Promises
Chapter Twenty Three
The gang sat around looking defeated. Xander had an ice pack pressed to his jaw. As Anya placed a cups of tea in front of them.
"So Warren is now a card carrying member of the fang gang" said Xander worried
"Which only makes him more dangerous" Dawn sighed "What are we gunna do? He's got Buffy and what the hell was that stuff he injected her with?"
"I don't know Dawn, but I'm gunna go out on a limb and say it wasn't a booster for Slayer strength… we have to get Spike back if we've got a shot of helping her" said Willow
"There's something we can try…" Tara told them
XXXXXX
Buffy groaned as she regained consciousness, her arms were sore. As she opened her eyes she remembered what had happened. Warren. Or more specifically vampire Warren.
She surveyed her surroundings she seemed to be in an underground cave, with each hand cuffed into chains hanging from above. She began to tug at the chains but it had little affect.
Her head was swimming the last time she felt this weak was when… it dawned on her in horrible fashion that she knew exactly what Warren injected her with. Cruciamentum drugs.
Buffy panicked through sheer determination and luck she managed to survive her way through the cruciamentum last time. She wasn't so sure she'd survive this time.
"You're awake" said Warren "I'm surprised, I thought you'd be out a few more hours yet, those drugs pack a punch" Warren tainted her
"You're a sad little man you know that?" Buffy spat
"Hmm except I'm not really a man anymore am I?" He grinned flashing his vamp face
"Vampire… god could you be anymore stupid?" said Buffy
"Last time I checked I wasn't the one falling for a trap and getting yourself kidnapped" Warren laughed
"You do know what this means" said Buffy
"Enlighten me"
"It means I get to kill you" Buffy said sternly
Warren laughed "Who's got who tied up here?"
"It doesn't matter… I will get the pleasure of poking your heart with something pointy and wooden and you will just be dust blowing in the wind! It's the very least you deserve!" Buffy snapped
Warren approached her and ran his fingers through her hair, making her recoil backwards from his touch. "I'm going to have so much fun making you my bitch" he whispered in her ear
XXXXX
Willow and Tara were preparing for the spell. Tara had explained earlier that since Spike told her of his plan to get his soul back, she had been quietly researching astral projection just in case they needed to reach Spike.
She figured they may need to get to him to bring him home. She knew his shiny new soul would cause him to lose sight of the man he had become.
Tara was nervous she'd never performed a spell of this magnitude before, she half wished that Willow was able to control her power to be the one that cast the spell but that couldn't happen. Willow was still too volatile to be able to use magic.
Xander entered the room "Hey, we're about ready with candles and such… how goes it in here?"
"Almost ready" Tara flashed a small smile
"So how does this thing work again?" asked Xander
"I say in incantation, I'll slip in to a trance like state and hopefully reach Spike in his mind. Hopefully by me telling him that Buffy is in trouble he'll snap out of it and use the charm I gave him to come home" Tara explained
"I don't want to be that guy but what if this doesn't work?" asked Xander
"Then we go in alone… I'm not leaving Buffy there. With him" said Willow roughly
Xander nodded "Let's get this show on the road"
Xander slipped back into the living room. Tara intended to follow him but Willow grabbed her hand pulled her back.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Willow
Tara nodded "I have to get him back"
Willow nodded knowingly "kiss for good luck?"
Tara smiled brightly and kissed the red head sweetly. Before they entered the living room. Anya had just got done lighting the candles that were set up around the room. Dawn closed the curtains making the rising sun disappear.
Tara gulped it was show time. Xander has sketched out a circle on the hardwood floor in chalk. Tara stepped into it and took a deep breath.
The others stood around her waiting anxiously. Tara drew another deep breath and began the incantation.
"te quaero anima mea" she whispered "demitte custodiam tuam"
Willow looked intensely as her girlfriend spoke
"i auxiliatus sum tibi"
As Tara spoke the last line of the incantation a bright blue light illuminated around her as her eyes fell shut and she swayed gently.
"She's in" said Willow
XXXXX
Spike sat with his knees to his chest. His eyes were bloodshot. Although it wasn't really required for a vampire to sleep, after four days of trying to stay awake but perfectly still it had taken a toll on him.
He was afraid that if he moved, if he thought about anything his past would come to haunt him again.
"Spike" a familiar voice came from inside his head
He ignored it, afraid his mind was playing tricks on him.
"Spike" the voice called again
"Tara?" He whispered
"Yes, it's me" she said softly "We need you"
He laughed bitterly "You don't need somebody like me, you're all better off without me"
"That's not true Spike, I know you're hurting and this isn't the best time but we need your help"
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I'm a bad man" Spike cried
"No" Tara disagreed
He began to protest when a bright blue light appeared and lit up the darkened cave. He began to shield his eyes as the light grew brighter, then lowered them as it began to fade out. Tara appeared before him.
"Oh Spike" Tara cried as he saw the wounds on his chest. "What happened?"
Spike shuffled away anxiously "I tried to cut it out"
Tara stifled a sob, she hadn't made it known to everybody but she cared for the vampire. She sensed he could be good, even before he came to her with idea of him getting his soul back.
She spent the summer Buffy was dead, checking in on him. They'd grown fond of each other. Tara hated to see him looking like this, so obviously hurt, physically but also mentally.
Tara knelt in front of him "We need you back in Sunnydale Spike… Warren-"
"Buffy can handle the geeks, she doesn't need me" said Spike
"She loves you" Tara told him
"She shouldn't" he replied "I need to be quiet now"
"No Spike, I can't leave without you" said Tara
"I can't go back" Spike cried "You don't know what I've done… to her, to Dawn… to all of you" he whimpered
"Spike, I don't know what you think you've done but we're fine… Well not fine but… Spike c'mon we've gotta go" Tara told him
"Shhh" he said retreating and pulling his knees up to his chest again.
"Spike" Tara pleaded "Buffy is in trouble, Warren has been turned into a vampire. He's got her, he's injected her with god knows what and we need your help to get her back"
Spike looked at Tara blankly.
"Spike, please… I'm scared. I'm not sure what will happen if you don't come home" Tara cried
Spike didn't say anything. Just stared at the wall of the cave in front of him.
"She might die Spike… Buffy… she might die" said Tara
Spike frowned a little "How do I get home?"