On top of that, her mind was racing from the conversation she'd had with Buffy. She hadn't meant to tell anyone what she had done, but once she'd started speaking, she'd been unable to stop the flow of her confession. For over a year, she'd kept the truth hidden inside of her, and now with it out, she was both relieved and terrified. It had been a weight of off her, but now she feared what Buffy would do with such a piece of information in the long run. Tonight, the older Slayer had seemed accepting, which Emma neither understood nor felt as if she truly deserved. Slayers weren't supposed to do what she had done, and as far as Emma was concerned, Buffy had every right to judge her.
Emma couldn't help but wonder if maybe Buffy did. Maybe it been only outward acceptance, a cover for the feelings of disgust Emma's confession had given her. Only Emma hadn't felt anything like that coming from Buffy. No, Buffy had continued to insist Emma had what it took to be a great Slayer, one important enough that the entire Slayer line had been entrusted in her, no less.
Emma wish it was indeed true. She wanted to believe she could escape all the pain and darkness of her past and become something else, something she'd always been meant to be. She liked the idea of having a destiny, of having a purpose. Her whole life she'd felt as if she'd done more harm than good, and she wanted more than anything for that to change. She wanted to feel like her existence in the world was something positive.
Still, it was a difficult thing to hope for. Wanting to believe and actually believing were two different things. Emma was a Slayer, a fact she couldn't argue with, but she also knew being a Slayer didn't automatically make someone good. When she'd been living in the dorms, she'd heard the whispers and rumors circulating among the girls about Faith. Emma had never been able to get a real story from anyone, but the gossip had been that Faith had killed at least twice, and had spent some time in prison for murder. From there, the stories seemed to run the gamut from Faith turning her back on her old ways and seeking redemption to her secretly plotting to kill them all in their sleep. Emma wasn't sure what she believed—though the latter seemed a little farfetched, even for Slayer Central—but she did wonder if there was a chance for someone to take a life the way Emma herself had and still be a good Slayer.
Could one act truly condemn you forever?
Aiden made a soft noise in his sleep, and Emma looked up at him, examining his face for a moment. He was one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen, especially outside of movies and television. On top of that, he was strong and kind, and actually treated her with respect. She could feel he truly was someone good. What would he say if he knew what she had done? Would he still look at her with affection the way he did now? Would he still want to touch her?
Emma supposed it didn't really matter. She couldn't keep Aiden. She'd known that from the start. It wasn't something they'd talked about, but she knew there was no life for their relationship once this mission was over. They were from literally two separate worlds, and Emma didn't see any way they could ever reconcile that. He had his responsibilities as a Guardian, and while Emma wasn't sure exactly what those entailed, if he'd been doing it for over a thousand years, she assumed it was an appointment of the permanent kind. Furthermore, she was a Slayer, and she knew that was something which would mean she wouldn't be able to stay with him in his world. She'd have duties to fulfill in her own world, especially if what Buffy had told her tonight was indeed true.
She probably shouldn't be with him at all. There was a lot at stake, and she didn't need to complicate it more with a doomed love affair. Yet in one night he'd made her feel more than anyone before him had, and Emma couldn't bring herself to turn her back on that completely, even if she knew she could never have him forever.
A second was better than never.
He shifted against her, bringing her closer to his warm body, and Emma nuzzled her face against him, letting his scent and the feel of his skin comfort her. She'd learned in her nineteen years of life you had to take moments of peace where you could get them, and she gave into the warmth of him now. She could worry more tomorrow.
Spike snapped awake, certain he'd heard something. He lay completely still, his arm wrapped protectively around Buffy as he listened.
With his ultra-sensitive hearing, it didn't take him long to pinpoint what he'd heard. Hissing. Whatever it was, it was still outside the cavern, but the sound was obviously moving—and getting closer by the second.
He shook Buffy gently until her eyes opened, and she turned slightly towards him. "Spike? Is something wrong?" she asked.
"There's something moving towards us. Sounds like snakes," Spike replied.
Buffy was fully awake then. "Snakes? Dawn…"
"Yeah, my thought, too," Spike said. He sat up. "Let's wake the others."
Spike went to wake Emma and Aiden, while Buffy rushed over to her sister and knelt beside her. "Dawnie, wake up. Something's coming."
Dawn opened her eyes, blinking for a moment before she realized what Buffy said and sat up. "What is it?"
"Spike says it sounds like company of the forky-tongued kind."
Dawn got up from the sleeping pallet and pulled out her sword, then went with Buffy to join the other three. "They're getting closer," Spike said. "Can you hear them yet?"
Buffy shook her head. "No. Not yet."
"How come you can?" Emma asked, glancing over at Spike.
Spike looked over at her, frowning as he realized Emma didn't know what he was—or what he had been. "Long story. I'll tell you later."
Emma nodded in response, willing to let it go for now. She had more important things to worry about than Spike's apparent oddities.
Spike knew the moment he was no longer the only one who could hear the hissing. All three of the woman stilled, their eyes widening as the noise grew louder. Aiden, for his part, looked every bit the stoic warrior.
"That sounds like a lot of snakes," Dawn said, moving slightly closer to Buffy.
"I'd say it's more than one, that's for sure," Buffy said. "Although maybe they're echoing in the caves or something."
No sooner had the words come out of Buffy's mouth, than did the opening to the cavern began to flood with large dark, red-eyed snakes, slithering towards them. "Not an echo!" Dawn yelled, her heart pounding in her chest as she knew they were coming for her.
"Okay, we can do this," Buffy said, her sword raised. "I've faced way bigger snakes than these guys."
Beside her, Aiden caught her attention when he arched an eyebrow, and she responded with an indignant, "Well, I did!" She paused for a moment, then added, "Okay, it was just one, and I had dynamite, but it was a way bigger snake. Ooh, and there was this other one who these frat boys worshipped…"
"High school memories later, pet," Spike said as he moved to strike. "Snake hacking now."
"Right," Buffy said, focusing again. "Keep them away from Dawn."
The snakes weren't particularly hard to kill. They lacked the protection the earlier creature's exoskeleton had afforded it, and died quickly once they were stabbed or hacked in two. The problem, however, lay in the sheer number of them.
"They keep coming!" Buffy yelled, bringing her sword down to dissect yet another one. She'd already lost count of how many she'd killed, and the newcomers were simply swarming and slithering over the bodies of the dead. "Aiden, is there another way out of here?"
"No," Aiden replied as he took down one of his own. "They're coming through every way out of the cave."
"So what's the plan then? We just keep killing them and hope we get through to the end of them?" Spike asked.
"Unless someone comes up with something better," Buffy said. "And I'm all open for suggestions right now, 'cause I'm really not liking the odds here."
"Uh, guys…something's going on with Dawn," Emma called out, drawing the attention of the other three to the younger Summers sister.
"Oh my god," Buffy gasped, the sight of her sister sending a shock through her. Dawn's arms were stretched out in front of her, an eerie green light surrounding them. The same light covered her eyes, and Buffy realized she could hear Dawn chanting, her voice growing louder over the sound of the hissing.
Soon, Dawn was shouting, the words in a language Buffy didn't recognize. Dawn yelled one last word, and a bright burst of light filled the cavern, prompting Buffy to shield her eyes.
When Buffy could see again, the snakes were gone, and Dawn was lying in a crumpled heap.
Spike's sword clattered against the ground as he ran to Dawn, pulling her up into his arms. He shook her and got no response, and Buffy hurried over, kneeling beside them.
"She's alive," Spike said. "Still breathing, heartbeat still steady. She's just out cold."
"What the hell was that?" Buffy asked, running her hand over her sister's forehead in a need to touch her, to assure herself Dawn was still there.
"I'm going to wager the Key decided to make itself known," Spike replied.
Emma and Aiden hovered in the background, not wanting to step in on the family scene. Neither of them knew what to say anyway, both at a loss for words after what had just happened.
"What do you think we should we do?" Buffy asked Spike. "She seems pretty out of it, but I'm not sure we should stay here for long, not after what just happened."
"No, we need to move," Spike said. "Things are obviously heating up, and we don't need to be sitting targets. I can carry her until she wakes up."
Buffy swallowed, a question she didn't really want to even think about coming to her mind. "Spike, what if she doesn't…"
"She'll wake up, sweetheart. Bit probably just expended herself doing whatever it was she just did."
Buffy ran her hand across Dawn's face again, hoping Spike was right. Seeing her little sister do what she had just done had scared Buffy, made her worry for the girl's safety. She'd known for years now Dawn was made from an ancient, mystical energy source, but there was a difference between knowing abstractly and seeing the effects of that played out right in front of your eyes. Buffy had taken for granted Dawn was just a normal girl now, the Key being either gone or completely dormant, and it worried her to know that wasn't the case at all. Twice now someone had come after Dawn, wanting her for the power inside of her. Now with that power was even more visible, would more come? Would it get to the point where Buffy could no longer protect her sister?
Although given the display she'd just seen, Buffy also had to wonder if Dawn really needed her protection anymore…
"We'll clean up the traces of us being here and go then," Buffy said. "We should probably keep moving as much as possible." She turned back towards Aiden. "Do we have much further?"
"We should be out of the caves soon," Aiden replied. "Then there is one more trip across the desert until we reach Chalchicomehuel's fortress."
"Then we'll keep moving for as long as we can, limit ourselves to short rests." Buffy said. "And Spike, before you start in on me, I know. But sitting around will put us in more danger, and we can't risk that right now, especially with these things coming after Dawn. We're just going to have to hope Aiden's right about that prophecy baby protection whatsit."
Spike nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue. Buffy was right anyway. With the two attacks they'd already faced, there was every reason to believe there would be more, and the last thing they needed was to make themselves sitting targets. Their baby was in danger any way they looked at it. "Right then. Let's get moving."
Spike stood, cradling Dawn in his arms and hoping he had been correct when he'd assured Buffy she would wake up.