Doesn't Anyone Stay Dead Around Here?
Chapter 10
"Giles hasn't found anything either about a spell to raise a specific demon," Buffy said resignedly as she hung up the phone and turned to face the Scoobies. "He thinks Willow's explanation is as good as any and we should just be prepared for anything. Only he said it more British."
"Giles wants us to be boy scouts?" Xander's quip was ignored by the others.
"Why Dawn and Spike, though?" Willow wondered aloud. "I mean, it's not like Dawn's the key anymore and there's nothing special about Spike, other than the chip, but I don't think I've ever seen a spell that called for a government-chipped vampire as an ingredient. And this is Sunnydale. There's tons of vampires around and a lot of them would be easier to catch than Spike. He's harmless, but he's not stupid. And I can't even count how many humans there are who're a lot dumber and less protected than Dawn if they're looking for any old human to sacrifice. And I'm rambling and I'm gonna stop now."
"N-no, Willow," Tara said. "That's a good point. Whoever it is clearly targeted Dawn and Spike specifically. It might help us to know why."
"It's because of me." Buffy's quite voice brought everyone's attention to her.
"Okay, I get Dawn," Xander said, "but why Captain Peroxide? Sure he helps us out now and then, but if the idea was to hurt you, any one of us would be a better target. Not that I'm volunteering to be kidnapped."
"Or sacrificed!" Anya exclaimed. "You can't volunteer to be sacrificed either, because then you couldn't love me and give me orgasms."
Buffy knew that if anyone knew about her relationship with Spike, they would have plenty of reason to think she could be hurt by kidnapping him. However, she also didn't want to reveal this to the others.
"Spike is the only vampire in our group," Tara pointed out, knowing Buffy's lack of eagerness to explain why Spike would make a good target.
"And if they need a vampire sacrifice…" Xander trailed off, allowing the others to make the connection in their heads.
"But we're just assuming they need sacrifices." Anya pointed out. "They may not. Dawn and Spike may be bait."
"Again with the Why Spike?" Xander spoke up.
"Does it really matter?" Buffy's head snapped up and her features changed from sad to resolved. "They're missing. We're going to get them back. End of story. Got it?"
She looked at each of the other faces around the room and when they nodded agreement, she stood.
"Good. Everybody load up. We're taking a trip to the Hellmouth."
***
Spike slowly gained consciousness. He kept instinctively still while his brain fought through the fog. Once his mind cleared, he took stock of his situation. Spike could tell that there were heavy metal rings around his wrists and ankles, probably manacles. He sighed in his head; manacles meant chains and chains were much harder to escape from than rope. Still unmoving, he extended his senses. He could hear four separate heartbeats in the room. Spike sniffed the air. Three humans and one demon. He wasn't sure what kind of demon it was, but it wasn't a vampire. Slowly, he opened his eyes just far enough to peer out from underneath his lashes. Hopefully, anyone watching him would not be able to tell he was awake.
All he could see was that he was in a dusty, dirty room. The air had enough flow in it to tell Spike that wherever he was, it was above ground and open to the outside, at least in spots. However, there was also a faint underpinning scent of sulfur and smoke, as if the room had at one time burned.
Unable to detect anymore of the room, Spike decided to take his chances and move his head. He turned his gaze to the center of the room. He could see three large poles, forming a triangle around the middle of the open space. Tied to each pole was a person. All were unconscious. Spike recognized the two men who had tried to interview Buffy about vampires, and he already knew who the third person was: Dawn.
The demon was still hidden from his line of sight, so Spike continued to examine the room. It looked familiar. Spike was certain he had been here before, but he couldn't remember when or why. Of course, Spike had seen more than his share of burned out holes-in-the-ground in his 120 year existence, but very few since he last came to Sunnydale. As he was trying to connect his memories with the room before him, he heard a familiar voice say, "Good, you're awake."
"You should've stayed gone, mate."
"No witty comments about letting dead demons lie this time?" the other mocked him.
Spike craned his neck to look at his captor.
"Look, Doc, Dawn ain't the key no more. That was a one shot, right time, right place kind of deal. 'Sides, Glory's dead. As in the not- coming-back kind of dead. So your little scheme isn't going to work."
Doc smiled, and Spike felt a chill go up his spine, defying his already low body temperature.
"This isn't about her magnificence, Glorificus. Not directly." He lowered his voice and leaned over Spike. "Did you ever give your lady your regrets?"
"This is about hurting the Slayer," Spike said, the pieces falling into place. "She beat that stupid bint and now you're going to hurt her by hurting kid sis."
Doc nodded. "And her lover."
With Doc's words still hovering above him, Spike's memories clicked into place and he realized where they were: the Hellmouth.
Chapter 10
"Giles hasn't found anything either about a spell to raise a specific demon," Buffy said resignedly as she hung up the phone and turned to face the Scoobies. "He thinks Willow's explanation is as good as any and we should just be prepared for anything. Only he said it more British."
"Giles wants us to be boy scouts?" Xander's quip was ignored by the others.
"Why Dawn and Spike, though?" Willow wondered aloud. "I mean, it's not like Dawn's the key anymore and there's nothing special about Spike, other than the chip, but I don't think I've ever seen a spell that called for a government-chipped vampire as an ingredient. And this is Sunnydale. There's tons of vampires around and a lot of them would be easier to catch than Spike. He's harmless, but he's not stupid. And I can't even count how many humans there are who're a lot dumber and less protected than Dawn if they're looking for any old human to sacrifice. And I'm rambling and I'm gonna stop now."
"N-no, Willow," Tara said. "That's a good point. Whoever it is clearly targeted Dawn and Spike specifically. It might help us to know why."
"It's because of me." Buffy's quite voice brought everyone's attention to her.
"Okay, I get Dawn," Xander said, "but why Captain Peroxide? Sure he helps us out now and then, but if the idea was to hurt you, any one of us would be a better target. Not that I'm volunteering to be kidnapped."
"Or sacrificed!" Anya exclaimed. "You can't volunteer to be sacrificed either, because then you couldn't love me and give me orgasms."
Buffy knew that if anyone knew about her relationship with Spike, they would have plenty of reason to think she could be hurt by kidnapping him. However, she also didn't want to reveal this to the others.
"Spike is the only vampire in our group," Tara pointed out, knowing Buffy's lack of eagerness to explain why Spike would make a good target.
"And if they need a vampire sacrifice…" Xander trailed off, allowing the others to make the connection in their heads.
"But we're just assuming they need sacrifices." Anya pointed out. "They may not. Dawn and Spike may be bait."
"Again with the Why Spike?" Xander spoke up.
"Does it really matter?" Buffy's head snapped up and her features changed from sad to resolved. "They're missing. We're going to get them back. End of story. Got it?"
She looked at each of the other faces around the room and when they nodded agreement, she stood.
"Good. Everybody load up. We're taking a trip to the Hellmouth."
***
Spike slowly gained consciousness. He kept instinctively still while his brain fought through the fog. Once his mind cleared, he took stock of his situation. Spike could tell that there were heavy metal rings around his wrists and ankles, probably manacles. He sighed in his head; manacles meant chains and chains were much harder to escape from than rope. Still unmoving, he extended his senses. He could hear four separate heartbeats in the room. Spike sniffed the air. Three humans and one demon. He wasn't sure what kind of demon it was, but it wasn't a vampire. Slowly, he opened his eyes just far enough to peer out from underneath his lashes. Hopefully, anyone watching him would not be able to tell he was awake.
All he could see was that he was in a dusty, dirty room. The air had enough flow in it to tell Spike that wherever he was, it was above ground and open to the outside, at least in spots. However, there was also a faint underpinning scent of sulfur and smoke, as if the room had at one time burned.
Unable to detect anymore of the room, Spike decided to take his chances and move his head. He turned his gaze to the center of the room. He could see three large poles, forming a triangle around the middle of the open space. Tied to each pole was a person. All were unconscious. Spike recognized the two men who had tried to interview Buffy about vampires, and he already knew who the third person was: Dawn.
The demon was still hidden from his line of sight, so Spike continued to examine the room. It looked familiar. Spike was certain he had been here before, but he couldn't remember when or why. Of course, Spike had seen more than his share of burned out holes-in-the-ground in his 120 year existence, but very few since he last came to Sunnydale. As he was trying to connect his memories with the room before him, he heard a familiar voice say, "Good, you're awake."
"You should've stayed gone, mate."
"No witty comments about letting dead demons lie this time?" the other mocked him.
Spike craned his neck to look at his captor.
"Look, Doc, Dawn ain't the key no more. That was a one shot, right time, right place kind of deal. 'Sides, Glory's dead. As in the not- coming-back kind of dead. So your little scheme isn't going to work."
Doc smiled, and Spike felt a chill go up his spine, defying his already low body temperature.
"This isn't about her magnificence, Glorificus. Not directly." He lowered his voice and leaned over Spike. "Did you ever give your lady your regrets?"
"This is about hurting the Slayer," Spike said, the pieces falling into place. "She beat that stupid bint and now you're going to hurt her by hurting kid sis."
Doc nodded. "And her lover."
With Doc's words still hovering above him, Spike's memories clicked into place and he realized where they were: the Hellmouth.