CRADLE
Disclaimer, etc. as on first chapter.
A/N: I apologise for the wait, once again. But in all fairness, it's still not as long as Joss makes everyone wait after a cliffhanger… Phase two of the battle is about to commence. This was, originally, going to be one of the final aspects of the fic, but then I thought of something else to put on the end. I warn you all in advance, though, if this looks like it's going beyond 30 chapters, I'm going to kill it and let you all figure out the ending for yourselves. Actually, I still haven't figured out how it'll end, so maybe that'll be for the best ;)
Anyhoo, let's see how much more angst I can cram into this thing… And since I'm now aiming for my next target of 150 reviews, keep 'em coming =)
Cradle
Chapter Twenty-One
Even if Dawn hadn't stopped him from running in pursuit of Buffy, Spike doubted he would have gotten very far. As it was, he was having trouble even standing up. He was in alternating states of euphoria, sheer panic, and anger, and could do nothing except watch as Buffy waited for the cloud to turn red. Her final words were still bouncing through his mind, repeating until they seemed meaningless. Did she really just say that? he thought. Maybe his brain was playing tricks on him.
Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe she'd only said it because it was what he wanted to hear. No. Buffy wouldn't do that. Which meant she'd said it because she wanted him to know… because she knew the situation was worse than she and Giles were letting on. And he knew he couldn't help now, because 'helping' would make it all worse and probably get them all killed.
He looked across to see Giles performing the incantation, reading it carefully from the small book he'd shown them. Briefly, the older man flicked his gaze to Spike, nodded knowingly, and returned his eyes to the book. If Giles knew, he figured, then Buffy must have been telling the truth – and with her Watcher's blessing, no less – and he was completely helpless. Why now? he asked himself. Why couldn't she have bloody waited? Or realised sooner… He couldn't help but wonder if he'd inadvertently pushed her into this. He'd given her an ultimatum, but he'd never anticipated it would come to a result so soon.
Spike was no longer drowning. Instead, he was simply falling, helpless, into a world that was potentially without Buffy, and this time, she loved him back. Then, as the mist finally turned a shade of greyish red and stopped fluctuating, he hit the ground with a thud, and snapped himself out of it. No matter what happened, he'd be no use to anyone if he was catatonic. He shook his head to clear it, and looked over at Giles and Anya again.
The two of them were struggling to keep ten very large, heavy books upright between them, and it seemed to be proving a very difficult task. He gave a nod to Dawn to indicate for her to follow, kept one eye on Buffy and the cloud of Magic, and went over to help them. Dawn joined him, glad of the distraction.
The ten books were more easily and safely distributed amongst the four of them, giving Giles a free hand to hold his spell book as he finished the chant. Spike's gaze flickered between Giles, Dawn, and Buffy, and he was filled with dread as the cloud suddenly became very still in the air, a shade of murky crimson.
Buffy knew she couldn't look back. If she did, she'd end up running to him, to reassure him that what she'd said had been the truth. Or to reassure herself, maybe… No. That could wait until a better time. She concentrated on clearing her mind of all unnecessary thought. It wasn't the easiest task in the world. She hadn't even seen Spike's face at her words. Doubtless he'd have been shocked, but she had no idea how else he might have reacted.
Out of the corner of her eye, she was vaguely aware of both Spike and Dawn running over to Giles and Anya, which was far better than knowing he was standing helpless behind her. At least now he was doing something useful, too. The cloud in front of her was still changing colour, ominously slowly, and she could hear Giles' chant behind her. After a few seconds, he stopped. Buffy took a step back, cocking her head defiantly, and breathed in to steady her nerves.
The cloud's colouring finally settled down and it sat there, ominously, waiting for its host to make itself known. She could have sworn that it knew she was there, though, looking down on her somewhat condescendingly, as if she was too small and pathetic to be a host. We'll show you who's boss, she thought, then realised she was directing said thought at a cloud, shaking her head at herself.
She took a deep breath, cleared her mind of all anomalous thoughts, and got ready. Copying what she'd seen Willow do when she'd purged, Buffy raised her left hand, fingers slightly bent, and pointed it towards the Magic…
In the de Soto, Xander was sitting in the back, with Willow stretched out along the seat, her head in his lap. She still hadn't woken up; whatever the Magic had done to her had obviously taken its toll. Xander was, once again, left watching over an incapacitated Willow, when there was nothing he could do to help her. Not that he could really help the others, either, with his arm so fragile.
Not for the first time, he realised he'd messed up, Big Time, by trying to kill Spike. The vampire was in too much of a weakened state (and yet was still stronger than himself, currently) to be of as much use as he usually would; Buffy obviously still hadn't forgiven him completely for what he'd done; Dawn would probably never speak to him again. He'd broken Anya's trust, and possibly Willow's… and now he was the one she was going to see when she came round. Not that he had much choice in the matter, really. He'd just have to deal with her reaction when the time came.
Having just decided this, he felt her begin to wake up, her eyes fluttering open. She came around, staring up at him, a little disorientated for a few seconds.
"Xander…?"
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Welcome back, Will."
"What happened? Where am I?" She sniffed, and wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, it smells of… demon goop.
He laughed. "That'd be about right… Spike's not really a 'pine fresh' kinda guy."
Her eyes adjusted to the light and she realised she was in the de Soto. Xander helped her to sit up, noting with some concern that she appeared to be shaking all over, presumably an after-effect of her ordeal. She put a hand to her head briefly, feeling a slight twinge, then lowered it again and turned to face him. She'd already started to remember what had just happened. "Did it work?"
"I… don't know. They haven't come back yet…" he admitted, realising she didn't have a clue what was going on.
"What do you mean?" She looked confused.
"Uh…" he began, trying to think how to explain it without all of Giles' magical technobabble. "Well, after you purged all that Magic, it got, um, kinda pissed… Demons, everywhere, just coming at us. Buffy and Spike got rid of them and then it started this big ol' magical storm and we all had to evacuate. Then Giles said the only way to get it back into the books was-"
"The same way it came out?" she interrupted.
"Yeah…"
"So… how?"
He hesitated. "Buffy."
Willow went pale. "Buffy?" Xander nodded. "But… someone should have woken me up, Xander. It's my fault that stuff's even out there; I should be the one putting it back."
"Willow, you and I both know that's a stupid idea. As Giles explained, the least magically inclined person had to do it. And that was Buffy. Believe me, none of us were too happy with it."
She seemed to accept this, realising the logic behind the decision. "So she's out there right now?"
"Yup."
"Well, we have to go, too, to help her." That being said, she opened the side door and got out; as soon as she tried to take a step, however, she instantly collapsed again. Xander got out on his side of the car and walked around to help her up.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just still woozy…" Xander helped her to stand up straight, realising there was going to be no talking her out of helping Buffy and the others, and supported her as they made their way back to the derelict building site…
The scene that greeted them on their arrival was nothing short of dramatic, and verging on nightmarish. Giles, Anya, Spike and Dawn were still kneeling in their respective positions on the floor, holding up the books between them, looking on with varying expressions of awed horror. Looking across and following their gazes, Xander and Willow spotted Buffy and what remained of the magical cloud.
The Slayer looked to be deep in concentration as the absorption of the Dark Magic came to an end. She was obviously battling valiantly to keep her mind focussed and alert, and was standing deathly still. Xander and Willow were momentarily stunned into immobility, but the former quickly regained his senses and pulled the redhead towards their friends, so they could help with the pile of books. There was an ominous sort of whooshing in the air, and a crackling sound, and then, as the last of the Magic entered Buffy's system, there was a small 'pop', and silence.
Nobody dared to breathe. Buffy hadn't moved, and was staring at the ground.
Spike was fighting his inner struggle not to go over and help her, and, just as he was about to give in and do just that, she twitched. He was the only one who'd noticed, at first, and then, she twitched again, her entire body jerking. Suddenly, her head shot up, and the assembled Scoobies gasped in shock.
Her skin had paled noticeably, and bluish veins were visible under her flesh. Her eyes were almost black, as Willow's had been occasionally during her recovery, with the occasional pale flicker within their depths, and her hair had turned a dark shade of brown, starting from the roots and working to the tips. The frightening transformation was completed by the ends of her fingertips glowing and shooting occasional sparks and small bolts of lightning.
Giles nudged those beside him. "Get ready," he said, quietly. The group held the books higher and waited for Buffy to approach.
Her movements were slow and deliberate as she concentrated on getting over to her friends, each step forward precise and calculated. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Buffy was close enough. She stopped approximately two feet away from them, and then raised a hand to try and purge the magic back into the books. Everybody braced themselves for the imminent blast.
Nothing happened. Buffy's concentrated expression was momentarily confused as to why, and then, off Giles' encouraging look, she tried again, this time moving her hand nearer to the books. Again, nothing happened. By now, she was starting to tremble with the effort of keeping in control of her mind.
"It's not working!" said Dawn, worried. "Why isn't it working?"
Giles could do nothing but shrug, as he racked his brain for a solution. He didn't want to have to use another incantation on Buffy, but it was beginning to seem like the only option. Suddenly, Willow began tugging on his sleeve excitedly.
"Ooh, I know why it won't work! I-it's because Buffy doesn't know how to do magic; she, uh, she can't control the power inside her. It's just sitting there."
"Of course," he said. Buffy nodded slightly at Willow, proving she was right.
"Okay, Red," said Spike, diplomatically, sounding a lot calmer than he felt, "can you tell her how?"
She nodded. "I… I can try…" She addressed the Slayer, attracting her attention. "Buffy." She was now looking more the worse for wear, silently pleading for Willow to hurry up. "I know it's difficult if you've never done this before, but you have to believe me – it's possible. It's like… mind over matter." Buffy nodded, the movement causing her hair to crackle with energy. "Okay, just… just imagine that all the Magic is centred around your heart, that it… it's being controlled from there, like blood." Nod. "Then try and imagine it coursing through your veins, right down your arms and out through your fingertips." Another nod. "You'll know when it happens; it kinda makes your limbs go all tingly." Willow offered a small smile in an effort to lighten the mood a little, but was rewarded by an impatient glare.
She looked away from Willow again and focussed. She knew she had to get the Magic out of her system very soon or she'd lost control entirely. Everything was starting to blur together and she was feeling incredibly light-headed. And she was tired. So tired. And then, just as she was beginning to think how wonderful sleep sounded at that moment, she heard Spike muttering to himself, apparently unheard by the others. He was telling her to try. He was telling her she could do it, that he believed in her. And beneath his words of encouragement, she detected the undercurrent of love in his tone.
She sought him out through the sea of unconsciousness that was beckoning and found him staring at her over the top of the book he was holding up. He looked scared, but, she realised, not because he thought she wouldn't be able to do it – more because he knew she would, but was afraid of losing her in the process. She wasn't prepared to let that happen; she'd guaranteed him that she'd come back.
After holding his gaze one second more, Buffy did as Willow explained. At first, it didn't work in the slightest – the Magic flooded through her entire system and she couldn't make it stop or centre in one place. Then, finally, she pictured it in her mind's eye, as a sort of glowing ball around her heart, and once she'd managed that, it was as though she was in complete control. Her heart rate had increased to an almost impossible height, but that only made the task easier – suddenly, it felt like her arms were on fire – Tingly?? she thought, irritatedly – and then, there was a blinding flash of light and the Magic flew from her fingers, straight into the book Giles was holding.
The force with which this happened caused two things to happen – Giles was pushed backwards from the impact, landing against Xander – who was kneeling behind him – and causing him to topple over backwards, too. At the same time, Buffy was forced backwards, up into the air, where she remained suspended while the Magic found its way home. The pages of the myriad books ruffled at great speed as it 'filed' itself in the correct places, so much so that everyone had to struggle to hold onto them. A great wind whipped up around them, taking up dust and debris to such an extent that everyone had to cover their eyes.
Several seconds later, there was silence, and the wind dropped once more. It took a lot longer for the dust to settle, however, and there was a sort of fog covering the immediate surroundings. Anya was the first to open her eyes, looking down at the large book in her hands. She immediately slammed it closed.
"Everyone! It worked! The books are all full!"
Slowly, everyone else opened their eyes to check, and, sure enough, each of the books was back to its previous state. Willow closed hers hastily and put it to one side, encouraging the others to do the same. They formed two neat piles on the floor of closed books, and began to stand up, brushing themselves off.
"Hey, uh, guys…" said Dawn. "Where's-"
"Buffy…" interrupted Spike, suddenly breaking into a run into the dust. The Scoobies looked after him, peering into the murk, and were just able to make out his leather-clad form crouching near the floor. Exchanging concerned glances, they followed him.
The Slayer had dropped from the air and landed heavily on the floor, in a position that exactly resembled how she'd landed after her fall from the tower. Her body still crackled slightly from the energy she'd had claim over, but her skin and hair colour had returned to normal. She was unconscious, but breathing.
Spike reached out a hand to touch her and then recoiled with a curse as he got shocked.
"Careful, Spike," warned Giles, slightly too late. "There's still magic in her system, though less malevolent – that of the coven. If you touch her, it'll be like touching a very mild electric fence."
"I noticed…" he muttered. "This dust probably isn't helping matters. We have to get her back to the house." So saying, he took off his duster and wrapped her in it, then scooped her into his arms and headed dutifully towards the de Soto. Even if it didn't help, he figured that having shocks down his arms would make a change from shocks in his brain. Everyone followed him in silence, not entirely sure what to say, gathering the now-full books and re-piling them and themselves into the back of the car, while Spike carefully laid Buffy in the passenger seat.
In silence, he drove them back to Revello Drive…
To be continued…
Okay, okay, I apologise many, many times and very, very loud about the time it took me to get this somewhat pathetic attempt at a chapter to you. When was it I posted chapter 20? September. Anyway, sorry, again, for the 50th time for some of you ;) (Firelily, Darryl, hope it was worth the long wait.) Now that I'm back into this, hopefully, Chapter 22 will be here a little faster, and then there's not much more to do, maybe about four more chapters. Then I have something silly planned with my "Farscape" co-author, Cyril the Sixteen Goldfish, which will either be posted here or on the 'scape board. (There, that in itself should give you a clue :P) Anyway. Yes. Please review. I promise not to keep you waiting this long again *sweet smile*
