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Chapter 18

Wesley pulled the SUV into one of the closest parking spaces he could find near their motel room and put it in park. He sat there along with Cordelia eyeing the huge expanse of sunlight that was between them and the front door, wondering how he was going to get one physically and mentally drained vamp, along with two other nearly non-responsive vamps, inside without having to borrow a broom and dustpan from housekeeping. 

“They’ll never make it,” Cordelia voiced what Wesley was thinking. 

“Not without a little divine intervention…” 

“It’s either that, or you drive the car up on the sidewalk for curbside delivery.” 

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s a viable solution to our problem. The last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves.” 

“Well… duh!” 

“Uh… guys?” Connor murmured. “Why not just let the green stuff do all the work?” He flushed slightly at the sudden rush of heat that permeated his body. If he didn’t know any better, the energy could actually understand what he was saying. 

Too many years spent in Quor-toth. Imagination is running away with me.

Cordelia shrugged her shoulders at the ex-watcher. 

“He’s got a point. It did enable him to get Buffy back in the car… and it’s still here,” she reasoned. “Okay. Let’s go. But at the first sign this stuff doesn’t follow us, you’re back in the car. Got it, mister?” 

“Got it.” 

Cordelia opened her door and got out, then opened the door to the back. Connor scooted over on the seat, closer to where she stood and finally stepped out. He had a bit of trouble getting out, thanks to the Slayer and her dead weight, but he didn’t drop her. The mist followed him, he was pleased to see, and he debated a minute as to whether he should chance going ahead by himself and coming back for his father and Spike, or whether the four of them should all go at once. 

“Uh… dad? I think maybe you should come with me. I’m not sure if I could coax this stuff to come back for you.” 

Angel was knocked out of his silent ruminations at his son’s words. 

“Yeah. You’re probably right. Let me see if I can get the two of us out of the back row.” 

It took some serious maneuvering on his part, but Angel finally managed to step out of the vehicle next to Connor. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief that he’d not dusted the second he cleared the door and stepped out into the sun. 

“Let’s take this slow,” he told Connor. “Stick close to me. And if I tell you to run… run.” 

The twenty yards from where the SUV was parked to their front door could have easily been twenty miles. Angel could feel his demon practically clawing at his insides, urging him to seek shelter, and fast, as he matched his son step for step towards the safety the motel room provided. He was almost grateful of Spike and Buffy’s listless states, and that neither vampire was aware of what was happening at the moment; it was bad enough that he did, and it was something he’d not soon forget. Even though he’d gotten used to seeing the sun rise from within the protected glass of Wolfram & Hart, actually being outside during the light of day was another matter entirely. 

Ten steps. Five… 

Cordelia held the door open as Angel and Connor stepped inside. The green mist never wavered once in protecting them along the way. Much like it had in the SUV, it drew back from the four and expanded to encompass the entire room. 

Angel crossed to one of the two queen beds and laid Spike out on top of the covers, then directed Connor to lay Buffy next to him. He watched as she immediately curled into Spike’s side and noticed how it had absolutely no effect on the blond whatsoever. Weary beyond belief, he backed up and sat down on the other bed. He felt Cordelia curl around him and he allowed himself to be drawn back onto the pillows and held. 

Wesley sank gratefully onto the couch and was asleep in a matter of minutes. He’d been up for well over twenty-four hours and the adrenaline that had kept him going, kept them all going, was rapidly wearing off now that they had Buffy back. His body was telling him to sleep, and for once, he listened. 

Connor silently grumbled about drawing the short straw of sleeping on the floor. Though he had to admit, he’d slept in worse places before, and the carpet at least gave him a bit of cushion. Snagging one of the unused pillows from the bed Cordelia and his father were sharing, he laid down on the floor close to the heavily-curtained window. He closed his eyes and willed his body to sleep, at the same time conditioning himself to pick up the noises going on outside the room; if someone tried to surprise them, they were going to be in for a rude awakening. 

Angel lay unmoving as, one by one, the heart rates and breathing patterns in the room slowed and leveled out – indicating each one’s slumber. He waited a few minutes more before brushing his lips across Cordelia’s forehead and carefully extracting himself from her embrace. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay in bed with her. But right now, Spike needed him. Buffy needed him. Together the two of them had to work at bringing Spike back. 

He quietly moved from one bed to the other and stared down at his childe. Spike hadn’t moved from where he’d placed him – lying on his back on top of the covers. What worried Angel the most, not that Spike’s unnatural stillness and paler than normal coloring wasn’t enough to send him into full brood mode, was that Spike wasn’t even breathing. Spike always breathed when he slept. It was a habit that not even Angelus had been able to beat out of him. Though, truth be told, his heart hadn’t really been in it all those times he’d tried to make Spike stop; the lulling cadence of the younger vamp’s deep, even breathing was a surefire way to get him to fall asleep whenever he was too wired to do so otherwise. There’d been times in his pre-soul days that he would walk into the room Spike shared with Drusilla and wake him from a sound sleep – usually with a sharp cuff to the head – complaining that his monotonous breathing had kept him awake and it was now Spike’s job to fix it. Then he would drag him off to a vacant bedroom, his childe hissing invectives the entire way. 

It was only in the privacy of the bedroom that Angelus would relax his stranglehold on the blond’s neck. 

“Can’t sleep, Sire?” Spike would smirk. He’d utter an appropriate retort, then throw Spike on the bed and climb in behind him. Sometimes Spike would drift back off to sleep immediately – particularly after a good hunt. Other times…

Angel physically shook himself, abruptly terminating those particular memories, and returned his attention to the pair lying on the bed in front of him. 

As he took note of Spike’s gaunt features, he knew he’d pay anything, anything, just to see that chest rise and fall with the vamp’s unnatural breathing. He stood there for several minutes watching the two before toeing off his shoes and climbing on the bed to settle himself on the other side of Spike.

He lay as close as he could get to Spike without actually touching him, at least for now. Above him, the green mist swirled slightly. He’d yet to figure out what, exactly, the stuff was, what it was trying to accomplish. Or why it was even still there. He did know that it wasn’t evil. That it wasn’t bent on causing them harm. 

It had saved Buffy, after all. Him and Spike, as well, once they’d gotten back to the motel. He pondered possible explanations for its sudden appearance for a while before finally giving up. His exhaustion was making itself known, his thoughts becoming more and more jumbled. He’d have to think about the whys later today, after he’d had at least a few hours sleep. For all he knew, it would be gone once he woke. 

And, if not, he’d worry about it then. Maybe even enlist Giles’ assistance in dealing with it.  

Which reminds me. I need to call him when I wake up. Let him know that Buffy has been found.

Angel closed his eyes and curled on his side, draping one arm over Spike’s middle. Confident that things would resolve themselves once he woke, he gave into his fatigue and slept. 

~*~*~*~*~

Dawn, or as much as the green swirling entity could be Dawn in her current state, looked upon the three vampires sleeping peacefully on the bed. They looked right together, like a family. Not that the others in the room weren’t to some degree, but the three on the bed were going to be together long after the humans in the room were dead and buried. 

She’d had to go through thousands of dimensions to get back to Earth and it had taken her far longer than the year of Buffy’s self-imposed exile. Not for the first time did she wish that time moved the same in every dimension; if so, she would have been back a lot sooner. Seeing the type of relationship Angel now had with Spike, maybe it was a good thing it had taken her so long.  

Her gaze flicked briefly over the other occupants of the room before settling on the boy sprawled on the floor sound asleep, a pillow the only thing giving him a bit of cushion from the concrete slab and thin carpet overlay. He was cute. Very cute. And a warrior, a protector, through and through, she couldn’t help but notice. She’d seen how he’d distracted Cordelia from getting too close to Buffy when he thought that she might be a danger to her. How he’d taken a short, determined breath and forged ahead into the mist – into her. Knowing that he could have been killed, but going anyway. 

His goodness had felt so… awesome… as it washed over her. Perfect even. Match, her mind had screamed at the time, and she’d unconsciously treated his body to a momentary flood of warmth before getting herself on an even keel.

Once the others figured out how to bring her back to her corporeal self, she was so getting to know him, whoever he might be. 

For now, she settled in to wait. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Buffy woke and frowned when she realized she was on the hard ground, surrounded by trees. The sound of a child’s laughter drifted on the wind and she reluctantly pushed her way to her feet. Ignoring the leaves and bits of dirt that clung to her dress, she started through the woods towards the noise and soon came to a clearing – a pretty field of green grass and waist-high flowers, lots and lots of flowers in an array of colors. 

The girl was young, perhaps four or five, and cute as a button. Her skin was darker than average, like she was of mixed ethnicity; her hair was long, dark too. 

She has her mother’s hair.

She started when she realized who it was that she was staring at. A second later, her suspicions were confirmed when Faith emerged from the forest not far from where she’d exited herself. 

“Faith? What are you doing here?” she asked once the Slayer was close enough to hear. Off to the side, the girl continued to frolic in the field, paying no attention to either woman. 

“That’s supposed to be my line, B. It’s my dream. You’re Obi Wan Kenobi now, so make with the vague and tell me why you’re here.” 

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I thought— Should I know?” 

Faith snorted. “You’re askin’ me?” 

The two lapsed into silence, and by some unspoken command, turned to watch the girl playing before them. 

“She’s beautiful,” Buffy commented. 

“Yeah… she is.” 

“I don’t remember her being that big.” 

“She’s not… not really.” 

“What did you name her?” 

“Nicole.” 

“It’s a nice name.” 

“Thanks.” 

“She looks a lot like Robin.” 

“Yeah, but she has my temperament.” 

“Stubborn?” 

“Girl, you don’t know the half of it. But Robin keeps her in line. She’s like putty in his hands.” 

“Just like mommy.” 

The slayers shared a secret smile. 

“I felt you, you know,” Faith commented after a time. “Just after she was born.” 

“I tried…” Buffy wanted to tell her that she’d tried not to make her presence known. She’d not wanted to put Faith in the awkward position of knowing where she was, but not telling the others. “I wasn’t going to come. But, it was like something was pulling me to Cleveland. I’m surprised the others didn’t guess.” 

“They did… eventually. I think they showed up a few days after you’d left. Then I kept them close for a few days. Used the baby’s birth and the fact that I’d not seen them since LA to keep them there.” 

“You didn’t have to do that, Faith.” 

“Figured you weren’t ready to go home yet.” 

“No, I wasn’t.” 

“Are you ready now?” 

“I don’t know,” Buffy whispered, ashamed. 

“Dawn wasn’t your fault, B. And, if you want to get technical, the girl was only a key. Some green mist, or vapor, or whatever. Made flesh thanks to a spell of a few monks.” 

“But she was my flesh… Summers flesh. Faith—” 

“Did you ever stop to think that there was a reason it happened to Dawn and not one of the others?” 

“Yes. Me. I was the reason it was Dawn.” 

“How do you figure?” 

“Lorne told me.” 

“Uh huh. And he never makes a mistake? Maybe it was supposed to be Dawn all along. If it were to happen to someone else— Buffy, you have to let it go.” 

“You sound just like Cordelia. In fact, I think she said the exact same to me about something else.” 

“Smart girl,” Faith muttered and earned herself a glare from Buffy. She smiled, throwing Buffy off-kilter. “Well, in this particular instance, I’ll take that as a compliment. Cheerleader’s not bad, if you ignore the whole ‘princess’ thing she’s got going. You know she’s banging Angel, right?” 

“Faith!” Buffy’s face screwed up and she made a yuck sound. 

“It’s true.” 

“T. M. I., Faith. TMI!” 

“Though, I’ve got to wonder about Spike and Angel.” 

“What about Spike and Angel?” 

“Come on, B. You don’t think those two have never done the nasty before, do you? Have you seen those two together? Repression, say it with me.” 

“Umm… okay. And how did we get onto this topic anyway?” 

“Simple, B. We’re not gonna be around forever. You are. Spike and Angel are. At least until you all meet the business end of a pointy stick, and even then I’ve got my doubts. The Powers like their champions, so I’ve no doubt they’ll find a way to keep you three around.” 

Buffy nodded. All three of them had been brought back from death at least once.

“Anyway… What I’m trying to say is, we’re your family, B. But we’re your human family. We’re all gonna die eventually. If we’re lucky, not for a good long while. I’d like to think that me and Robin are still hittin’ it when we’re old and gray.” 

“Ugh… Faith.” Buffy rolled her eyes.

“It’s good to see that vampire in you hasn’t squashed your prudish tendencies,” Faith smirked. 

“I’m not a prude. Spike could probably show Robin a thing or two about—” 

“Really? I’ll have to remember to get those boys to talk.” 

“Faith, you’re incorrigible.” 

“Don’t I know it.” 

Buffy shook her head and rolled her eyes. 

“Just you wait. Nicole’s gonna be sixteen one day.” 

“At which point, I’ll have Robin lock her away. Or I can have her uncles Angel and Spike warn all the boys away. Girl’s gonna be a virgin when she gets married, or my name’s not Faith!” 

Buffy laughed, and it mingled with the girl’s laughter, until it died abruptly. Her head swung sharply to the left, and sure enough, Nicole had disappeared. 

“Damn Slayer dreams,” Faith grumbled. “Least I got to see what my baby’s gonna grow up to look like.” 

“There is that,” Buffy agreed. “Everything else about these things suck.” 

By mutual agreement, the two started walking again. The day gave way to night and it got steadily colder. Buffy should have been impervious to the temperature change, but for some reason she felt it – the sharp sting of ice digging into her back. 

“You’ve got some serious ass-kissing to do,” Faith mentioned out of the blue. “Spike’s had a rough time of it this past year. They all have.” 

Buffy nodded.

“I could feel it when I finally let him in, though I could tell he tried to hide it from me.” 

“You hurt him, B. Bad. He’s your mate, your Sire, and you cut him off. It’s a good thing he loves you so much. You’ve gotta stop running every time something gets too hard to deal with.” 

“Oh, and you’re a model of ‘let’s stay and talk this out’?” 

“I’ve learned from my mistakes. Robin and I have our share of differences, but we talk and we make the decision together.” 

Faith laid a reassuring hand on Buffy’s shoulder. 

“Don’t you think it’s time to trust Spike to be able to help you? He’s not like Angel. He won’t make the decision for you. He’ll make it with you.” 

“I know. I don’t deserve him, Faith. He’s always there for me, even after I push him away.” 

“No, Buffy, what you don’t deserve are all of these hard knocks thrown your way, and when it’s my time, I fully plan on having a word with these so-called Powers. Nothing like making it difficult for their champions. Makes you wonder what side their playing for, doesn’t it?” 

“So what do I do?” 

“You’re the Slayer, B. You’re the one that’s supposed to make with the cryptic advice. Ask yourself what you should do.” 

“We should talk.” 

“Well… yeah. No-brainer there.” 

As the two continued to walk, a path materialized out of nothing. It was so cold now that their teeth had begun to chatter. 

“Why is it so cold?” Buffy asked, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms in an attempt to get warm. 

“We’re getting closer.” 

“Closer? Closer to what?” 

“You’ll see.” 

“Now who’s making with the cryptic?” Buffy complained. 

“It’s only fair.” 

The path disappeared, and in its place was a long hallway. Doors lined either side and seemed to stretch for miles in the distance. Faith stopped and gestured for Buffy to continue. 

“What? Am I supposed to try them all? I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to get back to Spike and apologize.” 

“That’s the thing, B. You’ve got to find him first.”

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