Chapter 9
Author's Notes: Many thanks to shannon730 for the link to the “Sun or Moon Rise/Set Table”. Oh, and I used two sentences from “The Initiative” (you'll see which when you read the chapter ;) ), they were written by Douglas Petrie, definitely not mine, just borrowing. :D
Back at the School, around 3:00 am Sister Harriet was waiting for Buffy on the front lobby steps of the school when she got out of the police car. As if Buffy needed any more evidence that she was in a lot of trouble, the nun's scowl convinced her that only a miracle would save her from being packed up and sent over to the new boarding school in Geneva faster than she could ever imagine.
How was she going to survive without knowing what happened to Spike? That odious little man could have done anything to him. All their dreams and plans lay shattered on the floor of that crypt. After being discovered – especially like that – there simply was no way they'd be able to escape now.
Her eyes filled with tears as she followed Sister Harriet towards Sister Victoria's office. What was she going to do now?
The nun stopped right in front of the door and knocked once. “Come in,” Sister Victoria said motioning for Buffy to sit while she continued to talk on the phone.
“Yes, Mr. Summers. She'll be ready… I know and I'm sorry for whatever inconveniences this might have caused… I'll see you then, have a good night.”
Buffy rolled her eyes inwardly; it was just her luck that it had to be precisely
this time that her parents could've been reached so easily.
The headmistress finally hung the phone up and turned towards Buffy, saying, “Elizabeth, as you might have heard, your parents are coming to get you later today,” at Buffy's surprised expression, she added. “They took an early flight because they wanted to spend some time with you before you began your classes in Geneva; but after this unfortunate episode, well… let's just say they're as disappointed over your behavior as I am…” Buffy winced under the disapproving glare Sister Victoria sent her way.
Buffy had been trying to control the anger that grew inside her with each word the nun uttered. How dared she try to reduce their relationship to a mere episode? She knew she would only make things worse if she tried to explain all that she'd been through and how much Spike meant to her to Sister Victoria, so she kept quiet with her eyes cast downward while the head mistress went on and on with her tirade against Spike, until she heard...
“However, you were always a model student and never gave us any trouble during your stay in this school, until now; so, in deference to that and to your parents, I have decided that this incident would not be added into your file. I don't want this indiscretion to ruin your life, Elizabeth. Especially when I'm sure you must have been coaxed into this by that-that… delinquent. There's no way that a well-raised girl like you are would degrade herself…” the nun trailed when Buffy suddenly stood up, fire burning in her eyes as she gritted her teeth.
“Now, wait a minute, Sister Victoria,” Buffy whispered threateningly. “First of all, Spike is not a delinquent and I didn't degrade myself in any way by doing what I did! I'm in love with him and I will do everything I can to be with him. He's shown me more love and caring in the short time since we've met than you or even my parents ever have shown me in my entire life. I definitely won't give him or that up. And I don't care if you tell my parents all this and they lock me in this new golden jail they're sending me to and throw away the key; because, mark my words, Spike and I will be together, one way or the other, today, or in ten years, and I won't rest until we are,” Buffy finished, glaring at the headmistress who seemed like she was about to have a stroke, before turning on her heels and leaving the office as she headed to her room.
Once she got inside her room, she leaned on the door and unable to contain herself any longer, she silently began to cry as she crumbled down onto the floor.
Willow, who was still awake and had been waiting for Buffy's return, quickly got up from her bed and gathered her friend in her arms, asking, “What happened, Buffy? Why are you like this? Please, tell me something, anything. You're scaring me.”
“Oh, Will!” Buffy threw her arms around the redhead. “H-he discovered us in the crypt and they're coming for me today a-and I don't know what he did to Spike,” she cried almost hysterically.
“Wait a minute, take a deep breath,” Willow said and smiled when Buffy did as she was told. “Good girl, now let's try again.”
After a few shaky attempts, finally Buffy managed to tell Willow all that happened since she got to the crypt up until her talk with Sister Victoria.
“Oh, Buffy, don't worry, I'm sure Spike will be fine,” Willow tried to comfort her. “And hey, maybe he managed to escape?”
“I doubt it, Will. I'm afraid of what that horrible man can do to him. He acted… I don't know how to explain it. He seemed strange, crazy even. I don't think I've ever seen anyone show that much hatred for somebody else before tonight and that's what scares me, what if he hurt Spike after I left? How would I find out if something did happen if I'm locked up in the school in Geneva?” she asked, taking Willow's hands in hers pleadingly. “Will, please, you have to promise me that you'll try to find out what happened to him and find a way to let me know. I'd just die if I don't know. Promise me, Will.”
“I promise, Buffy. I promise,” her friend said as Buffy clung to her once more. “Now you have to promise me you'll try to sleep for a bit. We'll figure what to do in the morning.”
*~*~*~*
Honor Camp, around 3:00 am Xander anxiously peeked through the window facing the camp's main entrance. He had slept restlessly for about two hours only to wake up suddenly when the feeling that something had gone very wrong settled over him. He recalled Angel's infuriating behavior before the lights went off. The brunette had been bragging to the Demons about how Spike was finally going to go down. At the moment, neither Spike nor he really thought much of the comment, as Angel was always trying to play mind games with them, but now… now that Spike still hadn't returned to the barracks and Watley wasn't in his post either – which in itself was preoccupying – he had more reasons to worry.
He snapped out of his reverie when he noticed that Snyder's jeep and a police car had stopped in front of the Isolation Cells' Building. He waited with baited breath until he saw Snyder practically tear Spike out from the back of the police car.
“Damn!” Xander whispered. “What the hell are we gonna do now? Think, Xander, think,” he pondered as he kept watching what was happening in the other extreme of the Camp.
*~*~*~*
“I got him,” the warden said to the deputies as he grabbed Spike's arm and pushed him towards the building. “Move!” Snyder exclaimed as he kept pushing Spike until the blond tripped and fell down at Wood's feet.
“Argh!” Spike exclaimed as he lost his footing.
The deputy clenched his jaw as he tried to rein in his temper after he noticed how bruised and bloodied Spike was. Snyder had no right to treat the boys like that, no matter what they'd done.
“Look who's back,” Snyder said mockingly.
“Stupid boy, you could have been out of here in a few months,” Wood told Spike as he helped him get up.
“He's gonna be out sooner than that now; he'll be transferred to the State Penitentiary in the morning,” Snyder sneered as he grabbed Spike's arm again and pushed him inside the building. “Move, Taylor! I ain't got all night.”
Wood shook his head as he looked at the scene with a heavy heart. He'd never agreed with Snyder's way of treating the boys and it had only turned worse as time went by, the way he'd
hunted Forrest and then Spike proved that the warden was a dangerous and unstable man and that he'd have to do something about it before things got completely out of hand. He dreaded to think what would happen if it did.
*~*~*~*
Still at the camp, around 5:30 am A man ran through the camp until he reached the back of the Isolation Cells' building.
*~*~*~*
Spike sat on his bunk with his back leaning against the wall as he wallowed in self-pity recalling the events that had led to him being locked up in a confinement cell. He couldn't forget how scared Buffy looked before she ran away from the crypt. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself for putting her in danger in his desire to be near her. God! He'd give anything for a fag at that moment! Or anything really that could help him keep his mind occupied and stop him from feeling the mind-numbing terror that was creeping in his heart at the thought of never seeing Buffy again.
He nervously passed his hands over his hair over and over, until it became a mess of unruly curls, as he said to himself, “No, Spike, don't think like that. There ‘as to be a way. Ya can't admit defeat so easily, ya
can't lose Buffy and most definitely ya can't let Snyder win. There's gotta be a way.” But what if when he found that way it was too late? What if Buffy had been caught by the cops and sent to her school? What if her parents came for her and took her to that Geneva School she'd been mentioning? What then?
He was so lost in his musings that he hadn't noticed that some of the wood boards from the floor were being moved until he heard, “Is it time for the plan?”
“Bloody ‘ell, mate! Ya almost gave me a ‘eart attack!” Spike whispered. “What are ya doin' ‘ere? Aren't ya gonna get in trouble for this?”
“Don't worry about that,” Xander shrugged. “Now let's go before anyone notices or else we'll both be in trouble.”
*~*~*~*
Silently Spike and Xander crawled from beneath the building and ran towards the further end of the Honor Camp where the car shop was located in order to retrieve the Mustang.
When they got to the shed, Spike took the car's distributor cap off from its hiding place and put it on the car. In the meantime, Xander had put some gasoline in the tank and when they both were done, Spike climbed on the driver's seat.
“What the hell happened tonight?” Xander asked.
“Same question I've been askin' myself, mate. Snyder somehow found out that Buffy ‘n I were gonna meet at the crypt ‘n ‘e caught us there. As you might ‘ave realized by ‘ow my face must look, ‘e wasn't ‘appy.”
“Yeah, he did quite the number on you. So, what happened to Buffy?”
“I don't know. We ‘ave to find ‘er ‘n take ‘er with us.”
“I have some things for you,” Xander said as he handed Spike a duffel bag, which he took, before throwing it on the backseat.
“Let's get out of ‘ere. It's almost dawn,” Spike said as he started the car. “Are ya ready?”
“I'm not going,” Xander answered.
“What the bleedin' ‘ell do ya mean ya're not going?” Spike exclaimed as he turned off the car and got out to face his friend.
“I'm not going,” Xander repeated. “It's just that I just have a couple of months left here, Spike, and then I'll be off to Harvard. If I go with you that just won't happen… ever. You understand that, don't you?”
“Yeah, I understand, mate. But this was your plan all alon' ‘n I wouldn't ‘ave made it this far without ya,” Spike said, a crestfallen look on his face. “I-we need ya.”
“No, you don't need me,” Xander replied. “I mean, you did for a while, but you don't now,” he added, taking a folded piece of paper out of his shirt. “C'mon, take it. C'mon, man,” he said when Spike hesitated until he finally took it and opening it he saw the escape map. “You just have to follow the map and do exactly as we planned and I promise someday I'll find you, okay?”
Spike nodded, “Okay but I'll miss ya, mate.”
“I'll miss you, too. But we will see each other again, I'm sure of that. And hey, at least you'll have an address where you could find me. Once you and Buffy are settled somewhere and it's safe for you, you've gotta write to me, ok?” Xander said almost in tears.
“Right, I promise to do that. ‘N once it's safe, ya'll ‘ave to come visit us, ok?
“Nothing will stop me, Spike. Now go,” Xander said smiling widely. “It's not polite to make a lady wait.”
“Thanks again, mate. I'll never forget what ya did for us,” Spike said as he pulled Xander into a crushing embrace. He climbed into the car again and after he started it, he drove out of shed and into the night like a bat out of hell after waving good-bye to Xander.
He had a promise to keep.
*~*~*~*
Immaculate Heart School for Girls, about 15 minutes later Spike parked the red car in front of the main entrance to the school and he climbed the steps that conduced to the front lobby, fully prepared to break the front door only to be surprised that when he turned the knob he found it open. Without bothering to be particularly stealthy and giving thanks to whoever might be listening that it seemed like his luck might actually be improving, he came into the school and ran upstairs towards the second floor until he reached Buffy's room.
Once he got there and before turning the knob to get into her room, he took a deep breath while hoping that she'd still be there and then he opened the door, letting a relieved sigh escape his lips once he saw Buffy sitting on her bed. She seemed to be alone and completely lost in thought as she stared at the floor, so he walked over to where she sat until he was in front of her.
Buffy let out a startled gasp when a pair of combat boots came into her line of vision, her eyes quickly going upwards until they fell into the adoring gaze of her Spike. She threw herself into his arms once she realized it was really him that stood in front of her. “Oh, Spike. I was so worried for you,” she said, carefully running her hand over his bruised cheek. “How did you get here? Are you okay?”
Spike smiled at her and cradling her face in his hands, he answered, “Yeah, now that I've found ya, I'm great, luv. ‘Ow are ya?”
“I feel like I-I'm dreaming, I can't believe you're here,” Buffy said. “But you are, aren't you?”
“I am, sweetheart. ‘N I'm not gonna leave you again,” he vowed, kissing her deeply.
“I'll be back. I'll just leave her robe in the room,” they heard Willow say as she came into the room. They separated a bit from each other and Willow blushed realizing that she had interrupted them. “Hmmm, sorry. I'll be back in a minute, okay?” she said, smiling at them and leaving the room.
“It's okay, she's my best friend,” Buffy said as Spike nodded and moved nervously towards the window and checked outside for any suspicious movements near his car and when he was convinced there was no immediate danger he walked back towards Buffy. “Spike, my parents are coming to get me today,” she added almost in tears as she sat back on the bed.
“Listen to me, kitten,” Spike said as he kneeled in front of her. “Remember the place I told ya about? The one I wanted to take ya to?” Buffy nodded. “I'm gonna go there ‘n live ‘n I
really want ya to come with me.”
Buffy smiled widely, cleaning her tears with her hand and throwing herself into his arms again, “Of course, I'll go with you.”
While they filled two duffel bags with some of Buffy's toiletries and casual clothes, Willow returned to the room. “Hmm, hi again,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “Are you leaving?”
“Hi, Will. Yes, we are leaving,” Buffy smiled at her. “Spike, I want you to meet my best friend, Willow.”
Spike stopped what he was doing at the moment and extended his right hand towards Willow, “I've ‘eard quite a few things about ya, Red, all good by the way ‘n not all of them were from Buffy,” Spike winked at her and Willow looked at him quizzically for a second, only to blush y when she remembered that the boy from the dance, Xander, had told her Spike was his best friend.
Buffy giggled when she caught the reference to Spike's friend and Willow's flustered expression, bringing the redhead's attention back to her, “So, erm, yeah. T-this is for you two,” Willow said handing an envelope to Buffy.
Buffy opened it and when she looked inside, she paled, “No, Willow, this is too much. I-we can't accept it.”
“Pbbbbtttt, of course you can. And it's not just from me, all the other girls contributed, too, and you
know they'll be offended if you don't take it,” she said. “Inside the envelope you'll also find Spike's dad new address and my e-mail addy. Promise me that you'll find a way to let me know you're alright?”
“Thank you so much, Will and I promise I'll keep in touch,” Buffy said. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything, you just ask and consider it done.”
Buffy took a folded paper from her desk and said, “I need you to give this to my parents and please tell them… that I l-love them,” she said as she started crying. “A-and that hopefully someday they'll find it in their hearts to forgive me.”
“Aww, Buffy. I'm sure they will. Don't you worry,” Willow said as she pulled her friend into a tight embrace. “I love you, Buffy. I wish you both lots of happiness in your future.”
“Love you, too, Will,” Buffy said returning the embrace. “I'll miss you.”
“And you, mister, remember, if you hurt her, I will beat you to death with a shovel. A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend,” Willow said to Spike as she smiled sweetly.
“Don't worry, if I ‘urt ‘er, I'll ‘and ya the shovel,” Spike winked and taking the duffel bags in one of his hands, he headed towards the door extending his hand to Buffy. “Time to leave, luv.”
Buffy hugged Willow once more and took his offered hand, beaming at him. “Off to begin the rest of our lives then, baby?”
“Definitely, my love,” Spike said, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing her knuckles.
“Bye, Will,” Buffy said as they went through the door and into the hallway.
They had just gotten outside the room and were about to head out towards the main entrance when they saw two nuns coming through the French doors. Buffy and Spike exchanged a look before they turned backwards and started running through the hallway towards the back staircase.
“Elizabeth!” One of the nuns shouted as she pulled the fire alarm on to alert Keats that he was needed.
When the rest of the girls heard the shout and then the alarm ringing, they came out of their rooms to see what had happened. Quickly assessing the situation, a group led by Willow blocked the pass to the nun that was trying to go through them to catch Spike and Buffy and while two of the girls locked her in one of the rooms, the rest ran after the two blonds down the back staircase. Meanwhile, another group of girls led by Amy ran behind the nun that had triggered the alarm, trying to stop her before she reached Sister Victoria's office.
*~*~*~*
Buffy and Spike had just gotten off the staircase and were about to run outside the school when they saw a very disheveled Keats coming out of his room, holding a shotgun in one of his hands while trying to adjust his pants' suspenders with the other.
“Hey, you! Stop, right there!” he shouted when he saw them.
Spike looked at Buffy and they both kept running until they got out of the building. Keats started running after them as fast as he could, but the rest of girls had finally come down the stairs and were trying to impede his advance as hard as they could.
Spike and Buffy made it to the car and were about to get into it when Keats appeared suddenly on the door pointing his gun towards Spike.
“No!” Buffy yelled, when the guard was getting ready to shoot Spike, but one of the girls pushed his arm upwards and the bullet deviated towards the sky.
“Run, Buffy, run!” Willow shouted at them as they climbed into the car and Spike sped towards the main gate.
*~*~*~*
Sister Victoria heard the gunshot from her office and alarmed she walked towards the window to see what the problem was and almost fainted when she saw Elizabeth Summers climbing in a red car with who she imagined to be the juvenile delinquent they had caught her with. So she did the only thing she could think of to stop them at such short notice by pushing the button to close the electrical main gate. A wry smile graced her lips when she thought they would never make it out of the school in time.
*~*~*~*
Spike and Buffy noticed the slow closing of the gate and they turned to look at each other.
“Shit!” Spike exclaimed. “'old on tight, pet.”
Buffy shrunk in her seat, closing her eyes as they got closer and closer to the gate, thinking there was no way they'd make it in time. But Spike just kept speeding, managing to go through the gate just in the nick of time; the car swerving into the main road as Spike and Buffy escaped towards their new life.