Under the Sun

Author: enigmaticblue

Rating: PG-13

Archive: Sure, if you already have my stuff. If not, just ask.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters herein; Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other lucky folks do. Of course, I'm not the one making money off of them.

Summary: Set after Avocation in an alternate S4 where many events of canon get thrown out the window. This one won't make any sense if you haven't read the previous story.

A/N: The title comes from Ecclesiastes, which most people know from the phrase, "A time for everything, and a season for everything under heaven." Really, this story is based on the entire book, which is probably my favorite in the Bible. It talks about making the most of what one has now, and while some find it depressing, I love it. If you've got the time, I'd really recommend you read the whole thing.

Chapter 12

"How like a winter hath my absence been/From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!/What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!/What old December's bareness everywhere!/And yet this time removed was summer's time,/The teeming autumn, bit with rich increase,/Bearing the wonton burthen of the prime,/Like widowed wombs after their lords' decease;/Yet this abundant issue seemed to me/But hope of orphans and unfathered fruit;/For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,/And, thou away, the very birds are mute;/Or, if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer/That leaves look pale, dreading the winter's near." ~William Shakespeare, "Sonnet 97"

The locator spell had been a bust. Willow had tried it, and it seemed to indicate that Spike was on campus somewhere. Wesley had tried it with the same result, but when they'd used the campus map Willow carried in her purse, the spell indicated that Spike was in one of the residence halls on campus.

"It's not possible," Willow said flatly. "Spike wouldn't be on campus and not come see Buffy."

Wesley shook his head. "I would tend to agree, but the spell seems to be clear. Spike is in Sunnydale, somewhere on campus. The fact that he hasn't contacted Buffy and isn't answering his phone would suggest that he's in some sort of trouble." He frowned. "There have been rumors about..."

"Rumors about what?" Willow asked quickly.

"About demons disappearing near campus. Both Spike and I thought perhaps the soldiers Buffy and I have seen were hunting and killing them, but it may be more than that."

Willow's eyes widened. "You think they're keeping them somewhere on campus? I think we'd know if there were a bunch of demons locked up somewhere. Besides, there was a party at Lowell House last week. No way did they have a bunch of demons there too."

"Unless they aren't in the house," Wesley pointed out. "They could be under it."

Willow opened her mouth to argue with him, but then stopped, knowing that it was as good an explanation as any other they had at the moment. "Is there any way the spell could be wrong?"

"It could be," Wesley agreed. "But it's doubtful, not when we both get the same result."

Willow grimaced. "Does that mean that everyone in Lowell House is a soldier or something? Because the TA for our psychology class lives there, and he seems really nice."

"I'm sure he is nice," Wesley replied. "That wouldn't prevent him from capturing and holding demons."

Willow sighed, looking at the spell components scattered on Spike's floor. "So how do we know for sure? And how are we going to get him out?"

"Find another way to locate Spike," Wesley replied. "Perhaps if we had something that was tied more closely to him, a tie that couldn't be broken. Preferably something magical."

"Oh!" Willow sat up straight. "Buffy's bracelet. Spike gave it to her for her birthday last year. It's charmed, so he can always find her with a compass he carries around."

Wesley nodded. "I've seen the compass. That might work. Perhaps you should call Buffy."

Willow shook her head. "Spike only has a cell phone, and it's not here." Wesley silently handed her his phone. "I didn't know you had one of these."

"Spike said it was a business expense," Wesley replied.

Willow nodded, dialing the number for their dorm room and leaving a message when Buffy didn't answer. Once she'd hung up, she gave Wesley a concerned look. "Do you want to take a nap or something until she gets here? You look kinda worn out."

Wesley shrugged. "I'm tired, but if I go to sleep now, I don't think I'd wake up for a day or two."

"Rough few days?"

"Checking the provenance on the artifact turned out to be more time-consuming than I had expected," Wesley replied. "Since I was on a budget, I was working under pressure."

Willow frowned. "What do you mean a budget?"

"This particular client wanted the background substantiated in time to give it to her husband as a gift. Of course, she didn't bother telling Spike this until we showed up, and his birthday was less than a week away. Spike promised that I'd get it done in time for a bonus. Since Spike said the bonus was going to be mine, I had plenty of incentive."

Willow's eyebrows went up. "What kind of bonus?"

"Ten thousand," Wesley replied. "I'm thinking I may use it to buy a better vehicle."

"What kind of vehicle?" Willow asked.

Wesley shook his head, not wanting to confess that he had his eye on a motorcycle. He'd always wanted a motorcycle, but it hadn't seemed appropriate transportation for a Watcher. For a man in the employ in one of the world's most notorious vampires, however, it fit the image. "I haven't decided yet."

"Oz had a van," Willow offered.

Wesley tried to hide a wince. "It won't be a van. I'm certain of that much." He hesitated. "How are you?"

Willow shrugged. "I have good days and bad days. Right now, they're mostly just bad ones. It helps to stay busy, keep my mind off things."

"I understand," Wesley said. "Staying busy, I mean. It does help. If Spike hadn't offered me a job..." He trailed off, realizing that Willow might not want to hear about his troubles when she was absorbed with her own. "Anyway, I'm sorry you couldn't work it out."

She heaved a deep sigh. "He's coming back," she said bravely. "Oz left all his stuff here, and he told me that he was leaving so he could get the wolf under control. Once he does that, he'll be back."

"I'm sure he will," Wesley said gently. "You'll just have to keep your chin up until then." She managed a tremulous smile, and Wesley wondered why he'd never noticed how green her eyes were before.

~~~~~~

"Willow?" Buffy called as she entered Spike's townhouse using the key he'd given her.

"We're in the kitchen," Willow called back.

Buffy came in, seeing Wesley and Willow sitting cross-legged on the floor, spell components spread out between them. "What's going on? Where's Spike?"

"That's the trouble," Wesley said, rising to his feet and stumbling a little as he fought for his balance. "We've been trying to find Spike. We were hoping that using your bracelet might help."

"My bracelet?" Buffy asked, pulling her right wrist to her chest, as though to shield it. "Wait. Why do you think Spike is missing? He was only supposed to get into town today."

"Perhaps you should sit down," Wesley suggested gently.

Buffy shook her head. "No. Tell me, Wesley."

"He called me a few days ago," Wesley said. "Spike said that he'd finished up early and would be coming back to Sunnydale immediately. I was to contact him when I got back into town, which I tried to do. He wasn't here when I arrived today, his car isn't in the garage, and there is no fresh blood in the fridge. When I tried to call his phone, there was no answer. I went to your room to see you and found Willow. We tried to do a locator spell."

"So you couldn't locate him?" Buffy asked, feeling panic begin to set in. Spike did not go missing, and he didn't miss a rendezvous with her. "What does that mean?"

"We found him, Buffy," Willow explained quickly. "But the spell says he's on campus, somewhere around Lowell House."

Buffy did sit down. "Why would he be in Lowell House? Isn't that where Riley lives?"

"That's what we were wondering," Willow said. "Wesley thinks that maybe the soldiers you've been seeing have something to do with it. That maybe Spike's under Lowell House."

Buffy laughed incredulously. "You're suggesting that there's a secret government installation under the campus? That's a little far-fetched even for the Hellmouth."

"Perhaps," Wesley agreed. "But do you have a better reason for why both Willow and I could cast a spell that would put Spike in the same place?"

Buffy didn't look very happy about that. "What are you thinking?"

"We use the connection between your bracelet and Spike's compass to find him. With any luck, it will lead us straight to where he is." Wesley grimaced. "With better luck, it won't be what I fear."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "If it is a secret government installation under the campus, how would you suggest we get Spike out of there?"

~~~~~

He hurt all over. Spike hadn't been worked over this good for years, and even now he wasn't sure what they had been after.

Well, besides the obvious. They were very interested in demons and vampires, and they were doubly interested in him. Apparently their routine tests indicated that he hadn't been feeding from humans, and they wanted to know who else had a chip that worked.

Spike hadn't the foggiest as to what sort of chip they thought he had, but that's what he'd overheard while pretending to be unconscious. He'd been rather securely strapped down to a metal table at the time, so it wasn't like he had a prayer of escaping.

Once they'd begun their "investigation," Spike rather wished he was unconscious. It hadn't taken him long to pass out from the pain. Even Angelus had never cut him completely open and fiddled around with his insides.

Now he found himself in a cold cell, locked in with some sort of clear, electrified barrier, and with no idea how he was going to get out.

Spike heard a noise and whirled to face the new threat, only to see a bag of blood dropping down from the ceiling. He picked it up cautiously, figuring that there was probably some catch there, unless they just wanted to keep their lab rat in one piece until they pulled him out again.

"Don't drink it."

The voice came from his left. "What?"

"Don't drink it. They starve you until you're ready to gnaw your own arm, and then they give you drugged blood and haul you off. Most of the lab rats don't come back."

"And you know this how?" Spike asked.

"I've been here awhile," the voice replied. "I was out chasing the Slayer, and she led me right into their arms."

Spike hid his snort. There was no way Buffy had done anything of the sort. More than likely, the commandos had come along in time to clean up Buffy's leftovers, possibly from Sunday's gang. "That right? She's the one responsible for this?"

"Who else?" the vampire asked.

"Right," Spike muttered, thinking fast. There had to be a way he could use that information to his advantage. He glanced around, trying to plan the best escape route. His eyes caught sight of the vampire across the way. She looked familiar, but it took him a few seconds to place her. "Bloody hell. Harmony."

Seeing her hollow eyes and listless gaze caused him to feel pity. Even though she'd bitten Willow, Spike knew she didn't deserve this sort of fate. If he could manage to get her out during his own escape, he would.

Thinking about the voice on the other side of him, Spike's eyes narrowed, beginning to plan. Because although Spike had absolutely no doubt that Buffy would start hunting for him once she figured out he was missing, he had no desire for her to find him. Not when it would mean bringing attention to herself.

~~~~~

"Shouldn't we be doing a spell by now?" Buffy demanded, watching as Wesley went from one book to another. "We have no idea how long these goons have had Spike!"

"Four days, give or take a day," Wesley replied without looking up. "That's about when he was supposed to be in town."

Buffy resumed her pacing. "How much longer are you thinking it's going to take?"

"I don't know," Wesley snapped. "Do remember that you aren't the only one who's concerned here."

"Okay!" Willow said, getting in between them. "Buffy? Why don't you call Giles? Maybe he could help us figure this out faster."

Buffy glanced at the clock. "That might not be such a good idea," she hedged.

Willow raised her eyebrows. "Because?"

"Because he was at mom's house earlier, and they're probably either in bed or...you know."

Willow wrinkled her face. "Okay, good point, but they're grownups. I think they could handle the interruption since it's for a good cause." When Buffy still appeared hesitant, Willow huffed. "Fine. I'll call Giles."

She held out her hand for Wesley's cell phone, which he handed her without comment. Willow left the room to call, and Buffy slumped down in one of the wooden kitchen chairs. "So what's keeping you?"

"I don't want to disrupt the spell on the bracelet if I don't have to," Wesley replied. "I'm sure that both you and Spike would rather I not break your birthday present."

Buffy traced a pattern on the table with the condensation from her water glass. "I think both Spike and I would prefer he be in one piece," she said softly. "If that's what you have to do, that's what you have to do."

"I think I can figure out how not to disrupt the spell," Wesley said. "I've nearly got it now. Willow was right to call Giles, though. Neither of us have the experience to cast a spell requiring this kind of delicacy."

"But Giles does?" Buffy asked anxiously.

"He does have a certain reputation among other Watchers," Wesley said carefully.

Buffy glowered. "Which was why they fired him."

"No. Actually, it was the thought that he'd gone soft that got him fired," Wesley corrected. "His abilities with magic have never been in question."

Buffy frowned thoughtfully. "How good was he supposed to be?"

"Good enough to get him an active Slayer."

"You got two active Slayers," Buffy pointed out, although there was more teasing than rancor in her tone. "That doesn't tell me anything at all."

Wesley sighed. "Giles has more experience in certain magical areas, which is what this spell is going to require. If you'll recall, I performed the truth spell on Faith because I was the one who had experience. If it was simply about power, Willow could do it."

"Willow could do what?" the redhead asked as she entered the kitchen.

"You could do this spell if all that was required was power," Wesley explained. "What did Giles say?"

"That he would get dressed and be over immediately," Willow said. "And, Buffy, for your information they were both asleep. Giles said not to worry about waking him up because it was an emergency."

Buffy got a rebellious expression on her face. "Yeah, I'll bet that isn't what he would say if I interrupted something else."

~~~~~

Spike had been very, very careful not to allow any of the drugged blood to get into his system. He was already handicapped enough by his injuries; the last thing he needed was to have his senses dulled.

It was difficult to lie motionless on the floor, waiting for something to happen. In fact, just being here was making him anxious. Waiting for the soldiers to return to cart him away to his fate—unless he could escape—was a little too much like waiting in the dark, waiting for Angelus to return to torture him again.

To say that this was triggering bad memories was putting it mildly.

Spike would have to worry about his nightmares later, though. Right now he just needed to get out before they did anything else to him.

He heard the swishing noise of the door sliding aside, the clicking of the lab techs' shoes as they walked across the floor. Spike allowed himself to be lifted off the floor, remaining limp in their hands. Once they put him on the gurney, however, he burst into motion.

Spike brought his elbow up under one man's chin, ignoring the tearing of the stitches in his chest. He kicked out with a heavy boot, catching the second tech in the stomach and sending the man to his knees. Without pause, Spike jumped off the gurney, kicking both men into unconsciousness with a boot against the temple.

He fumbled in their pockets for the key card, knowing that there would be more soldiers coming for him at any moment. There was no way they didn't have these corridors wired for video and sound. Spike swiped the card through the slot on the door to the left of him, releasing the vampire who had warned him about the bagged blood. Then he turned to the cell across the hall. "Let's go, Harmony."

Hope flared in her eyes. "You're taking me with you?"

"Wouldn't leave a dead dog in here with these bastards," he snarled. "But if you don't get moving—"

The unspoken threat had Harmony scrambling to her feet, following Spike down the hallway. He dragged her with him under the security door, the other vampire just barely making it before it closed.

"Now what?" Harmony asked.

Just then, the elevator across from them began to open, commandos coming pouring out.

"Shit." Spike hated to do it, but there didn't seem to be another choice. "Looks like we're splitting up, mate." He shoved the other vampire at the soldiers, keeping a secure grip on Harmony as he fled in the opposite direction.

His sense of direction was shot to hell in this underground warren, and Spike knew that it wouldn't be long before the soldiers caught the trail. "Bugger this," he muttered.

"That way," Harmony said, pointing at a ventilation duct.

"You sure, pet?" Spike asked. "A bit hard to tell up from down in here."

Harmony nodded. "I'm sure. I might have flunked Algebra, but I have a killer sense of direction."

Spike hesitated, then nodded. "Up you go, then."

~~~~~

Giles hadn't been terribly happy to be pulled out of a deep sleep, but he'd known it was an emergency as soon as he heard the first ring. It was one of those sixth senses he supposed you developed as a parent—or a Watcher.

He'd listened to Willow's rather garbled explanation of their evening's activities, told her he would come, and then had gotten dressed. Joyce had awoken fully to listen to his side of the conversation, watching him with concern. "Are you sure you don't want me to come?"

"I'll call you as soon as we know anything," Giles promised. "But, no. It might be better if you stay here."

"Keep the noncombatants out of the way?" Joyce asked.

"I would really rather not have to worry more than I am already," Giles replied, giving her a quick kiss. "I'll let you know what happens."

Spike's place was only a few minutes' drive, and he entered the house without knocking. "How are we doing?" he asked without preamble.

"I've nearly got the spell," Wesley replied. "I wanted to work with the charm that Spike had placed on Buffy's bracelet, rather than disrupting the spell with another."

Giles sat down at the table, taking the cup of coffee that Willow held out to him. "How are you, Buffy?" he asked.

"I'll be a lot better when we find my boyfriend," she replied. "If something happens to him, I will pull the campus apart to find out who's responsible."

"Let's not jump to any conclusions," Giles warned her. "There might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this."

Three rather accusing pairs of eyes looked up at him. "Not that there's a good chance of that," Giles quickly added.

Wesley scribbled down a few more words and handed the sheet of paper to Giles, who scanned the spell, then read it again more carefully. "Yes, I think this will work. Well done, Wesley."

Wesley flushed. "Thank you. Let's just hope that it gives us the information we need to find Spike."

"Indeed." Giles held out his hand to Buffy, who dropped the bracelet into his waiting palm. Seeing her pained expression, Giles said gently, "We will find him, Buffy. Spike has survived for a long time. I've no doubt that if he is in trouble, he's more than capable of getting himself out of it again."

Buffy shook her head. "I don't know, Giles. He doesn't miss a meeting with me after he comes back from a trip. That's just Spike."

"I know." His large hand closed around the silver chain with its charm, feeling the body heat that still lingered in the metal. He hoped for Buffy's sake that he was as good at this spell as they were hoping he would be.

And that Spike was in one piece when they found him.