Chapter 32
Angel clutched her to him tightly. Half of him was terrified
that he would wake any moment and his arms would be achingly empty.
But the other half could feel the crush of the others around
them (which never happened in his dreams unless Buffy was being torn from his
arms and since she wasn’t and her hold on him was bordering on slightly
painful…)
His eyes opened slowly as he felt wetness on his neck,
confused for a moment as the sky was clear and there was an only 5% chance of
rain. Drawing slightly away from his love he saw that tears were spilling from
her eyes and he reached one hand up to wipe them away.
“Buffy?” his voice was shaky with emotion, with fear.
A wet smile crossed her face and her arms loosened their
tight hold around him and tiny hands lifted to cup his face. Pulling his face
down, even as he bent and she rose to tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips.
Then ever so slowly one hand lowered to hover over his racing
heart and she stared up at him and expression of awe on her face.
“I knew…” she started shaking her head as her hand pressed
against his chest. “But I never thought…”
“It was pretty cool B,” Faith’s voice came from beside them
suddenly and Buffy’s eyes wrenched from Angel’s to stare at her former sister
Slayer.
“Faith,” Buffy murmured softly.
“Didn’t think I’d let them do this alone did you? Besides I
have a lot to make up for.”
“Not to me,” the blonde whispered releasing Angel she hugged
Faith tightly. “Not any more.”
“We should move…” Angel turned as he heard Brendan’s voice,
realizing that while he and Buffy had been so involved with one another that
most of the Warriors had moved off into their own small groups.
Eyes still flickered to them periodically as bags were
packed, he could hear the almost silent hum of the helicopter blades as the
Watchers that flew them ran through start up procedures.
Angel nodded; turning back he saw that Buffy had moved. That
she was even now making her way to Connor’s side, stopping only momentarily to
hug Xander and Damon, touching Jade’s hand gently as she moved to their son.
Stopping in front of him she just stared at him, Connor
staring back at her, his eyes just as wide as hers.
“I…” he began, his voice cracking as Buffy threw her arms
around him. Pulling him close she rocked him slightly as tears streamed down
her cheeks. Connor’s arms wrapping around her tightly, his face buried in her
the crook of her neck as he shook.
Angel knew that the farthest thing from the teen’s mind was
feeling any sort of embarrassment at being caught crying. Besides the fact that
this was his mother and everyone within the clearing knew that.
A mother that he’d had his doubts, never voiced out loud,
that he would ever see again.
Walking the short distance to his love and their son Angel
stopped behind them, the others wandering away to give the small family as much
privacy as could be managed in a clearing where helicopters were revving up,
and a prison was on fire.
Resting a hand on Buffy’s shoulder he was unsurprised when he
felt one of hers rise to settle on top of it. Moving closer he pressed a kiss
to the top of her head, his hands lowering to her hips as he held her close,
and by default their son.
Reveling in the joy that came from having his family back
together again.
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Wesley had learned in the last year as Watcher to his Indaran
that you never got what you expected.
He’d expected that Buffy would want to return straightaway to
the compound and to the bosom of her family and friends. But when he’d offered
her that exact thing, in fact had pulled Brendan from the roster so that Buffy
could have his place on first team she had refused.
And it wasn’t only because Angel, Connor, Xander, Faith,
Damon and Jade weren’t on first team and wouldn’t be going with her.
It was because there was not enough room in the teleport for
the Wolf and the ex-Vampire to journey with her.
And she’d refused to go anywhere without Oz and Dru.
So Wesley had sighed, rubbed at that spot right between his
eyes that only throbbed when Buffy (not anyone else) was being particularly
headstrong and obstinate and relented.
He’d let her stay back with the bulk of the group, but not
before she’d pulled him aside and asked him to do a favor for her when he got
to the compound.
And in actuality the favor wasn’t even for her, but for
someone else… because she knew that he had to be suffering. Although she’d
smirked, a tired sight but nonetheless a wonderful one to his weary eyes and
said that she wouldn’t have done it any other way. That they’d had no choice
and that he’d learn to live with it.
Somehow Wesley didn’t think that the vampire known as Spike
would think of it in quite those terms. If he was even still in one piece and
not sitting in a jar on the mantel awaiting their arrival.
He’d studied vampire behaviors at one point, especially after
it became apparent that Buffy was in fact linked to one. Had studied the mated
bond, what there was written on it anyway, between both Vampire mates and the
few catalogued instances of Vampire and their human mates.
Spike would have known immediately that something had
happened to Druscilla. When she’d been rendered human he would have sensed it
within their bond and not knowing what the Warriors knew he would have assumed
the worse.
That the Vampire Druscilla had been staked protecting the
former Slayer and the Wolf.
As the familiar sight of the transport room shimmered into
view Wesley gave a largely unnecessary sigh of relief. He hated teleporting but
the freedom it gave them in movement was undeniable.
“Brendan make sure everyone’s prepared for the incoming port
at one,” he reminded the male Watcher as his eyes climbed the wall to the
It looked as if he would have to make one stop and bolster
sagging spirits before he kept his promise.
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Cordy hadn’t moved from the spot that Gunn had left her in
twenty minutes earlier. So she was the only around to see the arrival of five
Warriors and two Watchers.
That in itself wouldn’t have excited her if one of those
Watchers hadn’t have been Wesley.
Wesley would have news.
Wesley would know if Xander was still alive or if he had been
killed trying to save the best friend that had done nothing but put him in
harms way since he’d met her.
Of course this Wesley had absolutely no clue who she was
besides the fact that she was part of Angel’s group and had known Buffy and
obviously him prior to being called.
“Miss Chase,” he smiled absently at her as he lowered the bag
that he’d had slung over his shoulder to the floor.
“Is he alive?” Cordy blurted out, no time for pleasantries if
she was going to find out if she was spending her life alone or with Xander.
“I’m assuming that you’re speaking of Mr. Harris?”
“Of course… who else…” Cordy shook her head. “Just…”
“There were no casualties on our side, the rest of the group
will be back with the hour,” Wesley patted his pockets absently as he tried to
remember if he had everything. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got something I
need to do before they arrive.”
“Oh… yeah,” Cordy nodded, waving a hand at him in dismissal
she pulled the chair that she’d been sitting in back over to the window she
resumed her seat.
Another hour, she’s sit right here until they arrived…
And she could see for herself that Xander was still alive.
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Dawn frowned as she saw Wesley standing in the door to
Spike’s room. He shouldn’t be here her mind screamed at her, because if he was
here and Buffy wasn’t that meant that her sister hadn’t been rescued.
Eyes wide she couldn’t move, shock holding her tightly within
its grasp, the hand that had been stroking Spike’s hair stilling.
Giles was slowly standing his eyes trained on the younger
Watcher. Waiting for the worst to be uttered from the other mans lips.
“Everything went according to plan,” Wes smiled softly moving
into the room.
“Then…” Dawn’s eyes went expectantly to the door, scowling
when she didn’t see Buffy or Angel or Connor or Xander or any of the others
that had gone on the mission entering behind him.
“They’ll be here in a few hours… I came through with first
team to prepare for their arrival. Besides I knew that you would want to know
how everything went as soon as possible.”
“Then there were no problems?” Giles queried moving up
alongside the bed where Dawn and Spike both lay.
One conscious, one decidedly not.
“I hear that we had some problems with the vampire while we
were gone,” Wesley motioned to the still form of Spike.
“He kind of lost it when he couldn’t feel Dru anymore,” Dawn
stared at the Watcher, her eyes boring holes into him as she tried to determine
how much longer they would be on suicide watch.
“Yes… I don’t think they took into consideration how Spike
would react… I believe from what little I’ve been able to garner information
wise from Buffy and Oz that they were more concerned about keeping her alive.”
“Alive?” Giles peered at Wesley over the edge of his glasses.
“What…”
“The vampire was poisoned. I’m told it’s one that we’ve come
into contact with before… with Angel I believe?”
“The killer of the dead,” Giles nodded slowly removing his
glasses, searching in vain for a handkerchief. “Buffy?”
“Is no longer the Slayer, although I believe they did try her
blood, they tried the wolf’s as well just in case. But to no avail,” Wes shook
his head. “They found another way… which means…” he opened his hand, showing
the small vial of Mohra blood that had been used during Angel’s ceremony.
“What are you doing?” Dawn asked eyes blinking in
incomprehension as she watched Wesley move up to the edge of the bed.
“I promised her it would already be done by the time they got
here,” Wes murmured as he removed a small pocket knife from his pocket,
flipping it open with one hand he drew a line down the palm of Spike’s hands.
All three sets of eyes flying up to vampires face waiting to
see if that would draw any response. When none came Wesley shrugged, setting
the knife aside he uncapped the vial and poured a small amount onto the wound
that he had just made.
“You might want to move,” he said absently as he backed a
step away from the bed. Dawn scrambled away from the vampire, settling next to
Giles just as Spike’s back arched. Eyes flying open as he yelled in pain.
Eyes glowing white for just a moment before his body relaxed,
eyes closing again as the three watched him draw in a shuddering breath.
A breath that caused his eyes to fly open again and for him
to scramble to his feet in the middle of the bed.
“Spike?” Dawn asked softly her eyes wide as she watched the
former vampire press two fingers to his throat, his pulse beating an erratic
rhythm against the tips of those fingers. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay? Am I okay?! What the bloody hell did you do to
me?!” he yelled furiously, his face flushing in anger. “I’m bleedin’ human
again!”
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