Chapter 16

Buffy felt herself being lifted up, completely drained, she could no longer put up a fight. Not that it would have made much of a difference, anyway. She opened her eyes enough to focus on where he was taking her, struggling in fear when he brought her over to a glass case, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

“Trying to fight me will only make this hurt more.”

Buffy yelled and kicked at him, anything to keep him from putting her inside the death trap, but she was no match for him. “No, let me go!”

Rack chuckled. “As you wish,” he said, shoving her in the box and closing the lid. “Drowning is such a horrible way to die, don’t you think? My children suffered the same fate, and not once did they try to escape. They knew it would be pointless. Just relax; it’ll all be over soon.”

Water started to fill up the box, and now she knew what he meant. Buffy kicked and punched the lid, hoping to break free, the freezing water made it harder, but she wasn’t about to give up. She screamed until her voice was hoarse, praying that someone would hear her. “Please, don’t do this! Get me out of here!” The water quickly filled up her lungs, and screaming was no longer an option anymore.

Rack laughed at her predicament, the new powers flowing through him, making him feel invincible. His body suddenly convulsed as he was flung against a wall, crying out when he realized that he couldn’t move.

“I don’t believe those powers belong to you,” Giles stated, making sure the man wouldn’t be going anywhere.

The others stormed the mansion, seeing that Giles had everything under control.

Tara and Willow went to his side to lend a helping hand. If Rack got loose, there was no way he would be a match for all three of them.

Spike immediately ran to Buffy, not wasting any time before punching a hole through the box, causing the water to spill out. He ripped the lid off, taking Buffy in his arms. “Faith, she’s not breathing!” he yelled, gently laying her down on the ground.

Faith hurried over to them, nodding her head. “I took a CPR class before I dropped out of school; I think some of it stuck. When I tell you to, pump her chest, but not too hard.” She tilted Buffy’s head back, pinching her nose and blowing in her mouth. “Do it now.”

Spike placed his hands on her chest, pushing down a few times, and keeping count along the way. He watched as Faith blew in her mouth again, with still no sign of life from Buffy. “Come on, baby, it’s time to wake up now. You can’t do this to me, Buffy. I need you.” They continued like that for another minute, when Buffy finally gasped and opened her eyes, coughing up the water that she inhaled. Spike hugged her to him, running his hands all over her body to assure himself that she was really all right.

Her coughs turned into sobs as she clutched him tighter, resting her head against his chest.

Spike held her close, spreading kisses along her face and the top of her head, looking over at Faith. “Thank you,” he told her.

She nodded, glad that her sister was okay. Faith knew that she was in good hands now, leaving them to their privacy to check on the others.

Spike pulled away, needing to look at her. “You’re safe now, sweetheart.”

“I was so scared,” Buffy claimed, her voice still raspy. “It wasn’t the thought of dying; it was the thought of never seeing you again.”

Spike felt his eyes tear up. “You’ll never have to worry about that.” He took his duster off, wrapping it around her shivering form. “Come on, let’s get you home.”


* * * * *


“He’ll be sent to England, I can only do so much from here, but I would need the assistance of my coven. Rack has been restrained, soon he’ll be stripped of every power he stole, and none of it belonged to him. It seems this man has been draining witches for years now, but he won’t be a problem anymore.”

Joyce sighed in relief, giving him a hug. “Thank you, Rupert.”

He returned her embrace, pulling away a moment later. “I’ll always be here for you, Joyce, even from another country. Willow and Tara will be accompanying me, until he is stabilized. If you ever need my help with anything again, don’t hesitate to call.”

Joyce watched him leave the house, a smile on her face as she headed back to the living room, where Buffy was sitting with Spike on the couch. “Could you give us a minute alone?” she asked him.

He nodded, kissing Buffy on the cheek before getting up to join Faith in the kitchen.

Joyce sat next to her daughter, neither knowing how to start, but Buffy decided to break the silence.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

She shook her head. “You were right; I haven’t been very fair to you. I’ve been focusing more on your sisters, but that’s not because I love them more. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Buffy. Stronger than I could ever be, I never have to worry about you. I’m very proud of the woman you’re becoming. I love you very much.”

Buffy thought she had no more tears left, but was apparently wrong as she gave her mother a hug.


* * * * *


There was a knock at the back door, Faith got up to open it, surprised by the person standing there.

“May I come in?”

She moved back, closing the door behind him. “What are you doing here, Wesley?”

He took a deep breath. “I know you’re not a child anymore. You have no real use for a watcher, but if you’ll have me, I would love to be a part of your life again. Not as a watcher, but as a friend. If you need my help with anything, I’ll always be available.”

Faith smiled at the nervous man, realizing just how much she missed him. “Yeah, I would like that.”


* * * * *


Spike headed upstairs to give Faith and her former watcher some privacy, seeing that Buffy and Joyce were still talking; he didn’t want to interrupt them. He waited in her room, but didn’t have to wait for long, smiling when she walked in and joined him on the bed.

“How did it go?”

“Better than I thought, that’s the first time in practically forever we’ve actually had a real conversation. It felt good,” Buffy explained.

He nodded. “Your mum really came through tonight. She was very concerned about you, as were we all. Don’t ever scare me like that again, all right?”

She nodded as well. “Got it, I’ll try not to get kidnapped from now on.”

“That’s my girl,” he responded, kissing her on the forehead.

“My powers are gone now. He took everything, but you know what I realized? I don’t even care. Being normal isn’t so bad; I’m actually kind of relieved.”

Spike grinned. “That’s good to know, but I don’t think you’ll ever really be normal.”

“I can live with that, too.”

They continued to lay there in silence, until Buffy once again broke it.

“I’m sorry about Drusilla,” she whispered.

He gazed down at her, a soft smile forming on his lips. “I’m not.”