Chapter 25
They debated a lot on who to leave at the hotel. In the end, it was decided that Wesley, Cordelia, Freddie, and Dawn, would stay behind.
The rest refused to stay and demanded that they be allowed to help.
Gunn, Xander, and Giles were given the duty to go re-look over the place and check it from top to bottom, but to keep their distance from it.
Giles and Gunn, started getting items together, while Xander went into Angel's office for a little errand of his own first.
Xander had called and checked on Anya, telling her their plans. She had first assured him that she was alive and well, and that Giles's store and money were fairing very well. And then she told him to be careful and don't let any of them get killed. Xander had smiled and then told her he loved her before hanging up and after packing the required items, heading off with Giles and Gunn.
Gunn, Xander, & Giles, once getting to their destination, re-scoped out the place. Checking it from top to bottom, without getting to close to be grabbed or killed, and without going inside. Then they returned to the hotel, to share their findings. They would be attacking tomorrow night, so they had one more night to prepare and look at everything from all angles.
After Xander's group had left, Spike looked at Angel.
"What?" Angel had asked, seeing his childes smirk.
"Don't be alarmed, old man. I just 'ad an idea, that's all. Now, you know...and I know those vamps and demons are gonna be looking for a way out once we attack."
"Yeah?"
"Well, 'Soul Boy,' we can't be in all places at one time. So why don't we make sure they can't get out."
"What are you talking about Spike?"
"Hello...is your brain not working? I'm talking about the bleedin' sewer tunnels. I'm talking about making sure they don't have a soddin' escape route. Are you getting a word-picture here?"
Angel hit him upside his head.
Spike glared at him.
Angel's eyes flashed yellow, then stopped as he saw Spike cock his head to the side, his features softening.
Spike muttered softly, then turned to look at Angel.
"What I mean to say, Angelus, is if we can block their exits, we don't have to worry about Darla escaping."
Angel nodded, understanding.
"Buffy made ya be nice to me, didn't she."
Spike didn't say anything. He only turned away.
Angel chuckled.
Spike turned, ignored the rising feeling to punch out his sire, and asked him in a cold voice,
"Are we taking your car? Can you drive yours during the day? Or shall we find the way there through the sewers?
"My car is fine...lets go," Angel said, trying not to laugh.
He silently thanked Buffy's interference.
Hell, if only he had known before it took Buffy to make Spike behave.
The thought made him smile.
Funny, he thought. Although I'd rather her be with me, it doesn't feel so very wrong or so very painful to think of them two being with each other. Doesn't feel good, he reminded himself, but he is my childe. It's kinda like she's with me anyway. He shrugged at his thoughts, and led Spike out to his car.
Angel and Spike checked the sewer accesses and plotted where they could block possible escape, once tomorrow's nightfall came and they would begin their raid.
Giles told them that he had found a passage in an obscure text that had some mention of Buffy's possible return in it. It said,
'the world shall shake from above & below the night the head matriarchal sire sleeps eternally and that the chant heard from the 'lost soul' shall blend with the ashes, Blood of Souled, and Ancient Key of Worlds to restore the ultimate warrior once again'.
When they had looked at him expectantly, he had said,
"I believe that there's going
to be an earthquake, for what else could shake the world from above and below,
or at least feel like it. I just want
you all to know, and be prepared. Even
though we're not on a hellmouth right now, where a shift like this equals
impending apocalypse, it's still pretty dangerous. And because it's prophesized, it won't be a small matter. It's rather to be a very large quake. Understand?"
The rest had nodded that they
understood and then they had separated into their groups.
Angel and Spike had added that calculation to their searching and they had loosened some of the stone and brick walls in the tunnels, hoping that when the earthquake hit, the loose stones would fall and cause other stones to fall and block the passage. But, if not, they had set some timed dynamite blow sticks to the walls, and set them for the time they wanted them to go off the next night.
After their tasks, they returned to the hotel, to go over the plans one last time.
Willow and Tara had poured over their magic books, finding and writing down spells that would aid in their upcoming battle. They had found several good blocking and barrier spells, some that would even protect them when they were moving. They had found and were learning some great fireball spells, to burn up vamps and demons without having to get to close to them, still working from their 'ball of sunshine' theory. They were also searching and learning any spells that would be useful to keep their two favorite vamps good and protected. Last, but not least, they found a few extra spells to keep Dawn and the others staying at the hotel safe, until they returned the next night from their battle.
Once everyone was back at the hotel, the game plan was set down, and battle plans were gone over again to make sure everyone understood their own and everyone else's roles.
The few vials of Angel's blood had been set-aside in Dawn's room, for safekeeping, even though Angel didn't know where they were. He didn't want to know, just in case something went wrong.
Wesley, Cordelia, and Freddie were given their instructions by both Spike and Angel as well as Giles. They accepted them...they knew that both of the vampires knew what they were up against, so they didn't dispute them.
When everyone knew their tasks for the next night, they decided, 'cause Dawn and Xander suggested it, to have a little party.
As Xander said to Dawn, who was his go-between with Buffy.
"How many ghosts do you know who get a 'Before-You-Return-From-The-Grave' party?"
Buffy just laughed.
Spike looked at Angel.
"Wanna workout?"
Angel gave him an odd look.
"You want to go to a gym?"
"No 'Gel Boy.' I want a sparring partner I don't have to hold back on. Besides, a decent spot of violence will get me in the mood..."
"TMI,TMI," Dawn sang out loud, interrupting whatever Spike was gonna add to his sentence.
Xander, Dawn, Buffy, Willow, Tara, Cordelia and Gunn burst out laughing.
The rest of them looked a little confused.
Xander snickered out, when he could breathe again, "She means Too Much Information."
Angel and Spike groaned, and then realized that they were on the same side& groaned again.
The rest of the group continued to laugh, now joined by Freddie, Wesley, and Giles.
Spike gave Dawn a "Wait-Til-I-Get-You-Alone' look.
She gave him a big smile & winked at him.
He chuckled to himself, his eyes flashing with laughter, although he didn't let it show on the outside. Sometimes she was just as bad as he was.
He looked over at Angel.
"So...you wanna fight?"
"Oh yeah," Angel said as he gestured for Spike to follow him down to his training room.
They had just walked through the training room doors when Spike attacked Angel, laughing wickedly as he kicked Angel in the back & sending him reeling into the far wall.
Angel smiled wickedly & grabbing hold of Spike's duster, swept him around & into the same wall.
Spike growled as he pushed off the wall & he and Angel went at it, fist and fangs, with Spike throwing in quips along the way and every once in awhile, Angel answering him in kind.
The rest of the group, those who could stomach it, watched the two vamps battle it out.
Everyone who watched was impressed by the strength, agility, and grace both warriors maintained throughout the match.
Giles and Wesley, however, watched with more trained eyes than the rest.
They both noted that although, due to his advanced years, Angel was the strongest of the two, Spike was definitely quicker and more alert. He was also more creative, of the two, for at one point, when it looked as if Angel had cornered him, and was about to give him a good thrashing, Spike had ducked down, swept out his legs, before he knew what was happening, and had jumped on Angel's chest, before leaping up into the air, to land on a hanging ring in the ceiling, thus disabling Angel, for the moment, and keeping a good distance away to figure out some more tactics.
Giles thought to himself that Spike was much more observant than he had ever given him credit. For although he had, himself looked around, both before and now when they had come in to watch the sparring, he had never seen that ring until now.
Giles, watching them fight, now felt a whole lot better about the chance to do this. From what they had told them about, and what they refused to tell them about, he knew that Darla and Dru, especially now that they were both insane, would be a formidable twosome. But, he now felt that they also had a formidable twosome on their side. More so than before, and that, as well as the people who now surrounded him now, were what he knew would bring Buffy back.
When Angel and Spike were done, they walked back to the others and after cleaning up, they had a great party before the sun came up and then retired to sleep before the battle night.
TBC…