Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Joss and ME
Chapter 18
Giles had been riding his horse at a slow pace. He did not want to risk hurting Willow any more than she already was. He looked down at her back. It had stopped bleeding, but there were marks covering her entire back. Her corset was tattered and torn. She was moaning and he knew she was in incredible pain. He kept thinking about Elizabeth. She was probably home by now, he thought. He hoped.
St. Vincent's Chapel
She heard them leave. The alter was made of thick elaborately carved wood. The top was edged in alabaster to accommodate the slab of the same material. It was quite striking and served quite well as the centerpiece of the chapel. Her sword wound was already starting to close, but the damage had been made. Elizabeth felt herself fade. How long could she lay there before she was found? Before she went mad with hunger. She felt her mind slipping away once again.
"Help me, somebody help me." She whispered as she lost her battle to stay awake.
Giles' Home
Giles finally arrived at the house. Xander met him at the door.
"Oh God, Willow." He moved toward her.
"Xander, I must take her to her room. Go into the lab. There's an ointment I need, it's on the shelf over the table, in a yellow jar. Hurry." He stopped for a moment and looked around and called out, "Jenny!" Jenny came from the parlor.
"Oh thank God you found her." she ran up the stairs and opened the door to Willows room and lit a kerosene lamp. Giles gently placed Willow on her stomach atop her bed. Xander had found the jar and ran up the stairs as fast as his ankle would let him.
"Rupert, I'll go and get some warm water so that we can wash her up a bit." Jenny was only this informal with Giles in private, but now was not the time for informalities. Besides it was by now common knowledge in the household that they were lovers.
Xander sat on the opposite side of the bed and moved slowly to Willow. He leaned down and started stroking her head softly. She turned her head slowly and looked at him. She opened her eyes and saw the look of anguish on his face.
"Willow." He whispered, "Willow please." He started crying, "you can't leave me now. Please Willow I.. I can't lose you." He felt her take his trembling hand.
"Shh.. don't cry. I'm not going anywhere, Xander." She could barely speak, but she knew that he needed the comfort of her assurance that she was not leaving him. Jenny came into the room with a basin of water and some soft cloths. She put it on the night table and Giles began to clean away the blood from the cuts made by the whip. She hissed in pain each time he placed the cloth on her, yet it needed to be done. Xander kept stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort in her ear. Giles finished and took the jar of ointment and handed it to Jenny.
"Put some of this on her wounds. Then we should let her rest." She nodded and sat down next to Willow. "Xander come, she'll be fine." Xander kissed Willow on the hand and then lightly on her lips and left with Giles.
"Xander," Giles put his arm around the young mans shoulder, "she is going to be fine. The ointment will help with the healing process. She is a strong woman." Xander wiped a tear from his cheek and nodded.
"I know. I just." He sighed, "My God Giles, what did that animal do to her. I don't want to think of what could have happened if you and Buffy hadn't arrived on time." Giles stopped and looked at Xander.
"Has she returned?" asked Giles.
"No. I thought she would have come in right after you. What happened out there Giles?"
"We managed to get into the manor with minimal violence. Buffy found Willow fairly quickly." Giles took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, "She was insane with rage, I've never seen her like that. The last I saw of her she was giving Angelus quite a right and proper beating. I should have done something, but."
"Giles, you had to get Willow out of there. Buffy is strong. She can take care of herself. I'm sure she is going to walk through that door any moment."
Thursday evening - Paris - Wesley and Faith
Wesley and Faith had performed the spell as Willow had written. Amy was staying on a small farm outside the village of Rouen. It was late and chances were good that everyone in the group was asleep
The hard part would be the waiting. They could not enter the house and just take the spear; therefore they would have to wait for the opportunity of taking it from Amy once she was outside.
Wesley walked around the house. There was a small stable off to one side. He walked in and saw that it had a loft. They could stay up there and hide during the daylight hours. He walked out and found Faith.
"Faith, come, we can stay in the loft." He said to her as he pointed to the small building.
"Wesley I don't know how we can do this. What if they move during the day?"
"I have a minimal knowledge of magic, but I gather that a spell as powerful as teleportation being performed by a witch with borrowed power may be best done during the evening. She may be calling on dark forces to assist in her incantations. Dark magicks are best performed during the midnight hour." They walked hand in hand to the stable and made their way to the loft.
There were no windows for sunlight to come through, and there was plenty of hay and blankets to make if comfortable for them to sleep. Although not the fanciest of places, it would have to do. As they were fixing a place for themselves, Wesley stopped. Faith looked at him.
"Wesley? Are you all right?"
"Something is not right. Its Buffy, I can feel something is wrong." He could feel her anguish even from this great distance. There was a deep connection between a sire and his fledgling. He looked at Faith and smiled. "First we get the spear, then we worry about Buffy."
Spike and Andrew - Rouen, France
When their ship docked in France, Spike and Andrew went to Paris. They had managed to get in touch with several contacts that had steered them in the direction of Rouen. It was there that they found the girl.
Andrew had evoked an invisibility cloak over Spike. He would be able to walk into the house they had located the girl in. The cloak would enable Spike to get into the house but once inside the spell would dissipate and he would be seen.
He entered the house, which was mostly empty of any furniture. There were two rooms. He had quietly entered each room. Each of the kidnappers had been asleep. He opened a door near the kitchen area. It was barely the size of a closet. He looked down and saw the girl. He had seen so much death in his life, and had been the cause of quite of bit of it, yet he never harmed a child. This poor little girl had been kept in this dark room, with little food and water. She was unbathed and her clothes torn. He saw burns and bruises on her arms and legs. Had they been delayed a day more, she would have surely died.
He was by now visible, yet it did not matter, as he still had the upper hand. The men were asleep, and the girl seemed to be too weak to wake up and scream. He turned and walked to the first room. He stood at the door and raised his knife and threw it towards the man in the bed. Spike had pinpoint accuracy when it came to throwing knives, and he rarely missed. Even in the dark, he hit his target. The man gasped and convulsed for a few seconds. Spike walked to the bed and took his knife out of the mans throat. He walked to the other room. This time he walked to the bed and took this mans head in his hands and with little effort twisted his neck until he heard the tell tale pop that signaled the break.
He took the blanket from the bed and went back to the girl. He bent down and wrapped her in it. She whimpered slightly, she was so tiny and fragile. He was relieved that she was still alive. He quickly rushed out of the house, got on his horse and rode back to the cottage he and Andrew had been staying in.
Once there he placed her on a small cot. Andrew had gotten some bread at the market and he had made some fresh soup. He was also heating some water and pouring it into a large tub next to the hearth. The girl stirred a bit and started opening her eyes.
"Hello there princess." The girl cowered away from Spike at first, "its all right sweetheart. You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you here. We're taking you to see your Grandfather." She smiled and moved closer to him. "I bet you're hungry right." she nodded as Andrew came and knelt down beside her.
"Well, look who's awake." He gave Spike the bowel and handed the girl a piece of bread. "This is Spike and I'm Andrew. Now you get some food in your little tummy, then you can take a nice warm bath and get some sleep."
"Yes Andrew." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"And tomorrow you can put on a nice pretty dress and we can get you back home." Spike smiled at her.
"A pretty dress for me?" It was almost too much for Spike to bear. She reminded him so much of his little girl. His eyes welled up.
"Yes princess, the most beautiful dress we could find in Paris, and its all for you. Now be a good girl and have some soup." She ate all of her soup and two more pieces of bread. Then while Spike and Andrew were turned around she took her bath. They tucked her in and kissed her goodnight.
Andrew fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, yet Spike was troubled. In the darkness he stared at his little girl. There was never a day that went by when he didn't look at her. The locket was his warmth, his security. But tonight he felt a coldness fill his heart. There was sadness inside of him; he had felt it all evening. He wanted to get back to England. No, not wanted to get back, he needed to get back. It was a need, a desperation he felt within his soul. There was something calling to him. Even now in the darkness, in the stillness of the night, he could feel it.
Chapter 18
Giles had been riding his horse at a slow pace. He did not want to risk hurting Willow any more than she already was. He looked down at her back. It had stopped bleeding, but there were marks covering her entire back. Her corset was tattered and torn. She was moaning and he knew she was in incredible pain. He kept thinking about Elizabeth. She was probably home by now, he thought. He hoped.
St. Vincent's Chapel
She heard them leave. The alter was made of thick elaborately carved wood. The top was edged in alabaster to accommodate the slab of the same material. It was quite striking and served quite well as the centerpiece of the chapel. Her sword wound was already starting to close, but the damage had been made. Elizabeth felt herself fade. How long could she lay there before she was found? Before she went mad with hunger. She felt her mind slipping away once again.
"Help me, somebody help me." She whispered as she lost her battle to stay awake.
Giles' Home
Giles finally arrived at the house. Xander met him at the door.
"Oh God, Willow." He moved toward her.
"Xander, I must take her to her room. Go into the lab. There's an ointment I need, it's on the shelf over the table, in a yellow jar. Hurry." He stopped for a moment and looked around and called out, "Jenny!" Jenny came from the parlor.
"Oh thank God you found her." she ran up the stairs and opened the door to Willows room and lit a kerosene lamp. Giles gently placed Willow on her stomach atop her bed. Xander had found the jar and ran up the stairs as fast as his ankle would let him.
"Rupert, I'll go and get some warm water so that we can wash her up a bit." Jenny was only this informal with Giles in private, but now was not the time for informalities. Besides it was by now common knowledge in the household that they were lovers.
Xander sat on the opposite side of the bed and moved slowly to Willow. He leaned down and started stroking her head softly. She turned her head slowly and looked at him. She opened her eyes and saw the look of anguish on his face.
"Willow." He whispered, "Willow please." He started crying, "you can't leave me now. Please Willow I.. I can't lose you." He felt her take his trembling hand.
"Shh.. don't cry. I'm not going anywhere, Xander." She could barely speak, but she knew that he needed the comfort of her assurance that she was not leaving him. Jenny came into the room with a basin of water and some soft cloths. She put it on the night table and Giles began to clean away the blood from the cuts made by the whip. She hissed in pain each time he placed the cloth on her, yet it needed to be done. Xander kept stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort in her ear. Giles finished and took the jar of ointment and handed it to Jenny.
"Put some of this on her wounds. Then we should let her rest." She nodded and sat down next to Willow. "Xander come, she'll be fine." Xander kissed Willow on the hand and then lightly on her lips and left with Giles.
"Xander," Giles put his arm around the young mans shoulder, "she is going to be fine. The ointment will help with the healing process. She is a strong woman." Xander wiped a tear from his cheek and nodded.
"I know. I just." He sighed, "My God Giles, what did that animal do to her. I don't want to think of what could have happened if you and Buffy hadn't arrived on time." Giles stopped and looked at Xander.
"Has she returned?" asked Giles.
"No. I thought she would have come in right after you. What happened out there Giles?"
"We managed to get into the manor with minimal violence. Buffy found Willow fairly quickly." Giles took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, "She was insane with rage, I've never seen her like that. The last I saw of her she was giving Angelus quite a right and proper beating. I should have done something, but."
"Giles, you had to get Willow out of there. Buffy is strong. She can take care of herself. I'm sure she is going to walk through that door any moment."
Thursday evening - Paris - Wesley and Faith
Wesley and Faith had performed the spell as Willow had written. Amy was staying on a small farm outside the village of Rouen. It was late and chances were good that everyone in the group was asleep
The hard part would be the waiting. They could not enter the house and just take the spear; therefore they would have to wait for the opportunity of taking it from Amy once she was outside.
Wesley walked around the house. There was a small stable off to one side. He walked in and saw that it had a loft. They could stay up there and hide during the daylight hours. He walked out and found Faith.
"Faith, come, we can stay in the loft." He said to her as he pointed to the small building.
"Wesley I don't know how we can do this. What if they move during the day?"
"I have a minimal knowledge of magic, but I gather that a spell as powerful as teleportation being performed by a witch with borrowed power may be best done during the evening. She may be calling on dark forces to assist in her incantations. Dark magicks are best performed during the midnight hour." They walked hand in hand to the stable and made their way to the loft.
There were no windows for sunlight to come through, and there was plenty of hay and blankets to make if comfortable for them to sleep. Although not the fanciest of places, it would have to do. As they were fixing a place for themselves, Wesley stopped. Faith looked at him.
"Wesley? Are you all right?"
"Something is not right. Its Buffy, I can feel something is wrong." He could feel her anguish even from this great distance. There was a deep connection between a sire and his fledgling. He looked at Faith and smiled. "First we get the spear, then we worry about Buffy."
Spike and Andrew - Rouen, France
When their ship docked in France, Spike and Andrew went to Paris. They had managed to get in touch with several contacts that had steered them in the direction of Rouen. It was there that they found the girl.
Andrew had evoked an invisibility cloak over Spike. He would be able to walk into the house they had located the girl in. The cloak would enable Spike to get into the house but once inside the spell would dissipate and he would be seen.
He entered the house, which was mostly empty of any furniture. There were two rooms. He had quietly entered each room. Each of the kidnappers had been asleep. He opened a door near the kitchen area. It was barely the size of a closet. He looked down and saw the girl. He had seen so much death in his life, and had been the cause of quite of bit of it, yet he never harmed a child. This poor little girl had been kept in this dark room, with little food and water. She was unbathed and her clothes torn. He saw burns and bruises on her arms and legs. Had they been delayed a day more, she would have surely died.
He was by now visible, yet it did not matter, as he still had the upper hand. The men were asleep, and the girl seemed to be too weak to wake up and scream. He turned and walked to the first room. He stood at the door and raised his knife and threw it towards the man in the bed. Spike had pinpoint accuracy when it came to throwing knives, and he rarely missed. Even in the dark, he hit his target. The man gasped and convulsed for a few seconds. Spike walked to the bed and took his knife out of the mans throat. He walked to the other room. This time he walked to the bed and took this mans head in his hands and with little effort twisted his neck until he heard the tell tale pop that signaled the break.
He took the blanket from the bed and went back to the girl. He bent down and wrapped her in it. She whimpered slightly, she was so tiny and fragile. He was relieved that she was still alive. He quickly rushed out of the house, got on his horse and rode back to the cottage he and Andrew had been staying in.
Once there he placed her on a small cot. Andrew had gotten some bread at the market and he had made some fresh soup. He was also heating some water and pouring it into a large tub next to the hearth. The girl stirred a bit and started opening her eyes.
"Hello there princess." The girl cowered away from Spike at first, "its all right sweetheart. You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you here. We're taking you to see your Grandfather." She smiled and moved closer to him. "I bet you're hungry right." she nodded as Andrew came and knelt down beside her.
"Well, look who's awake." He gave Spike the bowel and handed the girl a piece of bread. "This is Spike and I'm Andrew. Now you get some food in your little tummy, then you can take a nice warm bath and get some sleep."
"Yes Andrew." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"And tomorrow you can put on a nice pretty dress and we can get you back home." Spike smiled at her.
"A pretty dress for me?" It was almost too much for Spike to bear. She reminded him so much of his little girl. His eyes welled up.
"Yes princess, the most beautiful dress we could find in Paris, and its all for you. Now be a good girl and have some soup." She ate all of her soup and two more pieces of bread. Then while Spike and Andrew were turned around she took her bath. They tucked her in and kissed her goodnight.
Andrew fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, yet Spike was troubled. In the darkness he stared at his little girl. There was never a day that went by when he didn't look at her. The locket was his warmth, his security. But tonight he felt a coldness fill his heart. There was sadness inside of him; he had felt it all evening. He wanted to get back to England. No, not wanted to get back, he needed to get back. It was a need, a desperation he felt within his soul. There was something calling to him. Even now in the darkness, in the stillness of the night, he could feel it.