Chapter 47 – Save the
Day
Hey, Baby, I don’t
wanna be your Superman
I just wanna be your
man and I’ll be super, baby
You’ll be standing in
the sunshine
I’ll be standing right
here in the rain
You save me and I’ll
save the day
Train
The door shut softly behind her. She didn’t make a peep as she crossed through their living room, down the hall to their son’s room. He listened as she rearranged his covers, told him goodnight. Her strong maternal instincts was one of the reasons, Giles loved Kate so much. She was just so damn good about caring for people that he couldn’t help falling in love with her. It was her magic. And it showed in everything she did, coming through in her smile and in the softness of her fingertips. His cock grew restless thinking about the woman who was coming down the hall toward him. Into their room. She sighed, kicking off her shoes in the direction of the dresser, before turning to their bed.
“Hello, Rupert,” Kate whispered as she sat next to him. She kissed him, lingering for a moment before she laid her head on his chest.
“How is Dana?” Giles asked, twirling a strand of his wife’s long, brown hair around his finger. With his other hand, he caressed her back, hoping that the necessities of conversation wouldn’t take too long.
“She’s still sedated. It will be morning before the drugs wear off,” Kate sighed. “How did we miss the signs?”
“The signs of what, dear?” Giles asked, already knowing the answer. Despite what he wanted, Kate needed to talk about the events of the evening.
“One of our girls being so lost,” Kate said, propping her head on her chin so that she could look at him. “We…I thought we knew them all.”
“You know them all,” Giles replied, putting his hand over his eyes. He couldn’t bear the scrutiny from his wife. “I’ve been so busy putting on all the airs of knowing them, and running the school, and the Council that I haven’t gotten to know them or made sure they were under someone’s watchful eye.” He paused for a moment then continued softly, “We need to change things, Kate. Give them back Watchers of their own. Someone who can really know them.” He absently rubbed his forehead, before letting his hand return to her back.
“You’re right,” Kate assured him. “We’ve been shuffling them all in the same direction. It’s no wonder so many are rebelling.” She paused, letting a finger trace patterns on his chest while she seemed to contemplate something. “On the ride to Sanctuary, Raven was talking about being out in the woods with Connor. He was training her to survive in that situation and she said that she really felt alive out there. A part of her was missing by being in the city. She misses home, and Lankasha.”
“Does she want to return?”
“No, not really. But
she’s right, you know, there’s evil in the country, too,” Kate said, with a
soft sigh. “Spike and Buffy just
finished that trip out to
“I don’t know, Katie girl,” Giles responded, wondering why himself. There were only a few teachers available to work with girls with their abilities. If they didn’t want them spread too thin, it was easier to keep them all in one place. It was also safer for them. But now that Kate had brought it up, well actually, now that Raven had brought it up. Wouldn’t some of the girls be more predisposed for slaying in the country? It was just something they’d never considered. “Next board meeting we’ll bring it up, I promise. We do need to change things before we lose them all.”
“You’re a good man, Rupert,” Kate said, flashing him a look that told him how proud she was of him. It warmed him from his heart all the way down to his toes and everywhere in between. This woman owned all of him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love you for it, you know?”
“I know,” he said with as much pompous arrogance as he could.
“Ass,” Kate teased, tickling him with fingers that were caressing as much as torturing him.
“Yeah, you love me for that, too,” he said, laughing as he pulled her over him. He rolled on top of her, capturing her hands on either side of him. She giggled. It was amazing. He was over fifty and he still felt like a randy teenager sharing a bed with this woman. Thanking whoever was in charge for bringing Kate into his life, he bent his head to kiss her. He knew that life didn’t give second chances, and he wasn’t going to regret any lost moments with this woman. None at all.
~~~~~~~~
How many years did they waste before they could reach this friendship? Youth and arrogance was so blinding. It kept her from seeing the truth. Now, all she had was truth. It was terrifying.
“I don’t know if I can even move,” Buffy whispered, shuddering from another sob that rocked her too thin body.
Faith rubbed her back, wishing she could make all of Buffy’s fears and pain go away. She couldn’t. Every step of the lesson was as valuable as the conclusion.
“You need to sleep,” Faith said. “Things will be clearer in the morning.”
“Yeah, it will be clear that he’s gone,” Buffy responded, leaning against Faith like a child.
Spike deserved a smack in the face for his attitude toward his wife and children. At least in Faith’s opinion. Outwardly, he’d done everything expected him after the chaos at the Hyperion. He supported his wife, comforted his children, made all the right decisions, and then taken off with the guys to Max’s apartment for a drink and a testosterone-filled re-telling of the event. Spike performed the façade of the ideal family man expertly, but his heart seemed to be missing. It was Faith that brought Spike’s wife and children to the beach house for the night. It was Faith that helped put Elijah and Journey to bed for the second time. Moreover, it was Faith that was trying to keep Buffy from falling apart while he was gone.
“When was the last time you slept?” Faith asked, in her best auntie voice. It was a cross of a stern ‘don’t mess with me’ edge, and a compassionate, “I love you’ tone, that usually made the kids listen. She hoped Buffy would, too.
“Oh, god,” Buffy said, sitting straight up. “I’m sorry.” She wiped at her face. “Go home, Faith. Really, I’m fine.”
“It wasn’t the point I was trying to make,” Faith responded, gently. She pushed Buffy’s hair out of her face. “You’re beyond exhausted. You need sleep before you can even make sense out of everything. He’ll be back. You know it. You’re just afraid to hope for anything else.”
“Yes, mom,” Buffy said, with a smile.
“Getting good at it, aren’t I?”
It was amazing. How did such a bad ass like Faith end up being everything she never wanted to be? A little death could change anyone. That and a taste of heaven. How she ever got in, Faith still wasn’t sure, but she was grateful she had. Life was different now. If you could call, what she had life. The only regret was Max. It tore her in two knowing she was breaking his heart. For her, though, he was out of reach. She prayed there was someone to love him in his future.
“Yes, you are,” Buffy sighed. “Any ice cream in the kitchen?”
“Doubt it,” Faith said. “Angel doesn’t like it, and well…”
She didn’t finish the thought. It was too wrenching to think of their friend on death’s door just down the hall. Cordelia was barely conscious now. The morphine taking her from them. Faith only hoped that there wasn’t any pain left for Angel’s wife in this realm. Buffy’s hand slipped into hers, and she squeezed it. They both knew what was waiting for Cordelia, and in a way they could only hope it was soon.
“I’m not pregnant,” Buffy said, breaking through Faith’s musings. “We just started trying. Why did you make that slip about a baby?”
“Hopeful thinking,” Faith said, with a smile to lessen the guilt of the lie. “Dylan told me you and Spike were trying to get pregnant again.”
“Word moves fast,” Buffy muttered. “The little bastard doesn’t have any morals at all, does he?”
“It’s easier to hate him, then to hate Spike?”
“What?” Buffy asked. “He’s chasing Spike without caring that he’s married with children.”
“And it’s Spike’s decision whether to fall for it or not. Isn’t it?” Faith prodded after a moment. “There’s a lot of people who would willingly fall into bed with Spike without caring if he’s married or not. Look at him. He’s gorgeous. The bad boy with the heart. Spike doesn’t look twice at them.” She held up her hand before Buffy could protest. “Yeah, I know he has…at a couple, but he didn’t do it. Why crucify him for it?”
“Because I wonder why the hell he wanted me in the first place,” Buffy whispered, covering her face with her hands.
“Oh, Buffy,” Faith chided. “You know why. You just don’t choose to believe it.” She stood up. “You need to get under the covers and get some damn sleep, woman. This is all the kind of stuff you shouldn’t be thinking about when you can’t think straight.”
Buffy didn’t protest this time. She crawled under the covers, letting Faith tuck her in like a child. Faith figured that everyone needed someone to take care of them once in a while. She was just thankful that she had this chance to rebuild a few of the bridges she burned a long time ago. She crawled on top of the bed next to Buffy, letting the other slayer snuggle close to her as they both fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~
With one last wave at Angel and Spike, Dylan turned to enter the Armstrong Hotel. A cheap room with no questions was its motto and the perfect place for someone without ties to anyone. Dylan was as alone as anyone could be; he hated it but couldn’t let anyone close enough for the truth. At least at a distance, they were still around, instead of being gone like everyone else.
He ran up the three flights to his floor, enjoying the slight winded feeling it gave his body, but hated the stench that permeated the building. Grease, sex, and garbage hung heavy in the air, and Dylan was sure that imbedded into every piece of wood and steel of its construction was the same stench. Just like his soul.
It figured. Marguerite was waiting for him when he entered his room. She was sitting seductively on top of his bed, as she always did when waiting for him to return with his nightly earnings. He sighed, trying to ignore her as he moved into the bathroom to take a leak. There was no reason to close the door behind him. She’d just appear next to him. At least this way she stayed in the other room even if she watched every move he made.
“You were quite the hero tonight, weren’t you?” Marguerite purred.
Trying to ignore the small curl of fear in his belly, Dylan zipped up his pants, tossed his hair before turning to lean in the doorway. He stared at the woman who he once loved so much. She didn’t seem to get to him as much as she once did. She was dead after all.
“I saved a friend.”
“He’s not your friend,” she laughed, holding her stomach. “You’re a fool if you think Max thinks of you as anything other than trouble. Oh, yes, I saw the touching scene of the toasts they gave you for being such a good boy. They were lying to you, watching you, wondering what you wanted in return for your good deed.”
“They’re my friends,” Dylan protested. An echo of a much younger boy saying the same thing to his mother, only to find out the other boys wanted something different from him after all. He was too pretty to hang out with the tough guys. He pushed the memory away. He was tough. Tougher than all of them. Most of who were dead now or rotting in prison. Hopefully they were getting the same treatment they’d given him.
“You’ve always liked to make up fantasies to sooth your poor hurting heart,” Marguerite said, coming to stand in front of him. “You’ve never fit in, have you?”
“I’m fine,” Dylan snapped, turning away to get some clothes to sleep in. He didn’t need to listen to this. Spike was going to love him, and then he’d have everything he wanted. Someone to love him, family, and friends. “Why don’t you go bother someone else?”
“Already have, luv.”
“What…what have you done?” Dylan straightened up. He looked at her through the mirror. His stomach rolled under the fear that those few words brought to him. She’d done something. As punishment for his saving of Max. After all, he ruined her plans. She only smiled at him. “What?” Dylan demanded, turning to face her smiling face.
“I helped her,” Marguerite said, with a wave of her hand. “She was so lonely here in the big city. You certainly didn’t have time to have a conversation with her, or be able to bother helping her out. So, now she’s with the angels.”
It had to be the runaway staying at the end of the hall. So young, and frightened, she’d tried to talk to Dylan. Get some advice, but he’d been in a hurry to leave for his mission, and he didn’t stop to listen. He told himself he would find her the next day, but the next day never came.
“You sick bitch,” Dylan snarled. He didn’t waste any more time as he ran down the hallway. Her door was unlocked and he prayed that Marguerite had lied to him. She hadn’t. The girl who couldn’t have been more than seventeen was dead. Lying in a bathtub of bloody water, a razor blade floating on top.
Dylan screamed in pain and guilt.
“It’s all your fault,” Marguerite whispered behind him.
to be continued…
