[Reviews - 828]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 4124 times

- Text Size +




“Well, then…” Spike muttered, “Isn’t that interesting.”

“Who the fuck is he?” Gunn asked, staring down at the now unmasked man.

Spike stared at him. Black shaggy hair, dead brown eyes, pointed straight nose, slightly plump cheeks. He was of slightly muscular build, his mass leaning more toward plumpness than muscle. Spike looked up at Gunn. “I have no clue.”

“Think Buffy would know?”

“She might.”

Red and blue lights ripped through the room, bouncing off the walls and letting the pair know that backup had arrived.

“I swear it’s like a movie. They always come after you need them,” Spike muttered. “Do me a favor would ya? Find out who he is. I’ll let the men in blue know we’re fine. I gotta get to Buffy.”

“Sure thing, man,” Gunn agreed, and began to tend to the body.

Spike opened the door and stepped. “We’re fine! He’s…down!”

A rush of blue swept forward like an army of ants, Sergeant Rayne being in the lead. His face was a mask of worry as he strolled right up. “You all right?” he asked Spike imploringly.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re hurt.”

“I was shot at, what do you expect?”

“That the only place you were hit?”

“Yeah, only place.”

The unexpected came next. Rayne hugged him, and even more unexpected – Spike let him. It was as quick as it came, as if both needed to remember who they were and what their place was – beyond Sergeant and Officer – and clearing his throat, Spike told him he had to get to Buffy.

“Where is she?”

“I sent her to the garage to hide in a car until it was over.”

“Smart move.”

Spike felt pride at that compliment, but did not acknowledge it verbally. “She’s gotta be out of her mind with worry.”

“Go then, go get her,” Rayne told him confidently. “We’ll need her to identify the body,” he said, all business once again.

Spike sprinted to the basement stairs and jogged down; wincing at the blood trails she’d left leading to his car. His poor girl was hurt and scared and God, why did bad things have to happen to good people? He didn’t care that she’d gotten blood in his car. Her safety was much more important to him than anything else, and now that it was all over, finally, he was going to shower his girl with love the likes of which she’d never known, or would ever know again.

Whipping the door open with exuberance, a smile settling on his face, now feeling relief that this was all over, Spike’s smile fell when he found her not there.

“Buffy?” he said, heedless to the fact that she couldn’t hear him. He bent down, peering even closer. Nope. Not there. Then over to the front. Nothing.

He stepped back, eyeing the trail of blood. It went from the stairs to his car and then some drops went toward the side door of the garage and stopped halfway there. The door was wide open, a slight breeze bringing in the sound of a cricket just outside, and a slight warm breeze scented with flowers.

Running to the door, Spike ran out, scanning the crowd. Riley…Riley and Gunn had to have split up so maybe Riley took her to the car they’d been living in for nearly a month.

His feet beat a path to the car, his prize in sight though he could see no figures illuminated. Maybe Riley had gone ahead and left her there in safety when he saw back up arrive. Flinging the door open, he stared to say “Buffy” and stopped short. She wasn’t there. He checked the front, scouring for any sign that she had been there. Nothing.

He felt it then. Something settling in his chest that felt quite like doom. It was mounting inside with greater intensity with each breath that he drew and each second that passed.

He took her. Finn took her somewhere. He had to think…think clearly, cover all bases before jumping to conclusions…he could have just gotten her out of there completely, just to keep her safe. That was all it could be. All it had to be.

Running back to the blazing lights, Spike searched for Buffy and for Finn, asked around and got nowhere. No one had seen him, no one had heard from him.

Barreling to the house, he found the body being lifted on a stretcher, the coroner making notes. Rayne was there, talking to Gunn and Spike pushed forward to Gunn.

“What happened to Finn? Where did he go when you came to the house?”

“What the hell is going on?” Angel was home and ran up next to Spike, wide-eyed as he watched the body being lifted. “Oh Jesus,” he swore, his voice clogged with emotion and flung the sheet off him, eliciting a disgruntled “Hey!” from the cops carrying the body out.

“I need to know if that’s my sister!” Angel screamed at them.

“Angel, it’s not her man,” Gunn told him calmly. “She’s all right.”

“Where is she? Where’s my sister?” Angel asked frantically.

“Where the fuck is Finn!?” Spike shouted at the top of his lungs, startling everyone quiet. His breath was coming out in short gasps, his body was tense and his fists were balled at his sides.

He was going out of his mind, and he was about ready to take someone out – anyone—if he didn’t start getting answers, and soon.

“Dude, he came in through the garage when we split—you haven’t seen him?” Gunn asked, pointing at Spike.

“Where’s Buffy?” Rayne asked.

“I can’t fucking find her!” Spike exclaimed. “She’s not downstairs, she’s not in the lookout car outside, she’s not outside with anyone and neither is he--”

“Spike, relax. We’ll call him and find out, all right?” Rayne said, taking out his walkie-talkie from his belt buckle.

Spike nodded, running his hand through his hair while he listened to Rayne try to reach Finn. Finn wasn’t answering.

“He took her,” Spike said hoarsely. “He took her.”

“What do you mean he took her?” Angel asked fearfully beside him.

“That theory I’ve been working on?” Spike said rhetorically, looking over at Angel.

Angel nodded gravely.

“Well, it just came to light. He might not be the killer, but he’s the mastermind behind it all.”

“Spike!” Rayne exclaimed. “You don’t know that--”

“Then where the fuck is Buffy?! Why isn’t he here? Why isn’t he answering? Where the bleeding hell did he take her?!”

“Serge, we got a call. Body on the other side of town,” an officer said, marching into the room.

Fear gripped Spike and he blanched, ready to heave.

“It appears it’s a hooker, found wearing nothing but a blond wig and a silver necklace with some kind of pendant on it.”

“Get on it,” Rayne ordered the officer.

Angel and Spike exchanged looks.

“He did it,” Angel whispered.

“Find out if the necklace was sapphire!” Spike barked at the officer, “And call me as soon as you find out, got me?”

The officer appeared confused by that direction, but nodded, whilst looking at Rayne for confirmation of his orders on that.

“What does it matter what kind of necklace it is?” Rayne asked.

“Because Finn gave Buffy a silver necklace with a sapphire pendant,” Spike whispered.

“So?”

“She gave it back to him.”

Dawning cleared on Rayne’s face and it was then that Spike ran to the bathroom and tossed his cookies, tears he hadn’t known he was shedding, streaming down his face the entire time.





You must login (register) to review.