Will ignored the phone. He was tired. Tired of people trying to make him leave the house, tired of well wishers, tired of being without Buffy. It hurt. Every call was a reminder that she was gone, disappeared without a trace. Every call just made his depression worse.
“We should answer that.” Spike’s voice was dull and lacked conviction. He was saying something so he’d have something to say. Will didn’t bother to react, just closed his eyes and wished the pain would go away.
The machine picked up, and tears leaked out of tightly shut lids. Buff’s melodic, golden voice sounded through the apartment, asking whoever it was to leave a message. She was still here, still hidden everywhere in the apartment, and though it hurt them to see it, it hurt more not to.
“Will! Spike!” Gunn’s voice echoed through the empty apartment. “I know you two are there, so pick up the God damned phone! We think we found her. We know where Buffy is!”
***
Will and Spike raced to the precinct as fast as they could get there. After so many weeks, after being told to give up hope…
They burst through the doors, searching frantically for Gunn. They saw him duck away from a short man with intensely rockin’ hair that was out of place in the austere investigative environment.
“Guys! I—“
“You’ve found her?” Spike demanded, catching Gunn by his arms, his eyes boring into the other man’s, searching for truth. “You’ve found Buffy?”
“We found her,” Gunn said with a grin. The relief that swept through Spike caused his knees to buckle. He was gently lowered to the floor by Will, who’s eyes were just as dazed as his twin’s. They were completely unaware of the people who had stopped to watch the touching scene, the awe, love, and joy etched clearly on their faces bringing tears to hardened hearts and eyes.
“She’s alive,” Will whispered, testing the phrase on his tongue. Alive. A sob wracked Spike’s body. Will wrapped his arms further around his twin, feeling tears stinging his own eyes. “She’s…alive!”
Spike let out a whoop and he picked Will up in a huge bear hug. And he was laughing. For the first time in one hellish month, Spike laughed, truly and completely, even as tears streamed out of his crystal blue eyes. They clung to each other, laughing and crying like mad men. Their audience started breaking up, small smiles on their faces, each one thinking, “This. This is why we do it.”
Gunn stood back, a small smile playing on his face. They deserved this. They deserved this moment, where they could enjoy knowing that Buffy had been found. The pure joy; the details could wait for later. For now they should just feel.
***
Special Agent Daniel Osborne watched the two twins, who had to be the missing Buffy’s lovers, break down on the bullpen floor. A small, rare smile lingered on his lips. It was nice when one of his cases had a happy ending. The smile was gone, banished by the though. COULD have a happy ending. They still needed to rescue the girl. The girl and everyone else who were being held by the cult he’d been trying to bring down for three long years now. And finally, finally, they had the proof they needed to go in to that place. He sent up a prayer to any god or goddess that would look over a cynical, jaded FBI agent that Buffy Summers could hold on just a little longer, that he would find her complete and unbroken, so he could reunite these people.
“Oz? They’re ready for us,” a smooth voice said. With a short nod, he tore his eyes away from the rejoicing men and headed down the hall to the interrogation rooms. It was time to put the nail in the coffin.
***
“Where is she? When can we see her?” Spike asked, his blue eyes dancing. Gunn felt the smile slip from his face, just a little.
“Gunn,” Will growled, his eyes suddenly hard.
“Come on, let’s go to the break room. There are some things I need to tell you.”
***
Oz surveyed the two stony people in front of him. He was good at reading people. Very good. And if he hadn’t been an Agent, he’d have quite a few choice words for these people. That though made him want to smile again; he only ever had choice words.
“You’re wasting your time. We’ve done nothing wrong,” the man said, his arms crossed challengingly over his chest. Oz simply looked at him, his expression carefully bland and neutral.
“We did what was best. You have no right to hold us here!” the woman protested. She sulked in her chair, fixing Oz with a petulant gaze. Oz didn’t react in any discernable way, simply sitting in his chair gazing at the people before him.
“We’re her parents, we have a right to help our daughter!” Hank Summers growled, irritated by this punk. Who let such people work for the FBI?
“She’s twenty-eight,” Oz noted passively, his gaze never changing.
“She’s still my little girl!” Joyce cried out defensively.
“Your little girl?” Oz asked with a skeptically raised eyebrow.
“Yes, we were helping her,” Hank said firmly. “She was messed up, confused living with those…men. We sent her someplace where they would help her. WE helped her.”
“You helped her by allowing a religious cult, widely known for their brain-washing tactics who specialize in mental and physical abuse, to kidnap her against her will and hold her prisoner in a detention facility where some people have not returned alive?” Oz asked in a mildly curious voice.
Joyce’s jaw fell open as she stared at the uncouth-looking agent. That was impossible.
“That’s impossible. I’ve been there it’s—“ she snapped her jaw closed when Hank hissed at her. Oz sat up straighter, his expression changing.
“Joyce, if you know where this place is, then—“
“Excuse me, I’d like a few moments with my clients if you don’t mind,” an icy voice interrupted. Oz turned and nodded solemnly to the lawyer, before letting his eyes meet Joyce’s. He begged her silently to do the right thing, to tell him what she knew before gathering his papers and slipping out of the room. “Lilah Morgan, Wolfram and Hart,” the lawyer said, extending her hand.
“Oz,” he said simply, before closing the door behind him. They were close. So close.
***
“So you know where she is…in theory?” Will asked skeptically. His eyes were narrowed on Gunn, searching and questing.
“She’s somewhere over the border, in Nevada. We just need to pinpoint exactly where she is. They’ve already started putting the sting operation together; this is big,” Gunn said earnestly, trying to get them to understand. This wasn’t just about Buffy; Buffy was the reason, the excuse they needed to go into this place and rescue EVERYONE.
“But…you don’t KNOW,” Spike drawled out.
Gunn hesitated.
“Well, we—“
“What the fuck?” Spike growled, his eyes riveted to a point above Gun’s head. Gunn turned around to see his former roommate, shoulders slumped and head bowed, being lead through the room. Two blue eyes pinned him to his seat, demanding answers.
“Xander…Xander was involved,” Gunn admitted. His entire body was tensed, waiting to see what happened. But Spike was too quick. He bolted from the table, running towards his target. Xander didn’t ever see it coming. Spike landed a painful blow to the side of his face, sending the dark-haired man who had once been Buffy’s best friend sprawling to the floor. Xander’s escort looked on in shocked surprise, immobile.
“You fucking piece of shit!” Spike growled. He was lost, totally gone, his vision tinged with read. He kicked out at Xander, something deeply primal feeling satisfied at the man’s pained cry. Before he could get in another hit, Will was there, wrapping his arms around Spike and turning him away from the writhing man on the floor.
Gunn watched the scene, finding it very difficult to fault Spike’s reaction and impressed with Will’s control.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the escort cut in, finally regaining his ability to think. He bent down and helped Xander to his feet. “You can’t attack a prisoner in federal custody, that’s—“
“Gunn, the mother cracked,” a no-nonsense voice cut in. Spike and Will took the unusual looking agent in the serious suit in stride, especially as it shut up the nattering one. “We’ve got a location, and we’ve already contacted local authorities. The Nevada bureau’s setting p the sting, and we’re preparing the local hospitals to deal with the incoming. We move in two days.”
Before the agent could walk off, Will was there, offering his hand.
“Thank you.” It was said with all the sincerity had could muster, and his gaze spoke volumes.
“Just take care of her,” Oz said, a small smile on his face, before he swept away to take care of the raid logistics, with a short stop to drop a hurting Xander Harris off at a warm, cozy cell.
A/N: The wait is over. Next chapter, our heroes will be reunited, and Buffy's going to be a bit of a hero herself. So stay tuned...
[Reviews - 789]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 3809 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Next chapter...everything goes down.