Chapter 27 – Sin Wagon
He lived his life
Now I’m gonna go live mine
I’m sick of wastin’ my time
Well now I’ve been good way too long
Found my red dress and I’m gonna throw it on
‘Bout to get too far gone
Praise the lord and pass the ammunition
Need a little bit more of my twelve ounce nutrition
One more helpin’ of what I’ve been havin’
I’m taking my turn on the sin wagon
The music was raucous,
filling the room with its driving beat, seemingly casting a spell on the
hundreds of people filling the dance floor. They all moved to the rhythms piped
through the sound system and blaring through speakers strategically placed
around the room. Lights flashed in brilliant hues over the moving flesh that
sparkled under their glow.
It fit her mood exactly.
Raven held Rona’s hand, pulling her into the gyrating mass of people. Some
human, some not, but she wasn’t on duty and right now she didn’t care. She just
wanted to forget. Forget about her broken heart, her huge mistake that
afternoon, the boy in Sunnydale she loved, the fault line of her parent’s
marriage and that never ending duty of hers. She flipped her hair back as she
caught the eyes of a man that was giving her the once over.
Tonight was hers. And tonight
she planned on doing some living.
“He’s so cute,” Rona shouted
in her ear.
“Very fuckable,” Raven
returned with a bashful smile that showed the innocent girl that still existed
beneath the woman in leather she was displaying. She positioned them where she
would be the most on exhibit. Not only to the man whose attention she had
already caught but to the others that surrounded them. With a laugh she began
to move to the music.
For the first time in over a
year she felt free.
~~~~~~~~
Buffy paced the kitchen
floor, listening to Spike on the phone. They were trying to trace Raven’s
movements since she had left the Red Dragon that afternoon. There hadn’t been
an answer when they had tried to reach Wesley on his cell phone. Spike was now
on the phone with Kate and from the sound of it, there wasn’t any good news.
“Okay, thanks,” Spike said
distractedly. He clicked the phone off and turned to everyone gathered waiting
for information. “She didn’t show at the Hyperion. Giles and Kate haven’t seen
her. But then Wesley hasn’t shown either.”
Spike didn’t look at her but
at Angel. They didn’t speak but their gaze spoke volumes. If Wesley had done
anything to harm Raven, Buffy didn’t think he would survive the night. Both
vampires had amber flashing in their eyes and she knew they wouldn’t hesitate
to protect Raven. No matter what the cost.
“Call Wesley’s apartment,”
Buffy said firmly. “Maybe something happened and she’s still there.”
Spike nodded and dialed the
phone. His fingers drummed his impatience on the kitchen counter. The concern
for his eldest daughter was evident in every move of his tense body. All he was
looking for was a starting point. Once he knew where Raven had been, he and
Angel would take off to track her. Buffy hugged herself as she waited. Her
stomach was tied in knots as the link between the two Slayers grew stronger. If
only the connection would give her a clue where she was instead of just
taunting her with the pain her baby was in.
“What the bleedin’ hell are
you saying?” Spike snarled to whoever he was talking to. “Raven isn’t a damn
witch. So, how the fuck could she do that?”
Suddenly Spike punched the
wall with a display of fury that made everyone in the room jump. Something was
seriously wrong and Buffy rushed forward to grab the phone. Fred was still
giving a steady stream of angry babbling.
“And your daughter put the
spell or whatever on Wesley,” Fred said. “Not the other way around. It’s torn
him up in guilt. Stay away from him. Your daughter is the problem. She
manipulated him without any concern to how anyone else felt. The lying little…”
“Watch it, Fred,” Buffy
warned. “I don’t know what happened but you had better give me something to go
on if she’s in trouble.”
“You’re daughter is a
succubus.”
And with that bombshell the
phone was hung up in her ear, leaving Buffy staring at it in mute shock.
“How could she lie like
that?” Spike demanded, vamping out. “Is she daft? Trying to lay the blame on
Raven for that bastard boyfriend of hers trying to rape my little girl.”
It was only Buffy grabbing a
hold of his arm that prevented Spike from leaving the room. He snarled at her
as he tried to pull away. Spike was ready to kill and ask questions later. And
later would be too late for the Watcher.
“Spike, stop,” Buffy
demanded, putting her hand out to stop Angel from interfering. “He didn’t try
to rape her.”
“Bollocks, she’s a child…”
“No, she’s not,” Buffy said,
cupping his face. “She’s eighteen and very much a sexual being whether she’s
actually having sex or not. Fred could very well be right. We have no idea of
what powers are inside Raven. She’s never indicated anything about wanting to
explore that side of her and we’ve never insisted either.”
“Quit excusing that sorry
son of a bitch,” Spike growled, grabbing Buffy’s arm and physically removing
her from his path. “He’s dead when I get a hold of him…”
“Angel, tell him,” Buffy
pleaded. “Tell him what was happening at the meeting earlier…about Raven and
Wesley.”
“It’s true, William,” Angel
said, placing a hand on Spike’s arm. “Your daughter was very much…into Wesley.
And while I agree that he shouldn’t have been encouraging her in any way. There
was something different about Raven today. So, many emotions flowing through
her.”
“You all don’t know, do
you?” Amanda spoke up. She took a step back as the three turned their attention
to her. She visibly swallowed as she glanced at each of them. “Connor broke up
with her this morning.”
It suddenly made sense. All
the pain that Buffy could feel from Raven. The confusion, the hurt, and the
need for sexual attention. Buffy blamed herself. She had kept putting off
talking to Raven about her relationship with Connor. They had seemed so happy
together that it didn’t seem to be a priority. Now, she wondered how much Raven
had been keeping from her.
~~~~~~~~
His tongue was ramming down
her throat making her want to gag, but she didn’t. She pushed back on his
shoulders and laughed up at him. He had the most beautiful green eyes she’d
ever seen.
“Slow down a little,” Raven
said coquettishly. Her eyelids fluttered as she accepted his embrace. “We’ve
got all night.”
Not that she intended to
stick with him that long. Or even much more than a dance or two. He was cute,
could move well on the floor, and he was buying her drinks without asking her
age. It was all she needed at the moment. Her confidence in her Slayer powers
made her unafraid of taking risks. The guy was human after all.
“I swear your eyes are
glowing,” he said, in her ear. His hands cupped her bottom, pulling her closer
to him and she capitulated. It felt good to be wanted.
“It must be you,” Raven
returned, nibbling on his ear lobe.
She caught Rona’s look
behind her. The rolling of the other girl’s eyes and she just laughed. It was
her night. She was the one in control.
“Let’s go get a drink,” he
asked, kissing the side of her mouth. “Find someplace to sit the next one out.”
“Sounds good to me,” Raven
replied, allowing him to pull her out of the crowd.
~~~~~~~
The adults stood in stunned
silence at Amanda’s confession. The two vampires tensed visibly as they eyed
each other with what amounted to blame in their eyes. They had never wanted the
couple together and had only tolerated it because there didn’t seem to be any
choice. Connor and Raven had been determined to be together despite all the
differences that should have kept them apart.
“Don’t even start,” Cordelia
warned, from her spot on a bar stool in the corner. “You two fighting isn’t
going to help the situation. Angel call Connor, find out what happened and see
if he’s heard from her.”
“Uh,” Molly spoke up. “Let
me call Rona. See if she’s heard from Rave.”
“What are you thinking?”
Buffy asked, hurrying over to the two young women that seemed ready to bolt.
“Raven’s in serious trouble. We need to find her now. And anything could help.”
Amanda and Molly turned to
each other then nodded before looking back at Buffy. They had given each other
permission to break a pact among them.
“Rona’s room is over the
fire escape,” Molly said. “We use it to sneak out of the school sometimes.” She
hung her head and continued. “We all have fake ID’s.”
“Where do you all go to hang
out?” Spike demanded.
“Clubs, the pier,” Amanda
answered, stepping closer to Molly. “Wherever…just to get out from all pressure
sometimes. Faith knows the local places pretty well…we listen to her sometimes
and goes where she goes.”
“I’ll kill her,” Buffy
muttered. “Some things never change.”
“Oh, it’s not her fault,
Mrs. B,” Molly insisted. “She’s always lecturing us on being good and
sh..stuff. She talks to Max and to Dylan and we just overhear things.”
“I’m heading for the
Hyperion,” Spike said. “Call Faith then call me with whatever information you
can get.”
“I’m coming with you,” Angel
said, then added before Spike could protest. “I care about her, too.”
Spike only hesitated for a
second before nodding his acquiesce. Breathing a sigh of relief that they would
be working together to find Raven, Buffy squeezed Spike’s hand. He cupped her
cheek before giving her a hard kiss.
“I’ll find her, Luv,” Spike
promised before striding away. Angel followed him with a determined stride. She
knew they wouldn’t return until they had found the wayward teen.
“I’ll call, Faith” Cordelia
said, reaching for the phone. “Have her check out Rona’s room and warn her that
the boys are on their way.”
Buffy wrapped her arms
around herself and tried to send reassuring thoughts to Raven. Suddenly a wave
of dizziness crashed through her again and she stumbled as she reached for
something to hold her up.
~~~~~~~~
Maybe she shouldn’t have had
the last drink, which had been her fifth by the way. In the past she had only
had a few glasses of wine or a beer but never anything with this bite. Rum and
coke had sounded so easy to order, but it was packing quite a wallop on her
system. The room seemed to be spinning around her. That is, it would be if her
eyes were open.
They were closed because he
was kissing her again. Her legs were across his lap and his hands seemed to be
everywhere on her. Raven wished for the hundredth time today that she had just
gone with her mother this afternoon. But no, she had to prove that
someone…anyone could want her. And now, the control didn’t seem to be in her
hands anymore.
Where was Rona? She
whimpered as his hand cupped her breast and she feebly tried to push him away.
He stopped for a second, smiling down at her.
“I think we should get out
of here, don’t you? Some place where we can be alone.”
“I need to find my friend,”
Raven said, trying to slide away from him. He held on. “Let go of me,” She
demanded trying to stand but the room swayed beneath her and she fell back onto
the small couch. “Please find Rona for me.”
“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll
take care of you,” he promised, pulling her close again.
~~~~~~~
Angel brought the Viper to a
stop outside the Hyperion. Faith and Dylan were waiting for them. Both their
faces filled with concern, but Angel suspected that Dylan’s was just an act. He
wanted to snap at the pup to get away, that this was a family concern, but
decided that maybe Spike would want him there. Why he didn’t know and wished he
had more time to deal with this wayward childe.
“Hey,” Faith called to them
as soon as they stepped out of the car. “I talked to Cordy and got the scoop.
No one has seen Rona for a few hours and the window in her room is cracked. It
looks like they did sneak out.”
“Where?” Spike asked,
walking toward the side of the building.
“This way,” Faith said,
leading them around the hotel to the side that was away from the street. The
ladder for the fire escape was down. “So, they came down here but they could
have gone anywhere from here.”
Spike lifted his face to the
breeze, sniffing for the scent of his daughter on the air. Even in the city of
thousands with all the smog, Angel didn’t doubt that Spike could trace Raven.
It wasn’t just the scent alone that would guide him, but the blood oaths made
between them during Buffy’s pregnancy. Raven was a part of Spike by
blood…family in so many ways. Her very essence would call to the vampire that
was her father. Spike just needed to return to his roots and once again leave
behind his desire for being human in order to find her. Angel smiled when Spike
took off.
The others followed Spike as
he wound through the city streets towards where a lot of clubs made up the LA
scene. Raven didn’t have the pull by herself to get into any of the more
exclusive clubs but there was plenty where just a pretty face would grant you
entrance. It was one of these clubs on a side street that Spike led them too.
Hookers paraded up and down the street along with unscrupulous men looking for
a cheap thrill. Angel’s hackles rose at the thought of the girls being here.
Slayers or not, they were a lot more innocent than they wanted to be.
~~~~~~~~
Nothing was in focus. She
kept trying to sit up but her body wouldn’t move. She couldn’t even cry. She
couldn’t do anything but fight desperately to stave off the darkness that was
trying to drown her. Male voices surrounded her and hands kept touching her.
“Daddy,” Raven slurred, but
he wasn’t there. No one knew where she was. There was a ripping sound and she
realized what was about to happen to her. And she gave up, allowing herself to
sink in to the darkness.
~~~~~~~
Spike growled low in his
throat as he rushed through the front door of the club. Raven was there. He’d
heard her call for him. Not with his ears, but with his heart. The closer he
got to Raven the more he could feel Buffy pouring through him, leading him
toward their child. It was as if the three of them were connected and he opened
himself to them.
The others were following
him but he moved through the crowd with a single minded determination. Her
scent was overwhelming here among these people. So, was evil. It permeated
every plank and stone that held the building together. There was blood in the
very foundation of this building and he resolved when this was over to see it
burned to the ground.
“Oh, god, Spike,” Rona
cried, running up to him and grabbing him. “I can’t find Raven. She was with
this guy…”
Spike looked through the
girl in front of him. He pushed her aside as he spotted a staircase with a bouncer
standing guard. The guy never knew what hit him as Spike picked him up and
tossed him aside. He could feel Raven’s fear as he ran up the stairs. Angel was
beside him and he was grateful for that. The two of them moved as they once did
down the hallway. Both were in vamp face as the emotions overcame them.
There was another locked
door that splintered easily under their boots. A room meant for only ugly
business by a human that was more evil than most demons. On the bed lay an
unconscious Raven and a man in the process of disrobing her. He looked up at
the intruders, scrambling upwards before he hit the wall with a thud. Spike was
there to catch him when he fell. His hands wrapped around his head ready to
break his neck for the nerve of touching his daughter. The sight of this man on
top of Raven would burn through him for eternity and he wanted to make sure
that the last thing in life he saw was Spike’s vampire countenance.
Arms locked in his, pulling
him off the human before he had the satisfaction of ending his life. Spike
roared his rage as he tried to pull away from his Sire’s and Dylan’s grasp. The
sneer on the human’s face only increased his ire and he used the leverage from
those holding him to kick upwards into the man’s face. The crunching of bones
was a satisfying sound until he was pulled backwards.
“No,” Angel said. “We can’t
take the heat. We need to get Raven out of here and to Kate. He’ll pay later.”
It was a promise from one
father to another father. Spike knew that Angel would keep that promise, but it
wasn’t enough. He nodded a lie then once free pounced on the man, raining his
fury down on him.
“Spike, no, cops are
coming,” Angel said, grabbing his childe around the chest and neck. “We have to
get out of here before we have to explain who we are to them.”
“I want a piece of him,”
Spike said, kicking the man in the groin, enjoying the scream it elicited. It
would have to do for now. He knelt beside the groaning man. “That’s my little
girl and she’s the last female you will ever touch. Count on it.”
He turned to where Faith was
holding Raven. His daughter now had a blanket wrapped around her to hide the
nudity of her upper body. He picked Raven up in his arms, kissed her gently on
the forehead before turning to follow the others from the room.
to be continued…
