Title: The Sacrifices
Author: mispel
E-mail: PG-13
Summary: Buffy and the others plan to return the baby. Anya and Halfrek look for the demons. Harmony finds that Spike may not be a reliable partner. The demons are close to getting what they need.
Spoilers: Early season 7
Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing
Feedback: It's not easy to improve without feedback, so let's have some.
A/N: Takes place in early season 7, not long after Beneath You and Same Time, Same Place.
Previously: Xander had found a baby as well as a white sock by a scene of a demon fight. Anya recruited Halfrek and they got information from an informant. Harmony got Spike interested in her scheme.
The baby was asleep on the couch. Dawn was sitting next to him so he couldn't roll off. Xander was trying to find out about the baby on the news. It took some channel flipping, and there he was.
"That's our baby!" Xander exclaimed and Buffy frowned.
There was a video of the baby being held by his mother. She took his hand and made him wave at the camera. Then they showed photographs. One with a duck.
"So cute!" Willow cooed.
"And that's his Dad. Oh no, he's crying," Dawn said as she watched.
They listened as they played part of the statement the parents had made at a press conference. They were asking anyone with information to come forward.
"That's us. They're talking about us. We have information!" Dawn yelled.
"We have the baby," Buffy pointed out looking at him while he slept on the sofa next to Dawn, undisturbed by the noise.
"Look, his Mom and Dad are so scared," Dawn said more quietly, sounding alarmed. She placed a hand on the baby's arm very lightly.
"We can't wait," Willow said her voice deep with emotion but sure.
"No crazy hjinks filled, road trip to LA, then," Xander concluded.
"We leave the baby at the police station. Hospital?" Buffy decided, then looked around for feedback.
"Hospital is better," Willow told her. "They'll want to check him over anyway."
"I'll drop him off," Xander volunteered, "I'm guessing Will will be doing research, and you are going to go after those demon guys," Xander said to Buffy.
"I'll go with Xander, in case he needs a diversion. I can pretend to have a sprained wrist. Or faint," Dawn offered enthusiastically.
"Will the baby be safe there?" Buffy asked.
"We can't wait to let the parents know, they're in agony," Willow said still affected by the pain they saw. Lights shining on them in a room fool of cameras, the parents looked like they were being submerged in anguish. They were sinking into it as their hope faded with every hour.
"I guess if we take care of the demons, the baby will be safe," Buffy said.
"I'll put a protection spell on him," Willow suggested getting up.
"You feel safe to do that?" Xander asked her gingerly.
Willow stopped. She looked hurt for a moment then uncertain. She sat back down, deflated.
"I... did," she said.
"Demons can't get to him in the hospital, plus there'll be cops all over the place," Xander told her with a weak smile.
Willow looked at the sleeping baby, clearly upset that she couldn't protect him.
"Willow..." Buffy started to say but Dawn jumped up from the couch with an idea.
"I'll pretend to have a back injury! That's what all the drug seekers do. They are real hard to diagnose. I saw it on ER," Dawn babbled as she went to get dressed.
"Can anyone here cover bail?" Xander asked.
"No" and "No" were the answers from Buffy and Willow.
"We just won't get caught then," Dawn said cheerfully from the stairs.
Things were looking really good there for a second. Spikey-bear had agreed to help her. Yey! But then everything stopped. Or Spike stopped. Like his batteries ran out. Stupid, useless Spike.
They were still in the gross basement, and Harmony had no idea what Spike was waiting for. She had never seen him look worse. He was all scarred and burned and way dirtier than she was. She was kind of glad about that. She hated it when her boyfriends looked prettier than her.
Harmony tried to tell him that time was an issue. The whole baby deal had an expiration date. But he didn't budge. She even tried pushing him, but the only thing that moved were his lips, and he wasn't even saying anything. God, he was so unreliable. Still, she didn't want to face Buffy without help. Even if the help wasn't being helpful.
Buffy tuned out the newspeople with their inhuman inflection and tacky wardrobe. The images from the news played in Buffy's mind. Those pictures, even the still ones, played like a movie.
That was it - a normal life. It was all so perfect. There was a mess of toys on the beyond ugly, green carpet as the baby reached his hand toward the camera. There were dirty dishes in the sink behind Dad as he held his little boy to show him off in a tiny Lakers jersey. Mom was in a robe, her hair a frizzy disaster when she said, "Wave to Daddy" in that high voice people use to talk to babies.
Then they were on the news begging to have it all back. Willing to do anything, but stuck helplessly in front of other cameras, pleading, trying to get the words out before their voices stopped working. The Mom looked angry when she was trying not to cry. When she cried, she just looked broken. Like she was thinking the worst.
Willow and Xander were bundling up the baby as Willow gave instructions to Xander not to leave any evidence. They decided to leave behind all the things on which they got their fingerprints. The last thing they did was tuck the blue blanket around the baby as he woke up ready for his trip.
Buffy closed her eyes and pictured a happy reunion. And the movie starting up again like the old film reels. A few dark and glitchy, out of focus frames and back to the home movie with toys and waving. Like nothing bad ever happened.
"Learning by rote isn't really learning is it, Spike?" the white haired, old man asked in his indistinct, far off voice.
Spike didn't offer his opinion. He wondered why he had thought he could go where he pleased, do as he liked. What a strange idea to come into his head all of a sudden. It was Harmony - she was a bad influence.
The skinny, white haired, old man spoke, and the body of the other old man in the checkered shirt blocked Spike's path. The white haired, old man was so close, but Spike still couldn't see him clearly. Like reaching for a coin in the water, making the water ripple so you couldn't see to grab it.
Harmony didn't look at the skinny, old man once. Spike looked at her and watched her shift uncomfortably under the pressure of his stare. She knew when someone looked at her too hard. She had eyes. But she didn't see the white haired, old man.
Spike moved his feet. They felt surprising light. They stepped over the dead man and took him out the door and up the stairs and into the cool, dark air. He could smell car exhaust and some kind of tropical tree dropping its flowers so they littered the ground. And he could hear Harmony talking non-stop. She was his compass now. He was royally screwed.
The place could be called a wood only in the loosest sense. The trees were sad and misshapen, and a little evil looking. It was mostly dry clumps of grass, some rocks and large bushes. Anya was still trying to justify her own actions as she and Halfrek looked for the demons' hiding place the informant had told them about. Anya suggested that they might even be able to write off this fun, little adventure as a business expense. Anya looked for an opening in the ground. But Halfrek stopped
"How is this vengeance?" Halfrek challenged with her hands on her hips.
"Who among us comes running when a child is mistreated?" Anya retorted ready for her.
"You said the child is safe. I feel no upcoming vengeance."
Anya gave her a dirty look as she stomped her foot in the earth looking for a weak spot.
"Oh, fine, then, it's not vengeance. It's just fun. Plus they are our sworn enemies - it's our duty," Anya said as she kicking away clumps of dirt.
"Remember when we massacred them in Latvia? After they killed Ronnie and got her necklace. Poor, dear, little Ronnie. Those were the days - severed limbs flying everywhere," Halfrek reminisced, looking dreamy.
"Yeah, those were good times," Anya agreed. She remembered Ronnie was a sweet demon with a penchant for roasting people alive. They deserved it, mostly.
Before Halfrek and Anya were done reliving the past, they heard something. They hid behind some bushes and looked around. There was nothing to see yet, but they could hear the sounds of clumsy approach a little ways off.
"This isn't about duty. You have to stop fooling yourself. You're still playing at being on the hero team," Halfrek whispered to Anya as they stood close, hiding.
"Am not," Anya denied indignantly. She couldn't believe it had come to this. Halfrek was her junior. She had looked up to Anya, gushed at her inventiveness, followed her everywhere, copied her wardrobe. Now she was scolding her. Anya had to hurry and get her reputation back before Halfrek's little therapist shtick got to be completely insufferable.
"Then you're playing the hero. Who are you trying to impress?" Halfrek continued.
"Who's here to impress? You? I'm trying to impress you," Anya said dully, trying to put a stop to the lecture.
"Try dealing out some vengeance then."
The nerve. Like vengeance wasn't Anya's reason for being for a thousand years or so. Anya was ready to explode, but Halfrek put a finger to her lips and gave Anya a look reminding her to keep quiet.
"Hey. I have a couple of hundred years of vengeance on you, missy, so watch it," Anya warned her keeping her voice low.
"Not this run. You've only been a vengeance demon for a few months. And you have been impressing no one."
Anya couldn't exactly argue with her recent record. Especially having just reversed a wish. She just wanted Hallie to shut up about it so she could forget that she let Xander talk her into such a backsliding, wishy-washy, career destroying move.
"You are trying to prove all the wrong things to all the wrong people, honey," Halfrek said in a kindly, advice giving voice.
Just then a demon with scales and big feet ran past them. It was limping and carrying something with one arm.
"Ooh. I got something," Halfrek said as she looked after him.
Anya didn't sense anything. Halfrek held her head to one side like she was listening.
"Too young to make a wish, though," Hallie admitted.
Anya then saw two small feet sticking out from the bundle the demon carried.
"Well give it a decade. It won't get any older and wish enabled if it's sacrificed," Anya pointed out.
Halfrek shrugged and they followed the scaly demon through the sparse woods as he carried a child with one white sock.
For a long time the only movement was the slight stirring of air where the tunnel widened into their sacred space. Excitement surged through them when they heard it - irregular footsteps high above, getting closer. There were other footsteps too, but those weren't of any interest. They had traps for their kind. It was the big feet, off balance, not the usual stride, but still recognizable. They all stood up at once and prepared themselves.
To be continued