Thanks again to everyone who wrote a review and those of you still hanging in there with me. Your comments really help me. I have many plots yet to be revealed so this story is going to have many more chapters yet. I hope that you don't give up on it. I still have more story to tell and it will be worth it. I couldn't resist writing the bathtub scene. Must be the spuffy in me!
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Chapter 18 Helpless
The coffee shop was just around the corner and it wasn't long before they were sitting at a table and ordering. Xander was anxious to find out what was going on.
"So, you know where my friends are?" He was getting right to the point. He wasn't sure how long they had been gone or what danger they were in.
Mary was worried about helping this man but she couldn't take any more people getting hurt.
"Look, this is all going to sound really crazy but what I am going to tell you is true. At first I had a hard time believing it myself." She thought for sure she needed to convince him that this story was a true story and not a fairytale.
"You don't need to worry about that. I have been in Sunnydale all my life. Nothing that happens here surprises me. I have seen a lot of strange things. Just tell me what you know." He didn't mean to be so short with her but he was worried about his friends.
"Well, when I agreed to do this it was just a way to make some money. I figured this guy was some kind of eccentric nut and it seemed harmless really. The story wasn't too believable and I needed the money. You have to believe me when I tell you I never thought anyone would be hurt." She was shaking a little now. Xander felt sorry for the girl. It was obvious that she was upset.
"Look. I'm sorry. Let me start over a little here. My name is Xander, what's yours?" He decided if they were going to get through this he needed to be more polite.
The girl softened a little at his attempt to calm her. "My name is Mary. I have worked at the library part-time evenings for the last 2 years. One night this man came into the library and said that he had heard that a shipment of books had arrived from an auction. He wanted to see the books but I told him that they hadn't been catalogued yet." Mary's nerves were calming a little now. It wasn't easy talking about Mr. Hargis but she knew she was doing the right thing.
"This man; did you know him?" Xander was listening carefully now. The waitress arrived with their coffees and they were silent while she placed the coffees down and then left.
"No, I had never seen him in the library before. He was very insistent about the books and told me that he would pay me good money if I could just show him to the books for a few minutes. It seemed harmless enough. I needed the money so I took him to the room where the books were being kept." The girl took the cup and raised it to her lips. The warmth of the coffee felt good and soothing.
Xander was being patient. "Then what happened? Was he interested in a specific book?"
"Yes. I took him to the room and he rummaged through the books carefully until he found it. It's called the Keeper of the Dead and it's the reason that your friends are missing. It is a very dangerous book." Mary was feeling a little nervous again. What if this man blamed her for his missing friends? What if he called the police?
"What does the book do? Why are my friends missing?" He knew the book was important but he didn't understanding what it had to do with Buffy.
"The man told me this story about a king that was cursed because he wouldn't marry this princess from another land. He said that he worked for the king and that he would pay me lots of money to just direct people to the book when they asked about it. He told me to be helpful and make sure they found the book. That's my job anyway so I figured no problem, right? I thought he was just some crazy professor or something. I didn't really believe the story until the first girl went missing." She was feeling a little better. She needed to get this off her chest.
"How many girls are missing? What is happening to them?" Xander was trying to make sense of the situation but it was not easy.
'Three I think. At first I thought maybe I just didn't see them leave but then it was obvious something was happening. I read it in the newspaper so I asked the man. He said it wasn't any of my business. I was getting paid to do a job and I should just keep my mouth shut and do the job. He told me that your friend would come and that she would be asking questions. He told me to make sure that she found the book."
Xander was shocked. People were missing. Buffy was trying to find out why when she went missing as well. "Do you know what happens to them?"
Mary was nervously tapping her coffee cup now. "All I know is that when they find the book and open it something happens. Whoever is touching the book then disappears. I didn't see what happened to the others but the older gentleman and the red headed girl I saw. I followed them upstairs because I wanted to see for myself."
"Can you show me this book? Is it still in the library?" It was starting to make sense now what had happened to his friends but he still didn't know why. He needed to get to the bottom of it but the only way was to get this book.
"No, you can't touch the book. I won't have it happen again. People are missing and it is partly my fault. I won't have you go missing too. You will have to find another way." Mary was insistent now and almost in a panic.
"Right, I guess it won't help if I go missing as well. I have to find out a way to help Buffy, Willow and Giles. This man, do you know his name?" Xander knew he had to get as much information as possible if he was going to be helpful.
"Yes, but you really shouldn't go messing with him. He is very dangerous and I have already been threatened. I shouldn't be talking to you about this. If he were to catch me………" Mary's voice trailed off as she recalled her confrontation with Mr. Hargis this morning.
"Don't worry. No one knows you are here. I really need to have that name if I am going to help Buffy and the others that are missing. It's important." Xander was practically begging now. He knew the information could be very helpful and he hoped the girl would see it was the right thing to do.
"All right. His name is Mr. Hargis. I…I don't know anything else. He always comes to the library when he wants to talk to me." The girl was very nervous but she felt this might somehow make up for the wrong that had already been done. Maybe this man could save those people.
"Thank you Mary. You should go home now and don't go into work for awhile. Take a vacation somewhere where no one knows you. Don't talk to anyone for a few days and hopefully it will all be over by then and you can go on with your life. It's going to be fine. You did the right thing by telling me all this." Xander hoped he was being reassuring and giving the girl good advice. At this point he wasn't really sure about anything except he was going to look up this Mr. Hargis.
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Buffy was in a fix. Spike was out cold now and she really had no way of telling if he was ok or not. He certainly didn't need to breathe, even though he often did. Was his chest moving? How was she going to get him in the tub?
She paced the room for a few minutes trying to figure out what to do next. She needed to get his fever down. She didn't know much about vampires and illness but she was sure he couldn't tolerate this temperature for much longer. She walked back over to the bed and tried to wake him again. No luck.
She unbuttoned his shirt. Her hands were shaking a little now and her fingers fumbled with the buttons. She could feel the heat rising from his flesh. She removed the shirt and started unlacing his shoes and removing them as well as his socks. She finished and then stopped and looked at him again sprawled out on the bed with nothing left but his pants.
His pants. That was what she was trying to avoid but they needed to come off. Why are you so worried about this? It's just pants. You can do this. He's sick and he needs help. There is nothing sexual about this.
"Too bad I'm not convinced." She was talking to herself now and it wasn't helping. She just needed to do it and get it over with. She undid the buckle and pulled the belt until it slid from his pants. Ok, step one done. She then unbuttoned the top button and slid the zipper down. Did he have underwear on? She decided not to look. She grabbed the hem of the pants and pulled them off in one sweep. She didn't need to look at him. She would just pick him up and put him in the tub.
She tried to avert her eyes but it didn't work. She found herself drawn to looking at him. He was so still. His features were so sharp but surprisingly matched his body well. He was like a work of art. She was surprised to realize that she found Spike attractive. She could appreciate a finely honed male body, even if it was a vampire. She looked away quickly.
She was a little ashamed and embarrassed. She put her arms underneath him and picked him up and he moaned a little. It was a low moan, not loud. He was very weak. At least she knew he was still alive. Well, not technically.
She carried him to the tub and placed him in gently. He roused a little from the cool water and began to shake. He opened his eyes but his lids were heavy. "What's happening?" He managed to get the words out.
"Shhhhhh. Don't worry. I am taking care of everything. We are going to get you better. I need to get your fever down. The bath will help." She was talking to him softly now. Trying to reassure him everything would be fine, but she didn't believe it herself. She didn't know if any of this was going to do any good.
She had her hand behind his back and part way around his waist to keep his head from slipping under the water. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. She grabbed the sponge and gently dipped it into the cool water, bringing it up to his shoulders and letting the water run down his body.
She continued to use the sponge, dousing Spike with the water all over. What if he died and she was stuck here by herself without his help? She couldn't think about that now. She needed to figure out what to do next. After about 20 minutes she could tell that he was cooling off a little. His fever was coming down.
"Spike, can you hear me?" She was talking softly near his face now. She hoped that he would wake up and start to feel a little better.
His eyes fluttered a little and then opened. He looked around and then down into the tub. He looked a little confused. "How did I get into the bloody tub?" It was a valid question. She was sure he still wasn't quite with it but decided she needed to tell him.
"You had a very high fever and I needed to get you cooled down. The tub was the only way. I put you in and it seems as if your fever is coming down. I think it is working." Just be clinical about it. That was the way to go.
He looked at her again and she could see him picturing what she had to do to put him in the tub. He was very aware that he was naked. That was Spike. He was very sick but still managed to keep his mind in the gutter. He started to speak again.
"So, you took my clothes off then pet?" She couldn't ignore the question. He was very weak but still managing to give her that look only Spike could give.
"Yes, I had too. Don't worry, I didn't look. I didn't see anything." She was a little nervous now and her voice quivered a little. It was just a little lie.
"Right, sure you didn't love." That was his last word. He was out cold again. His fever was coming down but he wasn't getting any better. She would have to figure something out soon. She needed him, and more than she cared to admit.