God, I love doing this. Tara said to herself. Slow music, dance floor not too crowded, and Willow. Most of all Willow. She slowly ran her hands down her girlfriend's back until her fingertips skated across the top of the redhead's buttocks. Willow murmured appreciatively, moulding her slender body against Tara's curves, her breath hot on her lover's neck as she slid agile fingers up into her silky blonde hair. Tara moaned softly as Willow's fingertips gently massaged her scalp.
Tara was always slightly amused by he Scoobies reactions when she and Willow danced together. They thought it was sweet, romantic, with a hint of bravery thrown in. They didn't understand what an intensely sexual experience dancing like this was for the two witches. It was foreplay, a long, intense build-up of tension that always led to a night of explosive passion. She shivered with excitement at the prospect. Willow felt the flicker of movement run through Tara's body and giggled quietly against her neck, then playfully nipped at her earlobe. "Getting excited, baby?"
"Oh God, yes!" Tara whispered back, her voice breathless and husky.
Willow laughed again, the sound muffled in Tara's hair as she placed a line of kisses up the side of her lover's neck. "Maybe I should back off a bit? I mean, we can't have the birthday girl running off this early, can we? Should I go sit down?" She took a tiny step back, just enough to break the contact between their bodies.
"Please stay, I'll be good..." Tara whimpered as she pulled Willow to her again. Like you're not as wound up as I am, Rosenberg! She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself a little. As they began to dance again, Tara attempted to distract herself with another of her favourite activities - people-watching. If the Scoobies' reactions to her and Willow were amusing, the reactions of strangers were fascinating, both in range and intensity. As the two witches slowly circled each other, Tara let her eyes drift over the crowd. She wasn't disappointed.
A few feet away, another couple were dancing. The woman was looking at them over her boyfriend's shoulder, but hurriedly looked away as Tara's gaze fell on her. Over by the wall was a small group of UC Sunnydale students, who Tara recognised as members of one of the fundamentalist Christian groups on campus, regarding the witches with a mixture of disgust and disdain. Continuing her circuit, Tara almost groaned in despair at the gang of lust-fuelled high school boys openly gawping at them, then barely avoided laughing out loud as she spotted Anya, apparently regaling Xander, Giles and Dawn with one of her excruciating 'Back when I was a vengeance demon' stories. Behind them, toward the back of the club, almost lost in the shadows under a staircase, Buffy and Faith were kissing. Standing on the staircase was one of the few women Tara knew in the college Lesbian Alliance, Beth McAllister, who looked like the stereotypical 'butch dyke' but was actually-
Tara's brain caught up with her eyes and she did a mental double take. Peering into the shadows, she tried to find... there! No mistake about it, Buffy and Faith were sharing what looked like a heart-meltingly tender kiss. Suddenly, Tara's view was obscured as a group of teenagers walked across her eye-line, heading for the exit. By the time she had a clear view again, both Slayers had disappeared.
Buffy's head was spinning. One moment she was almost in tears, despairing at the thought of Faith's departure, the next Faith's lips were on hers, and, after a moment of shock, all she could do was feel. Instinctively, she reached out, and her fingertips brushed against Faith's, then slid softly up the younger girl's arms.
What am I doing? Buffy pulled away, stepping back and taking a breath, trying to stop herself from shaking. "Faith, what're-"
"Oh God!" Faith cut her off, panic flashing in her eyes. "I'm sorry, B, I don't know what happened..." She started backing away.
Buffy took half a step toward Faith, almost reaching out to her as she spoke. "Faith, no, wait, what's happening?"
"I'm sorry, it was just... everything, and..." Faith replied, backing away.
"Just, forget about it, okay, please?" She turned and was swallowed up by the crowd, leaving Buffy standing alone in the shadows.
Faith pushed her way through the throng to the back exit and out into the alley behind the Bronze. Crossing the alley with a few brisk strides, she slumped forward against the wire-mesh fence, gripping the metal as she gulped down deep breaths of the cool night air, not noticing the wire twist in her grasp.
Why the hell did I do that? It's not like things weren't screwed up enough before! Faith wiped away tears she was barely aware had been shed and tried to at least look as though everything was normal before heading back to the party. As she slipped back into the nightclub, one thought gnawed at the back of her mind.
Just for a moment, before everything went to hell, she was sure she had felt Buffy kiss her back.
Tara barely managed to get the door of their dorm room closed before Willow was almost crushing her against it, her kiss conveying all of the frustrated desire the redhead had built up over the course of the party.
After she had spotted Buffy and Faith kissing, Tara had tried to keep a subtle eye on them, but she hadn't had much luck. The Slayers almost seemed to be avoiding each other, always managing to keep someone between them and rarely speaking to each other for the rest of the evening, in spite of the surreptitious they kept shooting each other. Tara didn't know if there was something wrong between them, something that complicated what looked to her like a potentially great partnership, but she didn't have to think back that far to remember how secretive she and Willow had been in the beginning. Even so, she couldn't help trying to indulge her curiosity, but the rest of her friends (and especially Willow) had succeeded in distracting her enough that wasn't able to concentrate on the Slayers. Now, as Willow began pulling her skirt up around her hips, she was having a hard time concentrating on anything.
Hours later, the witches lay entwined together in their bed, hovering on the edge of sleep as their sweat-streaked bodies cooled. Willow rolled over slightly, snuggling closer against Tara, and winced.
"Ow." Tara murmured, opening her eyes. "Unh. You got me all sticky."
"I didn't hear you complaining." Willow replied, blushing as she gingerly peeled herself free from the gooey spots covering Tara's body.
Tara's face flushed at the memory. "Like I could ever say no to you when you're doing that to me." Glancing down at the discoloured patches on her skin, she shook her head. "We've got to stop eating ice-cream in bed."
Laughing softly, Willow lay back down as close to her lover as she could without actually touching her. "Yeah, yeah, you say that every time..."
"I know." Tara sighed, then flipped the sheets back and sat up. "Come on, let's go clean up."
"Tired." Willow protested sleepily, trying to pull the covers back over her.
"Me too, sweetie, but think about how icky we'll feel in the morning. Besides," Tara leaned over to whisper huskily in her girlfriend's ear, "don't you want to get me all soapy?"
"Oh, Goddess, help me!" Willow moaned as she rolled out of bed and grabbed a towel.
After a long, hot and highly pleasurable shower, the witches wrapped themselves in bathrobes and sat on their bed as Willow blow-dried Tara's hair. Glancing at the clock on the night stand, Willow remarked "It's lucky neither of us has an early class tomorrow, we're both going to be like zombies in the morning."
Tara smiled, looking back over her shoulder. "I don't care, I wouldn't have missed tonight for anything."
"Happy birthday, baby." Willow whispered as she leaned forward to capture Tara's lips in a brief, loving kiss. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Tara sat silently for a moment as Willow started up the dryer again, then she asked, "Willow, if I tell you something, will you promise me you won't say anything about it to anyone?"
Willow hurriedly put down the dryer and scooted around so that she could look at Tara face to face. "What is it? Tara, is something wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sweetie, really I am." Tara reassured her. "I just want to make sure you won't tell anyone about this."
"Okay, I promise, what's the big secret?" Willow asked, scenting gossip.
"It's about Buffy and Faith. I-I think there's something going on between them."
Willow looked confused. "Going on? I don't... no! You don't mean...?"
Tara nodded. "I saw them kissing at the Bronze earlier."
"No, no, no..." Willow backed away, horrified. "Tara, this isn't funny."
"Willow, what's wrong?"
"I can't believe this! She's doing it again!"
"Who's doing what?" Tara asked, lost. "Sweetie, you're not making any sense."
"Faith! It's just like last time! She turns up, helps us for a while, then she starts sinking her hooks into people and before you know it, they're not your people any more!"
"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure that's not what she's doing."
"You don't know her!" Willow cried out, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why won't you believe me?"
"I do believe you, Willow. I know how much she hurt you, but she's changed."
"No she hasn't! Don't you see it?" Willow scrambled off the bed, ashen-faced. "She's even taking you away from me!"
"Willow!" Tara felt a flicker of anger. "How can you say that? No-one could take me away from you!"
"Then why are you always on her side?"
"It's not about taking sides, Willow, I just think she's earned another chance."
"Another chance to do what? Cut my throat?" Willow turned away, bracing herself against a table covered with jumbled up witchcraft supplies. Tears began to burn their way down her cheeks.
Tara shook her head in frustration. "Look, Willow, I know you have some issues with Faith, but if this is what Buffy wants-"
"It's not! Not this, it can't be!" Willow cut her off, wiping her eyes free from the tears. As her vision cleared, she spotted a sprig of Lethe's Bramble lying half-buried under toppled stack of books. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed it.
"Forget."
Dawn screamed.
Faith dropped her toothbrush with a curse and burst out of the bathroom, flying down the stairs with a clatter of boots. She barely kept her balance as she skidded on the wooden floor of the hallway, then dashed into the kitchen, almost colliding with Dawn as the teenager emerged from the basement, soaked to the skin. Faith took a step back from the growing puddle at Dawn's feet. Now that she wasn't running, she could hear the sound of gushing water. "What the hell happened?"
Dawn's only reply was to growl "Buffy!" and storm out of the kitchen, leaving a trail of water behind her. Faith watched her go, a little taken aback by the display of anger, then hurried down the basement steps. Her jaw dropped.
"Uh, B..." Buffy was standing on a box, a wrench dangling limply from one hand. Above her was a water pipe, apparently the only one that wasn't currently pouring water into the basement. "Buffy? Where's the cut-off valve?"
"I don't know." Buffy replied without turning around.
"Okay..." Faith silently watched the slowly rising water level for a second.
"Well, you're not going to find it standing there. Come on, let's go look before we have to buy life jackets."
After Xander and his buddy Tito the plumber had left, Buffy sat at the kitchen counter reviewing the estimate for the re-pipe job the house apparently needed. God, how much stuff like this did Mom deal with without me noticing? How self-absorbed was I?
Faith sat down opposite her, sipping a mug of coffee. "How bad is it?"
Buffy showed her.
"Ouch! At least we can afford it."
"I can afford it." Buffy said sharply.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm paying this myself. You're leaving, remember?"
"Well yeah, but it's it not like I'm shipping out tomorrow!" Faith replied, pushing herself away from the counter. "Or is that what you want? Do you want me to go now?"
"No, that's not what I meant..." Buffy said, fighting down the flush of anger and sadness she felt at the thought of Faith leaving her. "Look, it's my house, it's my responsibility."
"And as long as I'm living here, I'll pay my share." Faith sat down again, trying to control her own emotions. "I told you I'll stay in Sunnydale until we kill Lucas, and we don't know how long that'll take, so unless you kick me out of the house, I'm going to help you keep the place going, okay?"
Buffy nodded sadly. "When are you going to tell the others you're going?"
"I'll talk to Giles once Lucas is dust, get him to talk to the Council about a new assignment. The rest... I think I'll just go, be easier for everyone."
The phone rang. Faith picked up. "Hello? Oh, hi Giles... You have? Okay, we'll see you later." She hung up. "Giles got the Council's report on Lucas this morning. He wants us all to meet up at the magic shop after it closes tonight."
"Okay."
An awkward silence hung over the Magic Box that evening as the group gathered. Willow kept sneaking brief looks at the two Slayers, trying to detect any sign that there was something happening between them, but saw nothing. Buffy and Faith hadn't spoken to each other since they had arrived and taken seats on opposite sides of the table, their body language defensive and uncomfortable.
"The Council haven't been able to find any information on Lucas before October 1999." Giles said quietly, not surprised by the looks of shock and disbelief his statement provoked.
"What do you mean, they can't find anything?" Xander's outburst drew a mocking laugh from the vampire perched halfway up the balcony steps.
"You think the tea-and-tweed brigade keep a file on every vampire in the world?" Spike sneered. "They've got enough trouble trying to keep tabs on the ones that actually count for something."
"I guess they don't know much about you, then!" Xander snapped back. "Why is he even here?"
Spike let out a low growl, inaudible to anyone else in the room. One of these days, whelp, I'm going to remind you just who you're dealing with...
"He's here because he might know something useful." Buffy replied, her tone weary. "So what do we know, Giles?"
The Watcher gave her a grateful nod as he sat down at the research table and opened a slim file. "All we really have is that Lucas Miller arrived in Chicago some time before October 1999, and began assembling a cadre of vampires. They maintained a very low profile, and disappeared altogether earlier this year, presumably when they came to Sunnydale. There's nothing at all about Lucas' origins or what he was doing before what Faith's told us."
Faith couldn't help noticing how everyone avoided looking at her. "What about his vamps?"
"Mostly, they're the usual, unremarkable vampires. Perhaps possessed of a little more self-control that the norm, or better disciplined by their leader. The only one of note is this fellow." Giles pulled a photograph out of the file and slid it to the centre of the table.
Faith picked it up, her eyes widening in surprise. "B, check this out!" She passed the photograph across. As Buffy took it, Willow saw their fingertips touch, and Faith jerked her hand away. The others, intent on Buffy's reaction to the picture, didn't notice.
"That's him!" Buffy exclaimed as she saw the picture. "Giles, we've seen this guy, we fought him the night of Tara's party."
"You dusted him?" Willow asked, hopefully.
"No, he got away." Buffy answered, a mixture of annoyance and shame colouring her voice. "He held us off, then as soon as he saw an opening, he made a break for it. He's good, Giles."
Anya raised her hand. "Who is he?"
"Sean Curran." Giles replied. "He's some sort of vampire warrior-"
Spike interrupted. "Bloody mercenary is what he is."
Giles looked around at the vampire. "You know him?"
"Know of him." Spike corrected, with a pointed glare at Xander. "Met him once in Italy, but we didn't exactly make small-talk. He fights for any demon that can't or won't do it themselves, as long as they can afford him. Used to be some kind of army type, I think."
"Yes, he joined the U.S. Army during World War Two as a paratrooper. He disappeared, presumably died, while on leave from his unit in Germany in 1947. The Council first took note of him in the early 1950's."
"Has he ever fought a Slayer?" Buffy asked.
Giles sighed. "Possibly. He was in Stockholm in 1984 when the then-Slayer was killed, but I can't say whether he was involved."
"What happened?"
"Again, we don't know. She went out on a routine patrol and never came back." Giles said, masking his fear of the same fate befalling one of his Slayers. "Her body was never found; the Council could only be sure she was dead because another Slayer was called."
"So now what?" Buffy asked. "We've got one vamp without a past and another one who's a hired gun... fang... whatever. Why did Lucas come back here? Is he just trying to play King of the Hellmouth?"
Willow pulled her laptop out of her bag. "This is probably a coincidence, but I might have something here..." She flipped the screen up and opened a file, before turning the computer around so the others could see the screen. "Faith, is this him?" she asked, her voice totally neutral.
Faith's jaw dropped as she saw the picture on the screen. "Oh my God, you found him!"
"Faith, are you sure?" Giles was stunned.
"Yeah, I mean the hairstyle's different, but everything else... that's him I swear! Damn, Red, what did you do?"
"I Googled him." Willow looked around at a sea of blank faces. "Google? Internet search engine? I got bored yesterday, so I typed in 'Lucas Miller', just for the hell of it. I got a few hundred hits, but this one kinda stood out; it's from the on-line archive for the Sunnydale Press."
"He was in the paper?" Buffy wondered in disbelief. "He was alive, here?"
"Sorta. It's his obituary." Willow span the laptop around to face her again and read from the article. 'We are saddened to report the death of Sunnydale's first-born, Lucas Joshua Miller, on November 16th, 1927, at the age of 28. Mr Miller was apparently the latest victim of the wild dogs that have recently plagued our community."
"Sunnydale's first-born." Buffy whispered.
"He was born here, he died here... Giles, do you think he's been here the whole time?" Faith asked, not quite believing the idea herself.
"It's possible, but its very rare for a vampire to stay in one town for so long, especially one the size of Sunnydale."
"Welcome to small-town America, Giles." Xander remarked. "It's the only home he's ever known. I think he wants it back."
"And to do that," Buffy said, "he has to get rid of us."
The following Monday, Willow caught up with Buffy in the campus refectory. Both Slayers had left to patrol immediately after the meeting at the Magic Box, and Willow was desperate to talk to her best friend face to face, to try to figure out exactly what was happening. They secured a table in a quiet corner and chatted for a while, talking about classes, Xander and Anya's growing preoccupation with wedding plans, Dawn's high school experiences. As the conversation went on, however, Willow began to realise that she was doing most of the talking; Buffy's responses were brief, almost terse, as though she were running on autopilot. Every so often the Slayer would seem to snap out of it, like she was making a conscious effort to be more talkative, but after a few minutes she would lapse back into her distracted state.
"Is something wrong, Buffy?" Willow asked, concern showing on her face.
Buffy, who had been staring off into space, seemed to have barely heard the question. "Huh?"
"I asked you if there was something wrong." Willow repeated. "Something about Faith, maybe?"
"Faith? No!" Buffy replied, rather too quickly. "What made you say that?"
"Well, you've been kinda tense and distracted the last few days, especially when she's around. I thought maybe something had happened, like you had a fight or something." Willow studied Buffy's reactions intently. There was no slight blush, no lowered eyes, no gentle half-smile, none of the signs Buffy usually displayed when a new relationship was mentioned. There was something, though, something in her voice.
"No, we're not fighting." Buffy replied, still rushing slightly. "Faith's really wound up about this whole Lucas thing, I guess maybe I'm just feeding off of that."
"You're sure? You know you can talk to me, about anything, right?" Willow reached out and took her friend's hand. There was a definite undertone in Buffy's voice, but she was trying to mask it.
Buffy managed a wan smile as she looked down at their interlaced fingers. "I know, Will. I'll be fine, honest." I hope.
"Okay, then."
They talked a while longer, until Buffy had to leave for a class. Willow dropped Faith's name into the conversation a couple more time, just in passing, but got no reaction apart from that same undercurrent in Buffy's voice. It wasn't until her friend was walking away that she finally worked out what it was.
Sadness, tinged with longing.
"There you are!" Tara said, smiling warmly as she finally located her girlfriend.
Willow jumped in surprise, almost losing her grip on the enormous dictionary she was flicking through. "Tara! You scared me!" She quickly lowered her voice as her exclamation echoed through the UCS library. "I thought we were meeting downstairs."
"We were, a half-hour ago."
Willow checked her watch. "Oh gosh, Tara, I'm sorry! I musta lost track of the time."
Tara smiled again, calming her apologetic girlfriend. "It's okay, sweetie." She glanced at the pile of books scattered around Willow's laptop and notebooks. "Eastern European languages? Are you talking classes behind my back?" She asked with a mock glare.
Willow giggled at that. "No, it's magic stuff. I'm trying to modify a spell, but I'm having some trouble with the incantation."
"A spell?" Tara's face clouded. "Why didn't you ask me? I would've helped."
"Oh, I know you would!" Willow said quickly, realising she'd hurt Tara's feelings. "It's just... This is kinda personal. Unfinished business, you know? I need to do this for myself."
"Is this why you've been hitting the spell books so hard the last few weeks?"
"Yeah." Willow reached out and laid her pale hand on Tara's arm. "I'm sorry I've been so cloak-and-daggery lately, I just don't want to get anyone's hopes up, y'know? If this works, it could be kinda big."
After a moment of consideration, Tara nodded her understanding. "You know I'm here if you need me, right?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Do you want to stay here and work on it some more?" Tara asked, hoping the answer would be 'no'.
Willow shook her head. "My head's starting to hurt, I need some girlfriend time." She quickly packed her notebook and laptop into her bag and began picking up books to return to their shelves.
Walking back to their dorm across the night-shrouded campus, the witches chatted quietly about their day, always keeping a cautious eye on the shadows. As they entered their room, Tara suddenly asked, "Do you think Faith's okay? She seems even quieter than usual lately."
"I hadn't noticed." Willow replied, trying to hide the flash of panic she felt whenever Tara mentioned the dark Slayer. Unconsciously, her eyes flickered across to the small ziploc bag of Lethe's Bramble sitting on the table. Again she forced down the guilt she felt at playing with her lover's mind. I'm so sorry, baby, I didn't know what else to do...
Faith switched off the TV and turned to look at Dawn, curled up beside her on the couch. The teenager was sound asleep, her head resting on Faith's shoulder. They had started off just sitting together watching a movie, but at some point Dawn had moved up next to her. Faith had no idea when she had fallen asleep. For a moment she just sat and watched Dawn sleeping, a look of complete peace on her face, and marvelled that she should ever receive such complete trust. Finally, reluctantly, she gently shook the young girl awake. "Dawn? Come on, Bitesize, I gotta go patrol."
"Umph." Dawn forced her eyes open. "What time is it?"
Faith checked her watch. "Bit after eleven. Look at you, sixteen years old and you're flaking this early on a Friday night. You oughtta be ashamed of yourself."
Dawn stuck her tongue out and slowly got to her feet, just as Buffy entered the living room and asked, "You ready, Faith?"
"Five by five."
Dawn watched them pull on jackets and check their weapons, listened to Buffy's admonition not to stay up too late, and locked the door behind them. Then she headed upstairs to her room, pulled an old book from her bag, and started reading.
"I don't like this."
"I don't care."
"It's not right, spying on our own people like this."
"Look, it's bad enough that we're missing our leave, I'm not putting up with you whinging as well. The Council said to keep the Slayers under surveillance, and that's what we're doing."
"I'm just saying..."
"Well don't. Hang on, the door's opening. Log it. Slayer 1 and Slayer 2 leaving the house, on foot, 2317."
A quiet 'bleep!' from her computer roused Willow from her daydream. Does it still count as a daydream at 2 a.m.?, she wondered, then dismissed the thought as she picked up the laptop and looked at the screen.
Oh my God! That's it!
Okay, slow down, Rosenberg, check it first, don't get too excited yet...
Okay...
Okay...
It's done. It's done! "Yes!"
A groan from the other end of the bed jerked the witch's head around and made her realise that she had spoken aloud. Tara's head emerged from a jumble of sheets and pillows. "Willow?"
"Sorry, baby, I didn't mean to wake you."
"What are you doing?"
Excitement won out over contrition as Willow crawled back under the sheets "I fixed the spell! It's finished, I can cast it!"
"Now?" The tone of Tara's sleep-laden voice left no doubt as to what she thought of that idea.
"No, not now." Willow snuggled in against Tara, wrapping an arm around her. "I'll do it tomorrow. I'll have to go out of town for the day, maybe Sunday too. And if this works," she planted gentle kiss on Tara's lips, "when I get back, there's going to be some celebrating to do." After I give Buffy what she really wants.
"You realise how hard it's going to be on her when you leave?" Faith stopped in mid-stride and turned to face her blonde counterpart. "What?"
"Dawn. Losing you is going to break her heart."
"That's low, B."
"I mean it! I saw the two of you together earlier, you're more like a sister to her than I am right now."
"That's not true!"
"It is, and I'm glad." Buffy said, her tone softening. "I have to be the parent now, I can't be her sister all the time. I'm glad she has someone else, someone to look up to."
"You want me to be her role model?" Faith asked, incredulously. "Damn, B, I thought you liked her!"
"I do! Don't you get it? She adores you. You saved her life."
"And that's all she sees, me taking a swan-dive off that tower. She doesn't get the other stuff, she doesn't remember it the way you and Red and Xander remember."
"Or maybe she doesn't care about it any more."
"Well, she should." Faith began to march off through the cemetery, but was brought up short by Buffy's next question.
"Why did you kiss me?"
"B, would you please forget about it..."
"No! Faith, it's been nearly three weeks, and you still won't tell me anything!"
"There's nothing to say! Things were getting crazy, and I just acted. That's what I do, remember? Wait, stop, think, no, no, no, ring any bells? I'm the poster girl for impulse-control issues. Who knows, maybe it was my subconscious trying to remind us both that I'm not playing with the full deck. Now can we drop it and go take out those vampires over there?" She pointed over Buffy's shoulder.
On the road outside the cemetery, a black van rolled to a stop. A concealed camera began filming the slayers as they tore into the hapless group of vampires.
"This is bad..."
"It's a complication, that's all."
"Are you kidding? That's Faith! Last time she was around, I nearly got eaten by a giant snake!"
"Cool it, Shortround, everything's gonna be fine. They're just a couple of girls, we can handle them."
"No, Warren, they're not just girls, they're Slayers!" Jonathan pushed himself away from the console in the back of the van. "Two Slayers is a whole different game."
"We'll be fine! Know your enemy, remember. We'll study them, learn then weakness, and take them down. And then we'll rule Sunnydale!"
Andrew nodded, smiling his excitement. "Cool."
Angel walked across the lobby of the Hyperion, automatically skirting the sunlight areas without even looking away from the book her was reading. He was just placing his mug of warmed O+ on the reception counter when he heard the front door open. Looking up, he saw Willow smiling at him from the doorway, with a large sports bag in her hand and a book back hanging from her shoulder.
"Willow. Hi."
"Hi." Willow put down the sports bag and waved, a little awkwardly, and walked across the lobby to meet him.
"Is something wrong? Is Buffy okay?"
"Buffy's fine." Willow replied, trying to reassure him. "I was just in the neighbourhood, so I thought I'd drop in, say hello. Nice place you've got here, very... roomy."
"Thanks. It's good to see you, Willow. Can I get you a coffee or something?"
"I'll have to pass, I'm about at my caffeine limit for the day. Could I get a glass of water, though?"
"Sure." Angel turned toward the kitchen, quietly surprised at how happy he was to see Willow again. Few people knew it, but he'd missed the redhead's quirky sense of humour and stream-of-consciousness babbling for months after leaving Sunnydale, and he was pleased to have an opportunity to catch up with her. He didn't see her reach into her shoulder bag, so he had no idea what was happening when the tranquilliser dart bit into his shoulder.
Willow adjusted her aim and fired again. The dart struck Angel in the throat, and within seconds he was flat out on the tiled floor. Willow shot him again, just to be sure, then dropped to her knees beside the unconscious vampire and began pulling manacles out of her bag.
"Okay, girl, step away from the vamp!"
Jerking her head around in surprise, Willow saw a young man she didn't recognise advancing on her from a side door, carrying a bizarre-looking axe. Right behind him was Cordelia, her eyes practically bursting from their sockets in shock at what she was seeing. "Oh my God! Willow?"
Gunn rounded on her in surprise. "Wait, you know this psycho?"
"Yeah, she's an old friend from Sunnydale. Willow, what the hell are you doing?"
Willow was frantically clamping manacles around Angel's wrists, ignoring the axeman bearing down on her. "We have to get the chains on him! I don't know how long the tranqs will keep him out!"
Cordelia was hurrying across the lobby. "But, why-"
"Cordy!" Willow snapped. "There's no time! Would you please just trust me?"
The look of desperation on her face did more to convince Cordelia than any number of words. "Okay, Gunn, give us a hand." The seer snatched up a set of chains and began immobilising Angel's legs.
"What? Are you serious?" Gunn retorted, staring at his friend in disbelief.
"If Willow thinks it's important, then I believe her. She knows what she's doing," Cordelia assured him, while shooting Willow a look that said 'You'd better be right about this'.
Minutes later, they had attached all the manacles and chains Willow had brought with her and Angel's arms were fastened behind his back with his legs chained together. Willow took a step back and looked over their handiwork. "Okay, that should do for a while. We need to get him someplace secure. Do you have any more chains? We can't risk him getting loose."
"Why?" Gun asked, feeling the need for an explanation. "He's not dangerous."
"Not yet," Willow replied, "but he will be."
Twenty minutes later, Willow stood in the lobby, facing the assembled
members of Angel Investigations. Angel was chained to a workbench in
the basement, still unconscious; Wesley had examined the darts she had
used and said he was unlikely to come around for at least another hour.
"Okay, Miss Blast-from-the-past, how about you tell us why you came in here and shot our friend?" Gunn said, radiating hostility. Wesley, Cordelia and the rather jumpy Texan girl who'd been introduced as Fred stayed silent, but their expressions echoed the question.
"Yeah, right, explanation time..." Willow began pacing, her voice trembling slightly from nerves and adrenaline. "I fixed the curse."
"I don't understand, fixed in what way?" Wes asked.
"I got rid of the perfect happiness loophole. It'll restore Angel's soul permanently, no get-outs."
"You mean..." Cordelia whispered, not quite daring to believe it.
Willow nodded, smiling. "No more Angelus. Ever."
Gunn, whose mood had rapidly shifted from anger to confusion, asked, "No more Angelus, I like the sound of that. So why did you have to shoot him?"
Willow gave him an apologetic look. "I probably didn't, but I just didn't want to risk it."
"Risk what?" Cordelia asked.
"Oh, you know, I ask Angel if I can chain him up, he asks me why, I tell him I'm going to restore his soul permanently, the knowledge that he'll soon be free gives him that one moment of perfect happiness and then Angelus rips my heart out and leaves me to appreciate the irony in my final moments."
"Oh. That." Cordelia swallowed nervously, not enjoying that image. "Good call."
"Um, excuse me?" Fred raised her hand. "This might be a stupid question, but why do you need to chain him up at all? I mean, can't you do this curse thing on him any time, without him even knowing about it?"
"Not really." Willow's nervousness returned tenfold. "You see, I can't cast the new curse on top of the one he's already under, it'll only work if it's actually restoring his soul. Which means I've kind of got to remove his soul first."
"You can do that?" Cordelia burst out, looking at Willow with a new respect, and a hint of fear.
"I think so." Willow replied, not noticing the extent of Cordelia's reaction. "Actually, I'm hoping Angel's going to do it for me. I found a spell that can make someone re-live a memory. I'll take him back to the last time he lost his soul. If I can make it intense enough, hopefully he'll believe he's actually there and poof! Perfect happiness. Then I cast the new curse and everything's peachy."
"So, you're planning on letting Angelus out?" Gunn said. Receiving a nod in reply, he looked around at Cordelia. "More chains?"
"Oh yeah." They hurried down to the basement.
Willow began taking spell ingredients out of her sports bag and laying them out on the counter. After a few moments, Wesley tapped gently on her shoulder. "Willow, could I speak with you for a moment, please?" He motioned her toward the office. She nodded and followed him inside.
Closing the door behind them, Wesley turned to the young witch, concern etched on his face. "Willow, I didn't want to say this in front of the others, but are you sure this is wise? Extraction of a soul is a very serious and difficult procedure. The only people I've ever heard of that have succeeded are a few orders of dark mystics, and even then only the highest adepts have ever attempted it. Using dark magic on that scale is incredibly dangerous, and that's without the moral considerations."
"I know, Wes, that's why I'm not doing it their way. The whole point of this trip down memory lane is to avoid the icky stuff. I'm hoping that it'll be easier 'cause Angel's dead, so his soul doesn't really belong there anyway. No dark magic needed."
"And if your memory spell doesn't work?"
"Then I guess I'll owe Angel a big apology when he wakes up." Willow gave him a reassuring smile. "Relax, Wes, I can handle this. You're not the only one who's grown since Sunnydale High." As she opened the office door, she turned back to him for a moment. "By the way, whatever it is you've been doing lately, keep it up. It looks good on you."
As Willow finished laying out her equipment, Cordelia and Gunn returned. "Okay," The seer said, "Angel's about as secure as he's going to get. You ready, Willow?"
"Almost." Willow didn't look up as she replied, intent on checking that everything was in order. Invocation, candles, Orb of Thesselah..."I'm good to go." She walked out from behind the counter and faced them all again. "Okay, here's the plan. In a minute, I'll go down and do the memory spell. While I'm doing that, Wes, could you make sure I've got everything laid out right? I think it's all there, but you never know."
The ex-Watcher nodded. "Of course."
"Thanks." Willow smiled briefly. "Now, I need a couple of other people to help me with the curse. Cordy was there last time and Wes has all his Watchery occult training, so I think they'd be the best for that job. Which means you guys," she indicated Gunn and Fred, "get to watch Angelus."
"Oh." Fred whispered, her face growing pale.
"Yeah." Willow replied, a hint of guilt seeping into her voice. "I'm sorry, but we can't risk leaving him unguarded. Do you guys have a tranquilliser gun?"
"Yes, just a minute." Wesley disappeared into the office, returning with two pistols, which he handed to Fred and Gunn.
"Great. If you even suspect that Angelus is starting to get loose, shoot him." Willow let some of her own terror of Angel's other self show as she looked intently at the two appointed guards. "Remember, Angelus isn't your usual vampire. It's like comparing a wild dog to Hannibal Lecter. Everything Angel knows about you, he knows, and you don't know him at all. Don't take any chances."
"Uh, Willow?" Cordelia asked, her voice unusually hesitant. "What if the new curse doesn't work? I don't want to be all doubty, but..."
"It's okay, Cordy." Willow stepped over to the counter and pulled a second Orb and a piece of paper from her bag. "Plan B. The original curse. If the new one doesn't work, I put Angel back the way he was and no harm done." Except to my pride. She put the spare orb and incantation back in the bag and looked around at the others. "Questions? Comments?"
"Sounds like we got a plan," Gunn replied, various nods indicating that he spoke for everyone.
Willow gave a slight nod of her own in acknowledgement and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Okay, then. Wes, can you start checking things and looking over the new incantation? I'll go give Angelus his wake-up call."
The Magic Box wasn't packed, but the afternoon business was certainly brisk as Faith arrived. Giles was discussing the relative merits of amphibian eyeballs with a customer, while Anya stood beside the cash register like a tigress guarding her cubs. The Watcher glanced over as Faith came through the door, politely excused himself from his customer, and walked over to meet her. "Hello, Faith. Is everything all right? I wasn't expecting you and Buffy until this evening."
"I'm good." Faith flashed a smile so brief it was barely noticeable. "B's taken Dawn to the mall, so I thought I'd blow off some steam before training. You mind if I use the back for a bit?"
"No, no, of course not." Giles handed her the key to the training room. He watched as she wove through the scattered customers, exchanging a brief greeting with Anya, and let herself into the back. For a moment after she disappeared from view, he was lost in thought, then a new question from the eyeball enthusiast forced his attention back to the day job.
As was often the case, the rush of customers disappeared as quickly as they had arrived, leaving the store deserted except for the staff. Giles set Anya to tidying up some of the displays and headed for the back room.
Faith was using a wooden practice sword, running through sequences of strikes and parries, advances and retreats. Giles was sure the Slayer was aware of his presence, but she gave no outward sign. For several minutes he stood in the doorway and watched in silence, evaluating her technique. Her movements were swift, precise, absolutely controlled.
Too controlled.
There was no life in Faith's actions, none of her trademark passion; her movements were almost robotic. Occasionally she would begin to loosen up, only to immediately rein herself in, her body tensing until her muscles were taut with the strain. Giles was reminded of how Buffy had described Kendra's fighting style, but he knew that she would think this was even worse. Kendra fought her enemy, but Faith was fighting herself.
A sequence ended and Faith paused, as though finally noticing her audience. She tossed the sword onto a bench and picked up a towel, wiping the sweat from her face. "You know, if you were any other guy I'd think you were checking me out."
Ignoring her comment, Giles came fully into the training room, closing the door behind him. "What's the matter?"
"I don't know what you're talkin' about." Faith didn't meet his eyes.
"Don't treat me like an idiot, Faith!" Giles snapped, his face colouring momentarily. "When I was watching you just now, I could barely even believe it was you. There was nothing there, no energy, no commitment. You were pulling yourself back the entire time." He removed his glasses and sat down on the end of the bench, forcing himself to calm down. "I know there's something wrong. You and Buffy have been walking on eggshells around each other for weeks. I had hoped that you could resolve whatever it is yourselves, but that clearly isn't the case, so now I have to know: what is happening?"
"So, what, you figure it's got to be my fault? Is that why you're asking me, not her?" Faith cursed herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
Giles' only reaction to the barb seemed to be disappointment. "No, Faith, I am asking you because you're here."
Faith seemed to deflate, slumping down onto the bench. "I'm sorry, Giles, I just... I don't know what you want me to say."
"How about the truth?" Giles suggested, his tone softening the bluntness of his words. "You of all people know how important it is for a Slayer and her Watcher to be honest with each other."
"Yeah." Faith was silent for a long moment, her head bowed. "I'm leaving Sunnydale."
"I beg your pardon?" Giles pulled back in shock.
Faith looked up, her eyes pleading with him to understand. "I have to, Giles. I'm just screwing things up here, for everyone. It'll just be better if I'm gone."
"Faith, that's not true..."
"Yes, it is!" The Slayer snapped back, shooting to her feet. "I can't do this any more! I can't keep trying to prove myself, 'cause it'll never be enough. I can't keep watching you guys split in two over who trusts me and who doesn't. If I'm out of the way... things'll be like they were before I came back."
"You've spoken to Buffy about this, I presume?"
Faith nodded, unconsciously turning away slightly, hiding her face. "She keeps trying to talk me out of it. I asked her not to tell anyone."
"Why?"
"I'm not going 'til we've killed Lucas. I promised B that much. Once he's dust, I'm just going to disappear."
"And go where?"
A shrug. "There's got to be somewhere the Council can find for me. Vamps everywhere, right?"
Giles just sat and looked at her for a moment, taking in the hunched shoulders, the bowed head, the barely perceptible shiver. "There's something else." It wasn't a question.
Faith looked up in surprise, her eyes haunted. Giles met them with his own steady gaze. For a long moment, he watched Faith struggle with herself, trying to break out through her own defences. Finally, she turned to face him completely again. "I'm scared, Giles."
"Of what?"
"Me. The old me." Faith pushed her hair back, both hands pressed against the sides of her head. "She's still in here, whispering to me. Telling me it wasn't my fault, that I was the victim, that I can't trust you. Every time one of you looks at me like I'm still her, I can hear her." She sat down again, straddling the bench, facing him. In spite of the autumn heat and her recent exertions, she looked chilled. "I'm scared I'm going to listen to her someday."
He looks so peaceful...
Willow broke off her preparations for a moment and looked down at the unconscious vampire. Angel was lying on his back on the workbench, his head turned slightly toward her. The shock and anger that had been on his face when she shot him had faded, leaving his expression blank. Like he's asleep. Or dead.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Willow jumped as Cordelia's question broke her out of her reverie. The seer was standing halfway up the basement steps, leaning on the stair-rail.
"Yeah, uh, I think so," Willow replied, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm just... nervous? Scared? I don't know, I had it all worked out, but now I'm actually here... It's Angelus, you know? I'm actually going to let him out, and he'll be right here, and-"
"I get it." Cordelia said simply, walking down the rest of the stairs to stand beside the witch. "I can't tell you how many nights I've lain awake wondering if he'd be the one waiting for me at work the next day."
They stood silent for a moment, reliving past terrors, and then Cordelia spoke again. "What did Buffy say when you told her about this?"
"I, uh, I haven't told her yet." Willow said, looking away. "I didn't want to get her hopes up, you know?"
"Are you trying to get them back together?" Cordelia's face was serious, and not entirely friendly.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Maybe. I saw how Angel was when he first got here. I don't want him to go through that again."
Willow felt anger flare through her. "Hey, it wasn't easy on Buffy either, you know! He left her, remember?" She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Look, Buffy's had it rough the last year. If I can give her back the love of her life then I'm not going to apologise for it, okay?" And if it gets Faith off her mind then that's perfect.
"All right, God, Will, take it easy! I not against Buffy being happy, I just don't want to see Angel get hurt again."
"Okay, then."
Cordelia looked down at Angel's sleeping face again. "Look, Will, whatever your reasons, and even if this doesn't work, thank you. It means a lot that you tried." She hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her arms around the surprised witch. Willow froze in shock, then awkwardly hugged back, not quite knowing how to deal with such an open display of affection from her childhood tormentor.
"Okay, let's do this." Willow disentangled herself.
Cordelia nodded with a brief, tight smile. "Right, I'll go get the others."
Willow had finished laying out the few items she needed for the spell by the time Cordelia returned with Fred and Gunn a few minutes later. She was carefully drawing a symbol on Angel's forehead. Looking up from her work for a moment, she could easily see Fred's agitation, as the other woman constantly fiddled with the tranquilliser pistol she gripped in her right hand. Setting down her pen for a minute, Willow went over to the anxious young woman. "Are you okay with this?"
Fred jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, the gun almost dropping from her fingers. "Oh, I-I-I'm sorry Wesley showed me how to use this but I don't know I'm not sure if I'll be any good I mean I've never used one before and I know all about ballistics and everything but that doesn't mean I'll get it right and what if I miss and Angel kills us all?"
Oh my God, she babbles more than I ever did! Willow couldn't quite keep her amazement from showing, but she quickly replaced it with what she hoped was a gentle, reassuring smile. "You'll be fine, okay? Just don't shoot anyone but Angelus and everything'll be peachy."
Fred nodded, her lips twitching briefly into a nervous, but determined, smile. Willow patted her on the shoulder and turned back to Angel. Gunn was leaning over him, examining the half-finished design on the vampire's forehead. "What is this, some kind of weird-ass bird?"
"It's a raven." Willow picked up her pen again and shooed him out of the way.
"Okay, so what's it doing on my guy's head?"
Suppressing an exasperated sigh, Willow mentally counted to ten before answering. "It represents Munin."
"Moo-what?"
"Munin. It's from Norse mythology. Odin, the king of the gods, was said to have two ravens called Hugin and Munin, Thought and Memory, who flew all over the world collecting information for him."
"So you're calling this guy to show you Angel's memory?"
"That's the plan."
Gunn took a couple of steps away from the witch. "This guy isn't going to be coming here, is he?" Spotting Cordelia and Fred's surprise at the apprehension in his voice, he continued defensively, "What? I don't like birds, okay? All beady eyes, wings flapping everywhere, beaks coming to poke out your eyeballs."
"He'll walk into a nest of vampires, but this creeps him out." Cordelia's voice held a touch of the old mockery, and even Fred had to suppress a giggle.
"Hey, I saw that Hitchcock movie, don't be telling me that guy didn't know something."
"Okay!" Willow spoke with rather more force than was strictly necessary, making them all jump. "I'm sorry, but could guys just... not be all jokey right now?"
"Sorry, Will.
"Sure."
"Sorry."
"It's okay, I'm kind of nervous." Willow said apologetically, lighting the candles on either side of Angel's head with a trembling hand. The atmosphere in the basement became sober again, the shadows seeming to deepen in defiance of the new light from the candles. The vampire's skin held a corpse-like pallor in the flickering glow, and for the first time in the years she'd known him, Willow saw Angel as truly dead. "Okay, okay, I'm ready."
Fred and Gunn moved out to one side, making sure they had a clear shot if need be. Cordelia turned away as though to leave, but instead sat down halfway up the steps. Willow looked up at her, a question in her eyes. "You're not going to check the curse?"
"It looked okay to me," Cordelia replied, "and anyway, Wes can handle the details better than me. Besides, I want to be here, I think you could do with some moral support right now."
"Thanks." Willow managed a weak smile as she opened on old book, the leather creaking as she found the incantation. She paused for a moment to gather herself, and then, holding the book open with one hand, she placed the other on the side of Angel's head and began to chant in a language full of long, rolling vowels and guttural tones. There was a burst of blue light that momentarily overwhelmed the shadows, dazzling everyone.
Willow walked across the lobby, the daylight outside a constant tingle
across her skin that she barely even noticed. She raised the mug to
her lips and the taste of pig's blood filled her mouth, warm and rich
yet unsatisfying at the same time. The front door opened and she saw
herself standing there in the light. Greetings were exchanged, then
came the hornet's sting of the first dart. Shock and confusion poured
over her, echoed by rage from the demon within.
It worked. I'm in.
For a few heartbeats, Willow watched as Angel's unconscious mind replayed those few moments over and over again, then she cautiously tried to direct the flow of memories further into the past. Sights and sounds from the previous few days flickered past. She pushed harder. The images flowed past like water, and suddenly she was falling, out of control.
Buffy stood over her in a dark alleyway, glaring down at her with anger and suspicion.
Across a crowded city square, Drusilla glanced back at her from the midst of a group of people, her eyes sane and so very afraid.
A huge, horned demon loomed ahead of her, standing in a field of corpses.
Get control, get control...
Faith pounded on her chest, begging for death.
Spike swaggered across the street toward her, Drusilla on his arm, the fresh blood on their lips gleaming in the light of the burning city.
Jenny Calendar's flesh was soft and warm in her grip as she snapped her teacher's neck, the vertebrae parting with a sickening crackle.
Oh God...Willow's senses reeled as the tide of blood and death poured over her.
"So then the teacher comes over to me and he's, like, all concerned and I'm totally dying from the trying not to laugh 'cause this thing is just hanging there on the end of his beard and wiggling whenever he talks!" Dawn laughed, wiping a tear from her eye as she got out of the Jeep and retrieved her shopping bag.
"That's nice." Buffy replied absently, getting her training bag out of the trunk and walking toward the Magic Box.
The blank tone in Buffy's voice punctured Dawn's good humour. Jogging a few steps to catch up, she asked, "Were you even listening?" Getting no response, she waved her hand in front of Buffy's face. "Hello? Earth to Buffy?"
"Huh?" Buffy blinked, confused, as though she'd just been woken up.
"Buffy!" Dawn whined. "You've been like Miss Anywhere-But-Here all afternoon. This whole shopping trip thing was your idea, and you said you wanted some family time, but you haven't listened to anything I've said! What's the matter?"
Faith's leaving Sunnydale. Walking out. Abandoning us. Abandoning me. "It's nothing."
"Oh, come on, Buffy!" Dawn stared at her with a gaze that seemed older, wiser and more penetrating than she ever remembered.
"I'm sorry, Dawnie, I was..." Buffy floundered for a moment. "I was remembering what it was like when Mom took us shopping." Stamping down on her guilt at using their mother's memory, she put her arm around Dawn's shoulders and started them off again toward the Magic Box. "I didn't mean to mess up our day together."
Dawn shrugged. "It's okay. I guess I was kind of remembering her too some of the time. Like the way she always bought a box of Oreos first thing..."
"And you always ate most of them." Buffy teased, smiling at the memory.
"Yeah." Dawn walked on in silence for a few moments, then asked, "Do you think it'll ever stop hurting?"
"I don't know, Dawn." Buffy sighed. "I'm not even sure I want it to. I mean, wouldn't that mean we didn't miss her any more?"
"I guess, but Mom wouldn't have wanted us to be sad all the time, would she?"
"Of course not," Buffy replied automatically. "She'd want us to move on, be happy. I just don't know how to do that without forgetting her."
"Well, if you figure it out, let me know, okay?" Dawn asked with a sad smile as the reached the magic shop. Buffy hugged her for a moment before leading the way inside.
Pushing back a wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm her, Willow fought for control of the memories streaming past her. Stay calm, stay calm, find something to focus on... the Judge! That's it, focus on the Judge, focus on that day...
The torrent of images stopped so abruptly that Willow's fragile control almost snapped. There was a moment of disorientation as she adjusted to the new perspective on a scene that she had replayed in her nightmares so many times.
A crossbow bolt sailed across the shopping mall. Beside her, the towering presence of the Judge turned toward the tiny Slayer on top of the coffee counter. Buffy lifted the rocket launcher onto her shoulder. Even as she dove for cover, Willow felt Angelus' mixture of rage and perverse pleasure that his Slayer was going to succeed where armies had failed.
Slowly, carefully, Willow picked her way back her way backward through Angel's memories of those terrible days, until she reached the night of Buffy's seventeenth birthday. From behind Angel's eyes she watched as her friend stumbled into Angel's apartment, soaked to the skin and shivering from the cold. The witch worked her way through the memories of that as quickly as she dared, fearful of losing control again, perhaps irrevocably. Embarrassment at seeing her best friend in such an intimate setting blended with a strange feeling that she was being unfaithful to Tara, as though it was Willow who lay atop Buffy's naked body rather than Angel. Will I ever be able to look at them the same way again?
Eventually, vampire and Slayer lay still in the narrow bed. Angel managed to stay awake until Buffy's steady breathing and slow, relaxed pulse told him that she was asleep, then he too succumbed to physical and emotional exhaustion. Willow caught a few fragments of half-remembered dreams, then Angel stirred again. For a moment, poised between sleeping and waking, he was at peace, his victims no longer screaming in the back of his mind. All he knew was that he was warm, he was safe, and he was with the woman he loved.
Then the pain started.
Willow protected herself as best she could, but still it felt as though her heart was being bathed in fire. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the pain was gone, and Angelus was breaking free. But only in the memory.
Come on, Angelus, work with me here...
Willow back-tracked, going over those few moments again and again, feeding more and more power into her spell, but to no avail. Angel's soul remained stubbornly in place.
Damn it! Willow paused for a few heartbeats, forcing herself to reconsider, even though she already knew what her decision would be. Releasing her grip on Angel's mind, she flipped over a page in the book, revealing a slip of paper that bore the incantation she had hoped she wouldn't have to use.
It only took a few seconds to recite the words. Angel's eyes snapped open, panicked and desperate a he stared up at her. "Willow... No!" Eyes glowing yellow, he convulsed in his chains, the workbench groaning ominously for a moment before he subside, eyelids fluttering closed again. When they re-opened, a moment later, it wasn't Angel looking up at her.
"Illusion becomes reality. It is done." Willow's voice was quiet, calm, almost frighteningly so. As she watched Angelus' face form that knowing smirk, her fear drained away, replaced by contempt and hatred. You're mine now, asshole!"Would you give us a moment, please?"
"I don't think that's..." Gunn started to say, but broke off in shock as Willow turned toward him and he saw her face clearly. "Okay, sure, whatever you say. We'll be right outside." Fred followed him without a word. At the top of the stairs, he paused and whispered to Cordelia, "You used to pick on her in school?"
"Yeah."
"Damn." Gunn glanced back at Willow. "You better hope she doesn't hold a grudge."
The basement door closed behind them, and Angelus finally spoke, a mocking laugh in his voice as he stared up into Willow's black eyes. "Well well, the Little Red Witch is all grown up."
"It's been a long time, Angelus."
"Depends on your perspective. I can tell you've been busy, though. Then again, you always were the studious one."
"And you always liked surprising people. I figured three darts would keep you out for longer. I'm glad you're awake, though, 'cause we're never going to get another chance to talk."
"Willow, I'm hurt." Angelus' voice was that of a friend betrayed. "You don't really think I'm going to leave you dead, do you? Not after seeing how beautifully you'd turn out."
"Angelus, either you're even more arrogant than I already thought, or you're really, really stupid." Willow said, a hard, vengeful smile playing across her lips. "Have you even asked yourself why I'm doing this?"
"I'm guessing you finally got bored with your little Sabrina knockoff and realised you can't live without me."
Willow felt the anger blaze deep inside her, a dark tide rising from the depths of her heart. How dare this vampire, this lower being speak to her in this way? "You know, any other day that might have hurt, but not today. You know why?"
"Enlighten me."
"Because once I'm done with you I'm putting you back in your cage, and this time I'm throwing away the key. So this is my last chance to do this. Infero Doloram!" She clamped her hands to the sides of Angelus' head, and immediately he convulsed in his chains, screaming in pain. "This is for Buffy, and Giles, and Miss Calendar, and Theresa, and everyone else you killed or hurt. This is for the nightmares, the days we spent wondering if you'd ever come back. And for my fish, you didn't think I'd forget them, did you?"
Willow released her grip and Angelus' body went limp. The vampire glared up at her, watching her eyes. Abruptly, he laughed. "Do they have any idea who you really are? Do you?"
"You never did know when to shut up, Angelus. That's why you lost. That's why you'll be spending the rest of your life watching Angel help people. That's why you're nothing." Willow turned her back on him and climbed the stairs. Opening the door, she found Gunn and Fred right outside, clearly worried. She walked straight past them, saying, "He's all yours."
"What the hell was happening in there?" Gunn burst out.
Willow didn't even look back. "I needed closure." Her voice made them shiver.
When Buffy walked into the back room of the Magic Box, Faith was hammering at the punchbag, her hair hanging in limp strands plastered to her skin with sweat. She cast a glance over her shoulder as the door opened, nodded a brief greeting, and resumed her assault. Buffy watched her for a moment, observing the power and ferocity of her attack, before she turned away. Neither girl spoke as Buffy quickly changed clothes and began her warm-up routine.
After a few minutes, Faith ended her attack with a final, resounding kick. Panting for breath, she sat down on a bench, picked up a bottle of water and swallowed several mouthfuls as she watched Buffy stretching.
Buffy broke the silence, uncomfortable under Faith's scrutiny. "Been here long?"
"A few hours." Faith replied, shrugging. "I got bored back at the house, figured I might as well do something useful."
"Feel like sparring for a while?"
"Yeah."
"Sure you don't want a breather?"
"I'm good." Faith took a last gulp of water and rose, uncoiling herself in one long, serpentine movement. Her sweat-stained T-shirt clung to her skin as she rolled her shoulders, working out a few kinks as she walked to face Buffy in the middle of the practice mats. They cautiously circled each other for a while, trading blows in brief, sporadic exchanges, testing their defences.
"I told Giles."
Buffy stopped moving, her arms raised in a guard position. "Told him what?"
"That I'm leaving."
"Burning your bridges already, Faith?" Dropping her guard, Buffy half-turned away, a bitter smile on her lips. "Little early, don't you think?"
"It's not like that, B."
"Yeah, right."
"Look, he asked what was bugging me, so I told him. Besides, he needed to know he'll be back to one Slayer sometime soon."
At every word, Buffy felt the shard of ice in her heart twist a little deeper, sadness and fear gnawing at her. Somewhere inside she could feel a spark of the old anger, and she welcomed it, fanned the flames, used it to burn away the pain. Her voice held a harsh note that surprised even her. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Faith."
"Buffy..."
"I think you're scared." Buffy turned back to face her, the mask of anger securely in place. "Scared you won't follow through when the time comes. Maybe if you tell enough people about it, you'll have the guts to run."
Faith backed off a step, taken aback by the fire she saw in Buffy's eyes. "Why've you got to make this so hard, B? I'm trying to do what's right here!"
"Right for who?"
"For you! God, I thought it was natural blondes that were supposed to be dumb!" Faith stopped for a moment, wrestling with her own anger as Buffy glared at her, speechless. "Look, Buffy, me and the guys, it's never going to work. Xan and Will are never going to be happy with me here, and you need them a hell of a lot more than you need me."
"Who do you think you are?" Buffy's voice was a low, dangerous growl. "Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to decide what I need, what's best for me? You arrogant, selfish bitch!"
The punch came out of nowhere, a hooked blow that snapped Buffy's head around and staggered her. It took her a moment to regain her balance before she could turn her head back toward Faith, anger temporarily swamped by disbelief.
The shock of her fist striking Buffy's face seemed to end Faith's burst of anger as suddenly as it had started. "Oh shit! Buffy, I'm sorry-"
As soon as the word passed her lips, Faith knew it was a mistake, but by then it was to late. Buffy's face twisted into an enraged snarl as she lashed out. Faith managed to block the first punch, and the second, but the third got past her guard, leaving her exposed, then a vicious kick struck her just below the ribs. The force of the kick knocked her off her feet and she fell hard, her head striking the bench. Sparks of light flooded her vision. Dazed from the impact, it took her a moment to realise that the attack had stopped. Cautiously, she lifted her head and looked around.
Buffy was on her knees in the middle of the room, weeping.
Willow strode across the Hyperion lobby, the darkness bleeding away from her eyes as she mentally consigned Angelus to history. Cordelia and Wesley were waiting for her by the reception counter, looking over the magical paraphernalia laid out on its surface. Willow headed over to join them, only to stop dead in her tracks as a demon in a lounge suit emerged from the office. "What the hell?"
Wesley glanced up from his work for a moment, unperturbed. "Willow, this is Lorne. He's a friend of ours."
"Hiya, sweetheart, you must be the one behind today's little shindig."
"Uh, Wes, help me out here..."
"Lorne is an empath. He should be able to tell us if the spell is successful."
"You don't think I'll know if it worked?" Willow asked, growing defensive.
"I'm you're you're quite capable, Willow. I just didn't see reason to chances where Angelus is concerned."
"You've got a point," Willow conceded, still eyeing Lorne warily as she joined them at the counter. "You guys ready?"
Cordelia nodded. "Just like last time, right?"
"More or less, just without the vamp attack, the dead Slayer, the kidnapped Watcher or the bookcase landing on my head." Willow replied, smiling as she lit the candles. "Let's go..."
"Enough, enough, please!" Lorne pleaded, covering his ears
as a discordant rendition of Memory echoed in the basement.
"It's him, it's Angel. You did it."
"I changed my mind," Willow whimpered. "I want Angelus back."
"Hey!" Angel objected, still chained to the workbench. "I've been drugged, chained up, de-souled, tortured and re-souled in one afternoon. That doesn't do much for your singing voice."
"What singing voice?" Cordelia put in, unable to keep an ecstatic smile from forming. Gunn, too, was trying to contain his happiness, not mention amusement at Willow's first experience of Angel's passion for Barry Manilow. To his credit, he just about managed not to laugh as he unlocked the chains.
"I'll go pour some blood." Fred said, trying to smile at Angel and Willow simultaneously. Gunn helped Angel upright, patted him on the shoulder with a "Good to have you back, bro," and followed her out. Wesley, Cordelia and Lorne weren't far behind, leaving Angel and Willow alone in the basement.
"I really don't know how to thank you, Willow. The work you must have put in on this..."
"You're welcome. I mean, it's not like I wanted there to be a chance of your evil twin popping up again. And honestly, it wasn't as complicated as I expected; the hard part was getting the meter right. Stupid gypsy magic, half the power's in the rhythm of the chanting."
Angel hugged her. "You're incredible, you know that?"
"It's been said before." Willow smiled cheekily, then she grew embarrassed. "I'm sorry about, you know..." She mimed gripping the sides of his head.
"It's okay, really, I get it. He deserves a hell of a lot worse."
"I think having to watch you do your hero thing qualifies." Willow nodded. "So... are you going to call her?"
Angel thought for a moment. "I don't know. I mean, how do I explain this? Would she believe it? I'm not even sure I believe it."
"I can do the explainy bit, if you want?"
"Thanks. I think it's going to take a while to get my head around this."
"No problem. I'll make the call."
As she emerged from the basement, Willow was intercepted by Lorne. "Can I have a minute?"
"Uh, sure." Willow replied, glancing around nervously. "What's up?"
"I don't know. That's the problem. People sing for me, it lets me see their soul, help them find he right path. When Angel 'sang', everything was confused, like Fate didn't know what he was supposed to do. You've thrown the universe a curve ball here, kiddo. There's going to be consequences."
"Are you saying I shouldn't have done it?"
"No, I'm saying I don't know what's going to happen because of it. Be careful, okay? You're a sweet girl. I just hope you know what you're messing with."
"Buffy, you're starting to scare me here." Sitting on the bench, Faith stared at the other Slayer. She didn't know quite when Buffy had stopped crying, but it had been a while, and still Buffy knelt silently on the floor. "Come on, B, the catatonic look doesn't work on you. You're to strong for this crap, I know you are."
That finally provoked a reaction, a bitter humourless laugh. "You think you know me? That's almost funny."
"At least it got you talking again."
"Stop it." Buffy hissed, shaking her head angrily. "Stop acting like you care about me."
"I do care."
"Liar. If you cared you wouldn't walk out on me."
"You just can't wrap you're head 'round this one, can you, B? I'm leaving because I care. There's just something about you and me, we can't around be each other for long without hurting each other. I hit you, you hit me, next thing you know someone gets a knife in the gut, and this time, it might not be me. I won't let that happen again."
Buffy finally looked up, her eyes still tearful. "I don't get why it has to happen at all."
"You think I do? Maybe the world can't handle two Slayers at once. Maybe it's just you and me, I don't know. I just know we can't take the chance again."
"Scared, Faith?"
"Damn right I'm scared," Faith snapped back, "And if you took your head out of your ass for a minute, you would be, too." She checked herself with an effort. "You see what I mean? We can't even talk without getting pissed at each other."
The door to the shop clicked open and Giles appeared. He saw the two Slayers, how they were sitting, and stopped. "What's wrong?"
"We're just talking, Giles." Buffy replied, trying to sound convincing. "What's up?"
"Oh, er, Willow's on the phone looking for you. She seems quite excited, she said you weren't answering your cell."
"Damn, I must have left it in the car." Buffy got to her feet, surreptitiously wiping at her eyes as she followed Giles out to the counter.
Faith stopped in the doorway, looking for Dawn. The teenager was sitting at the research table, flicking through a book she'd bought that afternoon. She had taken one look at Buffy and known she was upset, and was now looking questioningly at Faith. The Slayer walked over to the table and sat down beside her young friend, whispering, "I'm sorry, Bitesize, old habits, y'know?" Dawn was about to whisper something back, when Anya handed the phone to Buffy.
"Hi, Will, what's up? Will... Will! Slow down, you're not making sense." They saw Buffy's eyes widen, shock washing over her face. The phone began to slip from her fingers.
"Buffy, what's the matter?" Giles asked, alarmed by the change in her demeanour.
"Willow... she's with Angel." Buffy said, her voice wavering as if she didn't quite believe that she'd heard correctly. "She, she fixed him, his soul... it's permanent, she found a way..."
"Good Lord!" In that first, stunned moment, Giles was the only one who could speak.
"So, you're going to L.A., then?" Dawn asked, unsure how she felt about the idea.
"I don't know..." Indecision was all over Buffy's
face. "What about you, a-
and patrol, and... everything?"
"I'll take care of it, B." Faith said, feeling happy, sad, confused and not understanding why.
"But..."
"Go."
Buffy lifted the phone again. "I'm on my way."
She handed it to Anya and raced outside.
Anya was checking the day's takings when there was a knock on the shop door. She glanced up, waspish comment at the ready, and saw Spike outside. With a roll of her eyes she walked over and unlocked the door. "Yes?"
"You're not here on your own, are you?"
"Giles is in the basement with Xander, moving boxes. What do you want? I'm busy."
"Nice to see you too, pet. Just finished a poker game, thought I'd drop in and see if there was any quality violence on the cards."
"Cash or kittens?"
"Cash, this time. Slayer's not about, then?"
"No. Faith's taken Dawn home, and Buffy's on her way to Los Angeles."
"Hell-A? What's happened, Peaches got stuck up a tree again?" Spike chuckled.
"Willow managed to fix his soul so he can't lose it again. Buffy's on her way to the tearful reconciliation sex." Anya glanced back at the counter for a moment, remembering that moment of incomprehension when Buffy told them the news. "Willow's getting pretty powerful, isn't she?"
When she turned back, Spike had vanished.
