Chapter 40 – Walking Alone
It seemed they had been
walking down the same dank, smelly tunnel forever. Around every corner it was
feared they would find trouble. The small hand in Spike’s held him with a death
grip. The path could only be seen by his demon vision. Man and girl would be
lost in the darkness without it.
“I need to stop for a
minute,” Dawn said, tugging on him.
“We can’t,” Spike said, not
slowing down but speeding up.
“Please, Spike,” Dawn cried.
“I’m tired. I can’t do this anymore.”
Spike could hear the sob she
swallowed back. She was trying so hard to be brave in spite of everything. He
understood because even he felt an urge to cry about leaving everyone. He took
a deep breath and stopped.
“Only for a minute.”
Dawn nodded even as she
stood there trembling in the dark. There was nowhere to sit or to lean. All she
could do was stand in a puddle of something disgusting and shiver at the noises
that echoed against the concrete. Spike wanted to comfort her, to tell her that
everything would be all right, but he wasn’t sure. Not anymore. The further he
was from his mates the more pronounced his fears became.
“Spike?”
“Yeah?”
“This isn’t right,” Dawn
said, resting her hand on his arm. “You should be home with Buffy and
Angel…planning for the baby.”
His eyes widened as he
stared at her in astonishment. No one had spoken about it aloud. They were all
afraid of making it real then having to lose it in the upcoming battle. But
they all knew. He shook his head.
“They were right,” Spike
said. “We need to see this through. Otherwise there won’t be a future to plan
for.”
Dawn stood in front of him.
Her fingers smoothed along the ridges of his vampiric face. She smiled then let
her hand drop.
“Kill me,” Dawn said. “I
know that you’ll make it quick. And once you do everyone is out of danger.”
“Are you bleedin’ daft?”
Spike asked. “What the hell would I do that for? Much less what Buffy would do
to me?”
“They never have to know,”
Dawn said, quietly. “The three of you deserve…to be together. And the baby…”
“We don’t even know for
sure…”
“Yes, you are. I can feel
the three of you here,” Dawn said, placing a hand over her heart.
“We need to get moving
again,” Spike said. “If you’re still tired, get on my back.”
“Spike…”
“No, walk or ride?”
Dawn’s hand slipped into his
again as they continued to what they hoped was safety and the end of the
nightmare they were living in.
~~~~~~~
Buffy was just standing
there in an almost catatonic state. No tears, almost seemingly emotionless as
she stared at a picture of her mother and sister.
“She’ll be safe,” Angel said
softly.
“Don’t make promises you
can’t keep,” Buffy said. “I know you mean well but we don’t know.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
There was heartbreak in the
face she turned to him as well as the wisdom that came from every slayer before
her. She nodded and moved to go past him but he caught her hand.
“It’s time,” Buffy said. “We
need to prepare for when Glory bursts in here to claim what she thinks is
hers.”
“I love you, Buffy.”
“I know,” she glanced up at
him only for a moment before turning away. “I love you too. And them,” she
added almost as an afterthought as she pulled away.
This time Angel let her go.
She needed to time to prepare, mentally and physically for the hours ahead.
Glory was running out of time and they knew the more desperate she became the
harder she would be coming for them. They could only hope that Spike succeeded
in getting Dawn out of town.
~~~~~~~
Dawn clung to Spike’s hand
as he dragged her through the dark. Her mind was desperately seeking to find a
way out of this mess that was her life. There were times when she hated Buffy
for having and being what she wanted to be. For getting all the attention
because she was the Slayer but since the night Buffy had broken Dawn’s attitude
had changed. In the circle of Angel’s arms, she had felt them. The love they
had for each other and for her. It was intensely pure as it burned through her
doubts.
Spike’s refusal to take the
simplest way out was only more proof that they really loved her. She knew Angel
had considered it. And part of her had wished it had been him that had taken
her out of Sunnydale. He might have been talked into it. Spike wouldn’t. It
only meant that she had to find a way to do it herself. All she needed was time
to figure out a way.
~~~~~~~
It wouldn’t be long until
they were there. Faith held onto the
wheel with everything she had. She glanced over at Wesley but he continued to
stare out the window. There would no tomorrow for either of them if they
failed. If Glory got Dawn then Buffy would surely take everything back or just
kill her this time.
“Turn left here,” Wesley
said, pointing to a small road that was off to the side.
It led to the water
reservoir just outside of Sunnydale. It was where the tunnels ended and where
they would pick up Spike and Dawn. She stopped the van outside the gate and
looked nervously around as Wesley went to cut the lock off.
Please, please, don’t let anything go wrong, Faith thought. She watched as the huge link fence
swung open, giving her the room to drive through. In the mirror she could see
Wesley closing it again. He ran to climb back in and she started the drive down
the road.
Almost a mile in they found
the field where the water was pumped in and out by huge pipes littering the
ground. Through one of those Spike and Dawn would climb out. She stopped the
van even as she scanned the area.
“Do you know which one?”
Faith asked, her hand waving in the direction of the pipes.
“Yes,” Wesley said. “There
are only two that are not presently used and the tunnels are empty. So, they
should come through one of those. He opened the van door. “It’s going to be
sunrise soon. You’d better grab the blanket for Spike.”
Faith nodded, grabbing the
blanket along with a battleaxe. You never knew.
~~~~~~~
It had been one of the
hardest things he had ever had to say. Giles wondered if anyone understood that
or if they thought if his blood ran colder than the vampires themselves. This
might be the only chance he had to make peace with his slayer. The last few
weeks had been difficult and he felt that they were losing the bonds that tied
them together. With a deep breath for courage, he rapped softly on the bedroom
door.
“It’s Giles, Buffy,” he
called. “May I have a word with you?”
“Come in.”
Buffy was lacing up a pair
of boots as the last of her battle gear. She was dressed in a white tank top
and a pair of black exercise pants with her hair pulled back in a pony tail. He
was given only a glance before she stood up to face him.
“I imagine you hate me right
now,” Giles said, awkwardly. “But I want you to know that I…love Dawn.”
“I know.”
“But I’ve sworn to protect
this sorry world, and sometimes that means saying and doing…what other people
can’t. What they shouldn’t have to.”
“I won’t let anything happen
to her,” Buffy said, crossing her arms. “And I’ll kill anyone who tries.”
Giles nodded. He wasn’t
certain how to breech the growing chasm between them. It almost felt like
before she had runaway and they had lost her for that summer. The memories
washed over him, the frantic phone calls and the search. The phone call from
Angel saying he had found her and what it had taken to bring her back.
“I understand,” Giles
finally said. “Buffy, I just want you to know that I’m proud of you. I know
we’ve had our differences but…you are like a daughter to me and I’ll continue
to stand beside you. No matter what choices you make.”
“Thank you,” Buffy said,
visibly relaxing. “It means a lot to me…that you’re here…that you’ve been
here.”
“I’m going to leave you,”
Giles said, heading to the door. “Let you finish getting ready.”
It had gone better than he
thought it would. And it was all he could ask for. If he didn’t make it through
the next twenty-four hours, he wouldn’t have any regrets.
~~~~~~~
Buffy could feel it coming
closer. It was humming around the perimeter of the protection spell that
It seemed simple enough but
Glory would fight with everything she had. What could one Slayer, a vampire, a
few witches and a couple of humans do against a god? They didn’t have a choice
though. Buffy didn’t think they would all make it. Most likely somebody was
going to die in the fight. She ran a hand over her still flat stomach and
wondered if the child inside her would have a chance. Would Spike and Angel get
to hold their baby? Would they be together again? Would she have the family she
wanted?
But she knew she couldn’t
hide. She couldn’t back down. This was her calling. Her destiny and she would
see it through.
The others needed her just
as she needed them.
And together they could do
it.
Buffy raised her chin, said
a quick prayer and went to join the others.
~~~~~~~
It was almost over with.
Soon, she would have the key back and she would be able to go home. Glory
smiled as she stared up at the mansion. They thought they were safe there but
they were wrong. All she had to do was punch a hold in the ‘protection’ wall
and she would be inside. Then it would be a piece of cake to take what was hers
while leaving the Slayer bitch and her little followers dead.
It was going to be a great
day.
A minion scurried up beside
her.
“What?” Glory barked.
“Two of them have escaped,
oh sweet magnificence,” the minion crowed. “We can smell them in the tunnels
leading out of town.”
“Oh, really?” Glory turned
to look back up at the house. “Did they think I wouldn’t find out they were
trying to take my key away?” She turned back to where her minions were awaiting
her command and pointed to some. “You three come with me to find the little
thieves. The rest of you follow through on the plan. Don’t stop until the blood
flows.”
to be continued…
Author’s Note: Some dialogue
was borrowed from the episode, The Gift.
