Chapter 3

Buffy quietly scanned the location. The cave was fairly large but the tall Taraga demons still looked a bit cramped as they huddled together in small groups along the cave-walls. Some of them were apparently having dinner, leaning over a bloody carcass of some animal, ripping it apart with their claw-like hands. The chameleon protection was never used inside the cave so it was easy to keep track of them. There were at least twenty-five demons, as far as she could see. But there could be more outside. Every once in a while a demon would step in seemingly from nowhere as the chameleon protection vanished the minute they stepped through the entrance.

At the center of the cave, just to her right, there was a crude stone carving that looked like some cartoon version of a spider. Its large fangs were sticking out at least a couple of inches from the wall and in its forehead, right between the eyes, sat the amulet she had come for. Beneath the carving was a large stone altar with giant steps leading up to it. Around the altar were, as one might expect, large piles of skulls. Some where human but she thought she recognized a few demon skulls too. Apparently these guys didn't like visitors of any kind. But they really weren't the smartest of demons, as big and strong as they may be. They had the entrance to the cave extremely well guarded with at least five demons standing watch, but the side entrance was completely unprotected. Then again, they might not even know there was a crack at the top of the cave. They were way too big to get up there to check. Buffy on the other hand had no problems maneuvering the small ledges in the cave wall, high above the heads of the demons.

She carefully free-climbed down so she could reach the carved stone spider. With a little luck they might not notice it was missing until she was gone. As quietly as she could manage she leaned down, holding herself up with one hand, using the other to grab the amulet. Just as she thought she had it, a loud noise shook the cave and she dropped the amulet on to the altar below. She looked up and sure enough, three very angry demons where coming at her at full speed. She should have known better than to trust luck! With great suppleness she lowered herself down on the altar, grabbed the amulet and tucked it into one of the many pockets of her green army pants. She picked up one of the skulls that looked like it had once belonged to a tiger. She aimed and threw it as hard as she could. It hit one of the demons right in the head, chattering completely on impact. The demon reeled back with a weird gurgling sound and she threw a couple of more skulls at the rest of the demons that were trying to get up the stairs. When she was satisfied that she had stalled them sufficiently she started climbing back up where she had come from. A sharp pain along her left leg told her that one of the demons had reached her but she didn't let it slow her down. Soon she was safe up on the ledge where she had started. She turned around and saw them all staring at her from below. They all stood absolutely still, as if not sure what to do. She checked the deep cut along her calf. She knew it should hurt a lot but lately she didn't really feel pain the way she used to. She stood up, preparing to lift herself through the crack in the wall and out of the cave, but before she did she smiled down at the demons and said as cheerfully as she could manage,

"It's been nice meeting you all. We should really do this again soon." She waived at them, beauty-queen style before she vanished. She could hear them making their weird noises in return and she never thought for a second that she would get away this easily but one step at the time. At least she had the amulet.

The sun was setting and any other time she might have enjoyed the amazing scenery around her. But now she had to get down fast and retreat into the jungle before the demons figured out where she was. When she reached the ground she started running but after a few seconds she stopped and closed her eyes. She could sense them but she couldn't be sure exactly where they were. Her slayer instincts told her that at least one was coming straight at her and she could only assume there were quite a few coming from behind. She started running again, changing her direction, hoping the demon wouldn't bother to chase her. She was just about to duck in behind a large tree-trunk, when she suddenly felt something grabbing her throat. A claw-like hand lifted her up from the ground, leaving her grasping for air and thrashing around like a fish on land.

As her brain slowly ran out of air, a strange sense of joy overcame her. If she died it meant no more pain, no more fighting. Maybe she could finally find some peace. Seconds later she remembered the amulet in her pocket. If she died now everyone else would die too. They needed that amulet. With the last ounce of strength she took hold of the demons arm and started to twist it until the demon grunted in pain and released his grip. She fell to the ground gasping for air, trying to mount enough energy to run. But before she could pull herself up, the demon hurled her head first into a tree. She blacked out for a second, long enough for the demon to grab her again. More out of instinct than conscious thought, she pulled a knife out of her pocket and thrust it into his flesh, desperately trying to find the heart. The demon lifted her up again, this time clearly determined to break something vital. The knife slipped from her fingers as the slimy intestines made it hard for her to hold on to anything. She braced herself for impact but suddenly she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, big guy! Why don't you pick on someone your own size for a change?" Catching the demon off guard it took Spike only a few seconds to rip its heart out and Buffy tumbled to the ground on top of the now visible demon.

She slowly lifted her head to look up at Spike. It was hard to read his face in the shadows of the twilight but she could sense him looking at her intently. A part of her was really glad to see him, but it also meant a flood of painful memories. Quietly he offered her his hand and she accepted it gratefully. She pulled herself up awkwardly from the mass of demon, the yellowish slim still oozing from its wound. Looking at it she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose a little.

"That is one ugly demon." she said mostly to herself, as she tried unsuccessfully to wipe off some of the slime from her not so white top. To her surprise Spike erupted with laughter, a little more loudly perhaps than the comment warranted but considering the emotional tension between them laughter was a welcome relief. She began to laugh as well, almost falling over with pain. Spike was also pressing his hand against his ribs, clearly he had been beaten up pretty badly too. But despite the pain it felt good to laugh. She couldn't remember the last time she had done that.

As the laughter subsided she suddenly realized how much she had missed him. She put a gentle hand on his arm.

"I'm really glad your here." she said, smiling warmly. He looked a little abashed but his voice never wavered when he answered,

"Me too." He gently removed a leaf caught in her hair, saying half questioningly, "It's short." Then, meeting her eyes, he added simply, "I like it." She smiled wearily. Her long locks had been the first thing she had changed after she had left Washington. It had been a part of who she used to be. She watched Spike almost consume her sent and presence so close to him and felt the sadness take hold of her again. Memories flooded her mind, images of all that had been lost. She had to look away, taking a deep breath. Just then he flinched, focusing on something unseen behind her.

"Run." was all he said and all she needed to hear. They both set off through the jungle, ignoring all aches and pains, transforming all their super-strength into speed, running for their lives.

Xander was fighting the intense urge to scratch behind the eye-patch. His doctor had given him strict instructions not to, but in this moist heat it was almost impossible to resist. He had always felt rather proud of his war wound. It had given him a sense of being a part of something more, something bigger. And he had never blamed Buffy, even though it was her miscalculation of their enemy that had rendered him without one eye. But lately he had started to wonder if it wasn't just another proof of his own incompetence. He was fairly good at managing the office back in Washington. He could sign paychecks and decide who got promoted and who didn't. But whenever he tried to fight evil he always wound up needing rescuing. Now every part of his body was burning with pain and exhaustion and he had to struggle desperately just to keep up. Spike had run off as soon as the sun had set far enough for the rays not to hurt him. Deanna had been so relieved to see him vanish behind the trees she almost cried. But all Xander could think was how vulnerable they were now. As much as he hated to admit it, they would have been dead without the vampire there. But Spike had been right, if Buffy really was here she would probably need help. And for Buffy, Spike would run like the wind with both legs broken if he had to.

Suddenly there were some movements in the bushes in front of them and Riley motioned to everyone to dive for cover. Xander scrambled behind a strange plant with really large leaves, and it took a few seconds before he realized he wasn't alone. A small, green lizard with strange red eyes was on the prowl and he wasn't too happy with Xander's intrusion. They glared at each other for a while, before the lizard gave up and stalked off. Xander turned his attention in the direction of the noise and soon he could see Spike and Buffy making their way through the trees and bushes at a quick trot. Riley was already going up to meet them but Xander found himself unable to move. He had spent many hours during the past seven months thinking of things he wanted to say to Buffy, but now he couldn't remember a single word. He suddenly realized he was crying and quickly dried off his tears but they kept coming. Riley was pointing in his direction and Xander clenched his fist so hard his nails almost pierced his skin. He took a deep breath, determined not to be emotional. There was no way he would cry in front of Spike. He slowly rose from his hiding place and walked up to the others. Buffy watched him, her eyes locked intently on his face as if she could read his mind. He opened his mouth to ask if she had the amulet but before he got a word out Buffy had put her arms around him. At that point there was nothing he could do but break down and cry. To his relief she was crying too.

After the emotional reunion with Xander Buffy felt like she might collapse at any moment. The amulet in her pocket felt like a ton of bricks, her head was throbbing and every inch of her body ached. She and Spike had probably escaped their pursuers by now and they all agreed they needed a few minutes to rest. She sat down carefully on a large root sticking up out of the ground. It wasn't exactly comfortable but better than running through a dense jungle. The others took their seat wherever they could. Spike sat down as close to Buffy as he dared. She would have smiled, had she not been so tired. Xander had placed himself protectively between Spike and Deanna, even though he didn't seem to notice. For some reason he was glaring angrily at a lizard that was swaying back and forth on a branch next to him. Riley was talking about the plane they had waiting by the river and she had to force herself to pay attention.

"So how long would it take us to get there?" she said hoping he wouldn't notice how tired she felt.

"Maybe an hour, if we move fast." Riley's voice trailed off as he noticed Xander's curious staring match with the lizard.

"An hour is too long. They'll have caught up to us by then." She sighed deeply, realizing no one was paying attention as they all had their focus on Xander. "Oh, for heaven sake Xander, leave the poor lizard alone! He won't hurt you." Xander gave her a startled look as if he hadn't been aware he was staring at it. Spike laughed and blew out a large puff of smoke from his cigarette.

"Let him have his fun, Buffy. That lizard is probably the only thing he stands a chance against!"

"Spike, be nice!" her voice sounded stern but she smiled when she said it. Xander just looked sullen. Spike put out his cigarette and stood up.

"Well, you all better be off then. We don't have much time, as you pointed out." she looked at him suspiciously.

"What I said was we'd never be able to outrun them in an hour. They can see a lot better in the dark than we can and it's going to be pitch-dark soon. We need to find a place to hide." Spike shook his head firmly.

"No Buffy, you don't have time to hide from these bloody things. You need to get that amulet to Willow and she won't be happy if you dawdle. No worries, I'll keep our friends busy. You just get your butt on that plane." They all stared at him. There was no doubt he meant it and as stunned as they all were, neither of them could think of a flaw in his reasoning. In the end it was Xander who said what they were all thinking.

"They'll kill you."

"Those big lumps, kill me? No bloody way I'd let that happen!" He smiled confidently, but there was considerable sadness in his eyes. "It'll take a lot more than some ugly stinker to get rid of me." He shifted his stance, getting a bit uncomfortable with them all staring at him. "Go on then." he said looking straight into her eyes, "Go do what you do. I'll be right behind you." She hesitated for a moment then slowly rose. She nodded regretfully, leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"Take care, Spike." That was all she said before she motioned to the others to get ready to leave. Riley also nodded with approval at Spike's sacrifice and shook his hand warmly. The other guys did the same, and even Deanna almost gave him a faint smile. Xander just glared at him.

"You know, I think you're just doing this so I can't hate you."

"Yap, that's exactly why I do it." Xander smiled a little.

"I'm gonna hate you anyway." he said firmly. The last thing they heard was Spike laughing as they all left him to fight a pack of angry Taraga demons alone.

The plane was making some coughing noises and she gave Riley a hard stare. This machine better not break down on them now. They could already hear the demons crashing through the jungle behind them. They would be here any minute. Xander and Deanna had collapsed in a pile on the floor, too exhausted to think about anything but the joy of sitting down. Suddenly in the faint light of the moon she saw Spike coming out from the trees at a dead run, heading for the plane. Behind him she could see something large stampeding through the trees, like an invisible tidal wave thundering towards them. The engines suddenly spluttered and began to roar and the plane started to move down the river. By now Riley had also noticed Spike and made a move towards the cockpit. She put a firm hand on his arm and shook her head. The demons were right behind him, if they stopped now they might all die. The mission is what matters. Spike new that. But as the plane picked up speed so did Spike. Just as the plane took off he hurled himself at it with the last bit of strength in him, grabbing on to the plane's large white floats in the last possible moment. The plane wobbled a bit but the pilot quickly straightened it. Riley held on to her as she leaned down to pull Spike in. He had no energy left so she literally had to hold his dead weight and every time the plane swirled a little she was sure she would lose him. But after what seemed like an eternity she finally pulled him inside.

They all gasped in horror when they saw him clearly. He had so many cuts that his entire body looked like it had been bathed in blood and his face was so swollen you could barely make out his eyes from the rest. But still he managed what was probably supposed to be a smile and looking at Buffy he whispered,

"I told you I'd get here." She smiled and nodded with tears streaming down her face, then gently caressed his bruised forehead as he drifted out of consciousness.