CRADLE
Disclaimer, etc. as on first chapter.
A/N: Right. Quite a lot happens in this chapter. The Dawn/Clem conversation I mentioned at the end of "Cold Trust" is going to occur (and bearing in mind I have incredibly little to go on, lines-wise, Clem, it could be a little messy) as well as Anya's re-integration into the Scoobies. Oh, and Spike comes back. Can't forget that…
This is promising to be one beast of a fic. I'm barely even started yet… If it goes beyond about 30 chapters, I may have to concede defeat and kill the damn thing… Anyway, reviews welcome as always.
Cradle
Chapter Nine
When Giles and Anya arrived at the house, Xander and Willow had prepared something resembling a meal with their combined talents. The air had cleared somewhat after Xander's misunderstanding with Buffy, and Dawn was speaking to him again; they were just waiting for Buffy to join them while Willow watched a saucepan of pasta finish boiling. Xander occasionally stirred the sauce while he made sure the table looked presentable.
Dawn was already sitting at the table, waiting hungrily for Buffy to return home from work. All eyes turned towards the sound of the front door closing as someone arrived. It wasn't Buffy who walked through into the kitchen, though; it was Giles, with a very nervous-looking Anya in tow. Xander's expression on seeing her wavered between shock and joy, and he found what he hoped was a happy medium, something resembling nonchalance. Willow smiled just as nervously at Anya, unsure exactly what to say, and Dawn, being Dawn, merely grinned.
"Hey, Anya! Where've you been?" she asked enthusiastically. "Nobody's seen you for, like, ever."
Giles ushered the vengeance demon forwards and she looked around the room, as if seeing everyone for the first time. "Hello, everyone…"
The other two occupants of the kitchen nodded their greeting, Xander attempting a friendly smile that didn't seem too forward. "Dawny's right," said Willow in her usual quiet tone, "we haven't seen you for ages. Is everything… a-all right?"
"Everything's…" she began, then caught Giles' warning expression that suggested now was not the time to be abrupt. "Well… the magic shop's seen better days, but I'm fine. At least we're all still alive, right?"
"Yes. Yes, we are," said Xander. "We have problems, but we're alive."
Dawn attempted to lighten the atmosphere, as it was beginning to feel like some huge weight was bearing down on the entire kitchen. "Uh… hey, Anya, you joining us for dinner? There's plenty of it, and Buffy'll be home soon."
"Oh… oh, I don't know if I should, Dawn. But thank you for the offer."
"Please?" she whined, perfecting her sister's pout and setting it to 'kill'. "It'll be just like before. Us all together, one big, happy family again. And Giles is staying, too… right?"
The ex-Watcher looked up from the coaster he was perusing. "What? Oh. Yes, of course I'm staying."
This in itself was enough to convince Anya to stay, and she nodded. Dawn beamed, got up, and forcibly dragged Anya into a seat next to her own. At which point, the back door opened and one very annoyed and very overworked Slayer appeared.
"Ugh!" she announced, hurling her idiotic DMP cap onto one of the counters. "If I have to clean out even one more fry basket it'll be too many."
"And a very good evening to you, too, Miss Summers," said Xander, assuming the pose of a waiter with a tea-towel draped over one arm. "If you would care to take your seat, dinner will be served shortly."
Buffy smiled. Then she noticed their other guest. "Anya?"
"Yes. Hello, Buffy. It's good to see you again."
"Yeah, um… same here. Wow, where the heck have you been?"
Giles interrupted, sitting himself down opposite Dawn. "It doesn't matter. She's here now."
Buffy's brain was trying to make her remember the incident with Anya and Spike in graphic detail, but she knew that now wasn't the time. Aside from the fact that it wouldn't be the correct way to enfold Anya back into the group, it was ancient history now, and she'd forgiven her for it even if Xander hadn't. Besides, it only really promised to get ugly if Spike was around, which he wasn't. "You'd better stick around, An," she ordered. "It's really dull without you. I'd hug you, but I'm not the most fragrant Buffy at the moment."
She sat down next to her sister, who sniffed, and grimaced. "Wow, Buffy, you weren't lying…"
Buffy swatted the teenager on the arm. "If you'll excuse me, I'll get changed before we eat. Apparently Dawn has a very sensitive nose." She received a petulant expression in return, as her incredibly mature little sister stuck her tongue out.
Willow took the pan off the hob and started to drain the pasta. "Hurry up! Don't want your pasta getting all nasty."
The Slayer ran upstairs and re-emerged five minutes later, just as Xander was pouring the sauce for everyone. She retook her position next to Dawn, Xander perched at one end of the island, and the whole group, all crammed together in the kitchen, enjoyed their meal together.
Africa…
The time was drawing closer. In a few more hours, Spike would be back in Sunnydale… back to Buffy. This prospect was the only thing keeping him sane as yet more memories bombarded his mind, memories of a period of time when he and Dru had savaged an entire village, and sired hundreds of minions while they were at it. He'd almost forgotten about it until just now. Probably because Dru had killed the whole lot of them a day later.
Remembering that it had been a fair walk through the cavern to find the demon, Spike decided he'd best get moving. These shamans were very strict on punctuality and he had a feeling that if he was even a second late, the promise would be automatically renounced. Better to be early, if that was the case. Gathering his strength, and trying with all his might to ignore the pounding in his head, Spike stood and headed through the maze of tunnels, his vampire senses guiding him back to the shaman…
Summers' kitchen, one hour later…
The meal being finished, everyone was full up and having a wonderful time being around each other. Buffy cleared her throat and tapped her fork against the table-top to attract everyone's attention. All eyes turned to her, curious as to what she was going to say.
"Okay, guys. I know this isn't, like, the Last Supper or some big event or anything… but it feels like it should be something. Maybe an everyone-being-friends-again party. But anyway, I just wanted to say that it's great having us all together again, and that even though we've all still got lots of stuff to work through, I know we're all going to be fine."
"Here, here," said Xander, nodding, and drinking a toast that nobody had actually initiated.
"Yes. Well said, Buffy." That was Giles, who'd been thinking precisely the same thing. Everyone agreed in much the same way and eventually, idle chatter descended again… all except for Dawn, who was glaring somewhat contemptuously at her sister. It was Willow who noticed first.
"What's the matter, Dawny?"
"How can you all sit there being all buddy-like when Spike's still missing?" Obviously, she'd been right – they had all forgotten about him. Various gazes assaulted her, mainly apologetic, except for Xander, who bristled at the mere mention of the vampire's name. "He was a member of the Scoobies, too, and, in case you've all forgotten, he's saved our lives. A lot. You're all just gonna forget about him?"
Buffy tried to calm her down. "Dawn, honey-"
"I don't expect you to stick up for him," she said, pulling away from her sister's grasp as she stood up. "I know what he did was wrong, Buffy, but that doesn't mean you can pretend he doesn't exist any more." She addressed the room again. "Don't any of you care? He could be dead!"
Willow, ever the voice of reason and serenity, said, "Dawn, I'm sure he'll come back. You know good ol' Spikey; he can't keep away."
"What if he doesn't come back, Will? What then? I don't see any of you jumping at the chance to figure out where he is or why he left."
Xander had had enough, and he wasn't afraid to let this fact be known. By this point, Giles had sighed exasperatedly and buried his head in his hands, pretending he was somewhere else. Xander frowned. "That's because he's evil, Dawn. He's evil and he can be sitting in a Dirt Devil for all I care."
"Xander!" The admonishment came, surprisingly, from Buffy.
"Are you still defending him?"
"It doesn't matter. None of it matters." She attempted diplomacy. "Dawn, wherever Spike is, he can look after himself and I'm absolutely certain that he will come back eventually, just so he can make my life a living irritation again. And if he doesn't, well… we'll think of something. Xander, I'm not going to keep having this same argument with you. Saying it louder and in different ways isn't going to change anything."
There was a brief pause while this all sank in, then Dawn flounced from the room in floods of tears. Xander conceded defeat, knowing Buffy was right. Peace didn't seem to last very long these days. Sighing, Buffy got up from the table. "Anya, I'm sorry. I was hoping we'd be able to have at least one night where one of us didn't end up in tears."
She waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. I've missed all the drama of being a Scooby."
Then, as usually occurs in such situations, everyone burst into hysterics just for the sheer absurdity of everything. Buffy and Giles were laughing the hardest, and Anya soon joined in. Even Willow managed a nervous giggle, and eventually, Xander laughed as well. It seemed that it was just what everyone needed.
After a few seconds, Buffy regained control of herself and cleared the amused tears from her eyes. "I guess we'd better go apologise to Dawn…"
Everyone nodded agreement and they headed up the stairs en masse towards her room. Buffy knocked. "Dawn?" There was no reply; in fact, the room seemed curiously silent. "Dawn?" she tried again. Still no answer. Buffy cautiously pushed open the door and everyone stepped inside, to be greeted by an empty room. "Great…" she muttered.
"How'd she get out?" asked Willow. "I didn't hear the door."
Indicating the incriminating open window, Buffy said, "You think any sister of mine would use the front door?"
"But… where would she be going?" That was Anya.
"I have a pretty good idea…" said Buffy under her breath. Then, louder, she added. "Wherever she is, she obviously wants to be alone and she'll come back eventually. And if what I've seen of her fighting is any indication, I think she can look after herself pretty well."
"Buffy's right," agreed Giles. "Dawn is deceptively strong."
Nodding, the Slayer continued. "Best plan of action is to carry on as normal. And when she comes back, make like she was never gone; in my experience, yelling at her doesn't help. I think we've all had enough of yelling lately." Changing the subject, she ushered everyone out of the room and shut the door behind her. "Anya, you staying here tonight?"
"Uh… I… if it's no trouble."
"Of course it isn't. It'll be a tight squeeze, though, um… you can either stay in Willow's room with her and Xander, or find a space in the lounge with Giles."
Anya considered both possibilities, then turned to look slightly suspiciously at Willow. Without batting an eyelid, she asked, "You're sleeping with Xander?"
Willow floundered. "Uh… yeah. I mean, 'yeah' in the in-the-same-room sense, but not 'yeah' in the naked sense…"
Xander saved her. "I'm just staying with her, Anya, just in case she needs anything."
Willow nodded in a 'what-he-said' manner, and Anya seemed to accept this. Turning to Buffy again, she came to a decision. "I think I'll sleep downstairs with Giles, if that's all right."
"Sure," she said. "That okay with you, Giles?"
The older man nodded nervously. "Yes. Anya can have the couch; I'll take the floor."
"Ever the gentleman." Buffy rolled her eyes, and led everyone back downstairs again so they could clear up in the kitchen.
Sunnydale Cemetery…
Dawn pulled the familiar leather duster tighter around herself as she meandered between the headstones. In one pocket, she'd hidden a stake and a cross, just in case – even though she was confident in her abilities to fight the Evil Things that might leap out at her, she wasn't taking any chances. If that failed, she could always run, as usual. She'd come out here to think, and to get out of the house and away from everyone, and hadn't even intended to go near the cemetery. However, she continually found herself being drawn to it every time.
She was running over what everybody had said about Spike in her mind, wondering who to believe. She wanted to trust her sister's words – that he'd find his way back from wherever he'd gone – but Xander's, worryingly, were beginning to feel true. He was evil – he'd always been evil – and it was only the chip that was stopping him from killing them all. Dawn had never believed that, at first, because Spike had always been nice to her. But then again, she'd always been nice to him, too. The fact remained, however, that he was a vampire. And he wasn't a vampire like Angel – he didn't have a soul and was only one of the 'good guys' because he'd been forced into it.
She'd never, ever doubted that Spike loved her sister, even before he'd figured it out for himself. Why else would he have let her live this long; him, the self-confessed murderer of two Slayers. More to the point, why hadn't Buffy staked him yet? Dawn had known long ago that there was something between them, way before there even had been, even while they still swore to obliterate each other from the landscape. She knew Spike loved Buffy; she could tell by the way he looked at her. But ever since Xander had told her about what had nearly happened in their bathroom… she was beginning to doubt it. If he loved her, why would he do that?
It didn't make sense; none of it did. If he loved Buffy, he wouldn't have left her. He wouldn't have left me… thought Dawn, sadly. Nothing felt real any more. It hadn't since Xander had saved Willow; in fact, it had felt wrong all along without Spike there to help save them. It felt even wronger now. And try as she might, Dawn couldn't help blaming the whole thing on her sister…
Her thoughts came to an abrupt end when she looked up and realised she'd ended up outside his crypt. Even without Spike, it held an aura of comfort for Dawn. She put an ear to the heavy door and heard the very faint sound of Clem watching television in the basement. Sighing, she pushed open the door.
Africa; two hours to go…
Spike knew he was getting close; he could hear the screams of another person undergoing the trials. He pressed on, following the tortured sounds through the tunnels. Bloody idiots, he thought. Wonder if they'll get ripped off like I was. To say that Spike was slightly bitter about his experience would have been an extreme understatement. He was more determined than ever to kill the stupid shaman for his mistake. Unfortunately, that would mean finding his own way back to Sunnydale, and he'd set his heart on returning in a couple of hours by magical means.
Well… he could always come back, Slayer in tow, and they could kill him together. That'd be right justified, that would. Before he could envisage a possible future for himself and Buffy, however, common sense reared its ugly head. He had to apologise, first and foremost, and that, he suspected, would come after a long and arduous guilt trip until she deigned to even look at him again. He'd messed up, big time. The possibility of a reconciliation, if at all, was a long, long way off.
And anyway, first he had to get back, which wasn't going to happen if he continued to sit on the floor thinking about it.
Spike's crypt…
Clem looked up from his bucket-o'-chicken when he heard the door creaking open. He hadn't been expecting visitors. That could mean only two things: either something big and nasty had decided to take up residence in what it thought was an empty crypt, or… Nah. Couldn't be Spike. He'd've made a bigger entrance. Which could only mean that it was the Big Nasty Thing.
Putting down the bucket, Clem rose from the armchair and looked for something he could use as a weapon. He found a large piece of wood and tested it for strength, then, wielding it in what he hoped was a menacing way, he hid behind the chair and waited.
His floppy ears pricked up – metaphorically – when he heard someone drop down into the basement of the crypt. He waited. The Thing didn't move.
"Hello?" called a voice. It was a very high-pitched Thing. Clem waited. "Anyone here?"
The Thing took a step or two forwards, and Clem made his move. He leapt out suddenly from behind the chair and let out a war-cry, thrashing wildly with the piece of wood. He dropped it just as suddenly when the Thing – now identified as a small, brown-haired girl – screamed, which in turn set Clem off screaming, too.
They screamed at each other for a good five seconds, and then Dawn recovered and smacked him, repeatedly. "Jesus, Clem! You scared the life out of me!"
The demon fended off her blows as best he could, cowering. "S-sorry! I thought you were a demon!"
Dawn stopped hitting him. "Gee, that's reassuring…"
Clem stood up straight and looked at her. He recognised her – it had been a while since he'd seen her – but he couldn't quite think where from… Then, he remembered. "Hey, I know you… You're the Slayer's sister, right? Dawn?"
"Yeah," she muttered. "One of these days someone'll remember me as just 'Dawn' without the 'Slayer's sister' part."
"What brings you here?"
"Dunno," she admitted. "I was just walking and ended up here… I used to come here a lot."
"Oh." Clem smiled widely. "Well, I don't have much in the way of food, but…" He picked up the bucket and offered it to her. "You can have some chicken if you want."
She waved a hand. "I'll pass…" Her gaze turned to the television. "Whatcha watchin'?"
"Oh, nothing, really… whatever's on…"
Dawn nodded. She'd almost hoped Spike would be home. She supposed, though, that Clem's company was currently better than her sister's. "You mind if I crash here for a while?"
"Yeah, why not. I'm sure Spike wouldn't mind."
The mere mention of Spike suddenly set Dawn off into floods of tears. Clem panicked, not used to small girls breaking down in front of him, and manoeuvred her into the armchair. Dawn attempted to calm down while he went about searching for something, muttering under his breath. "I'm sure I had a Kleenex around here somewhere… Where'd I put that?" Then, he found it, stuck in one of the folds of his arms. He plucked it out and offered it to her. By this point, she'd recovered.
"Ew… no, thanks…" She sniffed.
Clem shrugged and tucked the Kleenex back where it had come from, in case he needed it later, then knelt in front of Dawn. "What was all that about?"
"Nothing. Sorry…"
"Now, I'm no expert, but from what I know about mortals, they don't usually cry over nothing…"
"It's just… I was kinda hoping Spike might be back, but…" She let the sentence linger.
"Oh… Well, you can see he's not." Seeing that she looked to be on the verge of tears again, he added. "But hey… don't get upset… Good ol' Clem'll set you to rights."
"Thanks…" Then, it occurred to her. If Clem was looking after the crypt, he probably had a pretty good idea of Spike's whereabouts. "Hey, Clem… I don't suppose… Do you know where he is?"
Clement shifted nervously, unsure whether to tell her. Then, seeing the desperate, pleading look in her eyes, he decided he'd better tell her. "Yeah…"
"Really?" she asked, excitedly. "Where? Clem, you gotta tell me, please!"
"He's… he's in Africa…"
Dawn had been hoping it was somewhere she could take a bus to, not the other side of the world. Her face dropped. "Wh-what's he doing in Africa?"
"He went to get his chip out."
"What?" She couldn't believe he'd do that. "Why?"
"I'm not sure. He said he'd done something bad…" Dawn knew what he'd done even if Clem didn't. "He said that he couldn't stop thinking about Buffy – he seemed real guilty about something – and he thought it was the chip in his head, making him feel like that. He said he wanted to give the Slayer what she deserved, whatever that means."
That made sense. Realising and admitting that he loved Buffy had only happened after the Initiative put the chip in his head. Dawn didn't think it was responsible, however; she knew it was some deeply buried, inherent goodness in him that made him love her. He'd loved Dru, after all. What didn't make sense was where he was. "But… why Africa?"
"That's kinda my fault," admitted Clem, grudgingly. "I told him about this cousin of mine who'd gone to see some shaman in Africa…"
"Clem!"
"Sorry! I didn't think he'd take it seriously!"
"It's Spike, you idiot! You know what he's like when he gets some stupid scheme in his head!"
"I know, I know…"
Seeing that it really wasn't directly Clem's fault, Dawn calmed down. "Okay, did he say when he'd come back?"
"Afraid not. He didn't even say if he'd come back."
"You… you mean he might have gone for good?" Clem nodded. "Oh, God… he can't… he has to come back."
Clem placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he will. He left all his stuff here."
Dawn nodded. Everything was starting to make sense. Spike had left because he couldn't face what he'd done, not because of something Buffy had said to him, although she suspected Buffy must have said something to him afterwards. She did have that wonderful way with words. Getting up from the chair, she said, "Thanks, Clem. It's so much better now I know where he is."
"No problem."
Dawn looked down at the duster she was still wearing. "He… uh… he left this at our house that night. I've been looking after it for him, but… maybe I should leave it here for him. You know, for when he comes back?"
"Why don't you keep a hold of it, Dawn. Then you can give it to him in person."
That sounded like a much better idea, and she beamed. "Yeah. Yeah, I will…."
Africa; clinch time…
The glowy-eyed shaman watched the entrance to his lair with interest, waiting for what he knew was coming. In a few minutes, the chipped, and now souled, vampire would crawl back to him. He'd almost considered not keeping his promise and making him find his own way back home. After all, he'd managed to get to Africa just fine, so surely he could leave the same way.
Then, he considered that he probably owed it to him. After all, he did make a mistake, not removing the chip. And it would only be a tiny thing to do, really, sending him back. Just a wave of the arm and a brief incantation and it would all be over, and the stupid vampire would be gone.
Right on cue, Spike trudged through the cave entrance, head held high to make it look like he was trudging at all. He looked the shaman defiantly in the eyes. "Right, mate. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
The shaman blinked, momentarily shrouding the cave in blackness. "You're early."
"I know. I can wait."
Silence descended as the shaman mentally ticked off the seconds in his head. Spike continued to glower at him – for such a small creature, he was certainly persistent. Eventually, the time came and the shaman looked across at the blond vampire. "Are you ready?"
"About bloody time," muttered Spike. "Yeah. Just send me back, already!"
"As you wish…"
The shaman lifted an arm and swept it dramatically, mumbling something under his breath. Using his magic, he lifted the vampire effortlessly into midair, and, with a gesture of his raised arm, hurled him out of the cave. This all happened within a split second. Spike, only vaguely aware of what was happening, was enveloped in a blinding flash of white light and then his world turned black…
To be continued…
Okay, I'm sorry! I know I said I'd bring him back this chapter, but… what can I say, it was already too long and the return I have planned is going to take a while. Anyway, I'm the Queen of the Evil Cliffhanger. Reviews'll get it here much faster, don'tcha know…
