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Chapter ~ 23 ~ Deliverance

Buffy ran as fast as she could. She hated leaving Spike to fight alone. “Oh God, let him be all right.” At Slayer speed, it only took a few minutes for her to reach the cottage. Her hands shook as she tried to turn the lock with her key. She dropped it twice and cursed using Spike words. She had no idea what they meant, but nobody swore better than Spike. “Oh God, let him be all right.”

Once inside she flicked on the light, grabbed the phone, and asked the operator to get Mr. Giles immediately. “It’s an emergency.” And she waited. “C’mon, c’mon…Giles, where are you?” She shouted into the phone unable to keep still. Her face was wet with tears and her clothes were soaked with sweat. She thought of Spike out there alone with ….that…..knarlock thingy and yelled in the phone again. “That’s not right! Gnarly, nervy...something. Whatever it was… it scared Spike and he isn’t afraid of anything. Oh God, oh God, oh God”…it had become her litany.

Finally, Giles came to the phone sounding the essence of the calm professional, “This is Mr. Giles. How may I help you?”

“Where in God’s name have you been?” Buffy screamed into the mouthpiece. She was frantic, “Help," she begged, "I need your help! It’s Spike.”

Giles tone became deathly serious. “What has he done to you? Where are you?”

“Giles, he may be hurt…he may be dying…oh God, he may be dead. Haven’t you gotten it through that thick British skull of yours that he will never, ever hurt me?” she wept. “Just come get me at the cottage, no more talk. Now…quick…” with that, she hung up.
~~~
Giles was stunned. Her tone terrified him. It wasn't like her to lose control.. It always seemed the greater the danger, the greater her resolve. He called Xander and told him he was coming by to pick him up, then snatched up his car keys and ran out of the house. With heart pounding against his chest and echoing in his ears and sweaty and shaky hands, he turned the key, slammed his foot to the pedal and screeched out of the driveway. ‘What in hell has happened? She would never talk to me like that. This is bad. Damn! I didn’t even stop long enough to grab a weapon.’ His thoughts continued along the same line for the minutes it took him to reach his destination. Xander was standing outside with no coat on and a sack over his shoulder wearing only his pajama bottoms and a tee shirt. The brakes squealed complaint as Giles applied them sharply.

“What the fuck is going on?” Xander said as he climbed into the car. Giles pulled away before Xander closed the door. “Jesus Christ, Giles…” he said, pulling the door closed against whatever force was pulling it open. ‘...another addition to the list of stuff I should have learned in high school.’ He clicked his seatbelt and feared for his life.

“Just get in…..It’s Buffy. Something’s happened to Spike.” Giles was clearly not in the mood to fill in any blanks.

Xander wisely decided to wait and see what happened and then on second thought said, “I’ve brought weapons.”

Giles didn’t answer, just nodded.

As they approached the cottage, Giles caught sight of Buffy in the headlights. He could see her face was dirty and tear stained; there were grass stains on her jeans. She looked frightened and small. She ran toward them barely giving him time to stop before climbing in the car.

“I could hear you coming.” Buffy said, catching her breath. “Thanks for hurrying.” She told them where to go, and filled them in on what happened as they sped in the direction she indicated.

As Giles listened to Buffy’s story, he felt himself begin to calm. Perhaps the situation wasn’t as bad as he originally thought. He even slowed down a little. “It’s a gnarvole,” he said, “Not a knarlock.”

“A what?” both Buffy and Xander said.

“A gnarvole demon. Nasty creatures. I had no idea there were any around here. We’re going to have to find them and destroy them. If they multiply, the entire region will be in mortal danger.”

“Oh great…just great. We’ve been here nearly two whole years living a peaceful, quiet, academic existence and Spike and Buffy show up and all of a sudden we’re up to our k-nees in k-nasties.”

“Thank you, Xander, that will be enough,” said Giles. “Buffy, in all likelihood, Spike saved your life.”

“I saw the look on his face when he told me to keep running. I knew it was serious. We’ve taken out plenty of demons together, all kinds of demons and he never chased me away from a good fight. Giles, he has to be all right. I don’t think I can handle losing him again.”

“I wouldn’t worry Buffy; Spike hasn’t been around this long without knowing how to handle himself. We’ll probably see him walking along the road any time now.”

“Well, why did he chase me away then?”

Giles took a deep sigh. “You know, Buffy, if you’d ever taken the time to learn about demons as I asked you to, you wouldn’t have to ask that question.”

“Right. So the real Giles is still alive and well,” Buffy's voice rose, “and bugging my butt. Answer the question.” After a stern look from Giles, she said, “…please.”

“All beings have a means of self defense given to them by God, if that is your belief. Or, all creatures have evolved with a means of self-defense against the kinds of enemies they might encounter. Sometimes that means of self defense is also used as a tool for survival of the species,” said Giles, settling into teacher mold.

“Same thing!” Xander said and tried to imagine himself one day having all this stuff in his head. The mental image was fuzzy.

“Not necessarily,” Giles continued. “The gnarvole perpetuates its race by eating the sex organs of other species. Without it, they do not have sufficient hormones to reproduce themselves; thus, during the mating season, the gnarvole, which by the way are hermaphroditic, collect gonads from other species,” he paused, taking a deep breath. “These organs are rich in the material they need and consequently, they are able to procreate.”

“That is just gross,” snarled Xander. “So they just wander up and bop their victim on the head and take their parts?”

“Actually, and this is the reason I say Spike saved your life, Buffy, they emit a gaseous spray from a sinus on their forehead that seals the airway of its victim. Being unable to breathe, the prey loses consciousness very quickly and dies. The gnarvole then uses a curved knife that springs from its thumb…rather like a tool to open clams…It incises into a woman’s abdomen to collect her ovaries or opens the scrotum and squeezes out the testes.”

Xander crossed his legs.

Buffy never took her eyes from the road as she scanned for Spike. She couldn’t help thinking they should have seen him by now. “And that’s why you think Spike is not in danger?”

Xander supplied the answer, “Duh. He doesn’t need air so he wouldn’t lose consciousness.” After a beat he said, “Sometimes it pays to have a vampire around. Bet you’d never thought you’d hear me say that!”

Xander hoped his feeble attempt at humor would bring a smile to Buffy’s face, but when their eyes met, all he saw was worry. “Then why haven’t we seen him?” she said.

“You’re right, Buffy,” said Giles. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Positive. Here! Stop the car.” Shining a flashlight on the ground, she said, “See? There! You can see the grass all torn up where I ran.”

“Then he should be here somewhere.” Shutting down the engine, he climbed out of the car and called out, “Spike!” Buffy and Xander followed suit listening after each call but the only sound was the rustling of leaves under their feet and their own voices. Even the night music was silent.

Giles gave them torches from his boot and Xander passed out weapons. They spread out a little and followed Buffy's lead, calling Spike’s name. Buffy spotted something at the bottom of the hill. She called out to Giles and Xander and took off at a run down the steep incline. Giles and Xander followed. Xander went head over heels and Giles stopped to help him up just as Buffy shouted out, “He’s here.”

She knelt at Spike’s side, caressed his cheek tenderly and said softly, “Oh God, what’s happened to you?” Spike made no sound. His face was so cold. ‘Of course he’s cold. He’s dead. He’s always cold. How do you tell a dead vampire from a cold vampire?’ Buffy felt her eyes well up with more tears and a sob caught in her throat. “Oh, please don’t be a dead vampire,” she cried. She saw that the gnarly-thing lay next to him. “I knew you’d get him,” she said. She pulled at Spike’s thigh to roll him over. He moaned and her hand came away wet with blood. “Hurry!” she yelled to the others. “Oh, please hurry.”

The two men picked up their pace sidestepping down the hill and turned their torches on the scene. They saw that Spike was apparently unconscious and the gnarvole was dead next to him. Spike’s pants glistened with moisture in the light. Giles gave Buffy a questioning look.

“It’s blood,” she said.

Xander bent over at the waist with his hands on his knees gulping air, “Jesus, it took his ‘nads,” he said.

Spike groaned, “Didn’t take ‘em. Just has a grip on ‘em.”

Buffy caressed Spike’s head and face and showered him with kisses. “Thank God. You're not dead... Yes, you are but you're alive...No, you're not. Oh... Let’s just get you out of here.”

She grasped him under his arms and told Xander to grab his legs. Spike screamed, “No! Christ no! The bastard’s got its paw locked around my balls. I can’t move.” He pleaded with them, “Please don’t try to move me. I don’t think I can take it.”

Xander said, “Man.” Spike sounded pitiful. Scary.

“What are we going to do?” Buffy asked.

“Surgery,” Giles answered.

“Hey!” cried Spike and Buffy.

“What? We will saw the beast’s arm off and get you to the school’s infirmary to separate you from your captor. Xander you stay here with Buffy and Spike. I’ll go back to my place and get a saw.”

“What kind of saw?” Xander asked.

“A saw, Xander. You bloody well know what a saw is.”

“You’ll need a reciprocating saw if you don’t want to do damage to Spike.” Xander offered.

Suddenly Spike spoke up, his voice weak, “Bloody hell, listen to the man, watcher. He’s a carpenter.”

“But he’s not a surgeon.”

“…and you bloody well are?” whispered Spike.

Giles waffled. Xander was an experienced carpenter. He would know the right kind of thing to use. “Very well, then. Xander you go back and get what we need and make it quick, Spike’s in pain and losing blood.”

Xander jumped to attention, did an exaggerated salute, and said, “Aye, sir!”

~~~
Xander maintained control by taking deep cleansing breaths. Now he was close to hyperventilating. ‘Wrong! It was just wrong. Doing that to a guy? Man...it shouldn’t happen to nobody, not never, no how, no way. It’s just wrong.’ Xander’s mind was racing as he tried to gather every ounce of smarts he had so that he could get the things he needed and get back to that crime scene as fast as he could. ‘OK, sort it out. Prioritize. The easiest thing is the right saw…That’ll be in the groundskeeper’s tool shed. I have Giles’ keys and he should have a key to everything on the property. Yeah, right. He should. That’s how a carpenter thinks…a tradesperson…practical. Giles is a fucking headmaster. What does he know about practical?’ He nodded as a thought came into his head, ‘It’s OK though, I have my ax. I can bust the lock if I need to.’

He drove recklessly. ‘Man, if a squirrel jumps out in front of me, me and the squirrel are finito! I’m gonna need a tree limb attachment if I want to do this thing with as little pain to Spike as possible. It’ll grasp the gnarly dude’s arm and hold it still while the saw does the work. Shouldn’t cause too much movement in the hand…that’s holding on to Spike’s nuts… Aaagh! Christ! I can’t stand to think of it!’
~~~
Giles lost himself in thought as they waited for Xander. ‘How unusual it is for Spike to be so quiet. I’ve been through very nearly every kind of hell with him. Hated him. Contrived to have him killed and now I’m terrified we might lose him. It’s...unsettling.’

Giles looked down at Buffy as she gently cradled Spike’s head in her lap. He thought that she looked helpless; all she could do was pet him and tell him that she loved him. Giles ran his hands through his hair. It felt damp from the night air or maybe he was sweating, he wasn’t sure. He listened to Buffy coo to her lover between sobs. He knew he had brought the couple back together but being witness to this intimacy was uncomfortable. He felt like a voyeur.

“Buffy,” Giles said, taking off his jacket, “Perhaps we should try to warm Spike. Here, take my coat.”

“Of course,” Buffy said, “thank you, that’s a good idea.” Buffy threw Giles coat over Spike’s shoulders and then took off her own and covered his torso.

Spike didn’t bother to tell them it made no difference to him. He smiled despite the pain as he thought he was the definition of a “cold-blooded” creature. They wanted to help and he found himself pitying them. No, not pity, he empathized with them. He remembered too well, what it felt like to be unable to help.

Giles tried offering comfort, paced and polished his glasses as he wondered what was keeping Xander. He folded his handkerchief to return to his pocket. He thought for a moment and then offered Spike his handkerchief to use as a compress against his wound. Spike met the watcher’s eyes and muttered about movement and pain. What Giles saw in those eyes filled him with sorrow.

He wanted to reassure Buffy that Spike would be all right but he didn’t know that. Giles feared that Spike was beyond help. In the torchlight, he could see that Spike had lost a great deal of blood. The wounds were still oozing. He couldn’t recall any documented cases of vampires dying of blood loss, but he knew it couldn’t be good. Spike was rambling incoherently at times and it sounded as though the grasping hand was not the only concern. He was talking about a stab wound as well. It hardly seemed possible, but the situation could be even worse.

Giles worried at what was keeping Xander. 'The boy took charge in such a commanding manner. I'm ashamed. He's not a boy anymore. He's even man enough to let me continue treating him like one. Perhaps it suits us both,' he thought. 'He needs a father and...' his thoughts trailed off as he heard the sound of a roaring engine and screeching tires.

“Thank God.”
~~~
The scene Xander beheld as he drove up did nothing to lift his spirits. His task was grim and he steeled himself to face it. Handling dead things was never on his to-do list. Neither was dismembering dead things. Buffy was sobbing as she tried to comfort Spike who lay curled on his side with that thing’s hand between his legs. Giles, the rock upon whom they all depended looked old and weary and defeated.

Xander stood tall, threw his shoulders back and took a deep breath. “So, looks like I get to be the take-charge guy.” He met his team eye to eye and set to work. “Alrighty then, I think I’ve got everything we need and a job for everyone,” he said as he lit a Coleman lantern and set it on high. “No use you guys just sitting around here watching the master carpenter at work.” He made a halfhearted attempt at a smile and got blank stares in return. “Buffy... I brought blankets. I think one under Spike’s head and one over his shoulders and another over his legs. That will leave the... area... we’re working on… open.” What he didn’t say was that he wanted to hide what they were doing from Spike and Buffy. “You can manage that, right?”

“Um…yeah. I’ll do that... but listen, Spike doesn’t want to move. It hurts him too much.” She met Xander’s gaze and saw that he would brook no objection. She nodded in quick assent, bent over, kissed Spike on the forehead, and said, “I’ll get you fixed up fine. I’ll be right back.”

“Just let the man do his job, Slayer,” Spike said.

Xander admired Spike at that moment. “Thanks, man,” was all he said. He turned to the Headmaster, “Giles, I grabbed a coffee mug with a cover….”

“You stopped for coffee?” Giles interrupted, incredulous.

Xander was already out of patience but remained calm, took another deep breath and instead of being his usual smart-mouth self, he just said, “The mug is for blood….it has a mouthpiece so Spike can drink it lying on his side without moving much.”

“Oh,” Giles cleared his throat and sputtered, “well done.”

“There’s a bottle of Jack Daniels over there too. The blood is cold, so add a little to the blood to dilute it. It’ll help warm Spike up from the inside.”

“Add a lot,” was all Spike said.

That got a smile out of Xander. “Hey Spike, the Xandman is in control.”

“Sounds like…” he answered.

“Buffy, here’s what I need you to do. I know Spike is weak, but I have to believe that neither Giles nor I could hold him if he moves, so you have three jobs. You’re all about the multi-tasking, right? It’s a woman thing, I hear.” He tried another smile and got no response, just a frightened vacant stare.

“Right... You have to keep Spike calm, feed him his cocktail and hold him down if necessary. Can you do that?”

She answered in a very small voice; “I can do that.”

“OK then….Giles?” He held up an apparatus and showed it to Giles. “This is a tree limb attachment. We’re gonna fasten it onto the creature’s arm to hold it steady so the arm won’t move when I make the cut.” He handed Giles a pair of work gloves and put on a pair himself. “These should keep our hands from getting slippery from the blood and whatever that thing oozes. You good with that?”

“What? Oh, yes... I can do that.” For just a moment, Xander thought he was losing Giles too. ‘How weird is this? I’m the one with the backbone. Who’da thunk it?’
~~~
"Buffy, would you reach over and turn up that light, please," Xander said, sweat dripping in his eyes.

"Of course," she said. "Which knobbie? This one?"

Xander, not wanting to take his eyes from his work, glanced quickly at where she pointed. “Yeah, Buff, that’s the one. Just turn it slow--”

Before he could finish what he was saying, Buffy twisted the knob and the light went out.

“--ly, be...cause it’s sensitive and it might go out.” Xander finished as they were thrust into utter darkness.

Buffy shrieked, “Aaaak! What’d I do? I can’t see. Fix it! Do something!”

“Swell. OK. I’m cool...No. I’m not!” Xander said, trying not to lose control. “I really want to stand up and throw something and say lots of rude things to my best friend but I can’t because if I do that...I may castrate the object of her affection...and then I’m next on the Bobbit trail.”

Giles sighed. “Buffy, just get the damned light working again. Xander, tell her what she needs to do.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, oh God, I’m sorry. Tell me what to do. I’ll listen, I promise. I want to help. You know, it’s hard being the helpless one.”

“Yeah, I get that. I'll tell you what would help," he said. "Daylight. This working in the dark is for the birds." He cringed as he realized what he said.

“Oh, right then…. That would make it easier. I just bloody well turn to dust and problem solved.” Spike’s voice was thready and barely audible raising Xander’s concern several notches.

“You knew what I meant. Look, I’m trying here. Do you think you could shut your yap for just a minute?” was Xander’s retort. He realized how harsh that sounded and added, “Only thinking of you, honey,” and hoped the joke softened the remark.

“All right, Buffy, here’s what you need to do.” Xander gave Buffy explicit step-by-step instructions for relighting the lamp and returned to his grisly task with renewed vigor.

Suddenly Xander yelled, “Yes!” He raised his hand in cheer. “Spike, my man, you are no longer connected to Mr. Gnarlybutt.”

The joy lasted only a moment. Once the hand was severed and it released its grip on his parts, Spike screamed. Roared! A horrible, wounded animal sound. A sound that reminded them of what Spike was and in a way that was unforgettable. Giles stepped away, his thoughts turning to the behavior of wounded animals. After an attack like this, he had to wonder how much humanity was left in Spike. It made him shiver with worry for Buffy.

Spike slowly reached down to check himself out. He needed to see if he was still whole. “Damn, my hand is numb. I can’t fuckin’ feel anything.” He pulled his hand away and saw it soaked in blood. His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

Giles decided to keep his fear that they may still have to neuter Spike to himself.
~~~
Giles was grateful that Spike lost consciousness as they moved him to the car. His ears were ringing with the memory of the screams. "Buffy, you get in first and take Spike's head and shoulders and Xander and I will lift him onto the back seat...."

“’s right, luv, just lay my head in your lap. You know, the way I like.” Spike said.

Giles rolled his eyes skyward and said, “So much for unconscious.”
~~~
No one can deny that the scent of fresh coffee brewing is a most welcome thing. Xander and Giles relaxed as the homey aroma filled the room. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and Giles and Xander busied themselves about the cottage. Xander started a fire in the hearth and Giles was making tea. Xander said he didn’t trust Giles to make the coffee. The two of them rummaged through the kitchen for food. Considering the night they had been through, it was a wonder anyone had an appetite, but evidently a modicum of success made people ravenous. In truth, they were killing time while Spike and Buffy were in the bathroom tending his wounds.

The situation was awkward at best. Neither one of them was particularly comfortable with Spike and Buffy’s relationship. Oh, it was accepted enough in theory, but coming face to face with it…sitting in what had become their home…with the two of them in the bathroom…while she tended his wounded parts, well, it created a visual with which they were…well, uncomfortable.

Giles and Xander cleaned up as best they could in the kitchen. They both felt a little gamey but no one was going anywhere until they were sure Buffy and Spike were OK and didn’t need any further assistance. Besides, this situation definitely called for a debriefing and the best time for that is always as soon as possible after the event.

The sounds coming from the bathroom colored the imagination. The occasional scream and muttered conversations peppered with “Bloody hell, woman! Leave some skin.” and “I can make it all better in about one second with a STAKE!” were actually entertaining. Xander and Giles knew that if he was yelling he was probably OK; and if Buffy thought she was in danger of losing him she wouldn’t be threatening him with a stake.

After the better portion of an hour, the bathroom door opened, steam poured out and Buffy emerged looking somewhat the worse for wear. Her clothing was damp and clingy, her hair was wet and stringy... but she was smiling.

“I smell coffee,” she said as she made her way to the kitchen. “Thanks guys.”

“Yeah, and we put out some of the leftover croissants with butter and jelly. I’ve got some eggs all scrambled and ready to cook when you’re ready.”

“Aw Xander, that’s so nice.”

Giles and Xander exchanged glances. She was positively cheery. Go figure.

“Just give me a couple of minutes and I’ll bring the patient out. Um...I might need some help…I’ll let you know,” Buffy said heading back to the bathroom.

Xander turned to Giles, “You think I should start the eggs?”
~~~





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