College Girl (Book Four, BTVS)

chapter 21 - Primeval

I sat alone in the dorm room after the sun had rose, not having slept at all after the fight last night, sitting on the floor, looking at a picture of Willow, Xander, Buffy and me. I sighed, putting the picture down, standing, walking toward the phone, picking it up. I tried to call Willow. I tried to call Xander. I tried to call Buffy. No one was answering.

Completely silent and alone.

I got tired of waiting, walking over to my bed, grabbing one of the battle axes that I had gotten from the demons Walsh tried to have kill me and Buffy.

    ~~~~    

I walked into the cave, battle ax held ready, bag of weapons over my shoulder, reaching a lair in the middle of the cave, with computers and electrical generators. "Adam, where are you?"

    ~~~~    

I walked back toward the exit quickly, hoping to get out before he came back, turning to see Spike, raising the ax.

Spike held his hands up harmlessly. "Easy, deputy. Watch where you point that thing."

I lowered the ax. "What are you doing here?" 

Spike lowered his hands. "Looking for a little weekend getaway place. Shove off."

Spike walked closer.

"Adam's been using these caves," I told him.

Spike stopped. "What?"

"I found his lair," I told him. 

Spike groaned. "Oh, cripes, that's all I need, running into that goon."

"Yeah, well, Adam's cleared out of here, so whatever he's planning is about to go down," I told him.

"Look at little Nancy Drew," Spike told me. "What about those disks I nabbed? They ought to tell you something."

"Willow has the disks," I told him. 

"Well, I'd get on that," Spike told me. I looked away in annoyance. "Can't ignore valuable information just 'cause you birds fell out, now, can you?"

I looked at Spike cautiously. "Right."

"Well, you do what you want," Spike told me. "No worry of mine, now, is it?"

Spike walked away, leaving.

I turned in the opposite direction, walking out, leaving.

    ~~~~    

I finally got ahold of the others.

Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles and I met up on campus.

Everything was tense after last night.

I looked at Xander. "Where's Anya?"

"Oddly, Anya decided not to join us, despite all the fun we had at our last meeting," Xander told us.

"And I don't think Tara felt welcome," Willow told us.

"Why?" Buffy asked. "Because of the things that we said?"

Willow nodded.

"Will, who told you we were talking behind your back, specifically?" I asked.

"Well, um... Spike, specifically," Willow answered.