Chapter Fifty-Six: Now I've Lost You
"Uh Riley," Xander stammered, not taking his eyes off the gun in Riley's hand. "Why don't you put the gun down."
"Sorry," Riley said. "Now if we do this right no one will get hurt."
"Forget it," Spike snarled. "If you think you can scare me with that. You should know that a few bullets are only going to piss me off."
"Right," Sam said. "That's why I brought this." She held up a taser, "And I have a whole team outside, ready to move at a moments notice, who won't hesitate to take you all into custody."
"Wha.. What do you want?" Tara stammered.
"Answers," Sam said. She looked around. "Now you guys can make this easy or you can make this hard."
"And what would that be?" Spike asked.
Sam held up a piece of paper, "We have the authority of the government to take Buffy Summers into custody and hold her until further notice."
"Over my dead, well undead body," Spike growled.
"Why do you want to take Buffy?" Anya asked.
"Sorry," Riley said. "That's classified information. Now where is she?" No one answered him. So Riley spoke into his headset, "Move in."
Before anyone could react they were surrounded by men in chamoflauge, all carrying guns.
"Whoa, slow down," Xander said.
"I'm sorry," Riley repeated. "It has to be this way."
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Spike asked, looking around and wondering which commando he should take out first.
"We're taking Buffy into custody," Sam explained. "And we have the full authority to do whatever it takes in order to do that."
Riley gestured to his team, "Search the whole place. Check the back room. She uses it to train."
"She's not here," Dawn quickly lied. Everyone turned to look at her. Dawn continued to lie, "She was tired and went home to get some sleep. She's going to come here later."
"She's right," Spike said, jumping right into Dawn's lie. "I dropped her off at the house this morning, right after you guys walked in on us."
Riley shook his head, "Nice try you two but I already sent a team to the house. She's not there."
"She must have left," Willow said. "Maybe she went baby shopping. She doesn't have everything she needs yet."
Sam rolled her eyes, "You guys are terrible liars. Besides we bugged the house, remember? And we've had a team watching the house since we left last night. Buffy hasn't been back there."
One of the commandos reported back to Riley and Sam, "We found her. She's in the back room, sleeping."
"Get her ready for transport," Sam ordered. The commando nodded and headed back towards the training room.
Spike vamped out, growled and lunged at the commando that had told Riley and Sam where Buffy was. His hands were reaching for the commando's neck. He almost had him when the chip kicked in and he grabbed his head in pain.
"Not so tough with that chip, are you," Riley taunted.
"No, but I am," Xander said. He grabbed the commando that Spike had attacked and had him unconscious within seconds.
Everyone stared at Xander, shocked. Anya was the first to find her voice, "I have never wanted to have sex with you more than right now."
Xander shot a smug look at Sam and Riley, "I've had a little commando training myself."
"Right," Sam said. "I heard about your possession years ago." She sighed, "Look we tried doing this the easy way but you've left us no choice." She gestured to one of her men.
He walked over to Spike, holding a taser, and electrocuted him until he was unconscious. Dawn started forward but Tara grabbed her and held her back.
"Why are you doing this?" Dawn cried, looking at Spike lying unconscious on the floor. "This isn't some mission you're on. This is Buffy. Remember? You loved her. You were our friend. How can you do this to her, to us?"
For a second Riley looked torn but he shot a look at Sam and his resolve hardened. "I'm sorry," Riley said again. "But it has to be this way."
A commando came out of the training word, carrying an unconscious Buffy. "What did you do to her?" Willow asked, angrily.
"Just a mild sedative," Sam said, trying to assure the worried group. "She'll be safe for transport until we get her to a safe place."
"Here's a safe place," Dawn said. She looked at Riley, tearfully, "Please, we just got her back. Don't take her away from us, me. I need her."
Riley's face looked blank, "I have no choice."
"Here's a choice," Tara said angrily. She raised her hands toward Riley, Sam and the commandos, including the one who was holding Buffy. She began to chant a spell.
"Stop," Willow ordered, frantically. Tara stopped and looked at Willow confused. "You can't cast a stunning spell," Willow said. "If that spell is cast on a pregnant woman it'll cause a miscarriage."
Tara lowered her hands and instantly stopped chanting. Xander started forward, ready to attack the soldier who was carrying Buffy.
"I wouldn't do that," Sam said. "You attack him and he drops her, that won't be good for her or her baby." She looked at the Scoobies, at Spike who was still unconscious. Then she looked at the commandos who were armed to the teeth with the latest military technology. "Look you're outnumbered, and out weaponed. If you fight us, you'll be killed. So let us go and no one will get hurt." She gestured to the commando carrying Buffy, "Take her to the van."
"No!" Dawn yelled, lunging forward again. A soldier pointed his gun at Dawn. Tara spun around, clutching Dawn to her.
"No one will get hurt if you cooperate," Riley said. "Buffy will be well cared for where we're taking her."
Everyone watched helplessly as Buffy was carried out of the store. The commandos kept their guns pointed on the Scoobies as they filed out, leaving Riley and Sam alone with them.
"You'll pay for this," Dawn said, tearfully.
Sam didn't say a word. She just turned walked out the door. Riley followed her, turned back and said, "I'm sorry." Then he was gone.
Tara held a sobbing Dawn. . Xander and Willow stared at the door, in shock at what had just happened. Anya looked at Xander, concerned about how close they came to being killed.
Spike opened his eyes, groaned, and said, "Ah my head," He looked up at everyone and said. "What happened?"
"Uh Riley," Xander stammered, not taking his eyes off the gun in Riley's hand. "Why don't you put the gun down."
"Sorry," Riley said. "Now if we do this right no one will get hurt."
"Forget it," Spike snarled. "If you think you can scare me with that. You should know that a few bullets are only going to piss me off."
"Right," Sam said. "That's why I brought this." She held up a taser, "And I have a whole team outside, ready to move at a moments notice, who won't hesitate to take you all into custody."
"Wha.. What do you want?" Tara stammered.
"Answers," Sam said. She looked around. "Now you guys can make this easy or you can make this hard."
"And what would that be?" Spike asked.
Sam held up a piece of paper, "We have the authority of the government to take Buffy Summers into custody and hold her until further notice."
"Over my dead, well undead body," Spike growled.
"Why do you want to take Buffy?" Anya asked.
"Sorry," Riley said. "That's classified information. Now where is she?" No one answered him. So Riley spoke into his headset, "Move in."
Before anyone could react they were surrounded by men in chamoflauge, all carrying guns.
"Whoa, slow down," Xander said.
"I'm sorry," Riley repeated. "It has to be this way."
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Spike asked, looking around and wondering which commando he should take out first.
"We're taking Buffy into custody," Sam explained. "And we have the full authority to do whatever it takes in order to do that."
Riley gestured to his team, "Search the whole place. Check the back room. She uses it to train."
"She's not here," Dawn quickly lied. Everyone turned to look at her. Dawn continued to lie, "She was tired and went home to get some sleep. She's going to come here later."
"She's right," Spike said, jumping right into Dawn's lie. "I dropped her off at the house this morning, right after you guys walked in on us."
Riley shook his head, "Nice try you two but I already sent a team to the house. She's not there."
"She must have left," Willow said. "Maybe she went baby shopping. She doesn't have everything she needs yet."
Sam rolled her eyes, "You guys are terrible liars. Besides we bugged the house, remember? And we've had a team watching the house since we left last night. Buffy hasn't been back there."
One of the commandos reported back to Riley and Sam, "We found her. She's in the back room, sleeping."
"Get her ready for transport," Sam ordered. The commando nodded and headed back towards the training room.
Spike vamped out, growled and lunged at the commando that had told Riley and Sam where Buffy was. His hands were reaching for the commando's neck. He almost had him when the chip kicked in and he grabbed his head in pain.
"Not so tough with that chip, are you," Riley taunted.
"No, but I am," Xander said. He grabbed the commando that Spike had attacked and had him unconscious within seconds.
Everyone stared at Xander, shocked. Anya was the first to find her voice, "I have never wanted to have sex with you more than right now."
Xander shot a smug look at Sam and Riley, "I've had a little commando training myself."
"Right," Sam said. "I heard about your possession years ago." She sighed, "Look we tried doing this the easy way but you've left us no choice." She gestured to one of her men.
He walked over to Spike, holding a taser, and electrocuted him until he was unconscious. Dawn started forward but Tara grabbed her and held her back.
"Why are you doing this?" Dawn cried, looking at Spike lying unconscious on the floor. "This isn't some mission you're on. This is Buffy. Remember? You loved her. You were our friend. How can you do this to her, to us?"
For a second Riley looked torn but he shot a look at Sam and his resolve hardened. "I'm sorry," Riley said again. "But it has to be this way."
A commando came out of the training word, carrying an unconscious Buffy. "What did you do to her?" Willow asked, angrily.
"Just a mild sedative," Sam said, trying to assure the worried group. "She'll be safe for transport until we get her to a safe place."
"Here's a safe place," Dawn said. She looked at Riley, tearfully, "Please, we just got her back. Don't take her away from us, me. I need her."
Riley's face looked blank, "I have no choice."
"Here's a choice," Tara said angrily. She raised her hands toward Riley, Sam and the commandos, including the one who was holding Buffy. She began to chant a spell.
"Stop," Willow ordered, frantically. Tara stopped and looked at Willow confused. "You can't cast a stunning spell," Willow said. "If that spell is cast on a pregnant woman it'll cause a miscarriage."
Tara lowered her hands and instantly stopped chanting. Xander started forward, ready to attack the soldier who was carrying Buffy.
"I wouldn't do that," Sam said. "You attack him and he drops her, that won't be good for her or her baby." She looked at the Scoobies, at Spike who was still unconscious. Then she looked at the commandos who were armed to the teeth with the latest military technology. "Look you're outnumbered, and out weaponed. If you fight us, you'll be killed. So let us go and no one will get hurt." She gestured to the commando carrying Buffy, "Take her to the van."
"No!" Dawn yelled, lunging forward again. A soldier pointed his gun at Dawn. Tara spun around, clutching Dawn to her.
"No one will get hurt if you cooperate," Riley said. "Buffy will be well cared for where we're taking her."
Everyone watched helplessly as Buffy was carried out of the store. The commandos kept their guns pointed on the Scoobies as they filed out, leaving Riley and Sam alone with them.
"You'll pay for this," Dawn said, tearfully.
Sam didn't say a word. She just turned walked out the door. Riley followed her, turned back and said, "I'm sorry." Then he was gone.
Tara held a sobbing Dawn. . Xander and Willow stared at the door, in shock at what had just happened. Anya looked at Xander, concerned about how close they came to being killed.
Spike opened his eyes, groaned, and said, "Ah my head," He looked up at everyone and said. "What happened?"