A/N Betad by seapealsh and dawnofme


Banner by dawnofme

Chapter Five

The Escape


As soon as it was dark Buffy intended to use her security clearance to get into The Initiative and get Giles out. Willow and Xander were still trying to work out how exactly the ceremony to summon the demon should be done. It was very complex and with such a lot riding on the outcome Willow was more than a little nervous.

“I’m leaving and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Xander, you know where to take the car?” Xander nodded. “Good,” added Buffy, heading to the door. Spike got up and followed her.

“No,” she said.

“No, what?” said Spike.

“No, you’re not coming.”

“I bleeding well am! That’s my body you’re after. He’s already let it get shot. I just want to make sure it gets out in one piece is all.”

“You’ll slow us down,” said Buffy.

“No I won’t…er…well, yes I will, but I’m still coming,” insisted Spike.

“Oh, come on then,” said Buffy in exasperation, “but make sure you keep up.”

The pair headed over to access The Initiative via the elevator in Riley’s house. They sneaked in and luckily saw no one. Buffy kept Spike out of the way whilst the retinal scan took place then they descended into the depths of The Initiative. They found a couple of white lab coats and put them on.

“Here,” said Buffy, giving Spike a clipboard. “Try to look intelligent, mind you at least there’s more chance of it with you looking like Giles.”

Spike snatched the clipboard and glared at the jibe.

“It’s this way,” she said.

Buffy led the way to the cage. They peered over the railings. Giles had heard their arrival and was looking up at them. Spike barely glanced down at Giles. His heart was pounding, triggered by the acute fear he felt at being back in that hateful place.

“What you waiting for, Slayer? Get him out of there,” he muttered.

They ran down a level and found the doors to the cells in the cage’s perimeter.

“Which one did Giles come out of?” said Buffy. Riley had pointed it out to her that morning.

“What’s it matter? Just open a bloody door!” said Spike, reaching for the door release on the nearest cell.

“No!” said Buffy.

Too late - the door opened and a demon leapt out of the door and grabbed Spike by the throat. Spike tried to hit it but his blows had no effect on the creature. He was struggling to breathe, his vision starting to black out. Buffy kicked the beast, which was a primitive type that hadn’t even registered her presence, just latching onto the first thing it saw. It let go of Spike as soon as the blow landed, Spike fell to his knees wheezing. Buffy swiftly got to the demon and broke its neck. It collapsed - dead.

“That’s why I needed the one that Giles had come out of. It would have been empty,” snapped Buffy.

Spike said nothing, just staggered to his feet, breathing hard.

“For God’s sake don’t hyperventilate again. Steady your breathing,” warned Buffy.

She leaned over and opened the inner door and shutters. As soon as they slid open Giles rushed through.

“Quick, I can hear someone coming,” he said.

Giles tore at the metal shutters with all of his body’s vampire strength and bent them backwards. Buffy joined in and helped break the glass of the cell’s door. The pair then heaved the body back inside and shut the door.

“What’d you do that for?” gasped Spike as they ran away.

“So they’d think that I got out without help, you berk,” said Giles.

Buffy stopped them when they came to a grid in the ceiling.

“Okay you two, get up in there. I was shown the plans - it’s an airshaft. Just keep heading upwards and it’ll come out in the woods,” said Buffy.

“Where are you going?” asked Giles.

“Back out the way I came in otherwise they’ll know I helped. Hurry!”

Spike being the tallest since he was in Giles’ body, reached up and lifted the grill. Accustomed to his usual agility he grabbed the sides of the hole and went to pull himself up. Nothing happened. He jumped a bit and still he couldn’t pull himself in.

“Er…can you give me a bit of a push?” he asked sheepishly.

Giles grabbed his waist and with one good shove pushed Spike up and into the shaft, then leapt effortlessly after him. Buffy was already rushing away as Giles put the grill back down. He pushed past Spike to lead the way. It was pitch dark and the vent had a sharp uphill incline, making it tough going. Spike was soon falling behind.

“Come on, Spike,” urged Giles.

“Look, I’m going as fast as I bleeding can,” panted Spike. “If you’d kept in better shape…”

“There’s nothing wrong with that body,” snapped Giles.

“Nothing right with it, more like,” grumbled Spike.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, they came to the grill at the other end of the ventilation shaft. Giles effortlessly broke it open and the pair crawled out, gratefully standing up straight again. Knowing that The Initiative patrolled these woods they hurried off to where they’d been told Xander would be waiting with the car.

Giles ran steadily along, light-footed, barely exerting himself. Spike, on the other hand, was wheezing and crashing through the undergrowth with the grace of a baby elephant.

“It’s there,” said Giles, his vampire sight picking out the car ahead.

Spike glanced up. He didn’t notice the root sticking out and fell forward, hitting his head against a tree trunk. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Xander saw the figure of Spike running towards him. He grinned.

“Hey G Man, how are you enjoying your body?”

“Ha ha - very funny,” said Giles

“Where’s Spike?”

“What?” Giles spun around. “He was there just a minute ago. Oh hell, where’s he gone?”

Xander and Giles backtracked and found Spike slumped on the ground. They grabbed an arm each and dragged him back to the car, putting him on the back seat.

Back at the apartment they found Buffy and Willow waiting. Buffy had gotten out without any problem and had told Riley she’d gone back to collect something that she’d left the previous day so her cover story was intact. The fact Giles had escaped hadn’t been noticed before she got out. They greeted Giles with hugs that felt very strange since it was Spike’s cool, slender, firm body they were holding rather than the more fatherly bulk of Giles’ normal body.

“Where’s Spike?” asked Willow.

“He’s in the back seat,” said Xander. “The dork tripped and knocked himself out.”

They brought Spike in and laid him on the couch. They decided to call it a night - the research could wait until the next day.

To be continued…