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Chapter 24: Communication
A lone figure sat still in wait. The thought of what she was about to do weighed heavily on her mind. In her hand rested a very heavy dart gun. Blowing her hair out of her eyes, Katerina waited for her target to approach. Crouching low, she watched the two figures leave the hotel. Buffy tilted her head towards Spike, revealing her bruised neck for all the world to see. Katerina watched Spike wrap his arm around Buffy’s shoulders. Unchecked tears ran down her face, this wasn’t right. They were the ones that had helped her when she first arrived, that had made her feel welcome. Spike’s black duster moved in the wind and whipped around Buffy’s body as they walked close together. Katerina watched as Buffy raised her face towards Spike and saw pure and unquestionable trust and devotion. Pushing her mixed emotions downto the pit of her stomach, Katerina waited until the couple passed. Spike pulled Buffy closer as they passed and she thought she saw Spike sniff the air, but they kept walking. Relaxing and letting a sigh of relief escape her, she crept out of her hiding place and followed the couple down the road. The trio headed towards the nearest cemetery. Spike and Buffy’s bodies separated a little, but they kept in contact, holding hands the whole time. Katerina paid special attention to lurking far enough behind them so they wouldn’t pick up her presence. Unbeknownst to their pursuer, the couple was having an inner conversation.

Earlier that morning, Buffy had been thinking about strawberries while she was in the shower. As she had stepped out of the shower, she had heard Spike greet the room service attendant. Donning her robe, Buffy had stepped out to the main room and spied what Spike ordered for breakfast: Belgium waffles topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. “How did you know I wanted strawberries?”

“Didn’t know, about fifteen minutes ago I had this craving for them.” She reached for a plate and Spike slapped her fingers away. “Back off. Mine!”

Buffy puffed her lips out in a pout she knew he couldn’t resist and fluttered her eyelashes at him, “I thought I was yours?” Spike had fallen in line with her plan, he pulled her on top of his lap and then fed her the sugary confection.

Since this morning, each was able to not only feel vague feelings from each other, but they also could “hear” each other’s voices rambling. Buffy started to laugh in the middle of a Noxzema commercial they were watching because Spike started to fantasize about Buffy giving him a bath. Giving her a look, Spike realized she KNEW what he was thinking. Not embarrassed in the least, Spike started to send very erotic pictures her way, watching her cheeks turn red and her breathing quicken.

“Is that Katerina in the bushes?” A little voice in Spike’s head whispered.

“Why are you whispering?” he countered.

“Shut up, bleach head. Is it?”

“Yeah, looks like she had some sort of gun with her.” Spike drew Buffy in closer, covering her body with his duster. Whatever Katerina was going to do, he wanted to protect Buffy.

“Why is she hiding?” Buffy tilted her head towards Spike and looked at the hard set of his jaw. She felt him take a deep breath in through his nose.

“Don’t know, but she obviously is waiting for us to pass.” Buffy moved closer to Spike as they passed the bushes. “Don’t know what she has in the gun, but it isn’t gun powder.”

“What? How can you tell that?”

“Kitten,” she felt his exasperation, “Vampire here.”

“What is in it then?” The couple headed towards the closest cemetery.

“I think,” Spike let go of Buffy’s figure and held her hand, “that we should separate. I think it’s powered by compressed air. Something foul behind it.”

“Poison?” Spike felt and heard Buffy’s pulse speed up. A cold sweat broke out on her skin, making her feel clammy.

“Could be, don’t know.” Spike squeezed her hand gently. “She’s following us not so quietly. Wonder what she’s up to.”

“Oh, God, SPIKE!” He felt the tears threatening to run down her cheek.

“Don’t worry kitten. We’ll be all right. Look, you go towards the Simman Crypt and I’ll go towards Clark. Who ever she doesn’t follow, get behind her, OK? Figure out what she’s doing.” Spike felt a mental nod and a small, yet strong, squeeze on his hand before they let go totally.
~*~*~
Katerina followed Spike’s path and Buffy crept up behind the girl, careful to not make a sound. She watched Katerina hide behind a tree as Spike walk around a crypt. Buffy felt Spike growl in frustration as he went behind the crypt. Katerina raised the gun and aimed it towards the side of the crypt she assumed Spike would be coming out by. In a silent plan, Buffy came up behind Katerina, “What do you think you are going to do with that, little girl?”

Katerina whirled around and the gun dropped out of her hand. Red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked cheeks greeted Buffy. Spike flew from his hiding place and caught the gun before it hit the ground, afraid it would misfire and hit Buffy. If the gun did contain poison, he wasn’t going to take any chances. “Buffy?” Katerina’s legs gave out from underneath her. Catching the girl’s elbow, Buffy held on to her before she could totally crumble to the ground. “I’m so sorry,” she chanted over and over. “He said…”

“Who said?” Buffy rested on knee down beside Katerina, hoping that she would open up to her. In her head she heard Spike, “Definitely poison. Never smelled anything so foul, pet.” Katerina seemed oblivious to Spike’s presence as she kept talking to Buffy,

“That man, from the council. I met him at Mr. Giles place.” Katerina’s tears flowed once again. “Said he deserved it. I’m so sorry, I can’t do it.” Katerina’s body shook with tremors as she told the story. “He said that Spike was killing. Killed some good guy and that you were next.” Buffy patted the young girl’s back. She KNEW the ‘he’ Katerina was talking about: Travers. “He said that Spike bit you and was going to turn you.” Buffy felt pure anger, hatred, and bloodlust assault her body as Spike’s whole being tensed up. “But, he wouldn’t do that! I know it. But he SAID!” Katerina’s voice volume rose as she spoke. “I just can’t. It’s not right!” Buffy comforted the confused girl as best as she could, extricating the little pieces of information.

The dialog between Spike and Buffy moved to a jumbled mass of feelings towards each other and the head of the Council of Watchers. Spike wanted to track him down right away and torture him. The bloodlust that Buffy picked up on got stronger each second they sat and listened to Katerina’s story. Buffy pushed calming thoughts his way, trying to push down the anger that flowed through her own veins. It turned out that the darts contained the same poison that Faith had used on Angel all those years ago. Spike wasn’t too happy about the revelation Buffy accidentally sent his way. Any hatred towards his grand sire escalated a hundred fold over the past couple weeks. Compromising on going to Giles to find the snake, Spike backed off his anger. Waves of hostility flowed from him, but he tried to keep it in check.

They escorted Katerina back to Giles’ apartment, making sure the young slayer would be OK. Buffy walked between Spike and Katerina to make sure that there would be no violence on the way. Buffy was getting very good and tuning into the constant storm of emotions surging inside of Spike and therefore surging through her. His thoughts and feelings, though often disjointed, were valid and all encompassing.

Giles opened the door quickly after Buffy knocked. Shocked at an angry Buffy, a sobbing Katerina, and a silent Spike, Giles let them into the apartment. “What’s going on?” Buffy started to explain what happened with Katerina. Giles took a few moments to clean his glasses thoughtfully. His jaw set, much like Spike’s as he listened to the sordid details that Travers poisoned young Katerina’s head with. “And your neck?”

“Didn’t Willow or Dawn tell you?” Buffy unconsciously moved her hand up to her mark, proud of it. Spike felt a surge of pride in his system, abating the hatred he was still feeling. Katerina moved to sit in a chair. She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, burying her head, obviously still confused on what she was supposed to do.

“They said you two mated, is that correct?” Giles moved his gaze from Spike to Buffy. Buffy could tell the Ripper was very close to the surface. Evidently he didn’t find as much joy as Buffy and Spike felt with the mating.

Buffy had had it; she was too frustrated and too tired to deal with the bullshit of a vampire versus slayer discussion. “You tell me, Giles. Look, it doesn’t matter.” Buffy started to pace around the tiny room, “What we need to do is take care of Travers and the council, he evidently isn’t going to give this thing up.”

“Very well, what do you want to do about them? Kill them all?”

Buffy heard a chuckle in her head, “He’s got my vote.”

Spike spoke up while Buffy tried to hold herself in, “I say, hunt him down and kill him like the dog he his.”

Giles nodded, ready to accept it, but Buffy intervened. “No, all we need to do is oust him from the Watcher’s Council. This is going to keep happening until there’s a new council, Giles. Come on, they use us like tools and then just disregard us when they are done.”

“Buffy, the Watcher’s Council tries to do what is best…”

Buffy cut him off, “No, the minute I told Travers I was through with him, he went off and decided the man I decided to be with must die. I’ve had it with them! Was it my best interest on my eighteenth birthday? How about refusing to tell me about Glory when they KNEW what she was and what she was looking for. How about when my mom died and I almost lost the house? Did they offer to help me?” Buffy’s body shook with anger this time and it was Spike who sent calming thoughts her way. “If they didn’t have the girls, then there wouldn’t be a council. I say it’s time for the girls to take over.”

“And how do you propose that?” Giles moved behind the coffee table.

“See, it’s like this…”





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