We're more than half way through and thank you to those of you still reading. Let me just say.. the Roller Coaster car is just now cresting the top of the hill. We've got lot's of dips, loops and tight turns to ride before it's over.

Title: Afterglow 29/57 NOT a work in progress

Author: T. Claybourne  (t.claybourne@yahoo.com)

Rating: Rated R most chapters for violence and Language, some are NC- 17 for sexual content

A/N I'd like to thank my Beta Reader Hawera And muses Michelle Branch, Robbie Williams and Evanescence

Afterglow Chapter 29 The Toughest Battle

I lie awake on a long dark night, I can't seem to tame my mind, Slings and arrows are killing me inside, Maybe I can't accept the life that's mine. Simple living is my desperate cry. Been trading love with indifference, yeah suits me just fine I try to hold on but I'm calloused to the bone. Maybe that's why I feel alone. Maybe that's why I feel so alone. Creed

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Xander didn't see much of Spike or Buffy in the five days they all spent in Amsterdam. It didn't matter to him, in fact he was glad of it. They were obviously in the throes of their newly refound love. He definitely could deal without that. He hadn't heard from Mia. Giles had called to say she'd had surgery and many pins and grafts and a bunch of other painful sounding things done to her foot, but that her hand was fine now and she was regaining her strength. Xander was glad to hear the progress, but it was hard to know she hadn't been the one to tell him.

He'd thought a lot about the days before she left, and he realized she'd been trying to push him away. She had sent him out or away every chance she had gotten. How stupid was he? It didn't matter: he was going to wait her out. Spike had told him once that he would need to be patient, and if being with Anya had taught him anything it was patience.

Buffy was helping to load the van; it was too sunny for Spike to join in.

"What ya thinking about there, Xander? You seem like you're in London already."

Xander shoved his toolbox in, and smiled at her. "Thinking about Anya and patience."

"OK then, they kind of went together, didn't they?"

"They sure did. I'm thinking it's a valuable lesson she taught me."

"Alright, not quite following?"

"Funny for someone that just used it to get what she wanted."

"Oh," Buffy's eyes got wide with recognition. "Oh! I get it. It's a plan then, that's why no moping on your part."

"Oh, there has been moping lady; you have just been too busy to see it."

Buffy blushed, "Ah, well um, sorry."

Xander slammed the van doors shut. "Easier to mope alone anyways. Now, go get your 'I'm- always-getting- busy –with- him' guy."

Xander felt like the trip back to London seemed much longer than the one out to Amsterdam. Of course, Mia wasn't waiting at the other end on this trip, that and Spike and Buffy were touching and kissing each other all the way. After he'd dropped them at Spike's place he felt he could go home and get back to a semblance of a real life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia looked at the phone. Talking to anyone had been the farthest thing from her mind. She was reveling in this solitude. But if she were actually going to disappear she needed to know how someone else had done it. Angel had disappeared for over a hundred years. He'd called her when she'd first arrived in Bath: seemed Xander had spoken to him, so Angel knew about all her injuries. She'd talked briefly with him then, but just about her physical condition. Now she had decided that this life of trying to live with humans wasn't for her: there was much too much risk for them and her. Mia picked the phone up and dialed Angel. It was after midnight in Bath, making it afternoon in California. . "This is Angel."

"Hi."

"Mia, how are you?"

"Healing. I called to ask you about something. If it's not too personal, could you tell me how you managed to just disappear for a hundred years after you got your soul?"

"What? Why?"

"It's on my mind, the idea of disappearing."

"On your mind? Are you thinking of leaving the Council?"

"Leaving everything human."

"That's impossible."

"Oh I know I'll have to have some contact, for animal blood and other comforts, but I want it to be the very minimum."

"Why this? And why now?"

"Doesn't matter. If you don't have any words of wisdom for me I have to go."

"Wait."

"Yes."

"When I disappeared I lived like vermin and ate them too. That's not really what you had in mind, is it, Mia?"

"No, not really. Thanks anyways, Angel."

Mia hung up and sighed. She hadn't really thought that he'd help, but it had been worth a try.

~ ~ ~

Angel rang Wes's office. "Wes, can you get to my office now?"

Wes walked into Angel's office moments later.

"It's Mia, that's why I called you. I just had a strange phone call. Something is very wrong."

"I should say so, I just got an email. She is planning to find some remote place to live away from everyone. These injuries have affected her more than anyone realized. Should we call someone over there?"

"No, I won't do that; I'd feel as if I'd betrayed her trust." He looked Wes directly in the eyes. "After everything that happened Mia's trust and confidence is very important to me Wes, We have to think of something else. What can we do to encourage her to stay in the fight?"

"Did she lose anything of importance to her during this encounter?"

"Besides all her blood, the use of her foot and the Slayer she was with? No, not that I know of," Angel replied sarcastically, then frowned. "Sorry, Wes. Wait she didn't lose it in the fight, but she told me about that leather coat Spike had given her, she just recently gave it back to the son of the Slayer that Spike had killed and taken it from."

"I could get Fred up here to help us, perhaps she would know best. But I think that maybe we could get the coat and send it to Mia along with a message to the effect that she shouldn't give up. "

"I'd like to think I could handle this thing without Fred. You're right it could be that Mia just needs encouragement, and a present. She is a woman after all. Women, they like presents when they're sick, right? Let's try and get the coat."

"I'll contact Rupert for this man's details and see what we can do."

Wes came back an hour later.

"I offered this Robin Wood money; a four-figure sum, a five- and then a six- figure sum for the coat, but he only got angry and told me, rather rudely I might add, that no amount of money could buy it. Finally I just gave in and explained the problem. He said he would be pleased for Mia to have the coat, but he would take care of it himself. So, that works out nicely."

Wes looked at Angel's scowl. "And your face is saying that no... it doesn't work out nicely. You wanted to be the one to send the gift. Angel, you already gave her a Masarati and a Harley Davidson motorbike. Another gift isn't necessary."

"I didn't give her those. I let her take them, and that is a whole different thing. I want her to know I can see that she is going through a major crisis, and I want her to know I care."

Wesley's brows knit together, "Well then, let's see. If I were a vampire with a soul, thinking of giving up on everything including fighting for the good, what might persuade me not to?

"If you were a vampire, Wes?" Both of Angel's eyebrows went up as he grinned.

"I meant hypothetically, but since you have some experience in that area, you answer the question."

Gunn stood in the doorway. "I don't really know what this is about, but my answer would be a mad wicked weapon."

"A weapon?" asked Wesley.

"A weapon," agreed Angel.

"Any ideas, Charles?" questioned Wes

"This is for a souled vampire thinking of giving up the fight? I take it it's not the boss and you wouldn't be this concerned about Spike. That leaves only one souled vamp that we care about. What's up? I'll try to help."

Wes explained the situation. Gunn walked over and sat in the chair in front of Angel's desk. "I'm thinking a sword, yeah a pretty one, kind of girly and shiny, and sharp enough to take the head off anything she wants it to. Slayers know how to use swords, don't they?"

Angel put his hand to his diaphragm. "Yes, they do."

"You know," started Wes, "Suddenly I can hear Spike," Wes grinned and then in a very plausible north London accent said, "You go and get a girl like her, a gift like this, there needs to be a poetry to it, some significance to whole bloody thing."

Angel shook his head and chuckled, "You almost sounded too much like him Wes."

Gunn agreed, "Sounding like Spike, and that was a bit freaky, or not, Wes is right. The weapon should have some major importance. Some Slayer or apocalyptic or..."

"Spikecentric?" Both of Angel's eyebrows went up when he said this.

Wes tilted his head.

"Boxer rebellion, Spike killed..." started Angel.

"A Chinese Slayer, yes," Wes caught on.

"She wounded him, scarred his left eyebrow permanently with her sword," finished Angel.

Gunn gave a short laugh, "You'll never find that thing."

"If I remember correctly, Drusilla said the fight was in a Buddhist temple," Angel added.

"Oh, like there aren't many of those in China," scoffed Gunn.

"Charles, I happen to like this idea a quite a bit, and I plan to locate this particular sword. Once I do, I may need your help to acquire it."

Angel smiled briefly. "Wes put your ..."

"Whole department on it? I planned to, and I love it when we can say that."

~ ~ ~ ~

Mia came back to the flat in Bath from the doctor, with the surgery to remove the pins from her foot scheduled. Her strength was nearly back to normal. She was having a mug of blood when the doorbell rang. A delivery van was outside, and at the door there was a man with a large flat box.

"Delivery for Mia Taylor."

Mia signed for it and brought it in. She was just about to open it when the bell rang again. A different van stood outside. A man with dolly and small crate stood at the door.

"Delivery for Mia Taylor."

Mia signed, and shocked the man by picking up the wood crate and carrying it in.

She looked from the box to the crate and decided to start with the box. She opened it to find the leather coat she had given Robin Wood. Spike's coat. Her leather coat. She pulled it out and hugged it to her. At the bottom of the box was an envelope. She opened it to find a Get Well Card. That made her smile, something she hadn't done much lately.

It read:

{"I know this is not the usual card to send a vampire, but I just learned of your severe injuries. I got to thinking that maybe the fight didn't go too well because you were a little off balance without this. I can't wear it, Faith refuses to, and it seems silly just to hang on to it when you could be using it to fight in. Mia, what you are might make my mother pause for a moment, but she'd fight beside you and be glad to have you on her side. I am too. Don't give up. Remember the mission, and wear this coat as you do. Robin."}

Mia hugged the coat again and put it on.

"So, Nikki, do you think you'd fight alongside me, or would you end up like Sabine? I don't think we want to find out, but I'll keep wearing your coat anyways."

Mia opened the crate. There was a note on top.

All it said was:

{"Don't Give Up. Angel"}

Mia removed the packing material. First she grasped and pulled out some kind of large piece of marble. Then she found a silk and brocade case, and inside that was a scabbard and a sword with a red tassel on the end of the ornate silver handle. She pulled the sword from the scabbard and it rang, singing to her. It felt perfectly balanced in her hand. It was hers, she felt it, it had even sung to her. Mia put it back in the scabbard and laid it on the table.

She dug through the crate and came up with a leather case filled with papers. One had stamps and signatures of authentication. It showed that the sword was a Tai Chi sword from the Late Ming Dynasty, and that the last owner was a Chinese museum.

The next note contained a brief history of the sword before it reached the hands of a Chinese Slayer. It then told how the Chinese Slayer had used the sword to fight and slay many a vampire and demon up to the Chinese Boxer Rebellion. It went on to report that the Slayer had fought a certain vampire known as William the Bloody, wounding the vampire and scarring it on the left brow, but that the Slayer was finally killed by the very same vampire.

The last piece of paper was a note from Wes.

{"This sword fought many vampires and even left its mark on a still- living one. You have left your mark on us, Mia. Don't give up on yourself, or your abilities. You have a lot more battles left in you, just like this sword. Your friend, Wesley}

Mia put the sword and the papers back in the crate. She'd send it on to Buffy. It belonged in the hands of a Slayer, and she was pretty sure Angel would be glad it was Buffy. The coat, though, she would hold on to. She'd send Robin a note of thanks, and she hoped that he'd understand why she was keeping it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the next two weeks Xander never saw Buffy without Spike: he was almost disgusted. Xander knew she went to classes and taught with Spike. Willow had made Xander go to the pub with her, and they had met up with the two love-birds. He took great glee in telling Spike how very... cute... the couple was together. That had noticeably irritated the vampire. Buffy had just giggled over her beer. The whole incident would have made Mia laugh.

Xander was surprised when the next day he got a call from Spike.

"She's running again."

"Who? What?"

"Mia, you daft twit. I just talked to Giles, and she told him that she's going to some remote place where she can lose herself: northern Alaska or Canada, somewhere where she'll have almost no contact with humans."

"Mia's supposed to come back here next week."

"Will you bleeding listen to me? She may be coming back, but it will be to pack and take care of her affairs. She's intending to leave for good, final, finito, she's history."

"But?"

"I'd go to Bath myself and try to knock some bleeding sense into her, but the chances are we'd each end up bruised and broken. And, right after that, she'd head straight to the airport, do not pass go, straight past first, and on to second. Harris, you have to stop her."

"You want me to stop Mia? I don't get ..."

"How bleeding thick are you? "

"But she said she....How do I? I'm not sure."

Xander heard Spike cover the phone with his hand, but he could still hear him speaking. "I'm just going to go over there and kick him in the head."

"No, you're not. Calm down and explain it. He's in shock," came Buffy's muffled voice.

"Harris, you have to go to Bath tonight and tell her how you feel. Don't leave anything out. Nothing. Can you comprehend that?"

"What if she won't listen?"

"She will listen to you. Mia loves you, and she only left because she was afraid of hurting you. She had these recurring nightmares about draining you."

"You never said anything about that before."

"Wasn't my sodding place to."

"And now?"

"Do you want to lose her?"

"No, of course I don't.... Wait... a... minute? I know you, Spike. Your sudden decision to volunteer this information means there is something in it for you. You ... don't want to lose her either."

"We're not talking about me, Harris. But... Just go. And... bring our girl home."