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Chapter 31
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Never had a wooded area seemed so welcome or night skies so filled with wonder and delight.  Had air ever smelt so sweet or burned so fiercely in her chest?
 
Buffy drew in large gulps of it partly from greedy pleasure and partly to appease her aching lungs.  Long term captivity and limited action had made the mad dash from the pit of death to freedom seem like a marathon.  Her lungs burned with the unaccustomed demands made upon them.
 
"Which way?" she gasped to Charles.  He was as winded as Buffy so he merely pointed toward a thicket of scrub pine, juniper, and salt cedar mixed in with big cone spruce.  All in all, a perfect cover for fleeing prisoners and their rescue team.
 
Spike, being blessed by not having to breathe, was doing better than the two humans.  "You okay, Slayer?" 
 
Buffy nodded, but he could see she was clearly still struggling to catch her breath.  Spike scooped her up mid-stride and continued the sprint to safety.
 
At Buffy's indignant glare, he grinned but held her even closer and whispered, "Let me do this for you, love.  Might as well have some advantage from being on the lam with a vampire, yeah?"
 
Buffy swallowed her injured pride and relaxed in his arms.
 
Voices--familiar, long unheard voices--whispered in the night indicating they had reached the finish line at long last.  "Buffy!" … "Is she hurt?"…  "Can she walk?" Words of relief and concern jockeyed for attention and answer.
 
"I'm okay, just out of practice with the running," Buffy reassured her Watcher and friends.  To Spike's delight, she didn't struggle for him to put her down immediately either.
 
Charles brought up the rear after what felt like an uncomfortably long wait. He gave an amused grin at Spike and said, "Vamp or no, if you want to carry me the rest of the way I'm not gonna argue."  He drew in a few painful breaths.  "Okay, terror and adrenaline are slammin' when you need the boost!"
 
"Indeed."  Giles ushered the small group through the brush towards an SUV parked on the small forest service road.  "You'll have time to rest on the drive back to the shelter.  Buffy, are you sure you aren't injured?"  His gaze lingered on her cut forehead and bruises.
 
"Should've seen me a few weeks ago." Giles flinched at her words and the images they conjured.  "I'm peachy with a side of keen now."
 
"Tweed Knickers was too busy trying to play Candid Camera and maybe luck into some vampire porn to have either of us too bashed up.  Gotta look pretty for the camera.  Worked out well for us for lots of reasons, even if it did nearly make Captain America's brain explode not havin' his favorite tension release." Spike finally relinquished his precious armful and gently deposited Buffy on the seat nearest the door, clambering in to sit beside her.
 
Judging by his facial expression, Giles was out of practice following Spike speak. 
 
Buffy took pity on his obvious confusion and with a chuckle translated.  "What Spike is saying is that Travers put us together and stopped most of the pokey and punchy stuff for the last couple of weeks.  He was filming us for who knows what perverted reason and I guess he wanted us to look presentable.  They even stopped Riley from his pastime of torturing Spike every possible moment."  She laughed at Giles' furrowed brow.  It felt so good to laugh again.
 
"Good times," Spike snarked, "not!"
 
“Can I just say how glad we are to see you?” Xander looked at his dear friend then spared a look at Spike as well.  “Both of you.”
 
Spike’s eyebrows flew nearly to his hairline in surprise.   “What’s been happenin’ since we took our involuntary vacation?  Had to be world endin’ if Harris is glad to see me.”
 
“Fair enough, Pale Wonder,” Xander grinned.  “Let’s just say there’s been some re-evaluation and growing up all round and leave it at that.  While I’ll love hugging the Buffster, you’re still not my type.”
 
Buffy couldn’t seem to stop grinning.  From the depths of despair to this was almost too much to trust as being real.  She kept expecting to wake up snuggled next to Spike in their Spartan cell.
 
“The tunnels and cave still workin’ okay?”  Spike had noticed the direction they were headed at break-neck speed.
 
“Splendidly,” Giles nodded, not taking his eyes off the road or his foot off the accelerator.  “I cannot state more strongly how fortunate we all are that you had the foresight to create that refuge.”
 
“Ta, Watcher.  Saw the handwritin’ on the wall.  Lived too long not to notice the pitchforks and torches.”  Spike had a faraway look that spoke of memories no one wished him to share.
 
“We sent Dawn up north to Angel’s camp,” Willow advised Buffy.  “She’s safe as anyone can be but still pissed off at us for sending her away.”
 
“You did the right thing, Wills.  I don’t think I would survive it if they got their hands on her,” Buffy admitted.
 
“We’ll all be in the safe haven now until we figure out a way to stop this madness.”  Xander gave a relieved sigh.
 
***
Peter Jennings stared into the camera and completed his broadcast,”Official count on the number  of dead are still climbing, but the attack on the Global Human Initiative holding camp and interrogation center is suspected to be the work of the terrorist group DRA.  Unnamed sources with that group have issued a statement denying their involvement in the attack but offering their congratulations and support for whatever group might have been responsible.  Now for more on this tragic and devastating event we go to Brian Ross on the scene…
 
***
 
After getting the escapees safely tucked in and welcome home hugs out of the way, Xander wasted no time in going to collect Anya.  It wouldn’t take too long for the idiots in charge to start sniffing around Buffy’s known associates once word had spread that she had escaped.  Time to collect his girl and head underground with the rest of their ‘family’.
 
The Box looked deserted and Anya wasn’t answering as he called out to her.  Out of the corner of his eye Xander spotted a softly crying Andrew.
 
"Where the hell is she?!" Xander had Andrew's shirt collar tightly fisted enough that the boy couldn't answer even if he understood the question.
 
Jonathan had told Harris and Anya that Andrew had been the one to write the warning note.  Xander knew the boy wasn't the one responsible, but he sure as hell would know who was.  "Was it that creepy boyfriend of yours?  Did he come and take my Ahn?"
 
"Grgff."  Andrew's face was changing colors at an alarming rate as he struggled to answer the furious man. Just before the world was set to go dark, Andrew was released from the iron grip and fell to the floor gasping and coughing, desperately trying to drag as much air into his lungs as possible.
 
"Tell me," Xander now sounding more lost than furious.  "Tell me she's okay at least.  That your perverted bully of a boyfriend isn't hurting her."
 
"Not…Warren," Andrew choked out.  He massaged his throat and looked nervously at Harris.  "And he's not my boyfriend!  I don't have a boyfriend...I mean girlfriend, of course.  Well, he is, or was, a friend and a boy, but that's all in the past. Except he is still a boy, or man really."
 
"Stop babbling and tell me."
 
"Right.  Warren was the one with the cameras, but he's not the one that arrested Anya."
 
"Arrested?  What do you mean arrested?"  Xander looked completely confused.  "What did Anya do?"
 
"I don't know.  Really!"  Andrew sidestepped Xander, making sure he was out of his reach.  "All I know is what I saw on the local news.  The Global Human dudes arrested her.  She's in jail.  Something about past crimes as a demon or something like that."  Andrew chewed his lower lip while thinking.  "Is there even a law about that anyway?"
 
Xander had no idea what he had done next.  One minute he was manhandling the little dweeb Andrew and the next found himself stumbling his way through the tunnels headed for the living quarters.  Quarters he and Anya were supposed to begin sharing that very night.  Too late!  He had been too damned late to save her!
 
***
 
“They say she gets a lawyer.  They’re making this look like a legitimate arrest complete with rights,” Xander spat in distaste.  “Come on!  We all know it’s just theater.  They already know what they’re going to do to her; we all do.  It’s just show for those people still so blind they can’t see what’s happening.”
 
Even if he didn’t remember the event clearly, he had cried until he was physically sick, beginning in the unlikely place of Andrew’s arms.  The boy had been surprisingly sympathetic and deeply troubled by Anya’s arrest.
 
In fact, it was Andrew who had taken the dazed Xander to Jonathan to get him to safety before the older man could switch from grief and worry to rage and revenge. 
 
The gang had managed to prevent Xander from going off half-cocked and putting himself in danger as well with great difficulty.
 
“Okay, we can act in their little play until we figure out a way to get Anya back home.  We’ll have to come up with a more subtle way, though, because after today they’ll be more on guard.”  Buffy was rubbing comforting circles on her devastated friend’s back as she sought to reassure him.  “We won’t let them hurt her.”
 
“Ya know,” Charles Gunn had a thoughtful look followed by a wide grin.  “I think I might just know the lawyer for the job too!”
 
Xander gazed up in confusion.  “No lawyer’s going to fix this.”
 
“There’s one that has more tricks than Houdini and I’m bettin’ he’s itchin’ to do more than sort demons and look at sheep.”  Gunn headed to the communications area and dialed up the Farm.
 
“Yo, English, need to talk to McDonald.”  While waiting, Charles explained briefly:  “This dude cut his teeth at Wolfram and Hart.  He knows angles not in any geometry book.  If anyone can play the system, even this system, it’s Cowboy.    He’s in the fight in honor of his lady love; no reason to think he won’t help get yours out of the bind.”
 
“Can they spare him at the Farm?”  Willow wondered.  So far the isolated farm in question had proven ideal in housing large numbers of refugees as they fled the cities and sought shelter.  The Farm had become the biggest hub in the whole network of refugee camps west of the Rockies.  “Won’t that just leave Wesley to run the place?”
 
“I imagine Charles will be rejoining them before too long,” Giles put in.
 
“Actually, I’m headed south to help Nick Perkins with the Mexicruise smuggling operation ferrying folks to saner countries.”
 
Giles looked thoughtful then turned a slightly nervous gaze upon Willow before suggesting, “We could send Tara with you, Charles.  She would do an admirable job assisting Wesley and she would be far safer there than she is here, even with all of us surrounding her.”
 
Willow started to protest, but Tara looked eager as she snapped at a chance to actually contribute and not merely heal.  “I’d l-l-love the chance to d-do something useful!”
 
“But I don’t want you to go,” Willow pouted.  “You ARE useful, honey.  How could I do anything without you here with me?”
 
Tara gently took her lover’s hand and smiled, “You know that you d-don’t need m-me to do w-w-what you need to do.  P-p-please let me contribute.”
 
Willow was near tears.   “But I’ll miss you.”
 
“And I’ll m-miss you too, precious, but this sit-situation needs all of us,” Tara reminded her.
 
“But can’t you contribute here?”
 
“Here’s n-n-not where I’m needed.”
 
“Yes, it is,” Willow said softly as a tear trailed down her cheek.
 
“All the more reason for us to end this nightmare once and for all,” Buffy reminded everyone.  “Too many people being pulled apart, some forever.  We’re just lucky that we’re all still alive to fight the good fight and personally I’m ready to start taking the fight to them for a change.”
 
 
“What are you thinking about, Buffy?  Are you suggesting we take up arms and start killing humans willy-nilly?”  Giles looked appalled.   Even if the humans in question were behaving worse than many a demon, there were lines he wasn’t willing to completely wipe out.  Cross on occasion, if need be, but not obliterate.
 
“I don’t have a real problem with that,” Spike admitted with eyes narrowed in anger.  Noting the nervous look from Buffy’s friends, he amended, “Selective, of course.  Not talking wholesale slaughter here.  Look, people, this is war.  We didn’t make it, but we’re in it, like or not.  No place to play Switzerland either.  Bloody hell, even Switzerland wasn’t as neutral as they made out!  Time to pick a side, children.”
 
Buffy stood and moved next to Spike.  “I choose the side of right and I completely agree with Spike on this one.  You don’t know what’s been happening in there, not firsthand.”
 
“Kinda got a look,” Willow admitted.  “Charles took some vids while we were waiting for you to get free.  We’ve been streaming them online 24/7.  The authorities take them down and we put them back up. Lots of people are really horrified.”
 
“That was a good idea, Charlie boy,” Spike slapped Gunn on the back in congratulations.  “Hard to stay in denial when the evidence is in your face.”
 
“Oh, there’s still doubters.  Plenty of conspiracy theorists out there spinning what they see,” Charles noted.
 
“But that’s the crazy fringe, the fans of those radio loons and so on.”  Willow reminded them.  “Most sane people know better.  They can see the truth.”
 
Giles looked speculatively at Buffy and Spike, “I assume the two of you have discussed some ideas?”
 
“Yeah,” Buffy took Spike’s hand unselfconsciously, even in the face of the surprised looks on her friends face.   “Why don’t I let Spike tell you what we’re thinking about?”
 
Giles nodded to the vampire.  “Go on.”
 
“I’m the only one here that lived through somethin’ like this once before.  True, as a vampire I wasn’t too involved in the politics of it all, but I doubt any of you have missed how much like the rise of Fascism this is?”  At everyone’s nods, he continued, “Figure, why re-invent the wheel?  Take a look at what worked to beating down the Reich.  You lot don’t want human blood on your hands, so best avoid joinin’ up with that group of demons that’ve been puttin’ the hurt on this Global Human Initiative.  Wouldn’t mind takin’ a meetin’ with ‘em though,” he mused.  “Anyway…lots of ways to disrupt and bring down a system like they’ve set up.”
 
“You’re talking about…what?  Sabotage?”  Giles queried with a more enthused look on his face.
 
“Don’t misunderstand, Watcher, there’ll be blood too.  No doubt some spilled in the labs while you were divertin’ those sods from our escape.  Dare say there were human deaths and that was your bloody plan,” Spike reminded Giles. 
 
Giles squirmed, “Yes, well…as you say, as long as we aren’t looking at indiscriminate slaughter, there are bound to be deaths.”  He sighed, deeply troubled.  “It can’t be helped.  Continue.”
 
“We disrupt on a big scale.  Rails, roads, airports, government buildings, assemblies and meetings of the main guys--that kind of thing.  We can also take out transport convoys with supplies to the labs and those bringing prisoners to them.”  Buffy suggested.  “Willow, think you can mess with their communications?  Maybe even figure a way to knock the fire breathers off the air?”
 
Willow nodded, “On it.”
 
 “Xan, do you think you can lay hands on more explosives?”
 
“I’m down for anything that gets these bastards that did what they did to you guys and took my Anya.  Count me in,” Xander vowed.