Chapter 26: Unreachable.


Angel slipped the leather jacket on over his shoulders and made his way up the stairs from the basement and headed towards the living room. The place was buzzing with activity. Giles was running over the stratagem with Buffy, who was pacing the length of the room with a deeply thoughtful expression on her face.

Xander was busily sharpening stakes and placing them into the carry bag Buffy would be taking with her, and Anya was loading the crossbows with bolts. Willow and Tara were working their magic, trying to infuse a crystal with a protection spell, to create a shielding bubble of sorts for Buffy to wear. So far they weren’t having much luck.

Dawn was sitting by herself in the dining room, laying out bandages and antiseptic creams, preparing the command center for first aid. It was she whom Angel approached first. Her expression was serious as she worked busily at setting the materials on the tabletop in preparation for a worst-case scenario.

“Dawn.” Angel said in greeting.

“Angel.” Dawn replied coolly. She was still angry with Angel about the whole taking-credit-for-Spike-rescuing-Buffy incident.

Angel didn’t miss the clinical tone in which she addressed him. Not that he blamed her for it, but it was still a surprise. Dawn loved almost as fiercely as Buffy did, she held onto those that she cared about with all of her might. He used to be one of those people. Not anymore it seemed. He knew why she was mad at him, he just wished that after all of this was over, that he might be able to set things right. And not just with her, with Buffy as well.

“You’re doing a good job here.” He praised warmly.

A little surprised by his compliment, especially since she was giving him her best cold shoulder, Dawn blushed. “Thank you.”

He nodded once and turned to walk away, only to stop when she spoke to him again.

“There’s some pigs blood in the fridge. You should probably get your strength up.” She offered. “But don’t take too much, Spike may need it when we get him back here.”

Angel nodded again, a ghost of a smile gracing his face. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

And with that Dawn’s attention was back on her task.

Leaving her to continue what she was doing, Angel finally joined the others in the living room.

“Angel. Bout time you woke up. You were sleeping like the dead.” Xander said dryly.

Angel just cocked an eyebrow as he made his way to the other side of the room and to Buffy’s side. “Where do you want me?” he asked.

Buffy was in full business mode, her stance, her expression, her tone of voice. It was in times of crisis that she really exuded her leadership and power. If the grim determination on her face was anything to go by then Spike would be coming back to the house tonight as Dawn had said.

“I’ll need you here.” Buffy said pressing a finger to the schematic map that Willow had dug out of the box it had been stored in since their last major fight in the Initiative complex. Who’d have known it would come in handy again. The area she was pointing to on the map was the large atrium where the pit was located, specifically the door that led to the laboratories. That area was the most secure part of the building, even with the surveillance system out of operation.

“You’re my bulldozer.” Buffy said with a hint of a smile. “I’ll need that door kept clear so that we can make our escape.”

“Consider it done.” He said with a nod of his head.

Xander, Willow and Giles would be stationed at the other side of the atrium, near the supply cages, armed with crossbows and holy water. It was via the tunnels behind the weapons cages that they would make their entrance. They would be keeping their exit clear, but Buffy wanted them to stay hidden unless their presence was detected.

Anya would be waiting outside the mouth of the cave in the van, which with the aid of Giles’ credit card they had managed to secure.

Tara would be staying at the house with Dawn.

Buffy would be making the rest of the journey by herself. Her only objective was to find Spike, and get out of there. Taking on Darla, could wait until later.

“Alright, is everyone ready?” When she got the response she was after she picked up her bag and headed towards the front door, sparing a moment to give her sister a hug, and a promise that she would return,with Spike, before the group turned and left the house.

Dawn and Tara watched from within the safety of the house as the van pulled away from the street and began heading towards the other side of town.

~~~

Wesley grimaced in frustration when he was met yet again with a busy tone. He had been trying to contact Rupert since midday, but he had yet to manage it. He had tried the Magic Box several times, the private residence of the watcher, the Summers house, and even Angel’s cell phone.

Cordelia had bluntly pointed out the fact that Angel’s cell wouldn’t likely ring considering he had left the charger for it in LA and it had been days since it had last been charged. When it had diverted to his voicemail that proved apparent.

He knew that Giles had been staying at the Summers’ house, which was why he had tried calling the residence so many times. But he had yet to get through. Hanging up the phone he lifted himself from his desk and moved out of the office and towards the front desk where Cordelia and Gunn were both sitting.

“No luck?” Gunn asked with an inquiring raised brow.

Wesley nodded, removing his glassed from his face as he joined them. “The line is still busy.”

“Wow. You’d think that in a time of crisis that they would keep the line free.” Cordelia stated the obvious bluntly. “I bet it’s Dawn, talking to one of her school friends.”

“Whomever it is, I sincerely hope that they disconnect the call. It is imperative that Rupert receives this information.”

~~~

Dawn sat down on the sofa to settle in and watch some television while she and Tara waited for the gang to return. “Who buried the remote again?” she said with an eye roll as she stood up.

Tara laughed. “Probably Xander.”

“Yeah.” Dawn said in agreement. “Probab--”

She didn’t even finish the sentence when she removed the object she had sat on from between the cushions of the sofa. It was the hands free telephone. Her eyes widened when she noticed that the counter was climbing. “Who left this off the hook?” she asked as she pressed the end call button.

Buffy was going to be so mad if they missed anything important.

~~~

Darla was lounging in her private quarters when a rap at the door interrupted her. “What?” she called out in annoyance.

“H-he’s awake.” Came the timid response.

“Excellent.”

~~~

Buffy fidgeted nervously in the seat beside Giles as he drove the van into Breakers Woods. She just hoped that they got there in time. She feared for Spike’s well being, praying that he was still alive, even better, not injured. But from what she knew about Darla from the information that Giles had shared with her from the Watcher’s Diaries, that didn’t seem likely. Refusing to allow herself to think the worst, she kept her eyes trained on the dirt road they were traveling down.

Willow, Xander, Anya and Angel were sitting in the back of the van, talking quietly amongst themselves. Well, Willow and Xander were doing most of the talking, a pointed comment here and there being inserted by Anya; and Angel just sat back and observed. His mind was elsewhere, like Buffy’s.

He was thinking about her, and the damage he had caused between them for not coming forward with the information that he had, when he did. If he wanted things to be right between them again, then they were going to need a clean slate. No secrets. Which meant that he had to tell her.

“Load up.” Buffy’s voice came from the front seat as the woods opened up into a clearing and the deep mouth of a cave into the rock became visible.

Giles pulled the van to a stop and Buffy inhaled a couple of deep breaths before she reached for the door.

“Are you sure about this?” Giles questioned, mistaking her concern for hesitation.

“I’m not just going to leave him in there Giles.” She whispered quietly in return. She knew that Giles assumed that her concern was solely because of Dawn’s involvement in all of this. But it wasn’t. The loyalty he had shown not only to her sister, but also to herself, especially over the last week was testament to just how much he had changed.

The others, especially Willow and Dawn, thought that she didn’t see that change. And for a while, she hadn’t. Buffy may have been a little slow on the uptake, but she wasn’t completely blind. She had noticed. She also knew that the change in him was in large part due to his feelings for her. But that didn’t explain the kindness he had shown her sister, or the growing camaraderie with Xander even though they would probably both deny its existence. Bit by bit he was becoming more accepted. And it had happened slowly, under the radar. Spike’s normal mode of operation was brash and loud and in your face. This assimilation into the Scooby gang had been subtle. Which made it all the more genuine.

A ghost of a smile graced her lips as she left the vehicle.

~~~

This time the telephone rang! Wesley shuffled the papers in front of him as he waited for someone to pick up. A few moments later the line picked up and a young female voice answered.

“Hello?”

Unsure of whether he was speaking with Buffy or Dawn, Wesley proceeded to identify himself. “Hello. It’s Wesley Wyndam-Price. Is Rupert available?”

“Wesley?! Hey!” Dawn chirped. “It’s Dawn.”

The bounce in her tone of voice identified her before she vocalized her identity.

“It’s rather important that I speak with Rupert. Giles.” He added as an afterthought, thinking that Dawn probably didn’t know him by his Christian name.

“Giles isn’t around right now, can I take a message.” She asked, mouthing the identity of the caller to Tara when she joined her in the living room. “He’s with Buffy and Angel right now, they’ve gone to rescue Spike.”

Wesley rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. This wasn’t good. This was exactly what Darla would want, and it was the worst possible thing that they could do. Especially now that he knew that Spike’s life was not linked to Dawn’s. They were likely just walking into a trap.

“Could you let him know that I called, and that it is imperative that he calls me back as soon as possible.” He stressed the importance of his request. He would call back in a few hours anyway, just in case Dawn forgot to pass on the message.

“I’ll let him know.” Dawn said with a nod. “Bye!”

“Bye.” Wes fare-welled as he hung up the phone. If only Angel had taken that blasted charger with him to Sunnydale, he might have been able to contact them sooner and warn them of what was to come.

~~~

“Buffy could I speak with you a moment?”

She turned at the sound of Angel’s voice, a worried frown crossing her face when she took in his stance. His expression was calm but the way he was holding himself was not. “Angel we really have to get in there.” She said as she stretched out an arm towards the cave.

“It’s important.” He pleaded.

Looking towards the rest of the group who were waiting for her by the mouth of the dark cavern, she raised a hand to signal that she would be with them in a moment.

“Angel please we really have to be --”

“It was Spike who rescued you in the cemetery.” He blurted out in one breath.

At Buffy’s bewildered expression he paused, waiting a moment for it to sink in before he continued. “He was the one who… fought back your attackers. My arrival was just a lucky coincidence.”

Buffy’s jaw dropped open. “What… how…?”

“He was beat up pretty bad, and I had my car parked just around the corner.” He explained.

“Why didn’t you TELL me?” she asked, feeling her temper rise.

“I’m telling you now.” He said quietly. “I… he…” he ran a hand through his hair as he tried to sort out his thoughts. “I’m just trying to be honest with you.”

When Buffy’s expression clouded, he continued quickly. “At the hospital I tried to tell you but then your friends showed up, and then there was the whole thing with Darla.”

His head dropped in shame. “I… I just thought you should know. Just in case…” he didn’t finish the thought aloud but they both knew was he was insinuating. In case Spike didn’t make it out of this alive…

His eyes finally rose to hers again. “I’m sorry. For not telling you sooner.”

Spike had rescued her… Spike had rescued her. She was having hard time absorbing this, and as was true to form Angel had left it to the last moment to inform her. She was angry with him, and there would be words later. But not now, now they had a job to do.

With a curt nod of her head she turned away from him and began moving towards the cave. “We’ve got a vampire to set free.”



~~~~~~~~~~