Chapter 29: Paying a Visit.


The drive back to the house was silent. Willow looked around the back of the van at the occupants, each person wearing similar expressions. Angel was pretty beaten up and was trying to keep as still as possible so as not to infuriate his broken ribs. She had thought that he was in a bad way, but that was before she had seen Spike. His condition was by far the worst of the two vampires.

The cuts, the stab wounds, the burns… hardly any of his exposed skin was unblemished. She pitied him for the state that he was in, but also in complete awe of the fact that he hadn’t given in. If she had been subjected to such torture, she didn’t think she could have survived it, and not just because she was human. Willow was by no means a weak person, but the courage it must have taken to live through what he had… awed her.

Xander was sitting in the far corner of the van, looking anywhere but at Buffy and Spike. Willow understood that even though the air between Xander and Spike wasn’t as volatile as it used to be, they were by no means friends; Xander didn’t trust the vampire enough for that. But seeing him like this must have really shaken him up.

Even Anya was uncharacteristically quiet as she sat in the front with Giles as they made their way out of the woods and towards Revello Drive.

And then there was Buffy.

Willow had noticed the bite mark on Buffy’s neck almost immediately, even though she had tried to conceal it with her hair. She wasn’t aware if anyone else had seen it, but she had. And surprisingly, she was okay with it. Buffy wasn’t a fool. If she had allowed Spike to feed from her, then he must have been in a really bad way. Willow could only imagine the state he must have been in when Buffy broke him free from that cell. Not wanting to imagine him any worse she returned her thoughts back to Buffy, who was sitting beside Spike, her worried gaze traveling across the vampires face and body.

Willow saw genuine concern for Spike’s well being in Buffy’s eyes. She speculated that it wasn’t just in regard to Dawn, something she would not be voicing out loud to her friend any time soon. She wondered if this would bring the vampire and the slayer closer together, and found that a small part of her was hoping that it would. Spike adored Buffy, practically worshipped the ground she walked on, something he did not hide even though he was ridiculed for it. He was protective over Buffy, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Willow that this was the second time in a little over a month that Spike had been tortured by a crazy blonde woman because of his connection to Buffy. And he was definitely a lighter shade of evil these days. And it wasn’t as if Buffy was against dating vampires…

Am I really justifying Spike’s worth here? She thought with a shake of her head. Buffy doesn’t need a matchmaker…

“We’re almost there.” Giles called from the front seat, alerting the others, specifically Buffy, that they were close to the house.

Spike let the relief that announcement brought wash over him for a moment as he drug his gaze from the floor up to Buffy. He was in a state of euphoria. His wounds still hurt like hell, and it would be several days before he was well enough to fight, but the pain was dulled by the knowledge of what she had given him in that cell. Not just her blood. But that kiss. He couldn’t deny how much it meant to him. His only worry was that she would regret it. He didn’t think he could stand that rejection.

His eyes found hers and his worries were quashed. She was watching him so intently that he could almost feel her gaze burning into him. But that was how he always felt when he was around her. Alive…

Spike reached for Buffy’s hand that lay on the seat beside him and linked his fingers through hers, giving them a tight squeeze in thanks. When she returned that squeeze and didn’t pull away he felt his heart soar.

A glimmer of a smirk danced on Willow’s face when she noticed the linked hands. Buffy doesn’t need a matchmaker…

The van pulled to a stop and Buffy slowly extracted her hand from Spike’s, moving to support him around the waist as they brought him into the house. Angel exited the van after Buffy and once again made his way to the other side of Spike. Knowing that he was in no position to disregard help right now, Spike nodded in thanks to Angel as they slowly moved towards the house.

~~~

Darla and her crew returned to the Masters old lair, the Sunken Church beneath the ruins of Sunnydale High after the encounter with the slayer. Her numbers were incredibly depleted and although they had managed to escape without her bargaining chip, she still had the Dagger of Cortanzine in her possession.

She figured it was time to lay her cards on the table.

“We’re going back out.” Darla announced as she spun on her heel and addressed the minions that had amassed in the chamber.

“But we’ve taken great losses!” One of the fledglings pointed out. “We’ll be no match for the slayer!”

Darla snapped her fingers once and Jake stepped forward, plunging a wooden stake into the back of the vampire. “Anyone else have any questions? Comments?”

When none came Darla smiled thinly and began shouting orders.

~~~

“Oh dear lord.”

Wesley wiped at his forehead with the handkerchief from his pocket as he was filled with a new sense of dread. “Things couldn’t possibly get any worse.”

Cordelia’s mouth gaped and she swatted at Wes’s arm. “You do realize that you’ve just jinxed us now right?” she questioned with an arched brow.

Her sarcasm washed right over him as he began gathering papers and hurriedly stuffing them into a briefcase.

“Wes… what is it?” Cordelia asked when he didn’t even acknowledge her sarcasm.

“We need to get to Sunnydale as fast as we can.” He informed as he reached for his jacket and slipped it over his arms.

Cordelia’s eyes widened and she began to shake her head from side to side. “Ohhh, No.” She objected. “Sunnydale? The place where we nearly got eaten alive, literally. And not just once, on several occasions. I’m NOT going back there.”

“Not goin’ back where?” Gunn queried as he joined Wes and Cordy in the office. He had been out dealing with one of their cases, Angel Investigations having found themselves quite busy ever since Angel had left town.

“Sunnydale.” Wesley informed.

“Why?” Cordelia whined.

Wesley’s expression was grim. “Because if we don’t not only will Darla cause Angel to lose his soul, but she will also destroy the prodigal.”

“The prodigal? That dude you had us researchin’ in connection with Spike?”

“He’s not connected to Spike.” Wesley enlightened. “He’s connected to Angel.”

“What?” Cordelia said with a confused frown. “How? Will you please explain what is going on?” she added with a ‘humph’ as she folded her arms over her chest.

“In the car. If my sources are accurate, we don’t have much time.”

~~~

“They’re here!” Dawn shouted excitedly, leaping from the sofa and rushing to the front door when she heard a car pull up in the driveway. After peeping through one of the square glass panels to confirm it was them, Dawn threw the door open and bounded down the few steps from the front porch to the path.

And then stopped still.

“Oh my god!” She cried in alarm, a hand flying to her mouth when she took in Spike’s wounds.

“Dawn, you got that first aid station all prepared?” Buffy asked as they approached the door.

Nodding numbly she led the group inside the house, Giles being the last one to enter, before closing the door.

Tara swept forward and wrapped Willow in a tight embrace, thankful that her girlfriend had returned in one piece. Xander and Anya stood in the entrance way in a similar position, sobered by Spike’s condition.

“Giles.” Buffy called from the dining room. “I think we’re going to need you’re expertise here. We’ve got two vampires in need of patching up.”

Giles entered the room, where Buffy was in the process of lowering Spike onto a chair as gently as possible.

Angel lifted a hand to shake off the offer. “I’m fine, I just need some rest.”

Buffy quirked an eyebrow and playfully tapped him on the stomach. Angel doubled over almost instantly when the pressure, although light, caused pain to radiate from his ribs.

“Oh yeah, you’re just fine.” Buffy drawled sarcastically. “Sit down, you’ll get your turn.”

Angel did as instructed and lowered himself to the seat beside Spike.

Giles did a quick stock take of what Dawn had laid out, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater as he cleaned his hands with a sterilizing agent. “Dawn, would you be able to prepare some saline solution in a large bowl please?” he asked.

“Saline?”

“Water, salt, stir it together.” He said kindly.

Dawn retuned a few minutes later with what Giles requested. He dipped his finger in the solution and tasted it, satisfied with the strength of it. Opening a bandage from its packet Giles dipped it in the solution and squeezed out most of the excess. “This is going to sting a little.” He warned Spike. “But your wounds need to be cleaned.”

Spike nodded once, gripping the sides of the chair as he prepared himself for it.

Cautiously, Giles dabbed the wet bandage on one of the minor wounds on Spike’s shoulder.

“Bloody, sodding, shagging, bollocks!” Spike cursed, the string of words out of his mouth before he had a chance to censor himself.

Giles re-dipped the bandage in the water and began to move it towards Spike’s shoulder but the vampire flinched.

“Not again.” He said with a vehement shake of his head, muttering sarcastically under his breath. “This is going to sting a little. Little my ass.”

Buffy fought back the grin that wanted to stretch across her face. “Oh you big baby.”

“Does it sting? Poor Spikey-wikey.” Xander mocked, grinning broadly in amusement of the whole situation.

“Hey!” Spike retorted.

“Buffy?” Giles said impatiently. “Would you mind?” he asked, holding the soaking bandage towards the slayer. “If you tend to Spike I’ll see about patching up Angel’s ribs.”

Nodding once, Buffy accepted the bandage, and drew up a chair in front of Spike. “Try not to move.” She said. “And if you try and escape, I’ll tie you down.”

Jaw agape at her threat, knowing that she would follow through with it, Spike nodded once in acquiescence.

He flinched a little at the sting from the salty water, but slowly found himself relaxing at the soft and soothing way in which Buffy tended his wounds. She was gentle, unlike the Watcher. He observed her closely as she cleaned his wounds, avoiding the hole in his chest for as long as she possible could. When she had nothing else to swab, she slowly peeled back the makeshift bandage she had tied around his torso and with feather light touches began to clean that wound as well.

She was surprised at how much it had healed, knowing that the rapid acceleration of his healing was due to the slayer blood that was coursing Spike’s veins. She trailed her fingers lightly over the mending flesh, her actions eliciting a shiver from the vampire. Thinking that she had hurt him, she drew her fingers away and reached for the sterile wounds dressings and slowly began tending to the wounds.

~~~

“And you trust the source English?” Gunn asked as they drove down the freeway towards a town he had only ever heard stories about.

“No.” Wesley replied with a shake of his head. “But I trust the intel.”

“And the difference is?” Cordelia said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she stared out the window. She was beyond annoyed that she was being forced to go back to Sunnydale. Behind the annoyance and sarcasm, was hidden fear.

Cordelia Chase was afraid of going back to Sunnydale.

And she didn’t scare lightly, as least, not as much as she used to. Everything had changed so much in the last year and a half. She had sworn that she would never return to that town. At first, it was because of shame. After losing everything to the IRS and having to start over with nothing, she hadn’t wanted to return to face the gossip, the looks. Recently, it had been because she no longer considered Sunnydale to be home anymore. LA was her home.

Although she would never admit it, the teensiest part of her was nervous about meeting up with the old gang. The people who she had first considered the lepers of High School, who had quickly found their way into her heart. And then shattered it. She was over Xander, well and truly. Towards the end of senior year they had begun to mend their friendship, slightly. But now… so much time had passed. And she knew it would just be awkward, for all of them.

“Wolfram and Hart don’t like it when other beings interrupt their plans.” Wesley said interrupting Cordelia’s thoughts. “They have plans for Angel and Darla isn’t included in them.”

“Well we all know what a sucker he is for blondes.” Gunn said with a grin. “It may be a little difficult persuading him to go through with this.”

He may not have ever met Buffy Summers, but he had most certainly heard about her, from Wes and Cordy. Angel didn’t speak about her much but he was always different after seeing her. And then there were the few photographs that Angel thought no one knew about, but Gunn had stumbled upon.

And of course there was Darla. Even though Angel had tried to kill her, he knew that the vampire still held the evil vampiress with regard. Gunn didn’t know much about the relationship between vampires and their sires, but that didn’t mean he didn’t get it. When his sister had been turned… he shook his head, trying to clear the painful memories. Yeah… he understood what it was like.

“When he finds out what Darla is planning, I don’t think we will have too much argument.” Wesley said quietly. Wesley’s thoughts went to the weapons they had stored away in the trunk, a vivid image of the tranquilizer gun coming to mind. And if he does…

“Gunn would you try calling the Summers house please?” Wesley asked, handing his cell over to Gunn in the back seat. He had yet to receive a return call from Giles, and with this new information he needed to contact the watcher as soon as possible.

Changing lanes he steered the car off one freeway and towards another, which would take them almost directly to their destination.

~~~

Buffy finished bandaging Spike’s wounds, she stepped back to eye her handiwork. He was a patchwork of bandages, and it was going to be a painful couple of days for him, but at least the wounds wouldn’t become infected.

Spike opened his mouth to thank Buffy for her work but before he had the chance to say anything the telephone rang.

Dawn moved into the kitchen and answered it, speaking with the caller for a few moments before covering the mouthpiece with her hand. “Giles, it’s for you.”




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