All About Spike - Plain Version
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Secrets and Lies
By Caro
Chapter Eighteen
When Buffy asked
Lorne to hold off on releasing the sanctuary spell until Willow
had everything in place, she was surprised to see the "hail
and well met" attitude he'd exhibited since their arrival
drop away. "You have an idea who's behind all this trouble,
don't you?" he asked, his voice quite serious.
She considered trying to fob him off with a non-committal
answer, but what would that accomplish? Lorne's talent might
require his subjects to sing in order to see their path, but
she'd lay odds he was damn good at reading body language without
the song. "Yes."
"And you're pretty certain it's someone in our happy
little family." At her hesitation, he added, "I'm
not asking for a name, but I have my own theories. Just wanted
to see if we're in the same neighborhood."
"I think we are. I'm convinced that the moment you lift
the spell, they're going to make their move."
Lorne neatly folded the paper he'd been reading with his
breakfast and reached out to take a final sip of orange juice.
A pat of the napkin to his lips and he was on his feet. "Let's
get cracking."
***
Cordelia had to be planning something, Buffy figured. She
hadn't been seen for most of the morning since her conversation
with Willow, apparently, closeted in her room. The best they
could hope for was that she'd stay there for a while longer.
Kennedy was keeping Connor busy, or so Willow said; Buffy
was glad just to have those two out of the way.
Wesley hadn't returned by the time the group assembled in
the basement. Fred had remained in the lobby, ready to bring
him downstairs when he returned. Gunn was there, though, ready
for action after only a few hours sleep, with the axe Buffy
was beginning to think was welded to his hand. Spike still
hovered near the cage, where Angelus had been uncomfortably
quiet since Willow had begun to assemble her components. "How's
this supposed to work?" Buffy asked, watching as Willow
made some final adjustments.
"Kind of like the standard locator spell, except we're
looking for a specific object. That's why I need Angel; it's
supposed to pick up on the traces of the soul and use that
as a scent to help track where the Mou-ping is."
"I keep telling you guys, this kind of magic never ends
well." Angelus looked toward Gunn. "You remember
what happened last time; you really think this is
going to work? Even if it does, how can you be certain the
soul's back and it's not another trick?"
A flicker of doubt flashed across Gunn's face. "We're
not trying to restore his soul at the moment," Buffy
said, hoping to reassure him. "We're just trying to find
it."
"Okay, we find it. Then what?" Clearly Gunn had
more doubts than he was voicing, one eye planted firmly on
Angelus.
"We transfer it into here and I do the Ritual of Restoration."
Willow lifted orb from its holder so Gunn could see it.
Lorne stepped forward to get a better look. "That's
an Orb of Thessulah, isn't it? I've seen a few; they're very
hot right now as object d'art."
"Uh, yeah. I know."
She started to return the orb to its place, but jumped as
Angelus suddenly yelled, "Don't drop it!" accompanied
by a rattle of the bars.
There was a heart-stopping moment when Buffy thought Willow
might do just that. She didn't, though, and the orb was safely
put back in its holder. "To bad," Angelus said with
a sigh. "They make such a pretty crash."
Buffy was about to tell Angelus to be quiet (for all the
good it would do, but stopped when Gunn started to chuckle.
"Okay, now I'm convinced it could work. If it
makes him nervous, it's got to have some power."
Willow smiled at the words, made a few final adjustments
to her supplies and settled herself more comfortably on the
floor before nodding to Lorne. Clearing his throat, he began
to read from the paper he held. "Spirits of peace and
harmony, we bid you not to depart but to rest, no longer to
bind our hands against those who stand against us. Lift the
protection which you have blessed us with and know our thanks
as we take up arms once again."
He lowered the sheet and looked around. Everything seemed
the same. "Well, that was exciting," Angelus said.
"I at least expected fireworks or some sparkles."
"Well, nothing much happened the last time," Lorne
said, folding the paper up and slipping it into the inside
pocket of his light blue suit jacket. "We need to test
it, have someone take a swing at someone."
"I'd be more than happy to...oww!"
Angelus jerked his hand away as Spike danced back out of
reach. "I think it worked."
"What did you do?" Buffy asked, a bit of exasperation
in her voice.
"Bent his finger back. Nothing too nasty, but definitely
violent."
"You'll pay for that, William," Angelus growled.
"Promises, promises. Looks like you can go, Red."
Willow picked up the lighter and touched a flame to the fuel
in her fire bowl. It took a moment, but the flames soon began
to glow steadily. Picking up the first object, Willow began
to chant, tossing each item onto the fire as she went. "Seek
we that which has gone beyond, trapped neither in the ether
or housed within its form. Show us where that spirit dwells
trapped by means unknown and unclean. Guide us to it that
we may free it from its prison and rededicate it to that purpose
for which it was chosen."
The fire grew brighter, sparks beginning to climb and swirl.
Buffy could feel a tingling along her spine and a quick glance
toward the others showed they felt something too. Most distinctly
uncomfortable-looking was Angelus. He'd begun to back away
from the bars, as if he felt the need to put distance between
himself and the spell Willow was weaving.
"It is no ordinary soul we seek, but that of a champion,
a protector. Not dead, yet not of the living, he dwells between.
Bring him back to us. Take what you need to show us where
Liam dwells."
At those words, the sparks began spin furiously, spiraling
up and out. For a moment, they looked as if they were heading
straight for Spike, but they only circled his head before
homing straight in on Angelus.
He kept moving backwards until the wall stopped any further
progress. The sparks kept after him, moving and swirling,
dancing over his body. Then, they suddenly coalesced into
a single bright point and slammed into his chest.
The scream was horrible and he dropped to his knees as the
sparks flew out again, heading back toward Willow. "Show
us our quarry," she said in a voice thrumming with power.
Once more the sparks danced, circling the Orb of Thessulah
before coalescing a final time and sinking into the crackled
glass surface. The orb began to glow slightly, emitting a
steady hum. Willow's shoulders slumped slightly as the spell
released her. Then she glanced at the globe and smiled. "It
worked."
"What next?" Buffy asked as Willow cradled the
globe in her hands.
"This will lead me to the Mou-ping. I can feel a tug
already. The traces of Angel's soul are calling to the rest
of it."
"So it's a soul GPS?" Gunn asked. "Cool."
Buffy glanced toward the cage. Angelus was still on his knees,
leaning forward so far his head almost touched the floor.
No, it hadn't been a gentle spell. "Let's move out, then.
Spike?"
He gripped the axe he'd used on their first foray after Angelus,
the one Wesley had claimed was one of Angel's favorites. "Anything
shows up and tries to let him out, I slaughter it."
Buffy would have preferred to have Spike with her, but he
was the only who might be able to stand against whatever might
come for Angel. "We'll be back as soon as we can,"
she promised.
A grin from him saw her on her way, taking the lead as they
made it up the stairs. It'd be easiest to simply follow Willow,
but they couldn't risk that something might be lying in wait.
Besides, since Willow hadn't indicated the tunnels, the only
other way was up.
Wesley must have just come in as they arrived in the lobby.
"Fred said you were..." His eyes fell on the dully-glowing
orb in Willow's hands. "Have you already found it?"
Buffy shook her head. "Just started. Keep watch with
Spike, will you? I don't want anyone taking advantage of this
to set Angelus free."
As he set out for the basement, Buffy turned back to Willow.
"Where to now?"
Willow shook her head. "I don't know. The orb seems
confused, as if someone's trying to block the signal or hide
the Mou-ping, keep me from finding it."
"Any way you can up the power?"
Even as she asked the question, Buffy saw the uncertainty
in Willow's eyes. "Yes, but..."
Buffy stepped closer. "This is big stuff, Willow. I
don't think there's any other way. You were called back home
from England for a reason. This is one of them. This isn't
running wild; this is keeping demons from destroying things.
Do what you need to do."
Willow stared at Buffy for a moment then nodded, closing
her eyes. Her lips moved in silent words, calling the power
from somewhere. When her eyes opened once more, they were
black. "This way," she said in voice that was not
quite her own.
She started for the stairs and Buffy followed, motioning
to Gunn he should follow. Fred tagged along, too, whispering
as they went, "Did you see her eyes?"
"Yeah," Gunn said. "Freakin' scary. What the
hell do they do up in Sunnydale?"
What we must to survive came the unbidden thought
in Buffy's mind, but she didn't voice it. Now she needed to
be ready for the fight that was coming.
Not surprisingly, the orb led Willow to the second floor
of the hotel. "That's Cordelia's room," Fred said
as they stopped in front of a door.
"Wait a minute. You think something happened to Cordelia
when the Powers that whatever whisked her off to another dimension
or higher plane or wherever the hell she spent her summer
vacation?" Gunn said. "She's the one who stole Angel's
soul?"
"Higher..." Buffy was going to kill Wesley. "You
didn't tell us she had vanished over the summer. It might
have been helpful to have that knowledge."
"I thought Wesley told you. After all, he was playing
the big man here."
"Guys," Willow interrupted, "can we stick
to business? We do have a soul to find."
***
"Buffy asked me to help you keep watch," Wesley
said as he came down the stairs. "They're tracking the
soul. What's wrong with him?"
Spike glanced back toward the cage. Angelus had sat up, but
he was breathing hard, eyes closed and head tilted back. "Red's
spell had an interesting side effect; when she dug inside
to get what she needed to trace his soul, apparently hurt
like the dickens."
"I'm so terribly sorry. Mind if I sit?"
"Knock yourself out. A little too antsy to do so myself."
"Nervous about Buffy?" Wesley settled himself on
the stairs.
"A little, naturally, but she can take care of herself.
Prefer to watch her back myself, but I've got to trust Gunn
to do it this time."
"Good man, Gunn. We were friends, once."
Spike considered Wesley. He didn't particularly feel like
a maudlin conversation at the moment, but at least it would
pass the time. "So does the girl actually have feelings
for you, or are she and the boy just going through a rough
patch?"
Oh, there was a pretty hardness about Wesley's eyes at those
words. "I'd rather not talk about it. Besides, with Lilah's
death..."
"Word of advice from one who's been there. Sort out
your feelings for Lilah before you try to make any moves elsewhere.
One of the big stumbling blocks between Buffy and myself?
Dear old Angelus. He buggered off to LA 'for her own good'
and she's been trying to sort it out ever since."
Wesley looked toward Angelus. "I remember. I was there
during her last year of high school. His decision upset her
greatly."
"Yeah, well, he's great one for making decisions for
other..."
"If you really wanted to help me, you would have kept
them from doing that!"
Angelus' voice was raw with hurt and Spike spun around to
find the other vampire staring up at the ceiling. "Not
going to be much use to you right now, given the way I feel.
By the way, they're coming after you."
"Bloody hell!" Spike dug into his pocket and grabbed
Willow's cell phone. He punched at the buttons, hoping Buffy
didn't have hers turned off.
***
Buffy had just put her hand on the door handle when Fred
said, "You can't just go bursting in. It's not polite."
"We can't wait." With that, Buffy turned the handle
and burst through the door. Cordelia was off the bed with
a shriek, looking for all the world as if she'd been surprised.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"It's here," Willow said. "I can't tell exactly,
but it's here."
"What's here?"
"Buffy and Willow think you have Angel's soul hidden
somewhere."
Cordelia curled her lip in a sneer. "Oh, I've hidden
the Muo-ping in my box of maxi-pads in the bottom drawer.
Get a life, Buffy."
Willow looked up. "I know. I saw. You can not hide from
me."
She was in full-on scary Wicca mode, glowing black eyes that
were enough to make almost anyone back up, which was precisely
what Cordelia did. She looked frightened, and for a brief
moment, Buffy felt her conviction waver. Behind her, Fred
whispered, "Are you sure about this?"
It was at that moment that Cordelia stepped forward unexpectedly,
her hand moving in an arc to sweep the orb from Willow's hand.
The delicate glass orb flew across the room, shattering as
it impacted the wall.
Cordelia breathed a deep sigh of relief. "You don't
know how long I've wanted to do that."
Continued in Chapter Nineteen