Fix You by Enigmaticblue

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Chapter 25: Point of No Return

Spike cursed when she started running, knowing that he didn’t have much chance of catching her, not when she didn’t know him, and had no reason to trust him. He wished he knew why she’d been following Buffy, though.

“Let’s go,” Buffy said, sprinting past him.

Spike realized that she must have seen his confrontation with Faith, and he raced to catch up. He couldn’t see Faith, but he assumed that Buffy knew where she was heading, or at least had some idea. He was only a few feet behind his girlfriend when he rounded the corner of a building to see her on the ground.

“Buffy!” Spike skidded to a stop, giving the other man a dirty look. “Are you alright?”

“I just ran into Graham,” she said, scrambling to her feet and looking around for Faith.

Spike realized that they’d already lost the other Slayer, so he focused on the soldier. Spike recognized him from the patrol he’d run into after killing the Vahrall demons. “You okay?” he asked gruffly, not caring, but not wanting to blow their cover.

Graham was staring at Buffy’s face. “You—”

“What about her?” Spike asked, stepping in front of her. “You got a problem?”

“Spike, it’s okay.” Buffy laid a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m sure Graham didn’t mean to get in the way.”

The soldier looked troubled. “No, I didn’t. It was an accident.”

Buffy smiled tightly and nodded. “Right. That’s been going around a lot lately.”

Spike wondered what was going through the man’s mind as he watched Buffy; he also wondered what his orders were as far as the Slayer was concerned. Ethan Rayne had indicated that Walsh knew about the Slayer—or at least had her suspicions.

Last time, Walsh had tried to have Buffy killed, because she’d viewed the Slayer as a threat. This time? Spike was afraid the doctor had other plans entirely.

Buffy was tugging him away. “We’d better get going.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want to be late,” Spike agreed. Once they were out of earshot, he asked, “What was that about?”

“I turned the corner and ran right into him,” Buffy whispered. She hesitated, then asked, “Do you think we should talk to him?”

“About what?” Spike demanded. “He’s one of them.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but he was probably the most decent, not including Riley. We’re going to need information, Spike. When—or if—Adam makes an appearance, there are going to be decisions to make about how to shut down the Initiative.”

Spike knew she had a point. He didn’t like the idea, since it meant that at least one of the soldiers would have to be told about them, or about Buffy anyway. At the same time, they needed the help, and a little inside information.

“He doesn’t know you,” Spike pointed out. “How are you going to get him to trust you?”

Buffy shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess if we both end up fighting Adam, he’ll know we’re on the same side. At least in theory.”

Spike refrained from commenting; he wasn’t quite as hopeful about getting the soldier on their side as Buffy was.

~~~~~

Angel stared into space as he waited for the last rays of the sun to disappear below the horizon. He hadn’t slept much; he’d been too busy thinking about what Buffy had told him. She hadn’t kept in close contact with him, so she didn’t know much about his own future.

It was still hard for him to believe that she was with Spike—it was hard to believe that Spike was the same vampire Drusilla had turned so many years ago.

No, that wasn’t true, he realized. Spike hadn’t really changed all that much, considering that he had a soul now. Spike had changed, though, and now he had everything that Angel had once wanted—a soul that couldn’t be displaced, a solid relationship with Buffy, the ability to walk in the sun, and an all-consuming purpose.

Angel rose from the couch, stepping out into the courtyard. The old mansion hadn’t changed much in the last few months. He hadn’t yet sold it, mostly because he’d thought that he might come back some day, that eventually he and Buffy would find a way to be together.

He knew that it was a false hope now.

As the last of the sunlight faded, Angel began walking towards his car. He’d called Giles earlier on his cell phone to let him know that he’d be by, and Angel hoped to catch him alone. He wanted the Watcher’s opinion on Buffy, and how she was doing.

When he knocked on the Watcher’s door, Giles opened it almost immediately. “Angel.”

“Giles.”

Giles stepped aside, saying, “Spike and Buffy saw Faith on campus earlier, although she ran when Spike confronted her. We aren’t sure where she might go tonight.”

Angel frowned. “The Bronze? Faith always did like to blow off a little steam.”

Giles nodded. “I think that Spike and Buffy were going to swing by on their way over here, although that’s not to say that Faith won’t turn up later tonight. We have another problem, however, one that didn’t get mentioned last night.”

“What’s that?” Angel had no idea what else they might face on top of a rogue Slayer and some sort of demonic cyborg.

“The Council was here earlier,” Giles explained. “They plan on taking Faith back to England for rehabilitation, but from what Buffy has said, I believe that they will try to kill her.”

Angel’s eyes widened. “She’s the Slayer!”

“She also stands in the way of having a new Slayer, one that may be more—” Giles paused, searching for the right word. “—malleable.”

Angel had to acknowledge the point. Faith was anything but “malleable.” “Is there anything else I should be on the look out for?”

Giles shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You can ask.”

The Watcher’s even tone gave nothing away, so Angel forged ahead. Buffy might have moved on, but she’d had the luxury of time, which he hadn’t. He needed to know that she was okay. “How is she?”

Giles knew immediately who he was talking about, and he took a deep breath. “This whole thing weighs on her,” he admitted. “There is always pressure on the Slayer to save others, to stop bad things from happening, but I think that Buffy had accepted that it wasn’t always possible.”

“She has an even better chance at stopping those bad things from happening now,” Angel said, puzzled.

Giles shook his head. “Perhaps, but she knows who’s going to die, who’s going to be hurt. Buffy knows what’s going to happen to her friends and family. There are events that can be altered, but change is not always possible.”

“And Spike?” Angel asked. “He didn’t seem that different, but—”

“He’s changed,” Giles assured him. “More than that—he and Buffy have a connection that none of us fully understand. At some point, Spike became the only person she felt she could trust, and some of that feeling has carried over.”

Angel didn’t understand how anyone could trust Spike at all, but there was a lot he didn’t understand about the situation. All he could do was offer Buffy whatever help he could provide and keep an eye on the other vampire.

Buffy might believe that Spike had changed, but Angel wanted to see the proof with his own eyes.

~~~~~

Spike wasn’t thrilled at the idea of wandering Sunnydale with Angel in tow. No matter what Buffy said, or how she tried to reassure him, Spike knew that Angel at least was living in the past, where he and Buffy were soul mates.

As far as Spike could tell, it didn’t really matter what they had been; it only mattered that she was with him now. Knowing Angel, however, Spike didn’t have much hope that he would accept it easily.

“Where are we going?” Angel asked.

“I have no idea,” Buffy admitted. “I would have asked Willow to do a locator spell, but we don’t have anything of Faith’s to use.”

“Maybe we should split up,” Angel suggested. “We would cover more ground that way.”

“An’ if we run into the Initiative?” Spike asked, an edge to his tone. “It’s not just Faith we have to watch out for.”

“They won’t know you’re a vampire unless you bite someone,” Angel shot back. “On second thought, maybe someone should go with you.”

“Angel, stop it,” Buffy snapped. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “If you can’t be civil to Spike, then you can leave. And, Spike—” She glared at him. “Be nice.”

“I am bein’ nice!” he protested.

Buffy gave him a look that said she knew otherwise. “Come on. Faith tends to like action, so maybe she’ll be where all the people are.”

Several hours later, after wandering up and down the street, Spike was beginning to think that Faith had left town—or gone to ground. If it hadn’t been for Tara’s vision, Spike would have suggested that they let her go. At least Angel had subsided into sullen silence, which was a damn sight better than the big git making snide comments.

“Wait.” Angel stopped.

“What?” Buffy asked.

He shook his head. “I thought I caught her scent.”

Spike frowned. He’d never been close enough to the other Slayer to pick up her scent. “Where is she going?”

“I don’t know.” Angel sounded frustrated. “Give me a minute.”

Spike was forcibly reminded of the time he’d fought with Buffy and Angel. It seemed a lifetime ago, but only a year had passed according to the calendar. The three of them had been pretty successful, considering that they’d been enemies at the time. It was that memory that allowed him to keep quiet—that and the knowledge that Buffy wouldn’t be pleased if he antagonized Angel.

“This way,” Angel finally said.

Spike wasn’t happy about it, but he followed Angel closely. The fact that Peaches was leading the way was made palatable by Buffy’s presence by his side. Barely.

Angel moved towards the docks, and he wondered whether Faith was going to try to jump a ship; Spike had thought she’d take a train or steal a car. He hadn’t thought of her taking a slow boat to nowhere.

The trail led past the docks, however, and Angel kept moving. Spike realized that they were heading towards the edge of town, and he wondered what Faith could possibly be up to. Industrial businesses and warehouses gave way to scraggly grass and trees, which soon turned into a thickly forested area.

They hadn’t gone very far when the sounds of a scuffle could be heard. All three of them picked up the pace, heading towards the sound.

Faith stood in a clearing, fighting a green demon that Spike didn’t recognize. He could smell the blood—human blood—but he didn’t think it was hers.

Angel opened his mouth to call out, but Buffy put a hand on his arm, shaking her head. “Don’t interrupt her concentration. She’s almost got it.”

Spike figured that Buffy would know, since she’d been the Slayer longer than anyone else. Faith finished the demon off moments later, knocking it to the ground and stepping on its neck until a sharp cracking sound could be heard.

“Faith!” Buffy called, as soon as the demon was dead.

Faith’s head shot up, and her eyes widened as Buffy emerged from the trees. She looked around wildly. “I don’t have anything to say to you, B.”

“We need your help,” Buffy said. “Look, Faith, I’m sorry for everything that happened, but if you keep going like this, you’re going to wind up in jail.”

“What else is new?” Faith sneered. “I’ve always known I’d come to a bad end.”

Angel stepped out behind Buffy. “You don’t want that, though. Do you, Faith?”

“You don’t know what the hell I want!” Faith shot back. “You and Buffy can just—”

Spike saw the massive creature emerge from the trees. He cursed, wishing that he hadn’t missed Adam’s approach. “Buffy! Look out!”

Both she and Faith whirled to look at the newest danger. Buffy cursed inventively. “Faith, be careful. Adam eats Slayers for breakfast.”

“You’ve seen this thing before?” Faith demanded, backing up, away from the cyborg.

Spike was distracted for a moment. He could sense the approach of others—humans, as far as he could tell. His attention was pulled back to the fight at hand when he heard Buffy shout to Angel. “Get Faith out of here, Angel! Spike and I will meet you later.”

Spike rushed out of hiding, cursing Buffy’s hero complex. “I think it might be time for all of us to run, luv.”

“I have to make sure he doesn’t kill anybody else,” Buffy said grimly. “I have to try.” She turned her head. “Faith, go. Trust Angel. The Council is after you.”

Faith looked torn, and Spike couldn’t blame her. He understood why she might doubt Buffy’s motivations after everything that had gone on between the two of them. “Buffy—”

“Go!” Buffy shouted.

Adam moved too quickly. Spike hadn’t remembered that he could move with such speed for something so large, and cobbled together from bits and pieces. The spike came out of Adam’s arm, and in that brief instant, he recognized it as the part of a Polgara demon.

Time seemed to slow, and Spike made a belated attempt to put himself between Adam and the Slayer. The sharp bone pierced her abdomen, and Spike let out a wordless howl. “NO!”

He leapt forward as Buffy slid off the spike into his arms. “Spike!” Angel called.

Spike gathered his wits about him. “Get Faith!” he called, catching a glimpse of the fleeing Slayer out of the corner of his eye. “The Council will kill her if they get their hands on her!”

Angel hesitated for a brief moment, then turned to run.

With Buffy still in his arms, Spike backed off from the cyborg. “Stay away from her,” he said in a low voice. “Or you’ll wish you’d never been created.”

“You have no power over me,” Adam said, giving Spike a grotesque mockery of a smile. “And my mother is dead.”

Spike wasn’t sorry to hear that, but he still wasn’t sure how he was going to get Buffy to a hospital. The ring helped, but he wasn’t sure that even the power from the Gem would be enough to defeat Adam.

He saw the electricity arc out from behind a bush, hitting Adam square in the chest. “Go!” a man’s voice called. “I’ll hold him here.”

“That won’t do anything,” Spike warned.

“It doesn’t have to.” The young man Buffy had run into earlier stepped out of the brush, Initiative-issue blaster rifle in his hands. “I just need to buy you the time to get her to the hospital.” He met Spike’s eyes evenly. “I’ll catch up later.”

Spike didn’t need to be told twice. There was no way he was going to allow Buffy to bleed to death in his arms.

~~~~~

Faith couldn’t believe she’d run. The monster she’d faced had been unlike anything she’d ever seen before, though, and she knew she couldn’t stick around to let Buffy get to her.

There was no way Buffy wanted to help, not after what had happened. More than likely, it was a trap of some kind.

She could hear Angel’s voice behind her, and she shut out any thought of going back. The vampire had been halfway decent to her, but that had been before she’d poisoned him.

Faith hit the open ground of a park; the absence of branches whipping her face was the first clue, and she wished she’d boarded the first boat leaving when she’d had the chance. Once the demon grabbed the girl and started chewing on her, however, Faith had decided to step in. She didn’t even know why, but now she was paying for it.

That’s what she got for doing the right thing.

She slowed down enough to look around her, trying to figure out where to go next. Faith thought that getting out of Sunnydale might be her best bet. It wasn’t like Buffy had been there for her when she’d needed help.

Faith deliberately silenced the little voice that told her that Buffy had done the best she could.

If it wasn’t going to be a boat, Faith decided that the train yards were her next stop. She started jogging again, glancing quickly to her right and left before crossing the street.

The armored car seemed to come out of nowhere, and Faith could hear the squeal of brakes. The heavy vehicle didn’t stop quite fast enough, however, and the bumper hit her legs hard enough to send her sprawling on the asphalt.

Angry and hurt, Faith pushed herself up, staggering a little bit. “What the—” She stopped when she saw the muzzle of the gun right in front of her eyes.

“Get in.” Only two words, but Faith caught the traces of a British accent.

“What if I refuse?” she asked.

The man smiled coldly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You’re not going to shoot me,” Faith argued.

“No,” the man agreed. “But you won’t like the other option.”

Faith didn’t get a chance to ask him what that other option might be. Something hard and heavy hit her from behind, and darkness overtook her.

~~~~~

Willow opened the door to let Tara inside. “Is everything okay?”

Tara hesitated before nodding. “I think so.”

“What’s wrong?” Willow pressed, hearing a note of anxiety in Tara’s voice.

“It’s just that—” Tara stopped.

Willow led her to the bed, sitting her down, and then settling next to her. “What is it, Tara?”

“I tried to see into the future again,” Tara began.

Willow frowned. She didn’t like the sound of that; she’d had her own experiences with peering into the future. “What did you see?”

Tara shook her head. “Nothing. It’s not important. I just—I needed to not be alone.”

Willow wanted to ask what it was she’d seen; Tara was obviously shaken, but she knew the other girl well enough to know that Tara would pass along any information that would help. “Okay. Do you want to get a cup of tea?”

“I’d like that,” she replied.

Willow laid a hand on her arm. “You know you can talk to me, right? Whatever you saw, we’ll deal with it.”

Tara stared at the floor for a long moment. “My family is going to come for me, and I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to stay.”

Willow frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There’s—” Tara swallowed audibly. “My mom was part demon.”

Willow frowned. “Okay.” When Tara seemed to be waiting for more of a response, she said, “So?”

The other girl’s face flushed with shame. “The demon—it comes out on a girl’s twentieth birthday.”

Willow still wasn’t getting it. “I don’t know what the problem is.”

“I’m going to turn twenty this year.”

“Oh.” Willow frowned. “Who had a demon?”

“My mother. It runs in the family. All the women—”

Willow held up a hand. “Didn’t you tell me that your mom was the one who taught you about magic?”

Tara stopped. “Yes, but—”

“Was she evil?”

“No!” Tara sounded aghast at the thought. “Not at all!”

“Then why would you be evil?” Willow shook her head. “And even if you are a demon, who cares? Spike’s a vampire; so is Angel. Buffy is the Slayer, so she’s not entirely human. Oz is a werewolf. Nobody is going to care, Tara, not unless you actually turn evil, and that doesn’t seem likely.”

Tara blinked away the tears rapidly. “You really think so?”

“I really do.” Willow reached for her hand, wanting to offer her comfort any way she could. “Did you see yourself going back with them?”

“I don’t know. I just know that they’re going to find me.” Tara met her eyes. “I can’t go back, Willow.”

“Then you won’t,” Willow said firmly. “We’ll make sure of it.”

Willow wasn’t sure how, but she was sure they could manage.

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