The Wrong Side of the Line
Chapter 17: The End of the Line
Author: Rylee Jane
See Chapter 1 for rating, summary and disclaimers
A/N: I know I said a week and it's been a month +, but I've been having some trouble bringing the story to an end. I think I finally have it done, though, so let's see how it turns out. Thanks again to Shaw_thang and to quiet_chaos, for her help and support. I'm finally getting it up there! So, here goes:
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Buffy paced in her cell, watching the guards outside with a careful eye. Obviously, someone had failed to tell them that Willow was a witch. They weren't paying attention to the girls in the least.
"I think I've got it," Willow whispered, drawing Buffy's attention back for a minute. "It's--- a little lop-sided, but I think it will work."
"Are you sure you can do it without the candles and stuff?" Buffy whispered back.
"Not completely. But I think I can at least summon some help, under the circumstances. Make sure the coast is clear." She sat with her legs crossed in the middle of a crude circle that had been scratched into the floor with a nail file. It was little more than metal shavings that had been raked off the end of the file, but they didn't exactly have anything else to use.
"It's all clear," Buffy said, keeping her eyes on the guards.
From behind her, she heard Willow start to whisper. "I call upon the goddess, master of all that is. I ask for power, that I may escape my captors. I bow before you, humble as I am, and ask for help. Hear me, Goddess, and come to my aid. I call upon the goddess, master of all that is. I ask for power, that I may break the bonds around me. I bow before you, humble as I am, and ask for help. Hear me Goddess, and come to my aid. I call upon the---."
She was suddenly cut off as the door to the cell block slammed open. "Get the girl; the blonde one. She's being moved."
A guard came toward the cell, his keys already out. Willow jumped to her feet, gasping. "No, wait! Where are you taking her?"
The guard didn't answer as he stepped inside and grabbed Buffy's arm. "Let go of me!" Buffy snapped, trying to pull away, but only succeeding in causing pain to shoot through her shoulder. "Stop it! Let me go!"
The man threw her to the floor and pulled her arms behind her back, fastening the cuffs on her. Without a word, he pulled her to her feet and out of the cell, slamming the door behind them.
"Buffy! No! Buffy!" she heard Willow cry, and then the heavy metal door to the cell block was slammed shut.
She tried a few times to pull away from the guard, earning her a swift punch to her jaw. "Where are you taking me?"
"To be with your traitor boy friend. Courtesy of Commander Giles."
"With--- Spike? You're taking me to Spike?"
"General Donovan. You're being allowed to spend his last day with him. You should be thankful that Commander Giles is a kind man."
He pulled open another heavy metal door and pushed her through it. She tripped, falling onto her face on the hard concrete.
"Hey, be easy with her, you stupid ponce!"
She looked up and locked eyes with Spike, who was sitting against the far wall. The guard unlocked her handcuffs and hurried out of the cell, slamming the door. Slowly she pushed herself to a sitting position. "Are you OK?" he asked, his voice rough.
"Uh, yeah. I think so. What's going on?"
He shrugged, wincing. "Looks like we've hit the end of the line, thanks to our old pal Giles."
She stood and limped toward him, her knee burning. "Yeah, I talked to Giles. He said---he said,
"That they're going to--- execute you."
Spike nodded, breaking her gaze. "Tonight. Soon as the sun goes down."
Buffy felt the tears coming again. "I---We can't let him do that. We--- have to talk to him."
He laughed. "Yeh, let's talk to him. Seems to have worked well so far."
"Spike, we need to do something. We can't just let them---." She broke off, gasping. "The gem."
He swung his head toward her, eyes wide. "What?"
"The gem of Amara. Maybe I could trade him the gem for your life."
"No!" Spike said firmly. "No, you won't. That thing is dangerous, even more so if it got into the Council's hands." He shook his head. "Don't even think about it."
She sighed. "We have to do something. Anything. I can't---I can't just let this happen."
He looked up at her, shaking his head again. "Don't get yourself all worked up, pet. There's bugger all that we can do about it now."
"He just came in here and told you they were---executing you tomorrow?"
"Well, that was the long and short of it. Gave me the option of a trial, but said that if I was found guilty at trial, the death would be much worse. I knew the speech. I've given the speech."
"Ask for a trial."
He stared at her. "What?"
"Ask for a trial. It will at least buy you some time."
"Pet, it's not going to help. They're still going to find me guilty, and I have to be honest here, I'm not a huge fan of torture."
She nodded. "I know, but we have to have more time. There's got to be something that we can do. I just need more time to think of it." She knelt down beside him. "There's got to be something."
"Well, what about Red? Doesn't she have some mojo in her that could get us out of here?"
Buffy sighed. "She's working on it." She leaned against the wall next to him, sighing. "We just need more time."
The cell door slid open, causing both of them to jump. "He doesn't have more time," Xander said, stepping inside. "Giles has ordered his execution for tonight."
Buffy looked at her old friend, her eyes cold. "He wants a trial."
Xander shook his head. "He's not getting one. Giles said that he confessed."
"He's lying," Buffy snapped. "You know that he's lying."
"I know he's lying," Xander agreed. "But what do you think I can do about it?" He glanced at Spike, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, buddy, but there's nothing I can do. If I try to go against
him---."
"He'll put you on the block right beside me," Spike sighed. "No, don't say anything. Just stay out of it."
Buffy shook her head. "There has to be something that we can do."
Spike gave her a weak smile. "I think we should just accept it, kitten. Unless Red can get some mystical help, I'm going to be dust by sunrise tomorrow."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Sunrise. Mystical sunrise."
Xander looked between the two prisoners sitting on the floor. "Buff, are you OK?"
"I'm fine," she grinned. "I have an idea, but you have to help us. Please?"
Xander watched her carefully for a minute. "I really can't tell you no, but I'm sure you know that." He looked toward the door, then back at her, nodding slowly. "Yeah, all right."
"Wait a minute," Spike said softly. "Check around for bugs. They like to listen in on us."
Xander and Buffy searched the walls and the chair that constituted the only furniture in the room. There wasn't really anywhere to hide a listening device, but Spike didn't think they could be too careful. When they'd found it to be clean, as well as checked their clothes, they huddled on the floor in the middle of the cell. "Here's what I was thinking," Buffy started.
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Ta-da! Yeah, it's short, but I have the next chapter all lined up, and it should be (I won't swear to anything, though) up really soon. Here's hoping. Thanks for sticking with me!
Chapter 17: The End of the Line
Author: Rylee Jane
See Chapter 1 for rating, summary and disclaimers
A/N: I know I said a week and it's been a month +, but I've been having some trouble bringing the story to an end. I think I finally have it done, though, so let's see how it turns out. Thanks again to Shaw_thang and to quiet_chaos, for her help and support. I'm finally getting it up there! So, here goes:
******************************************************************************************
Buffy paced in her cell, watching the guards outside with a careful eye. Obviously, someone had failed to tell them that Willow was a witch. They weren't paying attention to the girls in the least.
"I think I've got it," Willow whispered, drawing Buffy's attention back for a minute. "It's--- a little lop-sided, but I think it will work."
"Are you sure you can do it without the candles and stuff?" Buffy whispered back.
"Not completely. But I think I can at least summon some help, under the circumstances. Make sure the coast is clear." She sat with her legs crossed in the middle of a crude circle that had been scratched into the floor with a nail file. It was little more than metal shavings that had been raked off the end of the file, but they didn't exactly have anything else to use.
"It's all clear," Buffy said, keeping her eyes on the guards.
From behind her, she heard Willow start to whisper. "I call upon the goddess, master of all that is. I ask for power, that I may escape my captors. I bow before you, humble as I am, and ask for help. Hear me, Goddess, and come to my aid. I call upon the goddess, master of all that is. I ask for power, that I may break the bonds around me. I bow before you, humble as I am, and ask for help. Hear me Goddess, and come to my aid. I call upon the---."
She was suddenly cut off as the door to the cell block slammed open. "Get the girl; the blonde one. She's being moved."
A guard came toward the cell, his keys already out. Willow jumped to her feet, gasping. "No, wait! Where are you taking her?"
The guard didn't answer as he stepped inside and grabbed Buffy's arm. "Let go of me!" Buffy snapped, trying to pull away, but only succeeding in causing pain to shoot through her shoulder. "Stop it! Let me go!"
The man threw her to the floor and pulled her arms behind her back, fastening the cuffs on her. Without a word, he pulled her to her feet and out of the cell, slamming the door behind them.
"Buffy! No! Buffy!" she heard Willow cry, and then the heavy metal door to the cell block was slammed shut.
She tried a few times to pull away from the guard, earning her a swift punch to her jaw. "Where are you taking me?"
"To be with your traitor boy friend. Courtesy of Commander Giles."
"With--- Spike? You're taking me to Spike?"
"General Donovan. You're being allowed to spend his last day with him. You should be thankful that Commander Giles is a kind man."
He pulled open another heavy metal door and pushed her through it. She tripped, falling onto her face on the hard concrete.
"Hey, be easy with her, you stupid ponce!"
She looked up and locked eyes with Spike, who was sitting against the far wall. The guard unlocked her handcuffs and hurried out of the cell, slamming the door. Slowly she pushed herself to a sitting position. "Are you OK?" he asked, his voice rough.
"Uh, yeah. I think so. What's going on?"
He shrugged, wincing. "Looks like we've hit the end of the line, thanks to our old pal Giles."
She stood and limped toward him, her knee burning. "Yeah, I talked to Giles. He said---he said,
"That they're going to--- execute you."
Spike nodded, breaking her gaze. "Tonight. Soon as the sun goes down."
Buffy felt the tears coming again. "I---We can't let him do that. We--- have to talk to him."
He laughed. "Yeh, let's talk to him. Seems to have worked well so far."
"Spike, we need to do something. We can't just let them---." She broke off, gasping. "The gem."
He swung his head toward her, eyes wide. "What?"
"The gem of Amara. Maybe I could trade him the gem for your life."
"No!" Spike said firmly. "No, you won't. That thing is dangerous, even more so if it got into the Council's hands." He shook his head. "Don't even think about it."
She sighed. "We have to do something. Anything. I can't---I can't just let this happen."
He looked up at her, shaking his head again. "Don't get yourself all worked up, pet. There's bugger all that we can do about it now."
"He just came in here and told you they were---executing you tomorrow?"
"Well, that was the long and short of it. Gave me the option of a trial, but said that if I was found guilty at trial, the death would be much worse. I knew the speech. I've given the speech."
"Ask for a trial."
He stared at her. "What?"
"Ask for a trial. It will at least buy you some time."
"Pet, it's not going to help. They're still going to find me guilty, and I have to be honest here, I'm not a huge fan of torture."
She nodded. "I know, but we have to have more time. There's got to be something that we can do. I just need more time to think of it." She knelt down beside him. "There's got to be something."
"Well, what about Red? Doesn't she have some mojo in her that could get us out of here?"
Buffy sighed. "She's working on it." She leaned against the wall next to him, sighing. "We just need more time."
The cell door slid open, causing both of them to jump. "He doesn't have more time," Xander said, stepping inside. "Giles has ordered his execution for tonight."
Buffy looked at her old friend, her eyes cold. "He wants a trial."
Xander shook his head. "He's not getting one. Giles said that he confessed."
"He's lying," Buffy snapped. "You know that he's lying."
"I know he's lying," Xander agreed. "But what do you think I can do about it?" He glanced at Spike, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, buddy, but there's nothing I can do. If I try to go against
him---."
"He'll put you on the block right beside me," Spike sighed. "No, don't say anything. Just stay out of it."
Buffy shook her head. "There has to be something that we can do."
Spike gave her a weak smile. "I think we should just accept it, kitten. Unless Red can get some mystical help, I'm going to be dust by sunrise tomorrow."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Sunrise. Mystical sunrise."
Xander looked between the two prisoners sitting on the floor. "Buff, are you OK?"
"I'm fine," she grinned. "I have an idea, but you have to help us. Please?"
Xander watched her carefully for a minute. "I really can't tell you no, but I'm sure you know that." He looked toward the door, then back at her, nodding slowly. "Yeah, all right."
"Wait a minute," Spike said softly. "Check around for bugs. They like to listen in on us."
Xander and Buffy searched the walls and the chair that constituted the only furniture in the room. There wasn't really anywhere to hide a listening device, but Spike didn't think they could be too careful. When they'd found it to be clean, as well as checked their clothes, they huddled on the floor in the middle of the cell. "Here's what I was thinking," Buffy started.
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Ta-da! Yeah, it's short, but I have the next chapter all lined up, and it should be (I won't swear to anything, though) up really soon. Here's hoping. Thanks for sticking with me!