Severed Ties
Chapter 34
Rockets Red Glare
Terribly sorry folks at the extended delay. True, life has been a bit hectic, I still should have found more time to write this. Fear not though. I'm recommitted to ST and hope to have a chapter up every Monday from here on out.
Now, since it's been awhile, I'll give a quick run down of the goings on for the last few chappies.
Previously on Buffy: Hank showed up, wanting custody of Dawn. Spike told Hank what he thought about that and it drew Buffy's ire. They had a fight, he left and when she went to find him, she caught him sucking face with Morrigann. Angel has a talk with Hank that improves Buffy and the elder Summers relationship. Dawn and CJ are getting closer and the former Key, currently the One, sees visions of things she doesn't understand. Faith and Xander are drawing closer, too. They save Buffy when she runs out of the Bronze after catching Spike, meeting up with the bad guys from the future. Spike is run out when he shows up and has a good sulk before Dawn chats with him. During the chat, something happens to CJ and when he shows up at the door, Jay (who's distanced from everyone for the most part, answers it. She sees the eyes of Seth though and when CJ attacks, she knows the truth. Buffy intervenes before she can kill him. In the hospital, Buffy and Spike talk and they mend fences and the slayer tries to push away the memory of her vision about Spike and Morrigann. Jay and Dawn talk and Jay promises Dawn not to bother CJ "until this shit with Gabriel is over", after which she will go after him. Gabriel finally admits, during meditation, his greatest prize once all is said and done…
July 3rd, 2002
11:49 pm
Stars danced in Buffy's vision when the vampire's fist connected with her jaw. Her knees buckled from the blow but she remained upright, parrying a right cross just before it caved in her face and retaliated with a round kick to the demon's ribcage. The vampire howled, muting the cracking bones, and fell to its knees. Before it could react, the slayer pulled the blade from its sheathe strapped to her waist, and decapitated the demon.
"Kinda sloppy there, Slayer," the British voice commented and Buffy rolled her eyes. She folded her arms across her chest and watched the platinum blonde limp into view. Her annoyance was temporarily forgotten when she saw the jagged wound across his jaw that was still bleeding.
"Are you…" she started but Spike cut her off with a wave of his hand.
" 'm fine, slayer. Just that Polgara didn't wanna go gently into that good night, 's all. Don't get your knickers in a twist over lil old me."
Buffy huffed and thwapped him in the head.
"Oi! Watch it, now," he said and fell into step next to her.
"Or you'll what? Scowl me to death?" She chuckled at Spike's indignant snort but kept her eyes roaming the darkness for demonic activity.
"You sure know how to emasculate a bloke, luv. Just snip off the testes at the root," he said and she groaned when he demonstrated, complete with Spike hand movements.
"Thanks for that lovely imagery. That'll really help getting me back into bed with you."
"Gotta try somethin', don't I?" He replied and she slapped him in the chest. Despite his leering tone, Buffy knew that Spike was anything but confident when it came to their relationship. The last two weeks had seen it become something it hadn't been since the first month of her return from the dead. Thanks to Angel, everyone now had cell phones and the slayer and her platinum blonde had used them to talk on the phone, despite him still shacked up in the Summers' basement. Rarely did they spend time alone except for patrolling and a few conversations out on the porch. For all intents and purposes, they had gone back to the courting they'd unceremoniously skipped all those months ago and Buffy had to admit that she liked it.
True, she missed the physical wow-ness of their physical encounters but she felt that the were both still stinging from the Bronze fiasco and taking their time to get to know one another had been something both had agreed upon.
The digital tone of Rob Zombie's 'Dragula' broke the amiable silence and the slayer gave her boyfriend an amused look. He shrugged and dug into the pocket of his duster for the phone.
" 'lo?" he said after flipping it open. "Patrollin' over at Harrison, you? How many dusties? Ha, we beat you, luv. Slayer dusted seven…well, four but I did in a Polgara. Snapped that skewer off and impaled the blighter with it. Right you are, Shadow. This usually isn't a busy place. Yeah, well, that's how it's been everywhere the last two weeks. Yeah, yeah…wanna talk to the slayer? You don't have to save him, luv, we wouldn't blame ya. Oi, now, watch the threats to the man parts...ta, luv, see you tomorrow."
"So, how's Faith and Xander doing over at Restfield?" Buffy asked when Spike shut the phone off.
"Thirteen vamps so far. I'll be buggered before I let the whelp outdo me."
"Geez, what is up with all this macho man BS?"
Spike pulled a cigarette from the inside pocket of his duster and lodged it between his lips. "Don't really know, luv," he said and lit the fag, "but I'd like to ask you and Faith the same thing."
"What's that supposed to mean?" the slayer asked guiltily.
"Oh, nothing. Just that the whole competition bit's not just a guy thing."
Buffy rolled her eyes, annoyed at Spike's supernatural ability to get to things she'd rather he not. He was right about the slayer competition thing; even in her withdrawal from much of the group, Jay usually made time to gloat when she led the night in kills. With that said, plausible deniability was the way to go thus Buffy did the only thing she could think of--she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Veeeery mature," Spike drawled and flick ash from the tip of his cigarette to the ground.
"I'm a slayer," she replied, "there's nothing in the slayer handbook that says that I have to act like an adult."
"Of course not," he agreed and they walked for several minutes in silence until he stopped and regarded her with curious eyes.
"What?" she asked, partially irked and partially aroused by his stare. Damn body, always reacting to that cobalt gaze of his.
"Well," he said and dropped the rest of his fag to the ground and crushed it underneath his boot heel. "Just that, oh, I don't know…just have a strong, sneakin' suspicion about that slayer handbook of yours."
"There is one, ya know."
"Of that, I've no doubt, pet."
"Okay, then what's with the alliteration mumbo jumbo?"
He ignored her comment and narrowed his eyes, as if searching for an answer that refused to make itself known.
"Creeping me out here, Spike," she said and started to walk away when he called her name.
"What?"
"It's just that…you haven't actually read that slayer handbook, have you?"
It took a moment for her to process the thought and by the time she did, Spike had jogged off into the night, cackling away.
"You bastard!" she shouted and chased after him. And though a frown marred her features, Buffy couldn't keep the bubbling warmth at bay as it roiled in her gut and up into her chest. Before she could stop herself, a peel of laughter escaped her throat. She would have stopped were it not for suddenly being tackled to the ground by a streaking shape of black.
"Gotcha, luv," Spike said and Buffy's laugh fell off into giggles as they rolled on the ground and nimble fingers danced across her ribcage. She fought but the battle was lost and Buffy couldn't be any happier.
*****
1:42 am
She streaked through the graveyard, oblivious to the tombstones and trees blurring in her peripheral. She ignored the two vampires in the distance, rising from the ground as babes from a womb, and maintained her pace. She would have been home already but had decided for one more round in the cemeteries, dragging a sullen Faith along while Xander went home for the night. Luckily for the girl they found being held down by three men as another…
Jay erased the thought and lengthened her stride. The bastard had a good head start but he wouldn't get away. She saw him not twenty yards away, his blue jacket a beacon in the distance. She and Faith had dispatched the others without a sweat, both relishing in the breaking bones and horrific screams of the would-be rapists. If it was up to her, they'd all be dead but Faith had stayed her hand and told her to go after this one. At first she'd jogged halfheartedly, pissed at the brunette slayer for sending her off like a schoolgirl on an errand. That was until she thought about the opportunity. Faith may have stopped her from killing the others, but no one would be around when she caught up to him.
A feral smile split her features and a roar pierced the air. The bastard turned around, his eyes bright with fear and he screamed. He stumbled for several yards before he fell. He scrambled to his feet but by that time Jay was close enough and she bounded the remaining yards separating them and slammed her shoulder into his kidney.
Blue jacket howled in pain but Jay showed no mercy. Grabbing his right arm, she wrenched it behind his back as hard as she could. Muscles and tendons ripped and she watched as his bone popped from the socket.
"Does it hurt?" she growled viciously, pressing down on his forearm until that bone, too, broke. His shrieks sounded like that of a dying animal but it drove the slayer only to further cruelties.
"So you're tough enough to hold down a helpless girl and rape her?" Her heel smashed down on the back of his hamstring, shattering his thighbone. "Not as tough when the woman fights back, are you?" Another shattering blast of breaking bones pilfered the air when she straddled him and slammed her fist into his ribcage. Blood spurted from his mouth, followed closely by whimpering pleas for mercy. But Jay heard none of this; all she heard was the sweet surrender of his body breaking under her blows.
"Had enough?" she asked after a few more minutes. The man convulsed between her legs and for the first time Jay was drawn to the staccato pulse of his jugular. Her tongue swiped at the perspiration dotting her lips and she leaned forward, her eyes intent on the erratic beat of life just below the skin. It would be so easy just to rip the skin and have that warm liquid flow down her throat. No one would ever have to know, no one…
Just as she was about to nestle her chin between his shoulder blade, strong hand ripped her away from the kill. Jay reacted instinctively and rammed her elbow towards the face of the intruder. But the culprit ducked and Jay lost her balance. She fell on her butt and stared up at her assailant. The anger and supernatural rage that had drove her actions the previous minutes had all but vanished at the singular glance into the familiar brown eyes of her namesake.
"Faith…" she said, her tongue feeling as if it had swelled. The brunette stared at her, not in rage but in astonishment--and fear. Faith eyes drifted to the body and Jay saw the horror in that split the other slayer's features. It only lasted a moment before Faith tore her gaze away from the carcass, fled to the bushes and vomited.
Jay watched Faith's petite body dry heave after the contents of her stomach had been expunged. She could do nothing for the sickened slayer and turned her gaze towards what Faith had seen.
As if for the first time, Jay laid eyes on the broken body five feet from her. She looked, with cerulean green eyes at the man before her and gasped at his damage body. It took only a fraction of a second for Jay to realize that her hands had been responsible for this crushed husk and when the memories flashed in her mind, she could do nothing but wail and she collapsed to the ground as the man breathed his final breath.
*****
2:56 am
Spike sat on the porch, lit cigarette dangling from his lip. Buffy had gone to bed a little over an hour ago, knowing that she and the other women still in Sunny D (Willow and Tara had gone on a Wiccan retreat for the holiday) were responsible for the food preparations. Spike and Giles would be doing the vast majority of the cooking, something both Brits had vehemently lobbied for once Buffy had volunteered to do the honors. The Fourth was tomorrow and, though he didn't quite give a fig about the American holiday, no way was he gonna turn down some good old-fashioned eats. Barbecue and corn were nummy treats even to the undead.
The caw of a crow split the air and Spike's mind fell to the truth to why he was still awake. Though he'd yet to admit it to Buffy, he was concerned for Jay. Her behavior the last few weeks--though understandable in its erracticness considering the events she had lived through--unsettled him in a way he could not explain.
Can't or refuse to see? the demon's voice whispered to him. He didn't try to silence the bugger, least of all for the simple fact that the demon part of him was seldom wrong. True, it often saw the dark in everything but in a town like Sunnydale, the dark often held the truth--truths that most people denied themselves.
"Get a grip, you wanker," he said and ran tense fingers through his hair. He held his hand out in front of him and watched the minute tremble of the limb. Bugger. The tick of his extremities wasn't something that happened often to him--hardly ever, in fact--but when it did, there was usually trouble brewing of the major variety. Maybe it was a byproduct of hanging around Dru for a bleedin century or the power of Aurelius giving him warning to impending doom, but whatever it was, he didn't like it one bit.
Almost as if the very air heard his qualm, the night carried the heavy scent of blood to the vampire's nostrils. Although the majority of what he smelled was from an unfamiliar source, there was a trace of someone's scent that Spike knew very well.
He was off the steps and halfway down Revello before another thought could form. He saw the two figures turning onto the street, two petite women with one obviously supporting the other. From a distance it appeared that they were drunk but as Spike neared them he saw the blood covering their bare arms and the blotches that stood out on their dark clothing.
"What happened?" Spike demanded and slid his arms around Jay's waist.
"I killed him," Jay said and chuckled but there was a hysterical lilt to the sound. "I killed him."
"Shadow," Spike growled.
"Later," Faith replied and despite his vehemence to know, there was an edge to her voice that made him drop the issue.
They made it to the house without incident and Faith took the young slayer to the bathroom while Spike waited outside, in part to make sure no one saw the two slayers (at Faith's behest) and also because he dared not leave his baby girl.
It took the two slayers the better part of an hour to finish and when Jay opened the door, her short hair matted to her head and those wide eyes staring at him, tears brimming to the surface, Spike's heart swelled with a love that burned him more than anything he'd ever felt.
"I don't wanna sleep alone tonight, Daddy," she said and rushed into his arms. Spike absorbed the impact of her little body against his and led her to the basement as she stifled sobs that nearly tore his undead heart out.
"Don't worry, Bitlet," he said once he had her tucked in. "Daddy's here." He sat on the bed and she clung to his waist, her head leaning against the crook of his hip. He rocked her, humming a song his Mum had sung to him even into adulthood. It always soothed him, Early One Morning did, and had the same effect on his girl.
Within five minutes her shivers had stopped and her breathing had evened out.
"Damn, Capt'n," Faith said from the bottom of the stairs. He hadn't even heard her come down. "You sing that for me and I may have to reconsider my choice for who's my man." She attempted to leer at him but he saw right through it. Something was wrong and it wasn't just because his little girl had come home covered in blood. Faith was shook and that meant only one thing.
Things were bollocksed up to the nth bloody degree.
"So, you gonna tell him you're in a basement with his favorite undead fiend in some shorts that are barely there and a white tank top--sans the bra, of course?"
"What will B ever think?" she asked and the worry was clear in her voice.
"She wouldn't have to know," Spike whispered as he approached and with each step the atmosphere thickened with the truth he knew she was about to tell him, a truth he knew ever since he realized his daughter was splattered with human blood. It was a truth that he feared and knew with a certainty would never leave the sanctity of the basement, forever staying between him and the brunette in front of him. And as much as it pained him to keep it hidden from his love, it was something he knew Buffy could never know.
*****
July 4th 2002
11:23 am
The shattering of a plate and a familiar British curse roused Jay from her sleep. Her first instinct was to bury her face under the pillow but when she inhaled the musky scent of the sheets covering her, she knew this wasn't her and Dawn's room.
"Daddy?" she whispered and sat up in the makeshift bed. Save for the small stream of light peeking through the window at the opposite end of the room, she was shrouded in darkness. She shrugged and laid back down, her fingers interlaced behind her head, and let her mind drift with the sounds of activity above her.
Her mind wandered as her eyes policed the ceiling. Last night had been one of her better days in the last few months, definitely the best since the confrontation with Set…CJ on the porch.
An involuntary shiver raced up her spine and Jay banished the thoughts of seeing those eyes hellbent on her suffering. Nope, not this time, not after the wonderful night of slayage she'd gotten in. Oh she hadn't wanted to brag but eleven kills prior to meeting up with Faith and Xander had to have been the best. In fact, she guessed that was most likely the high for the week. And then the four dusted vamps when it was just she and Faith shot the total to fifteen. Oh, yeah, what a night. In fact, such a great night warranted maybe just a little more shuteye.
"Yep," she said and burrowed further into the covers. "Jay here is gonna sleep until someone gets her up." She felt sleep's warm embrace wrap its arms around her and she returned the gesture. So close to utter satisfaction, her limbs became leaden wares and her mind slowly disengaged from the world around her…
"I know you're awake, Bitlet," Spike's baritone voice called from the top of the steps and Jay groaned in protest but made no motion to get up. "You can dilly all you want, luv, but you're gonna be up here slavin away like your Da is…bloody hell!"
Jay dropped into uncontrollable giggles at her Da's antics and slid her head under the pillow. He's not gonna get me without a fight she thought and tensed when the creak of wooden steps reverberated through the basement.
"I said--get up!" Spike shouted not a foot behind her and the slayer squealed and rolled out of bed. A frown creased her face and she was ready to wop vampire dad over the head with the pillow until she saw what he was wearing.
His all-black attire was firmly in place, but over his torso was a white apron with the words 'Kiss the Chef' printed on the front. What drew her attention, however, was the 'bloody' written in what looked like lipstick between right about 'Chef'. It looked ridiculous.
And it was bloody hilarious.
"Glad you think it's funny," he deadpanned when she fell to the bed, holding her stomach. "And since you think it's so funny, Bitlet, I think I'll have you and your Mum on shuttling the eats out to our resident griller, which would be yours truly."
Her laughter fell away and her bottom lip jutted out. "But I wanted to do some grilling!"
"Tough," he said and sauntered over to the steps. Just before bounding up to the kitchen, he glanced over his shoulder and said, "Maybe next time you won't brass off the Capt'n of this lil operation."
"But Daaad," she whined and scowled as he answered her with his trademark chortle. When he was finally gone, she sat on the bed, legs and arms crossed and she mustered the sourest look she could come up with. If he saw this…
"The pouting won't work, sweets," he called down. "Not when I got a slab of bloody meat in front of me to season."
Jay groaned. In her time, the same was true. Put something good to eat in front of her Da and all the womanly powers of persuasion became ineffective. It was her (and her Mum's) kryptonite when it came to influencing him. And it looked to be a habit that had been a long time in the making.
"Hoo-rah," she muttered without joy. Sometimes life just wasn't fair.
*****
2:34 pm
Morrigann delighted in the paradoxical look of pleasure and agony written across the human's face. Her fingers slid through his black hair as she rode him, each undulation of her hips a bit more forceful than the prior. The past twelve hours had been spent fucking this young man and though it had been fun, the coupling had been lacking in one important thing.
"Morrie!" he screamed and she felt his warm seed pulsate inside of her. That singular action was enough to bring her over the edge and she lost control of the hunger and bit into his neck.
She drained him in seconds without a fight and the pleasure of the bite was enough to bring him cresting to another orgasm before his heart stopped. She peeked once more as well and, afterwards, her tongue licked the puncture wounds embedded in his flesh.
"Have fun?"
Morrigann turned from her position on top of the dead body and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Just a bit," she said and slid noiselessly to the floor. She slipped into the robe lying at the foot of the bed and approached the shimmering figure standing in the doorway.
"Course," she said and caressed the air before the figure, "it would be so much better if you could join me."
"Soon, my dear, so very soon." He gestured to the exanguinated corpse. "That gives credence to the term, 'little death', I'd say."
"Yes, well, Mr. Parker Abrams there was a distraction. Adequate, but not the most attentive of lovers."
"Then again, what mortal could satisfy you, my succubus? I myself sometimes have a hard time keeping pace."
She gave the figure a pleasureful smile and kissed the man's cheek, her lips passing right through his form. "Come now, Gabriel, never has there been an occasion where I have left your bed unsatisfied."
"True," Gabriel admitted. "I am quite the lover." Morrigann chuckled at his brazenness but said nothing. "Now that the pleasantries out of the way and your hunger somewhat sated, I have something for you to do."
"Anything, my Lord."
His eyes narrowed and Morrigann shivered in fear and lust as his brown eyes drank her in. "I asked you to lay low when you first left, no killing of our primary enemy…I've decided to amend that particular command."
"I see. May I ask why?"
He shook his head ruefully. "No, you may not. For now I need you do nothing save listen; I cannot maintain my presence here much longer."
"Your will is my own," she said and bowed gracefully before him.
"Good," he said and bade her closer with a single finger. "There's this place I'd like you to visit in LA…"
9:42pm
As he chomped down on his fifth helping of the night, Spike had to admit that the day had turned out pretty good, especially considering the way last night had ended. Taking a swig of his Corona, the vampire watched from the back steps as the others enjoyed the holiday.
Seated around the table scrounged from the basement, Dawn, Cordelia, Xander and Faith were playing cards. Spike grinned as Dawn and Cordy won another hand. The Niblet's smile broke through the smoke of the grill and Spike was thankful for the reprieve she'd been given with CJ. Despite his earlier take on ripping her boyfriend's lungs out, the time since and subsequent talks with Buffy had calmed him and Spike had to admit to himself that something not the boy's fault was going on. So he hadn't objected to Dawn going to see him at the hospital (though it would have made little difference) and her spirits had been brightened when she had gone with CJ's aunt to bring him home. She'd spent most of her time at his house the past three days and were it not for the boy's insistence, she'd probably be over there now, tending to him like some sodding mother hen. As it was, she was having a good time of things.
Just like his other two girls, Spike thought as he watched Buffy and Jay teasing the Poof. Spike would've loved to join them but he didn't want to interrupt the mother/daughter bonding that had been weeks in developing and it had culminated this morning when the two had worked in tandem during the food preparations. Now they pelted Angel with water balloons that had come out of the blue and the others laughed at the carnage.
"Sometimes I forget that, despite their trials and tribulations, they are still children."
" 'lo, Rupes," Spike said and took another sip of beer. He glanced at the Watcher, who was dressed in a dark Polo shirt and khakis. He held a Corona in his hand and Spike tipped his own to Watcher. "Thought you retired for the evening after sweating it in that gulag of a kitchen this mornin'."
"Yes, well, contrary to what you may think, I am not an old and stodgy bugger."
Spike grinned and set the now empty bottle between them. He picked a cigarette from the pack and slipped it between his lips. "Your words, not mine."
They spent several minutes in silence, enjoying the rest of the group who'd now turned to setting off fireworks. So lost in the moment that it took several seconds before Spike realized that Giles's intense gaze had fallen to him.
"What?" he asked between puffs.
Giles shrugged and gave him a wry smile. "A Watcher and a vampire sitting outside while those destined to save the world set off fireworks and toddle around like a bunch of school children…it's rather refreshing."
"Cheers to that," Spike replied and turned his eyes to the sultry brunette that sauntered over to the porch.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the British Boys' hangin' out havin a beer."
" 'lo, Shadow."
"Faith."
The brunette slayer plopped down next to the platinum blonde and nudged him with her shoulder. "So what's poppin off, blondie?"
"Discussin' philosophy with the good old Watcher here. Notwithstanding the run-on sentences and his otherwise over-explaining the obvious, he can be quite succinct when need be."
"Yes, well," Giles said and stood, "on that note, I believe I shall fall back on your favorite past time, Spike."
"Yeah, mate? Didn't particularly know you had a chit waitin for you to shag." He winked at the Watcher. "Looks like an old dog can learn new tricks."
"So saith the soulless vampire that vanquishes evil alongside the slayer."
"Checkmate for the Watcher in the GQ fuddy duddies," Faith said and she laughed when Giles rolled his eyes.
"Tell Buffy I said goodnight and I'll see her in the morning."
"B told me the two of you are having breakfast. Thanks for leavin' me outta it. I'm just drownin in tha love."
"Faith…"
"Chill out, G-man," she said and smiled. "I'll hit you up some other time."
"I'm sure that you will," he muttered and strode back into the house.
"So," Spike said, flicking the ash from his cigarette, "something you wanna ask me?"
"Jay looks pretty good."
He glanced over to his daughter who was hurling firecrackers at a retreating Xander who, in turn, lobbed sparklers at her--quite ineffectively.
"So, does she remember anything?"
Spike took a final puff of the fag before crushing it under his boot. "Doesn't appear so."
Faith brushed a lock of hair from her face and gave Spike a critical look. "That was some hardcore shit you pulled on her. Where'd ya learn that?"
"Spend a century of unlife with a loon connected to the mystical, you pick up a thing or two."
"Think she'll ever remember?"
Spike opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out. In theory, the mind wipe--for lack of a better term--was supposed to have a permanent effect on the recipient but Spike had spent enough time in the world to know that nothing was ever permanent. Whether or not it was the right decision, or even his to make, Spike wanted Jay to be rid of the memory of taking a human life and the hypnotism he'd performed had been the only option he could think of. Still, things like that could only do so much and the subconscious mind had a way of bringing things back with a fury.
"Question of the day, luv."
"And do you have an answer?"
He was going to tell her no but he caught sight of the commotion in the yard. He sprinted the short distance to where everyone was gathered and nudged his way past Xander and Dawn. Please don't let it be Buffy, he thought and was relieved when he saw the center of attention was Angel. But relief soon turned to sympathy when brown eyes devoid of nothing but the sharpest pain glanced back up at him. It was a look he'd never associate with his Sire and in that moment, Spike loved Angel without reservation.
"Peaches?" He turned to Buffy when Angel remained silent. "Slayer, what happened?"
"I don't know," she answered. "He got a phone call and…and he just collapsed."
"Who called?"
"Kate Locksley," Cordelia answered and the crowd turned towards the brunette. Her eyes were blurry and tears rolled down her cheeks. She still cradled Angel's cell in her hand though there was no strength in her grip.
"Who's that?" Dawn asked and made her way to the seer.
"A detective in LA Angel used to work with."
"What did she want?" Xander asked.
"Gunn and Wesley...and Lorne…"
"What happened?" Jay asked. "Is everything all right?"
"No," she replied and bit back a sob. "It's not…"
Though he had no connection to the people she spoke of, Spike's insides tightened and before she revealed the truth, he knew exactly what she was going to say.
"They're dead. They're all dead…"
Silence descended upon the group and Spike glanced up at the sky. For the first time tonight, he noted the fireworks exploding forth, painting the sky red in their brilliance.
To be continued in Chapter 36, Advanced Tactics…