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Dawn came, bright and early. The morning air was heavy with dew, and the streets were silent.
Buffy sat on the front stoop of the porch, rifle laying across her knees as she watched Spike pack the bikes up. Two saddlebags were filled with supplies, and both Buffy and Willow had backpacks on, filled with little keepsakes.
Giles' journals, photos up the ying-yang, a Sunnydale High Yearbook, some of her grandmother's jewelry. Worthless now, except for the emotional content they held.
Willow was leaning against the tree as Xander hovered over her protectively, and she was staring at Spike's back, purposely tilted towards her. On the redhead's lap lay Oz's acoustic guitar.
He told her she couldn't bring it. The only thing of importance to Oz, beside Willow and her child. When his parents had fought, the guitar had twanged all night, blocking out shouting and insults. It was his lifeline, he had once told Willow, the most important thing in his life...till he met her.
Spike straightened, cracking his back, and turned towards Willow. She was cradling the guitar to her chest, and she silently stood, heading into the house to put it there for safety.
His visor flashed in the sunlight, and he shifted on his feet, glancing towards Buffy as he turned his back on the sunrise, flipping the visor up, "How much weight can you carry?"
"Enough," She replied, and Willow looked at Spike in surprise, and he nodded stiffly, turning back towards the bike.
Buffy and Willow exchanged a smile as Buffy removed her backpack, and loosened the straps before sliding the guitar across her shoulders, and then positioning the backpack over it.
"If it gets to heavy for her, Witch, you'll have to carry it yourself, or it will be dumped...understand?" Spike said gruffly, flipping down his visor as the girl nodded, and Xander glared at him as the vampire started to readjust the saddlebags, "How can he be so cold?"
Buffy and Willow exchanged a sigh, giving the boy a look.
Spike turned towards them, "Slayer, you go with Harris, I'll take Willow."
"No way!" Xander burst out, and Spike glanced towards him.
"You're not good enough with the bikes yet, boy. If you crash, the Slayer's more likely to surivive it then the Witch."
"I don't care! She's with me!"
Willow stood up, smiling towards Spike reassuringly, "We'll be fine, Spike...it's okay."
Spike shook his head, "Fine...let's head out, then."
Spike and Buffy rode ahead of Xander and Willow, despite the vampire's misgivings. He would have rather had the boy out front, but he needed to be able to scout out ahead.
He and Xander each had a rifle strapped to their backs, fully loaded and cocked, needing only the safety to be flipped.
Once, towards early afternoon, they had seen a group of people up ahead, and Buffy had gotten excited, but Spike had steered them towards a side road, then hid the bikes in the bushes before slowly crawling back towards the road, rifle held at ready.
Buffy had wanted to run out to them, happy at seeing signs of life in this dead world, but Spike had grabbed her arm, giving her a warning shake of his head.
They waited till the people were abreast of them, and Buffy was thankful for the vampire's presence of mind. It was a group of men, all armed to the teeth, drinking from stolen bottles of liquor. They were shouting raucously, and Buffy had crouched down closer to Spike, her eyes narrowing slightly as they opened an abandoned car, and started removing the valuables from the bodies.
"Stupid pillocks," Spike murmured as he flipped up his visor, the mirrored plastic protecting his face from the sun overhead. Even so, his face looked a bit red from the time he had spent in the sun. "Don't get it's not worth anything anymore...they'll as soon as kill me and Harris, and then rape you and the witch, pet...you can't trust anyone anymore."
"Why would they do that?" Buffy asked as the group moved on, moving east along the road, and she wondering idly what was east of them. Nevada...isn't it?
"No rules anymore, pet...doubt that group followed them before. People will take any excuse to take advantage of the situation. They will. They find women on this road, well...let's just say I pity them. Fuckin' shame...not much left of the populace, and arseholes like that would love nothing more then to destroy what's left of it."
Buffy watched as the group disappeared out of sight as Spike stood up, brushing his leather pants off to head back to Willow and Xander. She stayed for several more minutes, trying to fit this new world into her old world concepts...but it wasn't working.
She sighed sadly as she got up, and returned to the group.
Angel hadn't gotten very far from LA before he had to take shelter from the burning sun. He was currently huddling inside an abadoned grocery store, grimacing as he glanced at the dead cat he had to catch to feed on. Blood didn't keep well when the power was off.
He sighed, looking towards the windows in the front of the store, then glanced at his watch. Too long to sunset...and he wanted to get to Buffy before she left Sunnydale. I'm coming, my love...
Everyone was relieved as darkness set, and Spike found a exit ramp, leading to a small town. They decided to camp inside a old consignment shop, instead of risking a store that would bring stragglers, like the grocery store or a sporting goods store.
Spike stripped off his helmet, and Buffy giggled at his massive hat-head, and he gave her look, "Get a mirror, Slayer," He replied before disappearing for nearly an hour.
Buffy glanced in a mirror in the fitting rooms, and Willow and Xander exchanged a look as the Slayer let out a small screech.
Soon, Spike came back with a camp stove, a pot and some lanterns and handed them to the teens, glad to see that Xander had kept his rifle handy the entire time. He was amused to see the Slayer had combed out her hair.
Willow set up the stove, and started to make some cans of Chef Boyardee and Xander cracked open some canned peaches.
Spike sat near the front of the store in a chair, leaning back against the wall as he rested the rifle across his lap, watching the road intently as the others ate.
"Spike?"
He glanced over his shoulder at Buffy, who frowned worriedly, "What are you going to eat?"
"Already did," Spike answered.
"What did you eat? The power's out here...the blood was probably bad..."
"Don't ask, Slayer. You don't wanna know," Spike looked back out the window, and Xander scowled.
"He probably found some poor guy walking around and killed him."
"Xander..." Willow started to intervene but Xander talked over her.
"That's why you don't want us to know! You killed someone!"
Spike scowled, throwing a look at Xander, "Christ...get half a brain, mate! I'm not gonna go around eating people! Only a numbfuck vampire would keep up with that shit when the food's so low."
"Oh...yeah...right...then what did you eat?"
Spike rolled his eyes, throwing a glance at Willow and Buffy, then replied simply, "Dogs are dead, but the cats are still alive and kicking..."
Xander paled, as did the two girls, and Willow sat aside her dinner with a grimace, her appetite gone.
Spike gave Xander a look, "That's why you didn't wanna know," He said, turning to look out the window once more, and the group fell into silence.
Spike was still keeping watch while Buffy and Xander slept on a pile of clothes, but Willow was still sitting up near the lantern, fingering the strings of Oz's guitar, a faraway look on her face.
After a while, Spike glanced at her way, lighting up a cigarrette as he propped open the window, making sure to blow the smoke outside. He had heard somewhere that cigarette smoke was bad for babies. "Farthing for your thoughts, pet..." Willow gave him a confused look, and he smiled around the butt in his mouth, "Sorry...penny."
"Oh...nothing, really..." She glanced down at the guitar, running her fingers lovingly along the bridge, then sighed, sad green eyes rising up to meet his, "I'm thinking that when...when our son is born...he'll wanna play his dad's guitar..." She looked down again, "But what if no one can teach him? What if no one knows how too anymore...?"
Spike stood up to sit near her, gesturing at the guitar, "Can I...?"
"Huh...sure..." Willow almost relunctantly allowed the guitar to be taken from her, watching worriedly as Spike ran his long, slim fingers along the strings, then tuned it a tiny bit
Willow listened in surprise as Spike played a few strands of a familiar song, smiling faintly. Oz used to play that song. It was one of his favorites.
"Would you know my name...if I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same...if I saw you in heaven? I must be strong...and carry on...cause I know I don't belong...here in heaven..." The vampire's voice was strong, but soft, so not to wake Buffy and Xander.
"Time can bring you down...time can bend your knees. Time can break the heart...have you beggin' please...beggin' please..." As he caught on to the tune, his voice rose a bit, and his fingering on the bridge became more sure, and he closed his eyes.
"Would you hold my hand...if I saw you in heaven? Would you be the same...if I saw you in heaven? I'll find my way...through night and day, cause I know, I can't just stay...here in heaven."
Willow glanced down at his hands as he played, tears starting to form in her eyes as he started the instrumental part.
"If I saw you in heaven...would you help me stand...if I saw you in heaven. Beyond the door...there's peace, I'm sure. And I know there'll be no more...tears in heaven..." The last few notes tapered off, and Spike's eyes shot open in surprise when he heard a quiet sob.
Willow had her face buried in her hands, and Spike set the guitar aside, "Luv...?"
"Oz..." She sobbed out, her words choked, her sobbing intensifying. Spike glanced towards the sleeping pair, then sighed as he rested his hand on her shoulder, and was surprised when the redhead buried her head in his chest, still crying.
He looked down at her in shock, then wrapped his arms around her uncomfortably, "There, there, pet...it'll be okay..." He said awkardly, and she sniffled as she lifted her head, and he was a bit taken back to see a small, wan smile on her face.
"Will you teach him?" She asked softly, the pleading evident in her voice, "Teach him to play his father's guitar?"
Spike nodded."Right...you have my word, pet..."
She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing out a thank you, and Spike wrapped his arms around her as she continued to cry, giving comfort as best he could.
He was unaware that Buffy was awake and had heard everything, and she smiled, glad for her friend as she finally cried for Oz, noting the irony that it was Spike that had allowed her too finally grieve properly, when once, he had almost torn them apart. We owe you one, Spike...more then you know...
Xander was on last watch, and he yawned, glancing at the people sleeping on the floor. Willow was curled around Oz's guitar, and the boy felt a pang of jealously, but shoved it aside violently. It was kinda sick to be jealous of a dead man.
Spike was lying on his side, looking still as death, but there was a small, serene smile on his face, and Xander sighed, wondering if he was having the bikini-island women dream that Buffy had woken him up from.
He swore when he felt a pressure on his bladder, and shifted in the seat. After a while, he got up, and considered waking Buffy to watch out as he went to piss, then figured it wasn't worth waking her up for. He'd only be a few minutes.
He set the rifle down on the ground quietly and slipped out the door.
He went to an alley beside the store, and unzipped his pants, glancing around almost self-conciously. He saw a body lying on the ground farther up, in a pile of garbage, and he groaned, then twisted his body a bit, turning his back to it, trying to convince himself it wasn't there.
He concentrated on the brick wall in front of him, trying as hard as he could to piss, but swore. He couldn't get his mind off the body. He started to zip up to move to another alley when he felt the cold steel of a barrel press against his neck, and he tensed, his bladder finally deciding to let go.
"Oh God..." he moaned as he was whirled around and shoved against the wall, the barrel of a revolver being pressed against his throat. Bright, feverish eyes met his, and he could see the man had the begginings of tube-neck, his throat looking bruised.
A trail of mucous dripped from his nose, and the area beneath his nose was caked with dried, thick snot, and Xander moaned again as the man leaned towards him, his breath noxious and fatal.
"Pl-please..." He pleaded, but the man shoved him even harder against the wall.
"Think yer can take what's mine?!" The man slurred in his delirum, "I know you, McCade! You won't get her! She's mine! She's my wife! Fuck you!"
"What? God...no...I'm not..." The man's knee suddenly connected hard with Xander's stomach, and he collapsed onto his hands and knees, gasping for breath, then whimpered when the muzzle caressed his temple, "See you in fuckin' hell, McCade!" The man cried as he cocked back the hammer.
Xander tensed as a shot exploded the still morning, his bladder letting go some more as he felt something wet and warm splatter across his face, convinced it was his brain. Oh God...I thought it was instant...
"Harris?"
Xander slowly opened his eyes to see Spike kneeling beside him, his hand on his shoulder, "You all right?"
Xander stared at him in shock, then turned his head, flinching when he saw the man that had tried to kill him, half of his head nearly gone, "Oh...Christ..."
"You all right?"
"Ye-yeah..." The boy stumbled to his feet, still staring at the body, then turned and retched on the ground, losing what little he had eaten the night before.
Spike was slapping him on the back as he vomited everything he had in his stomach, before finally settling into dry heaves, "Harris, it's all right...he's dead..."
"He...was..." Xander spat on the ground shuddering, and Spike nodded as he slung his rifle over his shoulder, then growled.
"If you ever fuckin' leave without waking me up, I'll kill you myself!" He snarled at the boy, and Xander dropped his head, looking ashamed, "Sorry..."
Spike sighed, shaking his head, "Clean yourself off before going back in there..." Spike told him, "And for God's Sake...zip your bloody pants."
Xander hurriedly did so, then went to a tap sticking out of the wall and put his head under the cold stream of water, trying to control his gag reflex as the water ran red from his face, and bits of gray fell to the pavement.
When he straightened, a clean pair of pants was tossed at him, and he gave Spike a grateful look, "Can this be one of the things that we guys never talk about again?"
Spike chuckled, nodding as he turned and headed back into the shop as Xander got dressed, assuring the girls that everything was fine. He lied and told them that he had gotten a bit jumpy and had shot at some shadow.
Xander came back in just as Spike and Willow started packing everything up to leave, and he grinned at them a bit sheepishly before grabbing his rifle, and hugging it close to him as he glanced at Spike, who was talking softly with Willow, and let out a frustrated grunt. He owed Spike one now...and he hated it. On the bright side...he didn't have to pee anymore.
"All right..." Spike spread out a map he had gotten from the gas station they were currently resting in, while Xander once more siphoned gas from the tanks in the back. "The highway into LA's bound to be clogged, so we'll have to do a round-bout loop...but that's assuming that Peaches is even still there. He may already be on the road...or..." He glanced at Buffy, then back at the map.
"As we get closer, I'll have to try and call up the blood bond..."
"The what?" Buffy looked at him in confusion, and Spike sighed, "Sires and their Childer have blood bonds...makes it easier to sense your family. It's weak though...we haven't been that close in a long time, and certainly haven't shared blood in over a hundred years..."
"Oh..." Buffy looked disappointed as Spike closed up the map, calling out the door, "Ready, Harris?"
The boy came in, looking a sickly green, "There has got to be a better way to do this," He muttered as he grabbed a few packs of gum, and shoved a bunch of pieces in his mouth, trying to chew away the taste of gasoline.
Spike took the gas bucket from him, flipping his visor down, "Pack it up, kiddies...time to move on."
Angel slept fitfully, trying to get comfortable in the storage shed he was sleeping in. Dreams of his friends lost in LA, and the people he had left behind in Sunnydale haunted him.
Suddenly, images of his Childe filled his head, and he frowned in his sleep before shooting awake.
"Spike..." He stood up, glancing towards the door, swearing beneath his breath. His Child was close by and he was stranded here!
He closed his eyes, and send out his call along the ancient blood bond, hoping to reach him in time.
Buffy was half-dozing as they drove along, her arms wrapped around Spike's middle. She felt the vampire tense and opened her eyes, sitting up a bit as Spike signeled for Xander to stop, looking around.
"What is it?" Buffy asked, and Spike glanced behind them, then turned his bike around, "This way."
"What? We were just there!" Xander protested, and Spike glanced at him, "This way!"
Xander sighed as Spike took off down the road again, and began to follow him, mumbling beneath his breath, "We were just that way!"
Spike stopped the bike in front of a storage shed, shaking his head mentally. Of course Peaches would ignore all the housing around him...what a bloody ijit!
Buffy removed her helmet in confusion, looking at Spike, "What's going on?"
Spike gestured at the shed, "He's in there..."
Buffy's eyes widened and a bright smile suffused her face, and Spike looked away as she threw open the door, screaming Angel's name.
The darkhaired vampire looked up as Buffy filled the doorway, and then she was in his arms, sobbing and clutching at him in desperation, so relieved to see him alive.
He held her tightly in his arms, breathing her name reverently. "Oh...Buffy..."
Xander pulled up next to Spike's bike, then glanced around. Spike was sitting beneath a shady tree a hundred yards away, and Xander glanced towards the shed, where he could hear Buffy and Angel's voices.
He grimaced in distaste, almost hoping that the bastard had died in LA as he helped Willow off the back, and the redhead set her stuff down, going to join the blond vampire as Xander dug through the saddlebags, trying to find some of the candybars he had stashed away.
Willow sat down next to Spike, leaning against the tree, and breathing a large sigh, "I think my butt vibrated off back there..."
Spike chuckled, his eyes on the shed, his gaze sort of disjointed and faraway, and she knew he wasn't entirely with her. "Going to have to send the whelp to town to get some leather for Peaches. I don't wanna hang around in California longer then I have too..."
"Where are we going to go instead?" Willow asked, and Spike sighed, shaking his head.
"Don't know...we'll get to the border, and then decide," Spike answered, finally bring his attention around to her, "How far along are you?"
"Not far...be a while before I'm showing..."
"Even so...we better find a place soon. I don't like the idea of you traveling...it's...stressful."
"I'm fine..." Willow replied, then glanced at him shrewdly, "Are you?"
"Hmm..." He looked towards her, "Am I what?"
"Fine...with this..."
"Fine with what?"
"Angel...Buffy...?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Spike closed his eyes as he leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes, hoping to end the conversation, but he didn't know how Willow got when she was determined. She could be like a bulldog.
"Because you made love with Buffy..."
Spike's eyes shot open in surprise, and he looked towards Xander, who was sitting near the bikes, scowling at the shed, apparently oblivious to the pair's conversation, "We didn't make love...we...screwed...it was just...a thing. Meant nothing, Witch," Spike said, sounding defensive, and Willow raised an eyebrow and Spike stood up, pulling on his helmet. "Get some rest, pet...you're gonna need it. We're not going to stop before nightfall."
Willow nodded as Spike strode stiffly past Xander, snapping an order at him, before heading towards town.
It was nearly an hour later before Buffy emerged from the shed, tears dried on her face, and she glanced at Willow, then Xander, "Where's Spike?"
"Went into town to find Angel some protection," Willow answered, "Did you tell Angel...?"
"He kinda guessed. He's not too happy about the situation...but he'll deal...like we all did. He says we should stick around here..."
"Spike said we should head towards the border, then decide..." Willow said, and Xander nodded, "I think that's the better idea..."
"But Angel said more people might come here..."
"What does Angel know?" Xander asked snidely, standing up, glancing off towards town, fingering the stock of his rifle, squinting, trying to catch a glimpse of Spike.
Buffy blinked in surprise, "You're siding with Spike...?" She asked the boy in surprise, and Angel stepped into the doorway of the shed, frowning.
"California's big...people will come here..." He started to say, and Xander rolled his eyes.
"What? You're suddenly the leader of the group?" Xander snapped at him, and Angel's temper flared.
"You're taking Spike's advice over mine?!"
"Yeah...wanna make something of it?"
"Xander...Angel..." Buffy tried to sooth them, and Willow stepped in, "It's good advice, Angel," She said softly, "He knows what he's doing...he's saved our lives a coupla times already..." She glanced at Xander, and the boy blushed, looking down at his feet.
Angel shook his head, about to reply as Spike returned, and he watched as Willow, Xander and Buffy all looked relieved. Spike tossed leather clothes as Angel, "Suit up, mate..." He glanced at the others, "There's an old-fashioned water pump in the middle of the park. You can use it to get cleaned up a bit. You got an hour before we hit the road again. Stay together, no straying...rifle loaded?"
Xander nodded, holding it up, and Spike nodded, barely giving Angel a glance. "Right then...I'm going to try and catch some sleep...if there's a problem, fire into the air if you need help."
Xander nodded, and the trio headed towards the water pump, and Angel glanced at Spike as the blond went to lay down beneath the tree again, keeping his helmet on just in case the wind shifted the leaves in just the right way.
Angel shook his head in annoyance, then turned to get dressed in the clothes Spike had brought him, a little confused. Why in the hell are they taking orders from him?!
The group returned back to the shed, their hair wet, and all feeling more refreshed. Spike was napping beneath the tree still, and Angel was sitting outside the shed, with his helmet on, and he lifted it, staring at Buffy in the sunlight. If he knew this trick worked so well, he would have done it long before.
Buffy smiled at him brightly, before heading over to Spike to gently shake him awake, and the vampire jerked in surprise, and then relaxed, "Ready to ride, Slayer?"
"Yep..." She said as he stood, brushing himself off. Willow and Xander climbed on their bike, and Spike watched as Buffy shouldered the guitar and backpack, then climbed behind Angel on his Harley. Behind Spike's face-mask, no one could see him sneer, then he went up to Buffy, "I'll take the guitar, since I'm riding alone." He put emphasis on the last word, but the Slayer didn't notice as she handed it to him, and wrapped her arms around Angel's waist.
Spike put the guitar strap around his shoulder, and started the bike, pulling out front of Angel and Buffy.
The Rockies rose purple and majestic in the distance as the group finally stopped just before nightfall. They were camping out this time, the nearest town not for another fifty miles.
They found an abadoned campsite, and Spike got a fire burning as Xander and Angel set up some tents Spike had brought with him when they had went through the last town, as well as some sleeping bags.
Everyone was looking fatigued, and drawn, already tired from just two days travel. Angel threw Spike malevolent looks every once in a while, but the blond ignored him in favor of tending to the bikes, making sure everything was still in shape.
When the tents were setup, Spike hefted his rifle and disappeared into the surrounding woods, and about an hour and half later, they heard a gunshot, another one following about forty minutes later. Everyone tensed, save Angel, and they watched the woods anxiously till the blond returned.
Spike was carrying two rabbits under his arms, and he tossed one at Angel, then crouched down near the fire, slitting the throat of his and draining the blood into a pot that Buffy took from him and started to warm it over the fire.
Spike cleaned the rest of the rabbit and spitted it for the humans, then took the pot Buffy gave him, and poured the blood into a plastic container, glancing at Angel, who was very messily trying to clean his, and the vampire rolled his eyes, taking it from him, and did it efficiently and cleanly, and spitted it as well.
Willow came to the fire with a pot full of water she had taken from the stream, and Spike cleaned his hands, then sat down between her and Xander as they began to eat the cooked rabbit in silence.
The tension was palatable in the group, with Buffy looking between Angel and Spike every so often.
Willow fiddled with her food before sighing, glancing at Spike, "What now?" She asked, breaking the silence, and he glanced at her, then towards the mountains on the horizon, "I figure we'll take the mountain roads to get out of here...there shouldn't be as many cars, hopefully. We could head towards the east coast, if you like...trying to find other people traveling in groups like ours..."
"How many groups can there be with two vampires, a Slayer and a witch?" Xander asked, and Spike chuckled, looking into the fire.
Angel shook his head, "I still think our best bet is staying in California..."
"Why?" Buffy asked, "There's nothing here..."
"And there's something on the east coast?" Angel snapped, and Buffy looked down.
Spike gave Angel a sharp look, "We'll head east," He said firmly, standing up and picking up his rifle. "I'll take first watch."
The three teens' eyes followed the vampire as he disappeared into the darkness as silence descended on the group once more.
Angel scowled, glancing at Buffy, "Why are you taking orders from him? Do you think he really knows what he's doing?"
"Do any of us?" Buffy replied quietly, "I just want to get out of California..."
Angel rolled his eyes, standing up with a small growl and headed towards the men's tent, and Buffy sighed deeply, looking down at her hands.
The sun was so warm. Willow frowned as shadows chased themselves across her eyelids, bright, golden light flickering. She opened her eyes, then squinted as the warm sun beat down on her, the rustling corn surrounding her.
Her hands immediately dropped down to her belly in a protective stance as she slowly stood, looking around worriedly. Her barefeet sank a bit into the warm, black soil, rich with nutrients that fed the corn.
She tilted her head slightly as she heard a acoustic guitar playing, and she whirled, starting to sprint in that direction, her mind screaming, Oz!
She froze when a weathered old voice instead answered her mental cry.
"Michael...row your boat a-shore...halluhah...Michael row your boat a-shore, hallehuah..."
Willow followed the music slowly, her feet feeling heavy as tears dripped down her face. She paused, seeing a old, black woman sitting on a old, rickety porch outside a house that was barely more then a shed. An old tire swing swayed in the slight breeze, lonesome, with no children to play on it any longer.
The old woman gave her a toothless smile. "Folks call me Mother Abigail...you all come on out here, you hear? Hemingford Home...jus' follow the ole highway..."
Willow nodded, then tensed as the sky went black, whirling around as red eyes peered at her from the corn.
Xander had taken third shift, after Angel and Spike, and he sat out in the darkness, half dozing off. He glanced at his watch, then sighed deeply, closing his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again, he was still resting against a tree, but instead of forest, he was facing a huge expanse of corn, that seemed to reach out into the horizon. He blinked in surprise as soft guitar music played behind him.
"Folks call me Mother Abigail..."
Xander stood, the hair on the back of his neck raising as a chill wind blew over him, and he watched as a black shaped moved in the corn.
"Come on down and see me...just be watching yo' back..."
Xander's eyes widened as the black shape started moving towards him.
Buffy smiled in her sleep as the warm, comforting scent of corn filled her senses, and she opened her eyes to stare up at a clear, brilliant blue bowl of sky. "Mother Abigail..." She whispered, standing up.
She walked towards the sound of a frail voice singing, and smiled when she broke out of the corn into the clearing where Mother Abigail's house stood, and the ancient black woman smiled when she saw her.
"You all havin' a hard time, ain't you?" The old woman asked, and Buffy nodded slowly.
"Spike...an-and Angel..."
Mother Abigail nodded wisely, patting the stoop, gesturing for Buffy to have a sit, and the Slayer did so, looking out towards the corn as Mother Abigail laid her palsied hand on her blond hair. "You jus' have to follow your instincts, Buffy. Open your heart and He will guide you the way of right. He will not abandon you..."
Buffy closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly, and Mother Abigail smiled faintly, "Sad to see one as young as you lose your faith, honey. Let your heart guide you. What is it telling you to do?"
"Follow Spike...it says...he'll bring us here..."
"If he takes the right path," Mother Abigail replied, "Follow your man, honey. He'll need you in the coming days. The crossing will be the hardest for him."
"The crossing..."
"The desert..." Mother Abigail turned her face towards the west, "He'll have to chose between heaven and hell."
Buffy shuddered suddenly, her world going black, and she watched as red eyes glittered in the darkness around her. Rats were coming for her...coming from the corn.
Spike was fleeing.
His motorcycle raced along a deserted highway at night, the headlight barely penetrating the blanket of darkness.
He looked over his shoulder fearfully, hearing the wolves baying hungrily, and he pushed the motorcycle up to it's highest possible speed.
There was a heartstopping moment when the bike skidded on a sharp turn, but he managed to right in time as the wolves fell behind him, and he looked over his shoulder again as the gray, loping shapes disappeared.
He sighed in relief, turning back forward.
His eyes widened as a man stood in the middle of the road, wearing blue jeans and a jean jacket, and faded cowboy boots. He was walking towards the bike, not attempting to get out of the way.
The man opened his mouth, and Spike felt his blood go cold as a deep, gaping maw opened before him, and he and his bike plunged straight into the beast's mouth.
Four sets of screams jerked Angel from a dreamless sleep, and he shot up in his sleeping bag as Spike did the same.
Angel glanced towards the vampire in surprise as he looked around in wild-eyed fear, and then nearly brought the tent down as he fled it.
Buffy, Willow and Xander were already standing out in the middle of the campsite, looking at each other in confusion and fear as Spike joined them.
The four people stared at each other, then tried to talk at once.
"The rats...they were all over me..."
"He came from the corn..."
"Oh God...his eyes..."
"He bloody swallowed..."
They fell into silence, realizing that they had all nearly had the same dream.
"Hemingford Home..." Willow whispered, "Nebraska..."
Buffy and Xander nodded, glancing towards Spike, who looked confused, "What?"
"Mother Abigail..." Buffy prompted, "Didn't you dream about Mother Abigail..."
"No...I dreamt about..." The Walking Dude..."A dark man..."
"What did he do?" Willow asked softly, and Spike shuddered, "Swallowed me..."
Angel came out of his tent, staring at them all like they were nuts, and Buffy glanced towards him, "Did you dream?"
"No...I didn't...what's going on...?"
"We have to get to Nebraska," Buffy said, then looked towards Spike, "What's the best way to get there?"
"Through..." the desert..."Nevada..."
"NO!" Willow and Xander shook their heads together, both looking scared out of their minds. "That's where he is..."
"Where's who?" Angel asked, shaking his head.
"The Walking Dude..." Xander muttered beneath his breath, and Spike jerked in surprise, then took a deep breath.
"He walks at night...we'll stick to the roads by day...it's the fastest way. We don't have time to be cutting through New Mexico instead...it's better to go through there."
"Do we have too?" Buffy asked softly, frightened beyond reason, but Spike only nodded.
"I'll get you through Nevada, Slayer..." He answered, touching her shoulder to reassure her, "Trust me. I will..."
Buffy shuddered, but not at his touch. He'll have to chose between heaven and hell...
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