Chapter 7

“What can you tell me about the Order?” Buffy asked several hours later as Spike drove along the nearly deserted highway.

“Assassins. Deadly. Human and demon, alike.”

“Anything else? Giles said…” Her voice trailed off as she thought about her watcher back in Sunnydale. Shaking her head at the girl she had left behind, her voice hardened as she continued. “Giles said they date back to the times of King Solomon.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Do you know where they’re based, how you get in contact with them?”

“No, Dru… Drusilla was the one that knew how to initiate the contract.” he answered. “But, I bet you I know who would.”

“Who?”

“Your Council of Wankers.”

He took his eyes off the road to glance over at the Slayer. She was watching him and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she attempted to decide on a course of action.

“I guess we’re going to England,” she said finally. “Where’s the nearest airport? No sense driving when we could be flying.”

“Just saw a sign that said El Paso was about 50 miles away. I guess they’d have an airport there.”

“Ok.”

Buffy’s eyes turned to the darkened scenery and she leaned her head against the window and attempted to get some rest. If she was going to stay sharp and watch Spike’s back during the daylight hours, she needed her rest.

~*~*~*~*~

It seemed only moments later that she was being shaken awake by Spike. Her head jerked away from the glass and attempted to rub the kink out of her neck.

“Where are we?” she asked sleepily.

“El Paso. I just wanted to wake you... let you know I was gonna step out for a minute. Didn’t want you to worry.”

“Where are you going?”

At his pointed look, her eyes widened in understanding; she lowered her head, not wanting him to see the pain in her eyes.

“Oh…”

“I’ll be back, pet.”

She bit her tongue as he let himself out of the vehicle. He needed to feed, much like she did. That he was snacking on humans while she ate burgers and fries was where she was having the problem. She would have offered, but, like him, she needed to keep her wits about her – eyes and ears attuned for the assassins that had been dogging their heels. And running a few pints short would dull her senses, making her a liability.

Instead, she watched as he ambled towards the biker bar. Harleys lined the curb and people in leather loitered about smoking and drinking. Spike quickly disappeared into the crowd, and Buffy leaned her head back against the rest and waited for him to return.

The pounding on the driver’s side window startled her from her silent musings. She glanced over, expecting to see a cop. No… no cop. Just two big, burly guys bent on a little destruction… and possibly a little car theft.

‘Sorry, guys. This one’s mine,’ she thought as she watched one of the two slowly circle around to her side. ‘I worked hard to steal my first car. No one’s gonna steal from this stealer.’

She waited until the guy was close enough to catch the backlash from the door, then struck. As the guy drew near, she cracked the door open. When he was close enough, she leaned back and planted both feet on the door, using her slayer strength to slam it into the man. He fell to the ground in a dazed heap, allowing her to jump out and confront him. She made sure to divide her attention between the man on the ground and his friend who was circling the car to come help.

“You guys picked the wrong car and the wrong girl to mess with. I’ll go easy on you if you just leave… now.” As she spoke, she settled into a defensive pose. The second man came around and stopped by his friend, checking to see if he was alive.

“You’re gonna pay for that, bitch,” he snarled, raising the crowbar he held in his hands menacingly.

Buffy just rolled her eyes at him. True he was human, which meant she couldn’t kill him. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t pound on him a little. He was threatening her with bodily harm, after all.

“I’d like to see you…” her voice trailed off. ‘Oh shit,’ she thought moments before she heard the third guy strike. The last thing Buffy saw before her world faded to black was the evil leer of the third man standing over her.

‘Spike…’

~*~*~*~*~

Spike knew something was wrong the moment he stepped out of rowdy bar. His eyes zeroed in on the SUV and noticed the dome light on. As he got closer, he could smell the Slayer’s blood in the air and took off running.

A growl erupted from his throat upon noticing three guys standing over her huddled body, each taking turns kicking her unmoving form. He practically sailed through the air for the last twenty feet and slammed into them. All four fell to the ground in a heap, but Spike was quick to recover, rolling in a smooth motion on the sidewalk and vaulting to his feet.

He didn’t waste time toying with the three men… he was too angry. And he allowed his rage free rein as he dealt with the Slayer’s attackers. His fangs sunk into the neck of the first opponent he grabbed. The demon inside crowed over the squeals of fright that burst forth from the man’s lips. Screams that soon petered out as his life’s blood was quickly drained. The other two could only stare in horror at the monster before them, frozen and unable to move.

Spike let the carcass fall to the ground at his feet; his eyes pinned the remaining two in place as he slowly advanced on them.

They gazed in horrified fascination at the blood dripping from the monster’s elongated teeth. It was the last thing the two saw.

Suddenly, Spike was upon them, attacking with fists and fangs the two that had dared to touch his slayer.

He left them where they lay and strode quickly to the huddled form of the Slayer. Carefully, he turned her over and lifted her in his arms, wincing at the bruises that marred her features. Berated himself for leaving her alone.

The uneasy moan that rumbled from her lips was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard and Spike held his breath as her lids fluttered and finally opened.

“You came,” she whispered. A tremulous smile graced her lips at seeing his demonic features, the blood of his recent kills still coating his lips. She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek.

Spike leaned into her touch, pulling her body closer to his.

“Come on, luv. Let’s get out of here.”

He deposited her back in the SUV, taking extra care not to compound her injuries. Then he circled around the back and climbed into the driver’s side.

Two hours later they were in the air.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy woke to the sound of the captain’s voice droning over the intercom about final approach. Beside her, she felt Spike stir, felt the light kiss he dropped on her head before he sat up. Another twenty minutes and she was standing on foreign soil for the first time in her life. Spike slipped his hand in hers and together they made their way towards customs – their matching duffle bags slung over their shoulders.

~*~*~*~*~

Customs was fairly easy to move through. Since they only had the one bag each, and the agent was exceedingly tired, they didn’t bother to do a thorough examination of their bags. Spike’s evil scowl probably had a lot to do with it as well.

Neither had bothered with weapons, figuring they could raid the Council’s stash once they got to London. Having heard Giles go on about the place often enough, Buffy was eager to see what the hubbub was all about. 

Now that they were in England, they were one step closer in their quest to take out the Order of Taraka. They just had one more thing to do before they could embark on their new adventure, unencumbered with their past.

It was time to lay old ghosts to rest.

~*~*~*~*~

They made a striking pair as they walked side by side, each carrying a small box in their hands. The nuns at the Sisters of Mercy Convent paused to stare at the figures whose solemn features were in sharp contrast to their gothic appearance. The male, his shocking white hair standing on end, was attired head to toe in black. His counterpart, her severe black hair framing a pale face, was also dressed all in black. But it was their eyes that held the nuns motionless.

Such pain they contained.

Suddenly the woman stopped walking, pausing in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary that was surrounded by a small garden of flowers. The man came to stand beside her, nodding at something she said.

The nuns were openly gawking now, making no pretense of hurrying about their duties.

Mother Superior was walking down the hallway and decided to take a stroll through the open courtyard. She noticed several of the nuns standing still, gazing out into the courtyard. She stepped out through the open double doors and looked around.

She noticed the black-clad couple standing by the Virgin Mary statue and made her way over to them.  It wasn’t often they had visitors to their convent, and none such as these. She clucked disapprovingly at the gaping nuns and shooed them back to their chores.

“Hello, my children. It’s a beautiful evening, is it not?”

Buffy glanced up at the nun.

“Yes.”

“Is there something I can help you with? The sun has gone down and it’s time for us to close the gates for the evening.”

“We’ll just be a moment. We just want to say our goodbyes.”

“Good…? Ahhh, yes. Of course,” the Mother Superior replied, just then noticing the boxes the two were carrying. “Take your time. I always thought this was the loveliest spot in our courtyard. It gets the morning sun and just seems to make our Mary shine with welcome.”

Buffy nodded, not saying anything.  Beside her, Spike didn’t move, just stared at the box in his hands then at the ground below them.

“Yes… well… I’ll leave you two alone now. Just shut the gate as you leave.”

Again Buffy nodded, the nun already forgotten.

“Spike?”

“Yeah, pet?”

“Will he be... will he be happy here? With Dru, I mean?”

“Yeah, pet. I think he will. I knew he regretted turning her once he got his soul. This way, he can be with her, ya know. Look out for her… I think she would have liked that, knowing her sire was with her at the end.”

A few moments later he opened the box, scattering his sire’s ashes amongst the flowerbed at the statue’s feet. Buffy copied his movements, releasing the dust that was all that remained of Angel to lie mingled with his childe.

When they were finished, the two set the containers by the flowerbed and left.

It was time for them to begin a new life, one that involved dealing with the Order of Taraka.

No matter how long it took, the Order was going to pay.

Buffy and Spike demanded it.

The End

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Continued in the sequel, Alone No More