Made by nmcil





Chapter Twenty:



Buffy would give up her castle to erase what had just happened. She tried to console herself that being stuck in a room less flattering than a Russian prison for several days was a good excuse for her impulsive, joyful running into Spike's arms.

Thankfully, she'd managed to stop before she made a fool of herself. Her eyes gazed at his surprised blue ones, and her hand sheepishly brushed against his arm. "H-how did you get here?"

"No time for chit chat." Spike rolled his shoulders. "We need to move fast." He cast a glance inside the cell and his eyes gleamed. "Lookie lookie who's here."

Reem stepped back with caution.

Buffy grabbed Spike's arm, her emotions under control now. "Like you said, no time for chit chat."

Spike pointed a finger at Reem. "She's got to come."

"Duh. Everybody is coming with us."

"No can do," Spike said. "The portal is only enough for two."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Takes an awful lot of witch power to get a load of Slayers back into the Scottish stronghold. Xander said the girls for the job ain't…" He trailed off at Buffy's startled gaze.

"Xander?" she whispered.

His face hardened. "Give it up, Buffy. He knows all about me. He practically begged for my help." His jaw tightened with disgust. "Typical, eh? When Buffy's in danger, no one better than Spike to put in front of the cannon…"

"You could've said no," Buffy interrupted with irritation.

His face softened. "You know me better than that." Their eyes met for a moment before Buffy broke the contact. Her hands closed into trembling fists. He didn't give her much of a reason to 'know him better.'

"Uh, excuse me," Reem said, breaking the tension. "Hate to interrupt the lovely reunion, but we're in a difficult situation at the mo."

"Then follow me," Spike said, his face set in stubborn lines.

Buffy felt a little frantic, and her stomach lurched wildly. "Where are you going?"

"On a bloody picnic," Spike retorted.

Her heart started beating faster, and she shook her head. "I'm not leaving without the scythe."

"Don’t be daft." He grabbed her arm. "Only a few minutes before the portal closes."

"Spike," she hissed, snatching her arm from his grip. He looked angrily at her, and she pointed two aggravated fingers at her body. "Can't you tell something's changed?"

Spike tilted his head. His expression changed a little, as if he were thinking that the outfit didn't flatter her, but seconds later, his eyes grew bigger. He looked up and down at her anxiously. "How…?"

"The scythe. That's why I need it back." If she wanted to get out of here and save the rest, she had to become a Slayer again. She'd learned that the hard way.

Spike looked at the hallway before he returned his gaze to her. "Look, the portal can't hold a long time. Once you're safe back home, you can work out a better plan to get it back. After all, you're going back for the rest of the flock."

Buffy wanted to protest, but knew that what he said made sense. She looked at Reem, asking her for her opinion with her eyes.

Reem shrugged.

As if on cue, a loud curse was heard from the hall. All three snapped their heads to the guard standing in the middle of the hall with his rifle. "How did you get here?" he barked at Spike.

Spike attacked the guard, throwing him to the floor. He climbed on top of him and snatched away the rifle while his other hand pinned the guard's arms above his head. The guard wiggled and bucked, but Spike held firm.

As he laid a few punches before the guard fell unconscious, Buffy and Reem were behind him in an instant. Spike pulled him inside the cell and shut the door behind him.

"The portal is in the west wing. Move," Spike ordered softly, nodding his head to the left.

Metal doors with small slots lined the hall on both sides, and Buffy tried to clamp down on the desire to break those doors open and let everybody out. She couldn't, though. She was so weak and helpless. All she'd do was bring attention to them with her feeble kicks.

"I still think we should get the scythe back."

Spike looked at her over his shoulder and quickened his pace. "If you try to find the bloody thing, you two will be stuck here." His face shifted into vampire features with frustration. "Just forget it right now."

Buffy couldn't forget about it. She needed the scythe so much she could hardly contain herself. She couldn't relax, but a tiny voice in her head was yelling at her to get a grip. She couldn't force herself to pull her eyes away from the doors, though. Her girls were inside, suffering and lonely, living their days with nothing but fragile hope for the day they'd be rescued.

Staring persistently ahead as her hands clenched by her sides, she followed Spike without argument.

They were inside a medium-sized room and the faint blue glow of the portal was in the middle. "Looks weaker than when I left it," Spike observed before he nudged his head to the portal. "Now you two, jump," he instructed.

Buffy eyed him suspiciously. "What about you?"

"Can't," he muttered.

Something inside Buffy sunk down her spine as she started to panic. "We're not leaving without you."

"Well, you have no choice," Spike said with a hint of a growl. "The portal is only enough for two, remember?"

"So… you're just gonna stay here." She hated that her voice wavered in the end.

Spike's shoulders sagged. "Won't be the first time," he mumbled, looking at her meaningfully.

A soft gasp was heard behind them. They turned and found Reem held against a soldier's chest, her screams muffled by the large hand on her mouth.

Buffy gave Spike a swift, determined glance, and he nodded without hesitation. Spike leaped at the soldier and knocked him down, with Buffy close behind. The soldier released Reem, who fell into Buffy's arms.

Buffy pushed Reem to one of the corners and grabbed the soldier's kicking legs, holding them firm on the ground. Spike held his arms over his head with one hand, his other hand ready to punch the soldier into unconsciousness.

Buffy was temporarily distracted by the shouts that emanated from the soldiers standing by the entrance. Reem's panicked scream and the curses that came from the entrance were so loud that Buffy's hands loosened around the soldier's ankles. The soldier was able to kick her in the chin, knocking her backward painfully. She let out a groan and fell flat on her back on the cold floor. Reem rushed over to her.

Buffy pushed herself up, ignoring Reem, who tried to keep her lying down. She looked over to see Spike surrounded by four soldiers with spray guns pointed at him. Rubbing her aching jaw, she met Spike's gaze as she crawled forward to the circle.

Close to one of the soldiers, Buffy swept her leg out, connecting it with the soldier's ankles, throwing him off balance. As the soldier fell to the floor, Buffy quickly grabbed his weapon just as she heard gunfire. She snapped her gaze towards the sound and found Spike pointing a gun at one of the soldiers. He'd just shot his arm, and the soldier was on the floor now, next to another one –apparently the one Spike had stolen his weapon from.

The fourth soldier didn't waste a second and shot Spike several times. Buffy jumped to her feet and shot the soldier's hand, disarming him.

She strode to the other two weapons lying on the floor and kicked them both towards Reem. She'd noticed the first soldier on his feet now about to strike and shot his arm, and he fell to the floor again.

Suddenly, she felt a leg knocking her to the ground, and the soldier Spike had disarmed earlier was grabbing her firearm, about to point it at her. Spike shot his shoulder before he could manage that. The soldier recoiled, but kept a strong hold on the weapon. Spike seized the moment and hit the soldier in the face with his firearm, knocking it out of his hand.

Buffy snatched it, afraid the other soldiers might grab it first. As she got up, she noted them still lying on the ground. Reem was pointing both guns, each one at a soldier.

Hearing gunfire, she noticed Spike shooting the first soldier's leg, preventing him from standing up again. She pointed her gun at the only soldier left, panting heavily.

She could see from the corners of her eyes Spike walking with difficulty and kicking the first soldier until he passed out. Still breathing hard, she looked at her soldier, already out cold, and lowered her firearm.

"You two go," Spike instructed Buffy and Reem. "I'll take care of them."

"Too late," Reem said quietly.

Buffy turned around quickly and cursed under her breath. The portal in the center of the room had disappeared. An irrepressible feeling of relief mixed with devastation washed over her. She wanted to beat herself up for not ordering Reem to go through, maybe with a message from Buffy to the others in the castle.

"Shit," Spike gritted out and fired his gun at the conscious soldiers' legs.

"Spike," Buffy exclaimed, grabbing his hand and putting it down. "That was unnecessary. We could've just tied them up."

"With what?" Spike snapped at her, his human features replaced with the demon. He winced, his hand going for the bloody spot on his chest.

Buffy examined his wounds. He was hit by three bullets; one in the shoulder, and two in the chest. Her fingers slightly fluttered, and she wanted to reach out with a comforting touch.

Spike let out a soft laugh. "Gonna run to the nearest pub for a beer bottle now?" he teased.

She glared at him and punched him in the arm. Jerk.

Frustrated, she turned around, forcing her brain to find a second plan. Her eyes stopped at Reem's face, full of fear and worry. Buffy heaved a sigh.

"Follow me."






~*~*~*~







Reem's grip on Buffy's hand hardened with every step they took in the military base. Buffy wanted to wrap an arm around her as reassurance, but she needed to feel reassured first. Her plan was to get the scythe, but there was a small part in her brain that nagged; then what? She didn't have the ability to turn herself back into a Slayer. Spike's earlier plan had been much better. She should have gone back to the castle, worked on a plan, gotten the scythe, and then worked with the other Slayers who practiced magic to bring back their powers.

She sighed, feeling at a loss. All the steel walls looked exactly the same, and there had been nothing but openings that led to more halls with steel walls. She clutched the firearm in her hands, not liking the idea of using it on humans. She glanced at the rifle Reem awkwardly held. Obviously, it was the first time she’d ever held one, and she looked uncomfortable with the idea of using it.

They stopped by a door at the end of the hall. Spike pushed it open, and they were greeted with another long hall, but this time it was filled with doors.

When Spike's hand locked around her arm in a firm grip, Buffy knew trouble was on the way. Someone opened the door to their left and loud, ridiculing laughter came out. Spike mentioned for Buffy and Reem to stay put before he tiptoed his way to the door. He peered inside as Buffy squirmed at another dose of loud laughter coming from there.

Spike tiptoed his way back and gestured for both women to take another direction.

"What were they talking about?" Buffy whispered.

"Seems this government thing is international," Spike replied. "They were talking with a foreign bloke on screen."

Buffy shuddered uncontrollably. She hadn’t really given much thought to what General Voll had told her, but it seemed she was definitely at war with humanity. "It's all just too weird," she said, her shoulders slumbering with defeat.

Spike touched her arm gently. "It's not like we haven't faced weird bits before."

"Yes, but this is too weird."

His hand tightened around her arm. He probably hated seeing her like this, beaten and weak. "That's life for you, keeps getting weirder. Instead of whining about it, you have to adapt."

"And you got weird, too," she whined, looking up at him with a small smile.

"Oi, that's always been me. Cope. Adapt. It's all Spike." He looked ahead with a head shake. "Explains how I didn't go insane with that bloody chip in my head."

"Well, you got clingy and annoying," she teased.

He looked at her with a serious face. "And you can do that, too."

"Be clingy and annoying?" When he rolled his eyes, she laughed softly. "I get what you mean."

"I mean it," he stressed. "In fact, you do it all the time. World went upside down for you when your mum died, but you didn't give up, right?"

Buffy stared at him intensely before she looked away, touched.

"You know, I actually wish it had been you dancing with the sodding Immortal. Least you would've been happy, being just a girl." Spike patted his pockets with frustration, desperate for a smoke but knowing better than to light a cigarette here.

Buffy shook her head, even though the idea sounded tempting. "I can't be just a girl."

"Why not?" Spike peered at the opening on the left before he started walking. "World has more Slayers than the rats that caused the plague. It can still do fine if one quits."

"You said it - plague. I'm responsible for changing so many lives. Reem is one of them, and look how it turned out. Angel, her family, and Reem herself; all hurt because of me." She felt Reem squeeze her hand and smiled at the small gesture of comfort. "I can't turn my back on that."

Spike's eyes flickered over her, his gaze slightly heavier than usual. His lips curved into an impressed smile.

Her cheeks grew hot, and the air around them felt a little thicker, warmer than before. She broke the eye contact, and her gaze fell on Reem's mischievous grin. "What?" she asked urgently.

Reem shook her head and didn't answer. Buffy was about to argue when suddenly Spike's hand grabbed her arm.

"What is it?" she asked him.

His face appeared thoughtful, his lips slightly parting. "It's Willow."

Buffy's heart skipped a beat. "What? Willow? Where?"

"Not sure, just heard her and…" He frowned. "Can't be true."

"Spike, what is it?"

He walked forward, standing in front of one of the metal doors, and Buffy followed him, along with Reem. Exasperation filled Buffy at the way Spike wasn't answering her questions; she glared at him as he stared into a slot and cursed quietly. Buffy pushed him to the side and attempted to look but then the door was jerked open and unexpectedly Amy stood before them.

Instinctively, Buffy pointed the firearm at Amy, but she snapped her fingers and it vanished.

"Yumma," Reem yelped behind her. "The gun disappeared!"

Buffy peered over Amy's shoulder and found Willow restrained on a metal table. Some skinless freak of nature was hovering over her, holding a scalpel to Willow's eye.

"Get away from her," Buffy shouted, and was about to pounce on the creature when a magical blow hit her and sent her flying back, smacking against the wall.

"Buffy!" Reem exclaimed, rushing to her side.

Spike's human features morphed into his demon side, and he flashed his teeth at Amy. She threw another bolt of energy that sent him to the end of the hall.

Buffy pushed off the floor and threw herself at Amy, who was ready for her and unleashed one more ball of energy.

Buffy cursed, knocked flat on the floor again, and then she caught Reem sneaking up behind Amy.

Amy gave a derisive laugh. "You think you can beat me that easily?" She snapped her fingers and Reem was suddenly glued to the floor. Then she crossed her arms, her lips curled up slightly in a smirk. "So, ready to go back to your hole?"

When Buffy didn't respond, Amy added, "I kept telling Voll you should be put in isolation. But did he listen?"

Buffy could see Spike crawling towards Amy and felt her heart beat faster. Amy shook her head and effortlessly tossed one more ball of energy at Spike, and he ended up lying next to Reem.

"Let me go." Reem gritted her teeth. Buffy could see panic in her eyes as she tried to move, but Amy ignored her, her eyes on Buffy.

With a determined gaze, Buffy stood up and attacked, only to get slammed against the wall again. But her lips curved into a small smile when she heard Amy's scream. She looked up and met Spike's golden eyes, blood sliding from his mouth to his chin.

Wasting no time, Buffy hurried into the lab. She gasped, looking at the horrible condition Willow was in. The familiar skinless monster gazed up at her, holding the scalpel. The blade was covered in blood. Willow's blood.

Buffy clenched her teeth in anger. She was about to kick Warren into a pulp when Amy stormed inside and pushed Buffy out of her way. She grabbed Warren from behind and started to open a portal.

"Time to go, sweetie," she said, pulling Warren through the portal.

"This isn't over, Slayer," he growled.

Wasting no time, she rushed to Willow's side and ripped away the bonds around her. Panic rose inside her in waves. Willow was facing away from her, and Buffy didn't have the heart to turn her head to look at the damage done to her face.

Suddenly, Willow grabbed her shoulder. Buffy started, especially when Willow murmured a weak, "Buffy?"

Willow turned around, her face flawless, and she greeted Buffy with one big smile. "Problem?"

Buffy's eyes went wide at how healthy and unscarred Willow's face appeared. She didn't ask any questions; they didn't matter. What mattered was that Willow was here and safe. Relief washed over her, and she let out a soft laugh, pulling Willow into a tight hug.

"Now how come I didn't get that warm welcome?" Spike teased. He and Reem were standing behind her.

"Shut up," she mumbled with affection. If only he knew how happy she was that he was back in her life.

"Buffy," Willow whispered into her hair. "Is this a dream or something? Because Spike is standing right in front of me."

"Not a dream. Spike is back, alive and kicking."

"Yeah, for a vampire," Reem muttered. She grinned innocently at Spike’s scathing glare.

Buffy let go of Willow and looked into her eyes. "Listen, Will, how much magic have you got in you?"

"Enough," Willow answered simply. Buffy looked at Spike and Reem. "You two go and get all the imprisoned Slayers out." She turned to Willow. "We're gonna get the scythe."




~*~*~*~