Roger Futter and Mark stared through the one-way glass at the suspended figure of Spike. The unconscious vampire hung by his wrists in the centre of the white tiled room, his feet some six inches off the floor.
“Do you think he did it?” Roger said without taking his eyes from Spike.
Shrugging, Mark ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure. He’s been twitchy since he offed that panther.”
“Twitchy?” Roger turned and scowled at the handler. “And why didn’t I hear about this?”
“Because he still did as he was told.”
Their attention was caught by Spike slowly raising his head and turning it from side to side as he scanned the room.
“How long before we get the results of the DNA test?” said Roger.
“A day – maybe a little less.”
“And what do we do with Seventeen until then?”
Mark grinned. “Whatever we want.”
“Oh, right. Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” Roger didn’t like the darker side of his work and tried to keep his hands clean of it if at all possible.
*~*~*~*
The door slid open and Mark walked into the room. Spike’s body swayed as he turned his head to watch him approach. He licked his lips and tasted some of the blood that had dried there.
“Hey, Seventeen,” Mark said, smiling as he strolled towards the vampire.
“S-Sir?”
“What happened out there?”
“I told you.” Spike’s brows furrowed. “Why was I punished?” His head still ached from the blast of the chip. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You were covered in blood and we found a body only yards away. What were we supposed to think?”
“There was a vampire – he tried to stake me.” He glanced at his arm, which showed a deep raw furrow across it. “Look you can see where it hit me.”
He hissed as Mark ran his finger along the wound. “That could’ve been caused by anything. The girl had her throat torn out and the only vampire around was you.” Mark rubbed at some of the dried blood at the corner of Spike’s mouth. “We’ll know soon enough – if this blood has her DNA – then you killed her.”
For a moment, Spike relaxed. He knew he hadn’t drank of the girl and then ice crept slowly into his gut. If the vampire he’d drained had killed the girl – the blood Spike had taken would have been laced with that of the girl’s. The chains holding him began to rattle as Spike trembled violently.
“I didn’t kill her, but the vampire I killed probably did,” he said quietly.
“Yeah, well, like I said the DNA don’t lie.”
“If he drank her blood and then I drank his—”
A punch to the stomach cut off his words. “Do you think I’m stupid? DNA doesn’t work like that! If that blood around your mouth has her DNA then you bit her – end of story!” sidd Mark.
“We’re different.” Spike gasped as he tried to draw enough air in his lungs to speak. “Please…I didn’t do it…I do as I’m told.”
Mark glared at him. “Shut the fuck up!” This time his punch was lower down and Spike couldn’t draw enough breath to cry out as he swung in the chains.
Walking around the vampire, Mark said, “If you did this, do you know how bad it’ll make me look?” He punched Spike in the small of his back, eliciting a grunt of pain. “You’re supposed to be the star of our fucking show!”
“I didn’t do it – you can see what I can see – check the footage,” said Spike desperately, as an unwelcome image of the retirement sheds flashed through his mind.
His handler grabbed Spike’s face and wrenched it up to make eye contact. “Do you really think that we haven’t thought of that? The film’s blank.”
“What? No!” Spike tried to shake his head but Mark’s fingers dug into his cheeks.
“What did you do? What did you use to cover your eyes?”
“I didn’t! It’s not my fault the film went wrong!” He could hear the panic in his voice.
“We’ll see,” said Mark, laughing as Spike’s eyes were shut down. He gave the vampire’s body a shove, and Spike heard the door closed as he swung gently back and forth in the dark.
Spike’s panic slowly turned to anger as the hours passed by and he was left strung up. He’d done everything asked of him for as long as he could remember. He’d taken his punishments when he’d done wrong, but now they were punishing him for something he didn’t do, and the fact that his handler hadn’t believed him burned.
Realisation hit him. The new intakes that had taunted him for being the Initiative’s lapdog were right. The Initiative didn’t care about him at all. Their interests lay only in results and hitting their quotas each month. Spike had thought that he’d been doing the only thing that he could do to survive. That outside of the Initiative was a very vampire unfriendly place. Now he knew that it couldn’t be less friendly than in here.
*~*~*~*
Buffy stood at the top of the Empire State Building and smiled as the wind ruffled her hair. Glancing over at Willow, she reflected on how she relaxed she was feeling. She could hardly remember when she’d last been so carefree. She’d called the boys up the evening she had arrived, but then agreed when Craig said that he’d call if there was anything she needed to know and for her not to ring again – just to enjoy herself.
Willow smiled back and then turned to look out at the city’s skyline. She came up here often but the sight always stirred her.
“Ready for lunch?” said Willow.
Reluctantly, Buffy turned away from the view and nodded. “I’m starving. Where are we going?”
“Aha! I pulled some Council strings and, ahem, used a little magic and got us in to The Four Seasons. So if you haven’t got a nice outfit with you, we’d better hit the shops!”
“Oh, my God, Will! I can’t believe we’re going there!” She squealed, as giddy as a teenager and if it looked a little odd for a woman of her age to be behaving like that, Buffy didn’t care.
The women linked arms and giggling walked to the elevator.
In the restaurant, being plied with fine wine, Buffy found that she could almost forget that her life wasn’t as conventional as the other diners. Her happy mood dimmed a little as she thought of what she had lost when Spike died. He would never have been allowed in this place even if they came after dark – the dress code stated suit jacket and tie and she doubted Spike had worn either since he’d been turned. But he had made her feel loved and cared for and if their treats had been take out rather than fine dining, she hadn’t cared.
Sensing the sombre mood of her dining companion, Willow lightened the moment by asking if Buffy remembered the time that all the Scoobies had gone to the Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse and the staff had cut off Giles’ tie and nailed it to the rafters when he hadn’t believed their threats to do just that.
The smile returned to Buffy’s face. Now there was a place that Spike would have fit right in. She resolved to take her sons there when she got home.
“I wonder how the boys are?” Buffy said, before eating another forkful of lobster.
“Have they called?” Willow raised an eyebrow at her friend.
“No.”
“Then they’re fine. Craig promised that he’d call if anything was wrong. Trust me, that boy wouldn’t risk his danglies – he’d be on the phone in a heartbeat!”
“Will!” Buffy glanced around to see if anyone had heard.
Leaning back in her seat, Willow laughed softly. “Buffy Summers, you're acting positively middle-aged.”
“What? I so am not!”
“Prove it!”
“What do you mean – prove it?” Buffy grinned at her friend.
“Do something that will shock the clientele.”
“We’ll get thrown out!”
“Don’t care,” said Willow. “I’m too full to want dessert anyhow.”
“Hmm…what shall I do?”
Buffy glanced around and noticed that all the tables seemed to be taken by heterosexual couples, businessmen obviously having a lavish lunch with clients on their expense account or groups of older ladies who looked like the only work they did was to go out to lunch.
Slowly she rose to her feet and walked round to stand beside Willow’s chair.
“Darling,” she said making sure her voice carried across the room, “I know it’s impossible, but I have to ask despite that.” Buffy sank to one knee. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that she’d gotten the attention of all the nearby diners. “Willow, honey. Love of my life. Will you marry me?”
To her credit, Willow played the part well. Her hands flew to her mouth and she smiled broadly. “Oh, my love! Of course my answer is yes! And I don’t care which country we have to go to, to make our dreams come true!”
Buffy grasped Willow’s hands as she stood up, and to her friend’s surprise firmly planted a kiss on her mouth. When their lips parted, there was a small round of applause and the two women had to bite the inside of their lips to keep from laughing.
A waiter appeared and asked if they would accept a complimentary bottle of champagne, but the ladies decided that a hasty departure would be more fitting. With a wink, Willow charged the meal to the Council.
Once outside they fell about laughing.
“Oh, Buffy, are you sure you couldn’t be just a little bit gay?”
“’Fraid not, Will. But you know I love you, right?”
“You’re one hell of a kisser; I haven’t been kissed like that since Kennedy moved out,” said Willow with a slightly wishful look on her face.
“You’ve had partners since Kennedy – I know you have.”
“I know, but sweet Goddess I wish they could have kissed like you – I might not have ended it, if they could!”
“Well, from my point of view, it felt very odd to kiss warm lips!”
Willow worried that Buffy would go quiet again, but this time she seemed to have managed to refer to Spike without falling apart. It looked like the trip was doing her good.
*~*~*~*
“I’ll fucking kill him,” muttered Craig, as he paced back and forth in front of the living room window.
Cameron hadn’t made any of his afternoon classes and still – an hour after school was out – hadn’t arrived home.
A movement caught his eye and he spotted Cam walking slowly up the pathway to the front door. Before Cam could turn his key, the door was pulled open and a hand grasped his jacket, yanking him inside and slamming him against the wall.
“Where the fuck have you been!” Craig’s face was about an inch from Cameron’s.
“I –”
“I saw you sneak out at lunchtime! We promised Mom that we’d be okay – and as soon as her back’s turned you cut class! Do you never want to fucking graduate?” Craig’s right hand joined his left at Cameron’s throat and he rammed him against the wall again. “You’re supposed to be the smart one, for Christ’s sake!”
With a final push, Craig let go of his brother and stalked to the still open door, slammed it shut and then turned back to glare at Cam.
“Well?”
To his utter astonishment, Cam’s face crumpled as tears began to fall down his cheeks. Cam wiped at them with his arm and then pushed past Craig, mumbling that he was sorry. His footsteps were loud as he bolted up the stairs.
“Shit,” said Craig, quietly.
He followed his brother upstairs and tapped on the bedroom door. When there was no answer, he opened the door and walked in.
Cameron was sitting at his desk, laptop already open, watching the screen as it booted up. He didn’t turn around as Craig entered and sat on the bed to the left of him.
“What’s going on Cam?”
The only response he got was Cameron slightly shaking his head.
“C’mon, Cam. I’m sorry I yelled, okay? It’s just that I was worried. Look what happened to me – it’s not a great place to be wandering around alone anymore.”
Tensing up at his brother’s words, Cam didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Talk to me…please – you’re freaking me out.”
How could Cam tell Craig that every time he closed his eyes he saw him get chased down the street? Saw the blow that felled him. Saw the eyes of the man who ruined Craig’s career before it really had a chance. There was no audio on the tape but Cam swore he could hear the elbow snap.
“Cam!”
He jumped at his brother’s sharp voice.
“There was just someplace I had to be,” Cam whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“Cameron. Look at me.”
Reluctantly, Cam turned around, but kept his eyes downcast.
“Do you want me to tell Mom? Ruin her trip?”
“No! Don’t!”
“I won’t if you tell me what’s going on.”
When Cam finally raised his head, Craig almost recoiled at the anguished look on his face.
“If I promise not to cut class will you just trust me, and I’ll tell you when I can?”
Leaning forwards, Craig said, “Oh, man! Do you know what you’re asking? If you’re in trouble, let me help.”
“I’m not in trouble. It’s just…I need to find out more before I tell anyone. Please, Craig. I need to do this.”
Craig stared into his little brother’s eyes and behind the pleading look that he was giving him, he could see the determination. Cam was going to do whatever it was regardless of what his brother said to him.
“If you cut class – the deal’s off.”
“Thank you,” said Cam solemnly.
“I’ve got your back, if you need it.”
Cam nodded.
“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
Another nod.
Craig stared at him for a long time, then stood up, put a hand on his shoulder and walked out of the room.
Turning back to the computer, Cameron paused with his fingers over the keypad. Why bother decoding the remaining disk? Why not simply go straight to the source and hack into the Initiative database direct? He had a feeling that Jerry wasn’t being completely straight with him. The guy had handled Spike when he’d been in there and still worked for the organisation that had blinded the vampire. Why should he trust him?
Ignoring the disk, Cameron set himself to work.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Beta and banner by dawnofme :D
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks for all your review! Really appreciate it. Please keep them coming :D
Check out where Giles lost his tie - http://www.pinnaclepeaksteakhouse.com/
If you fancy a giggle and don't mind non graphic Spike/Angel check out Haunted Halloween on my lj.
http://spikes-evilbint.livejournal.com/35899.html It's not even remotely evil! LOL!
Check out where Giles lost his tie - http://www.pinnaclepeaksteakhouse.com/
If you fancy a giggle and don't mind non graphic Spike/Angel check out Haunted Halloween on my lj.
http://spikes-evilbint.livejournal.com/35899.html It's not even remotely evil! LOL!