Chapter 8 8 - A Visitor and a Plan
Alasdair woke next morning, instinctively reaching for Emily. When he found her side of the bed empty, it all came back. She was gone, taken by the Council, the same Council which employed him and before him, his own father. In his childhood, it was an organisation to be respected, it's heroes people to look up to.
The pain came back then in full, and he wondered how he had managed to sleep at all, feeling guilty that he had managed something so mundane as taking his rest when Emily was suffering goodness knows what. Alasdair knew the others had kept the worst of their suspicions from him, probably considering him too naïve to realise the full implications of what was happening. That didn't work though, since his love for the young vampire magnified his rational fears in a way only someone who loves deeply can understand.
Disgusted with himself, and his lack of action thus far, Alasdair got up and headed for a shower. The sounds of a family breakfast echoed from the kitchen, and it was obvious that Jenny was there with Lizzie, and probably Stephen too. Not for the first time was he grateful for his friends - those special friends with whom he shared a deeper bond than he would have thought possible. Although Jenny and the children were not directly involved in the events of the previous year, they were Giles' family, and as such, almost as dear to him as his own family could be. He finished his shower, and went to dress.
Spike woke to find himself still entangled with Buffy from the passion of the previous night. He smiled to himself, realising, not for the first time, that that was one of the distinct advantages of not having circulation. Two human lovers sleeping as they had, would have lost all sensation in their limbs long before morning.
He disentangled himself gently, trying not to waken her, and turned onto his side to watch. He'd never tire of this. Waking up next to her was amazing. Seeing her lying there, asleep, trusting him, loving him, it made him happier than any other aspect of their relationship. Not that is wasn't a close call. There were so many other things that made what they had special. Not least the way he felt right then. Of course, how he was feeling right then was not peculiar to Spike when he woke. But seeing her there fuelled the feelings, and he put a hand out to stroke her arm, intending to waken her gently and make love to her. He froze in mid movement, hearing someone moving about. Alasdair. For a few moments, he had forgotten. Forgotten that Emily was missing, and that his friend was desolate without her.
Knowing that Alasdair would probably hear them making love, he mentally shook himself, and got out of bed to head for the shower. Buffy's eyes flickered open as he stood, and she watched him blearily, her expression becoming more interested as she saw more of him as he looked for his jeans. Her thoughts were obviously along the same lines as Spike's had been, so he cocked his head towards the sound of movement next door.
"It's bad enough he probably heard us last night, Love. 'Snot fair to do it again this morning."
Buffy nodded her understanding, but continued to watch the floorshow until Spike had pulled on his jeans and left the room.
When Spike emerged from the bathroom later, it was to an argument between Jenny and Alasdair. The Highlander had been determined to go into work as if nothing had happened. He had some crazy idea that he could rescue Emily during daylight hours in a way he hadn't be able to during his previous attempt. Jenny was doing her best to dissuade him, and Lizzie was watching the exchange with a puzzled expression.
Spike took one look at what was going on, and nodded to Jenny who picked Stephen up and beckoned to Lizzie to follow her out of the room. Spike approached his friend, his face a mask of understanding.
"Do I have to tie you up?" Spike's bluntness surprised Alasdair. He looked momentarily hurt until he remembered the happenings of a year previously.
"That was different, you asked me to tie you up."
"Because I had the sense to know I'd try to do something stupid. If you haven't got that sense, then maybe I've got to decide for you."
Alasdair had the grace to look chastened at Spike's words, hanging his head slightly. Spike approached the taller man, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I know it's hard. But we won't get anywhere if you're in there too. Emily needs you safe."
"But, we're not doing anything!"
"I know, mate, but, sometimes that's better than doing the wrong thing. I just wish Grianne was here. She could help, or Giles. Look, when we're all ready, we're going to thrash through this one more time. There's got to be something we can try."
Alasdair nodded silently, his desperation deflated to a quiet ache which permeated his whole body.
The phone rang, and Spike left his friend where he stood to answer it.
The voice on the other end was young, and female. "Can I ask to whom I am speaking?" it said.
"No, you bloody can't," Spike answered, "unless you tell me who you are."
"I take it I'm speaking to Spike," she replied, mirth evident in her tone of voice. This comment was met with silence, so she continued.
"We have a mutual friend. An Irish woman. I have a message, which I would like to deliver in person."
"I'm listening," Spike admitted, cautiously.
"Is it ok if I come to you?"
"Yeah, know where we are?"
"I do. I'll be there in half an hour."
Alasdair had been listening to the conversation, and when Spike hung up, his friend's face was expectant.
"Some bint claiming to be a friend of Grianne's. She's coming here in half an hour. Better tell the girls."
Almost to the minute, half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Spike got up to answer it, with Buffy a step behind. Both were wary of attack, but felt they had no option other than to assume the visitor was as she claimed. They had no other ideas on how to release the two captives.
The door opened to reveal a young woman, perhaps in her mid twenties, with white blonde hair and pale green eyes. She smiled, as if unsure of her welcome, at the face that greeted her.
"May I come in?" she asked.
The accent was local, cultured without the old-fashioned tones used by Giles. Spike stood back, allowing the girl to pass. Buffy did likewise, but not without taking in every nuance of their visitor.
"I understand you're nervous," the girl told them. "But, please believe me, I am on your side."
They ushered their visitor into the lounge, having persuaded Lizzie to go into the bedroom with a book. Stephen had fallen asleep again after his breakfast, so he wasn't currently a problem.
"I'll start by introducing myself." The girl sounded more confident than she felt. She had four pairs of eyes staring at her, and none of them seemed at all friendly.
"My name is Andrea Miller. I am a friend of the Coven to which Grianne belongs. I wasn't talented enough to become a member myself, but when they asked for my help in this, I was glad to be of service."
Buffy took pity on the girl, who seemed out of her depth, but was covering it well. "I'm Buffy, and the others are Spike, Alasdair, and Jenny." As she said each name, she gestured towards its owner.
"Thank you. I'm here as a messenger, no more. I have had contact from the coven, and they want to tell you, that, should you be willing to attempt to retrieve Miss Stevenson from the Council tonight, they will help with a number of magics. I have details, and between us, we should be able to come up with a workable plan."
"What about Rupert?" Jenny wanted to know.
"I understand your concern, Mrs. Giles, but, the Coven feels that Emily is the first priority. As soon as she is free, they will turn their attention to your husband. He is in England, and I believe it should be a simple matter to ensure his release soon."
Jenny obviously wasn't completely convinced, but nodded her head anyway. It wasn't as though they had been given a choice.
The group listened to the ideas she had brought, and with Alasdair's knowledge of the layout and workings of the building, along with Spike's information on another exit from Barrat's office, a plan started to emerge.
There were a number of spells available. Andrea was able to confirm that the security spell had been disabled. The building was under constant observation by another coven member, and she reported that no attempt had been made to reinstate it. They hoped that those in the building still had no idea of their current vulnerability.
The other spells on offer included a general sleep spell. It would simply render everyone in the building unconscious at a given time. In addition, there were protection spells. These were of short duration, and would have to be cast in person, although the power could be channelled from a distance. At last, the agreement was made to meet together in a small shop close to the Council offices at nine that night.
"Grianne wanted to come in person," Andrea told them as she left. "But, she was persuaded otherwise. She is really very powerful, you know, and with her at the centre of those channelling power here, there is more chance of success."
"If you see her before we do," Alasdair told the young woman, "give her our thanks. I hope we can all meet again soon, with everything resolved."
No sooner had Andrea left, than Spike had an idea.
"If we're going to get into that building tonight, I think we should have a bit of a look around, don't you love?"
Buffy cocked an eyebrow at him in a perfect parody of his own gesture, and Jenny couldn't help but smile at it.
Alasdair started to protest, pointing out that it was daylight, but Spike stopped him. "Listen, where's the Research department? Basement, right? Underground. So, all I'm suggesting is that Buffy and I should go and have a snoop around the area. The office isn't far from a tube station, and there're service tunnels and all sorts around there. We might find nothing, but you never know. We might just find something useful. Don't worry, we won't do anything stupid, and if we don't get back in time, we'll meet you at the shop at nine."
With that, the two vampires were gone, and the other two looked at each other. Both were impatient to see their loved ones again. Alasdair had a timetable at least for Emily's release, but Jenny had nothing as yet. She didn't even have the outlet of being able to help in Emily's rescue later, because of the children. At that moment, Stephen's wail could be heard from the bedroom, and it became apparent that the youngest member of the Giles family was in need of some serious maternal care. The nature of his need was made clear a moment later when Lizzie bounded into the room with the words, "Mummy, Stephen's smelly. I think he needs a new nappy."
"Ok, Lizzie," her mother replied. "And how does a walk to the park sound after that? Do you think you can persuade Alasdair to come too?"
Jenny left the room then to attend to Stephen, safe in the knowledge that she had a very persuasive daughter. Getting themselves lost in a bit of harmless domesticity was the ideal cure for both of the adults at that moment, and Jenny knew that seeing to the children would take both minds off their worries for at least a little while.
The two vampires made for the tube system as quickly as they could. Although it was possible to walk outside on a day such as this - it was overcast and grey - neither was comfortable with being outside in daylight. Once inside the familiar ticket hall, they stopped in front of a tube map to plan their investigation.
"Where to?" Buffy asked. She wasn't particularly familiar with London, and didn't know where to start.
"The offices are close to Green Park," Spike said as he pointed to the blob on the map, and that's on the Jubilee line, and so is Swiss Cottage, so it's a simple enough jaunt. Once we're there, we just try to get away from the public areas."
Buffy nodded her assent, and walked to a ticket machine. While she was looking for change, Spike sidled up behind her. "How do you expect me to maintain my image as a 'Big Bad' if you pay our bleedin' fares? I mean, fare dodging's hardly in the major league, now is it?"
Buffy smiled to herself. She hadn't known him in his 'Big Bad' days, but she struggled to imagine him in such a role. "The last thing we need is to get caught," she said reasonably. "Just humour me on this, and you can show me how big and bad you can be later."
Spike moved closer to Buffy to answer her. He pushed up against her back, grinding his pelvis into her, and whispered in her ear, "Find somewhere quiet around here, and I'll show you how big and bad I am now."
He stepped back again, and waited for her to turn around. When she did, he benefited her with his patent smirk, and she gave him a playful punch on his arm. "Business first, eh?" she said. "We've got to make sure the others are safe."
"I know," Spike replied, immediately serious. "It's just, I miss being alone with you. Knowing Alasdair's in the next room just puts a bit of a damper on things, you know?"
"Can't say I noticed that last night," Buffy replied, placing a quick kiss on his lips.
"I just want to know everyone's safe, and get home again."
"Me too," she replied, then pulled his arm towards the escalator.
Once at Green Park, they held back as the crowds headed to the surface. When everything was quiet, they quickly found a door marked 'No Entry' and went through.
They wandered the passages quietly, glad of their good night vision. Spike's sense of direction drew them closer to the building, but they found they couldn't get close enough.
They tried another route, and hit the same problem. The tunnels simply didn't seem to get close enough to the location of the building. After several hours of searching, both realised they had to give up. They hadn't checked all the possibilities, but there was just time to get feed before going to the meeting place. They pulled a couple of bags of blood from a bag, and fed in the quiet of a service tunnel. Reluctantly, they headed towards the surface.