Here We Come To Save The Day

By Karen

Chapter One

Sunnydale.

Dawn Summers closed her front door behind her with a sigh and leaned back gratefully against the cool wood. Free! For another sixteen hours she was free. She dropped her school bag on the floor and pushed away from the door

"Spike? I'm home."

She wandered through to the kitchen and helped herself to a swig of apple juice from the bottle in the fridge

"Spike? You want a snack? I can make you some hot chocolate and put the squishy goodness in."

She pushed her long brown hair over her shoulder and bent to retrieve a packet of chocolate cookies from the `goody' cupboard and strolled into the living room

"Hey, evil snoozy guy, what's with the blanking of the study girl?"

She came to a halt in the middle of the floor and a half eaten cookie fell to the floor from suddenly numb fingers. The furniture lay upended and tossed around the room and the new blue curtains Buffy was so proud of lay in a shredded heap on the occasional table that was now minus it's base

"SPIKE!!!"

Dawn spun around and sprinted for the stairs snatching an ornamental axe from the wall as she skidded into the hall. Four bounding strides took her up the staircase and then she burst into the room her sister and the vampire shared. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed in the neat room apart from the unmade bed but the sight that caused her to let out a frightened moan was Spike's beloved leather duster lying on the floor. She turned and quickly checked the other bedrooms and then was forced to face the inevitable truth. Spike was missing. Presumed dead but definitely extremely angry from the state of the room downstairs.

Dawn's eyes narrowed and she moved quickly into her bedroom and in a minute had exchanged her school outfit of hot pink baby tee, tight blue jeans and strappy sandals for a form fitting long sleeved black shirt and black combat trousers and boots. She tied her hair back in a ponytail and then grabbed the weapons bag that stood ever ready beside her bed and slung it over her shoulder. She took a last glance around and then snatched her golden crucifix on a chain that had been present from Spike on her last birthday from her dresser and ran out of the room. The front door slammed behind her as she left the house and then she set out at a steady run for the Magic Box, her long legs moving effortlessly under her and face scowling fiercely. The Key was up and running and boy, was she pissed.

LA

"Hey, I'm home."

Connor Angel swung through the Hyperion doors and threw his school bag onto the floor, a la Dawn, as he jumped down the steps into the lobby. He froze as he took in the state of the business area of the hotel. Weaponry and paperwork lay everywhere and chairs and desks were littered like so much matchwood over the polished floor. Connor edged further in eyes and ears attuned to pick up the presence of anyone in the hotel. He bent and picked up his father's favourite sword form the floor and sniffed the brownish stain on the blade cautiously. Blood, but not any one who knew, thank the Powers. He made his way into his fathers office wiping the blade casually on his dark blue jeans and took in the devastation that had previously been the domain of an anal retentive vampire and a hygiene obsessed Seer aka his parents. His eyes widened

Oh man, Cordy is gonna be pissed

Cordelia's carefully labelled case files were strewn over the floor and were drenched in what looked like more blood. He gave a cursory glance around the room and then turned and made his way up the stairs to begin the long task of searching the hotel for intruders and/or his family.

Sunnydale.

"Buffy, something's happened to Spike! The house is all………CRAP!"

Dawn stared around in disbelief at the, once again, wrecked Magic Box. She threw her bag on the floor in disgust and put both hands on her hips and glared around her

"This just isn't funny. Anya? Willow? Anyone?"

Silence greeted her and she kicked an overturned display table in frustration before heading for the phone behind the counter. She punched out numbers one after the other and each time listened to a series of rings before the Scoobies voices kicked in on their voicemails. When she had tried every number she had for them she slammed the receiver down and willed herself to remain calm.

Ok, Dawn, THINK. Everyone you know has disappeared and it looks like they didn't just decide to go on a road trip. Definite evidence of the forces of darkness and the house and shop have been trashed. No Big Bad at the moment, no ooky prophesies due to come true, so what's happened?

Her eyes drifted over the floor and she found herself looking at a thin dart with a red flight on the end. She walked across and picked it up and gave a sigh of relief as she recognised a tranq dart.

Ok, so not dead. Someone wanted them alive.

She threw the dart on the floor and headed back to the phone and punched out another number.

LA

Connor jumped and gave a very unmanly squeal as the cell phone in his back pocket began to vibrate. He muttered a vicious curse as he dug it out of his pocket and put it to his ear

"Yeah? Oh hey honey, listen I can't talk now….."

He trailed off as Dawn spoke urgently on the other end of the phone and then scowled

"When?"

He nodded his head as he listened and then spoke

"I just got home and found everyone missing as well. Yeah, the place is totalled."

He closed his eyes in relief as Dawn told him of the dart and then opened them to stare blankly at the wall

"So what do we do now?"

He listened for another few moments and then straightened decisively

"Ok, I'm coming down. Don't do anything until I get there. What? I'll drive of course."

He took the phone away from his ear and glared at it as Dawn hooted with laughter

"What's so funny? Yes, I know how to drive."

He winced as giggles erupted from the phone once more

"The thing with the school principal's car was an accident and totally his fault."

He sighed as his girlfriend giggled once again and said testily

"Just stay put, I'll be there soon."

He pressed disconnect and headed to his room to change into some slaying clothes and grab some weapons furiously trying to remember which pedal was the gas and which was the brake on his Dad's car.

Somewhere dark and damp

Spike groaned and opened his eyes and tried to bring a hand to his aching head. He frowned as not only did his hand fail to arrive but his nose was assaulted with the most appalling stench

"What the bloody hell…"

He stared blearily around him in the dark and, as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, made out the huddled shapes in the dark around him. He tipped his head back and squinted at his own wrists in manacles securely bolted to the wall above his head. He turned his head as the shape next to him murmured and stirred

"Buffy?"

The Slayer came to slowly and regretted it the moment she opened her eyes and consciousness hit with a vengeance. She groaned again and then turned her head as a voice to one side

"Buffy? Are you alright love?"

She tugged at her own chained wrists and shifted uncomfortably as she realised she was sitting in a cold puddle of water

"Peachy. What's going on?"

Spike shrugged and realised his duster was missing, he growled and then spat

"Bugger all clue, love. Was sitting at home watching `Passions', bunch a humans broke in, played `kick the Spike' and then they shot me. Woke up here. Not liking here."

Buffy winced as her head began to pound

"I hear you sweetie. Anyone else here?"

Spike peered around

"Yep, can't see who though."

Buffy tipped her head back and closed her eyes

"Great. Can this get any worse?"

"Buffy?"

The Slayer jumped and said incredulously

"Angel?"

Spike groaned and rolled his eyes

"Oh bollocking hell. You had to ask pet."

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