Chapter 35 – Ragin’ Glory

 

 

 

The lights flickered again.

 

Buffy stopped to make sure that they were going to stay on. She was carrying a full tray and wasn’t in the mood to clean it up if she dropped it. The bar was nearly empty. The sudden storm outside prevented anyone but the adventurous from being here. Once she was sure she wasn’t going to be plunged into darkness she hurried over to the waiting table. She laid the glasses of whiskey and wine down before letting her eyes drift to the lightening flashing outside.

 

The afternoon had started off as clear and as sunny as a California day should be. But as day slipped into evening the clouds had gathered in the disappearing light. It was only getting worse as the minutes passed. She tried to suppress the shudder at the thought of the Darla trying to reach home.  Her fingers caressed the silver locket around her neck and she sent a prayer out to the gods to keep the men safe and to bring Spike home to her.

 

“Hey, Buffy,” said one of her regulars interrupting her thoughts. “How much do we owe you for this round?”

 

She turned back to her table to give the man the total for the drinks. He handed her a larger bill than necessary and told her to keep the change. She shoved the money in her pocket as she headed back to the bar.

 

“Buffy, she’s a fine girl,” the customer said to one of his visiting friends. “She’s going to make some man a good wife.”

 

The two men laughed and the friend’s voice echoed through the bar. “I bet those eyes could steal a sailor from the sea.”

 

Arnie was stacking glasses behind the bar when she sat down in front of him. A sigh moved through her as she rested her chin in her hand.

 

“Cheer up, girl,” Arnie said, putting a glass of soda down in front of her. “Ships have been through worse than this.”

 

“I know,” Buffy whispered, her fingers grasping the glass. “It’s just…” She shook her head. Her relationship with Spike hadn’t gotten this far along with pessimism. He had promised to return to her and he always told the truth.

 

The phone rang and Arnie scrambled to grab it. “This is The Edge of Paradise. How can I help you through the gate?”

 

Buffy giggled at the ridiculous greeting that was the Edge’s standard answer. It quickly stopped when Arnie looked up at her with concern in his eyes. He gave cryptic answers to whoever he was talking to. She pushed any fear back as she waited for him to hang up. It was ridiculous to be worried but the look on Arnie’s face was enough to make her think twice.

 

“What is it?” Buffy asked.

 

“That was your father,” Arnie said. “Him and your mother are over at the O’Connor’s. They need you to head over there. Giles said not to worry and be careful.”

 

“Is my mom okay?”

 

“As far as I know, Buffy,” Arnie said, wiping a spot on the bar that didn’t need to be cleaned. “I just think it’s the storm that has them spooked. Do you want me to drive you?”

 

“No,” Buffy said, rushing behind the bar to grab her purse and jacket. “I’ll see you later.”

 

Grateful for the car, Buffy dashed through the puddles to get to it. If she had to walk in this mess she would probably drown before she got there. There wasn’t anyone on the road as she drove through the silent town. Her only thought was on her family when she pulled into the driveway but then she noticed that both Xander and Willow’s cars were there. Her stomach clenched as the dread she had been pushing aside all night rushed through her system. Something was wrong with the Darla.

 

~~~~~~~

 

The ship rocked until it was leaning perilously to the right. Spike reached his arm out to balance himself against the wall of the corridor. He was trying to make it from the engine room back to the crew’s quarters. Everyone was on alert as the storm forced them to buckle everything down. He wasn’t really worried because he’d certainly been through worse in his three years of working on ships. It was just a case of keeping the engines running and making sure everything was strapped down so it didn’t become a projectile weapon. The ship steadied out and Spike continued down the hall. Loud voices echoed ahead of him and he hurried his footsteps to see if there was anything he could help with.

 

“What do you mean you’re not sure?” Wesley was asking someone.

 

“I’m pretty sure I took care of it,” Warren, the newbie was whining.

 

Spike turned the corner to find the two men arguing. Warren had signed on in California to be Xander’s replacement. Supposedly his resume and experience was spectacular but everyone who tried to work with him knew differently. He was very intelligent but was lazy and had a habit of always trying to take the easy way out. Unfortunately, he had been assigned to work with Wesley since his position would soon be available. Wesley had complained often about having to constantly ride Warren to make sure the tasks were completed correctly.

 

“What’s going on?” Spike asked, hoping to keep the disagreement from turning into an even more volatile confrontation.

 

“Mr. Mears can’t remember if he locked the crane down,” Wesley said.

 

“Bloody hell,” Spike exclaimed. “If that thing gets loose it can punch a hole in the side of the ship.”

 

“My thoughts exactly,” Wesley said.

 

“I said...,” Warren started.

 

“Forget it,” Wesley snapped. “Head down to the engine room and see if Pablo can use your help.”

 

The two men waited until Warren had passed before sharing a look of frustration and worry. The ship suddenly tilted violently to the right letting them know that the storm was increasing in intensity. The lights dimmed for a second before brightening again.

 

“I’m heading up to take care of the crane,” Wesley said, taking off down the corridor toward the main hatch. “It’s only getting worse outside.”

 

Spike followed him without saying a word. He waited until Wesley reached for a life jacket before acting. He pulled the jacket from his friend’s hands and tugged it over his head.

 

“What are you doing?” Wesley asked. “It’s my responsibility. I should have made sure…I know how he is.”

 

“Yeah, maybe,” Spike replied, fastening the straps into place. “But it’s storming out there and you’ve got a kid on the way. I’ll go and take care of it. No big deal.”

 

“No, Spike…”

 

The ship dipped and rolled sending both men into the wall. The longer they waited the harder it would be so Spike ignored Wesley instead of arguing with him. There was no way he could face himself later if he allowed his friend to endanger himself. Every child deserved to have their father around and he wouldn’t put an unborn baby at risk of never knowing his. He righted himself and headed for the hatch without delay.

 

“Close the hatch behind me,” Spike instructed, pulling it open. “Stay here to open it when I bang on it.”

 

“Be careful,” Spike heard Wesley call as he climbed out onto the deck. He nodded his head absently. He had every intention of being careful. He had Buffy to get home to. His hand wrapped around the inside railing as he tried to get his bearings. The rain was coming down in sheets while the wind whipped it into an icy frenzy. It was like needles driving into his flesh as he pulled himself toward the back of the ship. Spike was soaked within only a few feet. He wiped at his face hoping it would clear his vision which was almost zero in the darkness.

 

The crane was about twenty feet from him and he would have to let go of the railing to make it. Spike waited until the ship evened out just a bit and made a dash for it. His feet slid on the deck but he managed to stay upright. Only four more feet to go and he pushed against the wind to reach the small control center of the crane. There he was afforded some protection as he searched the various controls to see which ones needed to be locked down. The main hook was swinging freely creating a dangerous opportunity for damage to the ship itself.

 

The machinery was working fine but the wind hampered the raising of the hook. It kept swinging, leaving Spike in fear of it jamming. He kept it going slow when the wind would die down and waited out the gusts until it was finally locked in the needed intermediate position. He quickly put all the controls in the off position then turned the main switch off. One last check to make sure it was locked down before he moved to the entry way again.

 

Luck seemed to be on his side as he studied the calm that was around him. The ship was steady and he took off at a run. He was halfway to the hatch when it opened. Wesley looked out and grinned when he saw Spike. He opened the door all the way giving Spike a clear goal to aim for. Spike’s brows furrowed as he saw the grin on his friend’s face change to one of fear.

 

“Spike, run,” Wesley screamed.

 

He heard it before he saw it, a roar that sounded like a freight train coming straight at him.  Spike turned to look over his shoulder to see the wall of water gaining on him. It was faster than he could ever hope of being. He tried though as Buffy’s face appeared before his eyes. The wave hit him after only one footstep. It lifted him from the deck, dragging him along in its current. He felt his back hit the main railing and he tried to grab at it. Anything to keep from going over, but it didn’t work. He was pushed into a vortex of inky black space.

 

There was no regret and he knew that if he had to live this moment over he would still keep Wesley from going topside. It was the right thing to do. The right thing for his friend and the family he was starting. It was funny that they always said that in these times your life would flash in front of your eyes. It wasn’t his past that he was seeing. It was the life he had yet to live; Buffy floating to him in a fluffy white dress, her belly heavy with their child, the babe nursing at her breast and the two of them growing old together. Yet there was no turmoil or fear, only a calm acceptance of the fate he had been dealt. Buffy would be proud of him. And with that thought he fell into the chilling embrace of the lover he had tried to scorn.

 

~~~~~~~

 

There was so much silence. Everyone was afraid to say anything, too frightened by the possibilities to even discuss them so they sat without words. Buffy’s fear had been founded. Faith was the one to find out. A call had come to her earlier from a friend she had at the Coast Guard. The Darla had sent out a distress call and boats had been sent to help her. The friend, not directly involved in the operations, was unable to tell them anything else.

 

Buffy leaned into her father. The strength that he always exuded gave her comfort. Her hand was held by her mother while her friends surrounded them. There was nothing to do but wait. She had never been one for praying but this night fervent words of need were sent out to whatever higher beings existed. It couldn’t end like this. Not all of them at once. It was too cruel to be able to even contemplate.

 

The soft sound of weeping reached those in the living room. Buffy lifted her head and realized that Faith was gone. Mrs. O’Connor was starting to stand to go to her daughter.

 

“Let me, please,” Buffy asked, hoping that she would be able to help her friend because they had to be dealing with the same emotions.

 

Mrs. O’Connor nodded and settled back in the loveseat with her husband. Buffy quickly followed the sound and found Faith in the bathroom. The door wasn’t locked so she slipped in without knocking. Her heart broke at the sight of Faith curled on the floor weeping into a towel. Ever since Buffy had known her, Faith wouldn’t let herself be weak like this. There had been so many changes in her life and now there was a possibility that she would have to raise her baby alone.

 

“Come here,” Buffy said, sitting on the floor beside Faith. “Shhh, it’s going to be okay. I promise. Angel and Spike won’t let anything happen to him.”

 

“Oh, god, Buffy,” Faith wailed, crawling on to Buffy’s lap. “I never told him I love him. If he dies and he never knows…if he thinks I was only with him because of the baby I won’t be able to live with myself.”

 

“He knows, he knows,” Buffy said, stroking the long brown locks.

 

“How?”

 

“Spike has never told me,” Buffy said. “But I know. I know it as surely as I know how much I love him. It’s in the way he looks at me, the way he tries to take care of me, the way he touches me when we make love or the way he just holds me. It’s even in the way he changed for us…for me.”

 

The tears had quieted to sniffles. “Do you think Wes really knows?”

 

“Yeah, he does. He knows because you kept his baby, because you gave up your freedom to wear his ring, and because of probably another hundred little things you do for him.”

 

“I don’t think I can make it…”

 

“Stop it,” Buffy admonished. “They are going to be just fine.”

 

A door slammed somewhere in the house followed by happy shouts. It was them. They were home. The two girls stood and ran for the living room. Wesley held his arms out to Faith, capturing her and holding her close. Mrs. and Mr. O’Connor stood with their arms around Angel. The rest of the family and their friends were gathered around the returning sailors.

 

“Where’s Spike?” Buffy asked, looking around.

 

“Buffy…,” Angel started, pulling away from his family.

 

“I knew I should have been home,” Buffy said, rushing for her purse. “He went home didn’t he?”

 

Angel’s grabbed her hand. “Buffy, he’s not there.”

 

“What do you mean?” Buffy shook her head. “Where is he? Was he hurt? Angel…,”

 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Angel said, his fingers tracing the curve of her face. “He…he was swept overboard.” He stopped as a sob ripped through him. “The Coast Guard is still looking for him, but…but they’re not holding out much hope at this point.”

 

The last thing Buffy felt was Angel wrapping his arms around her as her whole world went black.

 

 

to be continued…

Chapter 36
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