Good Afternoon, Everyone:)
Hope everyone is enjoying what is a glorious weekend in my corner of the world. Not me of course. I'm stuck inside typing! I really need to get a laptop:) But, then again, it's not so bad being stuck in my widdle mind.
Here is chapter twenty-one of Time. It is back to real time for the rest of the story. There is angst in this chapter, but also some action and a heck of a plot twist (of the non ME variety). Let me know what you think!
Thanks, as always for reading and I look forward to your reviews!
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Buffy, and a widdle Spike, and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Illusions (Time - Chapter Twenty-One)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (with, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Set simultaneously to the Hero-Part Two. Xander returns from an unsuccessful search for his girlfriend. Tara and Anya explain what Tara saw while looking for William. Spike goes to the safe house to rescue Emma from Draconius. But what he finds nearly ends him. Xander discovers Takina's whereabouts, but is he in time?
Illusions
"She's not at home," Xander panted, as he came into the waiting room of the ICU. "Not anywhere. I paged her, called her, ran laps around her building."
The panic on the boy's face was sharp and clear as glass. Giles stared at him a moment. "Well, I'm afraid we have bad news all around then," Giles sighed.
Xander's face slackened. "No... not William."
"The baby is holding his own," Giles answered, pulling off his glasses and wiping them nervously. "But it seems Draconius is back. And Emma is missing."
"What?" Xander's eyes flew open. "Does he have her?"
"I'm afraid that's the likely answer ," Giles replied, voice calm but eyes portraying his fear. "But there is no way to tell."
Xander looked at Giles, panic boiling again. "Where is he? Where is Spike?"
"Sam called Riley with a location. Riley and Spike went after him," Giles answered.
"Spike and... Riley?"
"Petty differences seem quite insignificant at time like this," the Watcher sighed.
Xander nodded, glancing nervously around the room. "What are we doing? Where did they go? I'll go help them..."
"I am waiting for Tara and Anya," Giles commented, a strained look passing between the two at the mention of her name. Giles took a deep breath. "They're trying to assess whether or not William's condition might be mystical. "
Xander nodded. "What should I do?"
"For now, see if you can locate Takina. Maybe talk to the staff and see if you can trace her steps. Spike needs us to find a way to help William. Hopefully, he and Riley can hold off Draconius and find Emma. Once the girls are through, I will see if there is any sort of protection spell they can put on Spike while he searches for Emma."
"Right," Xander said, looking around the room. "Willow?"
"She and Dawn are with Buffy," Giles responded. "From what Spike told me, the last time he saw Takina, she was taking William back down to the ICU from Buffy's room. The baby made it here, so perhaps start with the ward nurse?"
Xander's eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "This isn't like her, Giles. She's... she's everything I'm not. Mature. Responsible. She wouldn't just leave William..."
Giles laid a hand on his shoulder. "All the more reason for you to look for her."
*****
"Dammit," Spike cursed, searching the pockets of his jeans for the keys. Gave them to Cyrus, he screamed at himself. Without a second thought, he punched through the side window, unlocking the door, ignoring the blood dripping down his arm, and climbing into the car. It didn't take long for him to rip out the steering wheel assembly and hotwire it. And they say the newer models are theft proof, a little part of him chuckled as he tore out of the parking lot, heading out onto the road.
The address Riley had left was a few miles away. It felt like a hundred as he gunned the engine, running stop sign after stop sign, genuinely glad there didn't seem to be much traffic nor any pesky police that he would have had to knock out rather than be slowed down. Thoughts of his little girl suspended above the fires in that cave when she was a tot battled it out with photos of his son in a barren plastic wasteland with tubes and wires sticking from every square inch. And underneath it all was the look on Buffy's when he left. Grief and rage and hurt and anger.
The car moved faster.
*****
"What did you find?" Cyrus asked as the two bedraggled women came back into the waiting room, leaning on each other for support. Giles rushed to them, sliding an arm behind each girl and helping them into chairs.
"It's a spell," Tara panted, her face ashen. "Someone trapped William in Time."
"I'm not sure I understand," Giles said quietly, crouching down in front of the girls.
Anya sighed, brushing hair from her face with the back of her hand. "It's an ancient spell," she began. "It won't kill him, but he will never get out on his own. He has to be retrieved."
"Retrieved?" Cyrus asked.
"Once he has cycled through the paths of time and found the correct one, he will move on to the Queen's chamber," Anya continued.
"The Queen of the Sky," Giles said, sudden recognition of what he had assumed to be a fairy tale passing across his face.
"Right," Anya replied. "Once he makes it there, he will rest very peacefully, indefinitely, until he is released by an emissary of her court."
Cyrus nodded. "An emissary of the Powers," he said, standing. "I am One. A part of them."
"Yes," Anya answered. "But you were raised to that level. Only one who was born into their graces can enter the Queen's chamber."
"Raised?" Tara asked. "But how?"
"I was born a human," Cyrus began, "But I... I did.... something... As a reward, I was raised to the next level of being. An immortal. And an emissary of the Queen of the Sky."
"What...what did you do?" Tara asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.
"It's a long story," Giles sighed. "An interesting one, but it will have to wait until we have the children sorted."
"Of course," Tara blushed, looking as if she might fade into sleep at any moment. "So Emma," she continued quietly. "Emma can retrieve him."
Giles looked at his feet, then back to the exhausted women in front of him. "I've some bad news."
Anya's face blanked, looking at Giles. Reading the horror in his eyes. "What is it?" She asked, leaning forward to touch his cheek.
"Draconius has returned. We think he has Emma. Spike and Riley have gone to try and retrieve her but..."
"Without Buffy, Draconius and his mate are stronger," Anya sighed. "You know that. He'll need help."
"Riley went to assess the situation first. They will try to catch one of them alone, retrieve Emma and return. We'll worry about re-capturing Draconius later," Giles answered.
Tara shuddered, pulling herself upright. "It's not right. Something is wrong with... with this. Spike's not safe. Emma. They need help."
Cyrus studied the girls closely. "You don't seem to be in any condition to help them magically."
"No," Tara responded. "But I can guide the two of you."
"No," Anya repeated. "You stay here," she said to Tara. "You two, we need to figure out a way to boost Spike's power and contain Draconius."
Giles looked at Cyrus. "I think that she's right. We may not get another chance like this."
Tara looked at them. "I'll explain it to Buffy and Willow. Go,"
*****
"The last I saw her, she was signing out," the ICU nurse said, placing a clipboard in Xander's hand. "She seemed fine. Said something to the baby, signed out and headed out towards the stairs."
Xander's hands trembled as he read the sheet on the clipboard. "Anything... strange? I mean, did she seem herself?" He paused studying the paper. "Wait. Looks like she signed out twice." The signatures were close together. Almost identical. But he could feel it. The last one. It wasn't quite right.
"Yeah," the nurse commented, furrowing her brow. "I mean, it was a little odd, I guess. Just figured she was being overly protective of the boy."
"What.. what do you mean?" Xander asked, his eyes rising to meet hers.
The nurse nervously wrung her hands. "Well, she came down with William and got him settled. Then it looked like she went to change because she came back in street clothes maybe... fifteen minutes later. She went back in and tucked William in again. Then signed back out."
A look of recognition passed across Xander's face. "And is that when you found out something was wrong with William?"
The nurse nodded. "Maybe a minute or two after she left."
Xander shoved the clipboard back at the nurse in a flurry of thought and action. "You said that she had changed between visits? Put on street clothes?"
"Uh... uh, yeah," the woman stuttered, infected by Xander's nervousness.
"Where's the closest locker room?"
"Down the hall about four doors. On the left," she answered pointing.
Xander streaked out the door. Takina wouldn't have let this just happen. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.
*****
"Buffy?" Willow soothed, rubbing the frail woman's back. She looked so small. Nothing like a superhero. Just a little girl. "We need to go back to your room now. You need rest and so does he." She nodded at the incubator where William lay still.
Buffy just stared ahead, eyes trapped on the infant. Watching. His chest rose and fell with breath, but other than that, not a movement. Not a whimper. Not a twitch. She watched his chest rise. Fall. In. Out. That was all there was.
"We have to go," Willow said again softly. "I promise I will see if they will let me bring you back to him later. But for now, he needs to be seen by the doctors. So do you."
Willow shot a nervous glance at Dawn. "C'mon Buffy," Dawn said softly. "It'll be OK . Everyone is working on a way to get 'em back. Spike won't let anything happen..."
Buffy's eyes closed at his name. She hated him for leaving. She loved him for trying. Anger, hurt, confusion all crammed themselves in her heart and fought as if they were the only emotion she had. Her hands pressed sweaty palm prints on the glass and her belly ached as if swords were being pushed into her flesh from both front and back. Nothing was safe anymore. Nothing sacred. Nothing easy. Not love. Not family. Not...anything.
Willow stood, moving her chair back to the wall and positioning herself behind Buffy. "He'll be OK," she whispered, pulling the wheelchair back. Buffy leaned forward, trying to keep her hand on the glass. Trying to feel him. Gently, Dawn grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the incubator, settling her hand on the blankets on her lap.
"Buffy, we have to go for now, OK?" Dawn whispered. "We'll be back. He won't be alone."
Buffy didn't reply. Just stared straight ahead. Even when Willow turned around and headed back through the doorway. The only sound she made was the little gasp of tears.
*****
Spike pulled up in front of the address. It was an old house. One of those that looked as if it was magnificent in its day. Three floors. Stately. Tall. But age and lack of repairs made it barren. Gray. Devoid of emotion. Just a house. Not anyone's home.
He pulled the exposed wires apart and the engine shuddered to a halt. A black jeep was parked in front of the sidewalk. No other cars in site. Riley hadn't said what he'd been driving. Spike stopped, listening, trying to pick up a sound, a scent to show him where the idiot Farm Boy had run off to. But nothing. Not a trace.
Well, he thought, only thing left to do is to check it out for myself.
Spike alighted from the car, closing the door quietly and crept around the side of the old house, staying in the shadows. The rooms were mostly empty. Very little furniture, and what was there was covered in dustsheets and spider webs. But he could sense humans inside. Feel their blood like a beacon. Just needed to see them. Maybe catch a glimpse of Emma. Somewhere, in some utterly foreign part of his brain, he almost hoped that he wasn't too late and that Draconius hadn't taken Riley. Then again, part of him really didn't care provided the Mite was all right. Still, no one else should die at the Evil's hands.
A flicker of movement in a window towards the back of the house caught Spike's eyes. He slid himself along the wall underneath the glass until he reached the rear of the building. Slowly, he stretched himself out, standing almost on his toes and glanced in the window.
Emma sat, tied to a chair in a corner. Her head hanging and wilted blonde curls stuck around her face. His heart caught in his throat until she moved, her hand twitching and then folding demurely in her lap. Her little head rose slowly, glancing towards the window, then across the room. Good girl, Spike thought. Don't give your old man away just yet and I'll have you safe in a moment.
But there was something else. Spike followed the little girl's gaze, hearing murmuring from inside. Against the wall were two figures, almost obscured by shadows, speaking in low, husky tones that Spike could barely make out.
"Oh, Riley. You did *so* well. This is all I ever wanted. Just you. Just us."
"You are so glad that you did this," he purred, pressing himself hard against her. "This is beautiful. You, me. Who cares about the girl? You don't need the little boy. Let him rot. All we need is to be together. We were *meant* to be together."
The shadows moved and a beam of light caught the Farm Boy's face. His body rocked back as the other figure jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her hands cupping his cheeks. Small, golden hands. Riley turned, pushing her to the wall for support and letting his lips crush hers. As they turned, Spike saw it.
He shook his head, blinking.
Golden hair glimmered in the faint light. The flash of pretty coral lips and the deceivingly slight build.
"Oh, Riley," Buffy moaned against his lips.
*****
Xander knocked only once before exploding into the women's locker room. It was empty. Quiet save for the whir of the ventilation system. He looked around. Names were written on masking tape stuck to the gray metal on either side of him. Like high school. Only a bit more hygienic.
He followed the line until he saw her name. Noel. Like Christmas, he thought, tracing it with his fingers. Wonder if demons celebrate Christmas?, He found himself thinking. God, gotta work on the priorities thing, he corrected. Yeah, they do, the random part of his brain debated. Spike and Buffy even had a Christmas party last year.
A speck on the floor attracted his attention away from the flurry of random questions and answers. He leaned down, inspecting it. Blood. Something he was all too familiar with at this point. Xander's heart raced, feeling it. Knowing it was hers.
"Takina?"
He stood, beginning to open every unlocked locker. "Takina, baby. You here?"
Frantically, he moved about the room, ducking into the showers. Crouching to look under benches. "Takina?"
There was a broom closet in the corner. As soon as he saw it, he could almost feel her there. Stumbling over the benches and slick, waxed floors, he ran to the closet door. There was blood on the floor under the door. Oh, God. He tried the handle. Locked.
There was a fire extinguisher on the wall. Xander grabbed it, bringing it down hard on the handle and knocking it to the cold tile with a clatter. His hand caught the lock inside the gaping hole and pulled the door open, hearing it slam into the wall.
Xander's stomach turned, his heart shattering at the site. Takina was on the floor, tied and gagged, a puddle of half dried blood behind her head. Whoever had done this to her had left her only her underclothes and Xander's rattled mind thought how cold she looked. How horribly cold.
It took everything he had to crouch down next to her. The tears were already falling. They had been since he saw the blood by the locker. Closing his eyes, he pressed his fingers to her pretty, pale neck.
Heartbeat.
Alive.
Xander stood, finding some linens and blankets on the shelves above them. Tossing them to the floor. Wrapping her gently in them and scooping her into his arms. Panic was in charge now, but he still knew he had to make her warm again. He had to help her. Had to save her.
He kicked the door to the main corridor open, carrying her limp body in his arms like a wounded child. "Help me!" Xander screamed, stumbling down the hallway, his vision obscured by tears. "Somebody, help us!"
To be contd.
Hope everyone is enjoying what is a glorious weekend in my corner of the world. Not me of course. I'm stuck inside typing! I really need to get a laptop:) But, then again, it's not so bad being stuck in my widdle mind.
Here is chapter twenty-one of Time. It is back to real time for the rest of the story. There is angst in this chapter, but also some action and a heck of a plot twist (of the non ME variety). Let me know what you think!
Thanks, as always for reading and I look forward to your reviews!
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Buffy, and a widdle Spike, and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Illusions (Time - Chapter Twenty-One)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (with, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Set simultaneously to the Hero-Part Two. Xander returns from an unsuccessful search for his girlfriend. Tara and Anya explain what Tara saw while looking for William. Spike goes to the safe house to rescue Emma from Draconius. But what he finds nearly ends him. Xander discovers Takina's whereabouts, but is he in time?
Illusions
"She's not at home," Xander panted, as he came into the waiting room of the ICU. "Not anywhere. I paged her, called her, ran laps around her building."
The panic on the boy's face was sharp and clear as glass. Giles stared at him a moment. "Well, I'm afraid we have bad news all around then," Giles sighed.
Xander's face slackened. "No... not William."
"The baby is holding his own," Giles answered, pulling off his glasses and wiping them nervously. "But it seems Draconius is back. And Emma is missing."
"What?" Xander's eyes flew open. "Does he have her?"
"I'm afraid that's the likely answer ," Giles replied, voice calm but eyes portraying his fear. "But there is no way to tell."
Xander looked at Giles, panic boiling again. "Where is he? Where is Spike?"
"Sam called Riley with a location. Riley and Spike went after him," Giles answered.
"Spike and... Riley?"
"Petty differences seem quite insignificant at time like this," the Watcher sighed.
Xander nodded, glancing nervously around the room. "What are we doing? Where did they go? I'll go help them..."
"I am waiting for Tara and Anya," Giles commented, a strained look passing between the two at the mention of her name. Giles took a deep breath. "They're trying to assess whether or not William's condition might be mystical. "
Xander nodded. "What should I do?"
"For now, see if you can locate Takina. Maybe talk to the staff and see if you can trace her steps. Spike needs us to find a way to help William. Hopefully, he and Riley can hold off Draconius and find Emma. Once the girls are through, I will see if there is any sort of protection spell they can put on Spike while he searches for Emma."
"Right," Xander said, looking around the room. "Willow?"
"She and Dawn are with Buffy," Giles responded. "From what Spike told me, the last time he saw Takina, she was taking William back down to the ICU from Buffy's room. The baby made it here, so perhaps start with the ward nurse?"
Xander's eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "This isn't like her, Giles. She's... she's everything I'm not. Mature. Responsible. She wouldn't just leave William..."
Giles laid a hand on his shoulder. "All the more reason for you to look for her."
*****
"Dammit," Spike cursed, searching the pockets of his jeans for the keys. Gave them to Cyrus, he screamed at himself. Without a second thought, he punched through the side window, unlocking the door, ignoring the blood dripping down his arm, and climbing into the car. It didn't take long for him to rip out the steering wheel assembly and hotwire it. And they say the newer models are theft proof, a little part of him chuckled as he tore out of the parking lot, heading out onto the road.
The address Riley had left was a few miles away. It felt like a hundred as he gunned the engine, running stop sign after stop sign, genuinely glad there didn't seem to be much traffic nor any pesky police that he would have had to knock out rather than be slowed down. Thoughts of his little girl suspended above the fires in that cave when she was a tot battled it out with photos of his son in a barren plastic wasteland with tubes and wires sticking from every square inch. And underneath it all was the look on Buffy's when he left. Grief and rage and hurt and anger.
The car moved faster.
*****
"What did you find?" Cyrus asked as the two bedraggled women came back into the waiting room, leaning on each other for support. Giles rushed to them, sliding an arm behind each girl and helping them into chairs.
"It's a spell," Tara panted, her face ashen. "Someone trapped William in Time."
"I'm not sure I understand," Giles said quietly, crouching down in front of the girls.
Anya sighed, brushing hair from her face with the back of her hand. "It's an ancient spell," she began. "It won't kill him, but he will never get out on his own. He has to be retrieved."
"Retrieved?" Cyrus asked.
"Once he has cycled through the paths of time and found the correct one, he will move on to the Queen's chamber," Anya continued.
"The Queen of the Sky," Giles said, sudden recognition of what he had assumed to be a fairy tale passing across his face.
"Right," Anya replied. "Once he makes it there, he will rest very peacefully, indefinitely, until he is released by an emissary of her court."
Cyrus nodded. "An emissary of the Powers," he said, standing. "I am One. A part of them."
"Yes," Anya answered. "But you were raised to that level. Only one who was born into their graces can enter the Queen's chamber."
"Raised?" Tara asked. "But how?"
"I was born a human," Cyrus began, "But I... I did.... something... As a reward, I was raised to the next level of being. An immortal. And an emissary of the Queen of the Sky."
"What...what did you do?" Tara asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.
"It's a long story," Giles sighed. "An interesting one, but it will have to wait until we have the children sorted."
"Of course," Tara blushed, looking as if she might fade into sleep at any moment. "So Emma," she continued quietly. "Emma can retrieve him."
Giles looked at his feet, then back to the exhausted women in front of him. "I've some bad news."
Anya's face blanked, looking at Giles. Reading the horror in his eyes. "What is it?" She asked, leaning forward to touch his cheek.
"Draconius has returned. We think he has Emma. Spike and Riley have gone to try and retrieve her but..."
"Without Buffy, Draconius and his mate are stronger," Anya sighed. "You know that. He'll need help."
"Riley went to assess the situation first. They will try to catch one of them alone, retrieve Emma and return. We'll worry about re-capturing Draconius later," Giles answered.
Tara shuddered, pulling herself upright. "It's not right. Something is wrong with... with this. Spike's not safe. Emma. They need help."
Cyrus studied the girls closely. "You don't seem to be in any condition to help them magically."
"No," Tara responded. "But I can guide the two of you."
"No," Anya repeated. "You stay here," she said to Tara. "You two, we need to figure out a way to boost Spike's power and contain Draconius."
Giles looked at Cyrus. "I think that she's right. We may not get another chance like this."
Tara looked at them. "I'll explain it to Buffy and Willow. Go,"
*****
"The last I saw her, she was signing out," the ICU nurse said, placing a clipboard in Xander's hand. "She seemed fine. Said something to the baby, signed out and headed out towards the stairs."
Xander's hands trembled as he read the sheet on the clipboard. "Anything... strange? I mean, did she seem herself?" He paused studying the paper. "Wait. Looks like she signed out twice." The signatures were close together. Almost identical. But he could feel it. The last one. It wasn't quite right.
"Yeah," the nurse commented, furrowing her brow. "I mean, it was a little odd, I guess. Just figured she was being overly protective of the boy."
"What.. what do you mean?" Xander asked, his eyes rising to meet hers.
The nurse nervously wrung her hands. "Well, she came down with William and got him settled. Then it looked like she went to change because she came back in street clothes maybe... fifteen minutes later. She went back in and tucked William in again. Then signed back out."
A look of recognition passed across Xander's face. "And is that when you found out something was wrong with William?"
The nurse nodded. "Maybe a minute or two after she left."
Xander shoved the clipboard back at the nurse in a flurry of thought and action. "You said that she had changed between visits? Put on street clothes?"
"Uh... uh, yeah," the woman stuttered, infected by Xander's nervousness.
"Where's the closest locker room?"
"Down the hall about four doors. On the left," she answered pointing.
Xander streaked out the door. Takina wouldn't have let this just happen. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.
*****
"Buffy?" Willow soothed, rubbing the frail woman's back. She looked so small. Nothing like a superhero. Just a little girl. "We need to go back to your room now. You need rest and so does he." She nodded at the incubator where William lay still.
Buffy just stared ahead, eyes trapped on the infant. Watching. His chest rose and fell with breath, but other than that, not a movement. Not a whimper. Not a twitch. She watched his chest rise. Fall. In. Out. That was all there was.
"We have to go," Willow said again softly. "I promise I will see if they will let me bring you back to him later. But for now, he needs to be seen by the doctors. So do you."
Willow shot a nervous glance at Dawn. "C'mon Buffy," Dawn said softly. "It'll be OK . Everyone is working on a way to get 'em back. Spike won't let anything happen..."
Buffy's eyes closed at his name. She hated him for leaving. She loved him for trying. Anger, hurt, confusion all crammed themselves in her heart and fought as if they were the only emotion she had. Her hands pressed sweaty palm prints on the glass and her belly ached as if swords were being pushed into her flesh from both front and back. Nothing was safe anymore. Nothing sacred. Nothing easy. Not love. Not family. Not...anything.
Willow stood, moving her chair back to the wall and positioning herself behind Buffy. "He'll be OK," she whispered, pulling the wheelchair back. Buffy leaned forward, trying to keep her hand on the glass. Trying to feel him. Gently, Dawn grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the incubator, settling her hand on the blankets on her lap.
"Buffy, we have to go for now, OK?" Dawn whispered. "We'll be back. He won't be alone."
Buffy didn't reply. Just stared straight ahead. Even when Willow turned around and headed back through the doorway. The only sound she made was the little gasp of tears.
*****
Spike pulled up in front of the address. It was an old house. One of those that looked as if it was magnificent in its day. Three floors. Stately. Tall. But age and lack of repairs made it barren. Gray. Devoid of emotion. Just a house. Not anyone's home.
He pulled the exposed wires apart and the engine shuddered to a halt. A black jeep was parked in front of the sidewalk. No other cars in site. Riley hadn't said what he'd been driving. Spike stopped, listening, trying to pick up a sound, a scent to show him where the idiot Farm Boy had run off to. But nothing. Not a trace.
Well, he thought, only thing left to do is to check it out for myself.
Spike alighted from the car, closing the door quietly and crept around the side of the old house, staying in the shadows. The rooms were mostly empty. Very little furniture, and what was there was covered in dustsheets and spider webs. But he could sense humans inside. Feel their blood like a beacon. Just needed to see them. Maybe catch a glimpse of Emma. Somewhere, in some utterly foreign part of his brain, he almost hoped that he wasn't too late and that Draconius hadn't taken Riley. Then again, part of him really didn't care provided the Mite was all right. Still, no one else should die at the Evil's hands.
A flicker of movement in a window towards the back of the house caught Spike's eyes. He slid himself along the wall underneath the glass until he reached the rear of the building. Slowly, he stretched himself out, standing almost on his toes and glanced in the window.
Emma sat, tied to a chair in a corner. Her head hanging and wilted blonde curls stuck around her face. His heart caught in his throat until she moved, her hand twitching and then folding demurely in her lap. Her little head rose slowly, glancing towards the window, then across the room. Good girl, Spike thought. Don't give your old man away just yet and I'll have you safe in a moment.
But there was something else. Spike followed the little girl's gaze, hearing murmuring from inside. Against the wall were two figures, almost obscured by shadows, speaking in low, husky tones that Spike could barely make out.
"Oh, Riley. You did *so* well. This is all I ever wanted. Just you. Just us."
"You are so glad that you did this," he purred, pressing himself hard against her. "This is beautiful. You, me. Who cares about the girl? You don't need the little boy. Let him rot. All we need is to be together. We were *meant* to be together."
The shadows moved and a beam of light caught the Farm Boy's face. His body rocked back as the other figure jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her hands cupping his cheeks. Small, golden hands. Riley turned, pushing her to the wall for support and letting his lips crush hers. As they turned, Spike saw it.
He shook his head, blinking.
Golden hair glimmered in the faint light. The flash of pretty coral lips and the deceivingly slight build.
"Oh, Riley," Buffy moaned against his lips.
*****
Xander knocked only once before exploding into the women's locker room. It was empty. Quiet save for the whir of the ventilation system. He looked around. Names were written on masking tape stuck to the gray metal on either side of him. Like high school. Only a bit more hygienic.
He followed the line until he saw her name. Noel. Like Christmas, he thought, tracing it with his fingers. Wonder if demons celebrate Christmas?, He found himself thinking. God, gotta work on the priorities thing, he corrected. Yeah, they do, the random part of his brain debated. Spike and Buffy even had a Christmas party last year.
A speck on the floor attracted his attention away from the flurry of random questions and answers. He leaned down, inspecting it. Blood. Something he was all too familiar with at this point. Xander's heart raced, feeling it. Knowing it was hers.
"Takina?"
He stood, beginning to open every unlocked locker. "Takina, baby. You here?"
Frantically, he moved about the room, ducking into the showers. Crouching to look under benches. "Takina?"
There was a broom closet in the corner. As soon as he saw it, he could almost feel her there. Stumbling over the benches and slick, waxed floors, he ran to the closet door. There was blood on the floor under the door. Oh, God. He tried the handle. Locked.
There was a fire extinguisher on the wall. Xander grabbed it, bringing it down hard on the handle and knocking it to the cold tile with a clatter. His hand caught the lock inside the gaping hole and pulled the door open, hearing it slam into the wall.
Xander's stomach turned, his heart shattering at the site. Takina was on the floor, tied and gagged, a puddle of half dried blood behind her head. Whoever had done this to her had left her only her underclothes and Xander's rattled mind thought how cold she looked. How horribly cold.
It took everything he had to crouch down next to her. The tears were already falling. They had been since he saw the blood by the locker. Closing his eyes, he pressed his fingers to her pretty, pale neck.
Heartbeat.
Alive.
Xander stood, finding some linens and blankets on the shelves above them. Tossing them to the floor. Wrapping her gently in them and scooping her into his arms. Panic was in charge now, but he still knew he had to make her warm again. He had to help her. Had to save her.
He kicked the door to the main corridor open, carrying her limp body in his arms like a wounded child. "Help me!" Xander screamed, stumbling down the hallway, his vision obscured by tears. "Somebody, help us!"
To be contd.