Ch 10

See disclaimer in previous chapter. And the author's notes apply here as well.

MusesInspiration is the reason I got this out when I did!

EDIT: 3-12-08 ** Thank you to sunraye who asked what happened to CeCe. It was a major case of Elevatoritis. You know; when a character on a Soap opera goes into the elevator at the back of the set and never comes out again? LOL

She there, although she doesn't make that big a difference to the fight, which is why I'd forgotten to add her to the scenes.

Previously:

The arguing was seriously getting on his nerves and Alec was just about to tell them all to shut the hell up when Max called out urgently, “They're coming. They're coming.”

*~*

Ames smirked. “You're not cleared for this op. Now move the men back and secure the perimeter.” Otto hesitated. “Walk away. Do it now.”

Otto turned and walked away. White addressed Thula; the team leader of the Conclave’s Phalanx without another thought to his partner.


Ch 10


At the back of the building, Ames and the Phalanx approached the brick wall directly below the second story windows.

White gave his final instructions. “Remember, our primary target is 452.”

Thula asked, “What about the hostages?”

He sneered. “Let's show the viewers at home what the mutant menace does to innocent people. Take out the hostages, the freaks, the kid... take out anything with a pulse.”

Thula nodded. She and three other Phalanx began climbing the outer wall of the building.

**

Inside, most of the group arrived on the upper level. The glass partitions were all mostly intact, and the cubicles were mostly empty except for a couple with desks, a file cabinet, some shelves, a few mannequins, and general debris. Alec had already rushed Buffy’s body upstairs to the rear of the second floor and then blurred back down to watch with Mole on the first level.

Max whispered in a harsh tone. “Come on, guys, file in. Stay low. All the way to the back.” She caught Sketchy. “Hey, Sketchy--keep 'em quiet, and keep 'em down.” Max spoke to OC, Dalton and Normal next. “Take cover behind the desk. Behind the desk. Come on! Hurry up!” She spotted Joshua and gestured to Gem. “Keep her behind the desk.”


**

Downstairs…

Alec heard scraping on the outer door and shouted, “Mole!”

Already headed up the stairs, Mole hollered, “Go! Go! Go!”

Jam Pony's front door exploded open. Mole and Alec ran upstairs as White and one of the Phalanx entered the building, guns drawn. They burst through the door and Alec quietly closed and locked the door.

Max rasped out, “Take cover!”

The messengers were hidden in the back. The others, acting as the front line of defense, ducked behind columns and the bank of filing cabinets. Logan had his gun ready. Alec and Mole both discovered that they were out of ammunition and turned their guns around for use as striking weapons.

Max pitched her voice to be heard in the distressingly small space. “Wait for my signal. We hit hard, we hit fast, and we don't back off. This is for all the marbles, people.”

The soft chink of glass breaking signaled entry from the roof and four Phalanx entered from above. They walked around, guns drawn, searching.

Fully into final stage labor, Gem was unable to keep from grunting and moaning. Normal tried to shush her and Cindy put a rag in Gem's mouth for her to bite on and to try to muffle the noise.

Max silently signaled to Logan, Joshua, Mole, and Alec. Each gave a thumbs-up in response. Max looked up and signaled to all but Logan to take the advantage of a higher position since ammo was almost non-existent.

One of the Phalanx opened the door and let the rest of the team and White in, and then there were six heavily armed combatants involved in the search.

Gem's breathing and grunts grew a little louder and Normal whispered, “Shhh. Wait. Wait.”

One of the Phalanx heard the moans and slowly headed toward the sound.

Hidden up on the ceiling; CeCe, Mole, Max, and Alec dropped down on three of the Phalanx. The fourth was caught by surprise by a growling, snarling Joshua.


The fifth Phalanx stood near the glass partition behind which Logan was hiding. After taking a deep breath, Logan silently stood and fired through the glass, each bullet hitting its mark in an impressive cluster. The man fell to the ground and realizing he was out of ammo, Logan hurriedly started to reload.




Mole made quick work of his opponent, grabbing the man’s weapon and then opened fire at White as the man ducked behind the shelving. Mole continued to fire, the bullets sending debris flying through the air. The Phalanx male that the Trans-human had downed regained consciousness unexpectedly and grabbed Mole from behind, shoving him into the shelving unit White was using as cover. It collapsed under their combined weight.




Seeing that Logan was out of ammo, CeCe prepared to launch herself at the male Familiar. She turned… right into White’s fist. Despite Max’s warning, CeCe hadn’t truly believed how strong the Conclave members were. One hit to her temple and all she saw was gray before he hit her again and she was out.





Ames looked down at the blonde female and started to reach for her, intending to snap her neck to permanently put her out of the fight; but a shout from Thula’s second, Strenk had him turning to assist. The Phalanx member was having apparent difficulty with a lizard man. Ames clenched his jaw. It was the non-human looking ones that really set him off.





The female Alec was fighting was stronger than he’d expected and he was thankful for the additional training Buffy had given him. A flash of emotional pain was a brief distraction and the female got the upper hand, propelling him backwards; their bodies flying through a glass partition with her landing on top. He had a brief thought regarding dominant women and top positions until his head hit the solid flooring and then all he could do was grapple with her and try to avoid the bone crushing blows she tried to rain on his head.

‘Bitch hits like a freight train. Buffy’s not gonna hafta kick my ass.’ He somehow gathered the strength he needed and pushed her off, staggering to his feet as she rushed him again. Alec knew he was visibly favoring his left side, but he was sure he had at least two cracked ribs and it looked like White’s minions didn’t feel pain like regular people. Well, if Transgenics could be considered regular people.





During their scuffle, Max's opponent lost her helmet and crimson hair fell down her back. She and Max circled each other, and Max kicked Thula's gun out of reach.

Thula sneered. “452.”

Max snarled, “Just bring it.”

**

Normal could see the baby’s head crowning and he pulled Gem’s skirt over his head to keep the flying glass out of the birthing area. “Okay, it's time to push now. Come on. Push push push push push, with all your might, all your might, all your might...” Gem grimaced and pushed down, trying not to panic at the thought of doing this in the midst of a battle. And what about after? That Buffy woman had promised to help her with the baby and she went and got herself shot! Normal’s voice cut through her thoughts. “All right, it's coming. It's coming.”

**

Ames knocked Mole down with a large metal milk can and then kicked him repeatedly, seething with anger that this whole situation had spun out of control yet again. ‘Tip of the Spear my ass. The Conclave’s elite fighters are getting their asses handed to them.’




Snarling, Joshua grabbed White from behind and shoved him up against a wall. Rearing back to strike, he stopped as a wave of Knowing gave Joshua the understanding that he was facing both Buffy and Annie's killer. Buffy he didn’t know well, but it was obvious that Alec loved her. And Annie… His sweet sightless Annie, who’d liked him for himself and even after discovering what he was, had wanted to protect him. He roared with renewed rage, bashing White against the wall over and over with such speed the movement was almost blurred; knocking the man senseless.

**

Alec felt himself flagging as his injuries began to protest in earnest. His bullet wound had reopened when he’d first engaged the woman and it was an effort to move it normally. She swung a mannequin torso and he ducked, the form crashing through the window at his back. He swung and landed a solid blow to her jaw, but she used his momentum against him, trapping his good arm and slamming her knee into his stomach before sending him through another glass window to land on a desk.

‘Dammit. I will never again complain about training and I’m so getting one of those Kevlar suits like Buffy has.’ He thought as he tried to avoid getting sliced up by all of the glass he seemed to be rolling around in.

**

Figuring that keeping quiet wasn’t an issue any longer; Normal raised his voice to be heard over Gem’s groans. “Okay, the baby's coming out. I can see the head. Now you really gotta bear down, now. Really bear down. Time to push now.”

**

The roundhouse kick to his jaw almost knocked him out and Alec laid on the floor, covering his head with his arms and bracing for the impact. It was all he could do as she picked up a solid mannequin leg to use on him. His mind racing, Alec tried to think of a way out and came up with nothing. He was going to break his promise and that hurt more than the impending blow. The floor started vibrating and then Alec heard stomping footsteps as they drew near. A familiar hydraulic whine brought a sense of relief and Alec watched with great relish as the mechanically enhanced human sent the female flying with a powerful kick to the sternum. She flew down the length of the room to crash through the last glass wall separating the birthing area from the chaos.

The woman landed on her back in a hail of glass and Normal’s voice rose. “Bear down hard, now, honey. Bear down hard.”

With a snarl, the woman tried to reach for the laboring Transgenic, but Gem was at the end of her patience and with all protectiveness of a new mother, she punched the woman dead center; savoring the crunch of a broken nose as her knuckles met face.

Normal called out, “That's it. Good.”

**

Joshua threw White across the room again and then lifted the only wooden desk still intact; smashing it down over his body as the agent tried to gain his feet.

**

Original Cindy and Dalton both sat on the Phalanx female’s back as Dalton slapped her own handcuffs on her.

“Go! Push push push push push push push push push!” Normal’s voice was excited as he encouraged Gem.

**

The large woman Max had been fighting had knocked her down and began delivering heavy blows to the Transgenic’s face. As Thula pounded on her, Max snuck the handcuffs out of the red-head’s belt and snapped one around a wrist. Thula stood, pulling Max with her, and wrapped her arm around Max’s neck to try and choke her. Max surprised Thula by pushing against the choke-hold, tightening the grasp as she moved forward to run up the column and flip over Thula’s head. She swung the Phalanx leader by one arm so that Thula ended up wrapped around the column and quickly cuffed her other wrist.

**

Roaring, Joshua threw White through a thin wall, then picked him up and threw him again.

**

Logan grabbed a weapon that was left on the ground by one of the Phalanx and gave Alec a hand up. “You all right?”

Alec breathed deeply, looking for another weapon. ‘No.’ “Yeah.”

Normal’s voice sounded across the now fairly quiet second floor, “One more big push. You gotta really crank down. Really crank down, okay?”

Gem’s only answer was a scream.






Logan noticed one of the men struggling to regain his feet and he used the shotgun to push him back to the floor. “Stay down!” He offered a hand up to CeCe who grimaced as she tried to stand.


Alec called out, “Max! Clear!” as he started cuffing the agents.

Max heard Mole’s voice call out clear as well and she turned to search out Joshua, his snarls of rage audible throughout the room now that the fighting had died. He was across the room and Max ran to him as she watched the large man drop White across his knee, the man’s back cracking ominously.

As much as she wanted to let him do it, Max knew they couldn’t kill Ames White this way. She grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from gaining the leverage he needed. “Joshua, no!”

“He deserves to die!.” Moisture pooled in his eyes and he shook with the effort of holding back. “He killed Annie! A-a-and Buffy!”

Max pushed back the rage. No matter what they wanted right now, she couldn’t let her friend give in to the anger they were all feeling. “No. He deserves to die, a lot. But if you kill him now, the only thing people will remember about today is how some transgenic killed a human being in cold blood...” Max squeezed his arm and softened her voice, “and then they'll never stop hunting us.”

Joshua took a few moments to consider this, and then snorted; pushing White to the ground. He stood and planted his foot on White's neck to restrain him, and Max leaned in close to speak to the downed agent.

Max shot Thula a sneer and said to White. “Bring around your muscle queens anytime. I'll be happy to kick their ass.”

“We are not finished.” Hate emanated from White in waves and Max sneered at him.

“Fe'nos tol, bitch.” She thumped his bloody nose as an emphasis and the sound of a baby’s cry drew everyone’s attention toward Gem.





Normal handed the newborn to the exhausted mother. “There you go. Oh, what a dear little sweet soul.”

Gem carefully cuddled the baby against her chest and checked her neck. She smiled up at Max with relief. “No barcode. She doesn't have one.”

Max held her breath for a second, fighting the prick of tears. She hated to cry and she refused to cry over such a happy event. “Then she's free.”

Mole leaned in a broken window, “Not yet, she ain't.”



**

Other than limited gunfire and sounds of fighting, it had been disturbingly quiet inside the building and Clemente had been debating with himself over waiting or sending in his own men. The front door slid open and a head poked out, shouting to them, “Weapons down! Hold your fire! Team coming out!”

The door slid open completely and the speaker strode out. “Let's go. Federal agents! Step back!”

Clemente watched as the agents escorted their prisoners out. One of them carried a body over their shoulder, long blonde hair swinging to the agent’s knees. Clemente guessed that the body had to be the dead Homeland Security agent that White’s partner had told him about. Two agents escorted an injured blond woman, a young girl carrying a baby and a young boy to the ambulance. The prisoners were pushed toward the van.


“I need you back. Move! Move! We may have a biohazard here, people. Make a hole. Make a hole. Move! Move! Let's go.” The man turned to address Clemente. “Agent White wants your people in there to secure the crime scene ASAP.” The agent turned back and shouted to his team, “Let's go! Let's go! Let's go, let's go!”

He addressed the officer standing by the paramedics. “We're going to need to commandeer this ambulance.” He looked at Clemente, “Agent White is not a man who likes to be kept waiting, Detective.”

The doors to both van and ambulance were closed and a tall agent approached the driver of the medical vehicle. “All right, we'll take over from here…” he got in the driver’s face, “--unless you want be stuck in a six-hour decontamination hose-down.” The driver backed off immediately, and the agent climbed into the driver's seat.

Clemente could hear the lead agent yelling, “Clear the barricades. Clear the barricades!” The engines started and the orders were repeated, “Clear the barricades! Clear 'em! Let's go!”

Clemente turned from the vehicles and gestured to his men. “‘All right, let's get in there.”

He and his men entered the building with guns drawn and saw several people sitting on benches along the wall. After checking to see if anyone was hurt he led his men up to the second floor. A feeling of satisfaction and amusement rose at the sight of White and his team stripped down to their underwear, completely taped up and secured to a concrete support.

He made no attempt to hold in the laughter and it felt so good to see this arrogant man brought so low. “Special Agent… in Charge… White.” His grin was all teeth as it blossomed across his face and White tried to yell at him from underneath the layers of packaging tape.

“What? The Transgenics taped you up and took your uniforms?” Muffled shouting started up again and Clemente leaned forward with wide eyes. “No way.”

Muffled yelling continued and Clemente grinned again. “And you want me to go after them? That's a good idea.” He addressed his men, “Let's go.” He heard White’s struggles as they walked away and laughed out loud again. Sure, he’d probably have to answer some difficult questions when this was all over, but he had a feeling that he might have a potentially powerful ally waiting for his phone call.



**

Everyone was loaded in the vehicles. Alec, with Buffy’s body; Max, Mole and Joshua in the van with Logan driving. Gem, the baby, Dalton and Cindy in the ambulance with Sketchy driving. Max scanned the windows and called out, “Nice and easy.”

The Sector Police started moving the crowd back and the vehicles slowly started to drive away.

“Let's move it! Move! Move! Let's go! Let's move it! Move, move, move, move! Get out of the way!” Logan made sweeping motions with his arm and the rest of the crowd moved.

After a minute, the van and the ambulance moved clear of the crowd and drove down an empty street.

Max scanned the area and called out, “We're clear.”

Everyone cheered. Several high-fives slapped and Mole lit a cigar. “Yeah, baby. That's what I'm talkin' about.”

Alec removed his helmet and set it on the floor. He held Buffy’s body to his chest and ignored the other’s concerned glances. “It's all good.”

Logan caught Alec’s gaze in the mirror. “Just for the record, that chick was kicking your ass.”

Alec tried to look nonchalant and sniffed. “I had it. I was just settin' her up.” No way was he going to admit how scared he’d been towards the end. Logan had really saved his ass from, at the least; severe injury if not death. He rested his cheek on the crown of Buffy’s head, taking comfort in the familiar scent drifting up from her hair. Despite all of the sense enhanced people in the van, Alec seemed to be the only one that noticed Buffy’s scent hadn’t changed at all in the hours after her death.

Max moved from the bench to crouch just behind Logan’s shoulder. “All right. Head for Terminal City.”

**



In the lead car, Clemente and the rest of the police caught up to the Transgenics, sirens blaring to announce their pursuit.


Everyone froze at the sound of the sirens and Logan called out, “We got company!”

Clemente’s voice blared through the night air, “Stop your vehicles now or you will be fired upon. Pull over now, or we will use deadly force to stop you.”

Max kept her eyes on the road. “Don't stop. Keep moving.”







In the ambulance…

“Uh-oh, what should I do?” Sketchy was close to panic and Gem answered, “Keep driving.”

Cindy turned back from the rear window. “Just follow Max. She's gotta know what she's doing.”

“Okay.” He wasn’t so sure, but Cindy hadn’t steered him wrong yet and the alternative to following Max probably included an extended stay behind bars and the three Transgenics getting hauled off to God knew where.








They were within sight of the gates in seconds and they could all see that the gates were closed and locked.

Max looked back one more time. “Go straight through the gates.”

Logan gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Hold on.” Everyone braced for impact as the van broke through the gates. The ambulance followed close behind with the police cars in close pursuit.

Max pointed, “You're gonna make a right, a left, then straight up the ramp.” Logan pulled into the parking garage.

“Straight through the building.” Max directed him past piles of debris. Their path was blocked by the burned shell of a car and the ambulance stopped beside the van.

The defeat was clear in Logan’s voice. “End of the line.”

Alec turned to look out the back window and his stomach fell at the sight of so many police cars parked behind them. Doors opened and cops spilled out, weapons drawn and aimed at their two vehicles. No way were they getting out of here without a firefight.



Clemente put the bullhorn to his mouth. “Throw your weapons out and let me see your hands.”

He could see movement in the windows and a pale face flashed before disappearing again. “Throw your weapons out now!”


Mole turned his expectant gaze to Max. “So what's your plan now?”

“Max?” Joshua’s voice was barely a whisper.


Max scanned the area from the windshield and then shrugged. “You heard the man.”

Everyone in the rear of the van groaned.

“Well, this sucks.” Mole growled.

Alec set Buffy on the bench. “I fought the law, and the law won.”


Clemente’s voice barked out over the bullhorn once more, “Throw your weapons out and put your hands where I can see them. Throw them out. Do it!”

He watched the van and ambulance doors open and the people inside threw their guns out. Then they slowly stepped out, their hands in the air. “Step away from the vehicle, and keep those hands up. Do it! Put your hands up. Keep them up! Keep those hands up. Step out of the vehicle and keep those hands up. Get down on your knees and put your hands on your head.” He assumed the blonde agent’s body was still inside. Everyone had their hands in the air but a dark haired woman.

“Get down on your knees now. Do it!”




Max slowly walked forward and Clemente lowered the bullhorn.

“452?”

“You can call me Max.”

“I think you better get down on the ground.”

Max felt movement behind them but kept eye contact with Clemente. “Actually, I think you should probably go.”

He sent Max a hard look. “I'm not gonna tell you again.”

She tilted her head, her eyes just as hard. “I'm not gonna tell you again.”

Multiple sounds of various weapons cocking had him and his men scanning the area. The sight of so many people/creatures armed with everything from firearms to bludgeoning weapons sent a wash of cold to the pit of his stomach. Transgenics had taken over residence of Terminal City. And there were more than anyone had thought. The police were vastly outnumbered.

Max’s voice was slightly sympathetic. “You can try to arrest us all, but you guys might want to call it a night and go have a beer.”

Clemente had known nothing good would come out of tonight’s events. There was really no alternative. He turned to his men. “All right. All right, everybody, let's back it up. Let's back it up! Outside the fence! Back it up! Come on, let's move!”

Every police car except Clemente's left and he put his weapon in his holster and approached Max. “You kept today from turning into a bloodbath, and I respect that.” So many of the people standing at Max’s back were barely human in appearance and he had to force himself not to stare.

“You held up your end, too.”

Max’s voice was calm and he couldn’t understand why. “But you haven't won anything. This is gonna get real ugly, and this is way over my head now.” He gestured to her. “These people's lives depend on the decisions that you make right now. I pray you make the right ones... Max.” He turned and went to his car, hoping that she understood the message he’d tried to convey. Being a leader was one of the most difficult responsibilities a person could take on. He was dialing that number from Agent Otto before he cleared the perimeter fence.

**





Mole waited about two heartbeats before barking out preliminary orders. “Escape and evade. We divide up into teams, pick an azimuth, and go to ground.”

Max shook her head. “No, we stay here.”

Mole turned to face off with her, pointing to the unsecured perimeter fence. “In a couple of hours, that perimeter will be completely locked down. Tanks, National Guard, every cop within a hundred miles.”

Dix moved within Max’s line of sight, drawing her attention from Mole. He and Luke were the go to guys when it came to computer supplies or anything else TC might need neither were made for combat. “We'll be digging our own grave, Max.”

Luke chimed in, “Mole's right. If we move now, they'll never be able to catch us all.”

Max spun around, making eye contact with as many people as she could. “Where are we gonna go? I can't stop anyone from leaving, but I'm through running and hiding and being afraid. I'm not gonna live my life like that anymore. Aren't you tired of living in darkness?” She met the green eyes of a cat faced woman. “Don't you want to feel the sun on your face? To have a place of your own where you can walk down the street without being afraid?”

Max felt her throat tighten and ignored it. “They made us, and they trained us to be soldiers, to defend this country. It's time for them to face us and take responsibility, instead of trying to sweep us away like garbage.” She saw Joshua nodding in the periphery of her eye and spread her arms. “We were made in America and we're not going anywhere. So they call us freaks; who cares? Today I'm proud to be a freak. And today we're gonna make a stand, right here. Who's with me?” She raised her fist in the air and looked around.

A few painful beats passed and then Joshua did the same, followed by Logan and Alec. One by one, the others joined in as Mole watched with wide eyes.

He smirked. “What the hell.” And raised his fist.

Original Cindy met Logan’s gaze. “Right on.” Sending Max a smile when she looked at her friend.


****


Alec sat sentinel over her body. The waiting was maddening. Waiting for what, he wasn’t quite sure. But he’d had to threaten both Max and Mole with ‘maimage’ to get them to back off. Alec shuddered. Maimage was very much a Buffy word and the thought of her so cold and still sent a chill deep into his core. He was trying so very hard to hold onto the hope.

Despite Cindy’s assurances that everything would be fine, Max thought he was having a psychotic break like Ben had, but Alec ignored her and held onto Buffy’s promise. Death couldn’t stop her. It was her gift to give, but never receive… Where had that come from? He wondered if it was yet another fact about Buffy he’d learned in his dreams.

He was so tired. It had been almost twenty-four hours since she stopped breathing and it had been almost another twenty four since he’d had decent sleep. Alec once again wished for the shark DNA that Max cursed. Damn… He’d been awake for almost forty-eight hours, minus the few hours before work yesterday and he’d been nodding for the last two hours. He desperately needed coffee, but didn’t dare leave her alone. His promise had been that he wouldn’t leave her alone. He was just grateful someone had left their empty ‘Mega-size’ drink cup behind so he hadn’t had to embarrass himself or pee in the corner.

Alec finally gave up trying to say awake and took hold of Buffy’s hand as he laid his head down on the side of the cot. He’d probably have a serious dent in his face when he woke up, but at least he wouldn’t give himself whiplash anymore and his grip ensured that Max couldn’t sneak Buffy’s body away. He was asleep within seconds and the dreams began. They were different this time. Oh, there were the usual scents and feelings, but now he was an actual participant and not just a voyeur.

~*~

She was talking directly to him, laughing and smiling.

“Come on! Don’t be a baby. Here.” Buffy grabbed his hand and held it to her rounded stomach. There was a strong thump against his hand and she laughed again as he fell to his knees and placed his ear to the moving lump under her skin.

The scene blurred and Alec watched as a younger Buffy stood on a rickety tower, arguing with a dark haired girl. Buffy suddenly whirled and ran for the edge; Alec’s scream was soundless as she dove into a terrifying looking swirling mass of energy. The sight of her broken body on the ground below had him closing his eyes, the image indelible against his tight lids.

The sound of chanting caught his attention and Alec opened his eyes to see four people; three women and a man sitting over a grave with what appeared to be ritualistic paraphernalia. The scene changed abruptly again and the gravesite was deserted, the broken bits on the ground indicating they’d been interrupted. Suddenly, a hand broke through the grass and a body pulled itself up through the earth. A woman in a dark dress flopped onto her back and Alec found himself swallowing back bile. Buffy had just dug her way out of her own grave.

Manticore had done some pretty cruel and bizarre things, but burying someone alive had never been on the menu. At least, not that he’d ever experienced.

Various scenes of fighting involving Buffy and strange looking creatures flashed by. These creatures were like something out of the darkest nightmare of Manitore’s deepest dungeon. More frightening than even the vampires he’d hunted with her. The perspective changed and after a few moments, Alec realized he was seeing out of Buffy’s eyes.

There was a man inspecting her hands and when he looked up into Buffy/Alec’s eyes, the love and concern shining out of that blue gaze made Alec tense with jealousy.

His perspective changed again and although the scenes passed too quickly to comprehend thoroughly, Alec got the impression that all of this was for his benefit and not just some surreal dream ‘leak’ from Buffy.

She was in a cave, horrifying creatures swarming below, trying to climb to the surface. A dark-haired woman was climbing rough-cut stairs near the back, yelling for Buffy to follow.

Buffy looked up at a blond man, his body wrapped in bright light and she reached out and took his hand, unmindful of the flames that danced across her skin.

“I love you.”

Alec felt a twinge at the sound of those words directed at another man. He knew she’d loved others, but that didn’t make it easier to hear.

The blonde’s smile was sad and he shook his head slightly. “No… you don’t. But thanks for sayin’ it.”

Alec watched as Buffy turned and ran up the stairs. His gaze was drawn back to the blond man and he realized the man was looking back at him.

“You listenin’? Take care of her you manky cat or I’ll ‘ave your guts for garters, sod the Powers That Be. The girl should get happiness for once. Seems that’s your job now so buck up and do it right or nothin’ll stop ol’ Spike from hunting you down. It’s gonna happen, the whole thing. Your friend’s blood is the key and your love for the Slayer will save the new generation if you don’t screw it up.”

Alec opened his mouth to reply, but the blond man incinerated; laughing as his body turned to ash.

~*~

Alec flew up out of the dream with a jolt. His eyes popped open to see that he was still resting his head on the cot. With an elevated heartbeat, Alec wasn’t immediately aware of the breath sounds coming from the body next to him. Fingers threaded through his hair and his head whipped up to see bright hazel eyes watching him.

His heart sped up as a smile bloomed across Buffy’s face and she whispered, “Hey you.”

Alec sat up and hauled Buffy into his arms, his whole body shaking as she stroked his back soothingly. His nose was buried in her neck and the sight of unblemished skin where her gunshot wound had been had him rearing back to look in her eyes. Her expression was open, far more open than it had ever been and he took a chance.

“What just happened here? Did you really die?”

Buffy scrunched her nose in a way that had him smiling and she huffed. “Well, in the broadest sense of the word, yes. But technically, we figure it’s closer to a deep suspension while my body regenerates whatever damage occurred. Usually, most of my injuries heal before they are incapacitating…”

Her voice was cut off by Alec’s mouth covering hers in a desperate kiss. Holding her hadn’t been enough. He’d held onto the hope for too long and he had to make sure she was really here. Alec felt her fingers thread through his hair and a quiet moan escaped as she scratched his scalp.

A pointed cough sounded from the doorway and they broke apart; their breathing elevated.

**


TBC…