banner by kazzy_cee
Jade Silk Dress
When Buffy went back inside the cave, she headed for the forbidden part of it where the jade silk dress hung silently.
She ran a rough hand over the dress and the nap caught on her fingers. When she'd gone to the party, she'd creamed her hands and feet for weeks before hand, so she'd have the hands of a town girl, smooth and soft and not hardened by working out on the Grass.
There were a couple of wrinkles near the bottom, so she smoothed them, looking at the jade color by the light of the candle she carried. It seemed so slick, like the skin of a beautiful mermaid. Something that didn't belong in her world.
"Buff."
She jumped a little at Xander's angry voice. "I just wanted to..."
His dirty hand covered her own, pulling it from the dress. She could feel his rage lighting up the room more brightly her candle. "Don't," he said. "I just want to burn the fucking thing when I find you here!"
"No!" She turned around and she knew the tears on her face weren't soothing him, but she cupped his cheek. "You spent months saving to buy me that dress--" She called up the good memories.
"Yeah, back when we both lived in cottages instead of a cave," he said bitterly. "I want to burn it."
"Please don't. It's all I have."
"After how I found you, how can you?" Xander looked sick, and Buffy flashed back to waking up the morning after the party.
Xander came to find her. She was late getting back. He lifted her in his arms and pushed down the jade silk dress to hide the blood and semen on her thighs.
........
Xander pulled out the binoculars he'd patched together with some black electrical tape. The plastic was hot against his fingers and tacky from Xander's own sweat. The sun was right overhead, which was the best time to spy on a demon gang. Any vampires would be hiding inside the tents and demons generally didn't like bright, sunny weather, which was why the Savannah continued to be the last haven for a broken humanity.
He saw a few demons sitting around a fire. Looked like they were playing cards. He pulled out his notebook of illustrations of demons he'd drawn over the years to try to keep track of the different species. These demons all had one horn on their forehead, and he wasn't sure he was familiar with them. He flipped through and the closest he could find was a two-horned creature which possessed great strength but not a lot of smarts. He remembered the night he and Buffy had hit a camp with those demons and smiled. She'd been just sixteen, and boy, could she power through them!
The walkie talkie buzzed and Xander quickly grabbed it and turned it down so the static noise wouldn't attract attention. Buff had been calling him almost hourly. He knew she was worried for him.
"Are you coming in soon?" she demanded, right away.
"Soon. The demons are one-horned on the forehead. Wearing green leather armor and they have horses. Some brands from ranches in the north quadrant."
"They hit the north pretty hard a month ago," Buffy reminded him. Xan knew she was blaming herself because that's about the time of the party.
"Slayer can't be everywhere, no matter what Giles says, Buff."
"He warned me not to go to the party."
"Right, and he's so fucking helpful!" Xander sighed, gritting his teeth, knowing how Giles' coldness still hurt her. "Looks like they have a lot of livestock and some horses. I've counted six demons, but without a closer look in the tents--"
"Please don't even think about going any closer!" He heard worry and command in her voice. "Xan?"
"I'll be careful. I just want to make sure they don't have any human slaves." Xander couldn't bear to leave anyone to the mercy of the creatures.
"I'm coming out to meet you: wait for me!"
"No, Buffy, you are too far behind. I'll be back in no time, don't worry!" He cut off the connection before she could argue further. He checked his supplies. Because he walked far on foot, he only carried the essentials, water, a bit of dried food, more water, rope, weapons, which today were a short blunt sword and a dagger, and one ragged blanket as well as some basic medical supplies in case he found someone who needed his help.
He took only what he needed and left the rest. He'd start with the cattle.
........
Spike paraded around the coliseum on a snow white mare. He waved to the crowds, his katana, wakizashi and tanto sheathed in his robes. As the crowd roared for their new champion, he looked over at Slonge, the slave master demon. Slonge and the others didn't attempt him anymore, now they'd armed him, not that he could find a way out of these caves. He'd been wandering through them for months and never felt the breath of open air. The only connection he had to his life that had been was Buffy's shrine.
He rode the placid horse under the archway and past where she was supposed to be stabled. He saw a few glances his way, but every demon knew there was no way out of the caves, so what did it matter if the Crazy One wanted to go riding through them? Not like he wouldn't be back. He had to eat and this was the only place to get his blood.
Spike patted the saddle bag he'd loaded, thinking about the crazy thing he was going to attempt and all because of a faint feather of feeling that had touched him. He guided the horse through the turnings until they came to his wall. He dismounted and pulled out what he needed, looking at the face of the Madonna he loved.
She'd kept him sane here, all these months or years--he had no idea how long he'd been in the caves since winning his soul. He traced her mouth. "I know I did wrong," he apologized, remembering how he'd scared her, and how she'd fought him on her bathroom floor. Feeling the rise of sick shame. Her stone lips remained soft under his finger tips, as if she understood him. As if she forgave what he could not.
The pic ax struck Buffy's image square in the face as Spike began to dig.
..........
Xander crawled to the second tent and found it empty. He was about to check the third when one of the horned demons got up and stretched, muttering something in his language to the others. He sniffed the air and Xander froze, aware that some demons had heightened smell. It was why he was carefully down wind of the party at the fire.
The demon scratched himself and then bent his tall head to enter the last of the tents. A minute later, he emerged dragging a nude young man. The red head blinked dull hazel eyes at the sunlight. His moon pale body was covered in black bruises and he was wearing a heavy collar and chain.
He winced away from the sunlight and the possessive touch of the demon as the creature shoved him into another tent. Xander wanted to cover his ears at the thready sound of pain and then the grunts that followed. He did not. He kept his vigil and he waited, and finally the demon emerged, adjusting his clothing.
When the demon returned safely to his card game, Xander went to the tent where the slave was, and took out his dagger. He sliced open one side of it, pulling himself inside quickly in case the other boy cried out.
Hazel eyes met his own. There was a red mark on one cheek that glistened under fresh tears. The slave cleared his throat and nodded. "Xander," he whispered, as if they were meeting in town.
Xander went to where the chain was clipped and used his dagger to pry free the lock. He didn't comment on the white fists covering the other boy's sex or the pain he saw screaming silent in his eyes. "Oz. Come with me if you want to live," he said.
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TBC