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 Thirty-Six


Home


Willow walked as quickly as she could down to the basement to find Xander. She daren’t run in case it activated the sharp points in the devices on her feet. Xander looked up at her as she walked down the steps. She beckoned him to come upstairs.


“I’ll be back soon, Buffy,” said Xander, and he went up the stairs and into the kitchen. “What do you want, Will?”


Willow gestured to her laptop which was on the kitchen table. Xander turned it on and waited for it to boot up. Willow sat down in front of it. She indicated that she wanted Xander to give her a pencil. When he passed it to her she made sure he offered it upside down and then gripped it between her two fists and slowly tapped out her instructions on the keypad.


HELP SPIKE GET HOME. IN SE TUNNELS


“OK, will do. Is this because of his broken leg?” asked Xander. Buffy had told him about that.


YES. TAKE CAR. HAS SOMEONE ELSE WITH HIM.


“Who?” asked Xander.


Willow shrugged.


HURRY. HE SOUNDED BAD.


“I’ll take Dawn with me. Will you be OK if we both go?”


Willow nodded.


“Dawn,” called Xander.


“Yes?” She walked into the kitchen.


“We’ve got to help Spike get home. He’s got a broken leg and there’s someone else who needs help, too.”


“Who’s he got with him?” asked Dawn.


“We don’t know. Go grab some blood from the refrigerator. It sounds like he’ll be needing some,” replied Xander.


Dawn got a knapsack and put four bags of blood in it. Then the pair of them got into Giles’ car and drove as near to the entrance to the tunnel as possible.


“Keep your eyes peeled, Dawnie, we don’t know what to expect down here,” warned Xander, holding a stake in his right hand and an axe in his left.


Dawn nodded. She was glad to be able to help out but she was very nervous. She had the knapsack on her back and carried a crossbow.


They walked along in silence. They didn’t know how far down the tunnel Spike was. After ten minutes they saw Spike. He was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall with his head lolling forwards. He looked - well he looked – dead.


“Spike!” cried Dawn, running towards him. She knelt down beside him and gently shook his shoulder.


Spike opened his eyes. “What? Oh, Niblet, it’s you,” he said weakly.


“Are you all right?” she asked.


“Been better. Just so tired.” His eyes started to close again.


“Here, have this,” she said, pulling out a bag of blood from her bag. She pushed it into Spike’s hands.


“Huh?” said Spike, trying to focus. He looked down at the bag of blood, his features changing involuntarily. He nicked a corner of the bag and slowly sipped the blood until it was all gone.


“Do you want another?” asked Dawn, holding one out.


He nodded and gratefully took the second bag, draining it a little quicker than the first. He sighed as he finished it.


“Thanks, Niblet, I really needed that.”


“I’ve got more if you want it,” she replied, indicating her bag.


“Thanks.” He took out another bag. “How’s he doing?” Spike asked Xander, who was checking Matt.


“He’s unconscious, which I guess you already knew,” replied Xander. “His breathing’s regular though. Who is he? What happened to him?”


“His name’s Matt. He helped me get out and shut the place down. I said he could come back with me,” said Spike. “A demon crashed his head against the door as I pulled him out, but I’m a bit worried about the kid ‘cause he was knocked out when I came across him earlier. Do you think he’ll be OK?”


“I’m not sure. We’d better get him home,” replied Xander. “He ought to go to the hospital.”


“We can’t do that. If the military find him they’ll jail him. He opened all the cells,” said Spike. “I wouldn’t have made it but for him.” He was starting to feel more lucid now that he’d had some blood.


“Do you think you can walk?” asked Xander.


“I think so,” said Spike, starting to struggle to his feet. Dawn helped him up. He wobbled a bit before he steadied himself, leaning on both the axe and Dawn. “Can you manage Matt okay?”


“Yes, don’t worry, I’ll get him to the car,” replied Xander.


And so the four of them made their way to the car. The effort it cost Spike even with Dawn’s help, had him totally drained once more as he flopped onto the front passenger seat of the car. He bit back a scream as he swung his right leg inside. Matt was still unconscious and was laid on the back seat with Dawn cradling his head in her lap. Xander climbed into the driver’s seat and drove to Revello Drive.


“Get the boy out first,” said Spike as Xander offered to help him out of the car.


He was concerned about Matt’s continued lack of consciousness, but also wasn’t sure that he could move his leg out of the car without severe pain, and he didn’t want to show it in front of the others. He drank the last bag of blood as he watched Xander and Dawn manoeuvre Matt out of the car and up the path to the house. Willow was waiting at the door as Xander opened it. They disappeared out of sight as they carried Matt to the couch.


Spike gritted his teeth and held his right leg by the straps holding the splint and lifted it out of the car. He howled with pain. Once it was out, he swung his left out to join it and then sat sideways on the seat leaning his shoulder on the back of it and closed his eyes.


“Spike,” said Xander sharply. “Come on. Let me help you get into the house.” He half carried Spike from the car and soon he was settled in an armchair with his legs supported by a footstool.


“Thanks, mate,” said Spike weakly.


Dawn had disappeared into the kitchen as Xander brought Spike in, but now reappeared with three bags of warmed blood. He took the blood from her and then looked at Xander.


“Any chance of anything a bit stronger to help it go down?” he asked.


“Sure, I think we’ve got some brandy around here somewhere,” replied Xander and he went to track it down.


“Who is he?” asked Dawn, gesturing to Matt. She walked over and sat near his head. She stroked some of his hair from his forehead then gasped at the sight of the huge bruise it had concealed. “God, no wonder he’s asleep.”


“Yeah, poor bugger’s had a bit of a day,” said Spike. “He’s been knocked out twice.”


“How did you come to be together?” asked Dawn, surprised that, as a former inmate of The Initiative, Spike would bother to rescue a soldier from there.


“It’s a long story, Niblet, and one best told once. I’ll tell you when Xander gets back and Red’s here,” said Spike. “How’s Buffy?”


“She’s OK, but pretty pissed that she had to be chained up though. Did she really try to kill you?” asked Dawn.


“Yeah, but it’s not like it was the first time, pet,” said Spike, trying to make light of it.


“But she broke your leg,” protested Dawn. “How can you make like it’s funny?”


“She didn’t mean to break my leg,” said Spike, trying to make it sound better. “She wanted to kill Giles and I stopped her by pushing him out of the way but wasn’t quick enough to avoid the blow.” He realised as he said it that it didn’t make Buffy sound any less dangerous.


“Would she try to kill me?” asked Dawn quietly.


“No way, Niblet, she’d never hurt you. She loves you,” reassured Spike.


“But she loves you and Giles and still attacked you.”


“Me, she can’t help it; it’s that bleeding Bug inside her. And as for Giles…well, she blamed him for you all being captured by Maggie,” explained Spike.


Dawn was about to reply when Matt groaning and moving slightly on the couch next to her interrupted her.


“He’s coming round,” she said. “It’s OK, Matt, you’re safe. You’re with friends.”


His eyes opened and he looked around wildly. He lifted his shoulders, trying to sit up.


“Don’t move, just relax,” soothed Dawn, putting her hand on his shoulder and pushing him down again.


“What…? Where…? Spike?” he said.


“It’s OK, Matt. I’m here, mate - we got out. We made it,” said Spike.


Matt twisted around so he could look at Spike. His already pale face blanched as he moved and without warning he threw up.


“Eew!” cried Dawn, as most of it landed in her lap. She jumped up. “Yuck!” She ran to the kitchen for a cloth then upstairs for a change of clothes.


Matt lay back down. “Oh man, I’m so sorry,” he whispered to her rapidly departing back.


Spike couldn’t help but chuckle. Poor Niblet. Xander rushed into the room holding a bottle of brandy and a couple of glasses.


“Is everything OK? What’s wrong with Dawn?”


“Erm…Matt woke up,” said Spike.


Xander turned to look at the boy on the couch, who gave him a wan smile.


“And he kind of threw up on her,” continued Spike.


“Oh,” said Xander. “How are you feeling?” he asked Matt.


“Um…a bit like my head got smashed into a door by a demon,” he replied dryly.


Xander grinned. The kid was going to be OK. “I’m Xander. Just rest there. If you feel sick again, let me know and I’ll get you a bowl,” he said with a snicker.


“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it,” said Matt.


“He’s only taking the Mickey, don’t worry,” said Spike. “Glad to see that you’re awake. I was getting pretty worried about you.”


Matt put his hand to his head and half shut his eyes. His headache was blinding. “So we did it? The place got locked down?”


“Yeah, you did it. All I did was wait at the door for you,” said Spike.


“Well, thanks for saving my life - again,” said Matt.


“Hey, Xander,” said Spike. “You going to hold that brandy all day or start pouring?”


“Oh right, sorry,” said Xander, pouring a large measure into a glass and passing it to Spike. “Matt, do you want some?”


“God, no!” he said, still feeling distinctly green. “Stomach’s still a bit…well…you know.”


“I certainly do,” said Dawn as she walked back into the sitting room.


Matt’s pale face was infused with colour as he blushed at the memory. “Great introduction,” he thought. “And she’s so pretty.”


“It’s OK,” laughed Dawn, seeing his discomfort. “Trust me; I’ve been covered in much worse over the years.” She’d brought a cloth and cleaned up the few splashes that had missed her.


“Where’s Willow?” asked Spike. “I want to fill you all in.”


“She doesn’t want to come into the room. She doesn’t want Matt to see her like she is,” replied Dawn.


“Tell her not to be so sodding silly,” said Spike. “I need to tell you all and Matt needs to see what things they’ve done to a human. Then he’ll know that he’s done the right thing to get out of there.”


He opened the mind link. “Red, come on in here, love,” he said gently.


Willow walked into the room. Matt’s eyes flew wide open. He pulled himself up until he was sitting.


“Oh, my God?” he muttered. “What the hell is that?”


“It’s so she can’t cast spells,” explained Spike. “She’s human but she is a very powerful witch, so the Professor had to shut her up.” He looked at Willow, whose eyes were brimming with tears. “Shh pet, don’t cry, we’ll get it off you I promise, OK?”


“Soon,” begged Willow in Spike’s mind. “I haven’t been able to drink or eat since they put this on me.”


“We’ll start on it as soon as I tell you what Matt and I did in there,” replied Spike aloud.


“Matt, you’ve met Xander and Dawn’s…um…the one you introduced yourself to,” said Spike, chuckling once more as both Dawn and Matt glanced at each other and blushed. “Willow.” He gestured at her. “And there’s two more of us – Buffy, who is the Slayer, and Giles, who was her Watcher and now is…well…is our top research guy.”


“So where are they?” asked Matt, unable to take his eyes from the contraption on Willow’s face.


“Chained in the basement,” answered Xander.


“What?”


“They’ve been infected by a Lorac Bug which used to link them to Maggie and even though she’s dust…”


“Dust?” said Matt.


“Yeah, the bitch was a vampire,” continued Spike. “Anyhow, ‘til the bugs are out of them, they’re a bit unreliable, especially Buffy around me. Maggie’s last orders were to kill me.”


“Oh,” said Matt, wondering if he was indeed in the fire after the whole frying pan analogy earlier.


Spike took a long sip of his brandy, savouring it.


“After I got you lot out, I went back for Buffy,” said Spike.


“She’s told us what happened up to the point of her leaving you behind.”


“Oh? Right then, well after that…” He went on to recount what had happened to him, how he met Matt and how they got out; Matt filling in the blanks about getting to the switch.


To be continued…