Mbwa Mwitu

Chapter Summary: In which Spike and Tara patrol, then realize something is wrong.


.Chapter Six.


Spike entered the Magic Box, forcing his happy grin into a sneer. It wouldn’t do to have his reputation destroyed, after all. However, he couldn’t help but be pleased. Bringing Oz into the pack had been a lot easier than he had thought it would be. It seemed that, for once, things were going to be okay. The world wasn’t trying to end and he had his pack. Life was good.

Spike found Tara sitting on their side of the table, looking rather lonely. Several stacks of books sat before her, and a large volume rested on her lap. Across the table, Buffy and Willow were talking more than researching. Riley sat next to Buffy, looking like his typical lap-dog self. Spike frowned slightly, however, when he noticed the nervous look in the man’s eyes. Giles was nowhere to be seen. Stretching his hearing, Spike caught the sound of the older man’s heartbeat in the back office. No doubt, he was brewing some tea.

“How's my little witch doing?” Spike asked with a smirk as he slid into the seat next to Tara. Tara gave him an amused look, rolling her eyes.

“How did it go?” Tara asked in a low voice.

“Good.” Spike replied. “They’re off playing now. Prats.”

“I guess they didn’t let you join in.” Tara said in a mournful voice. “You poor thing.”

“Would rather be here, playing with you, anyway.” Spike leered. Tara blushed slightly and looked back down at her book. Spike turned back to the others, who had yet to acknowledge him. “So? What’s on the menu?”

“Nothing we can’t handle.” Buffy informed him. It was obviously a dismissal and Spike, who didn’t want to be there anyway, was fully prepared to take her up on it.

“Hey, pet?” Spike sent Tara a grin. “Let’s get out of here, hmm?”

“Okay. I’m not finding anything here, anyway.” Tara sighed. She stood up, taking a moment to stretch, before following Spike out of the Magic Box.

The night was cool and slightly damp. Spike couldn't help but wonder if Xander and Oz were now covered in mud, being the cubs that they sometimes were. Spike paused outside the shop, waiting for Tara to button up her jacket. They then headed towards one of the cemeteries that Buffy hardly went to. Spike had no desire, after all, to run into her if she went patrolling later.

The graveyard was dark and dreary as usual. Tara walked close to him, her gray-blue eyes darting from one spot to the other. Due to her awareness of her surroundings, it wasn't much a shock when she spotted the vampire before Spike did. Spike immediately leapt into battle, yelling at Tara over his shoulder.

"Lesson the first!" Spike announced, dodging a punch. "Vampires are, by nature, full of themselves. Use that to your advantage." Spike dropped to the ground and kicked the vampire's legs out from underneath him. "Make them think they have the better hand, because it will always knock them off their feet when they realize they don't have it."

Spike rolled onto his knees, pinning the vampire underneath him in the process. He looked up at Tara with a grin. "Lesson the second. Fighting vampires is like having sex. Dominant sex, but sex nonetheless. The key is to make sure you're the dominant one."

With that said, Spike thrusted a stake into the vampire's chest. It exploded into a cloud of dust that was quickly caught by the light wind.

"Anything else I should know?" Tara asked, trying not to blush.

"Not really." Spike grinned, standing. "Was kind of making it up as I went along. Still, next vampire is yours."

"Mine?" Tara squeaked.

"Sure is." Spike brushed off the dust from his jeans.

"Well, I-" Tara started, before a small frown developed on her face. Her eyes zipped around the cemetery, as though looking for something. "Spike...?"

"Yeah, pet?" Spike asked, walking over to her.

"Spike..." Tara repeated, her voice sounding almost scared. "Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" Spike questioned.

"I don't know." Tara whispered. She turned and looked Spike in the eyes. Spike frowned at her, taking in how pale her face suddenly looked.

"Tar-" Spike started, before his body suddenly jerked. Spike dropped to the ground, pressing his hands into the grass. His body convulsed once more, and a low moan escaped his lips. A dull pain washed over him, along with a strong fear. Fear of what, he did not know. All he knew was that Tara was right. Something was wrong. "Xander."

"Spike?" Tara placed her hand on his shoulder, only to have it brushed off as Spike stood. Spike's face was in hard lines, his eyes narrowed.

Spike ignored Tara and ran. His body pulled him towards the woods, the strong feeling that something was happening to Xander urging him on. He could sense Tara chasing after him, her heart beating rapidly as she attempted to keep up with his pace. He ignored the small part of himself that said to slow down, to let his pack mate run along side him. But he simply couldn't do it. He had to get to Xander, as soon as possible.

The woods surrounded him in a blur as he entered. The smell of pine and oak trees invaded his senses, connecting him with nature. He ignored this as well, pushing himself further into the woods until he reached the small patch of land that Xander, Oz, and him had occupied earlier. Finally he came to a stop, immediately turning around to see if Tara had managed to keep up with him.

"You okay?" Spike asked as the blonde witch tumbled into the clearing. Tara leaned forward, pressing her palms against her knees, and panted. Slowly, she straightened up and nodded. Spike sent her a slight smile, before turning back toward the clearing. Scenting the air, he could easily pick up Xander and Oz.

"They were here?" Tara asked softly.

"Yeah." Spike nodded. He took a step forward, staring closely at the ground. "There's signs of a struggle, but that could have been from them wrestling."

"W-What do you think happened?"

Spike glanced over at her. Tara's eyes looked slightly glazed over, possibly from fear. With a sigh, he quickly pulled her into a hug. "They'll be fine. Whatever happened... Well, we will find them, won't we?"

But Tara wasn't listening to him anymore. She gently pushed away from him and took a step toward the far side of the clearing. Spike followed, taking in how the grass there was pressed down, a clear sign that someone had laid there. He watched as Tara slowly lowered herself to her knees, reaching out a hand as though trying to touch whoever had been there.

An ache attacked Spike's chest and he tried to push it away. This was almost surreal. Everything had been going so well for them. He had Xander, who he loved more than anything on this earth. He had a clan, a pack, that included a witch that was stronger than she realized and a wolf that just wanted to belong. He had a home. He had everything he ever wanted and now...

"Spike." Tara whispered. Spike blinked down at her, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind. Her hand was still extended and it shook dangerously. Her eyes gazed up at him, catching the light of the full moon. The moon's glow seemed to accent the grayness of her eyes, causing them to look almost silver.

"What?" Spike asked, cursing at how his voice caught in his throat.

"There's electricity... Umm, electricity still in the air." Tara replied.

"What does that mean?" Spike demanded, a sick feeling growing in his stomach. Electricity. He knew what that could possibly be, but he prayed it wasn't.

"Something... Someone released a large jolt of electricity into this spot. It was localized and..." Tara took a deep breath. "It's not natural, Spike. It's man-made. That's why I can still feel it; it would have been absorbed into the ground otherwise."

"Fuck." Spike cursed, rubbing briefly at his face. "Those bastards. Those fucking bastards!"

Anger surged through him and, needing some way to vent, he turned and punch at the nearest tree. His fist penetrated the bark. Panting, he pulled back his hand, finding small bits of wood now embedded into his knuckles.

"You think it was the Initiative." Tara surmised, standing. She gently took hold of his hand and carefully pulled out the wood. Spike let out a slight hiss, but didn't reply. With a deep breath, Tara wrapped her hands around the wounds and looked up at him. "They took Xander and Oz."

"Seems to be the most obvious answer." Spike replied, his voice bitter.

"They'll hurt him, won't they?" Tara's voice was barely above a whisper. Spike forced himself not to react as her hands tightened painfully around his own hand.

"It's what they do." Spike told her.

"Not this time." Tara said stubbornly. Spike's eyes widened slightly at the look in her face, not used to seeing Tara with an actual backbone. He felt some pride at the sight. Yeah, that was his girl.

"Won't even get a chance to touch them." Spike agreed, a feral grin spreading across his face. Tara nodded and let go of his hand. He glanced at it, and then did a double-take. His wounds were completely healed. Even as a vampire, especially one living on mostly animal blood, he wouldn’t have been able to heal that fast. He looked back up at Tara in shock.

"What?" Tara asked, almost innocently. She turned away from him, looking once more at the clearing. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, who do we know that has the inside information on the Initiative?" Spike asked. At his words, Tara began walking.

"Let's go." Tara literally ordered.

Spike followed along side of her, his thoughts racing. He could sense Tara doing the same. He still felt angry, overly so. Yet, unlike the Spike of old, he didn't feel like attacking the nearest living thing. Aside from punching the tree, he wanted to keep his feelings buried. Perhaps that was the effect of his soul. The only effect, apparently. In fact, he wasn't much different than before he got his soul back.

Still, he was mad and angry and really, really wanted to kill Riley Finn. Even if the bastard had nothing to do with what happened, he still wanted the pleasure of ripping his spine out and -- Spike winced slightly as the chip in his head throbbed in warning. With a sigh, Spike followed Tara into the nearest cemetery.

"Are you okay?" Tara asked, breaking the silence.

"No." Spike admitted. Funny how Tara was one of the few people who could get him to say the truth about pretty much everything. Even Xander had to kiss him senseless on a few occasions.

"Neither am I." Tara replied, sending Spike a sympathetic look. "You feel like you should be more upset, don't you?"

"Shouldn't I?" Spike returned. "This is my mate that's missing. My bloody mate! I should be destroying everything in sight."

"Spike..." Tara sighed and send him a tired smile. "It's called shock. I'm feeling it too."

"Does this mean that sooner or later I'm going to explode and kill everyone?" Spike asked, hopefully.

"I think that sums it up, yeah." Tara answered.

"Good." Spike said. "Because I bloody well want to kill someone."

"Preferably someone in camouflage." Tara added.

"Exactly." Spike nodded.

Silence descended once more, with Spike returning to his own thoughts. He was determined to do this properly. He wasn't going to overreact. He was going to march up to Riley and demand to know what was happening to Xander and Oz. He was not going to give Riley a chance to not answer. He would keep his cool.

All declarations of controlling his emotions ran for the hills the moment he spotted Riley Finn, walking alongside Buffy like a little puppy. A sick feeling encased his insides and anger boiled underneath his skin. Letting out a roar of anger, Spike's face shifted into fangs and yellow eyes. He rushed forward and, ignoring the pain that shot through his head, slammed Riley into the nearest tombstone.

Spike could feel Buffy grabbing his shoulder. He felt her yank him back, as he bared his teeth and hissed at the fallen commando. He could feel the ground make contact with his back as Buffy shoved him away. Letting out another hiss, Spike leapt back to his feet. Instead of going after Riley once more, he stood stock still as more anger than he knew what to do with ran through his veins.

"What the hell is going on?" Buffy demanded, helping Riley to his feet. Her hazel eyes darted between Spike and Tara, wide with confusion and agitation.

"Ask him." Spike growled, still in game face.

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms and leaning toward Riley.

"Where's Xander?" Spike asked in a low, dangerous voice. Riley frowned in response. That small expression made Spike even angrier. "What the hell did your fucking friends do with my mate?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Riley replied, almost sincere.

"You god damn liar." Spike grounded out. "Where is he?"

"I said-" Riley started.

"Spike, stop this." Buffy interrupted. "We don't know what you're talking about, okay? Why don't you just go home and keep yourself out of trouble for once? Xander's probably there anyway."

"Yeah." Riley agreed, nervously. Spike narrowed his eyes, his face shifting back into human form.

"He knows something." Tara's voice announced from behind Spike. Spike glanced briefly over his shoulder, taking in the witch's cold demeanor, before turning back to Riley.

"I might have this chip stuck in my brain, soldier boy, but that doesn't mean I won't risk killing you." Spike said, eluding a fake calm. Inwardly, he tried desperately to make sense of his thoughts and the situation. "If I find out you had anything to do with the Initiative taking Xander and Oz, I will come after you. You will be begging for death by the time I'm through."

"Initiative?" Buffy asked, shooting Riley a confused look. Riley's face had gone slightly white. "Why would the Initiative take Xander?"

"Half-hyenas aren't exactly human, now are they?" Spike replied. "And then, of course, there's the pup. I bet your horde of science freaks would love to get a hold of a werewolf." Spike glanced back at Tara once more as he heard her take in a sharp breath. Her eyes had hardened even more and she was giving Riley the darkest look she could muster. "...Pet?"

"If they hurt him..." Tara said slowly, as though forcing the words out. "Then Hecate herself won't be able to keep me from killing you."

Riley audibly gulped.

"You heard what she said." Spike sent Riley a nasty grin. "And we both know Tara has difficulty lying."

"I told you..." Riley said. "I don’t know what you're talking about."

"Look, they probably got lost in the woods or something." Buffy said desperately. "I mean, it is the full moon after all. Oz is probably off chasing rabbits or something."

"Spike." Tara whispered too low for Buffy and Riley to hear. "We aren't getting any help here. ...And I don't think we can take the Initiative on our own."

Spike let out a snarl of agitation and whipped around. He ignored Buffy's yells and stormed out of the cemetery and onto a deserted street. Tara followed a few feet behind him, giving him the time to cool off so they would be able to at least think of a plan.

"I have no bloody idea as to what I'm doing." Spike muttered. He slumped down into a nearby bench, resting his head in his hands. "I can't do this."

"Spike?" Tara asked, sitting down next to him. He could feel her arm wrapped around his shoulders, causing a feeling of warmth to wash through his body.

"I can't live without him." Spike whispered, his voice sounding broken. He refused to cry, however. He wouldn’t give the Initiative the satisfaction of making him cry. Even if he felt like his whole world was crumbling before, like a part of him was dying. "I just can't."

"You don't have to." Tara informed him. "We'll find them. No matter what, we'll find them. Even if we have to tear Sunnydale apart looking for them. Even if we have to..."

"What?" Spike asked as Tara trailed off.

"Even if we have to ask for some outside assistance." Tara finally said.

"What do you mean-?" Spike cut himself off and looked up at her.

"I think it's obvious we won't be able to trust Buffy, and Willow will only follow Buffy's word." Tara explained. "Perhaps... Well, maybe he could help. It's worth a try. ...Surely, Angel wouldn't deny us the help we need?"

"Fuck." Was all Spike could say.