was before him, and his body sang with bloodlust, sweeping away everything
else. The girls floated at the edges of his vision, not quite pushed away,
but at this moment, the blood was more important.
He licked his lips, straining his head out to taste the cup, but she pulled
it back. He whimpered and bucked in his chains, not even wondering WHY he
was chained. He hurt so bad, and the scent of the blood was pulling sharply at his
dead veins.
"Shh, lover. Just showing you who is in control here," the woman
whispered, and then brought the cup back to him.
He lapped at it like a dog, until she tilted it, allowing it to fill
his mouth before he swallowed, his parched lips and throat screaming in
exultation. But it wasn't enough. Oh lord, it wasn't enough, as the cup
emptied and she pulled it away. He licked his lips again, whimpering,
knowing only that he wanted more, but not recalling how to ask for more.
As the small amount of blood rejuvenated him slightly, the girls returned
to his foremost thoughts, their faces replacing that of the woman's before him.
Buffy. Dawn. Their names! He smiled a little, before letting his body
relax again, sweeping himself back into the sleep of the dead. They were
important, he knew.
///
When he awoke again, she was still there, and had the cup again. But he
didn't remember her from before, from when she had fed him earlier, from
when he had been captured. Nothing but the now, and the girls. Such pretty
girls, they were. He wondered where he had seen them. That thought was
shrugged aside as she gave him the cup again, replaced by the ecstasy of the
blood.
She gave him three more cups before he became something of himself again.
Spike. Yeah, that's who he was, William the fucking Bloody. She must have
registered the change in his eyes.
"It's almost time, Bridge," she said casually as she set the cup down.
She looked a lot better, thanks to his blood, he guessed. He snarled, remembering
that Buffy was counting on him. He had to keep her here, with him. Her and
Dawn.
Kahamet approached, using one hand to hold his back against the wall
before sinking her teeth into his already sore throat. This time, it ached. He
threw curses at her, struggling while he could, while he was once again
drained of his lifeblood. His knees weakened and his struggling stopped.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he called out with all his being to his Slayer,
before the light melted before him, and darkness overtook him. The cycle
began again for the fourth time.
///
Buffy, pacing, suddenly stopped, her muscles tensing, her eyes wide. Her
hand flew to her throat, as if she were injured, and she moaned, sinking to
her knees.
"Oh god.." she said as the world swam back into focus. Spike needed her.
For a second there, she had sworn she was feeling his pain.
Angel and Xander were at her side, helping her to her feet.
"What happened?" the vampire asked, steadying her with a strong arm.
"This binding thing...." she whispered, staring around her wildly for a
moment. "I know where Spike is."
At that moment, the bell chimed to announce someone entering the Magic Box.
Nine heads whipped around, looking to the newcomer.
Faith stood, a bag slung over her shoulder, her hair in tangles. She still
wore a prison uniform. She almost appeared sheepish, which was laughable,
considering who they were looking at. She looked at the floor, before
looking up again and meeting Buffy's eyes for a moment.
"Hey B." she said, with a little wave.
Silence.
A sly grin from the dark haired Slayer took in all in the room.
"So, you guys miss me or what?"
///