A/N: Thanks for all the great feedback guys.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Buffy tossed in her sleep.
"Buffy, you've got to keep fighting." The voice called to her. "You can not fail us."
Buffy remained in a cloud, she couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything besides the voice. She couldn't answer.
Faith tossed in her bed, nearly knocking the slayer next to her onto the floor. "Faith." A voice called to her. "You have to fight. You have to win. At all costs. You must defeat The First."
Angel slept next to Buffy, his arm draped behind her head. The voice called to him. "The First can be defeated. You must prevail. You must succeed."
-
"Morning sleepy head." Willow said as she bounced into the room. "Xander." She called again, shaking him. "Time to get up."
"Five more minutes, mom." Xander mumbled.
Willow laughed and began tickling Xander's sides. "Ah, I'm up, I'm up!" He shouted, batting Willow's hands away. "What time is it?"
"A little after four." Willow replied.
"A.M. or P.M.?" Xander asked.
"P.M." Willow replied. "The sun will be down in an hour or so."
Xander inhaled sleepily. "Is everyone else up?"
"Pretty much." Willow said. "There are showers taken and to be taken, breakfast - or some sort of meal to eat. Weapons to gather, forces of darkness to fight."
"Just another day in Sunnydale." Xander added as he climbed out of the sleeping bag. "I miss my bed."
"Well, you could go home at night." Willow said.
"And be all alone and vulnerable." Xander said.
"And not be close if we needed you." Willow added.
"Plus, I'd miss out on all the sleepover fun." Xander said.
"Why don't you try for the couch tonight." Willow said, helping Xander off of the floor.
"And deny Giles his one comfort?" Xander said. "I'll keep the floor. Besides, how much longer can this really last?"
-
"Not much longer." Giles said. "I estimate the more time The First has to prepare, the stronger it becomes."
"We have to find a way to stop it." Buffy said simply.
Giles shook his head. "I wish I knew."
"I vote we kill it." Vi said.
"Second." Molly added.
"Great, we're all unanimous." Faith said. "We kill it. The question is how."
"Maybe we need to contain the fight better." Buffy said. "You know, plan better on how we're going to take it on."
"If only we knew where it was during the day." Amanda said.
"We've checked the school from top to bottom." Rondell said. "And we checked City Hall, too. We can't find the thing."
"But we know it'll be at the Hellmouth come sunset." Buffy said. "We'll be waiting for it."
"We should be there first." Faith said.
"I agree." Wesley said. "We should be waiting for it."
"Then let's get everyone together while it's still light out." Buffy said.
"About Spike." Angel said.
"He needs to stay here tonight." Buffy nodded. "Chained to the wall. Rondell, can a couple of your boys stay behind and watch him?"
Rondell nodded.
"You think he's gonna snap?" Gunn asked.
"I wish I knew." Buffy replied.
-
Spike rested on the cot in the basement. The room smelled like humans, more to the point, human blood. So many injured people. Spike inhaled the smell and relished it.
"Spike." The First called to him.
"You can't have me." Spike mumbled. "You don't control me."
"I do." The First called. "And you will obey."
"I will bloody not." Spike spat.
"You will listen." The First said. "For I am the most powerful being in the world and all others will fall on their knees before me. I am The First, The Last, the only true evil. No man can stop me."
"Shut up!" Spike shouted as loud as he could.
-
Buffy's head snapped up at the scream from the basement, Angel followed as she ran down the steps.
"Spike?" Buffy called.
"Here, pet." Spike replied with a smirk on his face. "Guess I shouldn't call you that with the giant poof around."
Angel's face hardened.
"Shut up." Buffy said harshly. "We thought you were in trouble."
"Me." Spike said innocently. "I'm never in trouble."
"It's got him." Angel said softly, reaching out to Buffy's arm.
"Oh yea, Nancy-boy, it's got me." Spike said. "And I think I like it. No tortured soul, no chip robbing me of what I am, and best of all, no pesky feelings making me do stupid things."
Buffy jaw set, she hated the fact that Spike could upset her.
"What's the matter Slayer?" Spike asked. "Afraid you'll have to kill me?"
"No." Buffy said. "If it comes to it, you'll be a big pile of dust."
"Ah, bet me old Grandsire has something to say about that, heh?" Spike asked.
"I don't." Angel answered simply.
Buffy and Angel walked up the steps.
"Buffy, please." Spike called. "Help me."
"Help yourself." Buffy said softly. "I can't fight it for you."
-
"Everything alright?" Giles asked as Buffy and Angel entered the kitchen.
"No." Buffy said softly.
"Gunn, get the shackles out of the weapons case and chain him up better." Angel said.
Gunn and Rondell left the kitchen together.
"Why don't they just kill it?" Rondell half whispered.
"I don't really know." Gunn replied. "Maybe the Slayer thinks Spike's the link to stopping The First."
"If it were me, it would have been dust by now." Rondell spat.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Buffy tossed in her sleep.
"Buffy, you've got to keep fighting." The voice called to her. "You can not fail us."
Buffy remained in a cloud, she couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything besides the voice. She couldn't answer.
Faith tossed in her bed, nearly knocking the slayer next to her onto the floor. "Faith." A voice called to her. "You have to fight. You have to win. At all costs. You must defeat The First."
Angel slept next to Buffy, his arm draped behind her head. The voice called to him. "The First can be defeated. You must prevail. You must succeed."
-
"Morning sleepy head." Willow said as she bounced into the room. "Xander." She called again, shaking him. "Time to get up."
"Five more minutes, mom." Xander mumbled.
Willow laughed and began tickling Xander's sides. "Ah, I'm up, I'm up!" He shouted, batting Willow's hands away. "What time is it?"
"A little after four." Willow replied.
"A.M. or P.M.?" Xander asked.
"P.M." Willow replied. "The sun will be down in an hour or so."
Xander inhaled sleepily. "Is everyone else up?"
"Pretty much." Willow said. "There are showers taken and to be taken, breakfast - or some sort of meal to eat. Weapons to gather, forces of darkness to fight."
"Just another day in Sunnydale." Xander added as he climbed out of the sleeping bag. "I miss my bed."
"Well, you could go home at night." Willow said.
"And be all alone and vulnerable." Xander said.
"And not be close if we needed you." Willow added.
"Plus, I'd miss out on all the sleepover fun." Xander said.
"Why don't you try for the couch tonight." Willow said, helping Xander off of the floor.
"And deny Giles his one comfort?" Xander said. "I'll keep the floor. Besides, how much longer can this really last?"
-
"Not much longer." Giles said. "I estimate the more time The First has to prepare, the stronger it becomes."
"We have to find a way to stop it." Buffy said simply.
Giles shook his head. "I wish I knew."
"I vote we kill it." Vi said.
"Second." Molly added.
"Great, we're all unanimous." Faith said. "We kill it. The question is how."
"Maybe we need to contain the fight better." Buffy said. "You know, plan better on how we're going to take it on."
"If only we knew where it was during the day." Amanda said.
"We've checked the school from top to bottom." Rondell said. "And we checked City Hall, too. We can't find the thing."
"But we know it'll be at the Hellmouth come sunset." Buffy said. "We'll be waiting for it."
"We should be there first." Faith said.
"I agree." Wesley said. "We should be waiting for it."
"Then let's get everyone together while it's still light out." Buffy said.
"About Spike." Angel said.
"He needs to stay here tonight." Buffy nodded. "Chained to the wall. Rondell, can a couple of your boys stay behind and watch him?"
Rondell nodded.
"You think he's gonna snap?" Gunn asked.
"I wish I knew." Buffy replied.
-
Spike rested on the cot in the basement. The room smelled like humans, more to the point, human blood. So many injured people. Spike inhaled the smell and relished it.
"Spike." The First called to him.
"You can't have me." Spike mumbled. "You don't control me."
"I do." The First called. "And you will obey."
"I will bloody not." Spike spat.
"You will listen." The First said. "For I am the most powerful being in the world and all others will fall on their knees before me. I am The First, The Last, the only true evil. No man can stop me."
"Shut up!" Spike shouted as loud as he could.
-
Buffy's head snapped up at the scream from the basement, Angel followed as she ran down the steps.
"Spike?" Buffy called.
"Here, pet." Spike replied with a smirk on his face. "Guess I shouldn't call you that with the giant poof around."
Angel's face hardened.
"Shut up." Buffy said harshly. "We thought you were in trouble."
"Me." Spike said innocently. "I'm never in trouble."
"It's got him." Angel said softly, reaching out to Buffy's arm.
"Oh yea, Nancy-boy, it's got me." Spike said. "And I think I like it. No tortured soul, no chip robbing me of what I am, and best of all, no pesky feelings making me do stupid things."
Buffy jaw set, she hated the fact that Spike could upset her.
"What's the matter Slayer?" Spike asked. "Afraid you'll have to kill me?"
"No." Buffy said. "If it comes to it, you'll be a big pile of dust."
"Ah, bet me old Grandsire has something to say about that, heh?" Spike asked.
"I don't." Angel answered simply.
Buffy and Angel walked up the steps.
"Buffy, please." Spike called. "Help me."
"Help yourself." Buffy said softly. "I can't fight it for you."
-
"Everything alright?" Giles asked as Buffy and Angel entered the kitchen.
"No." Buffy said softly.
"Gunn, get the shackles out of the weapons case and chain him up better." Angel said.
Gunn and Rondell left the kitchen together.
"Why don't they just kill it?" Rondell half whispered.
"I don't really know." Gunn replied. "Maybe the Slayer thinks Spike's the link to stopping The First."
"If it were me, it would have been dust by now." Rondell spat.
