Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow
Note: Don't worry folks, while I'm not a massive Riley fan, I am a massive Angel fan. There won't be any Angel bashing in this fic and if/when he's mentioned, it will only be in a good light/or as some sort of detail.
Previously:
Faith thought for a moment. She clearly remembered walking into the alley and hearing the click of the gun. When she turned around, who did she see? "Yeah, I remember," Faith said after a couple of minutes. Looking over at Buffy, she gently squeezed her hand. "B...it was Riley."
.....................
"I think we should run," Dawn said, rising to her feet and pulling Spike up with her.
"Good plan," he muttered as they took off into the night. "Here's the real question," he said. "Where are we gonna go?"
Chapter Twenty-One:
"Okay, here's the deal," Buffy said, addressing the entire group of Scoobies clustered and crammed into her living room. "Spike and Dawn are hiding out in an old warehouse down by the docks. At this point, I think our best strategy is to retrieve them and hit the road."
"By hit the road, do you mean run?" Xander asked, standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest.
"Finally, a sensible plan," Anya muttered.
"Yeah. We can't defeat Glory, she's too strong...especially now that Faith and Kara are wounded. With Tara...out of commission," Buffy said, throwing a sympathetic glance at Willow, who was gently stroking her lover's hair, "we don't have much fire power left."
"I agree with Buffy," Giles said, rising to his feet and pacing a bit back and forth. "We should try to get to L.A. Perhaps Angel could help us."
"So we're all agreed?" Buffy asked the group, who collectively nodded. "Okay then. I'll find us a vehicle. Everyone just stay here until I get back," she said, giving Faith's hand a quick squeeze before leaving.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Giles asked, turning to Joyce and sitting down next to her. It had been several days since her surgery and, despite the doctor's repeated attempts to get her to stay, she had discharged herself to be with Buffy.
"It's about time I start getting more involved," Joyce said, giving Rupert a small smile. "Besides, Dawn is my daughter. I can't just sit around and worry all day. I have to do something."
"I understand," Giles replied, taking off his glass and absently cleaning them on his shirt.
"Things aren't really going as planned, huh?" Faith asked, turning toward Kara, who sat next to her on the sofa. Callum was sitting at their feet with his back to the coffee table.
"Not so much," Kara replied wearily. "When the big battle comes, the last thing we need is for us to be on the bench."
"You've both got slayer healing," Callum interjected. "In a couple days you'll be able to fight again. Maybe not good as new, mind you, but you'll be able to get in there."
"Yeah, you're not so bad," Faith said, surveying Kara's injuries. "You should be fine. But Buffy freaks out whenever I try to do something."
"She's just worried about you," Kara said, smiling slightly. Faith had yet to figure out why Kara smiled whenever the topic of Buffy, Faith, and their feelings towards each other came up, but she desperately wanted to know.
"Yeah. Still, I'm not totally incapacitated, you know? Though it does hurt like hell," Faith said, absently running a hand over her wound.
"She's gonna be okay, Will. We'll find a way to get her back," Xander said, lowering himself to the floor next to his best friend. Anya joined him, sitting in front of him and leaning back into his waiting arms.
"I know. We'll find a spell or something," Willow said dejectedly. "I just hate to see her like this."
"They're waiting...they're always waiting. The pond's almost full. Can we go now?" Tara asked, her eyes swimming and confused. Willow smiled sadly at her, running her fingers through her hair.
"Shh...everything's okay, baby," she whispered, desperately trying to resist the urge to break down and cry.
Anya watched the interaction, feeling the red-haired witch's sadness pouring off her. "It will be okay," she said forcefully. "There may not be much justice in this world, but the Powers, they won't let something like this go."
"Yeah, besides, we've got all these books, right? They've gotta be useful," Xander added, flashing them a half smile.
......................................
"Uh, Spike? Are you rubbing my leg?" Dawn asked, looking over at the blonde vampire in confusion.
"No," Spike answered slowly.
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked, her voice taking a slightly panicked tone.
"Last time I checked," Spike responded. "Why?"
Dawn cautiously looked down at her leg, squinting in the dark of the abandoned warehouse they were holed up in. She could faintly make out two beady eyes and whiskers. Screaming, she leapt to her feet. "A rat! It's a rat," she yelled, nearly running across the room.
"Oh bloody hell," Spike said, leaping to his feet as well and joining her.
"What are you doing? Kill it!" Dawn instructed avidly.
"Like bloody hell I'm going back over there," Spike said incredulously. "I hate rats," he mumbled under his breath. Dawn snorted.
"Wait, let me get this straight. You, Spike, the scourge of Western Europe. Killer of not one, but two vampire slayers. Badass vampire with a knack for torturing people. You...are afraid of rats?"
"I'm not afraid!" Spike said defensively. "I just don't like them."
Their conversation was interrupted by the shrill beeping of a car horn. "That must be Buffy," Dawn said, turning toward the sound.
"Yeah, come on," Spike said, taking her by the hand and leading her over to the door. Sticking his head out, he could see a large recreational vehicle parked a few feet away. "Oh you've got to be kidding me," he said, surveying their mode of transportation.
"What is it?" Dawn asked, peaking her head out.
"Big sis is gonna take us camping," Spike replied, glancing back at the young girl with an amused expression on his face. "Be a doll and run out there and open the door for me will ya?"
"Sure," Dawn said as she cautiously crept out of the warehouse and over to the camper. Swinging the door open, she disappeared inside.
"Here goes nothing," Spike said as he dashed out of the warehouse and dove into the camper, little curls of smoke rising off his skin. "Well that hurt," he said, scrambling to pull the door shut behind him.
"You okay?" Buffy asked, glancing back at him from the driver's seat.
"I'll live," he answered grimly, settling into a seat.
"Come here a second," Buffy said, motioning for him to join her. The front windshield was blocked off, only allowing for a bit of light to come in through an opening just in front of Buffy's face.
"Yeah?" Spike asked, sitting down in the passenger's seat. Dawn was sitting at a table in the back, resting her head on her arms and closing her eyes.
"Thanks," Buffy said, glancing over at him. "For taking care of her. You didn't have to, but you did. You wanted me to believe I could trust you? Well now I do," Buffy said sincerely.
Spike smiled slightly. "Well, couldn't very well let the hell bitch get her now could I?"
"I guess not," Buffy said laughing.
"So we're makin' for the hills, huh? What did the Scoobies think about that?"
"I'm not sure they were all thrilled with the idea of running away. But it's the only chance we have. I don't know why, but I feel like there's something Kara's not telling us," Buffy said suddenly, her face becoming pensive.
Spike looked over at her cautiously. He knew the secret Kara was keeping from them, the secret identity of Glory. However, he also knew if he revealed this fact to Buffy, firstly, she wouldn't remember it in five minutes, and secondly, Buffy would never agree to allow Ben to come anywhere near them. In order for the plan to work, Buffy needed to be completely out of the loop.
"Secret meetings and hushed voices, this can't be good for company morale," Spike said as he took a seat at the table. Gathered around him were Kara, Callum, and Giles.
"We need to go over the plan one last time," Kara said lowly. They were sitting in the kitchen of their house, Giles having come from the Magic Box only moments before. It was dark out, the moon shining in through the kitchen window. In an hour, they were supposed to meet Buffy and the others at the store for training and research.
"So let's hear it then," Callum said, taking a sip of his beer.
"The Knights of Byzantium will cut off our escape from Sunnydale. Giles, you'll be wounded, but you'll be alright. Buffy will call Ben, the intern she'll meet when her mother goes in the hospital. Ben will come and fix you up, but he'll turn into Glory. We have to let Glory escape with Dawn," Kara said, stressing that point.
"When the big battle comes, Tara will lead us to Glory. Faith and Buffy will fight her, as they're the slayers. Spike, you need to try immediately to free Dawn, but don't worry if you can't. I'll be right behind you. Between the two of us, we should be able to get her out. But if not, Callum is going to start up the tower as soon as he can. It's imperative we not let Dawn's blood be spilled. Giles, you'll be in charge of killing Ben once Faith and Buffy are done with Glory. The rest of the Scoobies will try to stave off the minions and crazies Glory has working for her. Everyone clear?"
"You're just worried is all. Kara wouldn't keep anything from you," Spike said, keeping his voice calm and even. Buffy nodded.
"I guess you're right," she said. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the Summers residence. "I'll get everyone out here. Just sit tight."
Buffy hopped out of the driver's seat and was out the door before Spike could respond. She disappeared into the house and several minutes later, had the entire Scooby Gang in tow. While Callum was helping Kara down the sidewalk, Buffy was helping Faith into the camper, and Giles was helping Joyce out of the house. "It's like a bloody triage unit," Spike muttered under his breath, vacating the passenger's seat for Joyce and taking a place in the back.
"Everyone ready?" Giles asked as he buckled himself into the driver's seat. With a collective 'yes,' he slammed his foot on the gas and the camper rambled forward, heading out of town.