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Possession by icemink
Plan B
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A/N: Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter. Just to clear something up, the gas they used on Buffy doesn't cause people to forget, it's just sleeping gas. I was trying to refer to the way the typical inhabitant of Sunnydale blocks out anything supernatural that they see. And sorry this chapter is a bit short, but I figured you guys would rather have a shorter chapter that let you know where things were going, than a longer one that would take me twice as long to write.

Chapter 21: Plan B

Every step Buffy took was a little stronger than the last, so that by the time she had returned to the entrance of the lair the last traces of the gas had worked its way out of her system.

She ran past the sentries, shoving them aside as she headed for Darla's chambers. The Initiative had Spike and it was all her fault. She hadn't even tried to stop them. The gas had weakened her, and the shock from the taser had muddled her thinking for a moment. Still, she could have done something to help Spike, but instincts from years as a slave took over. She pretended to be unconscious hoping that it would cause them to underestimate her, to let her get the advantage.

She supposed it had worked, just not in the way she'd expected. They thought she was just a regular girl, so they took Spike, loaded him into a van, and left her behind.

As the strength had seeped back into her limbs she had considered running after them to figure out where they were taking Spike. Then she realized she already knew. They must be taking him to the lab that Riley had talked about below the local college campus.

She also knew that if she chased after them, there wasn't much she could do. There were too many of them for her to be able to grab Spike and be in and out before they could gas her again. She needed help, which meant returning to the lair.

"Spike!" Buffy yelled as she burst into Darla's room. "They've taken-" Before Buffy could finish, she found herself dodging out of the way of Angelus who'd been tossed across the room.

Darla stood on the other end of the room, fangs bared, snarling at the big vampire as he picked himself up off the floor. Angelus smiled, showing his fangs, and wiping a bit of blood away from his mouth.

Darla's attention shifted to Buffy, her golden eyes gleaming with anger. "Don't you knock?"

"It's a cave," Buffy pointed out. "There's no door–just some hanging beads. And it doesn't matter. We need to get everyone. And weapons, we should have weapons."

"For what?" Darla demanded, although she never took her eyes off of Angelus.

Buffy wondered if she should step in. Obviously Angelus was still attacking people, but Darla didn't seem worried. And Buffy was more worried about Spike than anything else.

"Spike," Buffy explained. "There were these soldiers and they kind of gassed me and took him. We have to get him back."

Angelus spun around to face Buffy. For a moment she thought he was going to attack her, but he only asked, "How long ago? How many were there?"

"Um, I don't know," she admitted, confused by his concern for Spike. "Fifteen minutes ago, maybe. And there were lots, but I didn't really see. They took him in a van, but if we hurry, maybe we can rescue him before they do anything bad to him."

Angelus nodded and turned to Darla, "How many minions are there?"

"Hold on," Darla said. "I want to get Spike back too, but I won't–"

"You're in charge," Angelus interrupted her. "I'm okay with that. Look I've had nothing but the occasional sappy pity fuck out of you these last few months." He slowly moved closer to her. "And you were being too sweet, so I thought if I challenged you I could get a good hard angry fuck. You know. . ." his voice softened, "I've always thought you the most beautiful when you're angry and covered in blood."

"Flatterer," Darla said, smiling. "Although, how many times do I have to tell you, if you want me to struggle and fight, all you have to do is ask."

Darla threw her arms around Angelus' neck and practically climbed him, so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, and her mouth tore away at his.

"Hello!" Buffy broke in. The last thing she wanted to witness was more violent sex between the two of them. Besides, Spike needed her. "Can we do the creepy making out later? We have to save Spike!"

"It's not that simple," Willow said from the doorway. She had been listening from her own room to the sounds of Darla and Angelus fighting, hoping that she would be invited to join the fun. "Sorry, Mistress, I heard the ruckus and I thought maybe. . ." Darla nodded that it was okay for Willow to come in, although Angelus looked at her coldly. "The Initiative has too many alarms. They'd know we were there before we got past the front door."

"I have a plan," Buffy insisted. "Well, actually it's sort of Spike's plan, except with less waiting and being cautious and more rushing in."

"More rushing in than a plan Spike came up with?" Angelus asked. "I'm not sure that's possible."

"No, you see," Buffy explained, "instead of having me break into the Initiative computers to find information on. . . whatever it was I was supposed to find out, we have Willow do it. She'll do a better job, plus-"

"I've told you," Willow interrupted. "I'll trigger the alarms, if I even walk into the office."

"Yeah, that's the point," Buffy argued. "I mean if that computer is so important then a whole bunch of them will rush over to the campus to stop you. So once you've hacked in, you can leave, and while they chase you, the rest of us break into the main compound and get Spike back."

"It won't work," Angelus said. "Breaking into the compound isn't enough. The cages they keep the demons in can't be smashed through, or ripped off. And the locks are all computerized."

"I could open them," Willow said. "There's no reason it has to be me that breaks into the office. Any vamp will trigger the alarm. The trick would be to keep them chasing you once the general alarms go off in the main base."

"So I'll do it," Angelus said grimly. "They have every reason to chase me. They're sure to want me back, since I have this piece of hardware in my head."

"Angelus," Darla implored softly.

"I'm not going to fight them," he told her. "Just keep them busy chasing me. I'm not letting those bastards torture Spike. That's my job."

"Of course, darling," she told him. "That's why I'll go with you. You need someone who can kill, and be generally distracting. And I'm good at both. Now, let's go get the minions."

Buffy looked around the room at the three vampires. They were creepy and Buffy didn't really like any of them, but they were Spike's family, and they were willing to risk themselves to help him.

It just made her feel worse. If she hadn't run off, if she'd just waited to talk to Spike, then none of this would have happened. All she had thought about was herself and Spike, and she hadn't really cared about the fact that his whole family was in danger.

Buffy promised herself she was going to put that right. She was going to free Spike and make sure the Initiative never harmed another vampire again.
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