Chapter 16: Find a Way
“If we can’t find a way to live/It’s that we don’t know how to give/We’re breathing but with iron lungs/Speaking but in separate tongues/Just find a way, a way to live/The walls are high but made of glass/The dye is dark but not yet cast/And though remorse comes easily/An act of love could set you free…” ~Heather Nova, “A Way To Live”
” Willow ‘s done what ?” Giles asked.
Anya took a deep breath. She thought she’d been clear enough the first time around. ” Willow put a curse on Spike. No one can hear him, and he only hears bad things. Buffy has a necklace that dispels illusions, so whoever is wearing it can communicate with him, but the only way to remove the curse is a ritual. It’s in Latin, and we need you to translate.”
There. That ought to be simple enough for Giles to understand. Honestly, sometimes Anya really wished she could go back to being a vengeance demon. Men were evil. She should have remembered that.
“What did Spike do?” Giles asked, still sounding bewildered.
Anya rolled her eyes, even though she knew Giles couldn’t see her. “Giles, Spike didn’t do anything except be a better friend than Willow . She’s just mad that she doesn’t have the best friend role anymore.”
Giles sigh carried clearly over the line. “Do I need to come?”
“No, you don’t have to,” Anya replied. “Since you clearly have better things to do.” She paused. “Oh, and Xander broke up with me, and—” She stopped as Buffy came through the shop door. “Just a minute. Buffy’s here.”
“I need that book with the reversal in it,” Buffy said. “Rack has Dawn, and I need to figure out what I’m going to have to do to get her back.”
“Talk to Giles while I get some stuff together.” Anya handed the phone to Buffy, quickly trying to figure out what she might have to repel a nasty warlock like Rack. She didn’t have a lot ready-made, but there were some protection amulets that might do the job.
“Giles,” Buffy said with some relief. “I hope you can translate that reversal spell quickly. Spike said he understood Latin, but he’s rusty, and I need him helping me with Rack.”
“What exactly is going on, Buffy?” Giles was getting a little impatient. It appeared as though everything had gone to hell while he’d been gone.
“Anya told you about Willow ‘s curse?” Buffy asked. When Giles responded in the affirmative, she continued. “Short version is that Willow took Dawn with her to some sort of magic-crack dealer. Now he’s got Dawn. Apparently, Willow also put a price on Spike’s head, so he’s got demons chasing him all over town. Oh, and Xander broke up with Anya, and he’s busy being drunk, so of course he can’t help me either.”
“I’m coming,” Giles said. “Have Anya fax me the spell, and I’ll work on it while I’m on my way.”
“You don’t have to come, Giles,” Buffy said. “I think we’ve got it under control.” There was a banging in the background. “I have to go. I’ll have Anya fax you the spell.”
Giles hung up after he heard the dial tone. “Good Lord,” he muttered. “I never should have left.” He rubbed his forehead with weary fingers. He sighed, listening as the fax machine started beeping at him. His eyebrows went up as he saw the first page, and the opening words of the spell. “Oh, no. Not another vampire.”
~~~~~
Dawn was scared. Actually, upgrade that to terrified and that would be closer to the truth. Partly it was the fact that it had been broad daylight when those goons had grabbed her. Scary things were supposed to come out after dark, when neither Spike nor Buffy allowed her to go out by herself.
Instead, the two men who grabbed her had gotten out of a beat up old van that looked like the one Oz used to drive. They’d hustled her inside, one of them clasping his hand firmly over her mouth. Her struggles had been completely ineffectual, and Dawn had realized then that there was no way she was going to be able to get herself out of this.
They’d bound her hands together with duct tape, and then shoved her in a corner.
All of that had been bad enough. When she’d realized where they were taking her—or rather to whom—Dawn knew it was going to get bad. She stood in front of Rack in his greasy back room. “It’s nice to see you again,” he said, running a finger down her cheek.
Dawn raised her chin, keeping her brave face firmly in place. “When my sister gets her hands on you, you are going to be so dead.”
Rack just laughed. “I don’t think so. See, I heard that her pet vampire is on the run, and Strawberry struck him with some serious mojo . Without him, the Slayer won’t be able to find me, which is why I made sure I waited to make the grab.”
Dawn really wanted to tell him that Spike was just fine, and that he was staying at their house, but she kept her mouth shut. As long as Rack believed himself safe, Buffy would have the element of surprise, and that would help. “You don’t know Buffy,” she shot back, hoping that her trembling knees weren’t giving away her fear. “She’ll find me, and then she’s going to kick your ass into next week.”
“So much fire,” Rack murmured. “Do you know what people will pay to get a little of that juice? In a nearly endless supply, too.” He seized her chin in his hand, ignoring Dawn’s efforts to free herself of his grip. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. You’re not going to want to go anywhere.”
The sensations that flashed through her were overwhelming. Dawn felt as though she was floating. Like nothing could touch her. There was a small voice in the back of her mind that warned her that it wasn’t real, that Rack was using something to keep her calm, keep her pliant.
From somewhere very far away, he said, “Now, let’s see how this works with you as the battery.”
In the next moment, Dawn knew exactly why Rack had made sure she was going to be compliant. Without the distance his mojo had given her, she’d have been screaming in pain.
~~~~~
Spike was waiting for Buffy on the front steps when she got back to the house. “Didn’t find her?”
Buffy shook her head. “No. Nobody saw a girl get grabbed, either. I knocked on a few doors, but—” She took a deep breath. ” Dammit , Spike! It was broad daylight! I thought—”
“We all did,” he replied grimly. “We’re goin ‘ to get her back, luv.”
“I know.” She handed him a piece of leather with a charm hanging off of it. “Put this on.”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “A talisman? You really think something like this is going to work against Rack?”
“I have no idea, but it’s better this than nothing. I called Tara , and we’re supposed to pick her up on the way to find Dawn. I didn’t want to take the time, but—”
“We may end up needing the fire power,” Spike supplied. “It’s a good idea.”
They set off at a quick pace for Tara ‘s apartment. “Anya called Giles. He’s going to work on translating that spell.” Buffy made a face. “He suggested that he come, but I told him not to worry about it.”
Spike gave a short laugh, the sound grim. “Yeah, right. You tell him not to worry, and he’ll probably be on the first flight over.”
Buffy made a face. “I know, but I didn’t have time to argue with him, not with Dawn—” She stopped. “She has to be okay, Spike.”
“She’s goin ‘ to be,” he promised. “We’ll make it be okay. We managed before, yeah?”
“We always manage.” Buffy’s eyes narrowed. “No one had better get in my way tonight, or they will be very unhappy.”
Spike wasn’t quite sure where that comment had come from, and then he saw the three demons approaching them. He and Buffy were going to have to go through them to get to Tara ‘s apartment, and Spike groaned. “Bloody hell. Maybe I—”
“Don’t even think about it,” Buffy ordered him. “I am not leaving you behind. I need you with me for this one. We take them together. Do you know which one is the smartest one?”
Spike frowned, trying to figure out if he knew any of the demons, either personally or by reputation. “The one on the left is probably the most intelligent, but why—”
Buffy shook her head. She didn’t have time to explain what she wanted. “Just leave him to me.”
Spike nodded shortly, and then took off running to meet the demons. True to his word, Spike concentrated on the demon on the right, keeping a sharp eye out for the other two. Buffy was fighting the demon in the center, a big, bulky demon with green skin and odd blue eyes.
Spike had his hands full with the one he’d chosen. The demon was obviously very interested in the payoff, and he was about a head taller and a hundred pounds heavier than the vampire. Spike was doing his best to stay out of the way of the demon’s fists, waiting for his chance to get in a few punches of his own.
He saw his advantage suddenly and moved to take it. His heavy boot connected with the demon’s kneecap with a satisfying crunch, and Spike used his elbow to come up under the demon’s chin.
The demon choked, clutching at his throat, and Spike rabbit punched him in the side, bringing the demon to his knees before breaking his neck.
Spike turned to see that Buffy had already killed one demon and was standing with her boot on the neck of the third. “So, can I trust you to relay a message?” Buffy asked cheerfully.
The demon—the one Spike had decided was the most intelligent—nodded desperately.
“Good. Here’s the deal,” Buffy said, her voice hard. “Spike is mine. I don’t think I need to remind you that, as the Slayer, it’s my job to kill your kind, but I have a live and let live policy most of the time. Do not make me kill every single demon in Sunnydale, because that is what I will do if that’s what it takes to keep my boyfriend safe. I don’t care who put the price on his head, because it’s no longer a good offer. Do you understand?”
The demon nodded again. “Got it,” he croaked.
“Now get out of here,” Buffy said, removing her boot. “And don’t you dare get in my way again.”
The demon ran off, and she turned to look at Spike, who was watching her with a sort of amused awe. “So, I’m yours, am I?”
“Pretty much,” Buffy replied. “Unless you’ve got a problem with that.”
Spike shook his head. “No, luv, I think I can live with that.” They started off in the direction of Tara ‘s apartment again. “So you’d really kill every demon in Sunnyhell for me?”
“In a heartbeat,” Buffy replied, knowing that it was nothing less than the truth.
~~~~~
“Get up, Xander.”
Anya’s voice came from above him, and Xander stared at her blearily. “An? What are you doing here? What—”
“Get up,” she said sharply. “We have a problem, and we might need you.” She gave him a disgusted look. “We certainly don’t need you drunk.”
He sat up slowly, putting his head in his hands. “Anya, I—”
“I’m still angry at you,” she informed him. “And this doesn’t mean I’m ready—or even willing—to take you back. But Willow ‘s done something really bad, and Rack has Dawn. I don’t know if we’ll need you, but we might. So get up.”
Xander struggled to his feet. He thought he was pretty much sober at this point, but he had the mother of all hangovers. All he wanted to do was to lie back down on the couch. He also had a pretty good idea that Anya wasn’t going to let him. “What did Willow do?”
“She put a curse on Spike,” Anya said. “Giles is translating the spell so we can reverse it, but Buffy’s going to go after Willow after she finds Dawn.”
Xander was still struggling to catch up. “Wait. What happened to Dawn?” Alarm was beginning to penetrate the fog.
Anya rolled her eyes. “You know what? I don’t feel like repeating myself a hundred times. Go shower, and then I’ll tell you.”
Xander didn’t have the energy to argue. He did as he was told, showering and changing into fresh clothing, as well as brushing his teeth. His mouth tasted like something had died in there. When he came out of the bathroom, Anya had a pot of coffee ready for him. “Get your coffee, and let’s go,” she said. “Buffy told me to wait for her at the Magic Box. Giles is going to call the shop when he knows something more.”
“Wait. What happened to Dawn? And where have you been staying the last couple of nights?”
“I stayed at a hotel, Xander,” Anya replied sharply. “Where do you think? And Rack has Dawn. He grabbed her this afternoon while she was walking to a friend’s house. Buffy took Spike and Tara , and they’re going after Rack. Then she’s probably going to hurt Willow .”
“I thought you said Rack took Dawn,” Xander protested, taking the travel mug full of coffee and following his (ex) fiancée out the door. “What does Willow have to do with it?”
” Willow took Dawn to Rack’s.” Anya sighed. She was suddenly wondering how she’d put up with Xander for so long. Really, he could be so obtuse sometimes. “Rack wouldn’t even know Dawn existed if it hadn’t been for Willow .”
Xander couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so he changed the subject slightly. “And Willow put a curse on Spike?” he asked, thinking that might not have been such a bad idea.
Anya could read him better than he realized. “Yes, Xander. Willow cursed Spike, and then she set most of the demon population of Sunnydale on him. Just think of what would have happened if Spike had been with Dawn when that happened. Or with Buffy. Or with you, even. Someone else could have gotten hurt. So don’t even begin to think that cursing Spike was a good idea. It wasn’t. It was stupid.”
Xander shut his mouth and sipped his coffee. Judging from Anya’s tone, there was no point in disagreeing with her. Besides, it looked like he needed to save his strength for dealing with this thing with Willow .
When had everything gone so terribly wrong?
~~~~~
Spike couldn’t help thinking that it had taken them too long to find Rack’s. The magician had had Dawn for hours. He could be doing anything to her. Spike stood outside Rack’s place, feeling the swirls of energy. Rack had done a better job of hiding himself, but Spike was still the Big Bad.
And Rack was about to find out just how bad he was.
“I want you to promise me that you will get Dawn out of there. No sticking around,” Buffy said quietly.
Spike glared at her. “Buffy—”
“I’m serious, Spike. I know Dawn will be safe with you. I need to know that she’s with someone I trust.”
He swallowed his anger, knowing that Buffy was right. She needed to know that Dawn was safe, and the girl would be with him. “What about the curse?” he asked.
Buffy hesitated, hating the idea of going in there without being able to communicate with him. “You take the necklace,” she said. “Dawn’s going to need to hear you.”
When Spike hesitated, Tara spoke up. She’d been silent up to this point, watching their exchange with a great deal of interest. She wondered if either Spike or Buffy realized that from the outside, their relationship appeared to be a very stable one. In fact, if Tara didn’t know better, she’d have guessed that they’d been together for years, not just weeks or months.
“I have to agree with Buffy. The chip isn’t going to allow you to do much harm to Rack, even if he is a pretty sorry excuse for a human.”
Spike growled something under his breath when Buffy repeated Tara ‘s message. Both women could see that while he might accept that fact, he certainly didn’t like it. “Fine. Meet you back at the house, then?”
Buffy nodded. What she wanted was to initiate a make out session right then. She wanted to back Spike up against the wall of the alley, witnesses be damned, and have her way with him. She wanted to tell him she loved him, while he could still understand her. There wasn’t time for any of that, however. They’d already wasted enough time trying to find the house, and pull together all the resources they needed.
So Buffy took off her necklace, gave it to Spike, smiled at him, and walked inside, Tara on her heels.
Spike watched her go, following the plan they’d worked up on the way over. It had been a simple decision on their part to ask Tara for help, even though Willow might be the more powerful witch. Right now, they couldn’t trust Willow , and Buffy didn’t want her anywhere near Spike.
Buffy and Tara would go in, distract or throw out anyone in the waiting room, and then they would do what they could to keep Rack busy while Spike went in and grabbed Dawn. Hopefully, they would manage all of this without Rack turning them into toads, or frying them, or something equally unpleasant. Tara was of the opinion that Rack had very little real power. He was a coward who leeched energy from others.
The only problem Spike saw with that theory was that Dawn, as the Key, might have given him a tremendous charge.
Spike waited a few seconds, and then followed Buffy and Tara through the door. The waiting room was empty, and the door to the back room where Rack had his office-of-sorts was closed. When Spike tried the handle, it was locked, and he nearly snarled.
Spike backed up and then kicked a hole through the wood near the handle, thanking his lucky stars that the building was of such cheap workmanship. The door wasn’t even of real wood.
He snaked his arm through the hole and unlocked it with nimble fingers, throwing it open and looking around. There was no sign of Buffy, Tara , or Rack. There was, however, a large hole where the window used to be, and Dawn was sitting in the corner, shivering.
“Bloody hell,” Spike muttered, hurrying over to her. She cringed away from his touch when he reached for her. ” Niblet —Dawn, luv, it’s me.”
Dawn didn’t even react, just stared at him with unseeing eyes. Spike cursed when he realized that she couldn’t hear him, and he pulled the necklace out of his pocket and clasped it around her neck. He pushed her long hair out of the way gently, touching her cheek, trying to get her to focus on him. “Come on, Dawn. It’s just Spike. Look at me, Little Bit.”
She seemed to come around a bit then. “Spike?” she whispered. “Are you really here?”
Spike pulled a knife out of his pocket and quickly cut the tape around her wrists and ankles. “Sure I am. In the flesh. We got to get out of here, okay?” When she just stared at him, Spike scooped her up into his arms. “Hang on, luv. I’m goin ‘ to take you to the doctor, okay?”
“No! No doctors, Spike. Please, no doctors.” Dawn was clutching at his t-shirt and beginning to cry. “Can I go home? Please? I can’t tell anyone. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“We don’t have to tell anyone,” he assured her helplessly, starting for the door. “It’s goin ‘ to be just fine, luv. I promise. Everything is going to be fine.”