Chapter 46 – Sanctuary
Blindfolded,
Buffy carefully felt for the next step before lifting her foot. She was safe.
She knew that because Spike’s arm was wrapped around her chest. He wouldn’t let
her fall.
“Just a
couple more, Luv,” Spike whispered in her ear sending chills shooting through
her.
The evening
so far had been romantic. Dinner, specially prepared by
“That was
the last one,” Spike said, sliding around her to lead her further into the
attic.
It had been
finished the night before. Only a couple of more details and they could start
moving in. His hands lifted the blindfold and Buffy blinked a couple of times
before she could focus. It was beautiful. The wood along the walls and sloped
ceiling had been polished until it shown. Tucked in the front corner was the
nursery with white washed walls and a huge window that overlooked the side
yard. The baby would benefit from the morning sun. The ceiling sloped on one
side and there was soft carpeting beneath her feet.
“It’s gorgeous,”
Buffy said, awed by the details that her husband and friends had given to the
baby’s first room.
“Bryant
said that he would paint a mural if you’d like. He said to call him and tell
him what you want.”
It was
exciting to have a new place to explore and claim. Buffy hurried to the
bathroom that was next to the nursery. She gasped as she stepped into the
rectangular shaped room. There were his and her sinks along one long counter.
Shelves, instead of medicine cabinets, were only interrupted by two mirrors
above each sink. Tucked into the corners were a stand alone shower and a large
bathtub.
“William,
where’s the toilet?” Buffy asked, glancing around and wondering how they could
have forgotten that small detail.
Spike
laughed and opened a door next to the shower to reveal the missing item.
“Privacy,”
Spike said.
“That is so
cool,” Buffy said. “I love it.”
“Let’s go,
there’s more to see.”
Spike led
her across to where he had set up a small sitting area with a loveseat and two
chairs. The flat screened television
hung on the wall with shelves on either side. Spike had made room in their
private space for his books. Buffy ran her hands over the beloved adventures
that her husband spent so much time lost in. If only they could pick one and
disappear into another time or place. Someplace where they weren’t a vampire
and slayer and could just be an ordinary man and woman in love. This macabre
life they were living wouldn’t be happening and they could be normal. But it
was her wish for normal was what had gotten them into this in the first place.
Her desire for a home and a baby had changed everything.
“I love
you,” Buffy said, needing to hear the words out loud and not just as an echo
inside a mind she didn’t trust anymore. “Right now, here in this moment, with
all my heart.”
Blue eyes
filled with confusion as he studied her. She had changed the rules again. The
words hadn’t been spoken in weeks. Assumption and actions were all they were
living on now. Wishes could be cruelly twisted and never being satisfied left
you unhappy. They had been happy but she hadn’t let herself enjoy it and now it
was costing them everything. If only somehow she could tell him everything but
the price was too high for honesty. Sighing, she held her arms out to her
husband and he came to her.
“Insane
slip,” Buffy quipped, squeezing his hands. “Finish showing me around.”
Spike
kissed her and pulled her to the small kitchenette area. It wasn’t like she
couldn’t see everything in the large open spaces. It was a game to them;
letting him escort her from one ‘room’ to the other. Each room another present
for her to marvel over as he pointed out features or designs that she had put
on her wish list.
There was a
small sink and microwave along the small L-shaped counter. The small
refrigerator would enable them to have snacks, drinks and blood handy. Along
the front of the house was a storage unit to hold the miscellaneous junk they
had accumulated over the years. Finally it was time to inspect their bedroom.
“I ordered
the bed awhile back as a surprise,” Spike said, sitting on the end of it. “Do
you like it?”
“Yeah,
you’re in it,” Buffy said, taking in the king sized bed. “It’s huge though. I
could get lost in it.”
“Don’t
worry. I’ll find you.”
The
laughter was resonant of times long ago. Buffy opened the closet to hide the
pain that it brought. It was a huge walk-in with shelves and drawers built in.
She peeked out and grinned at her husband lying across the bed.
“This way
you don’t have to buy a new dresser, huh?”
“Something
like that.”
Buffy
leaned against the door frame and took in the rest of the area. There were two
windows on either side of the bed parallel to the brass headboard. The ceiling
sloped all along the back wall and it gave a protective air to the space. Where
the two sides met high above her, two fans with lights were hung. It was a
beautiful and cozy place where they could be alone or share with the family.
She could see games being played on the wood floors or personal talks held
while curled up in the loveseat.
“It’s like
a small apartment up here.”
Words were
awkward and Buffy wasn’t sure where to go from here. If both of them were smart,
they’d go back downstairs and maintain the distance between them. But the air
was crackling between them as their bodies called to join with their mate. She
knew that for him to be thinking clearly Spike had to lose his emotions for
her. It was almost a losing battle because Spike had always been a romantic and
a slave to his heart.
“Join me,”
Spike said, patting the bed. His eyes were overflowing with love and desire as
he waited for her to answer.
Giving in
would only make matters worse. The pain only grew with each touch as she
wondered if it would be their last. It was going to change soon and they needed
to stand by the decision to let go. No magic words or steadfast love was going
to fix what was wrong. If anything could at all. Maybe this would be the last
time he would ever hold her and make love to her. Knowing it was selfish she
went to him anyway. Greedy for his touch she took every morsel he gave her and
returned it with every bit of love she held for him.
~~~~~~~~
Spike eased
his arm out from under Buffy and reached for his jeans. His cell phone was
ringing insistently and he pulled it out of his pocket. A glance at the Caller
ID let him know it was Dawn. The heel of his hand rubbed at his eyes as he
tried to focus.
“Yeah, Bit,
what’s going on?”
“Spike,”
Dawn said, hysteria tinged her words. “Willy’s, it was bombed, oh my God,
they’re in there. Josh, the others…Raven went in to help.”
“Bollocks,
I’m on my way,” Spike said, pulling his pants on and reached for his shirt. He
tucked his phone into his pants and pulled his shirt over his head. Buffy was
sitting up and he quickly explained where he was going.
“I’m going
with you,” Buffy said, scrambling off the bed.
“No,
please, I need to know that you are least safe.”
She nodded
and pulled her own clothes on and followed him. She waited while he quickly
gave instructions to Sean. Spike left them with a promise that he’d bring the
family home safely. The Desoto was pushed to its limit as he sped to the bar.
Plumes of smoke reached into the sky from a couple of blocks away screaming the
destruction of a Sunnydale institution. He turned the
last corner and slammed on the brakes. Firemen were drenching the still smoking
building but it looked like the fire had been put out. Running into the crowd he looked for Dawn but
she found him first.
“Where are
the others?”
“Josh, they
can’t find him,” Dawn cried, her hands clutching him. “He went into the
bathroom as soon as they went in. The ceiling collapsed. They’re trying to dig
him out.”
“Stay
here,” Spike instructed, running past authority figures, ignoring their
warnings to stay out.
Coughing,
Spike shifted to his demon face, needing the heightened senses in the smoke
filled building. Getting his bearings he headed to the area where the bathrooms
were in the back room. He could hear the sounds of material being shifted from
the others digging to find Josh. Connor and Raven were trying to lift a heavy
beam out of the way. Spike went to Raven’s side and
helped her. A large chunk of the wall that was on top of it went flying as they
tossed it to the side.
“Go
outside, Raven,” Spike shouted. It was then that he noticed Clem, his arm
hanging uselessly by his side. “Take him out of here and get him help.”
His daughter
didn’t hesitate in wrapping her arm around their demon friend and helping him
out. Spike and Connor returned to pushing the debris out of the way. Every
breath was labored as he inhaled the thick smoke that still wafted from what
once the inside of Willy’s. His hands were seared raw as he threw aside the
obstacles that were between him and his brother-in-law. Firemen came flooding
into the building and the way was hastily cleared with the extra hands. In only
moments the door was opened to reveal Josh lying unconscious under the wreckage
of a collapsed wall. As one of the men moved to uncover him, a paramedic knelt
beside him feeling for a pulse. But Spike already knew he was alive, even under
the circumstances he could smell the life that flowed through the younger man’s
veins.
“He’s
breathing,” one of the firemen said. “Tell them to get a board in here now.”
“No, no I’m
fine,” Josh mumbled.
“You’d
better be,” Spike said, kneeling beside him. “I’m not dealing with Dawn being a
grieving widow.”
“Wouldn’t
put anyone through that misery,” Josh said, feeling the back of his head.
“Ouch, I think I busted my skull in.”
The board
was brought in and Josh was quickly strapped down. With the paramedic and
firemen leading the way out, Connor and Spike followed to the clear night air.
Spike took several deep breaths to clear his lungs and started hacking instead.
Connor was doing the same beside him and they were led to the rescue truck. They
were given oxygen masks and instructed to breathe deeply for a few moments.
Feeling more human than he ever had, Spike allowed the oxygen to revive him.
“It was the
Soldiers, Daddy,” Raven said softly, sitting between him and Connor. Her face
held a maturity that hadn’t been there a scant few hours ago. “They left a
message spray painted on the sidewalk. It said something about demons and
humans never being of one mind.”
“They were
wrong,” Spike answered, dropping the mask from his face. “We both hate them.
Look Raven,” he nodded toward the street. “You’ve started something that will
change everything.”
They looked
out over the demons and humans mingling on the street. All outraged at a group
that had come to their community and tried to tell them how to live. Willy was
in the center of them screaming at the injustice and garnering support from
both sides as well as the police. Clem was being loaded into an ambulance by
humans. Voices declared that these Soldiers weren’t welcome here. Things would
never be the same again as both groups began to talk.
A small
hand slipped into his and Spike smiled at his daughter. He was proud of her and
the stand she had made. It was almost surreal as sat on the back of a fire
truck with her and the son of his Sire. He laughed at how many changes he had
seen in his life time and was glad that he had seen them all.
~~~~~~~~
Something
was wrong.
Spike
stopped the car as Candy made a stand barking at the invader to her driveway.
Raven rushed from the car to pick up the small animal while Connor and he
followed slowly. Spike knew he should hurry but his feet seemed to be leaden as
they struggled to move. He rounded the corner of the house to find the back
door standing open. His eyes closed as exhaustion crept into every pore of his
being. He didn’t know if he could deal with anything else tonight.
“Dad, thank
god, you’re home,” Sean said, running from the structure. His eyes darted
frantically around the back yard. “I went to the bathroom and she was gone.
She’s not in the house.”
Despite the
need to sleep, Spike felt the adrenaline rushing into his system. He took the
dog and put her into Sean’s arms.
“Stay here
and lock up behind us. Call us if she comes back.”
“I’m
sorry,” Sean said, unable to make eye contact. “I shouldn’t have…”
“Don’t. If
she wanted out then she would have gotten out somehow. Go on in,” Spike said
and turned to Raven and Connor. “I need you to help me.”
They both
agreed and as soon as the back door had locked again, they headed for the
cemetery. Hesitating for a moment, Spike raised his head and searched for her
scent on the night air. The lingering odor of smoke still clung to the sky
above the town but he still found her. It was faint but the unique fragrance
that was only Buffy sought him out and he followed it. As it became stronger, mixing
with the aroma of fear and blood, he began to run toward her. The two figures
behind him were forgotten as the need to protect his mate dominated everything
else within him. He heard her cry, a sound that belied her frustration and
pain, as he rounded the corner of a tomb.
Buffy
looked up at him as he halted in front of her. Sadness clung to her as she held
the lifeless body of a man in her arms. His blood coated her lips like some
kind of grotesque lipstick. A drop slid down her chin and her tongue darted out
to catch it. Though his eyes saw the
scene before him, his mind could only scream at him the refrain that was his
life story.
He was too
late.
Every
effort he had made to protect her had failed. Buffy had slipped away into the
night to feed destroying the last vestiges of the priggish and self-righteous girl
he had fallen in love with.
To be continued in Chapter 47 –
Maternal Instincts
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Chapter 47