Chapter 24
He could
only gape at her, his jaw dropping in shock both he and the Wolf in perfect
accord in that matter.
She had said
she was going to save him, save them… he was positive that was what he’d heard.
So obviously his hearing was going… or he was losing his mind.
“Wha…?” he managed to utter. Dru
just smiled at him as she kneeled before him, reaching one hand out to stroke
the still unconscious Buffy’s hair.
“The little
wolf is confused,” she grinned, her white teeth gleaming in the dark as she sat
delicately on the dirt of their cell floor.
“Confused…
yeah that would be one word for it,” he muttered as he watched her warily,
rubbing a free hand at his forehead.
Maybe he had
a concussion? Or maybe he’d fallen asleep and was dreaming?
Although
Dru never rated very highly in his dreams.
Sometimes his nightmares but never his dreams.
His dreams normally had
He had to
wonder… had this been how Buffy had felt when Spike had offered to help her to
save the world? That disbelief that could be felt all the way
down in the balls of your feet.
“Mummy
trusts me,” Dru murmured her eyes intent on Buffy’s
still figure. Oz could only arch an eyebrow at her in disbelief.
The fact
that Buffy trusted Druscilla was inconceivable to him.
“She does,”
the female muttered defensively when she glanced up at Oz.
“Right,” he
mumbled. Settling back down beside Buffy he watched Dru
continue to pet the former Slayer’s hair, surprise once more creeping over him
as he heard the vampire begin humming a vague tune softly. Then there was the
fact that Buffy wasn’t shying away from the female’s touch, was in fact
starting to come around… something that Oz hadn’t managed to get her to do
since they’d been confined together.
“Mummy’s
awake,” Dru cooed happily, clapping her hands in joy
as they watched Buffy’s eyes slowly open.
“Oz?” she
mumbled in confusion staring up at the Wolf. Turning her head slightly she
looked up at the beatific vampiress. “…and Dru,” she sighed. “I was hoping it was all some horrible
nightmare.”
“Nightmare
yes, unfortunately you’re living it out,” Oz stated as he helped her sit up,
sitting behind her he supported her. “How do you feel?”
“Like
someone strapped me to an operating table and opened me up,” Buffy glanced up
at the vampiress who had gracefully risen to her feet
and was now dancing to a tune that only she could hear. “Why are you so happy Dru?”
“Because
it’s begun,” Dru spun circles, her long black skirt
twisting around her legs. “We’ll be free soon, free to dance in the grass and
bathe in the sun,” she giggled.
“I’m
seriously considering the possibility that she’s cracked,” Oz muttered in her
ear.
“She’s
always been cracked… but according to Spike… and Angel she’s also psychic so…”
Buffy shook her head than groaned at the pain that movement supplied. She
really had to choose a less hazardous occupation next time around.
“She says
she’s going to rescue us.”
“Yeah I
know… kind of feel like I did when Spike offered to help me take out Angel. Don’t
know whether to believe her or wonder if she’s setting us up for a mighty big
fall.”
“What’d your
instincts tell you?”
Buffy was
silent for a moment, studying the still swaying vampiress
who was mumbling under her breath. “I don’t think she’s setting us up,” she
sighed. “Much as I hate to admit it.”
“Okay…” Oz
nodded content at the moment to trust Buffy’s instincts. There were scarily
accurate at times and had very rarely steered her wrong. If she was trusting Dru to help them then
he’d trust her to know what she was doing. “So what do we do now?”
“Sit back,
relax… wait for the
“Great… do
you think they’re going to show soon? Cause I really don’t think I’m up for
another week of playing Operation.”
“Let’s find
out… hey Dru?”
“Yes Mummy?”
Dru stopped her swaying and stared down at them an
expectant look on her face.
Buffy
sighed, rolling her eyes at Dru’s continued
insistence at calling her that. “How much longer?”
“Soon… Daddy
has to bathe in blood and make a promise first.”
“Days
Dru?”
Dru cast a glance around the room moving
closer to them, leaning down finger pressed to her lips she made a shushing
noise as if quieting a disobedient child. “Six moons,” she whispered. “Six
moons till daddy and my Spike come. Six moons till the moon howls and the sun
sings.”
Buffy
frowned, casting a glance at Oz before she sighed once more. He looked as
baffled as she felt. “Uh great… thanks.”
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Connor drew
a deep breath and once more attempted to concentrate on what Damon sitting
cross-legged in front of him was saying.
Then
sighed. He’d been
concentrating… he really had been. But he had to wonder when the Warrior had
stopped speaking English and begun speaking Swahili… because the words coming
out of his mouth sounded like complete and utter gibberish.
“Connor are you listening to me?” Damon glared at him when it became
obvious that he’d completely lost the attention of the younger male.
“Not particularly,”
he muttered.
“It’s
imperative that you know this stuff.”
“Well it
would help if you were speaking English,” Connor waved a hand at him. “Instead
of whatever you’re speaking.”
“I… god its
like talking to Buffy,” Damon sighed rubbing his fingers against his temples in
an effort at warding off the migraine that he could feel developing right at
that moment.
“I don’t
understand why I need to know all this… me taking my mom’s place is temporary,
once she’s back I won’t need to know any of this so this seems like a big old
waste of time,” Connor frowned when Damon refused to meet his eyes, instead
closed them and continued massaging his temples.
“But don’t
you want to understand what you can do? I mean…”
“What’s
going on Damon?” the young Warrior stared hard at the man in front of him.
First Wesley, now Damon… “Do you think we’re not going to be able to rescue
her? Is that what Wesley was afraid I was going to ask?”
“What?”
Damon looked at him in surprise. “No… no it’s not that.”
“Then
what? And don’t
tell me it’s nothing or change the subject I get that enough from my dad.
There’s something going on here, something that Wesley hasn’t shared with us…
and I want to know what it is.”
“It’s not
what you’re thinking,” the older Warrior said softly. “You think that we’re
expecting the worst, that Buffy’s going to be dead
before we can get there to rescue her. That we’ll lose her like we lost Colin…”
“Well yeah…
I mean why else would Wesley be all… secretive?”
“He was told
not to tell anyone, Whistler pretty much swore him to secrecy.”
“But you
know,” Connor grinned.
“Course I
do… I’m nosy that way,” Damon winked before his face settled into a serious
mask once more. “Besides Wesley doesn’t keep secrets from Jade… I think she
withholds sex if he does. And Jade doesn’t keep secrets from me.”
“So what’s
the big secret then? What is Wesley not telling us?”
Damon
studied him, searching his face, his eyes closing for a moment before he drew a
deep breath. The boy was one of them now, had taken the oaths, was part of
their web and eventually he would have to be told.
“We don’t
know if we can undo the transfer.”
“What?”
Connor stared at him shock. “What do you mean you don’t know if you can undo
the transfer? I’m just temporary, until mom gets back…”
“Buffy will
still be Indaran, your father will take Colin’s place… but we haven’t found a
way to unbind you from the web once Buffy’s back.”
“That’s what Wesley was hiding?” he asked
in disbelief. “That was the big
secret?”
“You don’t
understand Connor,” Damon sighed rubbing the back of his neck as he met the
younger male’s eyes. “Indaran are only fifty, in every prophecy we’re only
fifty… with you within the web it pushes us up to 51 Warriors, and that goes
against everything that has ever been written. We don’t know how you’re
presence, once Buffy is rescued is going to affect the power structure.”
“Then why
did you do it? Why transfer me into Buffy’s place…”
“Because we
had to… because without fifty Indaran there was no way to rescue Buffy… and
once we get her back we’ll have to live with the consequences of that.”
**************************************************************************************
Angel paced
the length of Buffy’s room, twenty seven steps down, pivot, twenty seven steps
back, pivot. Begin again.
He could
smell her. Everywhere within the room he could smell her presence.
Could
smell the vanilla that scented her skin, could almost hear her laughter. If he concentrated hard enough he swore he could see her perched on the
edge of her bed laughing at his nervousness.
Being human
hadn’t really worked out that well for them last time. He’d almost been killed
trying to prove that he wouldn’t be a liability to Buffy as a human, that he
could still protect her as a mortal man… and then he’d traded the day back
because the Oracles had told him that she would die.
He’d given
back his most sought after dream, the one that he was sure would have
guaranteed him a place within Buffy’s live and heart forever because he
couldn’t bear the thought of being human and not being able to protect her.
Of course he
hadn’t protected her. He’d stayed away from Sunnydale to allow her to move on
with her life and she’d died. When she’d come back he’d continued staying away,
sure that his presence would distract her from her mission.
He had never
imagined that she would be chosen for another mission, one that would try to
forever separate the two of them.
“Angel,”
Dawn’s soft voice came from the doorway where she was watching his frenetic
movements apprehensively.
“Hey Dawn,”
he tried to force a smile for her sake, if this was hell for him it had to be
for her too… as well as Connor. Buffy was his mate, his love. But to Dawn this
was the big sister that had just been returned to her, to Connor this was the
mother that he’d thought he’d never have the chance to know. “How are you
holding up?”
“You know,”
she shrugged as she moved slowly into the room. “Waiting is the worst part.”
“It always
is.”
“How are
you?” Dawn asked as she touched the comforter on the bed, it was almost funny
that Buffy had decorated this room almost the same way she’d had her room at
home decorated. Maybe subconsciously her mind, her heart had been always trying
to send her back to them.
“I’m okay,”
Angel murmured, looking away when Dawn cocked an eyebrow at him. Obviously not
believing him, of course if he’d been her he wouldn’t have believed him either.
“Just… waiting. Wesley says there going to do the Mohra blood and the biding spell at the same time… he said
that it would be easier on me that way.”
“Is it
because of your bond with Buffy? The whole mate thing… are
you going to lose that with her when you’re human because…” the teen looked up
at him in alarm. “Buffy doesn’t talk much about it but I know that she wouldn’t want to give that up. I mean she always
loved you even…”
“Even when I
was with Cordy,” Angel finished. “And no I won’t lose my bond with Buffy, at
least I don’t think I will,” he frowned shaking his head. “I didn’t last time
so I’m just assuming….”
“Well you
know what they say about assuming…” Dawn glanced up at him impishly.
“Don’t say
it… I knew I shouldn’t let you hang out with Gunn so much you’re picking up his
bad habits.”
“Actually
Spike told me that one years ago.”
“Spike,”
Angel muttered. There was another reason behind his pacing.
Spike
and Dru. What was he going to do about his children?
The demon
inside him was tormented, his children, his evil, horrible children… were
fighting for the side of good. If he wasn’t confined by the soul they probably
would both be ash by now.
“Are you
still mad because Buffy slept with him? Because she so didn’t love him… I mean…”
“I know
Dawn, I’m not angry about that.” Liar his
subconscious snarled at him. Obviously Dawn was on a direct path to that part
of him because her face registered her disbelief at his statement. “At least
not much anymore,” he amended. “I just don’t understand why she would trust him
after everything that he did to her.”
“Well the
soul was one thing. I mean she couldn’t stake him with a soul and besides when
Spike first came back he was kind of… well crazy. Almost
suicidal. He tried to kill himself more than once and Buffy kept
stopping him… Xander was kind of angry about that at first but…” Dawn shrugged.
“I mean vampire, Slayer… they had some knock down, drag out fight about it. I
think your name came up once or twice, I know Anya’s
was bandied around and Xander kind of grudgingly said he’d help, let Spike move
in with him. By the time he was somewhat sane again… and not trying to stake
himself every time we left him alone he was one of the gang.”
“One
of the gang.”
“Yeah… then
all that stuff happened with you and Cordy, we’d just got Spike non-suicidal
and then Buffy and Xander kind of ended up that way. Spike and Xander wanted to
stake you immediately,” she said confidentially. “I mean Cordy of all people…
what were you thinking Angel?”
“I honestly
couldn’t tell you.”
“Then all
that stuff happened with Anya, and you guys didn’t
come when we called you for help. I think that’s when I knew that there had to
be something really wrong. Because we so
needed your help and you’d never refused us before and then all of a sudden it
was like we’d turned into these second class citizens that weren’t even worthy
of your help.”
“I can’t
tell you how sorry I am about that Dawn,” Angel murmured as he sat down on the
bed, the teen settling close to him.
“I know that
now, and I know that it was all that spell… but things were really bad Angel.
Anya… she came close to killing us all. She went after Buffy and
“Anger,
hatred can make you do things you wouldn’t normally do.”
“I guess.”
“Am I
interrupting?” Jade’s soft voice came from the doorway where she was hovering.
Her eyes flitted back and forth between the two and Angel had to wonder how
much she’d heard.
“No,” Angel
shook his head. “Did you need something?”
“The rest of
your group just arrived… I thought you’d want to know right away.”
“Oh… right…
forgot I sent for Faith and Fred,” Angel shook his head.
“That’s kind
of why I came for you… they brought some people with them. People
that weren’t on your list.”
“What? Who?”
**************************************************************************************
Faith leaned
against the wall, her duffel bag at her feet she eyed the men that had
accompanied her, the brunette female that was studying everything with the room
that she could touch.
Angel was
going to murder her.
The woman
that had fought with Buffy at the Hyperion, Jade something or other had glanced
over the group that had arrived and shook her head. Telling
them in no uncertain terms that they should just stay right where they were.
She had to
wonder if they had made the trip for nothing. Maybe the horrible nightmares
that she’d had about Buffy being tormented, tortured, about Buffy being in pain
were just that… nightmares. But part of her insisted that these were Slayer
dreams. These were the real deal.
Buffy had
gotten her in some fine mix of trouble this time. And besides
Angel had sent for her.
The sound of
footsteps… several pairs of footsteps caused her to straighten. Smoothing her
hands down the white t-shirt she was wearing she hazarded a glance over at the
men that were busily conversing and wondered for the millionth time if she was
insane.
“You’ve got
be kidding me,” she heard Angel’s voice before she saw him.
“You brought
the soldier boys… are you nuts Slayer?” Spike’s voice that time and she could
see him when he rolled his eyes at her, obviously questioning her sanity much
the same way she was.
“You need as
much help as you can get…” Riley turned frowning at the two vampires standing in
the doorway frowning back at him. “I brought what’s left of my team, we’re
pretty much it where the Initiative is concerned… we’ve been hit hard these
last couple of weeks.”
Damon
scowled, pushing past the unmoving vampires crossing his arms over his chest.
They had enough cannon fodder, didn’t need much more. “And what are you going
to do Finn? Get captured again? We’ve got enough people to rescue.”
**************************************************************************************