Chapter Thirty-Five
Things Are Hotting up…
Tara felt the weight of expectation on her as the others all turned and stared at her. She stood up and walked a few yards away from Rich, almost having to pull her hand from his grasp.
“Well, I need to check back with the coven, but we have found a ritual that we think should work. We just need to know the order that every thing has to be done in – we can’t afford to get a blood sacrifice wrong.”
“Blood sacrifice!” yelled Angel.
“No one told me that it was a sodding sacrifice,” added Spike, getting to his feet with a rattle of chains.
“I thought it was just that Spike had to drink the vampire’s blood?” said Rich helpfully.
“Drink my blood!” Angel abruptly stood up. “Like that’s going to happen.”
“Oh, it will,” stated Tara, calmly fixing him with a hard stare. “We just need to find out exactly how the blood has to be taken. It’s a little difficult to work out because what we really needed was the one who bit Spike initially, but since she’s dust, we have to use you.”
Angel opened his mouth to protest but closed it again.
Buffy looked at Tara anxiously. “Do you think that it will work?” she asked in a small voice, reaching up for Spike’s hand as he stood beside her.
“Honestly? I don’t know. But the fact that the vampire was pulled through to this dimension makes me think that it should do. He must be here for a reason.” Tara walked back to where Rich was sitting, needing his touch to reassure her.
“The vampire has a name,” said Angel grumpily.
Spike snorted. “Yeah, real manly name it is, too. Did your mom want a girl?”
Rich chuckled but the two girls kept quiet as Angel’s eyes flashed amber.
It’s not as bad as Spike,” snarled Angel.
“It is too,” retorted Spike. “Spike’s a good name.” He stepped forward as far as his shackles would allow.
“I suppose it is compared to William Pratt,” said Angel. The others all gasped and stared at him. “What?” He opened his hands out and shrugged. “What did I say?”
“So, was the other Spike called that too?” asked Spike quietly.
“Well, yeah,” sneered Angel. “Same as my equivalent was called Liam O’Connor, right?” He pointed at Buffy. “And hers is Buffy Summers.”
“It’s just a bit much to take in,” said Spike.
“Did you know me?” asked Rich, feeling a little disappointed when Angel shook his head.
“No, I don’t know you or Tara at all.”
Spike rattled his chains loudly. “Look, I’m getting a bit pissed off with everyone chatting away and me being still chained to the sodding wall.”
“Why did you chain him up in the first place, Angel?” asked Buffy. “You never said.”
“Well, he was busy trying to off himself and –”
“What?” yelled Buffy, turning to glare at Spike.
Spike flinched a little and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Shit, she’s going to freak!” “But I didn’t, did I? I’m still here.”
“Only because I hit you with that trowel,” said Angel.
Spike raised his head and glared at Angel with harsh yellow eyes. “I wouldn’t have even cut myself if you hadn’t smashed the sodding window in the first place!”
“Oh, no. Sure you wouldn’t. You’d just got the knife on your wrist because…?” Angel retorted.
“Will you two shut the fuck up!” screamed Rich, his voice echoing through the ruined mansion.
All eyes swivelled to meet his.
“Look, I feel bleeding sick. My head’s throbbing; thanks to your attention.” He scowled at Angel, pointing an angry finger in his direction. “And I can’t remember when I last got a good night’s sleep with worrying about all this. So the last thing that I need to hear is you two bickering away like a couple of old women.”
Tara and Buffy frowned at Rich.
“It’s just an expression – that’s all. I meant no offence,” Rich said quickly.
“Frog,” said Spike.
All eyes now turned to him.
“If you keep saying stuff like that – I bet that’s what you’ll be. That right, Tara?” Spike grinned.
Tara chuckled. “I was thinking more along the lines of a rat. I could keep him in a little cage.”
“And get him one of those wheels to run in,” said Buffy, collapsing into fits of laughter.
Rich had to chuckle when he saw Angel’s unimpressed expression and the mirth of the others. After waiting until the laughter had died down, Rich spoke.
“It’s all very well that we’re having such a good time but seriously, can’t we do all this somewhere with comfortable chairs? My arse is sodding numb, which is more than I can say about this bruise.” He gingerly rubbed his chin. “Ice would be a good thing.”
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” said Tara, dropping a kiss on the top of Rich’s head. “But where can we go?”
“Someone here has a freaking huge mansion – why don’t we use that?” snarled Angel, still having trouble adjusting to this Spike’s obvious wealth.
“Something to do with the paparazzi camped out at the gates,” replied Buffy. “Don’t really need to add to the photographs of you and Spike together.”
She looked up at Spike who then sat down next to her, gazing at her with a very worried expression on his face. “I’m sorry that I made such a mess of it all.”
Buffy stroked his face. “I –”
“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t’ start with the mush again. I’m going to hurl!” howled Angel, burying his head in his hands. “God, I’ve got to get home.”
“Hey,” said Rich, looking alternatively at Spike and Angel. “Neither of you told us why you ended up at a gay bar.”
Angel sighed dramatically. “Great priorities, people!” “In my world, it’s a demon bar. After I’d been to Revello Dr—”
“You went to my mom’s?” yelled Buffy, leaping to her feet.
She would have flown at Angel again but for Spike’s firm grip on her wrist. She glared at Spike and tried to pull free, but his hold never faltered – had he always been that strong?
“Um…well…yeah. I sort of live there,” replied Angel sheepishly.
“Shite! Did they think that you were ‘this’ Angel?” said Spike. He tugged gently on Buffy’s arm. “Sit down, love. He wasn’t to know. What did they say?” he added to Angel.
“Well, among other things, ‘I’ll call the cops’ and ‘get the hell off my porch’,” replied Angel with a rueful smile. “No wonder that they were a bit freaked. From what I can figure out, I should be in jail – something to do with a baseball bat…?”
“Yeah, tried to bleeding kill me, you did,” said Spike with feeling.
“It wouldn’t be the first time – you’re like the Spike I knew – irritating.”
“Hey, I—” began Spike.
“Oh, please! Don’t you two start again,” begged Rich.
They all chuckled a little.
“You said ‘demon bar’?” asked Rich. “They have their own bars? What, do they, like, just walk about mixing with humans?”
Angel shook his head. “Some can pass as humans but they mostly keep out of sight, especially in Sunnydale with the Slayer and me patrolling. No, they keep out of sight and Willy’s is a safe haven for them.” He smiled at Rich. “What you should be asking is why your client was in there – not why I was. Maybe there’s a little truth in that report after all.”
Spike squeezed Buffy’s hand so tightly that she winced.
“Spike, you’re hurting me,” she gasped.
Spike let go of her hand in horror. “Oh, my God! Are you okay – I didn’t break it, did I?”
Buffy rubbed it. “No, it’s okay. So why were you in Willy’s, Spike?”
“Ashamed to say that all I saw was a place that sold liquor,” replied Spike, staring deep into Buffy’s eyes. “I just needed more to drink.” “Still do.” He hated that he was desperate for another drink, but he craved it.
Buffy wrapped her arms around him. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered in his ear.
Spike wasn’t sure whether she meant regarding the drink or the impending vampirism. He hoped that it was both.
“Still haven’t got a solution to my numb arse,” said Rich, shifting uncomfortably on his rubble.
“Well, our place is out,” said Buffy. “I really can’t face all the reporters. I guess that Mom and Rupert’s will be being staked out, too – God, I need to call them as soon as possible – so I don’t really know where we could go. They’ll be at your place too, Rich.”
“Bloody hell,” groaned Rich.
Spike just kept his eyes on the ground, feeling guilty about all the trouble he had caused by fleeing London.
“They won’t know about my house, will they?” said Tara. “It’s only small but –”
“It’s got chairs!” exclaimed Rich with glee.
“Oh, Tara, that would be great. Thank you,” said Buffy.
“Great. So get these chains off me,” Spike said, looking hopefully at Angel.
“Before you do,” said Buffy. “Why did you chain him up?”
“It was just so I didn’t run off again,” said Spike quickly.
Angel stood up and walked towards Spike and Buffy. “No. I chained him because he has vampire strength and I was worried what would happen if he carried on changing.”
“Okay, so I’m super strong, but I’m still me – I mean I’m not going to start eating anybody or anything,” countered Spike, pushing the fact that he had bitten Buffy to the back of his mind.
Angel vamped up with a growl and took another couple of steps towards them, causing Buffy to recoil but prompting Spike to leap to his feet with a growl of his own, his eyes blazing yellow. Angel shook his head slightly as he let his features fade back to human. Spike’s eyes returned to blue and he looked a little puzzled to be standing.
Angel nodded at him. “Yeah, that wasn’t a conscious response, was it?” Spike stared at him, eyes wide, and he shook his head. “That was your fledgling demon responding to a perceived threat to your mate.”
Spike swallowed hard. “She’s a bit more than a buddy to me.”
Angel grinned. “I meant mate as in sexual partner, you idiot!”
“Oh,” said Spike weakly. “A demon! I’ve got a fucking demon in me!”
All of a sudden, he was back to wishing that he’d been successful when he’d wanted to kill himself.
“So am I going to be left here when you all go to Tara’s?” Spike blinked back the tears that threatened. He already felt afraid and alone and he really didn’t want to be left totally on his own.
“I’m not leaving you,” said Buffy, taking his hand.
“And we’re not leaving the two of you here, either,” said Tara.
“Christ, I’m never gonna see a bleeding sofa again,” Rich thought miserably.
“You can go to Tara’s but you need to take some precautions with him,” said Angel.
“What about you?” snarled Spike. “I might be turning into a vampire but you’re the real deal already! Why aren’t we chaining you up?”
“Because I’ve got a soul and I know that you guys are the only chance that I’ve got to get home.”
“I’ve got a soul!” wailed Spike. How come he was the bad guy here?
“But if the change completes, you won’t and trust me, you won’t care where your first meal comes from,” stated Angel baldly.
They were silent for a moment.
“Fuck! We won’t let that happen,” said Rich. “No way.”
“I hope not,” said Angel. “Because I have a horrid feeling that if he turns fully, then I’m going to be stuck here.”
“So what precautions do we need to take?” asked Tara.
“I had a look around this place when I needed the chains and found some hand-cuffs.” He grinned. “I bet some fun has been had with those in here. So, I want you to cuff his hands behind his back until I get there.”
“What do you mean ‘until I get there’? Why aren’t you going to come with us?” asked Rich. “We’ve got the SUV at the bottom of the driveway – we’ll all fit in.”
“It’s daylight – I won’t make it to the end of the driveway,” said Angel.
“So it’s like in the movies then? Sunlight, crosses, garlic…?”
“Garlic’s not so lethal, but the others are bad news.”
“How can we trust you to turn up at Tara’s if we leave you here?” asked Buffy.
“I have nowhere else to go, Buffy. And don’t get me wrong – you’re nice – but I really need to get back to my Buffy.”
Spike stared at him and saw the truth in his brown eyes. “I believe you.”
Tara looked around the floor of the room that they were in. When she spotted what she needed, she got up, walked to it and picked it up. She then walked over to Angel, trying hard not to feel intimidated by his height and bulk.
“If you’re serious about it, then you won’t mind me having a few drops of your blood,” she said, showing him the piece of glass in her hand.
In response he vamped up and bit into his wrist. He held out his dripping wrist. “Help yourself,” he said dryly.
“Oh,” squeaked Tara before gathering her wits and letting the blood pool on a handkerchief that she’d found in her pocket. She held it there until it was soaked with Angel’s blood. “Thank-you”.
Angel ran his tongue across his wrist a couple of times before the bleeding stopped and then let his features return to human.
“Locator spell, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Tara, looking him in the eye.
“You won’t need it – I’ll be there as soon as the sun sets.”
“So, can we go now?” asked Rich, trying not to whine.
“I’ll get the cuffs,” said Angel.
He walked to the far corner and came back with them.
“Put your hands behind your back, Spike,” he said.
“Why behind my back?” asked Spike, remembering how sore his arms had gotten that time when he’d been arrested for suspected burglary.
“Because you can still do damage to people if you have them in front of you,” explained Angel.
Grudgingly, Spike put his hands behind his back. Angel put the cuffs on before he removed the chains.
“You’re good to go,” said Angel.
Spike glanced at him sharply. “You’re enjoying this, you git!”
“At last,” said Rich, getting up from his pile of rubble with a groan. He didn’t feel too good. “I don’t think that I’ll be fit to drive.” He passed Tara the car keys. “Will you drive it, please? The way Buffy drives, I’ll be throwing up in the damn thing – I feel like shit.”
“Hey!” protested Buffy.
She saw that Angel was grinning at her like a fool. “What’s your problem?” she snapped.
“I was just wondering if there was a dimension where a Buffy was a decent driver.”
All but Tara, who had yet to experience the horror of Buffy’s driving ability, laughed.
“Can we get out of here?” asked Spike. “This place gives me the creeps.”
“Come on then,” said Tara, beginning to walk away.
The others followed. Buffy held Spike’s elbow to help him balance as he negotiated the rubble.
“I’ll see you at dusk,” said Angel as he watched them walk away. Suddenly he felt very lonely.
Spike blinked rapidly as they got out into the sunlight. Since they had achieved the ability to change colour, his eyes had been more sensitive to light. The sun felt warm on his face as he trudged down the drive.
It was when they were about halfway down the drive that Spike became aware that the sun was getting uncomfortably warm on his face and his exposed hands behind his back. It felt like it was burning him – and not in the ‘get a nice tan’ way.
“Um…got a bit of a problem, guys,” said Spike.
The sun was coming from the right side of them and it was his right cheek that was protesting about its rays. Buffy, who was walking on his left, glanced up at him.
“What’s wrong?”
Spike turned his head so that she could see his right cheek.
“Oh, my God!”
Tara and Rich stopped and turned around.
“Shit! Your face!” exclaimed Rich.
“I think I need to get in that car as quickly as possible,” said Spike, beginning to panic. What if he burst into flames? He shuddered.
Tara moved to his side and pulled his leather duster up to cover Spike’s head. “Buffy, come on – help me to hold it up here – it should deflect the rays for long enough.”
So with Buffy on his left and Tara on his right, Spike began to run down the drive. His face screwed up with pain as his lower arms fell victim to the sun’s vicious rays. Covering his head meant that the sleeves of the duster were pulled up his arms.
He nearly sobbed with relief as he saw the SUV. He felt hot – right to his core – almost unbearably hot. Rich had sped up and was holding the rear door of the vehicle open for them.
“Only a few more steps, Spike. Just hold on,” he thought desperately just before everything went black.
“Spike!” screamed Buffy as suddenly she had nothing in her grasp…
Tbc
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Banner by dawnofmeAuthor's Chapter Notes:
Betad as always by Carol and dawnofme :)
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks to all who voted for Rich - Runner Up Best Orig Character Round 15 Sunnyd awards :)