Fix You by Enigmaticblue

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Chapter 42: Glory

Buffy pouted. “Darn. I missed that?”

Spike grinned. “It was somethin’ to see.”

“You could demonstrate what you did again, Tara,” Xander suggested. “Maybe on Spike?”

Tara blushed. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“It was a very big deal,” Mairead disagreed. “You were marvelous.”

Her blush deepened. “Not really.”

“When are we having the party?” Willow broke in.

“What party?” Xander asked.

“Tara’s birthday party,” Buffy replied. “I think at the Bronze, if that’s okay. Oz is playing that night, right?”

“We’re playing,” Oz confirmed. “Should be fun.”

Tara’s expression indicated that she was torn between gratitude and embarrassment, so Spike deemed it time to change the subject before she was permanently red. “When’s your mum leavin’ for Rochester, Buffy?”

Buffy’s smile faltered. “The day after tomorrow.” She looked at Tara. “I hope you don’t mind if Dawn comes. I know it’s more of an adult thing, but with Mom out of town—”

Tara shook her head. “I’d love to have Dawnie there, Buffy, and you should let us know if you need any help. We’d be happy to hang out with her for an evening or two.”

“Same here,” Willow piped up. “I mean, I know it’s the same house, but maybe different nights.” She glanced at Oz. “We could probably take her to a movie or something.”

“We’d be happy to,” Oz agreed.

“Ditto,” Xander added. “Just let us know what you need, Buff.”

Buffy looked a little overwhelmed. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. We don’t know how long Mom’s going to be gone for.” She glanced at Giles. “If necessary, Giles will come back, and I’ll head out.”

Spike thought that everyone maintained their composure quite well with that little bombshell. “Are they going to do the surgery right away?” Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. “The doctors said that they couldn’t be sure what they were looking at until Mom gets there and they can examine her in person.”

“Hey, she’ll be fine, Buffy,” Xander said. “She’s your mom, right? She’s tough.”

Buffy managed a smile at that. “Yeah. She is.” She glanced up at the clock. “We’d probably better get out of here. The wicked never rest.”

“I think that it’s no rest for the wicked,” Mairead said with a smile.

The Slayer shrugged. “Yeah, but it sounds better my way. See you all tomorrow.”

Spike waved over his shoulder and followed Buffy out the door, his mind preoccupied with what was coming. The wicked might not be able to rest, but neither were they.

~~~~~

Dawn knew she was being a brat. She knew that she should go downstairs and hang out with her mom before she had to leave for the Mayo Clinic. She knew that by staying in her room, refusing to talk to anybody, she was acting like a little kid.

She just couldn’t seem to help herself.

Staring at the blank pages of her journal, Dawn wondered if she liked to write because she liked it, or because she was made that way. Maybe that’s the only reason that her mom and Buffy and Spike liked her—because they had to, because that’s the way the monks’ spell worked.

Dawn still hadn’t believed them at first. In the end, Buffy had called Tara and Mairead, and they had reluctantly cast a spell that caused all recent magic to be revealed. Dawn had been able to see the protections they’d put around the house, and she’d also watched her own image flickering in and out of pictures, and her skin had appeared to glow green for about an hour.

Since no one else had turned green, Dawn thought it was pretty good evidence.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Joyce stuck her head inside. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Dawn hated that her mom was being so nice when she wasn’t. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Joyce hesitated, then entered the room, sitting down next to her on the bed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” That much was the truth. Dawn didn’t want to talk about it, any of it.

She felt her mom’s hand stroking her hair. “I know this is a lot to think about.”

“I just want it to be like it was!” Dawn burst out. “It’s not fair.”

“I know.”

Dawn turned imploring eyes on her mom. “Can’t I go with you?”

“You have school,” Joyce reminded her. “And I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone.”

“What if you don’t come back?” She voiced her biggest fear. Her mom was silent, and Dawn could see that she was afraid, too. “What if something happens to you?”

“You’re going to have to be very brave,” Joyce said, pulling her in close. “I could promise you that I’ll be fine, but I don’t know that. Even if something happens to me, though, Buffy will take care of you.”

Dawn swallowed hard. She didn’t feel very brave, but she didn’t want her mom to worry about her while she was away. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” Joyce pulled back. “How about some ice cream?”

Dawn nodded, thinking that if the monks were so good at magic, they could have fixed her mom, too.

~~~~~

“Thanks, Rupert,” Spike said, sliding the ring on his finger.

Giles frowned. “Is this a good idea?”

“Haven’t a soddin’ clue,” he admitted. “But Buffy wants to see if the ring does any good against Glory, an’ if we can get there soon enough, we might be able to get a few more answers out of that monk.”

“I can certainly understand why you would want to do that,” Giles acknowledged. “I just don’t know that Buffy should reveal her identity to Glory. If Glory never knows that she’s the Slayer, she won’t know where to look for Dawn.”

Spike grimaced. “That’s where I come in.”

Giles’ eyes widened as he realized what their plan was. “You’re the decoy? Spike—she could kill you.”

“Not with the ring on,” he replied. “I’ll distract her, make her think I’m some super-charged vampire, an’ Buffy grabs the monk and gets some answers. We might even save some lives while we’re at it.”

Giles shook his head. “You do realize that this could make you a target?”

“Better me than Buffy,” Spike replied. “Better get goin’. We’ll see you when you an’ Joyce get back.”

“Call when you’re done for the evening.” Giles held open his door. “I’d like to know that you both made it out safely.”

He nodded. “Right.”

Giles closed the door behind the vampire, shaking his head. He understood why they were choosing to be proactive with Glory, but he couldn’t help but worry, particularly because he wasn’t going to be there.

When Joyce had made the decision to travel to the Mayo Clinic, he’d offered to go with her, even though he knew it was going to put a strain on everyone else. Anya had willingly agreed to watch the Magic Box while he was gone, with Mairead to help her, so that was covered. Buffy had Spike to watch her back, as well as a small coven to offer assistance.

Giles knew he’d made the right decision, but he hated to leave his Slayer at this critical time. He did not want to let Joyce travel by herself, though, and there was no one else to go.

The phone rang, and he picked up the receiver, smiling when he heard Joyce’s voice on the other end. “I was just thinking of you.”

“How are you?”

“Good.” He couldn’t tell her that he was worried, or what he was worried about. He didn’t think that Buffy had informed her mother of what their plans for the evening were. “You?”

“I’m pretty crappy,” she confessed.

His grip on the phone tightened. “Do you want me to come over?”

“Would you?” she asked. “I’m sorry to ask, but—”

“Say no more. I’ll be there in a few moments.” He put the phone down and thought about what he was likely in for. He thought it all too likely that he would end up with his heart broken once again.

~~~~~

“You ready for this?” Spike inquired.

Buffy nodded. “I think so.”

“We don’t have to,” he said.

“Yes, we do.” She met his eyes, her expression somber. “We need more information about Dawn.”

He couldn’t argue with her logic, even though he knew the evening could end up being rather painful. “Let’s go, then.”

The warehouse soon loomed in front of them, and Spike glanced over at her. “See you in a bit, luv.”

Buffy nodded, then headed around the back. Spike had opted for the route that Buffy had taken the first time, although he used every ounce of stealth he possessed. Slipping inside the warehouse, he couldn’t see Glory, but he spotted the monk immediately. The man was tied to a chair and had obviously been tortured. Spike could hear his labored breathing and erratic heartbeat, and he knew that the man didn’t have much time to live.

Another heartbeat caught Spike’s attention, and he looked over to see a security guard chained to a pipe. He could smell the man’s fear from where he stood, but he looked to be in one piece, which was more than could be said for the monk. Spike decided to help the victim most likely to escape first, and went to the guard.

“I’m gonna get you out of here,” he whispered.

The guard shook his head. “She’s still here. Just leave now.”

Spike ignored him, using the added strength the ring gave him to snap the chains. “Get goin’. I’ll take care of Glory.”

“How do you know my name?” The voice was unmistakable, and her hand gripped his shoulder, propelling him backwards. “I don’t remember meeting you, and it’s very rude to not introduce yourself, especially when you steal their snacks.”

Spike’s face shifted. “Yeah, well, he’s my snack now.”

Her mouth made a moue of disgust. “Vampires. Ugh.”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “There are quite a few who find us fascinating.”

“Mortal meat sacks,” Glory scoffed. “They have no idea what it means to be truly immortal.”

“An’ you do?” Spike circled slowly, trying to draw her attention away from both victims. The security guard wasted no time in scrambling away, and Spike was grateful that they’d managed to save one life, at least. It would now be up to Buffy to grab the monk while he provided a distraction.

“I am a god,” Glory replied, tossing her head. “You should be worshipping me.”

Spike smirked. “I only worship one woman, an’ it would never be a trashy fashion victim with a lopsided arse.”

That did the trick. She lost her temper, just like she had the last time he’d called her names. Spike had no trouble taking her punishment; the ring prevented her from doing any real harm. What the Gem of Amara did not do was to make it possible for him to hurt her. He could push her back, keep her on the move, but not much more than that.

So much for the theory that the ring would allow him to defeat her. Spike supposed it was time for plan B, if he could get Buffy to agree.

“Hey!” Glory yelled, spinning around. “Hands off my holy man!”

Glory had noticed Buffy’s attempts to free the monk, and Spike couldn’t allow the Hellgod to engage her. He tackled her from behind, causing her to do a face plant into the concrete. Buffy gave him a grateful look as she half-led, half-carried the monk out of the warehouse.

Spike’s bid for her attention had worked a little too well, however, and he realized just how angry she was when she stood slowly and stared him down. “You’re pretty strong for a vampire,” she said. “I wonder why that is.”

He shrugged with feigned nonchalance, knowing that he needed to end this little encounter as soon as possible. As he looked around, it appeared as though the warehouse was ready to come down around their ears. Their battle had put quite a few cracks in the supporting walls. “What can I say? I eat my Wheaties. You’re lookin’ a little worn around the edges, though. Not getting enough beauty rest? I imagine you need more than most.”

“Why you little—” Glory never finished her insult, choosing instead an inarticulate cry of rage. Spike ducked the punch she threw, which caused her fist to crash through a support post. He hit her with a roundhouse kick to the head, his steel-toed boots managing to send her flying into a second post. When she came at him again, he didn’t hesitate, driving his head into her midsection, and sending her crashing into the wall.

The collision fazed her long enough for him to run across the warehouse. He threw his arm up in front of his face just before he crashed through the window. Although he would have liked to find Buffy immediately, he didn’t dare risk leading Glory to her. She would have to deal with the monk on her own, and he wished her better luck than he’d had.

~~~~~

“You’re going to be okay,” Buffy promised, supporting the monk as best she could while leading him away from the warehouse. Spike would be safe enough with the ring—she hoped—giving her time to get the answers she needed.

Unfortunately, Glory hadn’t needed to brain-suck the security guard this time. She’d caught a couple of kids who’d thought that vandalizing a warehouse was a good idea. They’d been wandering around outside when she’d arrived around the back, and she’d been forced to waste precious time leading them away from the area.

That meant two more victims she hadn’t been able to save; how many more lives would Glory destroy before they stopped her?

“I must stop,” he gasped out.

Buffy shook her head grimly. “We just need to get you to the hospital. You’re going to be fine.”

“My journey is over, I think.”

His words brought a forbidding sense of déjà vu, and Buffy lowered him to the ground knowing that he was right. He wasn’t going to make it. “I’m sorry I didn’t get there in time,” she said. “I should have known better.”

“It is not your fault,” he gasped. “The Dagon Sphere, the Key—”

“I know,” she hushed him. “I know all about Glory. When you messed with our memories, you didn’t know the whole truth. But I need to know now—can Dawn’s blood only be used once? Or will she always be the Key?”

“She is human, and innocent,” he ground out. “You must protect her.”

“I know that!” Buffy hissed, suddenly angry with him, with all of them, once again. She wouldn’t give Dawn up for anything in the world, but it still galled her that they had played with her memories, with Dawn’s, with everyone’s. “She’s my sister. I’d die for her; technically, I already have. What I want to know is for the future. Will she always be the Key?”

“No energy may be wasted, only transformed,” the monk said. “I do not know what will happen, only that she is safe with you.”

He was fading quickly, and Buffy knew that if she had anymore questions, she would have to ask them quick. “I know Dawn has to be protected, but is there a way to kill Glory? Before she tries to open the portal?”

“She is a god,” he gasped. “There is no way.”

He slumped in her arms, the life fading from his eyes. Buffy was reminded of the deputy mayor, and the message he’d tried to pass on. She stood, wiping her bloody hands on her jeans and turning towards Spike’s apartment with weary steps. At least this time she’d come away without any injuries, and thanks to the ring, Spike was likely to be in the same position.

Still, what she knew—what they knew—only led to more questions. If Glory couldn’t be killed, how were they to prevent everything from happening all over again?

~~~~~

Tara could honestly say that this was the best birthday ever. She’d never had the opportunity for a party like this when she was a child, or even a young adult, and while the last couple of years had brought more friends into her circle, this was new.

This was family.

She glanced over at Buffy; the other girl had been quiet all evening, and Spike had been drinking steadily, although he showed no signs of intoxication. Making her way through the crowd, Tara put a hand on Buffy’s arm. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” she replied, attempting a smile.

Tara frowned. “Buffy, if there’s anything I can do…”

“I know.” She took an audible breath. “Don’t worry about it. You should just enjoy your party.”

Tara might have tried again, but Mairead approached them. “Do you want to dance?”

“Yes.” She put her drink down and followed her girlfriend to the dance floor. “I’m not a very good dancer.”

“Nor am I,” Mairead confessed. “I just wanted an excuse to touch you.” Tara stepped closer, holding her close. They swayed together in time to the beat. “Are you okay?” Mairead asked after a moment.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Tara asked with some surprise.

“It’s difficult to break ties with your family.”

She shook her head. “I broke ties with them the day I left. I knew that I could never go back.”

“Would they have harmed you?”

“Not in that way,” Tara assured her. “But they would have made me smaller than I am.”

“Hurt enough.”

“Exactly.” Tara smiled. “I’ve outgrown them. Maybe someday they’ll understand that, but I doubt it.”

Either way, Tara didn’t think it mattered. She knew her own strength now, and that was something her family wouldn’t have been able to understand or accept.

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