Title: The Soulmatchers
Author: Sunglow999
Pairing: Spike/Buffy
Rating: R (Just to be on the safe side)
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy, except Cassie and Orion – they belong to me.
Spoilers:- Up to Dead Things, things are different from there on in. Crossover with Angel later on. This is my first ever fanfiction so reviews would be helpful, email me at sunglow999@hotmail.com
A/N Sorry for the delay, I've had serious writers' block. However, there are only one or two chapters to go so I should get them out in the next two or three days.
The Soulmatchers
Chapter 11. The Rescue
Once the sleeping arrangements had been made, everyone started to leave. Tara to her rooms, Lorne back to LA and Gunn and Wesley to Anya and Xanders apartment. Cassie was sleeping on the sofa and took one of the pillows and sheets Buffy was handing out and made up her bed. Everyone said their goodnights and she was left alone in the dark with her thoughts. In a way she was relieved that Lorne had gone, now she could concentrate on Orion. She missed her brother, having her link with him severed was like losing one of her senses. Every night, ever since they had understood their unique link, the last thing they had done before they slept was to touch each others minds with a mental kiss and now she couldn't feel him. She fought back the tears that had gathered and swallowed the hard lump in the back of her throat, taking deep unnecessary breaths. She swore that when she found the person who had shielded Orion from her she would tear him or her limb from limb.
***
Battle commenced the next morning when Dawn decided that she was needed to help plan the attack for the next night and Buffy nearly had to resort to her weapons chest to get her sister out of the house and off to school. It was Spike who saved the day and Buffy's sanity; he used a combination of charm, threats and the lure of Angels convertible, driven by Cassie and she went off like a lamb.
"How do you do that? One word from you and she's miss perfect teenager." Buffy pouted and Spike smirked.
"What can I say, pet? Me and Summers women? Putty in me 'ands."
"Putty? Me? I don't think so, Mr Purrs-like-a-kitten-when-his-tummy's-rubbed." She confronted him with her finger poking his chest. He caught her finger in one of his hands and brought it up to his mouth, nibbling lightly before sucking on it and making her whimper. He smiled in satisfaction at the smell of her arousal and was just about to pull her back upstairs when Cordelia wandered down with a crying Connor in her arms, Fred following. This heralded the arrival of Angel from the basement and Spike saw his plans for a morning in bed with Buffy go up in smoke. Buffy knew exactly what he was thinking and she gave him a quick kiss as a consolation prize.
"I'm heading up for a shower, don't pick a fight with Angel." She admonished and disappeared upstairs.
He wandered into the kitchen and watched while Cordelia and Angel searched the cupboards for a measuring cup for Connors formula. Unable to bear the baby's cries any more he pushed Angel out of the way and went straight to the drawer where the cups were normally kept.
"Here." He handed him the cups and started the coffee machine going. He cleared up the debris left behind by Hurricane Dawn and started mixing up a new batch of pancake mix for breakfast. Willow wandered down just as Spike was serving up the pancakes and thanked him before pouring over the syrup and digging in. Buffy followed soon afterwards and handed Spike a plastic bag after kissing him.
"You left this in your duster pocket." She said. "Mm, yummy pancakes."
"Going through his pockets already, Buffy?" Cordelia asked.
"I have to, Spike has sticky fingers." Buffy smiled at Spike and he leered back, knowing exactly what she'd found in his pockets.
"What is that?" Willow asked as Spike sprinkled some of what was in the bag into his blood before popping it into the microwave.
"Burba weed, makes it spicy." Buffy answered for Spike.
"Cordelia puts cinnamon in Angels blood, do you have any of that?" Fred asked.
"Cinnamon? That's Nancy boy flavouring. Here, 'ave some o' this." Spike waited until the microwave dinged and pulled his mug out, shoving it in Angels unresisting hand. He watched with glee as Angel took a mouthful and nearly spit it out as the weed flavoured blood hit his taste buds. The look on his face sent both Buffy and Willow into paroxysms of laughter and Spike removed the mug from his hands.
"'Ere, I'd better take that, you stick with your cinnamon." He took a big gulp and swallowed.
"Oh, very macho." Cordelia sneered but was unable to finish her insult by Connor who started screaming for his breakfast again. As she attended to him, Angel poured his own blood into a mug and heated it himself, minus any flavouring.
Everyone was just finishing their breakfasts when Cassie returned.
"Dawn go in okay?" Buffy asked.
"Yes. I had to suffer some boy band in the car on the way though." Cassie shuddered.
"Ah, the joys of teenage music." Spike smirked.
"Didn't I see a Backstreet Boys CD in your crypt the other night?" Cassie asked. "Hidden amongst the Sex Pistols and Ramones CDs?"
If Spike could have blushed, he would have.
"It belongs to the 'Bit."
"Then why was it hidden?"
"You think I want anyone to see that junk lyin' around in my pad?" He narrowed his eyes at Cassie. "Snoopin' were you?" He knew his CD's were hidden away. Cassie just smiled at him.
"Are the others meeting at the Magic Box?" Willow asked. She could tell Spike was about to explode and decided to diffuse the situation while he was still smouldering.
"In the training room. Anya doesn't want us to upset the customers." Buffy said. "She thinks we'll want to try out the flame-throwers in the store."
"Ooh, like that time you insisted on testing the balance of those Krevlin sacrificial knives, Spike." Willow bounced in her seat. "Remember? You almost took the ear off that guy who was buying a love potion."
"'E shouldn't 've ducked, I woulda missed 'im by a mile."
"Did Anya throw him out into the sunshine?" Buffy asked.
"No, she just threatened to show him how the Krevlin use their sacrificial knives."
"I know I'm going to regret this, but how do they use them?" Cordelia asked.
"The Krevlin are fertility demons." Cassie supplied. "They use male genitalia in their spells and potions. Any male genitalia will do."
Both Angel and Spike winced as the women laughed.
"We'd better get going." Buffy said when they had all calmed down. "Spike, you and Angel can go via the sewers, we'll meet you there."
He dashed upstairs to get his duster while Cordelia, Fred and Angel gathered all the paraphernalia that came with having a baby and soon they were ready. Buffy went out to open up the drain in front of the house ready for the mad dash by Spike and Angel and dropped the cover back on when they were safe underground. She waited by Angel's car for the others and after placing Connor in his baby seat; Cordelia got in the drivers' seat.
"Everyone set?" She asked.
"Yep." Buffy sat in the back with Willow and Fred and Cassie sat in the front. "Can we try to beat them to the shop? Anya hates it when Spike bursts in smoking and swearing. It upsets the customers."
"Why doesn't he wait until it's night to move around like Angel?"
"He likes to live dangerously. He also likes to annoy Anya." Willow said.
"He likes to annoy everyone." Buffy giggled and the mood was set for the journey to the Magic Box.
They did manage to beat the two vampires and somehow managed to get Spike and Angel round to the back of the shop without them going up in flames where there was plenty of shadow. Willow went in the front door and hurried through to the back where she unlocked the door and let the others in. They found Gunn, Wesley and Tara with Xander in the training room, together with the flame-throwers and assorted weapons. Spike immediately went up to Gunn to inspect his homemade axe and was given a demonstration.
"Boys and their toys." Buffy said indulgently to Tara. "Ooh!" Her eyes lit up when she spotted Wesley bring out a steel crossbow and she rushed across to try it out.
Once all the weapons had been laid out and inspected, especially the flame-throwers, the planning got underway. The map of the dock area with Orion's location still glowing faintly on it was spread out and everyone gathered round.
"Cassie, what can you tell us about the ritual?" Buffy asked first.
"It needs complete concentration, if there's one tiny distraction at the critical moment the spell is disrupted and the opportunity is lost for another thousand years."
"That's good, all we need to do is make a lot of noise and we're home safe." Xander said.
"Whoever is casting the spell most probably knows that as well. There will probably be wards round the room he's in to keep out all noise. We'll have to break those wards." Willow said and Cassie nodded in agreement.
"We can't risk Cassie being captured." Buffy said. "Can you break the wards from my house, Cassie?"
"I should be able to break them with Tara and Willows help again. I can only hope that our little foray before hasn't alerted whoever's got him and strengthened the wards. We won't know until we try tomorrow night."
"Okay. " Buffy pointed on the map to the back of the warehouse. "I think we should station Fred and Cordelia out here with flame-throwers to catch any vamps trying to get away. Wesley and Gunn can go in the front with the other two flame-throwers. Xander, you and Anya can follow them in, cover their backs." Buffy pulled out the detailed plans of the warehouse and pointed to one of the offices upstairs. "It looks like Orion is in here, so Spike, Angel and I will go in through this roof light, hopefully taking them by surprise."
"Any chance you can mojo up some sort of protection for us all, Cassie?" Spike asked.
"Let me go and see what I can find." Cassie headed out into the shop and came back ten minutes later with assorted talismans and other miscellaneous ingredients.
"I'll do the spell tomorrow before you all head out, it will be more effective then." She said.
"Any questions?" Buffy asked.
"How will you get Orion out?" Cordelia asked.
"Through this door here, it leads to the fire escape. The building will most likely be going up in flames anyway, so we'll also need breathing apparatus."
"I can get that." Xander said.
"Good. Well, if no-one's got any more questions I'm going to grab Spike for some dancing lessons." She grinned as Spikes eyes lit up.
"Now you're talkin', Slayer." He grabbed two swords and threw one to her, limbering up by twirling the sword in figure of eights.
They moved to the other end of the training room and started to spar but the swords were soon abandoned for their usual weapons of choice - fists.
"Uh, can anyone tell me when Spike got his chip out?" Xander asked nervously when Spike laid a particularly vicious punch on Buffy.
"He hasn't." Tara said. "When we resurrected Buffy she came back with some sort of molecular sunburn. Spike's chip isn't registering her as human."
It was amusing to see the looks of relief on both Xanders and Willows faces. They hadn't been looking forward to facing an unchipped Spike.
"Hah! Got you!"
Everyone turned to find Buffy straddling Spike, holding his wrists down on either side of his head. Her eyes were sparkling and she looked happier than she had ever been since she had returned.
"Okay, you got me, luv." Spike grinned back at her and she leaned down to kiss him.
"Willow, are you sure you haven't been casting any more spells?" Xander closed his eyes to block out the sight of them.
"You know I haven't!" Willow was indignant.
"I'm heading out for coffee, what does everyone want?"
*****
Tension was high that night and the next day. Spike couldn't be in the same room as Angel without trying to pick a fight and in the end Buffy sent him back to his crypt to pack his things ready for when he moved in with her and Dawn. Luckily, Tara and Willow had classes, which got them out of the house, and Xander went in to work. The LA contingent spent the day checking weapons and going over the plan again. Cassie took Buffy shopping and they came back loaded with bags from the mall. The girls then spent the next two hours upstairs bonding over the outfits. After Dawn was added to the mix when she got home, the men escaped down into the basement to get away from all the oestrogen floating about upstairs.
When Spike and the others turned up at dusk Cassie cast the protection spells over the amulets and everyone was given one. Dawn was still insisting she should be allowed to go as well when they left and it was Cassie who held her back. Willow and Tara watched her whisper a few words in her ear and sulky Dawn suddenly turned into sunny Dawn.
*****
"How long have we got before the ritual starts?" Cordelia asked as they neared the warehouse.
"Half an hour. Cassie's going to start breaking the wards fifteen minutes before to give us a chance to get in position." Buffy said.
Like a well-choreographed dance the group suddenly split up into three factions. Cordelia and Fred headed for the back entrance, which was just a shuttered roll up with an access door to the side. Xander had already shorted out the electronic controls which operated the roll up so that whoever was trying to escape would have to get out the access door, making it easy for Fred and Cordelia to flame them. Angel, Buffy and Spike headed up the fire escape and from there went up onto the roof. The others made their way to the front entrance, keeping low and in the shadows to avoid the guards standing outside.
Suddenly, all nine members of the party heard a little doorbell sound in their minds, just before they heard Willows voice.
"Guys, Cassie's started, she says the wards are stronger but she can get through them, wait for the next bell before going in."
Her voice cut off and five minutes later they heard the doorbell again.
Xander grinned at Anya who smiled back, it seemed Willow had learnt not to just mindspeak without warning them, hence the doorbell.
Wesley aimed the crossbow and two bolts fired in quick succession. The two vamps on guard didn't know what had hit them before the exploded into dust.
"Let's go." Wesley handed the crossbow to Xander and they raced to the door. They burst in, flame-throwers at the ready and gulped at the number of vamps all standing waiting in the empty warehouse. Then there was no time to think as the vamps attacked. Gunn and Wesley stood side by side, the flame-throwers sending out flames ten feet in front of them and dusting everything in their paths. Xander was reloading the crossbow with the special cartridges holding ten bolts each and was hitting his targets with every one; his lessons with Giles the previous summer were paying off. Anya held her baseball bat at the ready and was managing to beat off any vamps that got too close to Gunn, whose back she was guarding.
They were cutting swathes through the vamps who suddenly figured out that they were sitting ducks, and soon to be crispy ducks if they didn't get out of there. They couldn't get out the front way so there was a sudden stampede for the rear, only to find the shutter door not responding to the controls.
Cordelia and Fred suddenly heard the side door being pulled off its hinges and readied their flame-throwers.
"Shit, shit!" Cordelia couldn't get hers to flame all of a sudden and about thirty vamps escaped before Fred was able to help her light it. Then all hell broke loose as the two women aimed their flames at the door and dust started filling the air.
"Check our backs." Cordelia screamed at Fred over her shoulder.
She needn't have worried; the escapees were long gone.
*****
Up on the roof, Buffy, Spike and Angel peeked down into the office where Orion was being held. They could see him spread-eagled on a table, held immobile with thick leather straps at his wrists and ankles. A tube had already been inserted into the vein in his arm and it was connected to a tap as if he was giving blood.
A pentagon had been drawn on the floor beneath the end of the tube and it looked like a gem would be created when the blood hit the circle. Cassie had given them a brief description of the ritual, it had to start at midnight but there was no end to it until the moon had set, so theoretically as long as the blood flowed onto the circle the gems would keep being created.
"Oh God, that's Amy." Buffy suddenly said as one of the other occupants of the office came into view. "What's she doing here?"
"Looks like she's in on it, pet." Spike said. His hand suddenly tightened on hers. "And that's why." He pointed to the other person below. "Rack."
TBC