Mbwa Mwitu

Chapter Summary: Spike talks to Angel, Tara is up to something, and Xander awakens inside his cell once more.


The softness of a pillow-top mattress was the first thing Spike felt upon awakening. The second thing was a slow chill that told him that Xander was not in bed. Rolling over, Spike didn't bother to open his eyes and instead spoke out to the room. "Xander? ...Love? Get back to bed..."

When he received no answer, Spike slowly opened his eyes. His eyes had no trouble adjusting to the darkness and he soon realized why Xander wasn't in bed with him. The room was bare, except for the bed and small bedside table. Frowning, Spike fought to remember the details of last night. Too easily the images came to him, that of Xander being captured and the emotional breakdown he had in the Hyperion's lobby.

Spike's hands tightly griped the comforter as he prepared himself for an onslaught of emotions. However, he found himself drained. The moment of weakness from the night before had left him tired, but in complete control. Heaving a thankful sigh, Spike slowly climbed out of the bed and made his way to the door.

The hallway was as blank and dreary as the room had been. Spike tilted his head and scanned his surroundings. A soft heartbeat, amongst two others, caught his attention. He quickly made his way down the hall, until he reached the stairs leading to the lobby. As he suspected, Tara was sitting on one of the sofas, talking softly with Wesley.

"I would suspect the electrical currents used by most computers would hold true to a computer chip." Wesley was commenting as he approached.

"Then a spell should work, right?" Tara asked, her voice filled with the curiosity she always developed when talking about magic. "Magic could interrupt the current and therefore short it out?"

"Well... I suppose." Wesley frowned. "But if that was true, then why haven't Giles or Willow tried this before?"

"Yes, they should have." Tara replied almost bitterly. "But-" Tara paused as she spotted Spike standing a few feet away. She sent Spike a soft smile, the kind that always made him want to defend her from the world. "Hey, sleepy head."

"Hello, pet." Spike smiled back.

"Angel's in the kitchen." She informed him. Spike glanced in the kitchen's direction, before looking back at her and Wesley. It was obvious that they would not be continuing their conversation until he left. Tara appeared to be up to something. Normally Spike wouldn't bother her until she relented and let him in on the secret. This time, however, Spike felt speaking with Angel was more important.

"Thanks." Spike replied, turning on his heal and entering the kitchen. He found Angel sitting at the table, with Doyle next to him. It seemed Cordelia had gone home for the evening. Ignoring Angel, Spike went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of blood. He automatically went through the motions of heating it up and pouring it into a mug, before sitting down across from Angel and Doyle.

"Spike." Angel started. "We should talk about last night."

"Should we?" Spike replied, taking a sip of his blood. "How about we just talk about you helping me break into the Initiative and save my mate?"

"We really need to contact Buffy-" Angel began.

"No." Spike interrupted, giving Angel a dark look. "I know she's your bloody soul mate or some shit like that, but I do not want her to tip them off. Don't you get it, Peaches? She's fucking one of the bastards! You know as well as I do that when she's in a relationship she doesn't think he can do know wrong."

"Spike, you don't even know where to begin searching for the Initiative." Angel said. "I know that this is your mate, but... I really don't know if I feel comfortable helping you."

"Just like that, eh?" Spike asked, bitterly. "You'll turn your back on me, on the family that we used to be and may someday be again, just because you don't want to tread on the Slayer's domain? What happened to helping the helpless or whatever?"

"Look, Spike, I would help if I knew what we were going up against." Angel replied, firmly. "I'm not going to send Doyle, Wesley, and I into a situation that could get us killed. I have friends that rely on my decisions, Spike. I am not about to send them into a fight they won't win."

"And what about Xander?" Spike hissed. "Or what about Tara?"

"Look-" Doyle started, sounding as though he were about to try and calm them down.

"Does Tara deserve this?" Spike interrupted. "Look at her in there! It's not just my mate that's been captured, Angel. Oz is in the Initiative as well, and Tara is stuck on the outside. She doesn't deserve this. She is the most pure being I have ever met! And if you won't help her?"

Spike fell quiet, shaking his head.

"I understand." Angel began.

"No, you don't." Spike snapped. "You don't know what it's like. I can feel him. I can actually feel him, Angel. The only thing that is keeping me from storming into that place and trying to get to him back is Tara. She doesn't know what they are going through. She didn't have a chance to strengthen her bond with Oz, to the point where she could feel when he is in pain. But I can... I can feel every little jolt of agony my mate is going through."

Spike paused, staring directly into Angel's eyes. The older vampire didn't show a reaction, and merely listened to what Spike had to say. Slowly, Spike stood.

"Imagine what it would be like, knowing that your half-breed of a lover was being tortured and experimented on by humans." Spike said, his voice deceptively soft. "Imagine that, and just maybe you'll begin to understand what is happening here."

Spike turned on his heal and stormed into the living room, where Tara and Wesley sat huddled around a large book. Spike grabbed his duster off the back of the sofa and slipped it on.

"I hate to break into this little session." Spike said to them. "But Tara? We've got to go. We aren't getting any help here."

"Alright, Spike." Tara replied, sending him a worried look. She turned back to Wesley. "Do we have a deal?"

"Well, I... Angel won't be too happy." Wesley commented.

"Please?" Tara asked, resting a hand on his.

"Very well." Wesley nodded. "I will wait for your signal. ...One would think, as a Champion, he would help you, but... Well, you were correct then. When you give the word, err, signal I'll get him there. We'll help you."

"Thank you, Wesley." Tara smiled sweetly and pulled him into a hug. "You have the makings of a great friend."

"Ah, well, ah..." Wesley fumbled as she pulled away, his face going red. "That is to say..."

"I'll see you later, okay? Even if everything works out, we should keep in touch." Tara informed him, before joining Spike at the door.

"What was that all about?" Spike demanded as they exited the Hyperion, leaving a flushing Wesley in the lobby.

"Nothing." Tara replied. "Just a few precautions. I know that you probably have a plan in that head of yours, but I want to make sure there is no room of mistakes."

"Right." Spike nodded as they turned toward the car.

"You do have a plan, right?" Tara asked, softly. She slipped her arm into his, her body practically molding into his side. Spike felt a sense of comfort wash over him at the closeness.

"I have a plan." Spike replied.

"Spike..." Tara took a deep breath. "How do plan to get past the chip?"

"I'll do what I have to do." Spike told his pack mate. "No matter how much pain it causes me."

"It could kill you." Tara whispered, causing Spike to stop walking. He looked over at her and pulled her closer.

"It's worth it." Was Spike's reply.

"Yes, but..." Tara smiled. "You don't have to feel that pain."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"Nothing... Well, I think I have a plan to help." Tara admitted. "I just want to test it first."

"Right, then."

"So, what about your plan?"

"My plan?" Spike paused. "I plan on getting a hold of Riley and forcing him to lead us to the Initiative."

*****

Oz bent his knees and wrapped his arms around them, hoping to cover some part of his nude body and keep some of his dignity. Every so often, a soldier would walk past. Sometimes they looked inside the cell, but usually they ignored it.

Xander had been dropped off four hours ago, looking worse than when they had dragged him off the second time that day. He had been missing when Oz had first awakened and the werewolf could only pray that they wouldn't come for either of them again. From the way Xander looked, Oz wasn't sure if he would be able to survive the encounter.

"Ugh." Xander moaned, lifting his hand slightly. His brown eyes blinked open. There was a bright, glowing green ring around the iris of each eye, which had been present since Oz had last seen him.

"Xander?" Oz asked, softly. He straightened out his legs and pushed himself onto his knees. Slowly, he crawled over to his pack mate. "Are you okay?"

"My body feels like it's three sizes too big... Is it?" Xander turned his head to look at Oz. Oz fought down a gasp. There was a long line of stitches leading from his lower forehead, up into his hairline.

"No. It's normal size." Oz replied, gulping.

"Shit. We're still here." Xander mumbled. Oz reached over and helped him into a sitting position, Xander's back pressing against the white wall. "How long has it been?"

"About a day." Oz said.

"A day?" Xander asked, looking shocked. "It feels longer."

"The moon is up again." Oz announced. "I wonder... I wonder where Tara and Spike are."

"If I know Spike, and I do, he's probably in L.A. screaming at Deadboy in hopes that will get him to help find us." Xander said, his voice sounding raspy. "Tara's probably with him, trying to keep calm despite how much she's hurting."

"She's smart." Oz adds. "She'll probably come up with something and..."

"Not let Spike in on it, because otherwise, Spike would stop her." Xander finished.

"Yeah." Oz nodded. "I can almost feel her. It's this spot in the back of my mind that's always aware of her... But it's out of my grasp."

"The bond of mate hood." Xander gave him a small smile, before wincing as the stretch of skin pulled at his stitches. "As you grow closer, the bond will grow stronger. I can feel Spike as we speak. He's... Well, being very single-minded at the moment."

"We'll get out of here." Oz stated. "And I'll get to have that bond."

"Yeah, you will." Xander assured him.

They looked at each other a moment, before turning toward the glass wall. The female doctor that had cut into Xander had appeared, holding her clipboard, as a duo of soldiers opened the glass panel a few inches.

"I want them separated. Bring the wolf to Lab 132." The doctor ordered. "Leave the other one here for now. I'm sure I'll find use for him, later."

Both Oz and Xander growled low in their throat, but were unable to do anything as one soldier pointed the nozzle of a tranquilizer gun through the glass opening. Less than a second after the dart buried itself into their skin, their world went black.