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Something Wicked Cool This Way Comes by The Rhapsodian
 
Chapter Eight - Crazy Train
 
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Hi everyone, sorry about the late update! There’s a lot of snow here in Europe, and my muse (traitor!) decided to leave to go skiing! But then she realized she was no good at it and came crawling back! So I made her write an extra long chapter in revenge… sweet, sweet revenge…

Warning: character death.

Chapter Eight – Crazy Train

“I’ve listened to preachers,
I’ve listened to fools […]
Inheriting troubles I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just cannot bear
I'm living with something that just isn't fair
Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train”
Ozzy Osbourne, “Crazy Train”



The DeSoto was storming through the streets of Sunnydale, wandering around, looking for one particular and most peculiar vampiress that, so far, remained elusive.

Inside, both passengers were scanning the night outside, not saying a word, their stomachs clenched with angst.

After half an hour, Buffy broke the silence. “I don’t get it! What is Drusilla doing here?”

“Beats me, pet, I’m mostly surprised she didn’t come to me first.”

Buffy snorted. “Yeah, that would have been a tearful reunion…”

“Would you please shut up and stop with the jealous shite already? I’m trying to sense her…”

She gasped in indignation. “I’m not jeal –”

“Buffy, try and think about everything you’ve been telling me these past few days, then try and convince yourself you’re not jealous!”

She stared at him for a while. Dammit! He’s right! “Guess I am… God, I’m sick…”

Spike grunted in response. “Because you feel you shouldn’t be feeling jealousy towards an evil soulless thing that tried to rape you…”

“The rape bit, yeah… but the rest… I’m kinda getting over it…”

“Really?”

“Not willingly, believe me, but… did you say you were trying to sense her?”

“Yeah, and so far, it’s not working.”

“S’plainy, please?”

“Dru’s my Sire, isn’t she? She and I have a blood bond, we’re linked. We always feel each other when we’re close geographically. Like I could sense the Great Ponce when he was about. Like we all felt it when Darla was dusted and then when she came back. Bit like family, really.”

“So how come you’re not feeling her now?”

“Haven’t got the foggiest.”

“Is there a chance that it could not be her after all?”

“Do you know many vamps that talk to the stars through a dolly?”

“…‘Kay, so it is her. But I still don’t get it: how did she make Gayle crazy and why?”

“That in itself is strange, I’ll give you that, but it’s still kinda like Dru to pull a stint like that. But I’m still more worried about the fact that I can’ sense her.”

“Okay, there isn’t a single bit of that statement that isn’t like totally scary, but that last part? How is that worse?”

“Because, if I can’t feel her… it means that something in her has just changed drastically. And that could be very, very bad…”

__…-==-…__

“What do you suppose is going on in there?” asked Dawn looking at the crazed Slayer.

Gayle was tied up to a chair again, her eyes staring at nothing, a smile on her face and her head softly bobbing to a melody she alone could hear.

“Probably Hard Rock Café’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2.” answered Willow. “Or maybe a rerun of Voyager. Whatever it is, it’s keeping her happy and relaxed, so I hope it won’t end soon.”

“Why would Drusilla go after her? You’d think she’d have a bigger bone to pick with Buffy or Spike than a random Slayer…”

“Well, she’s not exactly known for thinking logically. Plus maybe this is a way of getting to both of them at once.”

“I don’t think so. If that was really the case, she would have gone after me.”

Willow stared at her.

“What?” the teenager said with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re so smart sometimes, it’s scary.”

“Thank you, I do try.”

Willow started to pace. “I just hope they’ll be back soon. I really don’t like the idea of Drusilla wandering about. Or seeing Gayle in that state. If only I had the right supplies for a locator spell…”

Tara had been standing vigil at the window. “Do you think we should call Giles?”

“At this ‘ungodly hour’? Nah! If they’re not back by sunrise, I will, but in the meantime, let him sleep.”

“Yeah, he needs it, he’s no spring chicken…”

“Dawn!”

“Sorry…”

“How about Xander or Anya?” continued the blonde witch. “We may need some extra help, in case she…”

“Help! / I need somebody, help! / Not just anybody, help! / You know I need someone…”

“… starts singing again.”

“It’s not that bad. At least she’s providing entertainment while we wait.”

“Do you think she could get dangerous?” asked Dawn.

“I have no idea, but I’d rather not find out. Hence the bondage. I mean, imagine she gets pissed off because, I don’t know, we’re out of milk and cookies. I just don’t want to be in the line of fire then.”

Gayle raised her head to the witch: “We’re out of cookies?”

“No! No, plenty o’ cookies in the house, Mama, don’t you worry!”

“It would have been easy to kill you, ya know…”

“I don’t doubt it, but I really rather you didn’t.”

“Okey dokey!”

“Thank you.” Turning to Dawn and Tara: “See what I mean?”

“Well”, Dawn mused, “you did threaten the cookies…”

“Dawn! You’re not helping!”

“Sorry, shutting up now.”

Tara was trying her best not to laugh at the comical situation. “What about Buffy and Spike? From what you’ve told me, that Drusilla person is really dangerous, do you think they’ll be okay?”

“Yeah… might be a little awkward though, especially for Spike, with the whole ‘loved you for a century’ thingy, but him and Buffy can more than hold their own in battle…”

Gayle started to snigger, then chuckled, then laughed loudly. She kept on laughing at the top of her lungs for almost a full minute. The girls kept exchanging worried glances.

“Uhm, Mama Gayle?” asked Dawn wearily. “Are you okay? What’s so funny?”

Gayle stopped laughing abruptly, and though she kept the ghost of a smile on her lips, her huge doe’s eyes had gone dark and dangerous.

“You little girls… you have no idea! That’s why I love you guys so much… you have no idea… what it’s really like when you’re truly in battle… where anywhere you look, up, down, sideways, there’s nothing but fighting… the clamor, the noise, the life, the death… of everything! Of everything you know and knew and think you will know. And how it goes on and on and on until you can’t remember when it all started and why you keep going and what’s at the end… you just keep on fighting until every fiber in your body gives way, and you just want to rest… but how do you rest when there’s nothing under or above you? Nothing before and nothing after, nothing ahead or behind… You don’t, that’s how… so you just hold on… and on… and on… and you just accept the pain… again… and again… and again… And the fear, the constant fear of what’s ahead, if it will happen again, and just how many times… You little girls… you have no idea…”

She lowered her head and stopped talking.

A minute passed.

The girls were just staring at the bound girl. Dawn broke the silence: “Okay, I’ll say it first: what was that all about?”

“I don’t know” said Willow, who then got closer to Gayle. She put her hands on the brunette’s shoulders, and Gayle lifted her head in reaction.

“Gayle… you don’t want to kill us, do you?”

“I kill evil… it’s what I do… what I’m meant to do… what I was born to do…”

“Yeah, okay, but you know we’re not evil, right?”

Gayle looked at Willow straight in the eyes, and for a second the witch could have sworn the slayer could see her again…

“I like you now. So I won’t kill you.”

“Th-thanks, much obliged.”

They were interrupted by the door bell. Dawn went to answer it.

The person on the other side was a pale-looking dark haired woman, extremely beautiful. “I need to see the Slayer and Spike. Please let me in.”

Dawn raised an eyebrow. “Aaaand good evening to you too, or good morning now, whatever. And you ask so nicely as well…Who the hell are you?”

Gayle extended her neck to see past the doorway. The newcomer saw her and said: “What are you doing here?”

Willow let out a gasp behind the teen: “Oh my god!”

Gayle beamed and exclaimed: “Hey, it’s Ghosty-Girl!”

__…-==-…__

“Right! That’s it! I officially give up!”said Spike, getting back into the car.

Buffy jogged after him and followed into the car herself. “Spike, we can’t just give up now!”

“Well what do you suggest we do instead?” he said, starting the car and driving away. “We’ve checked what’s left of the factory, the mansion, several nests which really need cleaning up by the way, all the bleeding cemeteries…”

“Maybe the Bronze? Or a demon bar?”

“Bronze is closed at this hour. As for the bar, can you really imagine Dru in there?”

“Well, I don’t know! She’s British right? Aren’t you guys supposed like to spend your lives in pubs?”

“While you Yanks, on the other hand, are the epitome of self-restraint! Especially in frat houses or during Super Bowl time! Thanks for the stereotype, Slayer, much obliged…”

“You done? Can we focus now?”

“I’m not the one who –”

The driver’s window exploded.

Spike swerved violently, extending his arm over to protect Buffy’s body and managed to stop the car short of running into a tree.

“Get down!” he shouted as the car stopped. Both he and Buffy dived under the headboard.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know, but… oh wait, yes I do.” He pointed at the passenger door. A crossbow bolt was embedded in the paneling.

Buffy considered the direction. It had been a very close one…

“Who do you think it was meant for?”

“Dunno, but I’d like to find out!” he growled. He tried to get out of the car, but Buffy stopped him.

“No! You’re not immune to a bolt to the heart! Stay!”

Spike made a face, but complied. Then he held out his hand to her and cupped her face. “You alrigh’?”

She almost leaned into his hand, but refrained at the last second. “Yeah… still whole Buffy. Do you think it was her?”

“No, no I don’ think so. S’not her style. Plus she doesn’t know how to use a crossbow.”

“Then who?”

“Pfff, demons, vampires, jealous ex-boyfriends, take your pick Slayer! But there’s something even more worrying…”

“What?”

“Why aren’t they here yet? We’re sitting ducks, and nobody’s coming to pick us!”

Buffy pondered this. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the noises around her with her Slayer senses. The wind in the leaves… an owl… running footsteps… Footsteps!

“Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, Slayer, I did… Wait a sec…”

She concentrated again. They definitely were footsteps, but they were running away from them.

“What? They try to kill us, and now they’re running away? What the hell?”

“That’s it, I’m going out.”

“No!”

He ignored her plea and stood out of the car. Buffy did the same and joined him on his side of the vehicle. Side by side, they scanned the night. The footsteps had disappeared.

“So…” Buffy ventured. “Do you think they really wanted to kill us, or just make a diversion?”

“Beats me. Could just be a crap shot and got scared.”

“It’s just too strange, I…” Her cell phone rang, ending that conversation. She flipped it open. “Hello?”

“Buffy, it’s Willow. You might want to come back home.”

“Why, what happened?” Immediately terrifying images of Gayle dancing naked on the front lawn filled her mind.

“Drusilla’s on the front porch.”

“WHAT?!?”

“Ouch, easy on the eardrums! She’s here, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… she’s asking for you!”

“Ooookay… again with the incredulous ‘what’?!”

“I know! She’s even being polite and stuff, well in a really creepy way, but still… and I definitely think she’s responsible for Gayle’s state now!”

“Why? Did she say so? Did Miss Edith say so?”

“No, but that’s the totally wiggy thing… Buffy, I think she’s sane!”

Buffy’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “Erm, Willow…”

“She’s making full non-cryptic sentences, Buffy! I don’t know if she wasn’t less scary without her marbles, but please come home soon! She’s like… waiting! She won’t leave!”

“Okay, we’ll be right there, don’t invite her in!”

“Well, duh!”

Buffy clapped her phone shut and turned to Spike. “Drusilla’s –”

“I heard. Vamp hearing, remember? Let’s go.”

They got back into the car and drove off in a loud engine roar.

“How could she be sane again?” Buffy asked, her voice slightly shrill with worry.

“No idea, pet, but I’m not liking this one bit. Though it might explain why couldn’t sense her earlier… Told you something must’ave been different ‘bout her… Just din’t think it would be that much of a difference…”

A question had suddenly arisen in Buffy’s mind. She took a deep breath before voicing it:

“Do you think she’s here for you? To get you back?”

Spike didn’t answer. He just kept staring at the road.

Buffy was slightly annoyed at this. “Well, what if she is? Are you gonna take off with her again?”

Spike looked at his Slayer straight in the eye. “Honestly, pet, I’m not sure…”

Buffy frowned. “That’s an awful lot of ‘I don’t know’s in one night! Especially for you!”

“Yes, Slayer… some of us don’t have answers, and others don’t know what they want… How’s that for soddin’ balance?”

__…-==-…__

The moment they stopped in front of Buffy’s house and got out of the car, he knew Willow had been right.

Drusilla had spotted him immediately, and welcomed him with the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen on her face. She was dressed very simply, in a red loose top and tight-fitted jeans, her hair untied and framing her face, making her skin look paler and her eyes wider.

She ran to him, actually ran, crossing the lawn with shining eyes and opened arms, while the girls Scoobs looked from the opened front door.

Spike’s mind went blank. He forgot everything and everyone around and ran into her arms, wrapping his own around her frail frame and holding her close. This was the moment he had dreamt of during a full century! His Drusilla, his dark goddess, sane and healthy! He couldn’t believe it!

Drusilla pushed her body against his in a tight embrace, her arms around his neck and nuzzling the crook of his shoulder. “My Spike!” she cried out in a voice strangled with emotion. “My William! I’ve missed you so!”

Spike pulled back slightly and took her face in his hands to contemplate. Her eyes… he’d never seen them like this! No longer empty and haunted, but clear and conscious and full of love! “Dru, love… I don’t believe this!”

“Believe it, my sweet! It’s real!” she said, and flattened herself against him.

Buffy stared at the lovers. Her face was a mask of pain and she had to fight the tears back. It’s just two people who have been very close in the past and are finding each other after a long time… it’s nothing…

It’s not ‘nothing’… This is real… their love is real… he still loves her… her…

Against all expectations, Spike broke the embrace first. “Dru, sweetheart… What are you doing here?”

Her answer was like a knife in Buffy’s heart: “I came for you, my sweet prince! Why else would I be here?”

That’s it: he’s going the scoop her up, get into the car and leave! So long, Hellmouth! So long Buffy!

“Dru, I don’t understand: how did this happen?”

“You mean me not being a screamin’ nutter anymore? Well it’s a long story…” Her face became serious all of a sudden. “But I have a serious matter to discuss with you first… with you and the Slayer.”

Buffy’s head shot up. “Me?”

“Yes, both of you. It’s very important.”

“First tell us what you did to Gayle!” Dawn cried out from the porch.

“Who is Gayle?” Drusilla asked Spike.

“The girl you met earlier and who seems to have swapped marbles with you!” he answered in a bitter tone.

“I didn’t know you knew her. I didn’t know, I promise you! I just came across her and… well…”

“Yes? What exactly did you do?” asked Willow, coming out of the house and joining them.

“Willow!” cried out Buffy. “Go back the house!”

“It’s quite alright”, said the vampires, “I did not come here to fight or harm your friends.”

“Oh really?” the Slayer huffed. “And I should believe you why? There’s a girl inside who would strongly disagree to your ‘non-harminess’, if she was in a fit state!”

“I know you have no reason to trust me…”

“You got that right!”

“Buffy, please!” Spike interrupted. “Let her speak.”

Buffy tried not to let them see how hurt she was. Spike was taking the other girl’s side. It’s normal, her inner voice told her. He probably can’t help it: how long has he been taking care of her, protecting her? It’s normal…

“Okay, then, Drusilla. Why are you here?”

“I was in Iran recently and while I was there, I had a vision…”

“What were you doing there?” asked Spike, an eyebrow raised.

“Bob and I were visiting some relatives of his.”

“Who the bloody hell is Bob?”

Drusilla suddenly looked embarrassed. “He’s… erm… well, he’s my… was my…”

The penny dropped in Spike’s head. “He’s that Fungus Demon, innit? The one you dumped me for? Christ, Dru, that was bad enough, but his name is ‘Bob’?”

“Could we get back on track here, please?” said Buffy irritably. “Drusilla, please continue.”

To Buffy’s amazement, Drusilla looked… grateful? “Thank you. So, as I was saying, I had a vision. Or more like something was pulling me in a certain direction, like a beacon. It led me to a cave near the Caspian Sea. It was rumored to house great powers, and would only open to one person, who had been prophesized many centuries ago. It opened to me.”

“Why you?”

“I think because I sired William, and because he became yours.”

“He’s not –”

“What do we have to do with this?” Spike interrupted again. “And Gayle?”

“I’m getting to that. I found two things in that cave, come with me.”

She led them to the porch. Leaning against the wall near the door was a seven-sided slab of marble, about twenty inches across, that nobody had noticed until then. Willow approached it, and held her hands out to lift it.

“I wouldn’t do that, deary” said Drusilla. “It’s extremely heavy, a normal human would have great trouble lifting it.”

Willow thought for a second about doing a levitation spell, but remembering previous discussions with Tara, ended up deciding against it. Instead, she moved aside and let the vampires seize the piece of stone.

“This,” she said, handing out the artifact to the Slayer, “is one of the things I found.”

Buffy took the artifact and examined it. It was indeed heavy, had she not had her slayer strength, she would have dropped it. It was made of white marble and the surface was divided into seven equal parts, like slices of pie. Each part was engraved with lettering in different languages and characters.

Drusilla continued. “I couldn’t decipher everything, only the part in Latin. Oh, and here is the other.” She got out of her front pocket a small leather drawstring pouch, obviously old and worn. She opened it for them to see: it was empty, but remnants of a pinkish powder were lining the inside. “This was full of a magical powder, supposedly healing. However, it doesn’t exactly heal. It… removes the ailment temporarily… or more exactly, it swaps ailments between the sick person and a healthy one. Any kind of ailment.”

Buffy and Spike looked at each other, then back at Drusilla. “Is that what happened to Gayle?”

“Yes… I assure you, I did not know she was a friend of yours! I’ve been using that powder ever since I found the stone. I had to get back here, but Bob wouldn’t help me, and they rarely let an insane person on a plane alone.”

“So you’ve been swapping sanities with several people?” Buffy exclaimed. “And you said you wouldn’t harm anyone?”

“Like I said, the effects are only temporary. It only lasts a few hours, all those people are well now, I swear! Your friend will be fine soon.”

Spike approached his former lover with a worried look. “What about you? The pouch is empty now…”

She looked back at him with a sad smile. “That’s right, my prince. It’s the end of the road for Sane Dru.”

“No… no, luv, we’ve got two powerful witches here, they’ll help you! We’ll find a way to make it permanent and Chirpy better, won’t we girls?” he asked Willow and Tara in a sob.

The witches exchanged glances. “I-if we had more time, and the original composition of the powder, maybe, but…”

“No!” he raged. “No ‘maybes’, no ‘buts’! You can do it, I’m sure you can!”

Buffy felt ready to cry. He wants her back, it’s obvious… you were just a consolation prize…

Drusilla cupped his cheek. “It’s alright, my sweet. I did what I had to do, the rest does not matter…”

“Yes, it bloody well does! You didn’t deserve this, Dru, nobody does!”

“Maybe not, but maybe it was for a reason. I brought you the stone, the powder has outlived its usefulness…”

“But why? Why was it so important to bring us that rock?”

She smiled again, a knowing smile. “Because, my William, it’s about –”

She suddenly jerked forward and into his arms. The impact made the couple topple to the floor. Buffy and Willow stared in shock at the crossbow bolt lodged in Drusilla’s shoulder…

Buffy spun quickly getting into battle stance and scanning her surroundings, when she heard a cry from inside the house…

“Guys! Over here!”

Dawn was the first to react and ran into the house. Gayle was still in her chair, but her eyes were focused again.

“Gayle?” the teen enquired.

“Yeah, I’m back! Untie me, quickly!”

Dawn did so, and as soon as Gayle was freed she ran out. She briefly saw Spike on the floor of the porch, holding the barely conscious body of her “attacker”, but quickly went to Buffy’s side.

“Over there!” the brunette pointed at a shadow walking away down the street. Both Slayers ran after it and caught up with the form in no time. Gayle grabbed the shape by its shoulder and made it turn around.

“Hey buster; you’re not getting – oh!”

The man was tall, a handsome smiling face, a bit boyish but still comely, dressed in black… and wore a priest’s collar.

“Sorry, Padre… didn’t mean to jump you like that…”

The priest smiled kindly, as if to say it was no bother, and extended a hand… with a crossbow in it!

“Gayle!” Buffy screamed and pulled her sister slayer out of harm’s way. The bolt missed them by a hair.

They both got back to their feet in a second and Gayle advanced on the priest, send a powerful kick that knocked the crossbow out of his hand. “You’re not a real padre, you filthy –”

She was interrupted when the priest, moving at lightning speed, had seized her by the throat and started lifting her off the ground…

“T’is not your place to judge me, vile temptress!” he said with a heavy southern accent before throwing Gayle away. She landed hard on her back ten feet behind. Buffy came to the rescue, trying to punch the priest, but he caught her fist in his large hand, then twisted her arm violently. She cried out before he pushed her away. She landed just besides Gayle and they helped each other up.

She turned to their attacker: “Who are you and what do you want?”

“I do not believe you earned the answers to those questions, but I’ll answer anyway: my name is Caleb, and I wanted the vamp-girl dead. It is done, so now I shall take my leave.”

“Oh yeah?” Buffy huffed. “Well either you know nothing about vampires or you’re just a cocky crap shot! You like totally missed the heart, buddy!”

Caleb chuckled. “I have to admit my aim could be better. I’m more of a contact person. However in this case it didn’t matter. ‘As water spilt on the ground, she cannot be gathered up again’.”

The Slayers looked at each other, puzzled. Then Buffy’s eyes went wide in realization:

“’Water’?”

Gayle blanched, then turned to the priest: “You sunuva –”

But her insult met nothing but air. The priest had disappeared. They no longer felt his presence either.

They sprinted back to the house, where the whole gang was out the porch. Spike was cradling Drusilla’s thin unmoving body, Willow was bent over her and performing a healing spell that just wasn’t working while onlookers Tara and Dawn were hugging each other. Both Slayers stopped close to the undead couple.

Spike lifted his face to the group. “She’s fading… I can feel her fading… but that bolt was nowhere near the heart! She can’t be dusting!”

Gayle looked at him wearily. “I’m sorry, Spike… The bolt was poisoned with holy water… she’s dying…”

Spike gasped in horror. He turned to Willow and shouted at her: “Do something!”

Willow slowly shook her head. “I can’t… the poison is already in her system, it’s destroying her from the inside… there’s nothing I can do…”

Spike looked back at his Sire. Her eyes were open, with that familiar absent tinge to them, and she was looking back at him with great tenderness.

“My sweet William… my Spike… how good we have played together…”

“We’ll play again, sweetness, I promise, just hold on…”

“No, my prince… this time is my time… we were happy, weren’t we?”

Spike struggled to find his voice. “Yes, my darling, we were…”

Buffy couldn’t tear her gaze away from the heart-breaking scene being played in front of her. Her inner turmoil was worse than ever. On one side she felt so envious of the couple’s tenderness and intimacy, and on the other her heart went to Spike, for she knew he was losing the woman that had been his whole world for over a century…

“The love we had… so beautiful…” Drusilla continued in a weaker and weaker voice.

“It was… God, baby, don’t do this to me…”

“I’m sorry… I love you, my William…”

“Oh, Dru… I love you too…”

Buffy felt her body turn to ice. She never would have thought it would hurt this much…

Spike pressed his forehead against Drusilla’s. Slowly, as the poison made its way through her system, her body turned in to ashes: first her limbs, then her abdomen… She kept her eyes wide open and fixated on her Childe until they became dust… and Spike found himself with an armful of nothing…

Seized by the pain of losing his Sire and former love, Spike forgot all about the people present and started sobbing, clutching his dust-filled hands to his chest. He felt suddenly so empty, so lost… and so definitely alone.

Buffy let her tears out. She cried for Spike’s pain, for the loves they both lost, for everything they had done to each other and made everything in between so hurtful and complicated… She wanted to go to him, to hold him to her, to kiss him and tell him that everything would be alright. But she couldn’t. Her feet refused to move.

Instead, to everyone’s surprise, it was Gayle who knelt beside the mourning vampire and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. Spike looked at her in disbelief, and saw that she was crying too… So he accepted the small comfort she offered. He pressed his head against her chest and let the tears flow while she held him close…

Buffy watched, powerless, as the man she could be falling for lost himself in another woman’s arms…

__…-==-…__

The next night, Spike was missing. Buffy had asked him to come over so that they could make a plan with the rest of the Scoobies regarding the creepy priest, but he had not shown. All the girls had stayed home today to catch up on a much needed sleep, but it had been a restless one, all of them being upset and scared. Willow was particularly worried about Tara, who was still fragile, but the blonde witch kept reassuring her that she was alright.

It was half past eight, the sun had set for a while. Willow and Tara had gone to the library earlier to get some books to decipher the writings on the stone. Buffy was pacing in the foyer, worrying about Spike, when Gayle came down.

“Still not here, huh?” the dark-haired girl asked.

“No… I just hope he hasn’t done something stupid, like going after Caleb alone.”

“Why, Spike, doing something reckless and crazy and rash? That’s preposterous!”

“Do you have any idea where he could be?”

Gayle raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking me?”

“Well, you two are obviously… close.”

Oh my god, thought Gayle. What does she know? “Huh?”

“Aren’t you like drinking buddies or something?”

Gayle inwardly sighed in relief. “Oh… that… yeah I guess. But I’m thinking he doesn’t quite want to see me right now…”

“Why not?”

“He’d rather see you.”

Buffy made a face. “Gayle, we’ve talked about this, it’s…”

“… complicated, yes, I know. I also know how he looks at you, and how you look at him. I know for a fact that he’d rather be with you than anyone else…”

“No, you’re wrong. You’ve seen him with Drusilla… there’s… there’s no way he wants me like he wants her… not that it matters anyway because there is no way this is happening.”

Gayle gave her a pained smile and led her to the couch, where they sat and she took the blonde slayer’s hand.

“Buffy…” Gayle said in a voice strangled with emotion. “I once loved someone… so much… God, just the thought of him hurts even now… He loved me back… but we got separated because he thought we didn’t belong to the same world… with the call of duty and all that… Buff, he was the one. I’m not just saying that because I think I will never love another man like I loved him, but because I know that I will never love another man, period. You… the call of your duty will not be an obstacle. You actually have a chance at knowing bliss… don’t throw it away.”

Buffy looked into her sister slayer’s eyes. There was so much love and compassion there…

“I love you, Mama Gayle, you know that?”

Gayle beamed her usual perfect smile. “I love you too, Baby Buffy! Don’t you ever forget that!”

Buffy smiled with some difficulty and they high-fived.

There was a flash of light.

Blinking a couple of times, both girls looked at each other, Buffy’s eyes going wide. Before a word was spoken, Gayle landed a powerful blow to Buffy’s face. She toppled to the ground, but did not pass out. She tried to get back up, clearly disorientated, but Gayle grabbed her by the front of her shirt.

“I’m sorry…” she said softly, then punched the blonde again, and the small body went limp, unconscious.

She laid the petite body on the couch, propped her head up with some pillows and covered her with a blanket. She appeared to be merely sleeping.

Gayle then went to the door, taking Buffy’s coat in the process. She then seemed to hesitate, put it back and took her purple jacket. She put it on then looked at the unconscious slayer.

“I’m so sorry, Gayle…” she said, then left the house.

End of Chapter Eight.

Still with me? Feed the muse with reviews and I might not take so long in updating this time…

Disclaimer: Gayle sings “Help!” by the Beatles, and Caleb quotes (as usual) the Old Testament.

 
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