Night Falls

Notes: Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming!

Previously:

The others had all but abandoned the cameras since the explosion and Caleb's surprise attack. The plan to abduct a Bringer had also fallen by the wayside. Taking a sip from his drink, Andrew watched as a vampire moved into view. He was obviously stalking someone, but did not notice that someone was also stalking him. Andrew nearly spit out his soda when he saw a Bringer grab the vampire from behind and shove a cloth into his face. The vampire slumped over and the Bringer dragged him off out of view.

Andrew ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "What the hell was that?"

Chapter Thirty-One:

Hailey could hear Tanya moaning through the door of the motel room. With each sound, she felt as though a knife was plunging deeper and deeper into her heart. Tanya would do anything for her disease, anything to get Hailey what she needed to be normal, even if it meant letting some lowlife drug dealer fuck her into oblivion for a few hits. Hailey leaned her head against the wooden door and closed her eyes. Love was a tricky thing. The sounds suddenly stopped and Hailey moved away from the door, practically flying down the stairs of the motel's second floor, taking them two at a time. She reached the parking lot and slid into her car.

A couple of minutes later, Tanya emerged from the room, fixing her hair. She looked sad when the moonlight struck her face and Hailey felt her heart tighten in her chest. She did not want Tanya to have to do those things, but Tanya knew that Hailey would never make it a day without her drugs. Sometimes Hailey wondered whether it would have been better to just quit. But she knew that it was not be so easy. "Hey," Tanya said as she slid into the car beside Hailey.

"How'd it go?" Hailey asked, trying desperately to keep the pain out of her voice.

"Got it," Tanya said, holding up a small package of white powder. Hailey smiled.

"You're the best, baby," she said, leaning over and kissing her girlfriend deeply. Tanya moaned and Hailey nearly pulled away in disgust, the sound too reminiscent of those she had heard moments earlier.

"You want to do this now?" Tanya asked, looking over the drugs.

"No," Hailey replied slowly. "Let's get home first. I don't want anyone to see."

"Okay," Tanya said, noticing a change in her girlfriend. "You okay?" She asked. Hailey simply nodded as she threw the car into reverse and backed out of her parking space. "I love you, you know that right?"

Hailey smiled a melancholy, lopsided smile and said, "I know."

…………………

"I hope very much that you understand the significance of this moment. I hope you understand the importance of your sacrifice," Caleb said as he paced back and forth in front of the Seal located in the basement of the ruins of the new Sunnydale High School with his hands folded behind his back. "It's a beautiful thing that you're doing."

"Let me go!" The vampire yelled as the Bringers hoisted him up over the Seal on a wooden apparatus reminiscent of a cross. It was the same apparatus that Spike had been attached to some time earlier. The other vampire's blood still stained the wood.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. And if you understood the preciousness of what is about to happen, you wouldn't want me to either. You are going to create life, you are going to bring life into this world, and that is a very blessed thing, is it not?" Caleb asked, turning to look at the First, who was once again wearing Buffy Summers' face.

"A very blessed thing," the First concurred.

"Start the ritual," Caleb commanded, turning back to the Bringers. They nodded and moved methodically, slashing the vampire's exposed chest in certain places to produce the best blood flow. "Those boys really are amazing," Caleb commented. "With no eyes they have the clearest vision."

"That's because they have my vision," the First said.

"And you're vision is absolutely perfect. Chaotic, dark, and perfect," Caleb said, smiling disarmingly.

"I have to admit, Caleb, I was a little worried that you weren't committed enough after that debacle with the new Slayer," the First said, walking in circles around its minion. "But this," it said, motioning to the screaming, writhing vampire, "is quite brilliant."

"Well, if we can't bring the people to the war, we can bring the war to the people," Caleb replied confidently. "We're going to create an army of vampires larger than anything anyone has ever seen before since the dawn of time. An army so powerful that there will never exist another like it again."

"We're going to destroy this town," the First replied, smiling with satisfaction.

"Not just this town," Caleb said, shaking his head. "No, we're going to spread your vision of absolute darkness to every person living on this earth. And they will bow before it or die."

"And what about the new Slayer?" The First asked, looking up at Caleb with alarmingly innocent eyes.

"Why, I'm going to rip her throat out," Caleb said patiently. "But first, I'm going to make her suffer."

…………………………………….

"Spike," Hailey said, stomping down the basement stairs. "You down here?"

"What's up, love?" Spike asked as he lay on his cot in the corner.

"I know you've got some alcohol down here somewhere. I want some," Hailey commanded. "Right now."

"Drinking on the job, eh?" Spike asked, smiling sardonically as he pulled himself into a sitting position and motioned for Hailey to join him.

"Do you have anything or not?" Hailey asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, I've got the best," Spike replied, rolling his eyes as he pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels and two shot glasses from a drawer in a cabinet next to his cot. "And lucky for you, pet, I'm in a sharing mood." Hailey nodded and sat down beside the bleach blonde vampire on the rickety cot. Spike poured them two shots and handed a glass to her, which she took eagerly. "A toast," Spike offered.

"To what?" Hailey asked.

"To being a Slayer," Spike said. "It must be nice."

"It's different," Hailey stated. "But I'll drink to it."

"Bottoms up then," Spike said as he lifted the glass to his lips and let the amber liquid slide down his throat. Hailey did the same, grimacing as it burned its way down to her stomach.

"Another," Hailey said, handing him the glass.

"What's wrong?" Spike asked as he poured her another shot.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" She countered.

"You're sitting in a fairly dank basement taking shots with a vampire," Spike deadpanned. "I think it's safe to say that something's not quite right."

"Kennedy," Hailey said, downing her second shot. Usually by now, she would have a buzz forming, but she felt nothing. Spike seemed to sense her dilemma and smiled.

"Slayer metabolism," he stated. "It's going to take twice your normal amount to get drunk."

"Wonderful," Hailey replied as Spike filled her glass again.

"So what about Kennedy is bothering you?" Spike asked.

"The way she looks at Willow," Hailey said angrily. "And the way she looks at me."

"What the difference?" Spike inquired.

"She looks at Willow like she wants to fuck her and she looks at me like she wants to kill me," Hailey said. "She was supposed to be the next Slayer, not me. And she knows it."

"But she's not the next Slayer, you are. She has to get over it," Spike said. Hailey contemplated his words and downed her third shot.

"What if I can't do this?" Hailey asked lowly. "I'm not reliable."

"You think Buffy's always been reliable? There was a time when she cared more about fitting in and cheerleading than she did about slaying. And what about Faith? Do I even need to remind you about what happened with her? Not a pinnacle of reliability that one," Spike objected.

Hailey snickered. "Good point," she said.

"You want another?" Spike asked.

"No, I shouldn't," Hailey replied.

"Why not?" Spike said.

"Drug addict, alcoholic…they both kinda go hand in hand," Hailey said, handing him back his shot glass. "I probably shouldn't have even had one."

"Thanks for telling me now," Spike retorted. Hailey flashed him a smile and stood.

"Good talk," she said, heading back up the basement stairs.

"Anytime," Spike called after her.

Hailey closed the basement door behind her. "Hailey," Andrew said, virtually popping up out of nowhere.

"What?" Hailey asked, annoyed at being surprised.

"There's something you should see," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the laptop set up in the dining room.

"What?" Hailey asked, eyeing him suspiciously as he pulled a video up on the computer screen.

"Watch this," Andrew instructed.

"This better not be something stupid," Hailey muttered. A video feed from the cameras stationed around Sunnydale began to play. It showed a vampire moving across the screen, only to be attacked and kidnapped by a Bringer. "That's weird," Hailey said.

"That's not all," Andrew replied proudly. "I've found more."

"Show me," Hailey requested interestedly.

Andrew pulled up several more videos he had discovered when sifting through archived footage from the different cameras. All depicted vampires being kidnapped by Bringers. "I don't know what it all means, but I thought you should see it," Andrew said.

"You were right," Hailey acknowledged. "I want you to keep a careful eye on these cameras. Let me know how many vampires they take a night."

"Really?" Andrew practically squeaked. "So this is like an official Scooby job?"

"Yeah," Hailey said, shaking her head at his oddness, but smiling. "It's an official Scooby job."

…………………………………

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Willow said, closing the kitchen door and stepping out into the backyard.

"Sure," Kennedy replied, turning to face the red haired witch.

"You were out of line today," Willow stated.

"When?" Kennedy asked.

"Well first off, when you punched Hailey in the face," Willow said.

"That was an accident," Kennedy maintained. "Colleen and I were sparring. People get hit. It's the way it goes."

"Something tells me it wasn't an accident," Willow muttered.

"Are you happy with her?" Kennedy suddenly asked.

"What?" Willow replied.

"Are you happy with her," Kennedy stated more slowly. "It seems like there's a whole lot of tension between you and I can't really figure out why you're with her."

"That's none of your business," Willow replied angrily. "Of course I'm happy with her."

"Are you really?" Kennedy asked, stepping closer until she was practically invading Willow's personal space. The witch did not move.

"Yes," Willow said softly.

"I don't believe you," Kennedy replied, looking Willow deeply in the eyes before she leaned forward and kissed her.