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Chapter 17 – Surprises


The next night, Buffy dressed in a pair of white dress pants and a black long sleeve V-neck shirt. She and Spike would be leaving for Sunnydale the next day, and Spike wanted to take her out for a night in L.A. before they left.

Staring at the where her reflection was supposed to be, she let out a sigh before brushing her hair and putting on some lip gloss. Walking through the hotel, she smiled when she saw Spike standing in the lobby, looking as nervous as a schoolboy as he wiped his palms against his black pants.

Looking at him hungrily, she took in the black dress shirt and ever-present duster, taking in the natural curl that was evident in his hair and the nervous way that he was pacing the length of the lobby.

Hearing Buffy approaching, Spike spun in a circle to look at her, smiling when he watched her walk down the stairs. “You look beautiful, love,” he said, walking toward her.

“Thanks, you don’t look half-bad yourself,” she replied, straightening the collar of his shirt and smoothing her hands over the strong planes of his chest.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Spike felt the nervousness fade away. This would technically be their first date since their dates in Sunnydale usually consisted of them patrolling and having Buffy so close to him was making him feel more at ease.

“Hey, guys! You ready?” Cordy asked as she and Angel walked into the room.

Spike and Angel glowered at each other, still not thrilled with their respective women for planning this night without consulting them. Buffy playfully smacked Spike on the chest, getting him to focus his attention away from Angel and back on her, which he was more than willing to do.

“Yeah, Cordy,” she said. “We’re ready.”

“Let’s go then,” Cordelia said. “You boys play nice now,” she said, linking arms with Buffy and giggling like they were the best of friends, leaving the men to walk behind them. Actually, they were hoping that the two could work out some of their differences but didn’t want to tell either about it, knowing that if they knew this was a set-up, they would each clam up.

Both Angel and Spike trailed after the girls, shoving their hands in their pockets as they followed. Walking to the restaurant, Angel shot a glance in the younger man’s direction. “I heard what you asked Buffy to do.”

Spike’s eyes snapped up to look at the larger man. “What of it?”

Angel shrugged. “It’s a big deal…shows that you really love her. You’re willing to die for her, even if it wouldn’t technically be dying.”

“I’d die for her,” Spike said softly, staring at the woman in front of him. “In a heartbeat.”

“You know she can’t do it.”

“And what would that be, mate?” he asked with a sigh.

“Turn you. She’s never even sunk her teeth into somebody, much less turned anyone. She’s not capable of finding that fine line where the turning is possible. She doesn’t have a demon in her to give her that instinct.”

Staying quiet as they walked for a few more minutes, Spike clenched his jaw. “And you?”

Angel turned to face the Slayer, staring at him for a long moment. “I have too much to pay for as it is. One of which is walking about forty feet away,” he said, watching as the girls turned a corner. “I don’t need to add to the body count.”

“But that’s just it, isn’t it? You already have a death toll, so what’s one more? Especially since it’s for the greater good.”

“What do you mean?”

“I die and a new Slayer is activated. I come back, and that’s one more person to fight the good fight. Better every way you look at it.”

“Maybe, but it’s not for me to decide.”

“Oh, come on, Angelus. I know you could do it, you could just…”

Both men stopped when they turned the corner, and Buffy and Cordelia were nowhere to be seen.

“Something’s not right,” Spike muttered as they slowly advanced on a darkened alley. Neither man heard any fighting, but both were cautious anyway. Slowly turning another corner, Angel shifted into game-face to see better. Both men ran to the back of the alley when they saw Buffy and Cordy surrounded by a pack of vampires, managing to fight their way through to get to each other. Everyone went into fighting stance as over a dozen vampires dropped from the top of the building to surround all of them. Angel and Spike both gripped their stakes harder as Buffy and Cordy reached for theirs.

They watched as the mob parted, and Buffy clenched her teeth when the woman walked toward them, ten more vampires behind her. “Cassidy,” she growled low in her throat.

“You know, Spike,” Cassidy said, ignoring the women. “It wasn’t very nice to leave town and not tell your slaying partner.”

Spike narrowed his eyes. “My slaying partner is the reason I left town.”

Leveling her gaze on Buffy, she tilted her head. “Ah yes, Miss Summers. You were a surprise. You know, it is hard to get this guy alone, and then when I’m finally able to, all he talks about is you. The original plan would have been much easier if you had died when you were supposed to. Well, at least one of the times you were supposed to.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not much with following plans. Never have been. And so this is your newest plan, Cass?” Buffy asked. “Same thing as the cemetery, only you add more vamps to your ambush? I think you should get a new brain in the group, because this is just getting weak.”

“Cliché as it is, yes. You know, all I wanted to do was get to the Slayer. You just had to get in the way, and then when you finally do leave town, he runs off after you like a lost little puppy.” Spike glared as Cassidy continued, “I’ve been waiting to get you alone, and since you obviously can’t go anywhere without these two,” she gestured to Angel and Cordy. “I have to do this with them present. Which isn’t so bad really. Take out the Slayer and the two vampires with souls…not a bad deal if you think about it.”

“Who put you up to it?”

“Nobody put me up to it. This is my revenge on that horrible Watcher's Council for holding me prisoner for the last few decades. Oh, I heard plenty about the legendary Angel, how he was cursed with a soul and now helps the hopeless. Sounded like a good story, so when that dreadful Quentin Travers retired and was replaced with that bumbling idiot Nigel, I was able to put my escape plan into action. I figured- what better way to take out my revenge than to kill the Slayer?”

“Why now?” Spike spoke up, subtly closing in on his companions, feeling Buffy’s tensed shoulder on his arm and Cordy’s back against his. Angel had the opposite position with his back to Buffy, each rigid and ready to spring at the same time.

“Why now? Well, I’m not stupid enough to believe I could bring down a Slayer on my own. I would have rather done it in more intimate circumstances, but you weren’t as responsive to that as I’d hoped, so Plan B went into action,” Cassidy said, waving a hand in indication of her gang.

“You know,” Buffy said. “I’m getting really sick of you.” As the words barely left her lips, she attacked. Three vampires blocked her way to Cassidy, but Buffy began fighting them off. She could hear the others behind her and quickly staked two of the vampires in her way.

‘Where’s a sword when I need one?’ she thought as she pulled another stake from her shoe and let it fly into one of the vamps that was trying to sneak up on Cordelia. Buffy knew they were gaining a slight advantage, but as she staked another one, she could feel her strength slowly fading. She and Angel were taking the impact of the full attack, both trying to protect the more vulnerable humans behind them.

Losing track of Cassidy and turning to look for her, Buffy realized her mistake a second too late when she felt her head crack into the brick wall of the building next to her. Seeing stars, she tried to shake off her disorientation and felt her arms seized in strong hands on each side, groaning in frustration as she struggled to get free. Pausing when she realized the vampires holding her captive weren’t trying to hurt her, she got confused. Still struggling, she looked and saw Angel being cornered. Cordy was holding her own against the two that were attacking her, and Spike was fending off four at the same time.

Doing a quick count, Buffy saw eleven vampires but no Cassidy. A scream ripped from her throat when she saw Spike collapse on the ground after a rough kick to his head. Watching as he shakily made it back to his feet, only to be grabbed in a similar hold as Buffy, she felt her frustration growing.

“That’s more like it,” Cassidy said, coming out of the shadows. “Watch closely, Slayer,” she said to Buffy, seconds before sinking her fangs into Spike’s jugular.

Screaming when she saw Spike’s jaw tighten in pain before appearing to relax, Buffy renewed her struggle as he was dropped to the ground, blood pooling out of the gaping wound in his neck. Suddenly, the vamp next to her exploded in ashes. Buffy’s head snapped around to see Cordelia before spinning and flipping the other vampire still holding her. As she ran to Spike’s side, she saw Cordelia dusting the vamp as Angel worked on the four that had been holding Spike.

Falling to her knees by his side with tears in her eyes, Buffy cradled his head in her lap. “I’m here, baby. You’re going to be okay,” she whispered, tracing the sharp contours of his cheekbones. Leaning over and letting the tears fall when his eyes weakly closed, Buffy’s body shook with sobs as the pain grew in her heart. She could hear the soft thumping of his heart as it strained to keep beating, getting slower every second.

“Buffy, now!”

Raising her watery eyes to look at Angel in confusion as he battled the few remaining vampires, she didn’t understand what he was telling her.

“Now, Buffy!”

Comprehension dawned on her features as she realized what he was saying. Quickly lengthening her fangs, Buffy sliced open the delicate skin of her wrist, watching for a second as the blood poured from the gash before sinking her fangs into his neck, praying that she was taking enough blood as she pressed her wrist to Spike’s lips. Waiting for a few seconds, Buffy felt the tears fall again as nothing happened before feeling a light suction against her wrist. Holding it closer to his mouth, she watched as he drank from the wound before his jaw relaxed.

Looking up into the anxious eyes of Cordelia and Angel as they watched tensely. Meeting Angel’s gaze, Buffy felt her chin quiver as she opened her mouth. “D-did…did it w-work?”

Angel nodded. “He should be fine, Buffy. This time tomorrow, he’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure?”

Angel nodded again. “You did everything right.”

Sniffling as she looked at Spike’s peaceful face, she let the tears continue to fall, cupping his cheek in her hand. “But did I do the right thing?” she asked quietly, almost to herself. Angel heard the soft question and understood the turmoil she was in, but stayed quiet, knowing that he couldn’t say anything to ease the uncertainty that was racing through at that moment.

Cordelia bent down to sympathetically rub Buffy’s back. “We should get him back to the hotel, Buffy.”

Nodding as she released her hold on Spike, she took a deep breath when Angel walked over and picked him up. Cordelia slipped an arm under Buffy’s shoulders and helped her to her feet, guiding her to follow the man in front of her.

“Cassidy?” she asked after a moment.

Cordy shook her head, “She got away, Buffy. I’m sorry.”

Buffy nodded, her jaw setting in anger. “Don’t be. I’ll find her.”





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