By Goddess Isa
SUMMARY: Part three of To Have & To Hold - Buffy and Angel struggle to deal with what may possibly their last month on this Earth. It's time to follow Spike's first lead. This is SPIKE, mind you.
SPOILER: Basically, this hints on ALL the Buffy & ANGEL eppys so far, because there will be some flashbacks during the series, I hope. SPECIFICALLY Pangs & I Will Remember You though.
FEEDBACK: Please, I'd hate to have to Slay for it. =P
RATING: TV-14
DISCLAIMER: In case you didn't know, all the characters I'll mention (probably) belong to David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon. I am SO furious at the both of them right now, I cannot even tell you. This stuff also belongs to all the writers that have ever written for both shows. I'm not gonna give the disclaimers for the music used in the story until the end of the fic because I don't want anyone knowing what's to come *g*.
Buffy hated Professor Walsh. Sure, she respected her for being a strong, intelligent woman despite her bad hair, but other than that, she couldn't stand her. She was rude, heartless and more than anything, she was a bitch.
Buffy had faced many a bitch before, including Cordelia, who was Bitch Queen of the Millennium. Even so, she wasn't looking forward to telling the nasty Professor she wouldn't be in class for a couple of days.
Giles had decided to go with Spike to Canada. They had a lead on the Thousand Eyes and it was possibly panning out. Giles didn't want to investigate any further without Buffy and Angel, so the lovers were going to Nova Scotia that night.
Buffy gulped as class was dismissed. She looked to Willow for encouragement and got a small smile, the best anyone could hope for lately. She waited by the door for Buffy, so the Slayer was forced to get it over with.
"Professor Walsh?" she asked in a small voice.
"What is it, Buffy?"
"My mom's in Chicago and she's really sick. She wants me to come stay with her while she awaits some test results, and I'm going."
The Professor took her glasses off and stared at her student. "You're telling me that you'll be missing classes?"
"For at least the first part of next week. If you want to send me the assignments via email, I can still do them, but I won't be here."
Maggie Walsh sighed. Much as she hated to admit it, she liked this girl. She was smart, wisecracking, wouldn't take crap from anyone. She was a great student with wonderful potential in the field.
Still, she didn't believe in favoritism for anyone. "I'm sorry Buffy. Miss more than one day and you're out of the class."
Buffy shrugged. "It's been an interesting experience." With that, she turned and headed towards the door.
"Miss Summers?" the Professor called.
Buffy turned around.
"Isn't your education important to you at all?"
"Not as important as the people I love."
Buffy handed Angel the last duffel and he tossed it in the back of the truck they'd rented. They were driving to the airport in Sacramento to avoid having a layover on their flight to Nova Scotia. Angel closed the door on the truck's cap and locked it down. He looked at Buffy and nodded towards the front seat of the vehicle, where he would be waiting for her.
"Oh Buffy," Willow threw her arms around her best friend. "Find the damn thing and destroy it, all right? The quicker you do it, the quicker we can stop worrying."
Buffy nodded and pulled away from her. She nodded to Anya and the Amy-Rat and gave Xander a quick hug before getting into the truck and watching them in the mirror as they pulled away. She turned to Angel, teary-eyed.
"Why do I feel like I'll never see them again?" Buffy asked.
"You're just nervous." Angel put an arm around her. "So am I."
"Tell me that's all it is."
"That's all it is."
"I'm not convinced." Buffy turned the radio on and tried to get into singing along with the boy band singing, but even pop rock couldn't cheer her up. She turned it off and wound up going to sleep on Angel's shoulder.
"I guess Xander did a good job with the ID," Buffy said as she and Angel found their seats on the plane. The clerk hadn't even questioned Angel's identification when he'd showed it to her. Xander's "sleazy friend Lenny" had made it for fifty bucks, and it was definitely worth it. He was more than believable as a twenty-nine year old from Sunnydale.
"Yeah," Angel agreed. When they sat down, he immediately buckled his safety belt and gripped the armrests.
"Angel?" Buffy asked. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah."
"If you're all right, why are you so pale?"
"I've just....I've never flown before....and I have a big fear of planes so--"
"Oh honey," Buffy planted a kiss on his cheek. "That's so cute. You'll be fine."
He nodded, but he didn't look convinced.
Buffy just grinned at him. She had a plan.
When they began taxing down the runway, she grabbed his face and kissed him. She kept the kiss up until they were pretty steady in the air. He was gasping for breath, and beaming.
"See?" she pulled out her mirror to repair her lipstick. "You're fine."
"Uh-huh," he muttered, still a bit dazed.
"Why?"
"That's one of the few languages Giles doesn't speak."
He only grinned at her before she began using him for his body.
"Can't you walk any faster?" Giles demanded.
"I'm not walking. I'm in a bloody wheelchair." Spike snarled.
"Well push yourself faster, then." they made their way through the tunnel they'd been exploring for two days until Giles saw the sewer cover. he intended to get Buffy and Angel down there that way. It had been quite the trip pushing Spike through with his wheelchair, but after a bit of clever maneuvering, he'd fallen right through. Giles had enjoyed watching him squirm once he hit the ground still taped into the chair.
The vampire growled and tried to keep up with the Watcher. Giles pulled a packet of pig's blood out of his pocket and dangled it in front of the vampire. "Stay put or you'll never see this." then he climbed up the ladder and out into the daylight.
Spike growled and began sniffing around for rats. It was better than nothing.
"Spike," Buffy said when she jumped through the manhole. "How nice to see you. Only not."
"Well I'm not exactly jumping for joy to see you, Slayer."
"You're not jumping for anything, are you?" Angel asked with a smirk.
Spike tried to lunge his wheelchair at Angel but he slid and wound up falling backwards, splashing his own face with sewer water. Buffy and Angel cracked up but Giles just rolled his eyes.
"Could we please get back to our point for this disgusting trip?" he asked.
"Someone has to set he upright or we'll never find the damn rock." Spike complained.
Though he wasn't very happy about it, Angel helped Spike back into an upright position. "Let's just get this over with."
Spike wheeled around for awhile and then suddenly stopped. "It's up there. I can smell it."
Buffy gave him and odd look and eyed Angel. Though his senses weren't what they used to be, he was pretty sure Spike was bullshitting them.
Giles pulled out some sort of machine and turned it on. It beeped slowly, then faster, than slower again.
"What's with the noise?" Buffy asked.
"It means there's something up there. I don't know what."
"We need to wait until the building is empty to dig through," Angel said. "We could wind up getting arrested otherwise."
Buffy looked at her watch. "I'd think everyone would be gone by six."
"So we have to wait more than an hour? Oh damn," Spike rolled his eyes. "I have a an appointment to get a suntan and now I'll miss it. Tragic."
"You know, if you need any help with that..." Buffy glared at him.
"Let's play nice, children." Giles said. "I think the three of us should go get something to eat to pass the time and we'll return later on."
"Sounds good to me." Buffy and Angel began following the Watcher back to the manhole, ignoring the loud swearing of the British vampire in the wheelchair.
"Can't you dig any faster?" Buffy demanded of Angel. She was actually sitting on Spike's lap doing her nails while Angel and Giles did all the digging. They'd been going at it off and on for three days now and had found nothing.
"It's a slow process, Buffy. You need--"
"I think I found something."
Giles stopped his progress and watched Angel. A few moments later, he turned his drill off, took off his mask and began digging with his hands.
"Could you move any slower?" Buffy asked. "I know that it's gonna take eons just to find the entire stone if you're there, but--"
Angel groaned as he pulled his hand out of the hole in the wall.
He was holding what looked like a piece of--
"Amethyst?" Giles asked, picking it up to examine it.
"Keep me away from that shit when it's in your possession." Buffy said. "I don't trust you with it."
"I can't say I blame her," Angel said when Giles looked to him for support.
The Watcher made a face and kept looking at the rock.
"This means your damn senses were off." Buffy punched Spike.
"Buffy," Angel and Giles said in unison.
"Violence never solves anything," Giles said.
"Hit him harder next time." Angel added.
"Your maturity just astounds me." Giles commented.
"We try."
"You okay?" Angel nudged Buffy. They were on a flight back to Sacramento. In lieu of renting a car, Xander had offered to drive up and pick them up.
"I won't even charge you," he added. How kind of him.
"Yeah," Buffy sipped her juice. "I guess I'm just uneasy because..."
"What?"
"It's nothing."
"Buffy, it's something. What's going on?"
"I sense vamps."
When the lovers got off the plane, Buffy's suspicions were proved true. The terminal was practically empty since it was four in the morning, and aside from Xander and an elderly woman singing to herself, there were no people waiting to pick those departing the plane up.
The first people off the plane were a pack of vamps, at least ten, maybe fifteen, two of which being flight attendants. Xander jumped at the first sight of them, looking around for anything wooden he could break.
The screams alerted Buffy of what was going on, and Angel began handing her stakes out of her weapons bag.
"I told you that made for good carry-on," she said half-jokingly as she pushed her way through the crowd.
Though it was more difficult than doing it heart-on, Buffy dusted two of the monsters from the back. Their disappearance alerted the others and three came on to attack her. She kicked one of them in the balls and punched another, just missing a blow to her cheek but taking a knee to her chest.
She went down, tired from the trip and everything else, but Angel was right behind her, helping out. Between him and Xander, they took care of three of them and wound up with a broken arm and sprained ankle.
Buffy was able to take just one more of them out before the leader, a skanky redhead, whistled and they all followed her, jumping down a floor via a broken escalator. She helped her men up and she and Angel balanced Xander since he couldn't walk on his own with his ankle.
"I'm glad we have a luggage cart," Buffy said, pushing it with her free hand.
"I have an idea," Xander said with a grin.
Buffy and Angel wound up carrying half their luggage and pushing Xander around on the cart.
"Buffy?" Willow asked when she answered the phone. "Where are you?"
"The ER. Xander sprained an ankle and Angel broke his arm. I'm probably gonna be here awhile. Do you think I can drive home without a license?"
"Do you have a valid permit?"
"Define valid."
Willow laughed. "What happened to you guys? And did you find the rock?"
"No, Spike's full of shit. Giles wants to send him and Xander to England next week so who knows where this is going. We're running out of time though."
"Buffy--"
"Will, today is December sixth. I've got a sinking feeling that we're not gonna find this thing."
"Buffy! Don't say that!"
"I can't help it, Will."
"Yes, you can, and you will. Stop the negative thinking right now, Buffy Anne Summers. You and Angel are gonna conquer this stupid eye thingy and live happily ever after."
"I don't know."
"Yes, you do, and you are. Please don't make me drive all the way to that hospital to hit you. It's five a.m. and I have an eight-thirty class."
Buffy laughed. "All right Will, you win. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Buffy. Take care of the guys."
"I will." she hung up and sighed. Both guys were whacked out on painkillers, so Buffy decided to take a break and sleep in the hall for a bit before going back in to see them.
When she woke up, daylight was shining brightly from the window across from her. She sighed, grabbed her bag and went into Angel's room.
"Hey," he said perkily. "What time is it?"
She looked at her watch. "Like nine-seventeen. Why?"
"Just curious. Time goes by fast when you're flying."
"Yeah, well, the doctors said I can take you home after noon. Xander too."
"Oh joy."
"I get to drive."
"Shotgun!" Angel called loudly.
Buffy sighed and sat beside him. It was going to be a long day.
"Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go!" Angel and Xander sang loudly.
"I wanna be sedated! Nothing to do nowhere to go!" Xander sang by himself.
"I wanna be sedated!" Angel added.
****
"Just put me in a wheelchair and point--"
"SHUT UP!" Buffy yelled. "I can't even hear myself think, how do you expect me to drive in this traffic?"
The guys exchanged a sheepish look.
"We're sorry, Mama Buffy." Xander said through giggles.
"We'll try to be good." Angel played with the radio until he tuned in another station. Buffy's head was ready to explode.
"MMM-bop! Digga-da-da-do-bop! Digga-da-da-do-bop! Dooo! Hey-ee-yea!"
"God, help me." Buffy prayed as they drove down the highway.
****
"Oooh, this song rules!" Angel exclaimed.
Buffy had never been more afraid of anything in all her life.
"Turn the radio up!" they sang together. "For that sweet sound! Hold me close, never let me go!"
"Take me over the edge," Xander took a solo.
"Make me lose control." Angel finished.
"I'm getting closer and closer to that point." Buffy muttered. "Angel, how the Hell did you learn the words to this song? It's from like, the 80s."
"Just because I prefer older music doesn't mean I didn't know of the current stuff."
"Oooh!" Xander said. "Look for a disco station."
Buffy was ready to shoot herself when the guys found a station playing a staticy version of 'Shake Your Booty'.
"What on Earth is wrong with them?" Anya asked when she opened the door to Xander's house.
"Funny, you don't look like Mrs. Harris," Buffy mused.
"So tell me what to do now," Xander sang.
"When I want you back!" Angel finished.
"Buffy, what did you do?" Anya held the door open for them to enter and helped Xander off his crutches and onto her shoulder. She led him to the couch and began massaging his back for him, though he was too busy singing another chorus with Angel to notice.
"What did I do? Does it look like we did this? We encountered some lame brain vamps at the airport and the humans couldn't handle it. They're gonna be fine once the painkillers wear off."
"Which is when?" Anya demanded. "I had a full night planned out for Xander and I."
"Please leave me out of the details." Buffy shuddered. "Where are his parents?"
"Uncle Rory won two thousand dollars in a pool at the bar so they went to go celebrate."
"Lemme guess. At the bar?"
"You are correct."
"The bar?" Xander smiled. "I could go to the bar."
"Me too!" Angel said. "How about some whiskey?"
"We could sing!" Xander said.
Then Buffy's greatest fears were fulfilled.
"When IRISH eyes are smiling........"
The End
Authors Note:Okay, let's see. 'Sedated' is by the Ramones, I think. 'MMMBop' is by Hanson, God help us all. 'I Want You Back' is by
'NSYNC, 'Make Me Lose Control' is by Eric Carmen and I am very sorry to admit that I have no idea who sings 'Shake Your Booty' or 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling'. =)
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