*********************************TRAppED********************************
Forty-Six: Conflicts Postponed
By Annie
2003-07-13
**************************************************************************
Day Thirty-Seven.
5.10 a.m.
"No!"
Buffy took a step forward at the same time that Spike took three back with his hands flying to his temples and a scream of enraged pain rising out of his throat. Xander put one hand where the fist had connected, moving his aching jaw as he glared at the vampire.
"That all you got?" the mortal taunted, shaking his head.
"You really don't wanna try my patience," Spike grumbled, the searing ache retracting and he looked up at the other as he squared his shoulders; Xander smirked.
"Are you gonna take me down in front of your 'girlfriend'?" he inquired, taking a step forward and Spike doing the same until they were face-to-face once more. "Think she'd let you?" he added and Spike made a grimace with irritation.
"You always have to hide behind her, don't you?" he asked back.
Xander's posture stiffened, but there was no reply and Spike looked much too pleased for it to go by unnoticed by the human.
"I give it a month," Xander murmured, his nose now so close to the vampire's their tips almost touched as he added: "And then she'll come to her senses and drop you like the bag of nothing that you are."
"Xander," Buffy said, her tone sharp, but Spike was quicker as he pushed the other man to stumble backwards again.
He ignored the jolt of pain running down his spine and spreading up the back of his skull. All he focused on in that second was making himself perfectly clear to the whelp before him. He slammed his hand hard into the wall to the side of Xander's left ear and then he began to speak, voice low but unmistakable in its edgy intonation.
"I know you're protective, I know you like to play big brother and I know you watch her back and have been doing so for the past four years. Thank you. I owe you. But if you think that you can bloody judge my feelings for that lady over there based on my past..." He trailed off, the hardening expression in his steel blue eyes putting the final point to his words before he continued: "You don't know me." He turned his head to Buffy, and then back to Xander. "SHE does. You do NOT live her life, you don't sodding affect her choices... and you don't tell her what to do. No one does. She's her own woman, and she's chosen me..." Suddenly the steel softened into something lighter and the vampire backed off as he turned to his Slayer. "I'm proud to stand by her side," he said, meeting Buffy's gaze and then looking over her shoulder at her Watcher. "I WILL stand by her side."
"I don't believe this," Xander muttered, massaging his jaw again.
Spike turned his head back to him.
"No kidding, tunaboy?" he asked and Xander glared at him for a second time before huffing and then murmuring something; making Spike turn to fully face him, incredulous look taking its place on his features before he asked:
"What did you just call me?"
Xander looked up at him, furrowing his brow questioningly before he realized that Spike had slightly more advanced hearing than the average thug and so he had just heard every last muttered word of slander.
Hesitating for but a moment the younger then replied:
"I called you a hopeless, misplaced, greedy, selfish, ugly, sickening, good- for-nothing bastard."
"That's what I thought," Spike nodded, moving forward again, but having two hands grab his shoulders and pull him back so harshly that he lost his balance and tumbled backwards onto the floor.
Buffy towered over him and he gave her an impatient, meaningful glare before he looked away; declaring himself beaten.
Tamed, the beast within him howled in agony; but he ignored the voice of it and kept his eyes on the Watcher's feet, which he could see through the legs of the table and chairs to his right.
Buffy turned to Xander.
"Please," she merely said.
He clenched his jaws together hard and then did what Spike had done moments before - looked away from her.
Tara came into the room with two cups of tea in her hands, giving Buffy a quick smile before she walked up to the couch and handed one of the cups to Anya. Then she sat down beside the latter and turned her head to Willow, who had entered the room shortly after her. The redhead was standing beside her childhood friend, trying to find something soothing to say to him.
Spike had sat up and was now rising to his feet, jaws tightly clenched as he ground them together and still refused to look at Xander; or Buffy, for that matter.
"Let's begin," Giles said, coming further into the room with his glasses off as he polished them carefully. "These news are quite loaded," he added at the surprised looks he received from Willow and Xander, as well as the wondering gaze Buffy turned to him with, "but so is the situation with Adam and if Willow has news which may help us take him out... I don't think I have to underline the critical way in which this affects us all."
"No," Buffy agreed. "You don't have to."
Turning to Spike she gave him a small smile and he finally rested his eyes in hers, returning the smile with a likeness of relaxation coming over him which calmed whatever small doubt there had been in the back of her head that he was done with the arguments. For now, at least.
"Willow," Giles said, gesturing to her laptop which was sitting on the table and she nodded, walking up to it and sitting down before it.
Slowly the others rose or moved forward to come and stand behind her as she began to work the keys.
"Well," she said as the contents of the disk came up on the screen. "There was mostly this," she added, scrolling down and showing a large quantity of text. "A bunch of stuff we already know on 3:14. But then there's information about Adam's final phase... and the whole slaughter, body-parts securing, demon against soldiers bomb that he's set to detonate... as soon as you get down there," she finished, turning her head to look up at Buffy, who gritted her teeth and turned to Spike.
"Is there anything else?" she asked and he met her gaze before shaking his head.
"He's lying," Xander murmured and Spike's eyes went to him as they began to turn a darker shade of blue from clear indignation and rising fury.
"Do you trust me?" Buffy asked before her lover could open his mouth and Xander looked from the latter to the former with a quizzical expression. "Do you trust me?" she repeated and he nodded a little. "Then stop it with the accusations already. It's not only attacking Spike, it's attacking me as well."
At that Xander seemed to grow self-conscious, and he did want to apologize to her, but couldn't quite bring himself to it.
Buffy felt Spike's hand slide into hers and she held his back.
"I have to go," Anya said, kissing Xander on the cheek and grabbing her pocketbook on the way to the front door. "There's a new dress with my name tagged to it somewhere out there and I'm determined to find it," she added with a smile and Xander smiled back as she opened the door and stepped through it. "Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone, honey!" she called as she closed the door and he shook his head a little at her.
"I-I should get going too," Tara mumbled to Willow, who looked up at her and then smiled a small smile.
"You sure?" she asked and Tara nodded.
"I have homework and this... seems to be official Scooby work. I'm safer outta the way," she replied, smiling as well and then squeezing Willow's shoulder before leaving the group as she followed in Anya's footsteps. "Be careful," she said as she paused in the doorway, then she proceeded through it and the five still in the room looked from one to the other before Willow asked:
"What now?"
"Now," Buffy answered, "we figure out how to follow Adam's plan. I need to get into the Initiative."
***
5.48 p.m.
"We're certainly in a lack of supplies... Wish I knew which ones would kill Adam," Giles sighed, sitting down on the armrest of the couch.
Willow was seated to his left and Xander was on standing behind him. Buffy was on the floor, carving a rather large piece of wood into a rather large stake. Spike was on a chair behind her back, looking both intrigued and bored at the same time.
"Well, the little I know from... people," Buffy said, continuing: "Adam's power source is a core of uranium imbedded somewhere in his chest. Probably near the spine."
"Great," Xander chimed in sarcastically. "So we'll just ask him to lie down quietly while we do some exploratory surgery."
Spike couldn't hide a smirk, though he stripped it quick enough. The others merely raised one corner of their mouth in acknowledgement of the joke - all too familiar with the Scoobs need for them when nervous or stressed out to actually pay too much heed to the actual words.
"What about magic?" Willow asked suggestively. "Some kinda... I don't know... uranium extracting spell?" The quiet looks she received had her know how well met that idea was and she made a small frown before she added grouchily: "I know. I'm reaching."
"Perhaps a paralyzing spell?" Giles said, rising to his feet and walking the few steps taking him up to one of the bookcases, where he retrieved one of those and began to look through it as he mumbled: "Only I can't perform the incantation of this..."
"Right, don't you have to speak it in Sumerian or something?" Willow asked and he turned his head to her, answering:
"Oh, I do speak Sumerian. It's not that. Only an experienced witch can incant it and you'd have to be within striking distance of the subject."
"See what you get for taking French instead of Sumerian?" Xander quipped, turned to Buffy.
"What was I thinking?" she muttered, receiving a comforting rub on her back from Spike, which made her smile and turn her head to look back and up at him.
Xander noticed the movement and stared at them with growing abhor before he said:
"And what about you?" making Spike turn his head to him instead. "Yeah, you, king of all that is bleached," Xander nodded. "You've spent more time with the man himself...bad choice of words, but we all know what I mean...than any of us put together. Can't you tell us ANYTHING more useful than 'He's really, really strong'?"
Spike tilted his head slightly to one side, then smiled a sugary smile before he replied:
"He's damn near invincible - that'd be good enough for you?"
Xander shook his head.
"Useless," he muttered.
"I don't see you being the one sodding connection you have on the inside, now do I?" Spike grumbled. "If I hadn't given you the bloody information on Adam you'd be nowhere at all, as supposed to halfway there. So stop using that buggering word on me! ...I don't deserve it."
Xander blinked. Had what he said actually just had some sort of an impact on the un-impactable? Amazing. Though he thought the word with as much sarcasm as he could muster, he still had to acknowledge the slight twirl of triumph which it brought with it.
"Okay... Adam - invincible," he now said slowly, then he shrugged. "So all we need is combo-Buffy. Her with Slayer strength, Giles' multi-lingual know how and Willow's witch-y power." Giles raised his head at that, practically staring at him and he added: "Yeah, don't tell me: I'm just full of 'helpful' suggestions."
"As a matter of fact - you are," Giles replied, having everybody's attention be set on him.
***
6.03 p.m.
Spike braced himself before he strolled into the part of the Initiative where Adam was keeping office. Buffy was breeching security through the elevator shaft, with Xander, Willow and Giles by her side; and he wished he could've been there too. But there should be no cause for suspicion just yet, and so he had reluctantly agreed when Buffy had clarified how important it was that he went to see Adam one last time.
He stopped when he entered the small room where the latter had set up his surveillance system. The demon in question seated before it, watching the black-and-white pictures of the TV-screen showing marching soldiers, heavily armed.
"Spike," Adam said, not taking his eyes off the object before him. "I was hoping you would come. There is something I want you to see." Spike raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Come," Adam said, waving for him to approach.
Having his senses set on alert Spike cautiously did what the other asked.
"What?" the blonde wondered, then halted as Adam's left arm raised swiftly, showing the sharp blade of a scalpel.
Adam rose, turning around to face the vamp, who now had every nerve ending in his entire body demanding of him to turn and get himself as far away from the maniac before him that his legs would carry him. Something was wrong.
"The chip," Adam now said simply. "You want it removed, do you not?"
Spike stared at the glistening instrument in the demon's large hand, and then he took a step back.
"Thought you wanted the merchendise delivered first," he then replied meaningfully with a nod to the black-and-white TV-screen still showing a lot of empty hallway and occasional soldier boy, but lacking in the young Slayer department.
Adam merely twisted the scalpel slightly, with a just as meaningful expression in his eyes and Spike swallowed.
"Don't you need to... sedate me? Have a team of surgeons? Some gauze?" he inquired and Adam smiled a humorless smile as he took a step forward.
"Would you believe me if I answered 'no'?" he wondered and Spike blinked, then his eyes fell on the screen, where a new set of characters had made their entrance.
Adam saw the expression in the vampire's eyes and turned around.
"Ah," he said with a small nod. "She has arrived, and with perfect timing, of course. As always."
Spike nodded as well, feeling the insecurity begin to drape itself over his shoulders as he watched the soldiers surrounding the Slayer and her friends, escorting them through the hallways; something which Adam seemed to have counted on.
"Yeah," Spike then murmured as a response to the demon's comment.
Adam suddenly became rigid, and then he slowly turned around to face the vampire.
"She is not alone," the former remarked and the clear dissatisfaction in his tone made Spike realize that had there not been trouble brewing earlier, it had just begun to boil over with this revelation. "You've failed me again," the demon added and Spike stared at him, then he bit his jaws together and shook his head as he came to understand exactly why he had sensed tension in the air all around him.
Fixing his gaze in Adam's he didn't hesitate before he let all pretences fall. A part of this game was more than surely over and he regretted to have to admit that he stood as the loser.
"How long have you known?" he therefore murmured, already knowing the answer, and Adam observed him closely for a few moments, then answered:
"Since I visited your crypt. I fought her, I know her scent... I must say I was surprised at first. The two of you batting on the same team? You seemed to hold such unmasked hatred for her. You played your part well," he commented and Spike ground his teeth together.
"So did you," he murmured and Adam smiled again, this time with more feeling before he pointed out:
"This is my life, not my role."
"We all play roles," Spike shot and Adam's smile widened before he made a small gesture with one hand, having four strong hands grab a hold on either of Spike's arms and the latter immediately tried to get loose - to no avail.
"You'll play the one of mindless drone perfectly, I'm sure," Adam nodded, turning his eyes on the screen where the soldiers stopped with Buffy before a door, the others not far behind. "As will she."
Spike tried once more to tear free, but there was no use and he felt the panic close at hand as he understood that it had all been one giant trap.
"Do you love her?" Adam asked and Spike glared at him as a reply, making Adam shake his head. "She has blinded you, then. I will make you whole again; I will make you a part of something so powerful..."
He trialed off; then nodded to the two already-made-whole soldiers to take the vampire away.
Turning his gaze on the screen once more a smile began to spread over his mouth, and this time there was nothing behind it but self-assured evil.
"Soon," he murmured gently, watching Buffy be brought into the room behind the door before which she had been made to wait. "When all your allies are done with, when all your friends have been killed... then you will seek me out and greet the death in store. Not much longer now, my pretty."
Sinking down on the chair he leaned back and closed his eyes.
Everything was working out perfectly.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******************
This chapter has contained explicit dialogue from the BtVS episode Primeval. All rights to writer David Fury.
Eeek! Hehe, I can't believe I finished this chapter so fast. I'm glad though, might restore some of your faith in me! ;) Hope you enjoyed it and thanks a lot for the wonderful, great, lovely feedback I got on the previous chapter! Makes my day, everyday!
Special and warm thanks to Me, wolf116, Erica (for the one on It's Always the Quiet Ones), maribel, Carol and Enchanted Dreamer - thanks lot, girls! I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for great comments and thoughts, as always! :)
See ya soon.
A.M.L, Annie.
Forty-Six: Conflicts Postponed
By Annie
2003-07-13
**************************************************************************
Day Thirty-Seven.
5.10 a.m.
"No!"
Buffy took a step forward at the same time that Spike took three back with his hands flying to his temples and a scream of enraged pain rising out of his throat. Xander put one hand where the fist had connected, moving his aching jaw as he glared at the vampire.
"That all you got?" the mortal taunted, shaking his head.
"You really don't wanna try my patience," Spike grumbled, the searing ache retracting and he looked up at the other as he squared his shoulders; Xander smirked.
"Are you gonna take me down in front of your 'girlfriend'?" he inquired, taking a step forward and Spike doing the same until they were face-to-face once more. "Think she'd let you?" he added and Spike made a grimace with irritation.
"You always have to hide behind her, don't you?" he asked back.
Xander's posture stiffened, but there was no reply and Spike looked much too pleased for it to go by unnoticed by the human.
"I give it a month," Xander murmured, his nose now so close to the vampire's their tips almost touched as he added: "And then she'll come to her senses and drop you like the bag of nothing that you are."
"Xander," Buffy said, her tone sharp, but Spike was quicker as he pushed the other man to stumble backwards again.
He ignored the jolt of pain running down his spine and spreading up the back of his skull. All he focused on in that second was making himself perfectly clear to the whelp before him. He slammed his hand hard into the wall to the side of Xander's left ear and then he began to speak, voice low but unmistakable in its edgy intonation.
"I know you're protective, I know you like to play big brother and I know you watch her back and have been doing so for the past four years. Thank you. I owe you. But if you think that you can bloody judge my feelings for that lady over there based on my past..." He trailed off, the hardening expression in his steel blue eyes putting the final point to his words before he continued: "You don't know me." He turned his head to Buffy, and then back to Xander. "SHE does. You do NOT live her life, you don't sodding affect her choices... and you don't tell her what to do. No one does. She's her own woman, and she's chosen me..." Suddenly the steel softened into something lighter and the vampire backed off as he turned to his Slayer. "I'm proud to stand by her side," he said, meeting Buffy's gaze and then looking over her shoulder at her Watcher. "I WILL stand by her side."
"I don't believe this," Xander muttered, massaging his jaw again.
Spike turned his head back to him.
"No kidding, tunaboy?" he asked and Xander glared at him for a second time before huffing and then murmuring something; making Spike turn to fully face him, incredulous look taking its place on his features before he asked:
"What did you just call me?"
Xander looked up at him, furrowing his brow questioningly before he realized that Spike had slightly more advanced hearing than the average thug and so he had just heard every last muttered word of slander.
Hesitating for but a moment the younger then replied:
"I called you a hopeless, misplaced, greedy, selfish, ugly, sickening, good- for-nothing bastard."
"That's what I thought," Spike nodded, moving forward again, but having two hands grab his shoulders and pull him back so harshly that he lost his balance and tumbled backwards onto the floor.
Buffy towered over him and he gave her an impatient, meaningful glare before he looked away; declaring himself beaten.
Tamed, the beast within him howled in agony; but he ignored the voice of it and kept his eyes on the Watcher's feet, which he could see through the legs of the table and chairs to his right.
Buffy turned to Xander.
"Please," she merely said.
He clenched his jaws together hard and then did what Spike had done moments before - looked away from her.
Tara came into the room with two cups of tea in her hands, giving Buffy a quick smile before she walked up to the couch and handed one of the cups to Anya. Then she sat down beside the latter and turned her head to Willow, who had entered the room shortly after her. The redhead was standing beside her childhood friend, trying to find something soothing to say to him.
Spike had sat up and was now rising to his feet, jaws tightly clenched as he ground them together and still refused to look at Xander; or Buffy, for that matter.
"Let's begin," Giles said, coming further into the room with his glasses off as he polished them carefully. "These news are quite loaded," he added at the surprised looks he received from Willow and Xander, as well as the wondering gaze Buffy turned to him with, "but so is the situation with Adam and if Willow has news which may help us take him out... I don't think I have to underline the critical way in which this affects us all."
"No," Buffy agreed. "You don't have to."
Turning to Spike she gave him a small smile and he finally rested his eyes in hers, returning the smile with a likeness of relaxation coming over him which calmed whatever small doubt there had been in the back of her head that he was done with the arguments. For now, at least.
"Willow," Giles said, gesturing to her laptop which was sitting on the table and she nodded, walking up to it and sitting down before it.
Slowly the others rose or moved forward to come and stand behind her as she began to work the keys.
"Well," she said as the contents of the disk came up on the screen. "There was mostly this," she added, scrolling down and showing a large quantity of text. "A bunch of stuff we already know on 3:14. But then there's information about Adam's final phase... and the whole slaughter, body-parts securing, demon against soldiers bomb that he's set to detonate... as soon as you get down there," she finished, turning her head to look up at Buffy, who gritted her teeth and turned to Spike.
"Is there anything else?" she asked and he met her gaze before shaking his head.
"He's lying," Xander murmured and Spike's eyes went to him as they began to turn a darker shade of blue from clear indignation and rising fury.
"Do you trust me?" Buffy asked before her lover could open his mouth and Xander looked from the latter to the former with a quizzical expression. "Do you trust me?" she repeated and he nodded a little. "Then stop it with the accusations already. It's not only attacking Spike, it's attacking me as well."
At that Xander seemed to grow self-conscious, and he did want to apologize to her, but couldn't quite bring himself to it.
Buffy felt Spike's hand slide into hers and she held his back.
"I have to go," Anya said, kissing Xander on the cheek and grabbing her pocketbook on the way to the front door. "There's a new dress with my name tagged to it somewhere out there and I'm determined to find it," she added with a smile and Xander smiled back as she opened the door and stepped through it. "Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone, honey!" she called as she closed the door and he shook his head a little at her.
"I-I should get going too," Tara mumbled to Willow, who looked up at her and then smiled a small smile.
"You sure?" she asked and Tara nodded.
"I have homework and this... seems to be official Scooby work. I'm safer outta the way," she replied, smiling as well and then squeezing Willow's shoulder before leaving the group as she followed in Anya's footsteps. "Be careful," she said as she paused in the doorway, then she proceeded through it and the five still in the room looked from one to the other before Willow asked:
"What now?"
"Now," Buffy answered, "we figure out how to follow Adam's plan. I need to get into the Initiative."
***
5.48 p.m.
"We're certainly in a lack of supplies... Wish I knew which ones would kill Adam," Giles sighed, sitting down on the armrest of the couch.
Willow was seated to his left and Xander was on standing behind him. Buffy was on the floor, carving a rather large piece of wood into a rather large stake. Spike was on a chair behind her back, looking both intrigued and bored at the same time.
"Well, the little I know from... people," Buffy said, continuing: "Adam's power source is a core of uranium imbedded somewhere in his chest. Probably near the spine."
"Great," Xander chimed in sarcastically. "So we'll just ask him to lie down quietly while we do some exploratory surgery."
Spike couldn't hide a smirk, though he stripped it quick enough. The others merely raised one corner of their mouth in acknowledgement of the joke - all too familiar with the Scoobs need for them when nervous or stressed out to actually pay too much heed to the actual words.
"What about magic?" Willow asked suggestively. "Some kinda... I don't know... uranium extracting spell?" The quiet looks she received had her know how well met that idea was and she made a small frown before she added grouchily: "I know. I'm reaching."
"Perhaps a paralyzing spell?" Giles said, rising to his feet and walking the few steps taking him up to one of the bookcases, where he retrieved one of those and began to look through it as he mumbled: "Only I can't perform the incantation of this..."
"Right, don't you have to speak it in Sumerian or something?" Willow asked and he turned his head to her, answering:
"Oh, I do speak Sumerian. It's not that. Only an experienced witch can incant it and you'd have to be within striking distance of the subject."
"See what you get for taking French instead of Sumerian?" Xander quipped, turned to Buffy.
"What was I thinking?" she muttered, receiving a comforting rub on her back from Spike, which made her smile and turn her head to look back and up at him.
Xander noticed the movement and stared at them with growing abhor before he said:
"And what about you?" making Spike turn his head to him instead. "Yeah, you, king of all that is bleached," Xander nodded. "You've spent more time with the man himself...bad choice of words, but we all know what I mean...than any of us put together. Can't you tell us ANYTHING more useful than 'He's really, really strong'?"
Spike tilted his head slightly to one side, then smiled a sugary smile before he replied:
"He's damn near invincible - that'd be good enough for you?"
Xander shook his head.
"Useless," he muttered.
"I don't see you being the one sodding connection you have on the inside, now do I?" Spike grumbled. "If I hadn't given you the bloody information on Adam you'd be nowhere at all, as supposed to halfway there. So stop using that buggering word on me! ...I don't deserve it."
Xander blinked. Had what he said actually just had some sort of an impact on the un-impactable? Amazing. Though he thought the word with as much sarcasm as he could muster, he still had to acknowledge the slight twirl of triumph which it brought with it.
"Okay... Adam - invincible," he now said slowly, then he shrugged. "So all we need is combo-Buffy. Her with Slayer strength, Giles' multi-lingual know how and Willow's witch-y power." Giles raised his head at that, practically staring at him and he added: "Yeah, don't tell me: I'm just full of 'helpful' suggestions."
"As a matter of fact - you are," Giles replied, having everybody's attention be set on him.
***
6.03 p.m.
Spike braced himself before he strolled into the part of the Initiative where Adam was keeping office. Buffy was breeching security through the elevator shaft, with Xander, Willow and Giles by her side; and he wished he could've been there too. But there should be no cause for suspicion just yet, and so he had reluctantly agreed when Buffy had clarified how important it was that he went to see Adam one last time.
He stopped when he entered the small room where the latter had set up his surveillance system. The demon in question seated before it, watching the black-and-white pictures of the TV-screen showing marching soldiers, heavily armed.
"Spike," Adam said, not taking his eyes off the object before him. "I was hoping you would come. There is something I want you to see." Spike raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Come," Adam said, waving for him to approach.
Having his senses set on alert Spike cautiously did what the other asked.
"What?" the blonde wondered, then halted as Adam's left arm raised swiftly, showing the sharp blade of a scalpel.
Adam rose, turning around to face the vamp, who now had every nerve ending in his entire body demanding of him to turn and get himself as far away from the maniac before him that his legs would carry him. Something was wrong.
"The chip," Adam now said simply. "You want it removed, do you not?"
Spike stared at the glistening instrument in the demon's large hand, and then he took a step back.
"Thought you wanted the merchendise delivered first," he then replied meaningfully with a nod to the black-and-white TV-screen still showing a lot of empty hallway and occasional soldier boy, but lacking in the young Slayer department.
Adam merely twisted the scalpel slightly, with a just as meaningful expression in his eyes and Spike swallowed.
"Don't you need to... sedate me? Have a team of surgeons? Some gauze?" he inquired and Adam smiled a humorless smile as he took a step forward.
"Would you believe me if I answered 'no'?" he wondered and Spike blinked, then his eyes fell on the screen, where a new set of characters had made their entrance.
Adam saw the expression in the vampire's eyes and turned around.
"Ah," he said with a small nod. "She has arrived, and with perfect timing, of course. As always."
Spike nodded as well, feeling the insecurity begin to drape itself over his shoulders as he watched the soldiers surrounding the Slayer and her friends, escorting them through the hallways; something which Adam seemed to have counted on.
"Yeah," Spike then murmured as a response to the demon's comment.
Adam suddenly became rigid, and then he slowly turned around to face the vampire.
"She is not alone," the former remarked and the clear dissatisfaction in his tone made Spike realize that had there not been trouble brewing earlier, it had just begun to boil over with this revelation. "You've failed me again," the demon added and Spike stared at him, then he bit his jaws together and shook his head as he came to understand exactly why he had sensed tension in the air all around him.
Fixing his gaze in Adam's he didn't hesitate before he let all pretences fall. A part of this game was more than surely over and he regretted to have to admit that he stood as the loser.
"How long have you known?" he therefore murmured, already knowing the answer, and Adam observed him closely for a few moments, then answered:
"Since I visited your crypt. I fought her, I know her scent... I must say I was surprised at first. The two of you batting on the same team? You seemed to hold such unmasked hatred for her. You played your part well," he commented and Spike ground his teeth together.
"So did you," he murmured and Adam smiled again, this time with more feeling before he pointed out:
"This is my life, not my role."
"We all play roles," Spike shot and Adam's smile widened before he made a small gesture with one hand, having four strong hands grab a hold on either of Spike's arms and the latter immediately tried to get loose - to no avail.
"You'll play the one of mindless drone perfectly, I'm sure," Adam nodded, turning his eyes on the screen where the soldiers stopped with Buffy before a door, the others not far behind. "As will she."
Spike tried once more to tear free, but there was no use and he felt the panic close at hand as he understood that it had all been one giant trap.
"Do you love her?" Adam asked and Spike glared at him as a reply, making Adam shake his head. "She has blinded you, then. I will make you whole again; I will make you a part of something so powerful..."
He trialed off; then nodded to the two already-made-whole soldiers to take the vampire away.
Turning his gaze on the screen once more a smile began to spread over his mouth, and this time there was nothing behind it but self-assured evil.
"Soon," he murmured gently, watching Buffy be brought into the room behind the door before which she had been made to wait. "When all your allies are done with, when all your friends have been killed... then you will seek me out and greet the death in store. Not much longer now, my pretty."
Sinking down on the chair he leaned back and closed his eyes.
Everything was working out perfectly.
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This chapter has contained explicit dialogue from the BtVS episode Primeval. All rights to writer David Fury.
Eeek! Hehe, I can't believe I finished this chapter so fast. I'm glad though, might restore some of your faith in me! ;) Hope you enjoyed it and thanks a lot for the wonderful, great, lovely feedback I got on the previous chapter! Makes my day, everyday!
Special and warm thanks to Me, wolf116, Erica (for the one on It's Always the Quiet Ones), maribel, Carol and Enchanted Dreamer - thanks lot, girls! I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for great comments and thoughts, as always! :)
See ya soon.
A.M.L, Annie.