Chapter 9
The hot, sticky, metallic stench of blood filled her nostrils. Only just a memory of another time brought forth from the vision of the dead police officer, but it was as real to her as if she was huddled beside him. She whimpered, still clutching Spike’s wrist while her eyes filled with tears of a sadness that never quite left her alone. The only thing keeping her from falling apart was the man whose arm she was holding hard enough to bruise.
Suddenly, the van lurched forward as the car hit them from behind. Spike uttered a curse as he fought for control of the vehicle. Needing to know whom they were fighting, she turned around to look straight into eyes that were almost demonic in the malice directed at them. Unable to pull her eyes away, she felt a shiver run through her body as she continued to stare. Bile rose in her throat, but she still couldn’t stop staring at the monster. She felt like the helpless fourteen-year-old she’d once been.
“Get down,” Spike barked, pushing at her shoulder.
Automatically obeying his command she slid down onto the floorboard where he directed. The heat of the engine came through the floorboards, burning through her jeans. It made her think of the cellar where she once dwelled. The place where she prayed for death to end the nightmare. She trembled while wiping away tears of frustration and fear.
The van turned a corner, brakes squealing, and slamming Buffy’s head into the dashboard. Somehow, it broke through the emotions that were holding her prisoner. In an instant, the despair was gone and anger swept through her with a fury that left no room for any other feeling.
In a second she remade the decision that she wasn’t going to be a victim again. If she were going to die then she would go down fighting. She grabbed the gun from under Spike’s leg even as she shifted to her knees.
“What the hell are you doing?” Spike asked, never taking his eyes from the road.
“Going to shoot the bastard if he tries to shoot us,” Buffy said, taking the safety off.
“Do you know how to use a gun?”
“Yes, Charles used to take me to the gun range so that I could get comfortable with it. I’m pretty good if you ask me.”
She glanced up at him to find him fighting a smile despite
the mention of the man she’d dated in
“Pet, Bonnie and
“Oh, guess we don’t want that…okay, you’re Staebler.”
Spike chuckled. “I guess that makes you Benson. Let’s get out of here.”
Buffy made a quick sweep of their surroundings. They were heading for the highway. A meager amount of hope flared. This would give them the ability to reach the speed that might allow them to lose the car behind them. The engine roared when Spike pushed the accelerator down. She trusted him implicitly with her life. She turned her gaze to the car that was following them, its muffler roaring as it tried to keep up. However the van, pushed beyond it’s capabilities by her savior, was slowly taking the lead.
“I don’t think he’s going to start shooting on the highway,” Spike said, swerving around a slower moving car. He glanced in the rearview mirror. “We’re losing him anyway.”
He was trying to make her feel safe. She didn’t move from her position. Not that she didn’t trust Spike. She did, but she knew the depths that demon possessed men could go, and until she could no longer see the other car she wasn’t turning around.
“Where are we going?”
“Some place where we can hide until I can get a hold of the Captain.”
“What if it was someone within the department?” Buffy asked. “Oh god, what if somebody got to the others?”
Their eyes locked as they contemplated that their friends might not have made it. A horn blasting forced Spike’s attention back to driving. It left her feeling bereft. Once again, she went on alert for a sign of the car. She didn’t see it. Maybe they were safe. If they were safe then maybe, just maybe, the others were safe, too. She settled back into the seat, still holding tightly onto the gun, and watching in the small mirror on her door.
“Can we find out?”
“Evening news, lamb.”
“We aren’t going to contact anyone?”
“Later. After we know if it makes the news,” he paused. “Or if our friends do,” he finally added so softly she almost didn’t hear him.
He didn’t to elaborate. She knew by ‘they’, Spike meant their friends. A part of her was retreating into the blind blankness of her existence after her kidnapping. She’d never told anyone of those days. The girl and the life she’d created in her mind that was so much better than reality. She only discovered the beauty of living after she found Spike again. She laid her hand on his thigh, drinking in the warmth of his body, the ripple of his muscles as he moved from the gas pedal to the brakes, and the memory of how it felt without the soft denim between their them.
~~~~~~
He didn’t say anything as he eased onto the exit. The
hand resting on his thigh was playing havoc with his senses. She needed the physical link to keep her
emotionally intact. He needed her to
remove it so that he could keep his focus where it needed to be for them to
survive. Hopefully, their follower
hadn’t spotted them when he pulled off the highway. Just in case they were still following and he
couldn’t hear the rumbling engine of the old
Eventually satisfied that no one human could have kept up with his manic wandering, Spike headed toward a private garage where his beloved Desoto was kept. She still ran. He just kept her in a loving environment so that she would never become a broken down piece of junk. Now he needed her to change their method of transportation.
Buffy never asked or said a word as he pulled into the four-level cement building. Neither did she remove her hand. It was only as he stopped at the third level and put the minivan into park that she reacted. It terrified him when she turned to him with a blank stare as if she wasn’t even there.
“You okay?”
“Uh-huh,” she answered with a nod. “I’m fine.”
Even her voice was distant from him. “Come on, Olivia, it’s time to do some undercover work for a change,” he joked, hoping to bring her back from wherever she was hiding.
“What’s the plan?”
“Come on,” he said, climbing out of the van. “It’s time for the old switcheroo.”
It had to be curiosity forcing Buffy to follow him. He didn’t care what was motivating her just as long as she was with him. It didn’t take long to roll up the metal door to the stall that held his car. He watched the look of nostalgia wash over Buffy’s face. She looked happy to see the Desoto. Her hand glided across the hood with affection.
“You like the old car?”
“She was with me in my first days of freedom.”
Spike nodded. “Yes, she was, wasn’t she?”
Suddenly, the ensuing years since that time disappeared, and it was the way it used to be. It felt good. No, not good, but more like the way it should be. He smiled. Yeah, this was good; he had to admit, as Buffy returned his grin.
“Come on, let’s get our baby out of there and park the minivan.”
“Let’s,” Buffy responded, holding her hand out to him.
“No, you’re not driving her,” Spike said, shaking his head. “I’ve never let anyone else drive.”
“Oh, come on, Spikey,” Buffy went to fling her hair behind her shoulder, but it wasn’t there.
They both froze as their situation was brought back to them with a thundering jolt. Then Spike tossed the keys to Buffy. It wasn’t any good to want to be with Buffy. They were in a dangerous situation and he was letting his feelings get in the way. She idled the car in the aisle while he parked the van and locked up the stall again. When he headed for the car, she slipped it into park and slid to the other side of the seat. She stared out the window with her hands on her lap. It didn’t take long to reach their destination.
A small hotel in the middle of a street full of garish shops featuring everything from the sleaziest porn shops to Chinese restaurants that weren’t half-bad. He quickly checked them in, got the keys and then took Buffy by the hand.
“Where are we going?” She asked as he led her back outside.
“Drugstore.”
“Uh, why?”
Buffy stumbled as he picked up speed. It didn’t slow him down. He, also, didn’t answer her because all he could think about was what going to the drugstore conjured for him. Not that they needed to go there. She was on the pill, after all.
“Stop,” Buffy begged, stopping completely. “Would you quit going like a maniac?”
“I’m not going like a bloody maniac.” He stepped back until they were standing toe-to-toe. “Look, we need to get off the street as soon as possible. The more we’re outside; the more likely we are to be spotted by one of Luke’s goons. Can we, please, do that without the big deal?”
“Sure, whatever,” she shrugged her shoulders before looking beyond him. She must have spotted the store on the corner because she moved around him and headed in the direction he’d originally been going. After throwing his arms wide and rolling his head, he took off after her. By the time he caught up, she was already in the store and collecting things in her arms.
Spike was relieved to notice that she had the right idea. Buffy had already grabbed some hair coloring. One that would make her a brunette, but then he started. She was also holding a kit for men.
“Hold on,” Spike said, grabbing it from her hands. “I’m not going to go blonde.”
“Hush,” Buffy whispered, looking around. “And yes, you are. This is what you wanted, right? To get some stuff to disguise us with? Or were you coming here for condoms? Thinking maybe you could just bed me the whole time we have to hide out?”
“Yes, yes, no and no,” Spike adamantly shook his head. “I told Lorne that, too. God, can’t I do anything to please you?”
“You did…once upon a time,” Buffy said, refusing to back down. “So, why don’t we get what we need and get back to our hotel rooms?”
They were bickering in the middle aisle of a drugstore in
downtown
“One room, Luv, I only got one room.”
“Oh just lovely,” Buffy muttered, rolling her eyes, but she didn’t say anything else. She gave him a withering look, before returning to her shopping. This time she just handed him things, and he took them without another word. Besides the hair colorings, she picked up basic toiletries and underwear for both of them, make up, and without looking at him threw a box of condoms on top.
Spike wasn’t about to say a word. He didn’t know what she had in mind, but he wasn’t going to draw attention to them again. Instead, he just followed her to the front and paid for their purchases. After grabbing the bags, he made her wait until he looked out the glass doors of the establishment to make sure no one was waiting for them, before motioning for her to follow him. Buffy made him stop at a small boutique that announced it sold both new and used clothing. He almost told her no, but realized they hadn’t brought anything with them. Only fifteen minutes went by before she made her way back to the counter. He paid for the stuff she’d picked up without even looking at it.
“Let’s go, “ Spike said, waiting this time for her to take the packages.
Neither said a word as they made their way up to their second floor room. He could tell she was getting nervous because she was getting twitchy. Something inside of him couldn’t resist the opportunity.
“So, do you think one box will be enough?”
“One box of what?” Buffy asked with wide eyes and a tone of total innocence.
“The condoms.”
“Yeah, you’re getting old.”
Spike couldn’t help it. He laughed, even as he realized he was in serious trouble being alone with Buffy.
to be continued…
