Chapter 14 - A Whole New World
The telephone rang, and Giles moved toward it, keen to hear how the others were getting on. He didn't expect to hear a distraught Maria telling him to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
He made it there as quickly as he could, and was advised that Grianne had been asking for him. He was taken to a cubicle, and found the witch with her head swathed in bandages, but otherwise apparently unhurt.
"Grianne, how are you? What happened?"
"I'm ok, just a bit of concussion. I expect they'll let me home soon. The rest is a much longer story."
"What about Alasdair? I heard from Maria that he's here too, but where are Buffy and Spike?"
"There … there was a vampire. It attacked right after the portal closed. Buffy and Spike .."
"Went through," Giles finished. "And Alasdair?"
"I don't know. They won't tell me anything. The vampire knocked me out, then went after him. I came to and saw him feeding on Alasdair. I managed to dust him, then got him out of the building."
"Ok, Grianne, let me go and see if I can find out what's happening. Will you be ok?"
Grianne nodded, smiling tiredly. "I hope he's ok."
It took a while before anyone would tell Giles anything. He had to persuade the officials that he was family before they would talk to him. In the end, Giles lied, telling him that Alasdair was his son-in-law, and that his daughter was currently out of the country.
"I'm afraid it's not good news. Your son-in-law lost a lot of blood. He's in a coma, and we suspect there will be brain damage. He's having a transfusion, of course, but, his heart stopped shortly after he arrived. We got it started again, but he's on a ventilator, and we don't expect him to be able to breathe unaided. We intend to send him up to ICU, but, it would be a good idea to prepare your daughter for the worst."
Giles was reeling. Alasdair was dying, maybe all but dead. The doctor helped him to a chair, and asked if he could do anything. Giles shook his head, adding, "I need to get back to Grianne. She's going mad not knowing what happened."
"Is she his mother?"
"No," Giles looked distracted. "No, just a family friend."
Grianne took the news more calmly than he expected. In truth, she had suspected the truth, so there was little shock in the news. "What about the others?" she asked, when she was able to speak again.
"I don't know. I haven't come up with anything new since I spoke to Maria. The portal was only going to allow two representatives of this world through. There's also reference to a sacrifice, but I'm still a little woolly on that, it needs some more work.
"So," Grianne said, quietly, "for good or ill, the fate of Emily and the rest of this world rests with two vampires who probably have no idea what's coming."
"That's about right," Giles agreed.
It was cold. That was the first thought that flitted through his mind. He opened his eyes, and panic set in. It wasn't that the landscape was wrong in any way, or that there were was something else that he didn't recognise. In fact, it was recognition that caused the panic. The sun was shining, and there was no shelter for miles in any direction. Amidst the panic, the thought that he wasn't already smouldering managed to get some attention. He pushed the whole thing out of his mind, and turned to look for Buffy.
She was lying a short distance away, apparently asleep. He moved towards her, shaking her gently, worried that she was hurt in some way. She opened her eyes and smiled at him, that smile he saw each morning when she woke. Her eyes were torn from his face when she saw the sunshine. Spike shook his head, "It seems to be ok," he reassured her. He just wondered who was going to reassure him.
He sat down beside her, noticing for the first time the hard rock beneath them. It seemed to be a beautiful winter day, bright and clear. There were mountains in the distance, surrounding them on three sides. On the fourth, there appeared to be an endless plain.
"Another world," Buffy muttered, taking in her surroundings.
"Yeah," Spike breathed.
"Wonder what happened to the others?"
"Don't know. Maybe they went somewhere else, even just to a different part of this world."
"Where do you suppose Emily is?"
Spike just shook his head. There was no reason to consider one direction any more likely that the rest.
"Which way do we go? Toss a coin, or is there some better way?" Buffy asked.
Spike considered for a moment before answering. "If we're looking for help, or for blood when we run out of what we've brought, I'd suggest not going into the mountains. More likely to find civilisation in the valley."
Without any further clues, they decided to head away from the mountains. They weren't going to actively seek out civilisation, but they had no idea of how big this world was, and the prospect that Emily could be anywhere suggested they needed some help.
A quick check of back packs showed that their blood supply had survived intact. With care, they could make it last a week. They hefted their packs, and started to walk.
It was difficult to judge time as they progressed. The sun seemed to move slowly, not noticeably approaching the horizon from its position high in the sky. They didn't speak a lot as they walked, each lost in his or her own thoughts. They knew they had been walking for several hours, when suddenly, the sun went out. It didn't go down, it didn't fade, it simply went out, as an electric light would.
The two vampires stood still for a while, instinctively reaching for the other, while their vision readjusted to the dark. As if by magic, they became aware of lights in the distance. They started to make their way towards the light, the first sign they had seen that they were not alone in this world.
It took some time, and snow was starting to fall when they got close enough to recognise some sort of dwelling. At least, that's what it seemed to be. It was big, thirty feet tall, but with only one, very large door. There were windows, again big, and they were in a line well above Spike's head.
Creeping closer, they found one window that had a rock underneath. Spike stood on it, and allowed Buffy to climb onto his shoulders so she could peer inside.
She stayed there for some time, certainly longer than Spike thought it would take, before jumping silently to the ground. She motioned for him to follow, and ran from the building, to hide behind some scrubby bushes that grew around it. It was the first vegetation they had found since their arrival, the first life of any kind.
"Well?" Spike whispered impatiently.
"Eh, difficult to describe. It looked human, well, unless you count the green skin, and red eyes. Oh, and the size. He must have been twenty feet tall."
"He?"
"He. You had to see it," she added with a giggle.
"Oh," Spike said. "So, what should we do?"
The question was answered by a voice from behind them.
"I think you should come with me."
They turned to see the creature Buffy had described, or at least one very like it except for one detail. This one was less than six feet tall.
The two vampires took up defensive stances, ready for an attack.
"Now, now, none of that," they were told. "I hope you're not going to be difficult, that would be so tedious. I mean you no harm, but I do have to insist that you come with me.
"Why should we do as you say?" Spike asked, quite reasonably he thought.
"I take it you've come to find your friend?"
He saw the recognition in their eyes, so he continued.
"In that case, I recommend you accompany me. I could insist, but I'd rather not."
With a shrug, they agreed, following the strange creature. They approached the building, and their guide waved a hand in its direction. To their amazement, the building shrank to dimensions more appropriate to their size.
"Did you shrink yourself, too?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, I thought I would facilitate communication. It's not easy to talk to someone when you can't see their face."
They went inside, and were met with a large, single room. The walls were made of a familiar substance, like the corridor from which they had accessed the portal. The room was sparsely furnished, with some chairs gathered at one end, and an area screened off at the other.
They were invited to sit down, and their host joined them a few moments later, two mugs in his hands.
"Blood?" he offered. "I'm afraid it isn't something you'll find in this world. There are no creatures who would make suitable prey for you. This is artificial, but I think you'll find it quite palatable."
With a glance at each other, the two vampires sniffed at the contents of the mugs.
"As I said," their host reminded them when he noticed their hesitation. "I mean you no harm. You will need nourishment if you are to retrieve your friend. Please, drink, and I will explain."
First Spike, then Buffy took a hesitant sip. It tasted like human blood, with a hint, Spike realised, of Slayer.
"Let me introduce myself," their host began. "I am Jared, and it is my honour to welcome you to this world. I must tell you, that there is much to do, and very little time in which to achieve it, so I cannot permit time wasting. If you fight me, I will have to take steps. The outcome of the next few days is too important to your world for mistakes to be made."
He looked carefully at his two companions, as if trying to weigh their worth. Their link was obvious. These were two who were used to living and working together. They were attuned to one another, constantly monitoring the other for reactions most would miss.
"So, you know who we are, and why we're here. Mind telling us what's going on?" Spike was concealing his impatience with difficulty. It was only because of the unspoken communication with Buffy that he hadn't tried a more direct method of obtaining information. "Like, why you've taken Emily. Whatever else you've got in mind, that girl's got friends, and we're going to get her back. And, while you're here, where are the others? There were four of us coming here. Buffy and I came through, but we haven't seen the other two."
Jared smiled, a wry smile that implied he was humouring them. "I'm not sure which question I should answer first, so I'll just deal with them, and others you haven't yet asked as I see fit. First, the others are still in your world. The portal was designed to admit exactly two creatures from your world. Why you were chosen, I don't know. You are not typical of your world, are you?"
Buffy elbowed Spike in the ribs, silencing the retort she could feel forming on his lips. "No, we're not, at least, not any more. We were human once."
"Of course. Emily was brought here for her own safety. Some of those of your world, people who should have had the greater good at the forefront of their actions, wanted to destroy her. Fortunately, her guardian was able to prevent that. He brought her here. He has watched over her throughout her short life, as he watched over her antecedents in their time. It was because of his action that she survived the accident which killed her mother and siblings."
"Ok, she's safe. Can we take her home now?" Buffy wanted to know.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple any more. The gift of the New is a treasure. It will give the people of your world an unprecedented advantage over the forces of darkness which threaten you. Since it was initially rejected by those of your world, it must now be won back. Emily is safe for now, but it is up to you to earn the right to take her back with you."
"And how are we expected to do that? Some sort a trial?" Spike's impatience was threatening to boil over. His body was tense as a coiled spring, and the tone of his voice made that clear.
"Well, I suppose you could call it that. The place you need to go to is a long way from here. It will take you several days of travel. When you arrive, you will be given further instructions. In the meantime, I will provide you with what you need to make the journey. I must impress upon you, that time is of the essence in this matter. I cannot tell you how long you have, as time itself will form part of the trial. I do not expect you to understand that, so I will not try to explain."
"So, where do we go?" Spike had stood up, and was pacing. Buffy joined him on her feet, but went to him, placing a comforting arm on his.
"It will take some time to obtain what is needed. You will stay here for the remainder of the night, and leave at first light." Jared's voice was soft, consciously trying not to provoke the vampire.
"I thought you said time was important? If it is, we'll go now."
"Without instructions on where you are going, without provisions. I know, you have some blood with you, but you will need more than that. Believe me, if you leave now, you will not achieve your goal."
Spike was getting more irritated by the second, but Buffy turned to face him, putting her arms around his waist. "Spike, look, maybe he's right. We need whatever help we can get in this. We don't know which way to go. And a night's rest would be useful, too. Once we're on our way, we can keep going as long as we're able."
Jared watched as the tension melted from Spike's body as Buffy held him. He had been surprised at the choice made on behalf of their world, but he was starting to understand why these two had been chosen.
"Ok, pet, we'll rest. You're right, it's just, I can't bear to think of Alasdair at home, not knowing about Emily. I don't want to rest until she's home with him."
Jared took his two guests to the area behind the screens, and they found themselves in what could only be described as a bedroom. There was a large bed, covered in cream linen, and another area screened off in the corner which sported a large bath. It was already filled with scented water, steam rising and filling the air around it. Clean clothes were hanging close by, obviously modelled on what they were currently wearing.
"I have to leave you now. I will return before morning with your supplies and instructions on how to get to your destination. In the meantime, please avail yourself of all my humble home has to offer."
Buffy turned to thank him, but he was gone. The scent of the bath was enticing. There were floral notes, something like freesia, and beneath that, something heavier, earthier, something she couldn't recognise. Without another thought, Buffy started to strip off her clothes and climbed into the tub. Spike watched for only a couple of seconds before making the decision to join her.
There was plenty of room for two in the tub, even if they didn't want contact. The water was hot, and both felt their bodies warm through as they soaked. The scent seemed to calm them both, chasing their fears away for a time, while it invigorated their bodies. They washed one another, taking their time, reacquainting each other with their bodies. The water didn't cool, staying at the perfect temperature throughout their time in it.
Once out of the bath, they dried one another, still aware of the scent of the water. Once dry, they fell onto the bed where they made love. Everything about that night seemed made to bond them together, make them one even more than was already the case. When they eventually slept, they did so dreamlessly, each wrapped in the other's arms.