Chapter 2
Spike looked across the room to the girl in the other bed. She was asleep, her boots on the floor next to her. She must have led a rough life. He figured. She was so much like Faith, but she looked like Buffy. It was hard to believe how much the world had changed in the last few years.
It had taken Faith awhile to die, starting a chain reaction, that was irreversible. Living in the world today, especially as a Slayer, it hardened you, and he felt sorry for her. The moonlight came in, bathing him, patterned by the blasted snow. He hoped they could get the car fixed or else they would have to borrow one, or even walk. That's how important it was, this mysterious one of a kind book.
"Dawny! I'm sorry. I loved you." Spike turned and saw the young girl thrashing about in the bed. He listened to her words with alarm, afraid to believe all his feelings were true.
"Buffy?" He moaned. He shifted off the bed and knelt beside Elizabeth, watching her in her sleep. "I love them. I love them all. I'm ok." She yelped, almost with anger. Spike couldn't bare to watch anymore so he grabbed her and shook her awake. "Wake up girl!"
"Spike?" For a moment, between awake and asleep he saw her in Elizabeth's eyes, he saw something real. Then they returned to Elizabeth's eyes, hard and cold.
"Get off me perv." She snapped pushing him away.
"You were having a nightmare and I couldn't bloody sleep."
"I know I was." She snapped. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"I don-t even remember what it was about. Strange huh?"
"Yeah, strange." They both eventually fell asleep and Spike woke again when he smelled burning flesh and jumped out of the window light not a moment to soon. Elizabeth tossed a blanket at him and he put out the fire.
"I'll take the one by the door. How stupid am I. You get the one by the window next time you stupid bint." Spike complained. Elizabeth's lips pursed as she surpressed laughter. Spike took his coat up and they went downstairs.
"What do you mean you can't fix it? We've got to get up north."
"We don't 'ave the parts for a car like this. I'm sorry lad." The man shook his head. "For curiosity's sake, why do ya 'ave a blanket over yer 'ead?"
"He's allergic to the sun." Elizabeth explained.
"Well I think I 'ave one you could borrow if it's that urgent."
"Yes. Please."
"What will you give me in return?" They looked at each other.
"I got this." Elizabeth pulled an antique pocket watch from the depths of her down coat. The man snatched it. "It has sentimental value. It belonged to my Grandfather. We just need to go north and when we come back we can get our car."
"Sounds right. That 'eap o junk ain't going anywhere." The man pulled keys out of his pocket and pointed out the window. They thanked him and went out to the car which looked like it was in worse condition than Spike's. Spike jumped inside and went to take off the blanket but realized the sun still streamed in the windows.
"Damn it. It's either snow or sun. I don't get a blasted choice."
"Give me the keys."
"You?"
"I can drive. I'm not a baby."
"Slayers usually don't have time to learn."
"We have no choice." Spike slid over and listened from under his blanket as they Slayer took over. She was about as good as driving as Buffy had been. They bumped along roads and every once in awhile Spike dared to peek out from under his blanket to check the map. "So how far? Are we talking Scotland? I don't do Scotland."
"No. Not that far. But close enough." He tightened the blanket against the sun and felt glad he didn't have to breath or he would have suffocated by then.
"What's America like?"
"The same as here. Keep driving."
"How much farther? My leg's getting cramped."
"Your leg. How about my whole body? Do you know how horrible it is to be tucked under a blanket all day and night?"
"I once sailed with my Watcher on a Cargo ship to France in the hold."
"Speaking of Watcher's haven't seen yours. Aren't they supposed to be watching. Especially at a time like this with a guy like me." The girl didn't respond and Spike dared to poke his head up. He could see tears in the corners of her eyes, but she kept her head straight ahead.
"Your watcher dead?"
"Yes. She died in the attack of the Council last month. Since then their haven't been any to spare. I've pretty much been dusting any I see, up until they told me to follow you and help you find the book. God, if they hadn't been so dumb and discovered it before. We might have headed off this whole disaster.
"I know Buffy's first watcher died. And Faith's watcher died."
"Yeah. That's what people do." She growled. Such a tough little thing. He had to remember she never had the support system Buffy did.
"I think we're almost there."
"How can you tell? There's nothing up here? We're barely on a dirt road."
"It's a two lane highway."
"Close enough. Where am I going?"
"Take your next left onto the dirt road." Spike peeped at her and saw a grin on her lips. "You'll see this thing that looks like Stonehenge. But that isn't it. We passed that yesterday. Park there."
"Ok boss." Spike nestled back in the blanket and closed his eyes. It would be night again soon. He could picture the moon, beautiful and full. The council had timed it so they would pick up the book on a night of the full moon. It would aid their retrieval. But it wouldn't be easy.
Spike looked across the room to the girl in the other bed. She was asleep, her boots on the floor next to her. She must have led a rough life. He figured. She was so much like Faith, but she looked like Buffy. It was hard to believe how much the world had changed in the last few years.
It had taken Faith awhile to die, starting a chain reaction, that was irreversible. Living in the world today, especially as a Slayer, it hardened you, and he felt sorry for her. The moonlight came in, bathing him, patterned by the blasted snow. He hoped they could get the car fixed or else they would have to borrow one, or even walk. That's how important it was, this mysterious one of a kind book.
"Dawny! I'm sorry. I loved you." Spike turned and saw the young girl thrashing about in the bed. He listened to her words with alarm, afraid to believe all his feelings were true.
"Buffy?" He moaned. He shifted off the bed and knelt beside Elizabeth, watching her in her sleep. "I love them. I love them all. I'm ok." She yelped, almost with anger. Spike couldn't bare to watch anymore so he grabbed her and shook her awake. "Wake up girl!"
"Spike?" For a moment, between awake and asleep he saw her in Elizabeth's eyes, he saw something real. Then they returned to Elizabeth's eyes, hard and cold.
"Get off me perv." She snapped pushing him away.
"You were having a nightmare and I couldn't bloody sleep."
"I know I was." She snapped. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"I don-t even remember what it was about. Strange huh?"
"Yeah, strange." They both eventually fell asleep and Spike woke again when he smelled burning flesh and jumped out of the window light not a moment to soon. Elizabeth tossed a blanket at him and he put out the fire.
"I'll take the one by the door. How stupid am I. You get the one by the window next time you stupid bint." Spike complained. Elizabeth's lips pursed as she surpressed laughter. Spike took his coat up and they went downstairs.
"What do you mean you can't fix it? We've got to get up north."
"We don't 'ave the parts for a car like this. I'm sorry lad." The man shook his head. "For curiosity's sake, why do ya 'ave a blanket over yer 'ead?"
"He's allergic to the sun." Elizabeth explained.
"Well I think I 'ave one you could borrow if it's that urgent."
"Yes. Please."
"What will you give me in return?" They looked at each other.
"I got this." Elizabeth pulled an antique pocket watch from the depths of her down coat. The man snatched it. "It has sentimental value. It belonged to my Grandfather. We just need to go north and when we come back we can get our car."
"Sounds right. That 'eap o junk ain't going anywhere." The man pulled keys out of his pocket and pointed out the window. They thanked him and went out to the car which looked like it was in worse condition than Spike's. Spike jumped inside and went to take off the blanket but realized the sun still streamed in the windows.
"Damn it. It's either snow or sun. I don't get a blasted choice."
"Give me the keys."
"You?"
"I can drive. I'm not a baby."
"Slayers usually don't have time to learn."
"We have no choice." Spike slid over and listened from under his blanket as they Slayer took over. She was about as good as driving as Buffy had been. They bumped along roads and every once in awhile Spike dared to peek out from under his blanket to check the map. "So how far? Are we talking Scotland? I don't do Scotland."
"No. Not that far. But close enough." He tightened the blanket against the sun and felt glad he didn't have to breath or he would have suffocated by then.
"What's America like?"
"The same as here. Keep driving."
"How much farther? My leg's getting cramped."
"Your leg. How about my whole body? Do you know how horrible it is to be tucked under a blanket all day and night?"
"I once sailed with my Watcher on a Cargo ship to France in the hold."
"Speaking of Watcher's haven't seen yours. Aren't they supposed to be watching. Especially at a time like this with a guy like me." The girl didn't respond and Spike dared to poke his head up. He could see tears in the corners of her eyes, but she kept her head straight ahead.
"Your watcher dead?"
"Yes. She died in the attack of the Council last month. Since then their haven't been any to spare. I've pretty much been dusting any I see, up until they told me to follow you and help you find the book. God, if they hadn't been so dumb and discovered it before. We might have headed off this whole disaster.
"I know Buffy's first watcher died. And Faith's watcher died."
"Yeah. That's what people do." She growled. Such a tough little thing. He had to remember she never had the support system Buffy did.
"I think we're almost there."
"How can you tell? There's nothing up here? We're barely on a dirt road."
"It's a two lane highway."
"Close enough. Where am I going?"
"Take your next left onto the dirt road." Spike peeped at her and saw a grin on her lips. "You'll see this thing that looks like Stonehenge. But that isn't it. We passed that yesterday. Park there."
"Ok boss." Spike nestled back in the blanket and closed his eyes. It would be night again soon. He could picture the moon, beautiful and full. The council had timed it so they would pick up the book on a night of the full moon. It would aid their retrieval. But it wouldn't be easy.