Chapter 18 – What Can You Tell Me
What can you tell me?
Someone’s always pulling the rug from under your feet
And they’re pulling it away from you
And they’ve done it your whole life through
Everything you say
Everything you do
Anthony Steward Head
It never changed.
The hulking exterior, the
old-fashioned design of the lobby, and the endless chatter of the occupants was
a reassuring reminder that life continued. The mere act of walking through the
entrance of the Hyperion calmed Buffy. In those walls was courage, hope and a
well of life that was made up the strength of those who dwelled there.
She had sworn that no Slayer
would ever be alone again. Despite the anonymity of their lifestyle, they would
always have family with each other. This would be the home that they could
return to. If there was no other legacy for her to leave behind then she would
be content with this; to never allow any other Slayer to suffer the isolation
they had once been condemned to. All, regardless of loyalty to their duties,
was welcomed within these walls.
Shifting Joy in her arms,
Buffy made her way across the lobby. A smile graced her face as she felt the
welcoming of those they passed. The girls waved or said hello as they hurried
through and Giles stood by the front desk waiting for them. His face was grim
with worry, but that was her Watcher. In this aspect he hadn’t changed over the
years.
“Hello, Giles,” Buffy said,
stifling the small rush of butterflies caused by seeing him. Over the years
their former affection had never fully returned. His desire to see her
committed and thus forgotten still burned within her as personal betrayal. She
knew it was nonsense at this point, because he had been the exemplary friend
and Watcher since then. It was just something that she had never fully been
able to let go of.
“Hello, Buffy,” he replied,
smiling slightly at her then turned to Raven. “Hello, Raven. How is your
archery practice going?”
Raven ducked her head.
“Hello, Mr. Giles. It’s been a…”
“No, excuses,” Giles said, with
his typical indulgent smile. “But we will discuss it later at a more
appropriate time. Why don’t you get settled then we can meet to discuss the
other?”
“The girls are staying
here,” Buffy said. “I’ll be staying at Angel’s.”
“Of course,” Giles said, with
a knowing smile.
It was where Spike was.
Buffy wouldn’t be kept away if she was this close to him. Almost feeling like
blushing in front of Giles, Buffy turned her attention to Joy.
“You still want to stay
here?” Buffy asked, chuckling when Joy’s countenance went stiff upper lip.
“Of course, Mum.” The little
girl turned to the Watcher. “’allo, Mr. Giles,” Joy announced, in a perfect
imitation of the Watcher’s accent. “I’m staying with the girls. I’m going to
train, too.”
“Well, that’s very good,” Giles
said, smiling at the small child with obvious pride. “If there is anything that
you need, please, don’t hesitate to ask someone.”
“As if she wouldn’t,” Raven
said, holding her arms out for her sister. “Come on, squirt. Let’s go find
everybody.”
They waited until the two
girls had moved away before Giles led Buffy to his office. There were too many
ears and eyes to try and have any kind of private discussion in the lobby.
“How is Kate?” Buffy asked,
as they walked.
“She’s fine,” Giles said,
“Busy trying to keep everyone healthy around here. Of course, it’s more of the
teachers than the students. But there is always someone getting hurt or
something.”
He closed the door behind
them, waving at the chairs in front of his desk for Buffy to sit. She did,
studying his face as he sat across from her. The worry that made the few lines
on his face more pronounced and the shadows that filled his eyes told her of
his conflicts. Whatever he and Wesley had found frightened Giles. Buffy
wondered if there was more to things than even what she or Raven knew.
“Is it that bad?” Buffy
asked, holding her breath and hoping for a reassurance.
The small shake of his head
told otherwise. “Yes, I’m afraid it is, Buffy. Apocalypses and hell gods aside,
I think this shall be the worse of the lot.”
“What did you find?”
“I’m afraid it’s the end
foretold by the very ancient tribes that worshipped the gods in the first
place.”
“Explain, please,” Buffy
said, clenching her fists and drawing her lower lip between her teeth as she
tried to squelch the nervousness that seemed to be taking over her belly.
“Armageddon,” Giles said,
pulling his glasses off. “We are facing the final battle between good and evil
and everything rests in the hands of only a few people or possibly just one.”
~~~~~~~~
The air was heavy with the
stench of stale beer and cigarettes, the music loud and tinny, the girls
seemingly bored as they gyrated on stage. It was a typical strip club on the
wrong side of
They had watched the place
for the last hour to ensure that none of Gunn’s cronies were taking a break. It
was night though. Not the place for them to be when they needed to be taking
down the baddies. They were safe in their choice of a meeting place. Angel was
already waiting inside for them. He’d gone in first to make sure no one had
slipped past Spike’s surveillance. There had been no warning phone calls so
Spike headed in.
He moved through the almost
empty place with confidence. He was wearing his duster again. It felt right. It
was his armor against his own weaknesses. With it on, he could swagger again. His
once perpetual smirk was curling his lips. The family man was hidden away
beneath the bad ass exterior.
Dylan trailed behind him.
Spike knew it wouldn’t go over well with Angel but Dylan was his partner. He
had been the one to snap the photos. He was involved in Spike’s new job; and
his life whether his family accepted him or not. They would have to deal.
Spike slid into the booth
across from Angel, scooting over to give Dylan room to sit beside him. The
glare from his Sire confirmed his earlier beliefs. Spike shrugged, leaned back,
sliding his arm across the back of the booth. Dylan glanced between the two
vampires before leaning back into his seat.
“Why is the pup here?” Angel
asked, refusing to look at Dylan.
“He’s my partner,” Spike
answered, raising an eyebrow. “He was there. He already knows. What the bloody hell difference does it
make?”
“None,” Angel said, turning
his gaze to the man in question. “Except that I don’t like him.” He laid a
twenty on the table. “Go get some beers from the bar for the two of you.”
“Go on,” Spike said, when
Dylan turned to him for instructions. “Personal shit to iron out and all that
rot.”
Angel waited until Dylan was
out of ear shot before turning back to Spike. “Buffy is in town along with
Raven and Joy.”
“Why?”
It was news to Spike. There
had been a couple of missed calls on his cell from Buffy but when he had tried
to return them, she hadn’t picked up. There hadn’t been an urgent message or
anything so he hadn’t worried. Until he heard they were in town. Panic lit
briefly inside him.
“Wesley and Giles found a
new prophecy or something,” Angel explained. “They called her up here so they
could meet about it. The Watchers wanted to keep it quiet as much as possible.”
He looked over at Dylan leaning against the bar, letting Spike know not to tell
his partner.
“Sounds like a problem.”
“Probably not,” Angel said.
“One of the slayerettes had seen something on the wall when they were fighting
the ubervamps. She never said anything until a few days ago. Said she had
forgotten until she dreamed about it. She told Wesley who went into research
mode.”
“Probably nothing to worry
about,” Spike said. “We’ll see what happens.” His eyes connected with Angel’s. In
spite of their words to the contrary, they both knew that it was something to
worry about but at this point they would let the others handle it. When they
were needed, they would be called. For now they would continue to handle their
own pressing business at hand. Spike did make a mental note to call Buffy again
when he left to find out where they were staying. If his wife was in town, he
wanted to see her and his daughters.
A mug of icy draft was slid
along the table in front of him. Spike smiled in appreciation before taking a
sip. It was what he needed. It was funny that all the years of living in
Sunnydale had taken away his penchant for big city living. The air was thick,
filling his lungs with its pollution. The cold brew was the perfect remedy. It
washed away the grime that seemed to cling to the inside of his mouth and
throat.
“What did you all find out?”
Angel asked, glancing between Spike and his partner.
During the brief phone call
between Sire and Childe, nothing had been revealed to Angel about Gunn. It was
the kind of information that should only be shared in a face-to-face situation.
Spike wasn’t sure how to proceed. Angel’s team counted heavily on Gunn for both
his new legal knowledge and for his loyalty to the group. His betrayal would
weigh heavy on all of them. Not wanting Dylan to be the bad guy, Spike reached
into his pocket for the packet of photos. Not saying anything, he handed them
to his Sire.
There was recognition in
Angel’s eyes for a few of the subjects as he leafed through the pile. A few
were passed back to them for them to find out who they were. Spike’s stomach
clenched the fewer the pictures were. It was at the last few that Angel
grunted. He laid the image of Gunn on the table. He ran a finger across it then
looked up at Spike.
“See what else you can find
out about him,” Angel instructed, seemingly without emotion but Spike knew
better. “Have him followed, bugged, whatever. I want the truth.”
There was still a small hope
that maybe Gunn was working to expose the secret society on his own. Spike
hoped it was true as he gathered up the photos that had been passed back to
them, slipping them into his coat pocket again.
“Will do,” Spike said. His
eyes connected for a second with his Sire. The message sent and received to
keep it quiet. Everything could fall apart with one wrong move. Illusions were
going to keep them going until it was time.
Angel was ready to make a
stand. He had seen evil in its rawest form possible. He shared nightmares with
Spike that curled even a vampire’s hair. One moment was all Angel wanted to
show evil that in the end it wouldn’t win. And he was gathering his people
close for the Armageddon he was prepared to wage.
to be continued….
