Comment: Thanks for friendly and encouraging reviews. Chpater 4 will probably be up by this evening (local time).
Chapter 3
"We're still here, so is it safe to assume the world didn't come to an end?" Willow greeted her friends happily. "Oh my God, Giles, are you all right?"
There was an ugly bruise all over Giles' forehead, Xander was limping and groaning, and all of their clothes were caked in mud.
"Yeah, it was quite a party", sighed Buffy. She tossed her stake aside and was about to throw herself with relish on the couch.
"Buffy! No!" Buffy snapped around, panic flickering in her eyes, grabbing blindly for her stake. Then she froze with her arm raised in mid-air. Spike was laying on the couch, covered with a blanket up to his chest, his eyes closed. He had not even stirred when Giles, Xander and Buffy had come in, raising a considerable brouhaha. Now Willow was laying a finger against her mouth and making "shshssh".
"He needs to rest."
"So, you got him out." Xander's voice was pretending to be neutral, but his eyes were hard. Buffy looked down at Spike's still body with some curiosity. Only Giles stepped forward with actual concern, looking from Willow to Spike and then back again.
"Did you have any problems?", he asked, making an effort to keep his voice low.
"No, everything went just as planned. It wasn't all that complicated to hack into their security system, and once in there, there were demons going crazy all over the place, so no one really paid attention to me or what was going on in Spike's cell."
"Did they do anything to him?", asked Buffy cautiously. She had never felt quite comfortable being in the same room with Spike, and somehow he seemed more of a menace to her now that he lay motionless before her, although he was so obviuosly at her mercy. Maybe it would be best for them all - including him - to just put a stake through him be done with it once and for all... But first, the information.
"I don't know." Willow's voice was strained. She had to look away from Spike to keep it from trembling. He still looked very pale and ill, and she couldn't help seeing him again and again in that white cell, so small suddenly, so... alone. "He was very weak when I found him, I think they have been depriving him of food. And I know his chip is still working. Other than that, I can't tell. He's been too weak to speak. I could barely get him to walk out of there."
"How do you know about the chip?"
"Well, I told you he was weak from hunger, Xander. Don't you think he would have bitten me if the chip hadn't been working?"
"Did he?" Buffy's eyes went to Willow's neck.
"No! I already told you! Is that all you can think about? Look at the state he's in, look what they've done to him, for Gods sake! How can you still worry about how dangerous he is? HE isn't the one who's dangerous. The people who've done this to him, they are the ones we should be worried about!"
The tears that had been stinging behind Willow's eyes all this time finally flowed freely. Xander looked at her in utter shock, he'd never thought Willow could react so strongly about anything, let alone Spike. Buffy's eyes narrowed. Giles laid a reassuring hand on Willow's shoulder.
"You're tired and overexcited. We all are, it's been a hard day." He touched the bruise on his forehead gingerly. "My suggestion is, we all get some rest, then we eat something, and then we can talk things over. Willow is right, now that we have prevented the Feast, the Initiative is our main problem."
"So now we have an evil, bragging vampire, who would drain us all if he just had a chance, lying the couch, and he's our poor, poor victim, and the guys who've been trying to get rid of him are the baddies?"
"Xander? How about a shower? You stink to high heaven." Giles' tone was final, and there was an edge to his voice that reminded them of why he was the Watcher, and that there was not only mildness in those eyes.
Xander shuffled out, muttering under his breath. Buffy and Giles' decided they would all meet again early mext morning. "Willow, you coming?"
"Ah, yeah, sure, I just have to get my computer and stuff. You just go ahead, Buffy."
Willow hated herself for lying, but she hadn't liked the way Buffy's eyes had narrowed a moment ago when she was trying to explain where the real danger was. She had expected some resistance on Xander's part, more out of worry for her than anything else, but certainly not from Buffy. Not after Adam and Riley, not after everything they had seen. Not after what they had done to Spike. Willow had seen a something cross Buffy's eyes as she was looking on Spike on the couch, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it meant.
"Ok, seeya." Buffy went out the door, too exhausted to expend more energy on analysing Willow's unusual behaviour. All that would have to wait.
"You're not leaving, are you?" Willow couldn't read Giles' face as he stood confronting her. But she wouldn't lie to him - not until she absolutely had to. (Now why would she think THAT?!?)
"No, I'd like to stay until he wakes up, in case he needs something." Good, she had managed to keep her voice firm but casual. No big deal.
Giles' expression softened. "Willow, go to sleep. I'll be here, I'll take care of him, I promise."
Willows firmness faltered. Only a surge of hot anger helped her hold back her tears. This was definitely NOT the time to go all crybaby. If she did that, Giles would not take her seriously when she needed him to. (Now, again, what kind of a thought was that??)
"Well, I think it would be better if I am around when he wakes up. He'll probably be disoriented, confused, but he'll remember me getting him out of there, so I'm the logical person to be here and help him adjust."
Frankly, this didn't sound very logical to Willow, but she was bargaining on Giles' all to apparent tiredness, and on the fact that he seemed to be the only one who actually understood, up to a point, how she felt by what the Initiative had done to Spike.
It worked. Giles yawned, gestured to the armchair that stood facing the couch and said: "My pleasure. You can use the spare room if you want to take a more comfortable nap, and feel free to use the bathroom once I'm done."
She smiled. "Thanks, Giles."
But there would be no shower, no spare room, and certainly no nap. She would sit there and watch Spike and wait for him to wake up. And while she did, she would pray to all the good Gods and friendly Godesses that, once Spike opened his eyes, they would be clear again, that the look of muddled pain and despair that had met her in the cell would be gone. Because if it wasn't - well, small, and plain, and unremarkable as she was, she would have to do something about it. Probaly she would have to do it alone. And it wouldn't be nice.
Chapter 3
"We're still here, so is it safe to assume the world didn't come to an end?" Willow greeted her friends happily. "Oh my God, Giles, are you all right?"
There was an ugly bruise all over Giles' forehead, Xander was limping and groaning, and all of their clothes were caked in mud.
"Yeah, it was quite a party", sighed Buffy. She tossed her stake aside and was about to throw herself with relish on the couch.
"Buffy! No!" Buffy snapped around, panic flickering in her eyes, grabbing blindly for her stake. Then she froze with her arm raised in mid-air. Spike was laying on the couch, covered with a blanket up to his chest, his eyes closed. He had not even stirred when Giles, Xander and Buffy had come in, raising a considerable brouhaha. Now Willow was laying a finger against her mouth and making "shshssh".
"He needs to rest."
"So, you got him out." Xander's voice was pretending to be neutral, but his eyes were hard. Buffy looked down at Spike's still body with some curiosity. Only Giles stepped forward with actual concern, looking from Willow to Spike and then back again.
"Did you have any problems?", he asked, making an effort to keep his voice low.
"No, everything went just as planned. It wasn't all that complicated to hack into their security system, and once in there, there were demons going crazy all over the place, so no one really paid attention to me or what was going on in Spike's cell."
"Did they do anything to him?", asked Buffy cautiously. She had never felt quite comfortable being in the same room with Spike, and somehow he seemed more of a menace to her now that he lay motionless before her, although he was so obviuosly at her mercy. Maybe it would be best for them all - including him - to just put a stake through him be done with it once and for all... But first, the information.
"I don't know." Willow's voice was strained. She had to look away from Spike to keep it from trembling. He still looked very pale and ill, and she couldn't help seeing him again and again in that white cell, so small suddenly, so... alone. "He was very weak when I found him, I think they have been depriving him of food. And I know his chip is still working. Other than that, I can't tell. He's been too weak to speak. I could barely get him to walk out of there."
"How do you know about the chip?"
"Well, I told you he was weak from hunger, Xander. Don't you think he would have bitten me if the chip hadn't been working?"
"Did he?" Buffy's eyes went to Willow's neck.
"No! I already told you! Is that all you can think about? Look at the state he's in, look what they've done to him, for Gods sake! How can you still worry about how dangerous he is? HE isn't the one who's dangerous. The people who've done this to him, they are the ones we should be worried about!"
The tears that had been stinging behind Willow's eyes all this time finally flowed freely. Xander looked at her in utter shock, he'd never thought Willow could react so strongly about anything, let alone Spike. Buffy's eyes narrowed. Giles laid a reassuring hand on Willow's shoulder.
"You're tired and overexcited. We all are, it's been a hard day." He touched the bruise on his forehead gingerly. "My suggestion is, we all get some rest, then we eat something, and then we can talk things over. Willow is right, now that we have prevented the Feast, the Initiative is our main problem."
"So now we have an evil, bragging vampire, who would drain us all if he just had a chance, lying the couch, and he's our poor, poor victim, and the guys who've been trying to get rid of him are the baddies?"
"Xander? How about a shower? You stink to high heaven." Giles' tone was final, and there was an edge to his voice that reminded them of why he was the Watcher, and that there was not only mildness in those eyes.
Xander shuffled out, muttering under his breath. Buffy and Giles' decided they would all meet again early mext morning. "Willow, you coming?"
"Ah, yeah, sure, I just have to get my computer and stuff. You just go ahead, Buffy."
Willow hated herself for lying, but she hadn't liked the way Buffy's eyes had narrowed a moment ago when she was trying to explain where the real danger was. She had expected some resistance on Xander's part, more out of worry for her than anything else, but certainly not from Buffy. Not after Adam and Riley, not after everything they had seen. Not after what they had done to Spike. Willow had seen a something cross Buffy's eyes as she was looking on Spike on the couch, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it meant.
"Ok, seeya." Buffy went out the door, too exhausted to expend more energy on analysing Willow's unusual behaviour. All that would have to wait.
"You're not leaving, are you?" Willow couldn't read Giles' face as he stood confronting her. But she wouldn't lie to him - not until she absolutely had to. (Now why would she think THAT?!?)
"No, I'd like to stay until he wakes up, in case he needs something." Good, she had managed to keep her voice firm but casual. No big deal.
Giles' expression softened. "Willow, go to sleep. I'll be here, I'll take care of him, I promise."
Willows firmness faltered. Only a surge of hot anger helped her hold back her tears. This was definitely NOT the time to go all crybaby. If she did that, Giles would not take her seriously when she needed him to. (Now, again, what kind of a thought was that??)
"Well, I think it would be better if I am around when he wakes up. He'll probably be disoriented, confused, but he'll remember me getting him out of there, so I'm the logical person to be here and help him adjust."
Frankly, this didn't sound very logical to Willow, but she was bargaining on Giles' all to apparent tiredness, and on the fact that he seemed to be the only one who actually understood, up to a point, how she felt by what the Initiative had done to Spike.
It worked. Giles yawned, gestured to the armchair that stood facing the couch and said: "My pleasure. You can use the spare room if you want to take a more comfortable nap, and feel free to use the bathroom once I'm done."
She smiled. "Thanks, Giles."
But there would be no shower, no spare room, and certainly no nap. She would sit there and watch Spike and wait for him to wake up. And while she did, she would pray to all the good Gods and friendly Godesses that, once Spike opened his eyes, they would be clear again, that the look of muddled pain and despair that had met her in the cell would be gone. Because if it wasn't - well, small, and plain, and unremarkable as she was, she would have to do something about it. Probaly she would have to do it alone. And it wouldn't be nice.
