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Chapter 22



"You're a bad, bad man," Wesley muttered, leaning on his elbow so he could gaze at Fred sleeping next to him. At least, he could console himself that he hadn't let their earlier sexual play go all the way. He wanted to, she wanted to, but he couldn't. He laughed, rubbing his face, before flopping back down onto his back. "Oh yeah, there was no way you could hide that from Lilah," he sighed. "Or anyone else." Making love to Fred would have been just that and he knew that he wouldn't be able to hide the joy from anyone.

His phone vibrated on the nightstand next to him. The long dreaded phone call that was going to change everything. Whatever fantasies he was holding onto about Fred was never going to be fulfilled because of this call. Knowing he couldn't avoid it, he sat up, snatching the phone and flipping it open in one movement.

"Wes, it's time." Lilah's strident voice gave the order before he could even finish saying hello. "Bring her to me. Don't dawdle. I'm waiting."

"We'll be there soon," Wes promised hoping it would pacify Lilah.

After sending a quick text, he stood to put his shirt on, and then slipped into his shoes. His stomach flipped as he swallowed back whatever regrets he felt. In another time and place, he might have loved Fred. It was something that would never happen. At least, not in this lifetime. After he finished dressing, he reached for his badge, slipped it into his pocket and then reached for his gun.

There wasn't any other way, he told himself as he went down on one knee on the bed. He nudged Fred awake, pointed the gun into her sleepy eyes, and ordered. "Do what I say and you'll live."

~~~~

The ringing of his cell phone woke him from a contented sleep. Spike rolled over onto his back, away from the warmth of Buffy, as he fumbled for his cell phone on the nightstand. It had to be the Captain. Something must've gone wrong with the plans for Gunn leaving town, and Spike made a quick prayer that the man was all right. Buffy would be devastated if Gunn were hurt. For him, it would be another chunk of guilt that he would have to carry.

"Hello," he said, while saying a quick prayer for mercy.

"Hello Spike," an unfamiliar voice said, ending his prayer and sending his cop instincts into overdrive.

"Who is this?" He asked, sitting up to glance around the room as if the person on the phone was there with them. "How did you get this number?"

The woman laughed. "You really are an idiot by keeping your cell with you while on the run. Don't you know that there is always a way to find you if you have the right resources?"

"Spike, who are you talking to?" Buffy rolled over to look up at him. She looked nervous. Not quite scared yet, but she would be in a minute. He trailed his fingers through her hair with his free hand before placing them over her lips.

"Good, you're still with the little troublemaker," the woman said with a hatred that he could hear even over the static of the cell phone.

"I'm hanging up now."

He wasn't in the mood for games or insults. If the woman wanted something from him then she needed to say it. He wanted things on his terms. Not hers.

"I wouldn't. Not if you want your fiancée to live until you and your slut get here. Say hello Fred."

"Spike?" Fred's frightened voice came to him. "He…"

"Is that enough to get you to listen to me?" The woman was laughing at him.

"What do you want?"

Any desire for control had evaporated with the sound of Fred's voice. All he could do was play along until he could, hopefully, figure out a plan.

"Bring Buffy to Masters Shipping. Don't call your Captain. I'll know it if you do and all you'll find is a very pretty dead body for you to cry over."

The phone line was disconnected. Everything had gone from optimistic that he could get them all through this safely to complete shit in just a few minutes. No one could deny that this was his fault.

Fred and Buffy were in trouble because he couldn't hold it together. He couldn’t save Fred and keep Buffy safe. He couldn't keep Buffy safe and save Fred. He ran his hand over his face as he faced the impossible choice. If he was straddling the line between them before, he was hanging by a thin thread now.

"Don't beat yourself up," Buffy whispered, laying her hand on his chest. "Just tell me what happened and what we're up against."

"They have Fred, and they want me to bring you to them."

It was as simple as he could put it, but even he could hear the fear in his voice. He turned to look into Buffy's eyes, and knew the answer to his heart's dilemma. All the drama, all the pain to both women and himself, when all along it was so simple. He was a coward for not admitting it before.

"Buffy…"

"No, we don't have time to discuss it now. We need to go," Buffy looked determined. "Get yourself together."

Then she was gone, and he felt the chill down to his bones as he hurried to follow her. There had to be a way to make this right and he was determined to die finding it.

~~~~~

The gunshot was louder than thunder. Cassie screamed, rolling from her bed to fall to the floor. She was shaking as another shot rang out. In all of her nightmares, she never thought the bad guys would find them in their new safe house.

Shouts from other parts of the house reached her as she huddled beside her bed. Her friends were fighting for their lives and her life, but she couldn't make herself move. She was too scared. The bedroom door slammed open, galvanizing her into action. She scrambled back against the wall, trying to make out whether it was a friend or an enemy racing into the room.

"The window," Kate barked, grabbing her arm to pull her up. "Climb out the window."

Cassie stumbled behind Kate as she ran to the window. Another shot reverberated through the room. Drawing back, Cassie ran her hands over her body to see if it had been her, but then in horror she saw Kate fall into the window. The glass shattered from the impact, but somehow instead of falling onto the pieces, Kate jerked back to collapse onto the floor.

"No," Cassie screamed, shaking her head in denial. She prayed it was a nightmare, but knew it wasn't when a strange man advanced upon her. He grabbed her arm when she tried to back away from him, but her attempts to fight back were useless against a man twice her size. Determined not to make it easy for him she continued to struggle against him. With an abruptness, she wasn't expecting he turned on her, bringing her close to him.

"Move it," he snarled, showing the gun that he still clenched in his free hand. "Or I'll kill you now." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me when you die."

Somehow, Cassie just nodded. Later, much later was her choice when it came to her dying.

"Good choice."

She saw him smirk as he forced her ahead of him and into the living room.

The shadowy figure of another man stood in the middle of the living room. Cassie's gaze swept the living room to see if anyone else was there. It was then that she noticed a body lying on the floor. A scream echoed around her even though she knew it was from her. Too much had happened too fast for her to grasp as reality. Kate was in the bedroom, shot and possibly dying while Lorne was lying so still on the floor in front of her. Was he already dead? She felt her knees give out, but her captor was holding onto her arm, not giving her the luxury of giving into the overwhelming emotions.

The nightmare was now a reality and much worse than anything, she'd seen in her dreams.

"Time to go," the shadow man said.

"Lorne," she cried, pulling back in a vain attempt to go to her friend.

"Move it," the first man barked as he pointed his gun at her.

Cassie didn’t have a choice. She had to go with these men. At the door, she looked back and felt hopeful when she saw Lorne raise his hand as if he was reaching for her. He wasn't dead. Maybe there was chance he could call for help. Not only for them, but for her too. Despite the small chance of help arriving for Lorne and Kate, she was still on her own. No one would know where she was being taken. If there was a chance for her to survive it was up to her and she wondered what Buffy would do if she were in the same place.

~~~

Los Angeles raced by the car window as Spike took them closer to the finish line. Somehow, some way, tonight everything would finish in this nightmare. She wished she knew what Spike was thinking. Some things she didn't need to be told, like that he was feeling guilty, as if he could really do anything to prevent this from happening. That was a burden she would have to carry alone. It was her choice to help Cassie that had brought them here.

Without thinking, she reached over to grasp Spike's hand. He squeezed hers in return. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought. She trusted Spike with her life. Maybe not her heart, but her life was safe with him. If only there was time to tell him everything else she wanted to say. If only there was time for them to laugh together. There had been so few times that they were really happy. It seemed the only times they were together they were in the middle of an investigation. They were good at it, but if everything ended tonight, she wished she could look back at times when they were just having fun.

The tang of salt air swept through the open window and she knew they were close to the shipyard. It was time to let go of regrets, of dreams and the what might have been to focus on surviving and getting the bad guys. As Spike pulled into the parking lot, she knew she had to give herself the time to do one thing. It wouldn't be enough, not nearly, but all those dreams could be contained in just one phrase.

"I love you, Spike," she said.

Now whatever happened, could happen, she didn't have any regrets.


…to be continued





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