When Buffy opened the door to her house she was out of breath and not because of overexertion. She had been fighting to stay awake, as she had been on the verge of drifting in and out of consciousness. Once inside the stronghold of her home, she let herself fall to the floor in fatigue.
"Buffy? Is that you?" Dawn called from the kitchen, her voice muffled from the walls it was going through.
Buffy heard her sister calling but couldn't find it in her to yell back. "Is Buffy back?" she heard Tara's quiet voice ask. Then, before she finally let go of the threads of consciousness, she heard the scraping sounds of their chairs as they left the kitchen to look for her.
"Oh my God, Buffy!" Willow cried as she saw the heap on the floor that was her friend.
"Buffy!" This cry was even louder as Dawn looked at the blood stained shirt, she as wearing.
Willow and Dawn, frantic, knelt down beside their friend and sister trying to look for some sign to relieve them of the terrible worry they were feeling. Tara, the voice of reason in this mess, finally spoke, saying, "We should probably get her upstairs, and, maybe someone who doesn't mind blood could clean up that wound."
"Right," the two other girls agreed in unison, as if that plan had been formulating in their minds all along. Between the three of them, they carried Buffy upstairs to her room without too much trouble and cleaned the deep cuts on her middle.
"So, what do we think did this?" Dawn asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Willow shook her head softly, her red locks falling from behind her ears to the front of her face. "I have no idea. But I don't think it's just a flesh wound. She survived when she was staked and I'm sure she lost more blood than this, but she is totally out of it. I'm thinking there is something else. Who knows what did this and what else could result from it. I think we should go on reconnaissance, maybe see if there is some kind of clue in the cemetery."
"I agree!" Dawn said, enthusiastic to be included in something.
Tara gave a weak smile. "I think perhaps you should stay here, Dawnie. We don't want whatever it was to get you too."
A grumble escaped Dawn's lips but she submitted to her two older friends and allowed herself to be contented with staying to watch Buffy.
Giving Dawn a quick kiss on the forehead, Willow and Tara left the room quickly and within moments, had vacated the house.
The sky was getting darker by the moment, even for night and the ever present thunder and lightning kept reminding the witches that their scout of the cemetery better be quick.
After nearly circling the cemetery once, the first drops of rain were felt and Tara looked at Willow with a sense of sympathy. "It was a good idea," she consoled. "Let's go." She draped a protective arm over her girlfriends shoulder as the cut across the grassy area full of gravestones.
"Oh my God," Willow said, her eyes falling upon a crumpled Spike whose bloody neck was being cleaned by the rain, revealing cuts not unlike Buffy's. "I'm not one to claim excellent deductive skills, but I'd say the two of them had a run in with the same beastie."
"I'd say you were right," Tara concurred. She knelt forward and examined the unconscious Spike. "Do we just leave him and wish him the best?"
"No. It's going to be daylight in four hours. If he doesn't wake up by then, he's screwed. And not that I'm part of the Spike fan club or know anything about him, I've got to say, I don't think he'd like to go out because the sun rose while he was sleeping."
"Let's just drag him to his crypt," Tara suggested. She walked over to the stone building she knew to be his and tried to move the door. It would not budge. "Damn vampires," she muttered, "What do they think they need to protect?"
"I guess we'll have to drag him back to the house, then," Willow said. "We could carry him, with the help of just a tiny spell," Willow pleaded.
"No," Tara stated firmly. "No magic. Besides, it's Spike. We can't possibly do him that much damage. Buffy's house is only a ten minute walk. I'll grab one arm, you grab the other."
Hands firmly clasped upon Spike's wrists, the two girls began the long pull home. "Not to make a pun," Willow panted after a couple minutes, "But this is dead weight."
"I agree." They dragged Spike over yet another rock on the sidewalk, causing his black lighter to fall out of his pocket and into the side of the road. "Should we get that?"
"No," Willow told her, "It's a bad habit anyway."
Finally, after a good ten minutes more than it normally took them to get back from the cemetery, the odd threesome crossed into the threshold of the Summer's house. Dawn appeared at the top of the stairs, looking down at Spike who lay prone on the floor.
"Did he…?"she started. She looked at his neck. "Will he be alright? His wounds are a lot deeper than Buffy's?"
Dawn leaned over Spike, surprised when his eyes snapped open. "Hey, niblet," he said, his words coming out throaty. His arms clung to his abdomen as he doubled over in pain. "Oh, bollucks," he cursed. "Damn stomach. It's hurts like hell."
"What about your neck?" Willow asked. "That doesn't look too friendly, either."
"Nah, don't feel a thing. But you shouldn't be worried 'bout me. Buffy needs an extra pillow 'cause she's got shooting pains up her neck." As soon as the words left his mouth, all three girls shot curious glances at him but the look on his face was even more confused. "Where the hell did that come from?"
A/N: Hey, sorry about the lack of chapters and content but I picked a really crappy time to post this story. I was planning on posting a story tonight (and will still try, I promise) but I have unthinkable amounts of homework. Thanks for all the nice reviews, 5 is more than I ever expected for my first story. Keep reading and reviewing! I will update as soon as possible Thanks. -Christina