Chapter Thirteen: It Doesn't Get Easier

'I'm sure it'll sort itself out.' Giles didn't seem all that concerned with her situation and she stomped her foot impatiently.

'You're not getting the big picture here. I have no strength. I have no coordination. I throw punches like…'

'A girl?' Giles said, too calmly for Buffy.

'Like I'm not the slayer.' Buffy finished, confused by her watchers' attitude to her problem.

'Look, Buffy, I assure you, given time, we'll get to the bottom of whatever is causing this anomaly.' He looked at her and Buffy pouted.

'Promise me.' She asked. Giles nodded, pulling his glasses off.

'Yes, I give you my word.'

Buffy seemed satisfied as Giles walked out of the library and then sat down to contemplate. She absolutely could not believe that Spike had almost beat her. In retrospect, she was lucky he was there last night, or she might have been mince meat.

Giles stood staring at the crate, his face contorted into a deep frown as Quentin Travers approached from behind.

'You're having doubts.' The older Englishman came to stand beside him. 'The Cruciamentum is not easy. For slayer or watcher. But it's been done this way for a dozen centuries. Whenever a slayer turns eighteen. It's a time-honoured rite of passage.'

Giles looked sideways at his superior. 'It's an archaic exercise in cruelty. To lock her in this tomb, weakened and defenceless. And to unleash that on her.' He looked at the crate for a long moment, then looked at Quentin again. 'If any one of the Council actually had contact with a Slayer they would see, but I'm the one in the thick of it.'

'Which is why you are not qualified to make this decision. You are too close Rupert.'

'That is not true.' Giles argued.

'A Slayer is not just physical prowess. She must have cunning, imagination, a confidence derived from self-reliance. And believe me, once this is all over, your Buffy will be stronger for it.' Quentin folded his arms behind his back, lifting his chin in the air.

'Or she'll be dead for it.' Giles muttered.

The two watchers turned to see another Council operative working on the door. Giles knew his name; Hobson and the other was Blair. They were two from the council's special team. He turned as Quentin began to address him again.

'Rupert, if this girl is everything you say, then you've nothing to worry about.'

Giles looked at him and then put his glasses on, walking out of the boarding house into bright sunlight. Hobson approached Travers, looking nervous in the older man's presence.

'Uh, sire, if you can spare me for a short spell, I'll need to make a run to the hardware store. I just need some…'

A loud screaming interrupted him and the two men turned. Blair entered from the other room and Travers stood back as the two operatives headed for the crate, opening it to reveal a vampire in a straight jacket, struggling and screaming loudly.

'Come on, quickly boys.' Quentin instructed, as Blair stepped over to a table and pulled two pills from a bottle. He placed them on a spoon that was attached to a long bar. Hobson stood behind him with a glass of water, also attached to along bar. The first operative reached out, biting his lip as he concentrated,

'Kralik, your pills. Open your mouth.'

The vampire opened its mouth, straining against a metal bar across its forehead. Blair nudged the spoon in and turned in, dropping the pills. Hobson followed with the water.

Quentin frowned as the process was completed and signalled to the operatives. 'That's enough. Close it up.'

The two back away and shut the crate, leaving the vampire encased in darkness.

The gang had gathered at the table, all with books open, looking through them for any clue as to the loss of Buffy's powers. Spike perched himself on the banister at the back, watching them.

Willow shrieked, pointing at something in her book.

'Aha! A curse on Slayers.' Buffy looked up as Willow shook her head, frowning. 'Oh, no. Wait. I-it's lawyers.'

'You know, maybe we're on the wrong track with the whole spell, curse and whammy thing. Maybe what we should be looking for is something like, um, Slayer kryptonite.' Xander offered and Oz shook his head.

'Faulty metaphor. Kryptonite kills.'

'You're assuming I meant the green kryptonite. I was referring, of course, to the red kryptonite, which drains Superman of his powers.' Xander wagged his finger as Spike jumped in.

'Wrong. The gold kryptonite's the power-sucker. The red kryptonite mutates Superman into some sort of weird...'

Buffy looked between the three of them, dropping her book on the table. 'Guys? Reality?'

She walked over to the stairs, throwing herself down and placing her head in her hands. Willow followed her, sitting beside her friend and smiling reassuringly.

'Buffy. I know you are definitely, without a doubt, gonna get your powers back.'

'Thanks, Will.'

Spike jumped down from the banister, looking at the other blonde seriously. 'But what if she doesn't?'

Buffy froze, looking up at him and then away. 'Okay... if I don't get my powers back, then I don't. I'll deal. And there's a whole lotta good sides to it.'

Willow nodded in agreement. 'Actually, this could open up so many...'

Giles walked in, cutting Willow off as Buffy ran over to the librarian, hope on her face. 'Did you find anything?'

Giles didn't look at her. 'Uh, no. Not yet.'

Spike narrowed his eyes as Buffy returned to her seat and the gang continued researching. He felt something…something was wrong.

Hobson entered the room where Blair and himself have set up their cots. He sat down and groaned as Kralik began to thrash and scream. He looked over to Blair, who eyed him and sighed. The operatives regarded each other for a moment before Hobson spoke.

'It's your shift.'

Blair got up, heading into the other room where their charge was held. He shut the door behind him as Hobson laid down for a rest. He headed over to the crate, pulling it open. Kralik remained tied up inside, but he thrashed against his bindings.

'Pills!' The vampire screeched and Blair sighed nervously.

'Yes.' He glanced over to the pill bottle, noticing there was no water in the glass. He took it and headed to the kitchen, just as Kralik took a deep breath and strained against the straightjacket, screaming loudly again. The seam on his right shoulder tore.

Blair finished filling the glass and walked back into the crate.

He looks over at the pill bottle and sees that there's no water in the glass. He takes it and quickly goes to the kitchen. Kralik takes a deep breath and strains against the straightjacket, screaming very loudly. The seam on his right shoulder tears. In the kitchen, Blair filled the glass and cast a worried look behind him.

'Pills!'

Blair set down the water, pulling two pills from the bottle and placed them on the spook. He held it up to Kralik's mouth as the vampire continued to thrash and groan, as if in pain.

'Take them.'

'Pills.' Kralik moaned again.

'They're right in front of you.' Blair said, rolling his eyes as the vampire sniffed around.

'Where?'

'Here!'

'I can't see... can't... reach it.' He stuck out his tongue and Blair took a careful step closer.

'Open your eyes.'

Kralik threw his arm out, grabbing Blair by the neck and hoisting him into the air, snarling. The pills and water clattered to the floor as Kralik regarded his prey.

'Ssshhh. Everything's okay now.'

Giles opened the door to the boarding house and took a peek inside. Silence greeted him and he opened the door a little further.

'Quentin?'

He stepped in and closed the door, still wary of the place. He headed into the sitting room where nothing seemed amiss. Walking back, he started down the hall, looking up the stairs for any sign of life. He frowned, taking a few steps up to the landing. It was far too quiet.

'Hello? Quentin? Hob...'

He looked down, feeling something strange on his hand. Pulling it away from the banister, he grimaced, finding blood staining his skin. He rushed back down, seeing the closed crate standing alone. Moving through the house, he found a stake and grabbed it, hoping he would have to use it. He moved back to the crate, intending to dust the vampire. He frowned deeply as he pulled the door open and found nothing inside. A track of blood led from the crate into the kitchen and he followed it, frowning further. He pulled his stake up to eye level, ready for anything as his free hand closed on the kitchen door. He swung it open and was greeted by no one. He flipped the light switch and stumbled backwards as the light revealed the room's secret.

Hobson lay sprawled on the floor, blood splattered all around him, his arms and legs bent in an unnatural way. His throat had been torn and cuts covered his flesh.

Giles backed away, covering his mouth, trying desperately not to vomit. He turned away from the sight, coming face to face with Spike.

'Spike!' Giles breathed deeply. 'What are you doing here?' The blonde eyed him suspiciously and then looked past him to the body on the floor.

'Same could be asked of you, Watcher. Who the hell was that?' the vampire moved around him. Giles watched him.

'His name was Hobson. Something terrible has happened. We must find Buffy.'

'What's going on Rupert?' Spike asked, looking back to him. Giles stuttered.

'We must find Buffy…'

'Bollocks. Tell me what's going on. Now.' Spike stood in front of him, his posture threatening.

'It's a test. Buffy hasn't got her powers and there's a maniacal vampire out there looking for her. We have to find her. She's in danger.'

Spike's eyes widened. 'You knew…all the time you knew what was happening?'

Giles nodded. 'It doesn't matter now, the test isn't happening. Something has gone wrong.'

Spike looked at the older man angrily.

'We'd better go find the Slayer then.'

Buffy pulled her coat around her body, trying to block out the cold. She hugged her book, ignoring everyone who walked passed her. Cars zoomed past and she kept her eyes on the pavement, not wanting any confrontation. Voice filtered through to her conscious as she passed a parked car where three men stood smoking and swigging mouthfuls from a whiskey bottle. One laughed and called out to her as she walked past.

'Let's find out. Hey, sweetie! How much for a lap dance over here?' Laughter followed his comment and Buffy almost stopped, her fists automatically curling as she readied herself for a confrontation. As she made to turn, her rational brain kicked in and she carried on walking. The fact that she knew she couldn't take them at the moment made some form of sadness curl up in her heart and she lowered her eyes back to the pavement, hating the feeling of helplessness that surged through her body.

She sighed, carrying on home along Main Street. A humming sound came from the alleys and she frowned, looking around. No one was following her and Main Street was practically deserted this time of night. She stopped, checking her surroundings thoroughly.

When nothing came to her attention, and the humming was no longer sounding from the shadows, she sighed, shrugged and carried on. As she rounded the corner into the alley she used to cut the block, the humming began again and she frowned once more.

'Hummers. Big turnoff. I like guys that can remember the lyrics.' She muttered under her breath, not quite able to repress her quippable nature, but not wanting to say it too loudly in case the "hummer" took offence.

As she stepped into an overly shadowed part of the alley, someone stepped out behind her, grabbing her arms and holding her tightly. Buffy panicked as she looked up and saw the twisted visage that was the escaped Kralik.

'You know, I wish I could remember but my mind just isn't what it used to be.' He smiled and Buffy kicked out at him. He held her stiffly at arms length.

'Let me go.'

'You didn't say please.' Kralik scolded and Buffy struggled against him as the vampire laughed maniacally. She screamed, knowing she was absolutely no match for him in her state.

'Help me, somebody, please!'

She struggled more, managing to get her arm loose. She pulled hard and her right arm slipped from her jacket, allowing her to get free of Kralik's grasp. She turned, running as Blair jumped in front of her, letting a roar loose in her face. She screamed again, turning back in the other direction and running straight past Kralik. The other vampire stood, watching as Blair gave chase, holding Buffy's jacket in one hand.

'HELP ME, PLEASE! SOMEBODY!' Buffy's scream grew louder as she ran along the street, ducking through another alleyway, well aware of Blair on her tail. 'SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME!'

She reached the end of the alley, stopping as she saw the fence looming in front of her. She jumped and grabbed the top, struggling for a few second before she realised her strength wouldn't pull her up. She dropped back down, turning to see Blair coming up fast. She looked around wildly, looking for an escape and spotting the hole at the bottom of the fence. She dropped to her knees, crawling through as Blair skidded to a stop behind her, making a grab for her leg. She kicked him, slipping from his grasp and jumping to her feet, running again.

Buffy ran straight into the middle of the street, seeing a few cars coming in her direction. She waved her arms, tears streaking her face as she attempted to get anyone's attention.

'STOP! PLEASE, I NEED HELP!' She wailed, as one driver honked his horn at her and swerved, completely ignoring her plea for help and carrying on. She looked around as Blair's head appeared over the fence. 'PLEASE, STOP!'

Another car swerved to avoid her and she waved her arms again, hoping someone would stop for her. Just as Blair dropped to the other side of the fence, an old battered car pulled up beside her. Spike threw open the door, motioning to her as Giles shouted at her.

'Hurry!'

Buffy climbed in, slamming the door as Giles put his foot down. Blair reached in through the open window, grabbing onto the car. Buffy cowered into Spike and threw her fist at the vampire, connecting solidly. The vampire let go, falling to the floor. Buffy yelped, pulling her arm back in pain.

The car sped off, leaving Blair on the ground as Kralik watched from the distance, his hand still clutching Buffy's jacket and a cruel smile on his twisted features.

Spike pulled the blanket around her shoulder, one hand massaging her wrist gently. He smiled at her reassuringly as she pleaded with Giles. His eyes shot to the watcher and Buffy missed the anger in his eyes.

'Giles, when I hit him, it felt like my arm was broken, it hurt so much. I can't be just a person. I can't be helpless like that. Giles, please, we have to figure out what's happening to me.'

Spike stood up, dropping her hand. He turned to Giles, frowning. 'Are you going to tell her, or am I?'

Giles looked between the two and pulled out his briefcase, looking at Buffy sadly. Buffy stood up as he pulled out the case containing the syringe. 'Giles…what's he talking about?'

The librarian opened the case and placed it on the table, his voice and hands shaking. 'It's an organic compound... of muscle relaxants and adrenal suppressers. The effect is temporary. You'll be yourself again in a few days.' Silence filled the room. Spike turned away as Buffy reached out, touching the tube of liquid with an unsure stance.

'You?' Her voice came out a whisper. Giles removed his glasses.

'It's a test, Buffy. It's given to the Slayer once she... uh, well, if she reaches her eighteenth birthday. The Slayer is disabled and then entrapped with a vampire foe whom she must defeat in order to pass the test.' He swallowed hard. 'The vampire you were to face... has escaped.' He moved to the library office door, placing one hand against the frame. He looked away, pausing in his explanation. 'His name is Zackary Kralik. As a mortal, he murdered and tortured more than a dozen women before he was committed to an asylum for the criminally insane. When a vamp...' Buffy cut him off, throwing the case. It hit the wall beside her watcher, shattering. The noise made Spike and Giles jump, both turning to see Buffy standing before them, shaking in her own anger.

'You bastard. All this time, you saw what it was doing to me. All this time, and you didn't say a word!' Tears streamed down her face. Giles shook his head.

'I wanted to.' Giles said, not able to make eye contact with her.

A sob escaped her throat. 'Liar.'

'In matters of tradition and protocol, I must answer to the Council.' Giles hands shook as he replaced his glasses on his face.

Buffy ran her hands through her hair, the blanket falling to the floor. Spike moved quickly, beside her in an instant. Giles watched for a moment before speaking again.

'My role in this... was very specific. I was to administer the injections and to direct you to the old boarding house on Prescott Lane.'

The blonde sobbed again, turning her head into Spike's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her best he could. 'I can't... I can't hear this.'

Giles stepped forward, opening his hands. 'Buffy, please.'

She looked up at him, her face a mask of betrayal. 'Who are you? How could you do this to me?'

'I am deeply sorry, Buffy, and you have to understand...' He took another step forward. Buffy moved away. Spike raised his hand, pointing his finger at the watcher.

'If you touch her, I'll kill you.'

Giles backed away, fear in his eyes at the threat the young vampire issued. Spike stared him down, one arm still wrapped around the distraught slayer.

'You have to listen to me. Because I've told you this, the test is invalidated. You will be safe now, I promise you. Now, whatever I have to do to deal with Kralik... and to win back your trust...'

'You stuck a needle in me. You poisoned me!' Buffy cried out, unable to look at the watcher. Spike held her tighter as she hid her face in his jacket. 'I want to go home.'

'You can't walk home alone, Buffy. It isn't safe.' Giles whispered. Spike looked at him menacingly.

'Good thing she's got me then, innit?' Giles stepped back as Spike slipped his duster off, wrapping around the young blonde. They moved past Giles out of the library. Buffy stopped as they reached the door, turning to face Giles.

'I don't know you…' She said, trailing off. Giles hung his head and sagged against the door frame as Spike led his slayer from the room, the doors swinging shut noisily behind them.