Ch. 19: The First to Arrive


In flight

Somewhere over the Unites States

Once the plane leveled out, the three passengers unbuckled their safety belts settling more comfortably in their seats. A few minutes later, Wesley stood up and grabbed the bag that had all his research on the Draemuir dimension. Carefully, he placed the stuff out on the adjacent table and got back to work. After a moment, Fred joined him.

Angel just sat in his chair, lost in thought, as the jet slowly made its way towards Rome. He didn’t know what to feel. On the one hand, he knew that Buffy had moved on from their relationship. She had even told him that Spike, his own Grand-Childe, was in her heart. What that meant, he wasn’t really sure. He hadn’t asked for details during their last meeting, just calmly went home when she told him to. Shoot, even he had started to move on, sort of. There was a lot of drama that signified his relationship-or what passed for his relationship-with Cordelia. Unfortunately, she was still in a coma, after the whole “Jasmine incident” and they were never really able to hash out what they meant to each other. Besides, there was that whole “happiness” clause he had to deal with. He didn’t make for an especially nice vampire if he broke it.

Plus, this tentative relationship with his Grand-Childe, Spike, was another matter. Spike was family, or what passed for family as vampires. Most times he was a pain-in-the-ass, but still, he was family. If he had been a vampire without a soul, Spike’s feelings wouldn’t really have mattered. But, he was, and they did. Care, that is. Cared for both of them. Deep in his soul, he knew that Buffy and he could never truly be together. As much as they both may have once wished it were so. He would carry the memory of that day he was human until he was dust, but it was time to let her go and have her shot at happiness. It wasn’t going to be easy.

With that thought uppermost in his mind, he vowed he would help find a way to get Buffy better and deal with this demon from the Draemuir dimension. Turning to his two friends pouring over texts, he asked, “So, Wes, what have you learned about this Draemuir dimension?”

Wesley looked up from the book he was reading and sat back in his chair. “Quite a lot actually. The Draemuir dimension is ruled by a class of demons called the draelorns. They’re shape-shifters, after a sort. Similar in appearance to humans, thus very difficult to differentiate. Very vicious, ruling with strength and fear. The positive is that they rule over their dimension are content to stay there. I honestly don’t know why someone bearing their markings would be here in this dimension.”

“I guess the draelorns aren’t content to play nice in their own house anymore. But, why would they come here? It’s not like were running on a shortage of slayers anymore.” Angel had no way of knowing how prophetic his words were. None of them did. “I’m assuming that they can be killed, right? We’re not talking gods and goddesses here, are we?”

“Ah, no. Nothing in my research indicates that they can’t be killed like any other demon inhabiting this earth. Although, we have to allow for some leeway between dimensions. As for the markings Buffy’s attacker bore, I guess their essence can’t sustain in this dimension without them. So, if we notice a run on marked demons, we’ll have a heads-up.”

“Ok. Mark that as a plus in the good column. Easily identifiable.”

~*~*~*~*~

Rome
5:00 p.m. Local Time

Giles breathed a sigh of relief when the car came to a stop in front of their destination. He watched as Dawn glanced over at him and rolled her eyes. Typical teenagers. He had probably lost ten years of his life and gained another hundred gray hairs after that roller coaster adventure they referred to as “driving.”

“Er, yes. We’ve made it,” Giles said aloud to the passengers at large. He doubted anyone heard his mumbled, “praise God.” Opening the passenger door, he alighted on shaky legs. Reacquainting himself with the nice, non-moving ground beneath his feet, he walked around to the back of the vehicle to retrieve his luggage. Once the back hatch was open, he grabbed the two largest pieces and headed for the front door. Dawn and Francesca grabbed the remaining two pieces and followed behind after locking the car. He heard them talking about typical teenager stuff as they trailed along behind him. No mention was made about Buffy’s sickness. Maybe the vampire was right not to have Dawn made aware of the danger. Seeing her now, happy and carefree, was worth any flack they may catch at a later date. He had to agree with what Spike had done; Dawn needed this normalcy. However, Giles would never admit it to the vampire. Heaven forbid they ever agree on anything!

When they opened up the front door, Giles was surprised to see Spike descending the stairs to greet him. Looking at him, Giles would never know that this was the same vampire that called him but a few hours ago in a panic. ‘No wonder he was so good at poker; he probably bluffed his way through every hand.’

Spike came to stand a few feet in front of Giles in the entryway. “Watcher,” Spike said by way of greeting. They didn’t shake hands, but Spike did grab one of the suitcases that Giles had placed on the floor. Turning on his heel, suitcase in hand, he headed for the stairs. “We put you in the room across from Buffy. Hope that’s ok.”

“That’ll be fine, Spike,” Giles replied, following Spike as he made his way up to the second level. For the benefit of the other two girls, Spike said, “Buffy woke up again a bit ago. I got her to eat some soup, well, drink the broth anyway. Then, she fell back asleep. I guess this bug is kicking her ar-, er” Spike censored himself at the last moment.

“Well, at least she’s eating something,” Giles talked over the momentary silence, playing along with Spike’s story. “That’s always a good sign that you’re on the mend.” It seemed to be working. The two girls detected none of the undercurrents in the conversation between the two men. They just assumed Buffy was sick, nothing more.

Spike paused before the door across from Buffy’s room. He grabbed the doorknob with his free hand and opened the door. Walking into the room, he placed the suitcase, which was probably full of books judging from the weight of the thing, beside the table. Giles and the two girls walked in behind him. Dawn and Francesca dropped the bags they were carrying then made a hasty retreat back down to the first level waving a quick “see ya” over their shoulders. When Spike was assured they were no longer in hearing range he spoke.

“She’s sleeping better now, but I can tell she’s in a lot of pain,” Spike said, the pain of uttering those words reflected in his gaze.

“Let me see her.”

Spike nodded and they crossed the hall to Buffy’s room. Quietly, they slipped inside shutting the door behind them. No need to have any eavesdroppers listening in. Both men walked over to the bed where Buffy lay sleeping. Spike slipped the sheet back, exposing Buffy. Earlier Spike had slipped her into one of his t-shirts and a pair of panties for modesty’s sake. Giles’ modesty, that is. Carefully, he lifted the t-shirt up until it reached the underside of her breasts. A shocked gasp left Giles’ lips when he got a look at the bruise covering his slayer’s midriff.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” Spike asked, not taking his eyes off of Buffy.

When he didn’t hear a response, he glanced back inquiringly at Giles. Unshed tears danced before the watcher’s eyes, and he was slowly shaking his head no. Spike took pity on him. “It’ll be ok, Rupert. She’s strong. She’s already woken up, twice even. And, she’s eaten a little something too. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out whatever it is that’s hurting her and fix it.” Spike resettled the t-shirt down around Buffy’s hips and pulled the sheet back up over her. He pinned Giles with a stare, very much wanting to believe the words he had just uttered to him. He needed to believe them. He couldn’t live without her, didn’t want to. Giles had to make her better.

Once more getting his emotions under control, Giles replied, “Quiet right. I’ll just go back across the hall and see what I can come up with.” Although, he didn’t believe the lie that had just come out of his mouth. He had never seen anything quite like the bruising that was covering Buffy’s body and appeared to be spreading. He only hoped that Wesley could find out more about Buffy’s attacker. At least then they would have a starting point. Remembering Wesley, he told Spike, “I’m expecting faxes from your friends in L.A. about Buffy’s attacker. Hopefully, that will point us in the right direction for fixing this.”

“The fax machine is down in the office. You passed in on your way to the stairs. Which I’m sure you already know…so why am I telling you this? You can set up your stuff down there, or here. It’s up to you. The girls stay out of there for the most part, so you shouldn’t be interrupted. I’m going to go back to Buffy. Come get me if you need me.” And with that, Spike walked out leaving Giles to whatever it was that he was going to do.

He paused in the doorway. “Watcher,” he said, not looking back. “Thanks.” Without waiting for a reply, he softly shut the door behind him. Giles just gazed at the closed door in bewilderment. Since when did Spike ever thank anyone for something?

Ch. 20: The Truth Comes Out
 

Rome

8:00 p.m. Local Time

From his perch on the chair, Spike felt Buffy start the slow process of waking. A slight increase in her heart rate, deeper breaths. Looking up from the book he was reading, he was rewarded with her slight moan, and fluttering eyelashes. Discarding the book, he stood and crossed over to the bed. Her head twisted towards the noise of the book falling to the floor. Blinking, Buffy attempted to bring the fuzzy image of Spike into focus. Spike sat on the edge of the bed, lifting one of her hands unto his, stroking it tenderly.

“Hey, luv. How ’r you feelin’?”

She opened her mouth and attempted to speak. A croaked, “Sore,” tumbled from her lips. Glancing towards the nightstand, she saw the pitcher of water and motioned to it. Spike laid her hand back down and quickly filled a glass full of the cool water. Slipping one hand under her shoulders, he eased her up so that she could take a sip. She must have been regaining some of her strength, because she was able to finish the glass of water as well as half of a refill. When she was finished, Spike eased her back down onto the pillows.

“There’s someone here that wants to see you.” Buffy gazed questioningly at him. A slight smile played about his face, and he got up and exited the room. Walking across the hall, he knocked on the watcher’s door before opening it. Giles was sitting on his bed, a book open on his lap. He looked up when the door opened.

“Guess who’s awake?” A smile broke out over the watcher’s face and he quickly discarded the book to follow Spike back to Buffy’s room. Giles walked into the room and his eyes went immediately to the figure reclined on the bed. When Buffy saw who the visitor was, a smile broke out on her face and her eyes filled with unshed tears. Spike went back to the chair while Giles crossed to the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed like Spike had done earlier, he looked down at his charge. Well, not his charge anymore. A grown woman, now. Seeing her in this state was almost more than he could bear. This was worse than that time when everyone’s thought were invading Buffy’s mind. She had been reduced to a quivering mass back then. Now she just looked broken, haunted.

“Hey, Buffy. How are you feeling?” he asked as he slipped his hand in hers. The show of affection didn’t go unnoticed by her, and the unshed tears spilled over on her ashen cheeks.

“Hurt. You’re here to help?”

“Yes. Spike called me earlier when you wouldn’t wake up. I caught the first flight out. Arrived here a couple hours ago.” Buffy glanced at the vampire across the room and smiled at him. He gave a tentative smile back. “We going to figure out what’s happening to you, Buffy. Whatever it is, it’s strong. The good thing is that your slayer healing has slowed the progress down somewhat. Right now I’m trying to find a spell that will help even more.” He gave a quick glance at Spike, knowing of his dislike for magicks, and spoke to him. “Nothing black arts, just a simple deterrence spell. Increase her healing abilities while decreasing whatever it is that’s ki… er, hurting her.” Spike caught the watcher’s slip, and anguish filled his face before the indifferent mask came back. He just gave a quick jerk of his head in assent.

“Well, yes… I’m going to let you rest, Buffy,” he said turning back to her. “I’ll be back in a while to perform that spell, ok?” Buffy just nodded, worn out. At this point, she would take what she could get. Giles got up and headed back to his room. He needed to find that spell and make sure he had supplies necessary to complete it. He shut the door behind him when he left.

“Dawn?” she asked, drawing Spike’s attention from the closing door. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he went back over to Buffy.

“She’s downstairs with the girls. She doesn’t know. Thinks you’re just sick,” he said.

“I’ve never been sick a day in my life. That’s excuse is not going to hold up for long.”

“I know. Especially if Giles is going to do this spell. He’s going to need help. She’s going to have to know.” He sighed uselessly, dreading that scene. “We’ll wait until Giles is ready. Then I’ll tell her. No sense shattering her world before then.” Carefully, he crawled onto the bed and cuddled as close to her as he could get without hurting her. He didn’t know what else to do for her, and he lay there contemplating Giles’ Freudian slip. The watcher thought she was dying. Spike didn’t think he could go through that again. That summer after she died was a dark period for him. He had lost weight from lack of sleep and food that summer. If it hadn’t been for his promise to protect Dawn, he would have lain down on Buffy’s grave and welcomed the sunrise, his dust covering her final resting place.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, Giles knocked on Buffy’s door. He had found the spell relatively easily; he just had to get a few herbs. He mentally thanked his foresight in having the young slayers learn a little about magicks. This made obtaining what he needed rather expedient. A soft “come in” sounded. Holding his supplies in one hand, he used the other to open the door. Both Spike and Buffy watched him enter the room and close the door.

Giles eyed the couple. They both looked like hell. Buffy he could understand, even Spike partially because of his feelings for Buffy. But still. Then it dawned on him. “When was the last time you fed?” Spike looked up sharply at the blurted question, blue eyes glaring.

“’M fine.”

“No you’re not. And you’ll be no good to Buffy in your condition. Go get something to eat.” At Spike’s mutinous expression, he added in his best Ripper voice, “Now, Spike.”

“Yes, Da,” Spike replied petulantly. A brief smile came to both the slayer and watcher’s mouth and that show of “twoish-ism.” A growl escaped his mouth as he left the room to get some blood.

“Thanks, Giles,” Buffy spoke softly from the bed. “I’ve been trying to get him to feed for a while. He didn’t want to leave me. Darn stubborn vamp!” Giles just chuckled. He may not understand this relationship between his slayer and the vampire, but he could see that it did her good. Even though her body was struggling to deal with the poison coursing through her body, he could see that the vampire was beneficial to her well-being. And, if Spike makes her happy, who was he to begrudge? He just shook his head at the thought. Who would have known his feelings towards the vampire would mellow over the past several months?

A few minutes later a grumpy vampire stormed back into the room, Dawn following quickly on his heels. She took in the scene and stopped short. Buffy was lying on the bed, pale, like her life’s force was being drained from her body. Giles, normally so stoic, showed signs of desperation, fatigue, and pain. She pushed her way past Spike. “Buffy…” Her eyes darted to Giles. “What’s going on?” He just looked at her for a moment then turned away. Whirling around, her eyes locked on with Spike’s. “Spike?” she whispered. Irritation gave way to despondency, and Spike had trouble holding her gaze. But, he did.

“’Bit,” he began.

“No!! Not again. Not now,” she began, then stopped. She started to crumble and would have fallen to the floor if Spike didn’t catch her. He pulled her close and gave her a big bear hug. “’Bit. It’s gonna be ok,” he murmured as he stroked her hair. The other two occupants were quiet as Spike tried to comfort Dawn. “That’s why Giles is here. He’ll have her better in no time. Just you wait.” Hopeful eyes looked up and locked with pained blue. “Really?”

“You bet.” Forcing a smile, he held her at arms length. “And, you’re gonna help.” Dawn tore her eyes away from him and looked around the room. Spike’s arms slowly fell away from her. She noticed the books and magicks supplies lying on the floor near the bed.

“A spell. You’re going to do a spell?” she asked.

Giles spoke up. “Yes. Nothing too complicated. It’s just going to enhance her slayer healing abilities, while suppressing whatever it is that’s spreading through her body.”

“Spreading through her body?” she questioned. She walked towards the bed to get a good look at her sister. Buffy’s face was pale, and she could make out blue, web-like bruising on her upper arms that were lying on top of the sheet. “Hey, Dawnie,” Buffy whispered, taking hold of Dawn’s hand and giving it a loving squeeze. “It’ll be ok. Honest. Giles is going to get me fixed right up.”

Answering Dawn’s question, Giles said, “It appears to be some type of poison spreading through her body. We’re going to try and stop it and let her body do the rest. Dawn turned away from Buffy and said to Giles, “What do you need me to do?”

Ch. 21: A Spell to Help
 

Giles began getting the room ready for the spell. Quickly, he set up the sacred circle and began lighting candles for protection. Dawn helped by lighting incense and setting out the healing crystals that would be placed on Buffy’s body once she was inside the circle. When everything was set up as it should be, Giles turned to Spike and spoke.

“Spike, I need you to place Buffy inside the circle.” Nodding, Spike gently scooped Buffy up out of the bed and into his arms. He crossed to the circle and knelt before it.

“Careful, Spike. You can’t disrupt the circle,” Giles said. Spike fixed the watcher with a glare but once more bent to his task of getting Buffy inside the circle. The circle was large enough that it enabled Buffy to lie inside it without disrupting the protective barrier. When he had her settled comfortably on her back, Spike slowly stood up and backed away. Dawn stepped forward with the crystals and began placing them on Buffy. One for her head, one for her heart, one for each palm, and one for each foot. When she was finished, she rose and went to stand by Giles. He nodded at Dawn to let her know she did a good job, then picked up the book that contained the spell. With a clear, deep voice he read out the incantation seeking healing and restoration for his slayer. The crystals began to glow a bright green then faded to amber as he read. When he finished, the crystals once more returned to their natural, non-illuminated color. It was done.

With a sigh, Giles closed the book and set it aside. Meanwhile, Spike crossed back towards Buffy so he could pick her back up and put her back in bed. Concerned blue eyes met hazel. “It doesn’t hurt as bad,” she murmured, awed. That was all Spike needed to hear. With a grin on his face, he once more scooped the slayer up into his arms, and took her back to the bed. She was starting to get a little color back in her face, he noticed. When she was comfortably settled against the headboards (she didn’t want to lie down), Dawn came over and sat down beside her on the bed. She too was smiling. It widened even more when she heard Buffy’s stomach start to growl.

“Dawnie, you think you could make me a bowl of soup? I guess I must be a little hungry,” she said, behind a rueful blush.

“Sure! I’ll be right back.” Dawn practically bounced her way out of the bedroom. Buffy smiled as she watched Dawn leave. Turning her head, she glanced at Giles. He made his way over to stand beside the bed.

“Thanks, Giles. I can’t tell you…” she started. Giles interrupted her before she could finish. “Yes, well,” he stammered. “No thanks are necessary, Buffy. I just wish I could do more. I don’t know how much this will help. Or, how long it’s going to last. I still need to do research on this attacker…” This time Buffy interrupted him. Taking his hand, she said, “Giles. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll figure it all out. And, I do feel better, honest.” As if to confirm her words, her stomach growled again. A blush slowly worked its way up her cheeks. “See. I’m hungry. A sure sign I’m getting better.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to eat then. I’ve got some more books I’d like to look at before I turn in,” he said. He patted her hand affectionately, then let go, heading towards the door. “Eat and rest, Buffy.” He gave a pointed look to Spike and exited the room.

Spike turned to Buffy and spoke, “I’m gonna see what’s keeping the ‘Bit. I’ll be right back, ok?” Buffy smiled and nodded her assent. Spike smiled back and followed after the watcher.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike noticed the watcher’s bedroom door was left open when he stepped out into the hallway. He poked his head in the doorway and made eye contact.

“How long do you think it will last?” Spike asked.

“I’m really not sure, Spike. I’m going to grab a few books and head down to the office. Hopefully, Wesley will have sent some information by now.”

“I’ll see what’s keeping the Niblet then join you.” Spike heard his agreement and backed out of the room. His paused, then stuck his head back inside. “It’s good that she’s hungry, right Rupert?”

Giles looked up from gathering his books. He saw the concern on the vampires face and sighed. He didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, he didn’t want to encourage Spike too much. But, on the other, he didn’t want Spike to give up hope. In the end, he couldn’t dash Spike’s hope, for to do so, would kill his own. “Yes, Spike. This is a good sign.” Spike nodded and left the room to search out Dawn.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike found Dawn in the kitchen. Well, at least he thought it was the kitchen. Every available surface space was covered by vegetables, spices, pots, and other paraphernalia. Dawn was running hither and yon in an attempt to make, what? He didn’t know. Who did she think she was, that bloody Emeril bloke?

“Dawn, what the bloody hell?” Dawn stopped in her tracks and looked at Spike.

“I just…she wanted some soup,” she started gesturing to the stuff on the counters, “I was trying to…”

Spike crossed over to her and gave her a hug. “It’s ok, Niblet,” he spoke soothingly. “I think some canned soup will be just fine. Maybe we can save this for tomorrow?” She nodded against his chest. He smiled into her hair. “Why don’t you get a can out of the pantry while I start cleaning this mess up, ok?” She just continued to nod. Pushing her to arms length, he gestured with his head towards the pantry to get her moving. She just stared at him. Spike turned her around to point her in the right direction. Then, he gave her a swat on the butt to get her moving. She yelped, and glanced back at him to give him a good glare, rubbing her offended posterior. Chuckling, he turned away to start putting away everything she had just pulled out. Dawn came out of the pantry with a can of soup and quickly heated it up on the stove. By the time the soup had warmed up, Spike had everything put away and a tray set out for Buffy. Dawn scooped some soup into the bowl, cut a few slices of bread, and filled a mug with herbal tea. When she was finished, she picked up the tray and started up towards Buffy’s room. Spike followed behind her shutting out the lights in the kitchen on the way.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in Buffy’s room, Dawn set the tray carefully on Buffy’s lap. The smell of food had Buffy’s stomach growling once more. She picked up the spoon and started to eat while Dawn looked on. Spike leaned against the door jab and watched for a moment.

“I’m going to take the girls out for a quick patrol,” Spike said from the doorway. “Dawn can stay here and keep an eye on you while I’m gone, ok?”

Buffy stopped eating to look at him, concern evident on her face. Spike met her gaze and spoke again, “They can’t sit around here and do nothing. I’ll keep an eye on them. Promise.” She gave a short nod.

“I’ll be back in a couple ‘f hours. Giles is downstairs in the office if you need him.” He pushed away from the doorjamb and went to round up the girls for patrol.

~*~*~*~*~

Patrol was uneventful. There was no sign of Buffy’s attacker, although he had looked. They encountered a few newly risen fledglings that the girls were easily able to make quick work of. Frustrated, he trudged his way back home, the girls following behind.

~*~*~*~*~

Entering the darkened house, the girls departed to their rooms to sleep. Spike walked to the office to tell Giles that he was going to check on Buffy and come back downstairs to help with the research. Giles muttered something that sounded like an “ok” and continued reading from the book on the desk before him.

Spike walked into Buffy’s room to check on her. She was sleeping peacefully: slow, steady heartbeat; deep, even breaths. There was no sign of Dawn. He left the room and walked down the hall to Dawn’s room. He turned the knob and peeked inside. She, too, was sleeping. He pulled the door shut and went downstairs to help Giles.

~*~*~*~*~

With a frustrated sigh, Spike plopped down in one of the chairs that were in front of the desk. “Anything?” he asked.

Giles looked up from the text and leaned back in his chair. He pulled the glasses from his face, whipped out his handkerchief, and started wiping the lenses as he spoke. “Not really. I was hoping that I would have received word from Wesley by now, so I could start cross-referencing some things. But, nothing as yet, had come across the fax machine.” Spike frowned.

“How’s Buffy doing?” Giles asked.

“She’s sleeping. The ‘Bit, too. I tried to see if I could find any trace of Buffy’s attacker while we were out patrolling, but nothing. It’s like he just disappeared without…” He stopped abruptly, and stood up. Giles took one look at the serious concentration on Spike’s face and stood up as well. Walking to the cabinet behind him, he reached in and grabbed an evil-looking axe, prepared to do battle. He hefted a sword at Spike. Spike grabbed it and left the office, headed for the front door.

A soft knock sounded just before he reached to throw the front door wide open. The building was protected by a spell, so he wasn’t too worried about who was outside. But, someone knocking on the door at eleven o’clock at night could not be a good sign. With a quick glance at Giles to make sure he was ready, he threw the door open, sword extended menacingly at the figures standing just beyond the door.

Fred’s wide eyes started back at him. “Spike?” Relaxing his battle stance, he pulled the tip of his sword away from her neck and pointed it towards the ground.

“Sorry, pet.” His eyes landed on the faces of the other two people with her. “Hi, Wes… Angel.” Wesley mumbled a hello. Angel didn’t say anything.

“Wesley?” Giles asked, moving closer to the open door.

“Hello, Rupert.” Spike moved aside and allowed them to enter, then rushed up to the second level. He bypassed Buffy’s room and went to Dawn’s. He opened the door and crossed to the bed. Gently, he shook her awake. “Dawn. Dawn, I need you to wake up for a minute…” Moaning in her sleep, she attempted to roll over and snuggle deeper into her pillows. Spike picked her up and carried her downstairs.

“Spiiike? What are you doing? Put me down.”

“Sorry, Niblet. We have a guest,” he said as he put her down by the front door. “Mind inviting him in?” She threw an exasperated look at Spike, then turned to look at the man standing in her doorway. “Come in.” she grumbled. A half-smile came to Angel’s lips and he stepped over the threshold as Dawn moved out of the way.

“Can I go back to bed now?”

“Sure, Niblet. Thanks,” Spike said. Grumbling, half-asleep, she made her way back upstairs to bed.

Ch. 22: We Are One

Spike watched Dawn slowly ascend the stairs until she was out of sight. Then, he turned to the assembled group in the front entry. They all stood there in awkward silence until Giles spoke.

“Let’s go in to the office, shall we? I have my research set up in here.” Giles gestured to a room off the front entry. “Wesley, I take it that you brought what you’ve been able to find out about Buffy’s attacker?” Wesley nodded and indicated the satchel he had slung over his right shoulder as he preceded Giles into the office. Fred and Angel trailed behind him, followed by Spike. Giles walked in last and shut the door behind him.

Wesley and Fred took the two seats in front of the desk, while Angel propped himself up against the wall, arms folded over his chest. Giles went around the desk and sat down. Spike stood behind him, adopted a stance similar to Angel’s.

“So, Wesley, what have you been able to find out?” Giles asked. Wesley started speaking as he began pulling texts, papers, and other research items out of his satchel.

“Based on the drawing Angel was able to recreate, we’ve been able to determine that Buffy’s attacker is from the Draemuir dimension. They’re a hierarchical-based world ruled by draelorns. They’ve been content to stay in their own dimension, thus far. We still can’t fathom why they would venture in to our world, but we’re still researching.”

“Why would they want to try and come here? Haven’t they heard about the sudden over-population of slayers?” This from Spike.

“It makes no sense to us either,” Fred said. “If they wanted to attempt expanding their empire, they should have tried it before now.”

“So, we need to find out why they’re suddenly interested in our world. There’s got to be a reason for their sudden interest. And, even more troubling, what makes them think they have any hope of succeeding,” Giles said. “I’m assuming you all will be here for a while?”

“Until it’s fixed,” Angel spoke from his spot by the wall.

“Right. Then, you’ll need a place to stay. I’m sure we can find some room for you here.”

“That won’t be necessary. Wolfram & Hart owns a hotel in the city. I’ve booked us rooms there. We can shower and change there then come over here to research. I don’t want to disrupt things any more than they are,” Angel said.

Spike pierced his Grand Sire with a look. “We can make room. She’ll want to see you,” he said quietly.

“See me she will, but we’ll stay at the hotel,” his quiet tone brooked no argument. Spike just sighed and nodded.

“Now that that’s decided… Why don’t you all go get some sleep and well get a fresh start in the morning? I’m sure your body clocks are all awry after that long flight,” Giles said. They all agreed to get some rest and meet back there first thing in the morning. Well, before sunrise, as to account for Angel’s safe passage. Then, the three visitors were gone, leaving behind the research they had brought with them. There was no sense in lugging it back and forth from the hotel.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike went upstairs to keep vigil over a sleeping Buffy, leaving Giles once more alone in the office. He took off his glasses and set them on the desk. Using his right hand he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as he leaned his elbow on the desk. He had deliberately avoided mentioning the prophecy that he was researching in front of the others and tried to get them to focus on Buffy’s attackers. He feared the two items were directly related and he needed as much information as possible about this draelorn demon before he voiced his concerns to the others.

For now, he went back to researching. He was desperate to prove himself wrong about this prophecy, Buffy’s fate, as well as the line of the slayers. He had seen a lot over the last seven years – first as her watcher, then her mentor. The heartache she’d endured. Betrayals she’d overcome – some by him. The failed relationships. The death of her mother. Her dying, twice even. Then, getting resurrected the second time, torn out of Heaven by her well-meaning friends; attempting to get used to being back on Earth again. If what he thought came to pass it was going to be a long while before she saw Heaven again. ‘Don’t think negatively. Look through the books and find a different answer.’

~*~*~*~*~

She awoke to feel the cool sand beneath her bare feet; a white, calf-length dress billowed about her legs from the gentle breeze. Buffy took a moment to get her bearings then realized she was immersed in a slayer dream. “Great! As if the last one wasn’t bad enough,” she mumbled under her breath as she started walking through the darkened desert. A full moon provided the light necessary to guide her on her way.

Buffy arrived at the cave, unerringly. She took a deep breath before walking inside; there was just *something* about a slayer dream that made you want to delay putting off the inevitable. As she expected, a fire provided the only means of light. What she didn’t expect was to see the First Slayer walk out to calmly sit beside her. Last time, it was all about the skulking through the shadows, lurking behind the flames, and paint-covered face as she pranced around in the latest “cavewear.”

The woman before her stood tall, proud, shoulders thrust back in a regal bearing. Her face was scrubbed clean to reveal her beautiful ebony skin, high cheekbones, and wide lips. She wore a simple dress that blazed with vibrant colors of green, red, blue, purple, orange, and yellow. A blue turban the same shade as the color on her dress covered her once-matted dreadlocks. On her feet was a simple pair of leather sandals. She was stunning!

“Welcome, Buffy Summers,” she said in a melodious voice. The raspy, cryptic voice was a thing of the past.

“Uh… hello. You’re the first slayer, right? What’s with the new look?”

The first slayer flashed a wide smile and took Buffy’s hand in hers. “My time is nearing an end. Soon, someone else will take my place as guardian of all who will come after. This,” she said, gesturing to her clothing, “is my burial wardrobe. It is the custom of my people to celebrate death as life. Vibrant colors are worn to celebrate a new life in the hereafter.”

“But why?”

“Why are you asking me questions for which you already possess the answer?”

“But…it’s just. I know about the whole death being my gift thing. But why now, why me? I don’t want to be the… Haven’t I done enough?” she cried.

“Buffy, you sealed your fate when you reclaimed our weapon, the slayer’s weapon. It bonded to you in ways you cannot begin to fathom. When you used the scythe to release the potentials allowing them all to become slayers, a part of you went to each of them. You are tied to them, and they to you. This is the reason.”

Buffy just looked at the first slayer, stunned. She had no idea that this would be the consequence of working that spell. Sighing, she got up to leave, allowing the other woman to finish her preparations. From the looks of things, it meant that Buffy didn’t have long.

Ch. 23: Vows, Subterfuge, and Memories
 

Buffy awoke in the predawn hours to feel Spike trying to carefully untangle himself from her. The spell that Giles conducted last night seemed to help a bit. She was still sore and could feel her strength draining away, but she believed that she could still get up and move around. The first place she wanted to move to was the bathroom. It seemed like ages since she’d relieved herself, or taken a shower.

With that thought in mind, she sat up as Spike was pulling on his jeans. The soft rustling on the bed had him glancing around at her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he whispered a little harshly.

“Bathroom and shower,” she said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Spike rushed around to the other side of the bed intent on carrying her there. She shot him an evil glare just daring him to try it. She wasn’t going to build up her strength if he kept carrying her everywhere. Seeing the look on her face, he shot both hands up in the air in a placating gesture, but stood there in case she needed him. Slowly, Buffy stood up on wobbly legs; she faltered for a minute-arms shooting outward for balance-then regained purchase and started her way towards the bathroom.

When she got to the bathroom, she grabbed on to the doorjamb and held on. She looked back to where Spike was watching her progress with anxious eyes.

“Where were you off to?” she asked taking in his semi-dressed attire.

“We had more guests show up while you were asleep,” he mumbled. “Heard them pull up and need to go let them in.” Buffy looked at him, a question on her face.

He didn’t know if he should tell her or not. What was he thinking? He had to tell her. Shoot, she was going to find out soon enough anyway. He looked at the floor, then sighed and looked back up at her.

“Angel, Fred, and Wesley showed up late last night. They’re here to help figure out this mess,” he said, motioning towards her stomach region. “Take a shower. I’ll let our guests in and rouse Giles, then come back up to get you, ok?” Buffy nodded and slowly shut the bathroom door. Spike pulled on a t-shirt and padded barefoot to the door. He knocked briefly on Giles’ bedroom door, letting him know through the closed door that the L.A gang was back, then went downstairs to let Angel and company in.

~*~*~*~*~

The office held more people than it was comfortably able, but the occupants wanted to be assured of privacy from the younger slayers. There was no point getting them involved if it wasn’t necessary. Spike sat beside Fred in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, holding a weakened slayer snuggly in his lap. She had exhausted herself with her shower and her attempts to walk on her own until finally he had growled and scooped her into his arms and carried her down the stairs and into the office. Damn woman and her independent streaks. Dawn perched on the air of Spike’s chair-there was no way she wasn’t being included in the research, especially since she had found out the seriousness of Buffy’s condition last night. Giles was again behind the desk, Angel and Wesley flanking him.

Quickly, Giles outlined a plan of attack in dealing with the situation.

“I think the best thing would be to split up into groups. We still need to find out all we can on this Draemuir dimension as well as Buffy’s attacker. But, I think it would be beneficial if we could actually find this person, demon, whatever it is. Maybe then we can narrow down what he has done and come up with a solution to fix it. Spike, Angel, I’ll leave that to you. You can take the other slayers with you. It will allow them to keep up their skills while Buffy is incapacitated,” he said, pinning Spike with a look. Spike gave a slight nod back at the watcher. There was no way Buffy was going out to patrol and he had effectively sidestepped any argument that she might come up with.

“The rest of us will research. See if there is anything we’ve overlooked or have yet to find.” He squelched the guilt he was feeling about the short text he had found and was now secretly hidden in his room. He wasn’t even sure if the passage related to Buffy. His conscience argued that it wasn’t true, but he refused to dwell on the finality of the words. And, if he mentioned it to the others, then they would become distracted-possibly give up hope. So, for now, he was keeping mum.

To make it easier to research, they collectively decided to move everything into the dining room. It was a huge table and allowed them to spread out. Grabbing books, scrolls, pads of paper, and pens; Fred, Wesley, and Dawn went to go set everything up. With the sun now peaking on the horizon, Spike and Angel were pretty useless, so they both decided to get a few more hours of sleep.

Spike stood up with Buffy in his arms and was about to take her back upstairs, but she stayed his action.

“I need to look at a few things on the computer. See if Willow or Xander sent me an email.” Spike gave her an exasperated look, but nodded and deposited her in the chair behind the desk that Giles had just vacated. He brushed a kiss to her forehead then left to show Angel where he could catch a few hours sleep.

Giles was just about to follow the two vampires out of the office when Buffy’s voice stopped him.

“Giles?” He stopped and turned around to look at her.

“I had a slayer dream last night.” The whispered words carrying a tinge of fear had him closing the door to the office and walking back towards her.

“I haven’t told Spike…” she faltered, eyes filling with unshed tears, head bowed. She took a steadying breath, then looked up at Giles with anguish filled eyes. “I haven’t told Spike yet. But, I saw the first slayer. Twice, actually. But, last night it was different. She was different.”

Giles looked at her questioningly, silently urging her to continue.

“She said I’m tied to the slayers and they’re tied to me. Because of that spell we did with the scythe. That now, I’m going to become their guardian. But, that’s not the worst part.”

Mentally, Giles braced himself for her next words.

“Death is my gift,” Buffy whispered, letting the tears finally fall.

Giles rushed around the desk to pull the woman he had always thought of as a daughter into his arms. He pulled off his glasses so that he could wipe the tears streaming down his face with the back of his hand.

“Buffy…” he began, unsteadily. He grabbed her upper arms and held her out so that he could look at her. “Those dreams are supposed to be prophetic. Like a metaphor of what may happen. Could possibly happen. And, I’m stressing the ‘could.’ The events of our life are not set in stone.”

“But Giles. You don’t understand. The first dream I had. It was the exact same one I had when I was dealing with Glory. And, you remember how well that went.”

Giles went pale at that. But, he quickly recovered and pressed on. “It doesn’t matter. We will figure this out.”

“Ok.”

Buffy gave him a wobbly smile and sat back down behind the desk. Her trust in him was implicit. She turned on the computer, letting it warm up.

“Don’t stay here too long, Buffy. You still need your rest.”

“God, you’re as bad as Spike,” she grumbled. “Fine, I won’t. But, I’m not going back to bed.”

Before he could interject with more fatherly concern, she told him, “But I’ll confine myself to the couch and watch TV. Is that ok?”

“Yes. That should be fine.” Leaving Buffy to her email, he made his way to the dining room to join the others at research. He felt as if he had been sucker-punched. As Buffy told him about the dreams she had, all he could think of was the short passage now emblazoned in his mind.

Two demon’s compromise

An ensouled phoenix shall arise

Mixed blood interwoven

To save all chosen

From unequivocal demise

Ch. 23: Vows, Subterfuge, and Memories Pt. 2

Spike lay in bed, refusing to get up as he heard his Grand-Sire walk down the hall. He could be the bigger vampire and allow him this time with her. ‘Yeah, right! Who am I kidding?’ But, he knew that they had some things to discuss; he just had to trust in Buffy’s love for him. After all, it was he that was in her room, lying in her bed, attempting to get some sleep; not Angel. With a smile on his face, he cradled her pillow close to his face and dozed.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sensed him before he had even opened the door. Quickly, she finished typing her email.

Guys,

I need you. There is not much time and I would like to say goodbye.

Love,

Buffy

She knew the email was abrupt, and would probably send both of them into conniptions. But she didn’t have the time, or the strength, for a longwinded explanation.

“I’m coming, I’m coming, you overbearing, protective vampire,” she ranted, her gaze locked on the computer as she pressed the send button on her email, not bothering to look up as the door opened. “You’d think I wasn’t the slayer the way you act-“

She broke off as she looked up and saw it was Angel in the door, not Spike.

“Angel! Hi!”

“Buffy,” he acknowledged softly as he shut the door behind him. He took in her awkward greeting and hesitant manner and sighed softly. Gone was the shy girl he had come to love so long ago. Before him sat a woman; strong, confident, capable. And, this woman didn’t love him. He was sure there was a part of the girl still inside that would always love him-be in his heart. But, it was the blond vampire upstairs that she loved, his Grand Childe. And, if that’s what she wanted then, he’d stand aside. No matter how much as it pained him.

“How are you?” he asked.

His question struck her as funny and she started laughing. A good laugh that took all the melancholy produced from her earlier conversation with Giles away. Tears of joy, this time, slipped out the corners of her eyes and she leaned back in the chair as she wiped them away. Angel didn’t know what he said to make her laugh, but he was glad to see her happy.

Finally, she wound down and told him, “I’m sorry. It’s just that everyone’s been asking me that. It’s: Hey Buffy, how are you? or Hey Buffy, how are you feeling. I’d be rich if I was given a nickel every time someone has said that to me the last few days.” She smiled at him, and the brooding expression that was a constant on his face melted for a moment, and he smiled back at her.

“But, to answer your question, I’m cookies.”

“Uh, cookies?” Angel racked his brain trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about. Maybe the exhaustion was getting to her, messing with her mind.

She gave him an impish grin and just waited. She didn’t have to wait long.

“Right, I remember. The day I showed up in Sunnydale with the amulet. We kissed. You told me you were cookie dough. But, you’re not cookie dough anymore. You’re cookies now.”

“Yeah, about that. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“For kissing you.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just, the thing with Spike. I had to be sure. So, I kissed you.” At his confused look, she plodded on. “It was nice, don’t get me wrong. But, you weren’t him. I needed to see if what I felt for you would ever allow me to feel anything for him. And, that’s why I kissed you. Then I knew. I love you, Angel. A small part of me probably always will. But, I’m in love with Spike. I can’t imagine my life without him.”

If they could, her words would have broken his heart. But, his heart had stopped long ago.

“When we were in the school and that amulet took over, I knew he wasn’t going to be leaving with us. And, I didn’t want to go. I would have stayed down there and died with him. But, he wouldn’t let me. He made me leave. Threw my words of love back in my face and forced me to go. Damn stubborn vampire.”

Angel chuckled at that. He knew how stubborn his Grand-Childe could be. But, at the same time, he was capable of such great love. He would protect those he loved with his life, had protected.

“It’s ok, Buffy. This thing with us was never going to work anyway. I just want you to be happy. And, if Spike makes you happy, that’s good enough for me.”

“Thanks, Angel,” she said softly.

“Now, are you about done in here? You need to rest.”

“God! You’re just as bad as Spike!” she complained. “But, as a matter of fact I am, and I’m going to go watch TV. in the living room.”

She got up from the chair and slowly made her way around the desk. She was feeling weak again, but refused to give the vampire the satisfaction of her whining. Slowly, she made her way to the office door. Angel watched her awkward movements. ‘Damn girl is as hardheaded as Spike ever thought of being.’

One minute Buffy was walking towards the door, her groans echoing soundlessly in her mind, the next, she was scooped up into Angel’s arms.

“Dammit, Angel, put me down. I’ve got two feet of my own.”

“That are about to give out. You just don’t know when to quit, do you? Spike would have your ass, and you know it!” She just crossed her arms in front of her and pouted as he carried her to the living room and deposited her gently on to the couch. Standing up, he grabbed the remote off the coffee table and handed it to her. She gave him a dirty look but mumbled a thank you.

“Need anything else?”

“No, I’m fine,” she groused, still pouting at his highhandedness.

“Good. Relax and don’t get up. Call Dawn if you need anything. I’m going to catch a few hours sleep.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and quickly left the room. He hadn’t slept in what seemed forever, and he was literally walking dead on his feet.

Ch. 24: Red's Return
 

Several hours later, Dawn came out of the dining room to check on Buffy. For her part, Buffy was bored to tears, but her slowly deteriorating condition prevented her from leaving the confines of the couch. The spell Giles had done last night had helped, but whatever was coursing through her body was quickly adapting, bent on its destructive path. At the rate things were going, Buffy figured she had a few days left.

Wiping the negative thoughts from her mind, she looked up at Dawn. “Hey Dawnie! How’s the research coming?”

Dawn sat on the floor next to the couch facing Buffy. Her expression told Buffy all she needed to know. They were getting nowhere. Buffy reached out and ran her hand down Dawn’s hair. “Don’t worry, Dawnie. We’ve faced worse than this and been fine. You’ll see.”

“I know. It’s just that Giles, way smart. And, Wesley and Fred, they’re both also good with the research. We should have found something by now.”

“It’ll come, Dawnie. So, is everyone taking a lunch break?” she asked.

“I think so. Can I get you something? Some more soup?”

“Soup would be of the good,” she lied. The thought of eating right now unsettled her already sore stomach, but she needed to give her sister something to do to take her mind off of things.

“One bowl of chicken noodle soup coming right up,” Dawn said, getting to her feet.

~*~*~*~*~

Dawn brought her sister her soup then returned to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. Giles joined her in the kitchen asking where the other girls were.

“They went back to the festival. Today is the last day.”

Giles mumbled some kind of acknowledgement. He almost dropped the pot he was filling with water when Dawn squeaked.

“Oh god. I almost forgot! Giles, I’ve got to go pick up something I forgot to get yesterday. Will you be ok here without me for a couple hours?”

“Hmmm, oh yes. Fine. Go ahead.”

“Thanks Giles! Oh, and can you let Buffy know where I went. I don’t want her to get worried.” She rushed off to grab her purse and was out the door in a whirlwind of teenage exuberance.

~*~*~*~*~

She held the sword before her ready to block her attacker’s thrust. She couldn’t see his face because of the hood, but she knew she was dealing with evil personified. Over and over he swung, trying to find an opening. Each time, she blocked him. But, she was growing weaker. Soon her tired arms would give way, allowing him the chance to connect his sword with her flesh.

On a particularly violent round of thrusts and parries, his hood fell back revealing his face. Black, soulless eyes started back at her. Unusual markings adorned his face. A maniacal grin transformed his features. All too soon, her arm strength gave out and his sword ripped into the flesh on her stomach.

His face twisted with glee as his aim was true. Buffy dropped the sword and clutched at her middle, attempting to stem the flow of blood. She glanced down at the blow taking her eyes off of her attacker. There was no blood. Moving her hands away from her injury, she noticed that her stomach had turned blue. She glanced at her hands to see that they had become pale with rivulets of blue snaking up from her fingertips to disappear beneath her shirt.

“What have you done to me?” she screamed.

“The time is at hand for us to rule and you are the link standing in our way. When you are gone along with your line, I will be given a place of honor in the new order. It is just a matter of time.”

“Nooo…” she moaned. Then her voice became stronger, defiant, “You will not succeed. I have defeated worse than you could ever dish out. I will not let you win.”

He walked forward towards the girl sitting on her knees, body racked in pain, staring up at him mutinously.

“Succeed?” He ran his hand down her face to cup under her chin. “I have already succeeded.” Damius released her face, letting her body crumple to the ground.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike came awake to the sound of an erratic heartbeat. “Buffy,” he whispered, throwing off the sheet. Pausing long enough to throw on a pair of jeans to cover his naked body, he raced out the door and down the stairs.

“Buffy!” he hollered, running unerringly towards the living room. The heartbeat that was once erratic was now very faint. He pulled up short when he saw her looking so lifeless, just laying there on the couch. For a moment, he thought that she was dead she was so still. But he calmed, reminding himself that he could still make out her heartbeat, however faint it was. That had him rushing forward again to her side, kneeling beside her. He lifted a trembling hand to her face, praying that she would open her eyes and look at him. He’d never been more scared in his un-life.

“Buffy, luv. Wake up. Look at me,” he pleaded with her still form. He reached out to smooth her hair from her face and was shocked by how cold she felt. Panic was starting to set in, and he looked up towards the entryway to see his Grand-Sire standing there, torment mirroring his own.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike’s anguished cry had people coming from various places all over the house. Angel had heard Spike rush by the room he was taking a nap in. He, too, had heard the erratic heartbeat but had been slower to react because of his lack of sleep. But, Angel wasn’t far behind him when Spike finally reached the living room.

Giles, Fred, and Wesley had come rushing out of the dining room. They came to a halt when they noticed Buffy’s appearance as Spike knelt beside her. She had obviously deteriorated rapidly in the last few hours. It was a good thing Dawn had left to go to that market, Giles thought as he gazed at the unconscious slayer lying on the couch.

Giles walked into the room and stood behind the sofa so that he could look down at both Buffy and Spike. He hadn’t seen Spike this devastated since Buffy had jumped off the tower to save Dawn’s life.

“Spike,” he began, his voice breaking. Spike looked up at the watcher.

“Giles, what happened? The magic?”

“The magic was only a temporary fix, Spike, not a cure. Apparently, whatever is invading Buffy’s body has overcome the feeble spell we cast last night. Right now, our only hope lies with finding this Draemuir demon and determine what he has used to harm Buffy.” He glanced around at the others as he said this. Then he turned back to Spike.

“Spike, let’s get Buffy back in bed. Alright?” Spike looked up at the watcher and nodded. Almost reverently, he lifted Buffy into his arms to carry her back upstairs to her bed. The others trailed behind him.

~*~*~*~*~

Dawn came home a few minutes later. Walking in to the office, she hid her gift that she had purchased for Spike. She left and headed towards the living room to check on Buffy; she could hear the faint tunes of the TV. When she got there, she was surprised to find the TV on but no one in the room. She cut the TV off and walked towards the dining room to see how Giles and the others were coming along in the research.

‘That’s odd,’ she thought to herself when she noticed the books still scattered out on the table but finding the room was empty.

“Giles,” she called as she walked in to the kitchen. No one. Everyone was gone. Then, she noticed the quiet. Eerie quiet, as in the something-bad-has happened type of quiet. ‘Buffy,’ she thought and raced upstairs to find her sister.

She screeched to a halt just inside her open doorway when she saw everyone in her room.

“Buffy,” she whispered. Five sets of eyes turned to look at her. Her gaze settled on the piercing blue of Spike’s.

“’Bit,” he got out, pushing away from the bed and walking towards her.

“Is she-“ Dawn began to ask. She couldn’t finish the thought and started to crumple to the floor. Spike reached her and pulled her in to a hug, soothing her.

“No, platelet. She’s sleeping, is all. See,” he said and turned her towards the sleeping figure lying on the bed. “Why don’t you go sit next to her, ok?”

Dawn walked over to the bed and sat down in the chair that had been pulled over. Spike’s anger was slowly getting to him, and he needed some type of release. Turning away from the scene, he stormed out of the room and headed up to the third floor. Maybe a little exercise would help. Angel looked at Giles for a moment then followed Spike. Between the two of them, they should be able to work off some of their helpless frustration.

“Dawn, why don’t you stay here and keep Buffy company. We’re going to head back downstairs to our research. Come and get us if she wakes up or starts thrashing in her sleep, ok?” Giles said, after the two vampires had abruptly departed.

Dawn just nodded, her eyes not leaving her sister’s face.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike walked in to the training room, game face already on. Reaching the wall with the weapons, he pulled down a sword and walked towards the far side of the room. Angel took his shirt, shoes and socks off, leaving just his pants on to match Spike’s attire. He then went to the wall and pulled down a matching sword, slipping in to game face as he turned around and faced Spike.

They weren’t really battling against each other. But, their demons needed a release, needed to inflict violence. Sparing with each other gave them this. It also prepared them for when they finally found Buffy’s attacker. And, it was when, not if, for there was no doubt in either of their minds that they would find him. They were predators, and the hunt would be on tonight. They were just waiting for the sun to set. So, for now, they sparred. After a while, they left the training room to shower and change for the hunt that would begin soon.

Ch. 24: Red's Return (Pt. 2)

Angel and Spike had showered and just finished their mugs of blood when the sun disappeared into the night sky. Grabbing Angel’s empty mug, he rinsed both mugs out in the sink. He made his way to the dining room to tell Giles that they were off to patrol, Angel trailing behind him. Spike left Angel in the dining room with the others while he left to round up the other slayers.

“We will find him, Giles,” Angel said after Spike had left the room. “We’re not coming back until we do. We’ll take the girls out for a while. But, we can’t have them with us on this hunt. This is something we have to do alone. They would only slow us down.”

Giles nodded at him. “Just be careful. We don’t know how powerful this demon is. Oh, and try to bring him back alive.”

Angel gave him a look, but wisely made no promises.

Soon, Spike was back and the two vampires, followed by ten youthful slayers, left the house to make Rome a little safer for the night.

~*~*~*~*~

After the patrol party left, Giles and the others got back to work. He gave himself a few more hours to try and find some alternate means for Buffy before he had to voice his interpretation of the prophecy Wesley had received and the additional passage he had found. Pushing his grim thoughts aside, he willed himself to find the right book to make this situation all better.

The three were deeply engrossed in their respective books when the phone rang about an hour later. Giles stood up so quickly his chair toppled over. He quickly rushed off to get the extension in the office.

“Hullo,” he rushed out after his un-watcher-like dash to the office, praying he got to the phone before the person hung.

“Giles?” a female voice questioned.

“Willow?”

“Yep, it’s me. I just wanted to let you know that I’m on my way. I was in France when I got Buffy’s email this morning, and I caught the first flight out. I’m at the airport now and should be there in about an hour.”

“Huh? Willow, I’m confused. You’re saying you’re here in Rome? Right now?” he asked confused.

“Yep. Buffy sent me an email this morning. Giles? Where is Buffy going?”

~*~*~*~*~

“Giles? Where is Buffy going?” The innocent question of Willow’s played over and over in Giles’ head. He gripped the phone tightly in his hand and debated how to respond. In the end, he took the easy way out. ‘Better to tell her in person,’ he thought to himself.

“We’ll discuss everything when you get here, ok?”

“Ok. Oh, the luggage turnstiles are starting. I’ll see you in a bit. Bye, Giles.” Then the line went dead. Heaving a sigh, he went back to the dining room to let the others know about Willow.

“Fred, Wesley, you remember Willow?”

At their nods and murmured assents, he went on. “Well, apparently, Buffy sent her an email telling her to come. It appears she’s in Rome as we speak and should be here within the hour.”

“Well, that could be a bit of good news, actually, Rupert.”

“How so?” he asked. At this point, he’d take any good news he could get.

“For one thing, this whole attack on Buffy has me puzzled. If it were a normal battle, her Slayer healing abilities, such that they are, should have easily been able to repair the damage done to her body. This leads me to believe that some type of magick may be involved, maybe even the dark arts.”

Fred picked up with Wesley’s thought, and finished for him. “And, if magick is involved, it would give off some type of residual energy, almost like a homing beacon. And, who better to find that signature than a witch,” she exclaimed, excitedly.

“Yes, of course. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I guess with all that’s happened, I didn’t even think about the possibility of this attacker doing magick.

It was the break that they had been looking for, and the three got back to work, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the redheaded witch.

~*~*~*~*~

It was dark when the taxi pulled up to the house. Thanking the driver, Willow grabbed her bags and made her way to the front door.

~*~*~*~*~

A splash of red dashed by as Spike rounded the corner. They were on their way back to drop off the girls so that Angel and he could go hunting. ‘Red?’ Then, he sniffed the air. It was her. He broke in to a jog to catch up with her. He stopped and stared as she raised her hand to knock on the door.

“Hey, Red!”

At the sound of that name, one she hadn’t heard in so long, Willow whirled around. She took in the bleach-blond hair, the black duster and clothes.

“Spike?”

“Yep!”

“But how? You died…you know…in Sunnydale… with the whole fire and whoosh thing…then the whole huge crater thing,” she babbled.

“You can thank the good people at Wolfram and Hart. They brought me back,” he said, flashing his trademark smirk. “They thought the Big Bad was gonna be on their side. But, I haven’t been on that side for a while. So, I stuck around helping out Angel in L.A. Now I’m here.” As he finished his brief summary, Angel and the others walked up.

“Angel? What are you doing here? What in the world is going on?” she asked, confused.

“Let’s go inside, Red. We’ll let the watcher explain. Then, you can go say hi to Buffy.” He walked past her and opened the door. He picked up her bags and went inside. Willow trailed after him, confused, followed by the rest of the patrol party-who were unusually quiet.

~*~*~*~*~

“Giles!” Spike hollered and he walked through the entryway and dropped Willow’s baggage in the foyer. “Willow is here!”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Spike could hear Giles mutter. “Damn vampire, doesn’t have to shout. Could just walk down to the bloody dining room.”

“I heard that,” Spike said as he reached said dining room.

“Come on in, Willow,” Giles said as Willow reached the dining room. “You’ve met Fred and Wesley, of course.” She bobbed her head yes, as she came in to the room. ‘Uh oh. This does not look good,’ she thought.

“Uh, Giles? What’s going on? Why are all these people here? And where in the world is Buffy going that I had to leave France and rush to Rome and say goodbye?” That last question effectively silenced everyone in the room. If Spike could, he would have paled even more.

Giles stood up, snatched the glasses off his face and whipped out his handkerchief to begin a thorough cleaning. He didn’t know where to begin.

“Um, actually, Buffy isn’t going anywhere. She’s hurt. Badly as a matter of fact. She was probably scared when she wrote you and wanted to have you near.” The color drained from her face at Giles’ words. Deflated, she collapsed into one of the dining room chairs.

“But, how?”

“We’re working on that. And, now that you’re here, we’re hoping you could help.”

“Anything!”

Giles put his cleaned glasses back on his face and sat back down. He told Willow everything that had happened to Buffy with regards to her attacker, including the part that magick might be involved.

“So, since you’re here, we were hoping you could do a type of locator spell that could pick up on any dark magicks that may have been conducted in or around Rome.” Both Angel and Spike perked up at this. This was the first time they had heard about this, and a break like this could prove very useful to the two.

“No problem. You guys still keep your magick room stocked, right?”

At Giles’ nod, Willow said she needed to grab a few things and would be back momentarily. Spike turned to Angel, an excited gleam in his eye. ‘Finally. They were getting somewhere!’ he thought.

Ch. 25: Locating the Demon
 

Willow came back with the ingredients for the spell. She set everything up in the main foyer, claiming that she’d need the space. Then, she turned and spoke to Giles.

“You said it was magick that was affecting Buffy, right? Like a type of poison in her system.” He nodded yes. Slowly, she walked over to Spike.

“I’m going to need a little of her blood, preferably near her original wound. Can you do this for me?” A stricken look crossed his face, but Spike nodded and left the room. She glanced at Angel, but his face was an immovable mask, his emotions locked behind the sturdiest of cages.

Spike climbed the staircase, dreading the task that Red had given him. But, if it would help locate the sadistic bastard that had hurt his slayer…

Dawn glanced around as Spike walked into the bedroom. He crossed to the nightstand and opened the drawer. He pulled out the small dagger that was kept inside.

“What are you gonna do with that?” Dawn whispered.

Spike looked at her. He wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Uh, Red’s here. She’s gonna do a spell to help locate that bast, er, the demon that did this. But, she needs a little bit of Buffy’s blood.”

“Ok,” she said softly, trusting this vampire who was like an older brother.

“Can you get me a plastic cup out of the bathroom, ‘Bit?” He’d rather not have her in the room as he nicked her sisters stomach with the dagger. Dawn got up and left to get the cup. Spike sat on the end of the bed, pulling down the sheet and lifting her top to expose the wound on Buffy’s stomach. The blue was once more pronounced, and the blue veins were starting to work their way down her arms and legs.

Placing a hand on her stomach to keep her still, he inserted the dagger a half an inch in to her stomach right near the jagged scar. Buffy made no protest; wherever she was right now, she was beyond pain. Dawn came back with the cup and Spike pushed it lightly into her side to allow gravity to drain her blood into the cup. When the small cup was a quarter of the way full with blood and poison, he pulled it away from her body. Spike leaned down and licked the residual blood off her stomach and helped close the small wound he had made. Afterwards, he pulled her top back down and pulled the sheet back over her, resettling it around her waist. He brushed his lips over her forehead and got up to bring Willow the needed blood. Dawn resumed her seat, more interested in keeping an eye on her sister, than watching the show downstairs.

~*~*~*~*~

The spell took no time at all and as soon as the destination became clear, both vampires were gone-coats billowing behind them in their haste. They took Angel’s company car, and were near the old farmhouse Willow spoke of in under an hour. Parking a ways away so as not to alert the demon, they trekked the remaining mile on foot.

As they neared the farmhouse, they stopped to sniff the air. They could detect no human presence. Cautiously, they made their way inside. Both vampires went through the house in record time. No one was there. They decided to check the barn, just in case. There were no animals inside the barn, which was immediately suspicious. As they neared the end of the barn, they noticed that the bundles of hay were arranged in a weird way.

Spike glanced at Angel and spoke softly, “Is it me, or is that hidin somethin?”

Both vampires walked around trying to find some type of catch. On the second pass, Angel noticed a little lever. Giving it a tug, it dropped down in the open position. A soft whir sounded in the barn, and then the board holding the bales of hay slid to the side revealing an underground cave. Both vampires slid into game face as they descended the stairs to the chambers below.

As they reached the bottom, they heard rustling coming from the chamber at the end of the hall. Stealthily, they crept along until they reached the closed door. Each took up positions on either side of the door, swords drawn. At a nod from Spike, Angel kicked the door in sending it crashing against the far wall.

Damius looked up from his scroll to see two enraged vampires enter the chamber. Seeing the demon that had hurt his slayer sent Spike into a rage. Wasting no more time, he charged, leaping over the table in his rush to get to the demon.

Damius lifted his sword off the table at the last moment, deflecting most of the blow. The vampire had moved so fast, he had barely reached his sword in time. Spike landed nimbly on his feet and turned to face the demon. Angel stood before the door, sword ready, and let Spike fight. His demon demanded the right, and Angel would not be the one to interfere.

“You’re dead, demon. Tell me what you’ve done to Buffy, and I’ll make it quick.”

“You think killing me is going save your precious slayer? Even now the poison is coursing through her body. Her slayer healing properties are no match for our magick. What my people have wrought is before even your time, vampire,” Damius taunted. The clanking of swords rang out in the chamber. Damius was careful to keep the vampire at a distance so as not to disrupt his markings.

Both were evenly matched, but Spike had rage and revenge on his side. Right now, he was the cold-blooded killer he had been for over a hundred years. He stalked his prey, moving in closer and closer for the kill. Seeing his intent, Angel tried to reason with Spike.

“We need him alive, Childe.”

A slight clearing of the bloodlust haze that had enveloped his eyes was the only indication that Spike heard him. Changing the grip on his sword slightly, he waited for the demon to lunge. When he did, Spike sidestepped, switching his grip to hold the sword with his right hand, as he swung downward, sending both swords to the ground. With his left hand, Spike drew back and slammed it into the demon’s cheek.

The punch caused the ink markings on the demon’s right cheek to smudge. Damius reared back as if mortally wounded.

“Damn you, vampire! I was not ready to return,” he yelled, black eyes boring in to Spike’s. The demon disappeared right before Spike’s and Angel’s eyes.

“Bloody fucking hell!” Spike raged. “Where did he go?”

Angel walked over and put his hand on Spike’s shoulder. “You smudged his markings. They were his ties to this dimension.”

“Shoulda’ just bloody killed him. At least then I would have been satisfied,” Spike grumbled.

“Come on, let’s get the books and head back to the house. Maybe something in here can tell us what was used on Buffy.”

Sighing, Spike turned away from the spot where the demon had disappeared. Noticing the books on the table, he walked over to them. They both made quick work of gathering the various references before leaving the farmhouse behind.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike walked into the house, several books in his hands. He made his way to the dining room and dumped the lot on the table. Without a word, he turned on his heels and left the room. He wanted nothing more than to see Buffy, hold her close.

He paused in the doorway and saw Dawn still sitting in the chair, but with her head on the bed, fast asleep. Walking over to the bed, he ran his hand over Dawn’s hair.

“Niblet? Come on, ‘Bit, wake up,” he said softly. She stirred and looked up at him.

“Huh? Spike?” she said sleepily.

“Off to bed with you. I’m here now. Go get some rest and you can sit with her once you wake up, ok?” She nodded, and slowly pushed her way to her feet. Spike walked Dawn to the door and watched after her as she made her way down the hall to her room. After she had closed her bedroom door, Spike backed in to the room and closed his. He walked back to the bed, stripped off his clothes, and climbed in to bed. He got as close to Buffy as he dared without jarring her, closed his eyes and went to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

“What’s all this stuff?” Giles asked after Spike’s abrupt departure.

Angel stared at the opening Spike has disappeared through for a moment, lost in thought. Mentally shaking himself, he turned to answer Giles.

“This stuff,” he began, placing the items he also carried down on the table, “is all that we could get from the demon’s hideout. Hopefully, there is something in here that can be of use to us.”

“And the demon?”

“Gone.” Angel answered shortly.

“But, I told you we needed it alive…” Giles began. Angel cut him off.

“Look, I know what you said. And believe me; we did everything we could to keep that thing here. We didn’t kill it. Its damn markings got smudged during the battle and the thing up and disappeared-right before our eyes.”

“I’m sorry, Angel. I know you guys would have done everything in your power. It’s just that it would have saved us some much needed time if we had a place to start. And time is not in our favor, it seems.”

Angel sighed and nodded. They were all frustrated right now, and getting in to a yelling match right now would not help matters. Angel picked up a scroll and a huge book handing one to Wesley and the other to Giles.

“These were the things that the demon was looking at when we burst in. Maybe this would be a good starting point,” Angel said, effectively breaking the tension that had settled around the dining room.

Giles glanced down at the scroll, noted the dialect, and grabbed another book to help him translate. Wesley glanced at the title of the book he was given then began thumbing through the text. Fred and Willow got up and they each grabbed a book from the pile that Spike and Angel had brought back from the farmhouse. Seeing the occupants of the room settle down in to research-mode once more, he left to get some blood out of the refrigerator. Research wasn’t his forte and it wouldn’t do for him to stand over them, lurking. He decided to head to the Rome offices of Wolfram & Hart to see if he could find any more information on this demon, the Draemuir dimension, how the hell it got here and why.

~*~*~*~*~

“This can’t be right,” Wesley mumbled to himself some hours later about an hour before dawn.

“What’s that, Wes?” Fred asked.

“I think I’ve found out what that demon did to Buffy,” he said. He quickly outlined the ingredients of the elixir that were used. Then he dropped the bombshell. “It cannot be undone. This…this spell, poison, whatever you want to call it. There is no way to counteract it. It’s sole purpose is to kill the soul.”

The other occupants of the room leaned back in their respective chairs, devastated.

“Surely, there is something?” Giles asked, refusing to believe.

“I’m sorry, Rupert. Here take a look.” Wesley handed the book to him. Giles read the script, his face going pale.

“Oh. dear. Lord.”

As if to punctuate the gloomy mood that had settled over the room, a distant clap of thunder was heard followed by the pounding of rain against the windows. Obviously, they were in for a big storm today. The front door opening and closing broke the silence in the dining room. Angel walked in, happy to have a bit of good news to share with the others. He stepped in to the dining room and noticed the defeated faces of those around him, unable to meet his eyes.

“What is it?” he barked out.

“Angel,” Fred began, but then faltered. “I don’t know how…we just found out what spell that demon used. There’s no way to counteract it,” she said quietly.

Angel refused to react to her words. He held his emotions tightly in check, but inside, he was raging. If he could go back to that farmhouse and kill that demon, he wouldn’t think twice. He could feel his control start to slip so he turned on his heel to leave the room.

“That may not be entirely true.” Giles words stopped him cold and Angel spun around, eyes flashing yellow, to pin the watcher with a glare.

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