Chapter 7

“What can you tell me about the Order?” Buffy asked several hours later as Spike drove along the nearly deserted highway.

“Assassins.  Deadly.  Human and demon, alike.”

“Anything else?  Giles…” she broke off as she thought about her watcher back in Sunnydale.  Shaking her head at the girl she had left behind, her voice hardened as she continued.

“Giles said they date back to the times of King Solomon.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Do you know where they’re based, how you get in contact with them?”

“No, Dru…Dru was the one that knew how to initiate the contract.” he answered.  “But, I bet you I know who would.”

“Who?”

“Your Council of Wankers.”  He took his eyes off the road to glance over at her.

She was watching him.  He could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she attempted to decide on a course of action.

“I guess we’re going to England,” she said finally.  “Where’s the nearest airport?  No sense driving when we could be flying.”

“Just saw a sign that said El Paso was about 50 miles away.  I guess they’d have an airport there.”

“Ok.”

Her eyes turned to the darkened scenery.  She leaned her head against the window and attempted to get some rest.  She needed to stay sharp if she was going to watch his back during the daylight hours.

~*~*~*~*~

It seemed only moments later that she was being shaken awake by Spike.  Her head jerked away from the glass, and she rubbed her neck, figuring that she was probably going to have a stiff neck from sleeping in that position.

“Where are we?” she asked sleepily.

“El Paso.  I just wanted to wake you so you wouldn’t wonder where I was in case you woke alone.”

“Where are you going?” 

At his pointed look, she just stared at him before her eyes dropped to her lap.

“Oh…”

“I’ll be back, pet.”

She bit her tongue as he let himself out of the vehicle.  He needed to feed.  She would have offered, but she needed her wits about her – her eyes and ears attuned for the assassins that had been dogging their heels.

Instead, she watched as he ambled towards the biker bar situated in a rough part of town.  No wonder he had wanted to wake her; they were “slumming it.”  It was a good thing he parked far enough away so as to not draw attention to their vehicle, or more importantly…Buffy sitting inside said vehicle.  Spike quickly disappeared from view, and she leaned her head back against the rest while she waited for him to return. 

The pounding on the driver’s side window startled her from her silent musings.  She glanced over, expecting to see a cop.  No…no cop.  Just two big, burley guys bent on a little destruction…and possibly a little car theft.

‘Sorry, guys.  This one’s mine,’  she thought as she watched one of the two slowly circle around to her side.  ‘I worked hard to steal my first car.  No one’s gonna steal from this stealer.’

She waited until the guy was close enough to catch the backlash from the door, then she struck.  As the guy drew near, she opened the door.  When he was close enough, she leaned back and planted both feet on the door, using her Slayer strength to slam it into the man.  He fell to the ground in a dazed heap, allowing Buffy to jump out and confront him.  Her eyes never left the other guy who was quickly making his way around the car to join his friend.

“You guys picked the wrong car and the wrong girl to mess with.  I’ll go easy on you if you just leave…now.”  As she spoke, she settled into a defensive pose.  The second man came around and stopped by his friend, checking to see if he was ok.

“You’re gonna pay for that, bitch,” he snarled, raising the crowbar he held in his hands menacingly.

Buffy just rolled her eyes at him.  True he was human, which meant she couldn’t kill him, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t pound on him a little.  He was threatening her, after all. 

“I’d like to see you…” her voice trailed off.  ‘Oh shit,’  she thought moments before she heard the third guy strike.  The last thing Buffy saw before her world faded to black was the evil leer of the third man standing over her.

‘Spike…’

~*~

Spike knew something was wrong the moment he stepped out of rowdy bar.  His eyes zeroed in on the SUV and noticed the dome light on.  The faint traces of the Slayer’s blood drifted back to him, and he took off running towards the car.

A growl erupted from his throat upon noticing three guys standing over her huddled body, each taking turns kicking her unmoving form.  As he neared, the vampire leapt at them, the force of his body sending all four of them to the ground.  Spike recovered quickly, rolling in a smooth motion and rising to his feet. 

He didn’t waste time…he was angry, and he allowed his rage free rein as he dealt with the Slayer’s attackers.  His fangs sunk into the neck of the first opponent he grabbed.  The demon inside crowed over the squeals of fright that burst forth from his lips before drifting off as his life’s blood was quickly drained.  The other two stared in horror at the monster before them, frozen and unable to move.

Spike lifted his fangs from the first man’s neck and let him fall limply to the ground by his feet.  His amber gaze pinned the remaining two in place as he slowly advanced on them. 

They gazed in horrified fascination at the blood dripping from the monster’s elongated teeth.  It was the last thing the two saw. 

Suddenly, Spike was upon them, attacking with fists and fangs the two that had dared to touch his Slayer.

He left them where they lay, striding quickly to the huddled form of the Slayer. Carefully, he lifted her in his arms, willing her to wake up and look at him.  He silently berated himself for leaving her as his yellowed eyes took in the bruises marring her features.

The uneasy moan that rumbled from her lips was the sweetest sound he had ever heard and he watched as her lids fluttered before finally lifting.  A tremulous smile graced her lips at seeing his demonic features, the blood of his recent kills still coating his lips.

She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek.

“You came,” she whispered.  Spike leaned into her touch, pulling her body closer to his.

“Come on, luv.  Let’s get out of here.”

He deposited her back in the SUV and circled around the back, climbing into the driver’s side.  Soon, they were at the airport buying tickets to London.

~*~*~*~*~

They were somewhere over the Atlantic, or at least that’s what Buffy figured.  They’d caught the first flight out of El Paso.  After a brief layover in Chicago, which proved interesting with the whole daylight situation, they boarded their flight to London. 

She’d lost all track of time, the constant time zone changed were playing hell with her body’s internal clock.  All she knew was that she would be landing in London at 2 a.m., and she vowed that she would sleep for 24 hours straight before making a move on the Council.  And, there was the whole issue of finding a place for Angel.

Sensing her unease, Spike pulled the Slayer close, trying to offer what meager comfort he could.  Buffy sighed, settling herself deeper into his side as his arms closed around her.  She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy woke to the sound of the captain’s voice droning over the intercom about final approach.  Beside her, she felt Spike stir, felt the light kiss he dropped on her head before he sat up.  Another twenty minutes and Buffy was standing on foreign soil for the first time in her life.  Spike slipped his hand in hers and together they made their way towards customs – their matching duffle bags slung over their shoulders.

~*~

Customs was fairly easy to move through.  Since they only had the one bag, and the agent was exceedingly tired, they didn’t bother to do a thorough examination of their bags…Spike’s evil scowl probably had a lot to do with it as well. 

They hadn’t bothered with weapons, figuring they could raid the Council’s headquarters once they got to London.  She’d heard often enough about the Watcher’s Council as Giles rambled on about something or another, and Buffy was eager to see what all the hubbub was all about. 

Now that they were on foreign soil, a new adventure was about to begin for her and Spike.  She’d come to rely heavily on the vampire, and secretly, she believed he felt the same way.  They just had one more thing to do before they could embark on their new life.  It was time to lay old ghosts to rest.

~*~*~*~*~

They made a striking pair as they walked side by side, each carrying a small box in their hands.  The nuns at the Sisters of Mercy Convent paused to stare at the figures whose solemn features were in sharp contrast to their gothic appearance.  The male, his shocking white hair standing on end, was attired head to toe in black.  His counterpart, her severe black hair framing a pale face, was also dressed all in black.  But, it was their eyes that held the nuns motionless.

Such pain they bore.

Suddenly the woman stopped walking, pausing in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary that was surrounded by a small garden of flowers.  The man came to stand beside her, nodding at something she said.

The nuns were openly gawking now, making no pretense of hurrying about their duties. 

The Mother Superior was walking down the hallway and decided to take a stroll through the open courtyard.  She noticed several of the nuns standing still, as if they were intent on watching something.  She stepped out through the open double doors and looked around. 

She noticed the black-clad couple standing by the Virgin Mary statue and made her way over to them.  It wasn’t often they had visitors to their convent, and none such as these.  She clucked at the gaping nuns and shooed them back to their chores.

“Hello, my children.  It’s a beautiful evening, is it not?”

Buffy glanced up at the nun.

“Yes.”

“Is there something I can help you with?  The sun has gone down and it’s time for us to close the gates for the evening.”

“We’ll just be a moment.  We just want to say our goodbyes.”

“Good…ah, yes.  Of course,” the Mother Superior replied as she noticed the boxes the two were carrying.  “Take your time.  I always thought this was the loveliest spot in our courtyard.  It gets the morning sun and just seems to make our Mary shine with welcome.”

Buffy just nodded, not saying anything.  Beside her, Spike didn’t move, just stared at the box in his hands then at the ground below them.

“Yes…well… I’ll leave you two alone now.  Just shut the gate as you leave.”

Again, Buffy just nodded, the nun already forgotten.

“Spike?”

“Yeah, pet?”

“Will he be happy here?  With Dru, I mean?”

“Yeah, pet.  I think he will.  I knew he regretted turning her once he got his soul.  This way, he can be with her, ya know.  Look out for her…I think she would have liked that, knowing her sire was with her at the end.”

A few moments later he opened the box, scattering his sire’s ashes amongst the flowerbed at the statue’s feet.  Buffy copied his movements, releasing the dust that was all that remained of Angel to lie mingled with his childe. 

When they were finished, the two left the containers by the flowerbed and left. 

It was time for the two to begin a new life, one that involved dealing with the Order of Taraka.  No matter how long it took, they were going to pay.

Buffy and Spike demanded it.

The End

Continued in the sequel, Alone No More