Chapter Three - Bad news

I woke up feeling like someone had stuffed my mouth full of cotton. My head ached and when I tried to move it, my stomach protested loudly with a wave a nausea I almost didn't make it through. I decided it was probably best to remain as still as possible.

The room was full of people and all of them were looking down at me like I was the most interesting thing they had ever seen.

I looked into their faces and tried to focus my eyes on one of them. Finally after I stared for a second, Angel 's handsome face came into view. He was the one closest to my face, standing at my shoulder and holding my hand tightly in his.

" Are you okay ? " he asked quietly, bending down so that his face was closer to mine.

" I'm fine. " I managed, around the cotton although it was difficult with my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth and all.

" Andrew went to get you some water. " he told me. " Do you want to sit up ? "

I thought about that for a second, there was nothing I wanted more than to not be laying there with all these people staring at me, then I remembered the nausea.

" I'm okay here for a minute. " I said, my voice sounded far off, distant, almost like I was talking under water.

" Has this happened before ? " he asked, looking up at Giles and Willow.

They both told him no, not that they knew of.

I was again about to tell them that I could speak for myself, when Andrew showed up with the water.

Angel put his arm under my head and helped me to sit up enough to drink it. I downed it in one gulp then wished I hadn't when it hit my stomach. This was ridiculous, What the hell was wrong with me ?

" You are going to see a doctor. " Angel said, leaving no room for argument in his tone.

It must have been some indication of how bad I felt that I didn't even try to protest.

" Tomorrow. " I answered.

I sat the rest of the way up and waved everybody away. They must have understood because everyone but Giles and Angel backed off a bit. I noticed as I looked around that Zander and Robin had both appeared while I was out.

I sat very still for a few minutes, just trying to let my head return to normal and piece together what had happened right before I passed out.

Then the thought occurred to me. He's Alive.

" Did you say Spike was alive ? " I asked, prompting Andrew to spin around from where he had been retreating from the room and come back.

Angel shook his head and rested his hand on my back. He must've thought I was going to faint again. But I managed to stay upright this time.

My thoughts whirled through my head faster than I could process them.

" Where is he ? Why isn't he with you ? " I asked, quickly, trying to vocalize everything I was thinking before it got lost in my fog-clouded brain.

Angel put his finger to my lip to quiet me. " Slow down. I don't want you to pass out again. " he said, quietly.

" Okay. See I'm taking deep breaths and I'm sitting up right. " I took several cleansing breaths to demonstrate my point.

" All right. The thing is, I also have bad news. " he began. " He's in trouble and if we don't find him soon and get to him, he won't be alive for long. "

" What do you mean, find him ? You said you saw him. Wasn't he in LA ? "

" He was but as soon as he found out where you were he started making plans to get here. He never made his flight. I still have his ticket in fact. "

" So what happened to him ? Where did he go ? " I was still feeling shaky but my brain was clearing a bit and I was beginning to not like the tone this conversation had taken. Did he just say he wouldn't be alive for long ? There was no way I was going to get him back and lose him again before I ever got to see him, to tell him how I felt.

" I got a call three nights ago, Whoever has him wants the amulet. They said if I didn't give it to them, they would kill him. "

I gaped at him. " Are you saying Spike's been kidnapped ? Isn't that Dawn's job ? "

Dawn humph at me and I smiled to let her know I was only kidding.

Angel chuckled a bit, but the grime expression never really left his face.

" This is bad, Buffy. " he told me. " I'm being told by my sources there's a new big bad out there that found out what happened with the First and they have no intention of it happening to them. "

" Reliable sources ? " I asked.

" Yeah, most of them are. " he answered.

I took a deep breath and attempted to stand. " All right then, " I said, " I say we saddle up and ride out. Where is this Big Bad ? Is he in LA ? "

Angel cast his eyes to the floor. " I have no idea. " he said, so quietly I could barely hear him.

" Then where does he want the Amulet delivered ? He had to tell you something. We'll just go there and pretend like we're giving up the goods, then jump him. " I explained. It sounded like a perfectly reasonable plan to me, but the look on Angel's face said it really, really wasn't.

He walked over to the couch and sat down. " He told me he would contact me later and I was supposed to get you and Willow and meet him where ever he wanted to meet. "

I just looked at him like he was stupid. " Okay, so no problem. We will go to LA and wait for this guy to call again. "

He sighed and sank back against he sofa again. " I don't think it's going to happen the way he wants us to believe it will. " he said, with a resigned tone in his voice. " And now I can see that you are really not up to this. "

I stared down at him, still a little unsteady on my feet. " What ? I am totally up for this. Do you mean because I passed out ? " I asked.

He just shook his head.

" I just have a bug. I bet it will be gone by tomorrow. " I tried to explain.

" Buffy, there is something going on with you. " he answered. " I felt it the minute you walked into the room. Something is different. You are not one hundred percent. "

I walked close to him and dropped down to look into his eyes. " I can handle anything I need to if it means I can save him. " I told him firmly. " Nothing is going to stop me from trying. " I had never meant anything more in my life and I did my best to make sure he understood that with my eyes.

I saw him swallow and fidget again. Good, I thought, I made my point.

" I still think there is going to be trouble. Lots of trouble. " he said, not totally backing down, but no longer contemplating leaving me here at least.

" What kind of trouble ? " I asked, standing again.

" My sources tell me that we have never come up against anything like this guy before. They are pretty sure he has no intention of letting Spike go, or the rest of us for that matter. They say that the way he sees it, if he takes us out, we are his biggest threat. Without us to ruin his plans, he'll be home free to do whatever he wants. "

" Do you think Spike's already dead ? " I asked, a cold lump forming in my stomach as I said the words.

" No, he's not dead yet. He's the one that makes the calls. " he answered.

I watched him for a minute or two. I knew there was something else going on that he wasn't telling. I could see it in his eyes, but more than that, I could almost feel it. It was something big, something that was really bothering him. I decided to let it go though. For the moment we had other things to worry about and he would tell me when he was ready or I needed to know. Like he said, it was his way.

" So when do we leave ? " Willow asked, standing and walking over to us.

Angel smiled at her. " Right after dusk tomorrow. I already have your plane tickets. " he turned to me and got a stern look on his face. " That will give you time to pack and see a doctor before we leave. "

I sighed. I had said I would. Besides, if we were going to fight a really Big Bad, I did need to make sure I was in top form and I certainly didn't feel anywhere near it.

I nodded at him.

" Can I come, too ? " Andrew asked, from where he had been standing quietly beside us all, taking everything in.

Angel glanced at him then looked to me. " I don't have a problem with it. Bring whoever you want. " he answered.

I looked Andrew up and down, taking him in. " Do you think you'll be all right if it comes to a fight ? " I asked him.

" I fought the First with you. " he reminded me.

I smiled. Spike had meant a lot to him. No, I thought, Spike means a lot to him. I had just started insisting to myself that I had to think of Spike in the past tense, now I was going to have to retrain my brain again.

Poor Brain, I thought, it doesn't know what I want from it.

" All right. I guess you can come. " I answered.

" Thank you. I want to do whatever I can to help you. " he smiled, like a kid that just got permission from his mother to do something cool.

I turned back to Angel and offered him my hand. " Come on, I'll show you your room. "

He took it and followed me to the doorway.

" I'll call the doctor for you first thing in the morning. " Andrew called after us.

I grimaced slightly. I really, really hated doctors.