Part 17
The group dispersed. Giles and Wesley went to pack up the texts they had
sorted out to take. Tara and Willow were going to rely on the others to
bring spell components, and were tracking down Dawn to make sure she would
be somewhere safe for the rest of the night. The sun wouldn’t set for a
couple of hours at this time of the summer, but Xander thought Angel and
Spike would be safe in the back of the U-Haul for the move to the new site.
Before the vampires could be drafted for grunt work, Xander gestured for
them to follow him. He led them to the ‘changing room’ it was really a
remodeled closet, but Buffy had used it to change from street clothes to
workout gear so the name had stuck.
“Angel, I had to guess at you size, but I want both of you to put these on.”
He held up slick long sleeved black body suits. They would cover them from
ankle to wrist and had hoods.
“Pet, you shouldn’t have.” Spike looked at the skintight suit with some
distaste. ‘Meanwhile I’m supposed to do the dance of joy when he picks out
my wardrobe.’
“It’s not a fashion statement chip-dip; this is a thermal suit. The soldier
boys use this to sneak around heat detectors. It’s going to give you a body
temperature so they can’t spot you with the thermal scopes. Well they will
spot you but you’ll look human.” Spike looked impressed.
Angel looked like Xander had suggested he switch hair gels. “Xander, I don’t
think.”
Xander cut him off. “It’s not your call. This is where you’re vulnerable.
Any liability to you is a liability to us.” Xander really looked at Angel,
met his eyes firmly and unflinching, in a way he never had before. “Trust
me. You do not want to be at these peoples mercy.”
“Xander, you can’t go at this like these people are monsters, they’re
human.” Angel was looking martyred, as usual. Xander didn’t have the time or
the strength to coddle him.
“So help me God, if you start angsting about souls right now, I will slap
you.” Angel looked too shocked to comment and Spike, of course, was grinning
like he had said it instead of Xander. “Listen, I realize you have a blind
spot about redemption and all... Angel some of the most heinous acts in
history have been committed by humans to humans, having a soul is no
guarantee that you or anyone else is going to do the right thing.” Xander
turned to Spike, he didn’t want his lover’s need to ‘kick sire in the arse’
to interrupt this conversation, “Go change; I don’t want an argument. Then
find Willow and what she has on Dawn. Bring Willow back here with you.”
Spike hesitated, glaring at Angel. “Now, Spike.” Xander soften his last
words with a squeeze to Spike’s hand.
Xander leaned back against the wall; they were out of the traffic pattern
but the place boiled with activity. At that moment he felt the weight of
every bad decision he ever made, every day of his twenty years, every person
he had ever let down, resting on his shoulders. “Angel,” his voice was
almost a whisper, but vampire hearing and all “I need to know. If I tell you
to kill someone, if it comes to that, can I depend on you?”
Angel clenched his jaw. His eyes looked away at the young men and women
bustling about. Xander watched the play of emotions on his face, the fear,
the resignation. He wondered when he had started looking out for Angel.
‘Wouldn’t Buffy get a laugh out of this?’ Angel looked down at the younger
man. “I’m worried if I start” he said in a pain filled voice “I won’t stop.”
“If this gets to the point that you have to start killing humans, stopping
won’t be an issue.” Xander swallowed and figured since in all likelihood he
would be dead by morning, he had nothing to loose. “I’m trusting you with my
pack. Can I depend on you?”
Angle just nodded, and since he didn’t react to the hyena-speak, Xander
continued. “If I go down, keep Willow and Tara together they’re both more
powerful together than apart. Willow doesn’t go for the kill on her first
shot. That’s a liability. She thinks too much in a combat situation. Don’t
shackle her with instructions that are too specify. She’s creative under
pressure, just don’t let her waste time with explanations, tell her the end
result you want and how fast you need it. She will come through or die
trying, another reason to keep Tara close. Tara will watch out for Willow.
Tara’s practical. She sees the big picture. Any perceived threat to Tara
will get Willow past her reluctance for violence. Don’t under estimate
Giles, he’s not just knowledge guy. He will do whatever is necessary. But if
one or more of us go down tonight, do not leave him alone when this is
over.” Xander stopped and focused back on the tall vampire in front of him.
“We almost lost him after Buffy.... Dawn will know how to handle Giles, but
she.... She’s had a lot on her plate. She’s strong, like Joyce, she’ll be
there for him.”
“What about Spike?” Angel voice sounded heavy and tired.
Xander wasn’t sure if Angel really wanted him to evaluate his Childe’s
assets and liabilities, but decide to go with the truth. “If I go down, that
won’t be an issue. You know that.” Angel’s eyes widened and Xander said. “If
none of us make it, take Dawn to LA. Willow has the contingency plans in her
dorm room. Have Wes use the Omega plan to bust Faith out. Tell her...tell
her I said she owes us, that she owes Joyce and Buffy. Tell her that from
that day forward she is to treat Dawn as an extension of herself. To protect
her like she would herself. And you, do not let either of them out of you
sight consider yourself her parole office. Relocate. I don’t give a damn
about the ‘lawyers from hell’ find another city to protect, change your
name, change Faith’s name and what ever you do keep Dawn safe.”
“Xander, don’t you think that’s a little extreme?” Angel looked like he was
starting to doubt Xander’s sanity.
Xander wasn’t going to risk it even with Willow’s spell. None of them spoke
about the key any more, not since the watcher’s visit. The hadn’t agreed on
it or talked about it. He knew it still crossed his mind so he didn’t think
it was a magic compulsion or anything, they just referred to it obliquely.
“Angel, the last promise any of us made to Buffy was... This is what she
needed. Her last request before the final battle. Can I depend on you?”
“You can.” Angel said quietly and then again louder. “You can.” They clasp
hands, levelly taking each other’s measure. It occurred to Xander that in
five year they had never spoken this much at one time. He left Angel to
finish changing.
~~~~
Xander leaned over Cordelia’s shoulder and review her notes while she
detailed what supplies had been delivered while he and Gunn had been gone.
Jeff, Marcia and Jonathan were contacting the field units and redirecting
them to the new site. Gunn was rounding up labor from among the people who
had returned to the shop to assemble the next load for the U-Haul.
“Xander I moved the triage back to this side of the building,” she pointed
to the schematic of the parking garage a block from the old high school.
Fortunately, unlike most in California, this garage was entirely under
ground, having a park and large fountain on the ground level. Since his call
earlier in the day the bottom two floors had had signs up saying they were
closed to repaint the lines on the floors. Even now ‘the children of the
Hellmouth’ were being discretely let into the closed sections. Those in cars
parked on the bottom floor. Those on foot went straight to the next level,
where the food, charts and weapons, which had already been forward, were
transforming their new base of operations. “It’s farther away from the
school and has easier access for the ambulances afterward.” She continued.
“Good call. How are we doing for time?” He asked.
She was Cordy, and yet she wasn’t. The proud girl who had been embarrassed
by what people would think if, perish the thought, she had a job was gone.
She was intelligent and confident. Xander was relieved to have her to depend
on in this crisis. She hadn’t changed so much, as she had been refined.
Whatever she had lived through since graduation had burned away all the
assumed shallowness she had hidden behind. He was saddened to think of what
pain had most likely caused that, and felt guilty for not keeping in touch
with her. What he had said to Spike about Anya applied to Cordy as well,
first and foremost they had been friends. If tomorrow did come, he promised
himself to do better. A two-hour trip by freeway wasn’t that far, and Dawn
would love shopping/bonding with the prom queen.
“Twenty minuets tops and the whole operation except the explosives and
flammables with be centralized. Any ideas on transporting that stuff without
taking out the vehicle and driver?” As she looked up over her shoulder to
ask him that question, Xander heard a low vicious growl behind him. He
straightened and turned to see Spike in game face with Willow beside him.
Willow ignored the snarling vampire and said, “Dawn and Megan are going to
sleep over at Stephanie’s. She promised that they would not leave the house
between sunrise and sunset. Megan is still in the dark, but Dawn filled
Stephanie in weeks ago on why night is bad in Sunnydale.”
“And she believed her?” Xander was impressed, he hadn’t believed until he
came face to face with Darla.
“Spike went all ‘grrr’ on her as proof and Dawn has an oddly morbid list of
mortality rates that either support vampires or the large pack of wild dog
theory.” Willow bounced, it was a too much caffeine bounce, and not a ‘this
is good news’ bounce. ‘Willow bounces, yet another language like Spike
snorts and Cordelia eye rolls that I can’t put on my resume.’ “Spike said
you needed to see me?”
“Yeah lets go to Giles office.” As the three of them filed into the back he
asked casually. “Did you ever get a chance to do that animal testing we
talked about?”
Willow stilled. She blinked and said nothing as Spike closed the door behind
them. “Tara and I.... We did some volunteer work at the shelter we got Miss
Kitty from... the preliminary results are good. It should work. I... Xander
are you sure.”
“Did you lose any subjects?” He watched her carefully.
“No, there isn’t even a great deal of pain, but.... Now?” Willow looked
nervous. Xander knew he couldn’t give her time to psych herself out of doing
this.
“Now.”
“You’re sure?” Her eyes drifted over to where Spike was lounging on the
desk, looking bored and unconcerned with the conversation.
“What do you need?” Xander asked.
“Stillness, quiet, Tara. I’ll be right back.” Willow slipped out of the
office, into the slowly dispersing hubbub outside.
“Spike?” Xander took his hand and pulled Spike into a standing position.
Spike gave him a sad smile and pulled back until the young man was in his
arms.
For a moment, they just held on drinking in each other’s scents. Spike
didn’t look that different in his new outfit. He wore his jeans and Docs
over the thermal suit. It was unzipped and showed his pale collarbone and
the lean muscles that corded his throat and chest. The hood hanging back was
the only jarring difference from his everyday attire. Xander kiss and then
nibbled on his bottom lip. Immediately both their bodies vibrated with
Spikes subsonic purring.
“The thing to remember about giving orders,” Xander said conversationally.
“Is that if someone,” He poked his lover in the chest with his index finger,
“Is inclined not to follow them, just order them to do what they were going
to do any way.”
“What are my orders, love?” Spike asked.
“Stay with me. What ever happens, you stay with me.” Xander said as softly
as he could, looking though the fall of overlong hair that blocked his
vision.
“Thought the gates of Hell.” Spike said. He seemed to think about what
Xander had said and added. “You don’t have to protect me, I know there human
but.”
He was interrupted by Willow and Tara coming into the office.
“We’re ready.” Willow said. “Are you ready?” She looked from Xander to
Spike.
“What’s this about Red?” Spike started to turn to the witches, but Xander
held him fast.
“Do you trust me?” Xander asked.
Spike looked confused, hundreds of questions flashed behind those
intelligent blue eyes. He asked none. He squared his shoulders and looked
straight into Xander’s eyes. “I trust you.”
“Close you eyes, and stand perfectly still. Don’t move until I say so.”
Xander firmly took Spike’s hips in his hands and tipped his head until their
foreheads nearly touched.
Willow and Tara were chanting softly in an island rhythm. Tara held Willow
left hand as Willow reached up with her right and began to brush her
fingertips slowly against the back of Spikes neck, then moving over the base
of his skull. Xander closed his eyes and strained to sense his lover. Spike
remained as immobile as a statue. It seemed to last forever. The soft words
repeated by the girls over and over, the sensation of movement in stillness.
Xander heard Willow sigh and the chanting stopped. He pulled back but kept
his hands on Spike’s hips. Willow held up a small white rectangle, smaller
than a pencil eraser. It was inconceivable that this it. The product of all
that government funding, the greatest creation of Maggie Walsh. Somehow
Xander had pictured it much larger and metallic, this almost looked ceramic.
“Open your eyes.” Xander said. Spike looked at him and them followed
Xander’s gaze to the tiny object Willow held in the palm of her hand.
Part 18
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