Chapter 38: Loyalties

At the meeting, Jeremy summarized what the sisters' escape added to their knowledge. By combining Buffy and Dawn's info with Clay's, they had a good picture of the internal and external geography of the compound. Perhaps most important, they knew where to find their enemies. Given the size and complexity of the operation, it was unlikely they'd move camp anytime soon. So, Jeremy reasoned, they could take the time to plan an infiltration strategy, end the threat permanently, and release Ruth and the others.

As Jeremy said this, Dawn and Buffy realized everyone assumed Ruth was still alive.

"Ruth—uh—didn't make it," Dawn said.

"What?" Adam's gaze darted to Paige. "You mean she—"

"She's gone," Paige said, her voice hollow and small.

"Shit." Adam walked over to Paige and put his arm around her shoulders, then looked at the sisters. "What happened?"

"It's—uh—complicated," Dawn began.

"They murdered her, didn't they?" Paige said. "I know the kidnapping must have been stressful, but she was in excellent health."

In other words, Paige hadn't bought the heart-attack story.

"Actually, no," Dawn said as she glanced at Buffy who sighed and nodded. "They didn't kill her. Not the people who kidnapped us, anyway. It was one of the other captives. But it wasn't her fault."

Paige frowned. "An accident?"

"Umm, kind of, but not exactly." Dawn inhaled. "Ruth didn't tell you everything when she contacted you. There was another witch there. A young girl."

Dawn told the whole story: Ruth's training of Savannah, the unexplained events in the compound, the attacks on the guards, Ruth's death, and the mayhem that was caused during their escape attempt. And lastly but not least the fact that Savannah was Buffy's daughter, the first ever Hereditary Slayer.

"So, you're saying this kid's evil," Adam said.

"No. She's not," Buffy snarled. "She just does—"

"—evil things," Cassandra finished. "I'm sorry, Buffy, but that sounds …"

Before anyone could stop Buffy, she had broken off a piece of the table leg, yanked the Gem of Amarra off Cassandra's hand and had jabbed the table leg into Cassandra's heart. They watched as the vampire dusted. "Anyone else want to say that my daughter's evil?" No one spoke. "Good."

"Savannah didn't do these things, Buffy," Paige said quietly slightly afraid Buffy would lash out at her next. "If she is anything like Dawn, she might be able to do stuff like that eventually. I don't exactly know. Dawn's the most powerful witch anyone in the Coven has ever met. And like I said if she is anything like Dawn, she might be able to eventually as she learns control. But at her age she couldn't do it, net yet. She wouldn't have that kind of control."

"I'm in agreement with Paige, Buffy. You remember Willow had to work up to her full potential. When she first started, she could only telekinetically twirl a pencil. And if she lost control." Dawn said as Buffy nodded. "There was another theory. Some people thought it was a—uh—poltergeist."

"A what?" Clay said.

"A poltergeist," Buffy said. "I've dealt with them as the Slayer. In fact, if you remember I told you about one I faced as the Slayer." Clay nodded indicating he did remember the story Buffy had told him the year before. "But they don't manifest themselves this way. The one I dealt with worked through others. It couldn't affect the tangible world."

"Buffy is correct, it wasn't a poltergeist," Paige said. "This isn't how they manifest themselves. Someone inside that compound was responsible. What other supernaturals were there?"

"On the opposite side?" Dawn said. "The teleporting half-demon we met in Pittsburgh, but he left a few days ago. Plus, they supposedly had a sorcerer named Isaac Katzen on staff. Though Buffy and I never met the guy, He was the reason we didn't teleport out. He had a ward placed specifically that traveled with me and would not let me teleport out of whatever area I was in."

"A sorcerer could do it," Adam said.

"Some of it," Paige said. "Opening the cell doors, playing with the intercom system, jamming the exits. All possible sorcerer spells. But hurling objects and unscrewing light-bulbs? No way. That requires a very specific talent."

"Telekinesis," Dawn murmured as she looked at Buffy who nodded.

"Exactly," Paige said. "Several races have varying degrees of telekinetic power, such as—"

"Such as a telekinetic half-demon," Buffy said. "But she said—Damn it!" She inhaled sharply. "There was one at the compound. A captive. She said she wasn't capable of stuff like that. And before Xavier, the teleporting half-demon, I had only met a few others. I didn't know she was lying so I believed her."

"I did as well," Dawn said. "Before Doyle and Whistler, I had never met one before, either. In fact, and this sounds incredibly stupid, but everyone believed her. But she wasn't even around when most things happened."

"That doesn't matter," Paige said. "A Volo, the highest level of telekinetic half-demon, wouldn't need to be present to exercise her powers. I remember hearing about one case where a Volo could find an arrow in an adjoining room and fire it into a bull's-eye with enough force to shatter the shaft into matchsticks."

Buffy closed her eyes. "How could I have been so stupid? I even trusted her when we got separated to watch out for Savannah."

"It's not your fault, Buffy," Paige said. "Like Dawn said, everyone believed her. When people think of telekinesis, they picture a person bending a spoon," Buffy and Dawn rolled their eyes, "well not all obviously, but in reality, Volos might well be the most dangerous type of half-demon. They could throw a person out a tenth-floor window without lifting a finger."

Buffy cursed herself for having bought into Leah's whole girl-next-door routine, the displays of concern, the offers of help, the overtures of friendship. She and Dawn had believed Leah. They'd listened as she wove a web of lies and deceit around an innocent child, spreading the tendrils of doubt until Savannah herself believed she was guilty. Had Leah known about Ruth's training? Had she killed her to stop it? Whatever Leah's agenda, it involved Savannah. And she'd left them together.

Suddenly, Buffy couldn't breathe. She staggered to her feet and ran from the room.

Dawn looked at Clay and they followed Buffy out as she loped around the motel and headed for the forest. Dawn and Clay jogged up beside Buffy as they walked into the forest.

"Paige is right," Clay said after a few minutes. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it is," Buffy said. "I wanted to get my daughter out. But I didn't. The moment came and I, no offense, Dawn, but I let you talk me into leaving her behind. I told myself that I was doing the best thing, leaving her in there; that I would come back for her."

"I know it was not a good thing," Dawn said. "I didn't want to leave her behind either. But if we hadn't left then we would never have gotten out."

"Then we got into the elevator and here came Leah and she was convincing; that she couldn't get to Savannah," Buffy said. "The elevator door was closing. Dawn couldn't hold it open. And I was just too emotionally distraught to help. I asked Leah to look after Savannah to tell her I would be back for her. That I was sorry for breaking my promise that we would never be separated again."

"We'll get her out when we go back," Clay said.

"But it doesn't sound like we're going back anytime soon," Buffy said.

Jeremy stepped up behind them. "We'll return as soon as we're ready, Buffy."

"But Savannah," Buffy said. "You are not making me leave my daughter, Jeremy. I told you I would go back alone for her if I have to."

"I know," Jeremy sighed. "Buffy, I intend to go back for her. But we have to plan first. Put yourself in Savannah's place. If your birth mother had come back for you after your adopted mother was killed by these people, and your birth mother got herself killed trying to get you out of there? What would be the result? Hmm?"

Buffy sighed and nodded. "I'd be devastated. I see what you're saying."

"We will return, I promise. Savannah is a part of this Pack now, Buffy. Even if she isn't a wolf, her mother is. Which means she means the world to you and by extension to Dawn and Clay as well. Which means we could never separate her from you if we tried. So that again makes her a part of the Pack. And as you know we protect our own," Jeremy said. "The only reason we're not going right now is we need to plan our return."

"Alright," Buffy sighed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"So, the security system requires both a fingerprint check and a retinal scan?" Jeremy asked, he was seated at the tiny dining table next to Buffy in Clay and Dawn's room. Clay and Dawn were sprawled across the bed, Clay dozing, Dawn trying hard not to join him.

"Uh, right," Dawn said.

He jotted something onto his papers. "Index finger?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Sorry. It's a handprint, not a fingerprint. You grab the handle and it reads your handprint," Dawn said she glanced over at Buffy who had sat silently since they had started discussing this.

"We don't have to do this tonight. We'll have plenty of time later," Jeremy said.

"I want to do it now, while it's fresh in my mind," Dawn said. "Plus, the faster we get this done the quicker we can make plans to go get my niece."

"Have we had dinner?" Clay's muffled voice floated up from the pillows.

"What?" Dawn asked.

Clay rolled onto his back. "I'm counting meals. We had breakfast in Maine, then another breakfast here. Or was that brunch? If so, was the picnic lunch or dinner?"

"I'm counting it as lunch," Dawn said.

"Good. Then let's go get dinner."

Jeremy insisted on being polite and inviting the others to join them. As Clay knocked at Kenneth and Adam's room, the neighboring door opened and Adam stepped out, turning to say a few words to someone inside. When Kenneth opened his door, Clay went in. Dawn waited outside for Adam.

"We're going to dinner," Dawn said. "Have you eaten?"

"Nope. I was just about to ask you guys the same thing. Let me grab my car keys."

"Was that Paige?" Dawn said, nodding to the next room.

"Yeah. She's pretty upset."

Dawn nodded in understanding; Paige was grieving for Ruth. "Should I ask her to join us?"

He shrugged. "You can ask, but I don't think she's feeling up to it. If not, tell her I'll bring something back. Where's Buffy?"

"Buffy doesn't want to come." Dawn said. "Jeremy is trying to persuade her. He doesn't want any of us left by ourselves. She wants to make contingency plans in case Jeremy doesn't help her get Savannah."

"I can understand that," Adam said. "I'd be doing the same if it were my child."

"I think the only thing that keeps Buffy in the Pack is me," Dawn said. "She doesn't agree with all of Jeremy's rules. If I left so would she."

Adam nodded and vanished back into his room to get changed. Dawn walked to Paige's door, and rapped lightly. After a second's pause, she turned to leave. Then Dawn heard the clank of the chain lock and the door opened.

"Hey, there," Paige said, managing a wan half-smile. "You still up? How are you feeling? I've got some sleeping teas if you're having trouble."

"Buffy and I are both really sorry," Dawn said. "About your aunt. I don't mean to intrude, but we're heading out for dinner and I was wondering if you felt like joining us."

"No," she said. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Adam said he'd bring something back for you."

She gave a distracted nod, paused, then said quickly, "Could you—I don't mean to be a pain. Really. I know you're tired and sore, and I hate to pester you, but could you and Buffy stop by when you come back? I have—"

Paige stopped and looked over Dawn's shoulder as Clay approached. She paused, then straightened up, as if bracing herself, and went on. "Clayton, I was just asking Dawn if you could spare her and Buffy for a while tonight. Thirty minutes tops. I promise."

"You're not coming to dinner?" he asked.

"I'd rather not."

"No one stays alone," he said. "That's Jeremy's rule. He's trying to get Buffy to come." Dawn shot him a glare, warning him to be more sensitive, but he didn't catch it and continued. "If she won't maybe we can get Buffy to stay with you. Otherwise we would prefer you come with us."

"You don't need to leave someone behind with me. I have plenty of protection spells," Paige said

"Those are the rules," Clay said. "No one stays alone."

Jeremy stepped up beside Dawn and Clay. "Buffy's not going. There is nothing I can do to convince her. Dawn will you stay …?"

"Paige isn't going," Dawn said. "Have Buffy join her that way their together."

Jeremy nodded and turned and left.

Clay started to leave also, and then added, "If Dawn's feeling up to it, she can stop by with your dinner when she brings Buffy hers. Twenty minutes. Then she and Buffy both need their rest."

"Gee, does that mean Buffy and I have your permission?" Dawn called after him.

"I'm not answering that," he said without turning.

"Smart man." Dawn looked at Paige. "I'll pop by afterward."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

At ten Dawn returned to Paige's room, with both Buffy's and Paige's still-warm dinners in hand. She found Paige was alone.

"Where's Buffy? Dawn asked.

"I think she went back to her room. Her mind was on Savannah since you all left."

"No one is supposed to be alone," Dawn said. "I'm going to have to talk to Buffy. Be right back." She disappeared in a flash of green and reappeared in Buffy's room. "Buffy?"

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Why aren't you with, Paige?"

"Because really I can't do it, Dawn," Buffy said. "Leave me alone." She turned and stomped out of the room.

Dawn disappeared in a flash of green and reappeared in front of Jeremy, "Buffy wasn't with Paige when I took them their dinner. She said that Buffy had been thinking about nothing but Savannah since we left. When I went to talk to Buffy she was pissed. She yelled at me and then stormed out of the room."

Jeremy sighed, "I'll find her."

"I'll find her," Dawn said. "This isn't Pack, this is family. And seeing how I've been in the same boat."

"With Willow Elizabeth," Jeremy said with a nod in understanding. "I'll go stay with Paige till you and Buffy return."

Dawn sighed as she disappeared in a flash of green. After several teleports she found her sister in the forest. She saw that Buffy had Changed and was in the midst of a run. "Let me Change and I will run with you," she projected toward Buffy who stopped and waited. She disrobed and initiated the Change. Once done she and Buffy took off.

"I know how you feel, Buffy. I left my daughter behind too, remember," Dawn projected.

Buffy mentally sighed as she and Dawn came to a stop. Dawn could tell her sister had been crying. "I thought I had put this behind me when I gave her up for adoption. But I guess I never did. I think the reason I was so protective with you since you were bitten was because of giving her up. I didn't want to lose you too," Buffy projected.

"I understand, Buffy," Dawn projected. "I have the memories of watching Willow Elizabeth grow up. But I still left her behind. I regret that. But unlike me, you have the chance now to get Savannah back. To raise her, to love her. I know this waiting is not easy, not by a long shot. Jeremy is right we need to plan. But I remember what we did for Clay when Jeremy didn't secure his release and I would be remiss if I didn't consider doing the same for you, for my niece. Let's give him the day. If by the end of the day tomorrow he is not ready to leave and go after her. Then you and I will head back by ourselves. I promise."

Buffy nuzzled Dawn and they turned back toward the motel. Buffy left Dawn where she Changed and headed off toward her own clothes. Once they were both Changed and had dressed, they walked to Paige's room and found Paige and Jeremy waiting for them.

"Jeremy," Dawn said. "A moment if you will."

Jeremy nodded as he and Dawn stepped outside. "Here is the deal," Dawn said. "You have tomorrow to plan. If you do not come up with one, if you refuse to go get Savannah tomorrow. Buffy and I will leave. You know you can't stop us; Buffy would likely challenge you if you tried. And we both know she would win."

Jeremy sighed and nodded. He knew that if Buffy did indeed challenge him for Alpha that he would lose. "Alright. We'll leave tomorrow after we've had a chance to plan."

Dawn walked back into the motel room and smiled at her sister. "He agreed."

"Agreed?" Paige asked.

"Tomorrow we plan to go back. Get Savannah," Dawn said.

"On that note," Paige said. "I'm working on specs, blueprints and such for the compound. If we're leaving tomorrow, we will need them right away. I've got most of it done already," she passed Dawn a notebook from the table. "All I need is for you two to fill in a few blanks."

Dawn flipped through her notes. "Actually, Jeremy has most of this. You could—"

"Get it from him. Right. Sure." She turned, but not before Dawn and Buffy saw disappointment flicker across her face. "Guess I should have known he'd be two steps ahead of me. Okay, then, well, that's all I wanted. Sorry about that. I wasn't thinking."

"Oh, wait. There's a couple of things here Jeremy hadn't asked," Dawn lied as she looked at her sister, silently telling Buffy it was best to try and help Paige keep her mind off Ruth's death. "Tell you what. I'm not tired yet. How about I fill in everything you're missing. Even if I've already told Jeremy, it never hurts to have two copies."

"Oh? That's great. Thanks."

They went over everything.

Since Buffy had dusted Cassandra, Jeremy asked Buffy to stay with Paige and Buffy reluctantly agreed.

That night Buffy dreamed of escaping the compound. Over and over. Each time the circumstances differed, but one element remained the same. She left Savannah behind. Sometimes she forgot about her until she was outside and it was too late. At other times her guilt was more obvious. She ran past her cell and didn't stop. Buffy heard Savannah calling for her and she didn't stop. She saw Leah reach out to grab her … and didn't stop. Finally, as the dream replayed its umpteenth version, she was running for the open exit door. Then Savannah appeared on the other side, urging her on. She stopped and turned around, running the other way.

Buffy bolted upright, gasping for breath.

Paige was over by the dresser packing. "You okay?" Paige asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Not really. Going somewhere?" she asked.

"Ummm, just out for something to eat." She said. "The stuff Dawn brought me got cold so I thought I'd go see if I can find a 7-11 or something."

"You're not going for anything to eat," Buffy said nodding toward the suitcase.

"I'm leaving, Buffy. I know this is a bad way to do it, but I was afraid someone would try to stop me. It's too much for me. I'm backing out."

"I'm sorry about your aunt," Buffy said.

"She—" Paige started. "She wasn't my aunt."

"Oh, well, your Coven sister or whatever you—" Buffy said.

"She was my mother."

"Your—?" Buffy said.

"That's how it works in the Coven," Paige said. "Or how it used to work. The old way, from my mother's time. Witches didn't marry, so they avoided the stigma of single-motherhood by raising their daughters as nieces. No one outside the Coven knew the truth. In my case Adam knows, but that's about it. When my mother was young, she was too busy preparing to be Coven leader to think about an heir. Once she became leader, she realized the Coven was faltering and decided she needed a daughter, someone she could train and prepare in her own way. So when she was fifty-two, she used magic to have a daughter. Me."

"So that means you're …?" Buffy said.

"The official new Coven leader." Her lips twisted in a sardonic smile. "It'd be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous. A twenty-two-year-old leader." She inhaled sharply and shook her head. "Doesn't matter. The point is that I've been trained for this. For the responsibility. I can't expect Jeremy or Kenneth to accept me as a fellow leader yet, but I know I can do it. Right now, though, I have to go home. There are things to be done, arrangements to be made."

"I understand," Buffy said as she grabbed the notebook. "But if you're going home, you won't need this."

Paige grabbed the book back from Buffy. "Oh, actually, I do. For the Coven records."

"You aren't going home, Paige. You're going to the compound," Buffy said.

She forced a laugh. "By myself? That'd be crazy."

Buffy hesitated. Wasn't that what she and Dawn would do if Jeremy didn't agree to leave tomorrow and go get Savannah. "It's crazy, yes. But it's something I was thinking of doing myself."

"To get your daughter," Paige said with a nod.

"Yeah. You know what I was dreaming? Leaving Savannah behind. Each time it would be different. I would take a different route or do something differently and each time I left her behind."

"It bothers you that you left her behind," Paige said. She looked at her luggage and nodded. She couldn't do it. Yes, it would be expected of her by the Coven and by herself to bring Savannah back to train her. But could she take Buffy's daughter away from her. "Savannah was the reason I was packing. To go get her out, to take her back to the Coven to train her. But now I am questioning myself. Could I take her away from you, especially when you have already missed so much of her life? I don't want to. Besides I'm not the only one who could train Savannah. My mom in her last telepathic contact with me, told me that she had given Dawn permission to start her own Coven. I think Savannah should go with you."

Buffy smiled as she hugged Paige. "Thank you," she said.

The next morning, the group was discussing returning to the compound. Paige flipped through her notebook and then turned it so the others could see what she had written down. "I divided the paranormal events into potential sorcerer versus telekinetic half-demon activity. There's some overlap, but between the two they cover everything. Now, what are the chances that this sorcerer and half-demon independently decided to raise hell on the same night? Sure, it's possible that one started things and the other joined in, but I doubt it. This half-demon is working with a sorcerer."

"Okay," Dawn said.

Paige's gaze traveled across their faces. "See? You don't get it."

"Explain it to us," Buffy said. "Pretend my sister isn't the most powerful witch on the planet and explain it."

Paige inhaled. "Sorcerers hate witches. And vice versa. Well Dawn may not, but that is because she wasn't brought up knowing about the biggest feud in the history of supernatural races. Our version of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Only the sorcerers do all the shooting. We're an ugly reminder—" She inhaled again. "You guys don't need a history lesson. Just trust me on this one. If Leah is working with Katzen, and she's blaming Savannah for murder, then that's trouble. Big trouble. I can't begin to fathom their motivation, but I know Savannah is in danger. In one night, Winsloe and his cohorts have lost both their werewolves and suffered untold damage to their facility. Who will shoulder the blame for all that? The child witch. And should they find out she's the daughter of one of their escaped werewolves, it will be so much the worse for her."

"They won't kill Savannah," Dawn said. "She's too important."

"Dawn," Buffy said. "You know that's not true. She's not important to Winsloe, the only reason he was interested in you was because you were both witch and werewolf. Savannah is just a witch, with the future possibility of Slayer. He's not interested, especially when he doesn't know she is my daughter. Another reason I want to get my daughter out of there."