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Chapter 34

When Spike returned all attention fell on him. Curiosity was held in everybody’s eyes. No one knew what to think of the paradox set before them. A vampire walking in the sunlight was too much to comprehend.

“I’m not a bloody sideshow, people,” Spike snapped.

Giles had taken his glasses off. “This is . . . simply extraordinary,” he expressed.

“I do believe so,” Wesley agreed. “No vampire has ever been recorded as resistant to sunlight. Except for those in possession of the gem of amara, that is.”

Spike went over to the counter and hopped up. “It’s nice and all that you find this so fascinating, but we do have a very frightened key to rescue.” He could see by the look on Buffy’s face that she had mutual thoughts.

“Yes, indeed, but wouldn’t you care to know why you have uh . . . gone through this metamorphosis, if you will?” Giles inquired.

The man’s words made it sound as if Spike were a butterfly. Spike shrugged. “Don’t care as long as it’s permanent. Wouldn’t fancy lying out for a tan and suddenly combusting.”

“Oh, it will last,” Christina informed. “Buffy has cleansed you with her light. Vampires are not allowed to exist during the day because of their impurity. But now, you are worthy to venture in such an environment. The powers have given you permission.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Willow began, “He doesn’t have a soul or humanity? He’s only cleansed?”

“Precisely,” Christina replied.

Spike had a strong urge for another cigarette. He found his hand reaching for his pocket to grab a stick, but stopped himself. Buffy hated smoke inside.

Xander shifted in his seat. Anya, who was still residing on his lap, seemed displeased with the movement. The ex-carpenter had a dubious response to what had just been said. “Spike’s demon is clean now? As in ‘clear as a crystal’?”

A frown came to Spike’s lips. He hated to be described as anything ‘clean and clear’. It made him sound wholesome. He was a monster and nothing would change that. He had come to accept it. So what if he could prance around in the sun? It didn’t change who he was inside. But if it pleased the white hats to think he had crossed over, so let it be.

“Yes, Spike has reached a balance. His demon has accepted that there still is a bit of William left inside,” Christina concluded.

Spike rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous.

Buffy crossed her arms. She had stayed quiet through the whole conversation. “I’m going to train,” she declared.

“Fine. Why don’t we all take some free time? I’m sure our brains need a break,” Giles reasoned.

Spike got down from his perch on the counter. He followed Buffy into the training room. She was beating up the gray punching bag. He had learned that that meant she was frustrated.

“Luv, it’s Dawn, isn’t it?” he asked.

“No one seems to care. My sister is in the hands of some council psychos. Who knows what they will do to her. What they’ll do to me.”

He understood how she felt because he felt it too. He was worried about Dawn, and what would happen to Buffy when she went in alone to rescue her. The watchers knew magic, which meant they could bring Buffy down. He wished he could rush in and rip the whole lot to bloody shreds before they even had a chance to lay a finger on his girls.

Buffy stopped her punching and went over to the wall of weapons. She grabbed some knifes and began to throw them at a hanging dummy in shabby clothing.

“If only I could control my light bearing energy. I’d blow those bastards into oblivion,” Buffy said.

“They’re human,” Spike told her. Maybe he wanted to kill them, but he knew Buffy’s morals would prevent it.

She paused, eyeing the blade of a knife. “I know.” She hurdled the sharpened knife toward the dummy, where it imbedded into the head.

Spike blinked. It wasn’t like her to sound so vicious. Not even when she was going into battle against a demon.

“Pet, I really don’t think you mean that.”

“Oh, don’t I?” she challenged.

“No,” he reinforced.

Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “A part of me really wants to.”

“That’s not the point.” He spun her to face him. “It doesn’t matter what we ‘want’ to do. It matters what we ‘do’ do. What we know is right.”

A smile came to her lips. “Wow, you really are cleansed,” she teased.

Spike released her. “Oh, bloody hell,” he muttered.

|} - - -> <- - - {|

Willow burst into the training room in a frenzy. She held a shiny metal device in her hands. Buffy and Spike were sparring at the time. The intrusion interrupted Buffy’s concentration, allowing Spike to pin her to the cold floor. He held a cocky smirk on his face from the victory. She decided to be evil and kneed him in the groin, which got him off her in a flash.

The red-headed witch raised an eyebrow at their display. “Um . . . Guys?”
Buffy got to her feet. “Yeah, Will, what’s up?”

Willow shook her head. She came forward, holding out the item in her clutch. She handed it to Buffy.

The slayer examined the mechanism in her hand. It had a little screen, which currently was blank. The thing was about the size of a cell phone.

“What is it?” Buffy asked in ignorance.

“A text-o-matic,” Willow said as if that explained it all.

“In English that would be . . .?”

Willow took the text-o-matic. She hit a button and the bottom opened to reveal a small keyboard. “It lets you type in messages here and send it to other people. Sorta like instant messenger on the computer. Although . . . not.”

“Oh-kay. That’s great, Will.”

Spike came up behind Buffy. “I think she wants you to use it, luv,” he informed.

“Yeah,” Willow acknowledged. “If you get into a jam you can contact us with this. Or, at least try. It is small, so you can put it into your coat pocket without being noticed.”

The text-o-matic was placed back in Buffy’s hand. She gripped the machine firmly and met Willow’s eyes. “Thanks. If I need you guys I’ll use it.”

“Even if you don’t. Contact us and tell us what is up. It will set us all at ease.”

Buffy nodded her head in confirmation.

A brightened expression passed over Willow. She seemed extremely pleased that the slayer would use her gift. Spike watched the two friends. He also was grateful for the little device. At least Buffy would have ‘something’ with her in case of an emergency.

|} - - -> <- - - {|

As soon as the sun went down Buffy set off toward Revello Drive. As she approached her old house a sense of nostalgia swept over her. So much had happened in that dwelling. That was where her mother had cooked pancakes for Dawn and her in the morning. It was where Joyce and Spike had drank hot cocoa together. Where Willow had come to have a girlie sleepover. And even though there were so many bad occurrences that had happened there, the good outweighed it, tipping the scale.

Her feet came to an abrupt halt, standing in front of the white two-story. It looked the same. Okay, maybe there was a little more peeling of the paint, but it basically was the image Buffy had stored in her head. My house, she thought. But then she had to remind herself that she no longer belonged there.

I wonder what the watchers did to the people who did belong there, she wondered. Dread filled her. Nothing good could have come to them. Either they were homeless or . . . Would the council actually kill them? These people weren’t really the council. The council was gone. These people were a group of their own and had the freedom to do whatever they chose. So that meant they very well could have eliminated the owners.

Buffy forced herself to move forward. She went to the door and rose her fist to knock. She immediately lowered it. What am I doing? These are the bad guys. I have every right to barge right in. With that thought, she opened the door and went in.

The place was bare. All the furniture had been removed to leave pale carpet and walls. Buffy stepped cautiously past the stairs towards the kitchen.

“Hello, men in tweed!? You here?”

On the wall, just before entering the kitchen, she saw a piece of paper stuck up with some scotch tape. It said one word: Basement.

Buffy went to the door that led down into the basement. She opened it and crept down the stairs. When she reached the bottom she saw a ring of cloaked figures. They surrounded a frightened Dawn.

Buffy started forward. “Dawn!”

A man turned around to face the slayer. “Stop! Stop or she will die.”

Buffy froze. She held her hands in front of her in surrender. “Okay, I’ve stopped. Now let her go. You’ve got me here alone.”

The watcher nodded. “Yes, we did say we would make an exchange. Very well, we will let the key go. ‘If’ you step into the circle.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Let her leave and then I’ll join your little game.”

“It doesn’t work that way, slayer. The girl can‘t leave because she is trapped. The circle needs someone in the middle at all times to anchor it. We have created it that way. You have to come inside the circle in her place and then she may go.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. Of course.

The watchers parted to allow her entrance. Buffy came forward. The circle of magic wasn’t visible unless you peered very closely. If you did so, you could see a slight shimmer in the air.

“Buffy, don’t do this!” her sister warned. “They’re going to trap you inside.”

“I have to, Dawnie, you know that.”

And her sister did. Buffy jumped off a tower to save her life and the world. The slayer was a hero who thought of others before herself. Tears trickled down her face.

Buffy walked into the circle. Electricity began to ignite within. Dawn was propelled out of the energy, leaving Buffy behind. The key tried to run back inside, but the circle now had walls that held her back like a force field.

“No!” she cried.
A watcher grabbed down and dragged her away upstairs. Dawn wriggled and fought, but he had a good hold of her.

“You better not harm her after our bargain,” Buffy said with malice.

“No worries, slayer. We are simply putting your sister outside to run back to your friends,“ the watcher that appeared to be the leader told her. He laughed. “They’ll try to help you, but it is no use. Nothing can terminate that circle now.”

“By your terms maybe. We’ve done a lot of the impossible, buddy.”

“I assure you, Miss Summers, this ’is’ unattainable even for your group of friends.”

With that, the watchers began to leave. They started upstairs in a line. The head watcher turned back before he followed the rest.

“See you later, Miss Summers.”

Buffy let out a grunt of frustration. She sat down on the floor. She dug into her pocket and removed the text-o-matic. Time to call the scoobies and tell them what was up, even though she was sure Dawn would tell them the whole story vocally.

______________________________________________

God, I hope this watcher deal isn’t gay. I seriously was having writer’s block for the whole thing, and finally came up with the circle deal. Is it good or stupid?

Oh, and I’ve started a collaboration fic called Soul Combination. If you haven’t, go check it out under my name. And if anyone is interested I began a novel called HalfLight. You can find it at fictionpress.net





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