Chapter Eleven

The sound of his head cracking open as it slammed into the wall was easy to hear in the silence of the room, as was the slide of his lifeless body slipping to the floor.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear...I want some answers."

Nothing moved or said a word. No one wanted to call the Slayer's attention their way and they all looked frozen in place, none of them making even the slightest of sounds.

"More than willing to go through each and every one of you to get what I need."

A vampire in the corner dared to speak up:

"We don't know any more than you do, Slayer. Give us a break."

She smiled and strolled over to him:

"Ya want a break?"

Her fist swung out and suddenly the blood was pouring freely from his broken nose. Before he could say a word, his head was separated from his shoulders, and he was a pile of dust.

"There ya go."

She turned back to face the remaining customers:

"Now, I'm lookin' for info. I don't get it, none of you are walking out of here."

**********************************************

She entered Giles' office from the adjoining room looking shakier than he had ever seen her. Although he knew the answer already, he still asked the question with more than a tad of desperation:

"Any progress, Willow?"

She looked at him, her eyes filled with tears of frustration and fear:

"No, none at all. Angelus has some really powerful spells going, and at this point, I'm not even sure if it's around their location or them."

"Not exactly what we need, is it?"

She headed over to his desk and tried to pour herself a glass of water, but her hand was shaking so badly, Giles quickly took the pitcher from her.

"Willow, please sit down."

"I can't, not when Buffy..."

"Exhausting yourself is not going to help her. You've been at it nonstop for hours, you need to take a break."

He handed her the glass and she drank it down without stopping. He poured her another which she drank half of before falling tiredly into the chair in front of his desk. She laid her head back against the cool leather, her eyes closing against her will.

"Just ten minutes and then I'll get back to it. Any luck on your end?"

He sat back down in his chair, his hands restless as he shuffled through a stack of papers.

"Somewhat. It seems the case Angel was working on when he was last here involved a group of Sepa demons."

Her eyes opened and she sat upright:

"I've heard of them. They're heavy magic users, right?"

"Yes, they're quite adept at many spells thought lost. I believe they inadvertently set Angelus loose attempting to prevent Angel from interfering with their plans. My research indicates they have a history of making their victims forget what they are doing, and I believe somehow at some point that spell allowed Angel to experience a moment of what seemed to be true happiness."

Willow looked excited and confused:

"So why with the not sharing? I should be focusing my efforts on finding them and..."

He took his glasses off, but instead of polishing them, he tossed them somewhat angrily onto his desk.

"There's nothing to find. Angel managed to kill them all before Angelus took over. My research indicates the spell that removed his soul took some time to become effective. He managed to track them down, rescue his client, and eliminate the clan."

"Okay then, we'll just find some others and make them..."

"There are no others to find. There were only eight remaining, and I've fairly incontrovertible evidence that Angel destroyed them all."

Willow's enthusiasm wasn't dimmed in the slightest:

"Fine, I'll figure it out without them. I just need some background info and..."

"Yes, I agree you would most certainly be able to deduce their methods eventually, but it would be much like attempting to navigate a labyrinth in the dark. You would have to ascertain exactly which spells were used and then you would be required to learn how to reverse or at least negate the effects. It will take a great deal more time than we have."

Willow wasn't giving up:

"Okay then, forget the Sepas. We'll just use an orb of Thesula."

"Which you well know, we don't have."

"So we'll find one and..."

"Damn it!"

He flung his arm out, sweeping it across his cluttered desk and knocking everything except his lamp to the floor.

He stood up and began pacing, and Willow could not recall ever seeing him so agitated.

"I'm sorry, Willow, please know my ire is not directed at you. It's just that I've spent a great deal of time trying to track down an orb, and the usual channels seem to be inexplicably closed off. It's going to take at least several days, and Buffy clearly doesn't have ‘several' days. God knows what that monster is doing to her."

There was nothing she could say to him, the images were in her head too. If she let herself think about it for more than five seconds, she could barely stop herself from screaming and running around in a panicked circle.

They couldn't do that, Buffy needed them to remain calm and focused, and Willow was determined to keep her cool, no matter what. But watching Giles lose it, watching his eyes mist over with the horrible memories of the time Angelus held him captive, it made her remember the horror of it all.

When he finally turned back to her, she could see the fear in his eyes and the exhaustion on his face.

"Angelus delights in causing pain and he is extremely good at it. I know what it's like, Willow... and the thought that Buffy is right now enduring that and has been for hours..."

"I know. But it's Buffy, right? There's nobody tougher Giles, she'll hang on."

She saw him swallow the tears that were welling up, saw him digging deep to hang onto his strength.

"...Bloody right, she will."

He offered her a shaky smile:

"What do you estimate your chances are of breaking through and finding their location?"

"Not good, at least not any time soon. I'm almost completely drained, but even if I wasn't...I've got the Coven on it too, so maybe they'll be able to find something, at this point any clue would be huge progress. The bottom line is that it's going to take a while, way too long a while."

Giles bent down tiredly and began picking up the scattered files and books. He placed his glasses back where they belonged and then sat down in his chair.

"Willow, I believe we have to give up on that angle. By all means, let the Coven keep trying, but I think your time would be best served on the computer. Concentrate on investigating all new purchases and rentals in the last two months, say in a ten mile radius from Angel's office. We can expand the perimeter as needed, but for now, start there. Also, let's not overlook any vacant properties or natural formations."

"I'll break it down into categories."

She staggered slightly on her way to the computer, but she made herself stay upright. She was relieved to have a task to perform that might actually do some good, so she concentrated on that as she pushed her weariness away from her.

Giles glanced at his watch and began reorganizing the disheveled mass of books and files.

"Faith should be checking in...in approximately ten minutes. Perhaps she'll have something."

Willow hesitated, but then asked him anyway:

"Giles, are you sure we shouldn't send a few Slayers to back her up?"

He sighed and took his time before answering.

"No, I am not at all ‘sure', Willow, but I am willing to follow Faith's lead. If she feels it would be more of a detriment than a benefit at this point, well I feel we must trust her judgment."

"I agree, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep Kennedy here."

"Yes, I well understand her desire to do something other than just sit here and wait, but we are only assuming Angelus' plans compel him to stay where he is. It is entirely possible that he could show up here, and..."

She nodded, already turning back to the monitor.

"...with me drained and all our best Slayers somewhere that's else, we'd be sitting ducks."

"Indeed. We've no idea if he's working alone, nor do we know for certain exactly what his agenda is. I think Faith is right, we must stay on our guard."

The phone rang and Giles answered before the first ring had finished ringing:

"Faith, have you..."

"Rupert, buddy, great to hear your voice! How've you been?"

"Angelus."

"Am I interrupting you guys? I'll just bet sweet little Willow is hard at work, trying her best to punch through my cover. Sorry to break it to you, sweetie, but it won't work. Well, not in time anyway."

"Then perhaps you'd care to inform us of your location."

He laughed, the sound grating on Giles' already frayed nerves.

"Sorry, Rupert, you're going to have to work that one out on your own."

Willow was standing next to the desk and Giles switched the call over to speaker phone.

"You shan't get away with this."

Xander came hurrying into the room with a progress report, but his face fell when he heard the voice that seemed to be filling every available space.

"But I already am. Faith's running all over town tracking down every little lead, no matter how ridiculous, and I'm all safe and snug in my...Oops, no clues."

"We will find you, and when we do..."

"Wow, tough talk, Watcher. Hey Buff, Giles says they're going to find us. Any thoughts on that?"

There was nothing at first, and then Buffy was screaming.

"Sorry, Buff's too busy to come to the phone right now, but I'll be sure to give her your best."

"You bastard."

Angelus chuckled:

"Now Rupert, you know that's not true, you're well aware of my parentage. Anyway, there is a reason for this call besides giving all of you the chance to hear..."

Buffy's scream lasted longer this time, and Xander had gone white while he held a quietly weeping Willow. Giles felt sick, and raised a shaky hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"You know what's amazing? How little it actually takes to make a good torture kit. You just have to look around the house and see things with a fresh eye, I learned that one from Faith. Boy, this sure has been a lot more challenging this time around, no offense, Watcher. But even though Buff's a whole lot tougher, well I've still managed to teach her a few things. For example, this one always gets her going..."

Buffy's scream seemed to echo off the walls of the library and Xander was crying now too. Giles was on his feet with nowhere to go and nothing to do, and his words sounded strangled as he struggled to speak:

"What do you want?"

"'Want'? Besides having my very own Slayer to play with? Wow, I just can't imagine having anything better."

The sound of something heavy being dragged, followed by the clinking of chains, filled the silence as Angelus prepared to do something none of them wanted to hear.

"Fun fact about Slayers: no matter how far you stretch their muscles, they always try to bounce back, even when they're still being stretched. It seems to be pretty painful for Buff, and I'd have to say the rack is definitely not her best friend. Still, it is fascinating to watch..."

There was a sound like a crank turning, and then Buffy's scream filled the air again.

"You guys should see this...Now what were we talking about? Oh yeah, I'd have to say I'm pretty content. I've got my hearth and home, a pretty girl...well, she was pretty...to play my wife, a crackling fire in the fireplace, and the world's most delicious blood on tap. Life's good, but thanks for asking."

Buffy's cries of pain were still audible in the background, and Giles looked like he was contemplating leaping through the speaker to get to her. No one said anything for a minute, then Angelus began laughing again:

"Gee, everybody's so quiet, is it something I said? Sorry, I wasn't planning on upsetting anyone, I was just calling to tell you that yes, I do have your precious Buffy, and no, you won't be rescuing her in time. Although I just might be persuaded to alter my plans somewhat."

"In exchange for what, precisely?"

"Well Giles, it seems despite all of the not so subtle hints I dropped, neither of my favorite Slayers brought that fancy, shiny scythe with them. It's more than a little upsetting because I was kind of counting on it, you know? Anyway, I'll tell you what: I'll let Buffy go, alive and in..."

"No...don't do it! He's..."

There was the sound of a scuffle, and then they could clearly hear Angelus beating Buffy silent. When all was quiet again, he came back to the phone.

"Now that's disappointing, she promised me she wouldn't say anything. I guess you just can't trust a Slayer, can you? Anyway, you've got until 9:00 p.m. before you start receiving pieces of Buff, gift wrapped, of course. So far I've confined myself to torturing her in a nice way, but I do have a chainsaw out in the garage, and you know how I love my chainsaws, Rupert. Seven hours...Oh, and guys? Give my love to Faith. Toodles."

The call was disconnected and the three of them were shaken to say the least. They collapsed into the chairs around Giles' desk, sitting wordlessly as they tried to regain their composure. Before they'd managed that trick, the phone rang again.

Giles pushed the button with all of the pent up emotion he was feeling, almost breaking it in his fury:

"You listen to me, you sadistic bastard: when I find you, I am going to make sure that you are totally unrecognizable before I dust you."

"G-Man, it's me. What the fuck are you...Did Angelus call? Is B okay? Giles?"

"Faith, yes, we did receive a call from Angelus. I'm sorry, he...he refused to let us speak with Buffy."

"Don't fuckin' bullshit me! What happened?"

He didn't reply at first, uncertain of how to say the words. He opted instead to skip over parts of the conversation and get straight to Angelus' demands:

"He wants the Slayer Scythe. He claims if he gets it, he'll let Buffy go."

"Without talking to her, how do you even know she's still alive?"

"We heard her, Faith. She was clearly alive."

The silence was a heavy one, and when Faith finally spoke, her voice was barely audible:

"He was torturing her, wasn't he?"

"...Yes, I'm afraid he was."

No one said a word, until Willow and Xander both spoke up, almost simultaneously:

"We're going to get her back, Faith."

"Yeah, the Buffster's tough, she'll hold on until we can get to her."

Still nothing, and Giles decided a business approach was needed:

"Faith, let's have your progress report. We've made a fair amount of headway on this end, what did you manage to uncover?"

It took a few moments, but then Faith's voice rang out like it was supposed to:

"Word is Angelus has a house someplace in the area. He made some noise about how he was stocking it with what he needed and..."

"That's the angle Giles and I are working on here."

"Yes, as Willow has been unable to break through whatever concealment spell Angelus has in force, we thought it prudent to focus our efforts in a more practical direction."

"Makes sense. Red, got any addresses I can run down?"

Willow stood and rushed over to the computer:

"I haven't had much time, but I've got a few. Hold on, it'll just take a minute."

"Okay. You guys give any thought to Angel?"

Xander piped up:

"Yep, we've got a place to keep Angelus prisoner until we can get Angel's soul back. I just finished reinforcing it myself, and we tested it out with several Slayers. If he gets put in there, he's not getting out until we say so."

"That's splendid news, Xander. In addition, we're attempting to track down an orb of Thesula. I believe we should be able to procure one within the next few days, a week at the utmost, but as of yet, we've not managed to secure one."

Willow came back to the speaker:

"Where are you, Faith? I'll give you the ones closest to you."

"Don't know, hang on and let me check...Roughly the corner of Leaf and Johnson. That's the north part of town."

"Okay, let me look...I've got three that are sort of near you. Want me to text them or..."

"I better write'em. Can't be sure of hanging onto the phone, but planning to keep my arm. Ready when you are."

Willow read them off, placing a check by each one as she recited it.

"There are nine more on the list so far. Maybe we should send Kennedy and..."

"Hold off on that for a bit. Let me make sure he's here ‘fore you send the troops. It'd be good if you guys could narrow it down a little though, it's a big ass town."

Giles was writing something, but he responded almost instantly:

"Yes, well I believe based on our conversation, we can. Angelus let a bit of information slip, for example he mentioned having a garage. Perhaps we can eliminate all of the houses that do not possess one, and although somewhat nebulous, I think we should also see which homes offer a fireplace as well."

"Worth a shot. How long we got to give him the scythe?"

"Less than seven hours."

"Okay, I better get movin'. Gonna give ya a call after I check out each one. I'll go in order, so if ya don't hear from me, figure he's at the last one I was at."

Giles cleared his throat:

"Faith, remember this is Angelus. If you do find him, he will most certainly use Buffy to manipulate you. You must not let him. Try and remain calm, no matter the provocation he provides."

"Know what he's like."

"Yes, I understand you are well versed in the ways of Angelus, but this time he has Buffy at his mercy, and I suspect she will not be in the best of shape. You must maintain control of your emotions."

"...I'll do my best, Giles."

He sounded worried, but his voice also conveyed his confidence in her:

"And that is all any of us can ask for."

"Yeah...Just a coupla blocks away from the first one. Call you guys in a few."

"Watch your back, Faith."

"Wish you were here, Cyclops. Could use another eye."

Then she was gone, leaving a scared yet determined Scooby gang more than ready to research.

"Xander, while Willow continues to pull up potential properties, please look over the map and coordinate an efficient search pattern for Faith. We need to work fast."

"All over it."

Giles pushed a button on his phone as Willow and Xander headed over to the computer area:

"Alice, would you please have Kennedy report to my office immediately?"

"She's in the middle of her class, Mr. Giles."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, but she is urgently needed. If you will, please interrupt her straight away."

"Yes, sir."

Giles turned his attention back to Willow and Xander:

"We've only a few hours to complete our task. We will need to be on the road in approximately two and a half hours."

"That should be enough time. I can help Xander once we get all of the house info."

Kennedy came barging into the room at full Slayer speed:

"It's about time. Will, are you teleporting me?"

"I'm afraid she hasn't enough energy left to do that. We shall need to take the van with the cage, so could you please ascertain that it's fully stocked with whatever you feel this mission may require? Also, please include some extra restraints for Angelus. I don't fancy relying on the efficacy of the cage alone."

"I'll have everything ready in half an hour."

"Thank you, Kennedy."

He returned to his books and Kennedy walked over to Willow.

"How are you holding up?"

"Okay...He just called. He's...he's hurting her...and he made us listen."

Kennedy hugged her close.

"I'm sorry, Will. That must have been awful."

"Yeah, it was...Thank God Faith wasn't here."

"You look exhausted."

"I am, and I'm not going to be much good for anything spell wise for quite a while."

"We won't need you. We'll have three Slayers and Giles and Xander, so..."

The tears started trickling down Willow's face:

"Buffy's not going to be...She won't be able to help."

Kennedy wiped the moisture away and kissed her gently:

"Willow, one thing I know for sure: Buffy Summers is the toughest, strongest person on this planet. She's also The Slayer, and she'll be waiting for her chance. You of all people know she's way too mean to just sit by quietly, I don't care how injured she is."

Willow had to smile:

"I definitely know it's never safe to count her out of anything, it's just...God, she was screaming, you know?"

"I know baby, but she's going to be okay. We just need to find her, then we'll get her away from him."

Willow sniffled, her tears slowing as she found herself somewhat encouraged:

"I'd better get back to it."

"Yeah, I've got chores too. See you in a little bit."

"Okay. I love you, Kennedy."

"I love you too."

With a quick kiss and a smile, Kennedy was gone and Willow felt re-energized. They were going to find Buffy, they were going to save her, they were going to capture Angelus, and they were going to return Angel's soul to him. It was all going to be okay, and she turned her attention back to her work.

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