Seven
I'm waiting for the night to fall
I know that it will save us all
When everything's dark
Keeps us from the stark reality
I'm waiting for the night to fall
When everything is bearable
And there in the still
All that you feel
Is tranquillity
There is a star in the sky
Guiding my way with its light
And in the glow of the moon
Know my deliverance will come soon
I'm waiting for the night to fall
I know that it will save us all
When everything's dark
Keeps us from the stark reality
I'm waiting for the night to fall
When everything is bearable
And there in the still
All that you feel
Is tranquillity
There is a sound in the calm
Someone is coming to harm
I press my hands to my ears
It's easier here just to forget fear
And when I squinted
The world seemed rose-tinted
And angels appeared to descend
To my surprise
With half-closed eyes
Things looked even better
Than when they were open
Been waiting for the night to fall
I knew that it would save us all
Now everything's dark
Keeps us from the stark reality
Been waiting for the night to fall
Now everything is bearable
And here in the still
All that you feel
Is tranquillity.
He didn’t sleep very long. They’d gotten into the room just before four in the afternoon, and now it was just a little after six. She was curled up against his side, snoring softly, her nose nestled into his chest. Will stretched, trying hard not to disturb her, though he realized it was futile when he couldn’t get her to move.
Will studied her features for a moment, his eyes skipping over the cuts and bruises, looking for the real girl beneath. Her right cheek was swollen, the bruise darkening her golden skin and he brushed a gentle hand over it. The white sweater he’d bought had covered nearly everything, although he knew he was going to have to check her injuries again. Angelus had done a number on her, using his fists. Not for the first time, he wondered about the other party with him. Buffy had said earlier that his companion was a woman with dark eyes and a husky voice. Neither was much to go on; more than half the population of New York had dark eyes and the husky voice could have been nothing more than an act to disguise the speaker’s real voice.
That angle was one he could investigate, though he doubted Buffy knew either of her attackers. Angelus had probably picked her for two reasons – her youth and her resemblance to his wife. Both were petite blonds with light eyes, and while the resemblance pretty much ended there, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine Angelus using an anonymous hooker as a substitute. Will had met the illustrious Darla once, and although it hadn’t been the best of circumstances, he was convinced the woman was a she-devil. He wouldn’t rule her out as a suspect until he had an airtight, solid alibi, preferably signed by her family’s political rivals; otherwise he wouldn’t believe it. Paparazzi evidence wouldn’t hurt either.
Moving away from Buffy, Will rolled off the bed. Sooner or later he was going to have to call Gunn, get some more information from him. And he was going to have to find a way to contact Lehane.
But right now, he needed food and caffeine.
The soft snick of the door closing woke her and it took Buffy more than a moment to get her bearings. Once she realized where she was, and why she ached so much, Buffy was on her feet, looking for Spike. He wasn’t in the bathroom. The only other logical place was the hallway and she moved as quickly as she could, hobbling to the door. A brief moment of panic surfaced, though she swallowed it down. He wouldn’t have left her alone. . . He wasn’t like that.
Buffy gathered her courage and stuck her head out the door, looking up and down the hallway. She couldn’t see the elevator from their room, so she called out his name.
Heartbeats later, he rushed around the corner, heading for the door at a near run. “What?”
She backed away from the door, fear making her nervous. “Nothing. I woke up and you weren’t here and I thought you were . . . I’m sorry.”
His breath gusted out in harsh pants, “Are you okay?” Will reached for her, closing the door behind him. “You sure you’re alright? You aren’t hurting anywhere?”
“No, Will, I’m fine.” She batted his hands away. “I’m okay. I was just . . . I was just scared, that’s all.” Buffy hugged herself, not daring a look at his face. “I’m okay.”
“Buffy. I’m the one should be sorry. You were asleep and I thought I could get some food and,” he caught sight of the look on her face and Will lost whatever anger he might have had. “C’mere, kitten. It’s okay.”
His arms circled around her, holding her against his chest. She held herself stiffly, not relaxing in his hold. “I’ve got you, it’s okay.” Will smoothed his hand down her back, refusing to let go. “I didn’t expect you to wake up, sweetheart, figured you’d be safe while I got us something to eat. I should’ve woken you.”
The seconds ticked off, until she collapsed against him, one hand tightly grasping his tee-shirt. “I was scared.”
“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.” Will held onto her, lifting her up into his arms when her legs gave out. “It’s okay.”
He maneuvered them to the bed, sitting down heavily with her in his lap. “Gotta move a bit here.”
She sniffled something in response, though he couldn’t make out the words. It didn’t matter to him, whatever she said, she was his responsibility and he’d let her down. Will was supposed to be watching over her, guarding her. . . protecting her. Her distress was directly his fault.
The crying subsided, though he didn’t let her go. He didn’t, not even after her breathing evened out and she fell back to sleep.
He didn’t fall asleep, he couldn’t. His brain was working, turning over scenarios and second-guessing himself. Moving her to a hotel was a mistake. They needed someplace safe and out of the way, somewhere protected. Realizing this, Will also came to another conclusion. He was going to have to ask Nikki for help. She was the only person he trusted right now.
Maybe . . .
“You want me to what?” Nikki’s tone was full of disbelief, and Will figured he deserved at least a bit of her anger as well. “Now, all of a sudden, it’s okay to tell me what you’re up to?”
“I know, I should have told you something earlier.”
“You are a damn fool, William. Give me one good reason why I should help you.”
He sighed, knowing he was going to have apologize, if not now, at least at some point. “Because you can’t resist me?”
“Shit. I’ve resisted you plenty of times. Have to do better than that.”
“She needs your help. I can’t . . . Look, I was wrong. I thought by staying in a hotel it would be safe.”
Nikki laughed at him. “You’re an idiot.” The phone went silent, as he waited for her answer. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Thanks, Nik, I owe you.”
“Yeah, you do. Be downstairs in an hour.”
Will snapped the phone closed, momentarily allowing his temper to get the best of him. Buffy was still sleeping, her arms curled around one of the pillows, her hair covering her face. He could pretend to himself that he wasn’t attracted to her, but the moment Nikki set eyes on her, she’d know. And probably call him on it. He just wasn’t quite ready to face it, or her, but he’d had little choice. His earlier phone conversation with Gunn had been less than satisfactory, and he’d also thought – though it could just be his own paranoia – that he’d heard the barely audible click of a recording device.
Which could mean that Gunn wasn’t the mole, but that his phones – possibly all of them – were being monitored. Faith was also still among the missing and her continued absence didn’t please him either. Gunn said her last known whereabouts was with Lindsey McDonald, but that she’d also been seen recently with Xander Harris. Either way, her lack of communication could mean she’d been compromised.
There were still too many loose ends.
He dropped back on the bed, his hand brushing over Buffy’s side, his fingers tangling in the ends of her hair. She must not have been sleeping deeply, because the slight touch woke her. Pain-filled dark green eyes met his and she edged closer.
“Didn’t mean to wake you.” His voice was gruff and raspy.
She shrugged, dismissing his apology. “Wasn’t really sleeping. I’m just really sore.”
“Not surprising.” Will moved aside some of her hair so he could see her better. “Angelus hurt you pretty badly.”
“Angelus?” She picked her head up. “That was the guy’s name?”
“Well, that’s what he went by.” Spike cursed himself for a fool. He didn’t want to give her anymore information, preferring to keep her ignorant of just how much danger there was. “Gonna have to get up soon, kitten, we’re leaving here in a bit.”
“Why? Where are we going?”
“Moving to a less conspicuous spot. Somewhere quiet.”
She looked at him as if he were crazy. “You do know you kinda stand out.”
“Yeah, but won’t be so bad where we’re going.” Her skeptical look said it all. “I think it’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” Between the look and her tone of voice, Will knew she didn’t believe him. But if Nikki thought the area was safe, then it wasn’t really in him to argue the point.
“Think you can walk out of here?” He changed the subject again.
“Maybe. How far do we have to walk?”
“Around the corner to Christopher Street, about two blocks.”
Buffy rolled over and sat up. “Yeah, I think I can do that.”
“Good.” Will got up, retrieving the duffel from the closet.
Buffy barely made it around the corner. She was hobbling along, swaying on her feet and Spike fought every instinct he had to just swing her up into his arms. He wasn’t sure which would garner more unwanted attention, for one thing. The other reason he hesitated was the girl herself. She’d fought him off, pushing him away just a few minutes ago, insisting she could do it on her own, but the effort was beginning to tell.
They slowed to a pace that resembled a creep and he kept sneaking glances down at his watch. Time was ticking away, and they had only a few minutes before Nikki would be there. He didn’t want her waiting long but it looked like he had little choice in the matter. Buffy wasn’t giving an inch.
“Let me help you,” he pleaded with her again.
She glared at him, then grimaced. “You shouldn’t have to carry me.”
“Not anything you need to worry about.” He pulled her to a stop. “It’s fine, really.”
“Okay.” Her capitulation was less than gracious, but he counted it as a victory of sorts anyway.
“You are one bloody stubborn chit, you know that?” Will handed her the duffel bag, easily lifting her into his arms. “Letting someone else take care of you doesn’t mean you’re weak. Just means you need help for a bit.”
She didn’t respond, though just by the set of her jaw he could see she was fighting tears again. For such a tiny, little thing, she was fierce and feisty, two traits he supposed had driven her to run away. Admiration surged through him and he grit his teeth. The last thing he needed were more reasons to like the girl. She was already spelling trouble.
It was late enough that the crowd on Christopher Street wouldn’t pay the least bit of attention to them, although he still kept a wary eye out for anyone looking completely out of place. Nikki was double parked, partially blocking the intersection with Waverly, and she obviously didn’t care. She was leaning against a dark SUV, her eyes focused on anything but them. Without any conversation, she opened the rear passenger door, and Will placed Buffy down on the back seat.
“Keys,” he brusquely said, his hand out to Nikki.
“This is my brand new ride, you dumb ass! What makes you think I’m just gonna hand over the keys?” Nikki fisted the keys in her hand, edging away from Will.
“Because I know who we’re hiding from.” Will smiled unpleasantly. “And we both know I drive better than you do.”
“What?” Nikki tried for outrage, then smiled brightly at the look on Will’s face. “Fine. Drive.” And as she walked around to the passenger side, muttering, “Asshole,” under her breath.
His chuckle warmed Buffy’s insides.
The low murmurs of their voices and the smooth ride lulled Buffy into a semi-sleeping state. She had no idea where they were going, but her trust in Will was bordering on absolute and she didn’t question him. He’d introduced them, then directed the majority of his conversation at the other woman. Part of Buffy minded, since she quickly picked up on their familiarity and wondered what kind of a history they might have had. They definitely had history. She wondered if this was the former girlfriend he’d been talking to earlier and when one particularly strident comment reached her ears, Buffy knew it was her.
She didn’t like the idea that it bothered her. Buffy had no claim on Will or his affections. He was just a cop and she was just a victim. Will felt sorry for her because she was so young, and so beaten, but there was nothing beyond that. At least from him.
Buffy knew what she was feeling. And it wasn’t just admiration. Or gratitude.
I know this story isn’t getting much love from people, well, this one and Great Balls of Fire, and I just wish I knew why. Does it suck? Is it horrible? What’s the deal? Could someone give me some feedback? I just really need to know, because if it’s that bad, then I’ll take it down and won’t waste any more energy on it.