Betad by Carol and dawnofme


Banner by dawnofme


Disclaimer: the characters do not belong to me - they are used purely for fun and not fiancial gain






Chapter Twenty-Eight


Suspicions


Spike and Buffy got back to Revello Drive just before daybreak. They hadn’t seen any further action, well, not of the fighting kind anyway. Giles was up and drinking a cup of tea when they arrived. He looked up in surprise as they walked in.


“You’re both back!” he exclaimed.


“Well, yeah,” said Spike, thinking that Giles’ use of the word ‘both’ was a little odd; did he think only one would return? “Why?” he added.


“Why?” repeated Giles. “What do you mean?”


“Why say we’re both back? Why not just you’re back?” asked Spike suspiciously.


“Um, I don’t know, I just saw the two of you and said ‘both’. I don’t know why it’s a problem.”


“It’s not,” said Buffy, giving Spike a ‘look’, “We had a bit of action - five vamps. I think it’s got Spike a bit edgy.”


Spike glared at her and stalked out of the room. Buffy followed him.


“Where are you going?” she asked, catching his arm.


“Why did you say that in there?” Spike snapped. “About me being edgy? I’m not.”


“No, you don’t sound like it,” said Buffy dryly.


“OK, so I am edgy, but about you saying I’m edgy. I’m not being edgy with Giles,” replied Spike, hoping that made some kind of sense.


“Look, Spike, he didn’t mean anything by it. You know Giles. Why use two words when you can use three?” soothed Buffy.


Spike sighed. “You’re probably right.”


“Probably?”


“OK, you’re right; Spike’s wrong,” he said. “Oh, shit.”


“What’s wrong?” asked Buffy.


“He asked me to get him some stuff from his house and I forgot.” He looked at the lightening sky. “Too late now. I’d better go and tell him.”


The two of them went back into the kitchen.


“Um, Giles, I’m sorry but I forgot to get the stuff you needed from your apartment, what with all the…er…action we had on patrol,” said Spike.


“I’ll go and get it now,” said Buffy.


“No, don’t worry about it, Buffy, I can go later. I think you two need to get some sleep. Sounds like you had a busy night,” replied Giles.


“I’ll just…er…wait until Red’s up before I get my head down,” said Spike.


“I can do the spell for you, if you like?” said Giles. “It’s an easy one to cast. I’ve done them many times.”


Again, Spike’s feeling that something was a bit ‘off’ with Giles came to the fore.


“That’d be great Giles, thanks,” said Buffy before Spike could speak. “Come on, I’m exhausted.” She linked her arm through Spike’s and pulled him in the direction of the stairs.


Spike looked at Buffy, then at Giles. She trusted Giles completely and he trusted her, so he agreed.


“OK, but can you do maybe six hours not eight?” he asked.


“No problem,” said Giles with a smile.


Spike and Buffy were in bed snuggling up to each other as they heard Giles’ approach. Spike’s unease suddenly intensified, his senses tingling.


“I think I’ve changed my mind,” he said to Buffy.


“Don’t be so silly.” She distracted him by kissing him. Halfway through the kiss, Spike fell asleep.


“Thanks, Giles,” called Buffy.


“No problem. See you in a few hours - now get some rest yourself,” he answered.


“It’s done,” he told Maggie psychically.


Ooooooo


Spike opened his eyes; again feeling how strange it was just waking up abruptly like that. Something was wrong. Badly wrong. He leapt out of the bed - it was dark; why was it dark? He looked at the clock.


“Christ!” He’d been asleep sixteen hours.


“Buffy!” he screamed, but he knew there’d be no answer.


He pulled on his jeans, nearly falling over in his haste; he grabbed his shirt and ran out the door.


“Fuck!”


The place reeked of The Initiative. He ran along the landing, flinging doors open: no one. He ran downstairs, stopping halfway down when he saw a splash of blood. He touched it with his fingers and brought them to his nose: Buffy’s. His heart would have stopped beating if it hadn’t already been still. He felt sick. He ran from room to room, knowing that the place was empty, but having to check just in case. He was close to panic.


Spike went to the front door and then stopped. He had to think things through. Getting killed wouldn’t help anyone. He walked back into the kitchen and took out six bags of blood. He drank them cold, just needing the power they gave, not caring about anything else. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and then went to the weapons chest. He selected an axe and a short sword - no need for stakes where he was going - these demons were human. He went out the door and tried to get a trace of Buffy’s scent, but all he could get was the stench of The Initiative.


He had one more place to check before he headed to the tunnels that led to The Initiative - Giles’ apartment. There was a chance that they could be there.


He raced as fast as he could to the apartment. He steadied his pace about two hundred yards away and used his senses to try to get a ‘heads up’ on what he might find. There was a whiff of The Initiative but not as strong as at Revello Drive. Cautiously, he approached the door. It was locked, but with a swift kick it swung open and he stepped inside.


He walked past the dining table. As he got near to the couch, he could see a pair of feet sticking out from behind it. He rushed forward and saw that it was Giles. He was laid face down on the floor. Gently, Spike rolled him over onto his back.


“Giles? Giles? Can you hear me?”


Giles opened his eyes and then did something that terrified Spike; he smiled.


“Hello, Spike, so kind of you to come. We did want to take you first but you didn’t come here last night. I actually think this way is better.”


Spike backed away from Giles in horror. His suspicions were right, but he’d never thought that Giles would hurt Buffy.


“Giles, what have you done? Where’s Buffy?”


He never heard the answer as - too late - he sensed someone behind him, and before he could turn around he was hit by a high voltage blast from a tazer gun held by Maggie, who’d walked out of the kitchen. He collapsed unconscious.


To be continued…