Fic: Lonely Knights (2/?)

["buffythebushkangaroo" <buffythebushkangaroo@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Buffy relaxed, as much as she was able to in the surprisingly 
comfortable airplane seat. Spike sat beside her glowering at the kids 
in the seat two in front, who seemed as if they might open the window 
covers at any time just to spite him. Buffy'd explained to the nice 
parents and air hostesses that Spike had a serious skin disorder, and 
they'd accepted it willingly enough. After all, he did look really 
pale.
"So," Buffy said. "You've come across these Knights before?"
"Yeah. Mean buggers." He looked at Willow. "Most of the time."
Willow bit her lip. "He's coming for me."
"Who is?" Buffy was still trying to get a handle on the whole deal.
Willow showed Buffy her hand. Six marks appeared in a muddle in the 
centre of her palm, but a seventh was a little distance away. "A 
demon. The demon."
Buffy actually began to relax. "Now this is more like it. Slay the 
big bad and we all go home for hugs and puppies." She saw Willow's 
expression. "No puppies?"
"He can't be killed by items of magic or lore," Willow frowned. "But 
he can be hurt... by what's in here." She passed Buffy the key, and 
Buffy made to unscrew the top.
"Don't!" Spike visibly shrank back in his seat. "Don't open that 
anywhere near me."
Buffy grinned. "Scared? Why, will it hurt you?"
"No..." Spike sighed. "It'll make me stronger. Much stronger."

*

In the frigid air, amongst the luggage, red eyes stared upwards 
fixated on a spot on the roof, almost as if the creature could see 
through the metal and insulation to the seat where Willow sat.
An observer, had there been any, would have seen the creature 
snarl. And in the dim light that seeped through to the luggage bay 
from the emergency illumination in the bulkheads, it almost seemed 
like the creature was smiling.

*

"Buffy?" Dawn called into the gloom as she entered the 
house. "Willow?" She walked into the living room. There, sitting in 
the wicker chair beside the table, was Tara.
"Tara!" Dawn ran over and gave her a hug. "I didn't expect to see 
you... What's wrong?" Dawn knew Tara well enough to know when 
something was seriously amiss.
"Willow's in trouble," Tara said. "She called me to come look after 
you while she and Buffy go to England."
Dawn gaped. "England?"
Tara nodded. "Land of scones and tea cosies."
"No fair!" Dawn pouted. "I wanted to see England."
Tara giggled. "You will. You've got your whole life in front of 
you." She forced a smile, despite the desolation she felt in 
herself. "And it can be a whole lot more fun if you didn't have to do 
that pesky math homework!" She took the book from Dawn's hand and 
cast a small spell. "There, all done. Now we can watch movies and 
enjoy ourselves."
"Tara!" Dawn gasped.
Tara shrugged. "Bending the rules every now and then never hurt," 
she smiled.
Dawn hugged her, tightly.

*

"Gatwick Approach, this is Delta Airways 212. We have an emergency."
"Go ahead, 212."
"Requesting priority clearance for an emergency landing."
"Acknowledge your request for priority clearance. Say the nature of 
your emergency?"
"We're losing cabin pressure and have minor fire damage to the 
passenger cabin. Believe to be the result of an explosion in cargo."
A pregnant pause. "212, What is the condition of your flight deck?"
"Flight deck is operational. FDAU still shows nominal. Dropping to 
12,000 feet."
Another pause. "Copy that, 212. Fire crews are rolling. Advise of 
casualties?"
"Flight crew are in good condition and we are checking on possible 
passenger injuries."
"Copy that. Will contact FSDO and clear approach."

*

Dawn switched off the TV with a shake of her head. She looked up 
and saw Tara's wide, beautiful smile. Suddenly, she knew Tara was the 
one. The death-do-us-part, heart-of-hearts one. And Dawn realised she 
was always Tara's, only Tara doesn't know this yet. How long has she 
waited for her knight to come sweeping in on a white charger, to 
defend her, to protect her? And Tara can do all that. It doesn't 
matter that she's a girl; Dawn doesn't care. In fact, it might be 
even better, for Tara could understand her in ways boys never could.
Tara, still staring at her, has an uncertainty in her eyes, as if 
she can somehow see that something has changed in the dynamic between 
them. Dawn feels vulnerable, as if the wind coming through the half-
open window is rushing through each one of the unguarded gaps between 
her fragile bones.
Dawn blushes, and shivers, and Tara suddenly realises what's 
happening.
"Oh, Dawnie..." Tara has no idea what to say or do. She's alone in 
her best friends house, with her best friend's sister, and here 
because her tentative lover had asked her to be here... And Dawn is 
coming on to her.
Tara freezes up, like a fawn caught in the lights of an approaching 
car, and when Dawn's hand reaches out to caress her pale cheek, she 
finds herself leaning in to the caress. Wanting it, needing it. Tara 
too, is lonely and in need of love.

*

The phone rang waking Giles from his exhausted slumber.
"Who is it, Ripper?" the soft, feminine and sleepy voice beside him 
asked.
Giles cast about for his glasses. "Whoever it bloody is, they 
shouldn't be ringing at..." He tried to make out the clock. "3AM."
"Must be your American friends again," she murmured. "They never can 
work out the time difference."
Giles picked up the phone. "Quentin?"
On the other end of the line, Quentin Travers, head of the Watchers 
council, took a sip from his brandy glass. "She's in trouble, Rupert."
"Yes, well." Giles rubbed his aching eyes. "She's not my 
responsibility anymore."
Quentin chuckled. "She's on a flight to come and see you, right 
now."
"She is? But she..." Giles frowned. Why hadn't Buffy warned him she 
was on her way? His roving gaze took in the female apparel draped 
around his bedroom. Oh dear.
Quentin cleared his throat. "You didn't know, old boy? How queer. 
Tell me, what do you know about a Willow Rosenberg?"
Giles froze. "She was Buffy's friend at school?" he ventured.
"And that's all? Are you sure?" Quentin probed.
Damn the man. He knew! "She's a practising witch... and quite 
powerful. She was the one who resurrected Buffy when she..."
"When she died. Yes..." Quentin sighed. "She's been made a Knight, 
Rupert. He's after her now, and she's on her way to you with your 
Slayer in tow."
"God!" Giles tried to think. "Summon the council!"
"Oh? Does that mean you're coming back to work for us, Rupert?" The 
self-satisfied smug tone grated on Giles' nerves.
"Don't fuck with me, you sanctimonious little bastard, or... you'll 
regret it!" Giles seethed. "Just summon the bloody council!" He hung 
up, and threw the phone across the room where it smashed into small 
pieces only a few feet from Monica's head. 
Monica screamed.

*

Pain. A radar signal of distress. Bleep, I'm here. Pain.
Buffy opened her eyes. Pain was good. It meant she was still alive.
A light drizzle damped her aching forehead, and she peered about in 
the early-morning gloom. "Willow?"
"She's over here," Spike replied. "I pulled her out of the wreckage."
Distant sirens blared, and small fires seemed scattered all about.
"We have to keep moving," Willow murmured from Spike's arms. "We 
have to..." Willow blacked out and went limp. Spike hefted her more 
thoroughly.
"She's right... He's here, somewhere. And he wants to kill her."
Buffy nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?" she asked. "Let's 
move!"
"Sure." Spike stayed where he was. "Do you have any idea which way 
to go?"
Buffy shrugged. "Hey, you're the one with the accent. I'm following 
you."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Great. Just bloody great."

*

The mobile phone beeped, and Giles answered sullenly.
"Giles!" Quentin said. "I tried to ring you at home, but I couldn't 
get through. the council's been informed, and they'll be making for 
the Abbey."
"Great," Giles muttered. "I'm on my way to the airport to meet her, 
right now." He rubbed ineffectually at the windscreen, trying to 
clear away the condensation.
"Rupert," Quentin's voice became grave. "The plane she was on 
crashed somewhere just South of Gatwick."
Giles braked, sharp, causing a blare of horns from behind. "Is 
she...?"
"We don't know. There's been no word from the team assigned to watch 
her. Head back home, Rupert. She knows your address?"
"Yes. She does. I'll do that." Giles headed for the turn-off to 
circle back, a thousand thoughts thundering through his head, most of 
them bleak.

*

"Easy geezer. Just tell us where ya wanna go, and I'll get ya there 
nice as ninepence." The taxi driver glanced back at them as he pulled 
into traffic.
Buffy looked to Spike. "Is he for real?" she asked.
"Take us to Camden... Guvnor." Spike looked back at Buffy. "Which 
one of you has the English money?"
"I do," Buffy said. "I got some changed when Willow phoned Tara. 
Here." She handed Spike a small wad of notes. "You understand it 
better than I do."
Spike glared. "Do you know how long its been since I was last 
here?" he asked.
Buffy glared back. "I don't care!" she said. "Anyway, they're 
traditionalists. Its probably not changed all that much since you 
were last here."
Spike stared out of the window at a passing Burger King.
"When does dawn actually finish around here?" she asked.
Spike turned back to her. "It doesn't," he muttered. "Its nearly 
midday as it is."
"Okay guvnor, missus. We're nearly there." The taxi driver glanced 
back. "How's your friend? Had one too many, eh? She looks the sort, 
mark my words. Ooh, wotcha!" He blared the horn. "Poxy foreign git! 
Where'd ya learn to drive? And you!"
Spike shook his head. "I hate this bloody country," he stated.

*

End Part 2.