Drive Away --Chapter 10

Don't fret and worry
And don't you grieve after me
Sweet mama, after me
Don't grieve or worry, or don't fret after me
Don't you scream and cry
Cause I'm goin' back to Tennessee
Aw boy, play those Drive Away Blues for me.....

There's a flask in the glove compartment for emergencies, I told him. He rooted around in the litter of wrinkled maps and old Chinese take-out menus to locate it. He sniffed the contents and grinned appreciatively.

What's at the cemetery, I asked.

My gang. There's just a few of them, but they're real rough and tumble boys., he wiped off the lip of the flask and took a a healthy slug. Funny, I never thought about vampires worrying much about germs, considering their dietary habits.

We need re-inforcements, he continued, I can't go up against Giles with just you. No offense.

None taken.

Us huh? So now I was on his team? Or maybe he was on my team. You'd think it would have bothered me more, but I was mostly occupied with staying alive. Spike fiddled with the knobs on the radio. He finally settled on the pirate channel, WRFS. Some old time scratchy blues record was playing. He turned it up and smiled, That's Blind Willie McTell. The man was a genius. He bobbed his head a little as he sang along softly, Don't fret or worry... He seemed so cool and relaxed, considering The Ripper was on his tail. We were close to the gates of the cemetery now so I slowed down and pulled over.

The way I see it, Giles built the Stake directly over the Hellmouth for a reason. I figure he's planning on giving it a little nudge open. Harness it's energy or some such. Slayer thinks so, too, he wiped off the flask again and handed it to me.



Wouldn't be the first time some hot-shot Very Evil Guy tried it. Where'd ya think all of us came from?
He fell into lecture mode, like a hip professor with a hall full of freshmen, In the beginning, the demons ruled the earth, until men came. Then, most of them were banished or exorcized to other dimensions. A few, mostly hybrids like vampires, were left, hidden in the wild places, preying on the weak. Hunted by the Slayer or others like her. Occasionally, some arrogant fool would decide to pry open a Hellgate and a few more demons would pop through.

I said, one fine day, the Peace Accords were signed and the smart ones decided to come into the light, so to speak.

Got it in one. The Great Reformation. The Bad Old Days are gone. he sighed nostalgically.

We sat for a moment, looking out into the night, and Blind Willie kept on singing. I was beginning to develop an appreciation for the tinny sounding voice.

he exclaimed, I'd nearly forgot. Found out what you wanted about your partner.
I sat up out of my stupor and glared at him. Seems your pal, Osbourne, was on Giles private payroll. Last job he had was looking for a magical manuscript--Ritual of
Dread and Chaos, or some such thing. They all have such pretentious names... anyway, I figure that's what he needs to control the power of the Hellmouth.

Oz never let on he was working for Giles.

Yeah, he wouldn't. Suppose he told you everything, did he? Even about him and Anyanka?
How the hell did you find all this out?

Got my sources. Demon, right?

I was stunned, like I'd been kidney-punched by a gorilla. As usual, Spike was chatting on blithely, waving his hands for emphasis.

Then, I hear, Oz got greedy. Double-crossed Giles. Wanted more dough and Anyanka, too, he paused to take a sip from the flask and continued, You can figure what happened next.

My head started to spin and my hands got ice-cold. You mean, Giles...

Got it in one. Giles took Oz to pieces, just like he did Angelus.

I wanted to vomit when I thought of the long claws and the sharp teeth I'd sat across how many days ago.

It wasn't some random bone cruncher. You're working for the creature that did your partner. Now it made sense. That was why Giles had come up with this scheme for me to follow his wife. He'd always known where she was. It was me he wanted. To find out how much I knew and to keep me close. I'd been played for a sap all along.
Oz had always been willing to bend the law when it suited him. Willing to do whatever it took to get a conviction or for the right girl. This was very deep shit, though. And now, here I was, knee deep in it and sinking fast.

Spike handed me the flask, Sorry, Harris. I thought you'd already figured it out by now.

I couldn't look at him. The dirty business was getting nastier by the minute. You have a partner. Work beside him for years. Watch his back and trust him to watch yours. Then in a heartbeat, it's gone. I mean, sure, we'd had arguments, women being the cause of most of them, but we were pals. Brothers in arms, I thought.
To open a Hellgate went way beyond the bounds of sanity. Bringing on an apocalypse for a couple of bucks and a good-looking woman? I started the car and headed for the beach road.

Listen, we need to talk to somebody else. His wife. I said.

Now? What's the point of that? I need to get my boys together and...

If we can get Willow, we won't need your boys.

What is she? Some kind of witch?

Yeah, some kind.

TBC
AN: Blind Willie McTell was a real blues singer c. 1930s. Next chapter: Widow's Weeds.