Chapter Twenty-Eight: Come: Time Is Running Short
Tara struggled into the house, carrying every book on vampires and poison the Magic Box had, "How is he?" She asked, gesturing to Spike. He was still lying on the couch, eyes shut. Dawn was sitting next to him and Buffy was sitting on a chair, reading one of her books on vampires.
"No change," Dawn said. "I keep giving him blood but it doesn't help. He keeps getting warmer and warmer."
"Is Willow back?" Tara asked.
"No," Buffy said. "And we haven't found anything that can help him either."
"I'll see if there's anything I can find in these," Tara said, opening one of the books she had brought. "There has to be something that will work."
"What exactly are we looking for?" Buffy asked.
"We'll know more when Willow gets back," Tara said. "Just look for anything that sounds like what's wrong with Spike."
"I can think of a lot of things that are wrong with Spike," Buffy mumbled before turning back to her book.
The door opened and Willow hurried in, "I found what she gave him," Willow said, without greeting anyone. She held up a test tube. "There was still a little bit left."
"Ew," Buffy said. "It looks like something you'd find in a sewer. She made him drink that?"
"Yeah," Dawn said. "She poured it down his throat after she nearly beat him to death."
"Why?" Willow asked. "Why would she do something like that to him?"
"I don't know," Dawn said. "I couldn't hear what was being said."
"Why were you following him anyway?" Buffy asked. She didn't even want to think about what could have happened to Dawn if Drusilla had seen her. If Drusilla could hurt Spike the way she had then Buffy couldn't imagine what she could have done to Dawn.
"He was so angry," Dawn said, tearfully. "About what Sarah was doing to you and the baby. I was afraid that he'd do something he might regret so I followed him."
Buffy froze, remembering, for the first time since Dawn had mentioned it, that Sarah had done something to her and the baby. "Do you know exactly what she did?" Buffy asked, fearfully. She wasn't afraid for herself. She'd been in danger plenty of times and had died twice. She was afraid for her baby.
"No," Dawn said. "Just that those herbal teas she was giving you were making you sick and he went to her house to find out what was going on. Then they left and went to the factory."
"Why would she do something like that?" Tara asked. She felt terrible. She and Willow had been the ones who had recommended Sarah to Spike and Buffy.
"I don't know," Buffy said. "But if she's working with Drusilla then…" She was interrupted by Spike moaning.
Buffy hurried to his side and sat down next to Dawn, "Spike? Spike, it's me, Buffy. Can you hear me?" He didn't acknowledge her, just continued to trash around. Buffy took his hand and noticed that it was warm. This was a different sensation coming from Spike. Even at the height of passion his body temperature remained the same. Spike had jokingly called it fire and ice joining together. Now he was the one on fire and her hands were icy with fear. "Spike," She continued. "Do you know what she did to you?"
Spike opened his eyes but looked right past Buffy at Dawn, "Nibblet, check on Fluffy and Lucifer, kay? Got results the other night… just a matter of time now…"
Buffy looked at Dawn, "What's he talking about? Who are Fluffy and Lucifer?"
"Nobody," Dawn lied, tears streaming down her face. "He doesn't know what he was saying. He thought you were Charlotte, earlier. It's whatever poison she gave him that's talking." She turned away from Buffy and put the straw to Spike's lips so he could drink from the mug.
"Tastes good, Lil Bit," Spike said in one of his first moments of clarity, "Nice and cool."
"I've found it," Willow said, hurrying into the living room. She'd taken the test tube with the poison into the kitchen to run some tests on it. "I found out what it is."
"What?" Buffy asked anxiously.
"It's a special poison for vampires," Willow explained. "Part it is made with holy water and the rest with some herbs. Instead of burning him alive instantly like normal holy water would this is going to eat away at his insides until he burns from the inside out."
Buffy gasped and held onto Dawn, who had thrown herself into Buffy's arms, "Is there anything we can do?" She was not going to raise her baby without Spike and she was not going to let her baby grow up without knowing his or her father, not if she could help it.
"There some kind of clue," Willow said. "Something about how if he drinks the blood of the blood he drank when he became a creature of the night."
"What does that mean?" Tara asked.
"I think it means that he needs to drink the blood of his sire or he'll die," Buffy said.
"Who's his sire?" Tara asked. "What if we can't find him?"
"We can," Willow said, looking at Buffy. "I'll call Angel."
Buffy shook her head, "No, Angel isn't Spike's sire. Drusilla is."
"But when we first met Spike he called Angel his sire," Willow pointed out.
"No," Buffy said. "Spike told me about the night he was turned and he said that it was Drusilla who approached him. He told me that she drank his blood but he doesn't remember anything else until he woke up in his coffin." She shivered, remembering her own ordeal involving a coffin.
"Let's see if he can tell us anything," Tara suggested. She knelt down next to Spike and said gently, "Spike, Spike? Do you remember the night you were turned?" He nodded, eyes shut and Tara continued, "Who's blood did you drink?"
Spike smiled and said, "Delicious, never tasted anything like it, sweet, just like the peaches Nanny used to give us." Then he started babbling about the latest 'Passions' storyline and then lapsed into unconsciousness.
"Did that make any sense to anyone?" Willow asked.
Buffy stood up and began to pace around the living room, her hands on her stomach, "I think it does. What did he say the blood reminded him of? Peaches, that's what he calls Angel too. It must have been Angel."
"There's only one way we're going to find out," Willow said. "Do you want me to call Angel?"
"Please," Buffy said. "Don't tell him what's going on, though. Just tell him to get down here and fast. We don't know how much time Spike has left." She sat back down next to Spike and brushed his face back from his face. She wasn't going to let him die. He'd helped her to live again. He'd even given her life in the form of their baby. She owed him that much.
Willow went into the kitchen and dialed a number from memory. After a few rings she heard a familiar voice say, "Angel Investigations."
"Angel, hi," Willow said.
"Willow, is that you?" He asked. Then his voice became alarmed. "What's wrong? Has something happened to Buffy?"
"No, no, she's fine," Willow quickly assured him. "We just need your help with something."
"What?" Angel asked.
"I can't explain it over the phone," Willow said. "Can you come to Sunnydale, now?"
"Now?" Angel asked.
"It's really important," Willow said.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked.
"I'll explain when you get here," Willow told him. "Just hurry."
"I'll be right there," Angel said, hanging up the phone.
"He's coming," Willow said, coming back into the living room.
"Good," Buffy said, looking down at Spike. "Let's just hope he gets here in time."
Tara struggled into the house, carrying every book on vampires and poison the Magic Box had, "How is he?" She asked, gesturing to Spike. He was still lying on the couch, eyes shut. Dawn was sitting next to him and Buffy was sitting on a chair, reading one of her books on vampires.
"No change," Dawn said. "I keep giving him blood but it doesn't help. He keeps getting warmer and warmer."
"Is Willow back?" Tara asked.
"No," Buffy said. "And we haven't found anything that can help him either."
"I'll see if there's anything I can find in these," Tara said, opening one of the books she had brought. "There has to be something that will work."
"What exactly are we looking for?" Buffy asked.
"We'll know more when Willow gets back," Tara said. "Just look for anything that sounds like what's wrong with Spike."
"I can think of a lot of things that are wrong with Spike," Buffy mumbled before turning back to her book.
The door opened and Willow hurried in, "I found what she gave him," Willow said, without greeting anyone. She held up a test tube. "There was still a little bit left."
"Ew," Buffy said. "It looks like something you'd find in a sewer. She made him drink that?"
"Yeah," Dawn said. "She poured it down his throat after she nearly beat him to death."
"Why?" Willow asked. "Why would she do something like that to him?"
"I don't know," Dawn said. "I couldn't hear what was being said."
"Why were you following him anyway?" Buffy asked. She didn't even want to think about what could have happened to Dawn if Drusilla had seen her. If Drusilla could hurt Spike the way she had then Buffy couldn't imagine what she could have done to Dawn.
"He was so angry," Dawn said, tearfully. "About what Sarah was doing to you and the baby. I was afraid that he'd do something he might regret so I followed him."
Buffy froze, remembering, for the first time since Dawn had mentioned it, that Sarah had done something to her and the baby. "Do you know exactly what she did?" Buffy asked, fearfully. She wasn't afraid for herself. She'd been in danger plenty of times and had died twice. She was afraid for her baby.
"No," Dawn said. "Just that those herbal teas she was giving you were making you sick and he went to her house to find out what was going on. Then they left and went to the factory."
"Why would she do something like that?" Tara asked. She felt terrible. She and Willow had been the ones who had recommended Sarah to Spike and Buffy.
"I don't know," Buffy said. "But if she's working with Drusilla then…" She was interrupted by Spike moaning.
Buffy hurried to his side and sat down next to Dawn, "Spike? Spike, it's me, Buffy. Can you hear me?" He didn't acknowledge her, just continued to trash around. Buffy took his hand and noticed that it was warm. This was a different sensation coming from Spike. Even at the height of passion his body temperature remained the same. Spike had jokingly called it fire and ice joining together. Now he was the one on fire and her hands were icy with fear. "Spike," She continued. "Do you know what she did to you?"
Spike opened his eyes but looked right past Buffy at Dawn, "Nibblet, check on Fluffy and Lucifer, kay? Got results the other night… just a matter of time now…"
Buffy looked at Dawn, "What's he talking about? Who are Fluffy and Lucifer?"
"Nobody," Dawn lied, tears streaming down her face. "He doesn't know what he was saying. He thought you were Charlotte, earlier. It's whatever poison she gave him that's talking." She turned away from Buffy and put the straw to Spike's lips so he could drink from the mug.
"Tastes good, Lil Bit," Spike said in one of his first moments of clarity, "Nice and cool."
"I've found it," Willow said, hurrying into the living room. She'd taken the test tube with the poison into the kitchen to run some tests on it. "I found out what it is."
"What?" Buffy asked anxiously.
"It's a special poison for vampires," Willow explained. "Part it is made with holy water and the rest with some herbs. Instead of burning him alive instantly like normal holy water would this is going to eat away at his insides until he burns from the inside out."
Buffy gasped and held onto Dawn, who had thrown herself into Buffy's arms, "Is there anything we can do?" She was not going to raise her baby without Spike and she was not going to let her baby grow up without knowing his or her father, not if she could help it.
"There some kind of clue," Willow said. "Something about how if he drinks the blood of the blood he drank when he became a creature of the night."
"What does that mean?" Tara asked.
"I think it means that he needs to drink the blood of his sire or he'll die," Buffy said.
"Who's his sire?" Tara asked. "What if we can't find him?"
"We can," Willow said, looking at Buffy. "I'll call Angel."
Buffy shook her head, "No, Angel isn't Spike's sire. Drusilla is."
"But when we first met Spike he called Angel his sire," Willow pointed out.
"No," Buffy said. "Spike told me about the night he was turned and he said that it was Drusilla who approached him. He told me that she drank his blood but he doesn't remember anything else until he woke up in his coffin." She shivered, remembering her own ordeal involving a coffin.
"Let's see if he can tell us anything," Tara suggested. She knelt down next to Spike and said gently, "Spike, Spike? Do you remember the night you were turned?" He nodded, eyes shut and Tara continued, "Who's blood did you drink?"
Spike smiled and said, "Delicious, never tasted anything like it, sweet, just like the peaches Nanny used to give us." Then he started babbling about the latest 'Passions' storyline and then lapsed into unconsciousness.
"Did that make any sense to anyone?" Willow asked.
Buffy stood up and began to pace around the living room, her hands on her stomach, "I think it does. What did he say the blood reminded him of? Peaches, that's what he calls Angel too. It must have been Angel."
"There's only one way we're going to find out," Willow said. "Do you want me to call Angel?"
"Please," Buffy said. "Don't tell him what's going on, though. Just tell him to get down here and fast. We don't know how much time Spike has left." She sat back down next to Spike and brushed his face back from his face. She wasn't going to let him die. He'd helped her to live again. He'd even given her life in the form of their baby. She owed him that much.
Willow went into the kitchen and dialed a number from memory. After a few rings she heard a familiar voice say, "Angel Investigations."
"Angel, hi," Willow said.
"Willow, is that you?" He asked. Then his voice became alarmed. "What's wrong? Has something happened to Buffy?"
"No, no, she's fine," Willow quickly assured him. "We just need your help with something."
"What?" Angel asked.
"I can't explain it over the phone," Willow said. "Can you come to Sunnydale, now?"
"Now?" Angel asked.
"It's really important," Willow said.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked.
"I'll explain when you get here," Willow told him. "Just hurry."
"I'll be right there," Angel said, hanging up the phone.
"He's coming," Willow said, coming back into the living room.
"Good," Buffy said, looking down at Spike. "Let's just hope he gets here in time."