Part Seven - Truths

The sound of his telephone ringing dragged Xander out of his sleep. He looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table, and cursed under his breath. 4:58 am. Beside him, Anya moaned and turned under the blanket. He reached for the receiver, and picked it up.

"This better be important," he yawned.

"Xander? I need your help."

"Buffy?"

***

Dawn had distracted the hospital's personnel while Buffy and Xander had carried Spike in - through the back entrance. Now the unconscious vampire was lying on a bed in a small examination room.

"Okay," Xander panted, "Explain again. What do we do now?"

Buffy sighed.

"I'll go get Dr. Kriegel. He's the one who operated mom's tumor. I will make him remove the chip. Dawn will call Willow and Tara, so that someone can bewitch him to forget everything, while you stay here with Spike. Just in case."

"Right. And once the chip is gone, he won't kill us because…" The young man looked at his friend expectantly.

"Xander, he endured Glory's torture without betraying Dawn. He knew he could die if he attacked a human. And still he killed Ben, to save Dawn and me. He helped us out so many times I can't even count them. Think of that episode with Tara's family, and how he proved that she was no demon. Did it look to you as if he was hitting her with full force or if he was just proving a point? I think he was right about what he told me. It's not about the chip, not anymore. He's changed, Xander. What else does he have to do to prove it?"

The young man didn't look convinced. But he gave in.

"Okay, Buff. You're the Slayer, you're the boss. You go get that doctor, I'll watch deadboy jr.'s sleep."

Buffy flashed him a brief smile, then turned to leave the room.

"Dawn."

"Yeah." The girl jumped down the table she had been sitting on, and followed.

Buffy left her sister at a pay phone in the corridor, while she herself stepped over to the information desk near the main entrance.

"Dr. Kriegel, please," she told the nurse. "It's urgent."

The woman looked at her suspiciously, but made a call for him anyway.

After a few minutes, the doctor arrived.

"Miss Summers. What can I do for you?"

"I have to ask you a favour," she said, making a helpless face.

"Well, what is it?"

"A friend of mine. He's got a problem. Please come with me," she answered, turning towards the corridor, where Dawn was waiting.

"Miss Summers, I'm not sure-" Kriegel began.

"Please," the Slayer interrupted him. He sighed, and followed her to the examination room. Buffy closed the door behind him, nodding to Xander, who shrugged.

"Not even a stir."

The young woman returned to her usual confident face as she eyed the doctor.

"This is your patient."

Seeing the pale colour of Spike's skin, Kriegel hurried over to the man - and backed away, drawing in a sharp breath.

"This man is dead!" he said accusingly.

"No, he's not. He's a vampire. This is more like a coma," Buffy answered.

"A…" Kriegel looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"There's a chip inside his head," she carried on, ignoring his gaze. "I want you to remove it."

"Uh… yes. Just let me… try to get an OP…" The doctor stepped over to the door, but was stopped by Buffy's firm grip.

"You even try to call security, you'll be very sorry." She increased the pressure on his arm, until he winced. Then she let go. "Understood?"

He nodded, massaging his arm.

"Listen, I don't know how you imagine this to go. If he really is not dead, I can't just open his head and try my luck."

"Well, then what about X-ray?" the Slayer asked.

"Yes, I will have to use that anyway to locate that chip, but that won't tell me how it works. Does it have any influence on his behaviour?"

She simply nodded.

"Well, then there must be at least one direct connection to the brain, maybe more. Severing it might cause serious damage."

Inside Buffy's head, something went click. If Drusilla had wanted to remove the chip, she surely had known it couldn't be done that easily. Her insight would have told her. And knowing the vampire, turning Spike into a vegetable before killing him would have seriously spoiled the fun. So, Dru either could see the mechanisms so clearly that she worked it out by herself. Or there had to be some kind of plan, material on the chip. She turned to Kriegel.

"If I get you the plans of this chip, will you be able to get it out?"

The doctor shrugged.

"Once I knew where the connections are, most likely."

"Good."

Buffy turned to Xander, who had been eyeing the scene without any comment.

"If he tries to get away, stop him. But make sure not to break his arms," she ordered, and the doctor went pale. "I'll be back soon."

Xander saluted.

"Okay. But are you sure this will work?" he asked. Or should, he added to himself.

"Yes. And don't worry: Spike will be no problem."

The Slayer turned, and left the room. Kriegel eyed the young man who was his watch uneasily.

"So," Xander started, "When did you decide you wanted to cut into other people's brains?"

***

Buffy entered the factory through its broken door, and spotted the map on the floor almost immediately. That wasn't there when we left. She sighed. This was just great. So Dru had been accompanied by at least one minion, and if there was one thing the Slayer didn't want to do right now, it was dealing with another lunatic.

When she reached the map, she took it up, quickly flipping through the pages. And what she saw made her swallow.

This was every last bit of information about the chip one could possibly ask for. Not only the plans, but also a detailed description of the way it worked, along with a history of development. There were almost ten pages just about the background of the concerned scientists. This was Initiative material.

Buffy felt a terrible cold rise inside her.

Of all the Initiative's former members, she knew only one who would possibly help a vampire.

***

The Scoobies had made themselves comfortable in the waiting area, and couldn't help a slight feeling of déja-vu. They had spent hours of nervous waiting when Joyce' tumor had been removed, and although the ties to the vampire weren't as tight as those to the late woman, it didn't really feel different. Even Xander, who still pretended he didn't like the guy at all, couldn't help a slight feeling of worry. Buffy had been right: Spike had proven himself as a worthy member of the gang not only once, and not all of it had been by force of the chip. He sighed, and Anya snuggled closer to him. The ex-demon had turned up at around eight o'clock, getting the information about where to find Xander from Giles, who had stayed at the Magic Box to run his business. Willow and Tara had arrived not long after Dawn's call, the red-haired witch still tired from her earlier display of magic against Glory.

Glory. They couldn't believe that the hell god was really gone, thanks to Spike. The fact of her being Ben had been an even greater shock. Nobody had associated the nice young doctor with the furious and unpredictable goddess. Nobody except the vampire, and they still didn't know how he had figured that out.

Dawn checked the clock again. 01:07 pm. Seven hours since the operation had started.

"What takes them so long?" she asked, not for the first time.

"They have to get the chip out of him without severing the connections. That means they have to look for the contact points, and this takes some time," Buffy answered like she had before.

"Do you really think he won't kill us once the chip is gone?" Willow looked at her, uncertainty written on her face.

"He knows I'll stake him the second he tries. But I don't think he would."

Once again, uneasy silence fell over the waiting group. Until they heard the nearby doors swing open, and got up as they saw the one they had been waiting for.

Spike appeared in the doorway, walking towards them. Funny, Buffy thought, if I didn't know better I'd say he looks as uncertain as the others do.

"Spike!" Dawn exclaimed and jumped up, running over to the vampire and hugging him tightly. "You're okay!"

He smiled at this display of affection, and the Slayer could almost feel the relief that went through her friends. Everybody could see that he really liked the girl, and that surely proved the change inside him. Xander relaxed, Anya patted him on the shoulder, and the two witches just smiled.

The door opened again, and Dr. Kriegel approached the group.

"The chip has been thoroughly removed," the doctor stated, and smiled. "This has been the most fascinating operation of my whole career. I can't wait to write an essay on this."

"Yes, doctor, I'm sure this was very exciting for you," Buffy said and nodded towards the witches.

Tara and Willow had been waiting for this. Moving their hands simultaneously, they muttered a few words in a language nobody of them understood, except maybe Anya, and finally clapped their hands together.

"Assia Raneh!"

The doctor blinked, and then looked at Buffy, surprised.

"Miss Summers. Can I do something for you?"

"No," she answered. "We're just visiting a friend."

"Oh. Well then, you'll surely excuse me." Saying this, Kriegel turned, and walked away.

"Everybody who took part in the operation will forget," Willow said proudly.

"Good." The Slayer turned to face the vampire, and nearly gasped in surprise when she saw Xander reach out his hand.

"Welcome back," he said. This was a peace offer if she ever had seen one.

Spike looked at the man in front of him for a second, then he took his hand, shaking it.

"Thanks," he answered simply, and Buffy couldn't help smiling. Something like this you don't see every day.

"Spike." At the sound of her voice, the vampire turned towards her. "I need to talk to you."

"Whatever you want, luv." He followed her down the corridor, where she stopped when she knew her friends to be out of earshot.

"I won't say 'thank you'," she began. "You helped me, I helped you. We're quits."

He nodded slightly.

"So, what is it you want, Slayer?"

"I want you to answer a question. I want to know who it was that helped Dru."

Spike looked her straight into the eyes, then sighed.

"I guess you already know that."

"Riley."

"Yes. And there's something else you have to know." The peroxide blond man eyed her sympathetically. "He's a vampire."

"Oh my god," she whispered. Riley…

"I'm sorry. Dru turned him."

Buffy didn't care if her friends were watching as she started to cry.

"This is my fault."

"No, that's not true…"

"Yes, it is," she sobbed. "If he hadn't come back for me, this wouldn't have happened to him!"

She started to sob uncontrollably, and Spike took her in his arms, desperately wanting to soothe her. He gently stroked her back, and for a moment, she allowed herself to snuggle up to him, taking in the comfort of his embrace.

"Shhh. It's gonna be alright, luv," he murmured.

"Alright?" She pushed the surprised vampire away. "Nothing is right! Now I have to kill him, don't you see that?" she yelled, and stormed off.

Avoiding the questioning gazes of the Scoobies, Spike sighed. For a second he had thought he'd gotten through to her. Obviously, he had been wrong.

***

Buffy entered the Initiative's caves with determined steps. She could do this. She had killed a man she loved before, she could do it again. And it was no use hesitating. Better end this right now.

"Riley!" she yelled. "Riley!"

He stepped out of the shadows, smiling.

"So. Your vampire lover finally told you about me, yeah?"

"He didn't, and he's not my lover," she snapped. "I'm not like you. Humans are enough for me."

Riley's smile only widened.

"Ouch. Still angry 'bout that, are you? Can't blame you. So, you figured it out for yourself?"

"Wasn't that difficult," the Slayer answered. "You always hide up here."

The vampire nodded.

"You always were a smart one, Buffy." Suddenly, he grinned. "Although, coming here alone wasn't that clever."

His first punch caught Buffy by surprise, slamming her hard against the cave's wall. Fighting the sudden dizziness, she ducked the next blow, and answered with a powerful kick in his stomach. But Riley hardly seemed impressed at all; he grabbed her leg and swirled her around, sending her to the ground. Before she had the time to get up, she felt his weight on top of her, his knee on her neck. She struggled to free herself from his grip, but as he just increased the pressure on her neck, she gave up and lay still. He is strong…

"And what are you going to do now?" she uttered, "Kill me?"

"No. Not yet," was the casual answer.

His whole weight was on her chest now, making it hard for her to breathe. Black dots appeared before her eyes, twirling, growing.

As the body underneath him relaxed, Riley allowed himself a pleased grin. No, he wouldn't kill her yet. He still wanted his revenge, and she was the fastest way to get it.

Let's see if I can still set up a trap.