Chapter 13 –

"Nifty little pad you’ve got here." said Spike as he surveyed Bangola’s retreat.

"Nifty pad?" Bangola repeated with a puzzled look on his face.

"Yeah. Don’t believe I’ve seen threads this nice since…." Spikes words stopped as he ran his hands over the exquisite fine silk that covered the grand sitting chair to his left, while memories of wondering through the European countryside with Drusilla flashed through his mind.

"Since what?" Bangola asked.

Spike grinned to himself as he stood reliving each and every grand stop he and his lover had made on their last true journey together. It took him a minute to gather his senses back.

"Huh? Oh… uh… just been awhile mate." After awhile of walking about the rather large house, Spike had finally satisfied his curiosity and plopped down on the giant red couch in the sitting area.

"So, what’s the big plan?" asked Spike.

"Big plan?" Bangola repeated.

"What is with you mate? Every time I ask you a question, you get all dense on me." asked Spike in disgust. "Big plan. You know….. killin’ the Slayer big plan!" he continued. ‘God, this is worse than talking to Dru. At least she had an excuse.’ he thought to himself. ‘The big poof had drove her mad before he turned her. What the hell was this git’s excuse?’ He shook his head in disgust, then pulled out another smoke to light up.

"Oh…. yes, I understand now." Bangola muttered. "Well," he began. "The ritual must take place tomorrow night. My men have been diligently following the Slayer and her whereabouts for days. They have found that she walks through the cemetery on one of her so called ‘patrols’ every evening beginning at approximately 9 o’clock." he continued.

"Yeah, so." Spike quipped in annoyance. This was old news as far as he was concerned. He wanted a piece of ‘real’ information. He was already well aware of the Slayer’s patrolling habits and didn’t understand how that was supposed to help them.

"If you will follow me, I’ll show you." Bangola said as he turned and led the way to the next room.

"Show…. me…. what?" asked Spike.

"The big plan as you like to refer to it." he replied.

"Fine then." said Spike as he reluctantly got up off the couch and followed Bangola to another room. As he entered, Spike was amazed at the large window he saw before him. He continued to survey the room and became quite amused with the dozens of men working within the room.

"This is our planning room." Bangola explained confidently.

"Yeah, I can see that. Still waiting to see the actual plan here." Spike quipped. This little game of ‘show and tell’ was beginning to get on Spike’s nerves. It reminded him of the many times he’d sworn to himself to only work alone. No more partners.

Bangola strutted over to the large window and pointed to something. Still annoyed but curious, Spike walked over to the window to see what Bangola was pointing at. He was astonished to see a view of the entire City of Sunnydale. Not only the entire City, but a particularly distinct view of the Slayer’s house, Magic Shop, and cemetery. He nodded appreciatively, smiling at Bangola for a moment. The smile faded quickly.

"Okay, I get that you can spy on the Slayer, but what the hell is the plan!" Spike said angrily. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now!

"Yes, well… It is our ‘plan’ to have several men set up within the confines of the cemetery. Two will position themselves at each entrance." Bangola began as he pointed out the four entrances of the cemetery to Spike.

"So, what am I supposed to do?" inquired Spike.

"You will follow Angel and The Great Elizabeth. If they go with the Slayer, you will distract them with this." Bangola explained as he held up the most beautiful gold cup that Spike figured he had ever seen. Still, it was a cup. Not too impressive for weaponry.

"What the bloody hell you think I’m going to do with that? Unless it shoots fire out of it or something, I don’t see it bein’ much help to me." he replied exasperated. He couldn’t believe what the bloody hell he’d gotten himself into. Goin’ after the slayer on his own would have been so much simpler. If she’d stake him, at least it’d be over quicker than what this muck was makin’ him go through. He sighed and continued to listen.

"It is not what the cup can do, it is what it means. The Great Elizabeth knows the significance of this cup, and I’m sure by now she has explained that to the Slayer and her friends."

"So?" asked Spike.

"They will most assuredly follow you. They know that I will need the cup to complete the ritual and will try to retrieve it from you." he continued.

"What if they don’t? You know…. follow me. I think you’re puttin’ all your eggs in one basket here mate." Spike replied.

Liz looked at Wesley, amazed that they had been the ones to travel through the portals. She began to tell him about the remaining information she had, "Abigail said that besides the openings that you mentioned, there were also three more. One traveler in each opening. Although she said she couldn’t be positive she was pretty sure that it was the same traveler each time."

"But that couldn’t be right." protested Cordelia. Wesley spun around immediately to face his friend. She continued with her reverie. "Groo. He showed up, and we had a wonderful time… together……" Cordelia’s thoughts began to wonder as she started to reminisce about the time she had just spent with her prince.

"Cordy!" Angel exclaimed.

"Oh…. uh…. yeah…. anyway I just meant that it couldn’t have been the same person…. Or thing each time because Groo has been here and gone, so there would’ve had to have been two different travelers. He would have taken up two of the portals, but that still leaves a third one. IF Liz’s friend is even right about that." Cordelia added. The last bit was to let Liz know she still didn’t think much of her or her friends.

Willow looked around the room. She was still debating on whether she should say anything about the thought that had just occurred to her or not. Finally she decided if they were to get to the bottom of the dimension travelers, she needed to remind them of the portal that was opened by Dawn.

"Uhmm, I hate to bring this up, but we shouldn’t forget about the portal Dawn opened. It did have one traveler….. Buffy. Maybe that is the third one that was opened." she said hesitantly. No one ever mentioned it, and she wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she was going to get from bringing it up.

The tension in the Magic Shop was becoming so think Liz swore she could have cut it with a butter knife. She knew there wasn’t much time left, so if she was to get the help that she desperately needed, she was going to have to do something quickly.

Buffy had planted herself in a chair at back of the large round table when she had become bored with Liz’s seemingly never ending tales of Bangola and the travelers. Mindlessly, she had flipped through a book that had been lying on the table in front of her. Her emotions had been getting the best of her ever since she saw Angel standing at her front door. Even though she knew she had more important things to think about, her undying love for him and her disgust with herself for what she had been doing lately were the only things she could think about. She hadn’t really been listening to anything anyone had said, but it was suddenly different. Willow had unknowingly brought her back to reality, back to the matter at hand. Buffy suddenly found a new resilience within herself. She remembered how hard she had fought to get her sister back, and she was not about to let that all be for naught. She slammed the book shut as she stood up from the table.

"We’re running out of time and we’re no closer to figuring out how to stop this thing than we were even an hour ago. I don’t care what it takes, we’re going to get this thing." she declared. A hush fell over the room. Her friends knew when Buffy meant business, and by the tone in her voice they were well aware that this was one of those times. Orders were about ready to be handed out.

"Anya, I remember Giles saying something about a book on demon descendents and recognition. I think it was with his personal collection. See if you can find it." she said. Anya immediately headed for the basement where Giles had stored his most sacred personal items. "Xander, go with Anya. The quicker we find the book the better. And if you find anything else that looks helpful, grab it!" Buffy continued with the orders, and Xander followed them without hesitation.

"Tara, you and Liz find some sort of spell that will disable Bangola’s Merhandra energy. We can’t sneak up on him if he already knows we’re coming. Willow, you and Dawn help them. Get them anything they need to do the spell." They all nodded in agreement with Buffy’s directions. The four females scatter quickly and began gathering books of spells. Quietly reassembling themselves in a corner at the front of the shop, they hoped they would be uninterrupted there and could quickly find what they were looking for.

"Wesley, Cordelia, and Fred. You three continue to research. Find anything you can on Bangola and the Palkees Tribe. No matter how insignificant the information may be, we need it!" Buffy said poignantly. She then turned to Angel and Gunn. The two remaining members of the group.

"Have you noticed how that house up on the hill looks right down on the shop?" asked Gunn who had been looking out the front door window.

"Huh?" Buffy asked, confused at this off the wall question.

"The house. The one that Wes and I took Liz to check out. She had traced Bangola there. That’s the house, right up there." Gunn replied as he continued to peer through the blind.

"I remember being able to see that house from your house too." added Angel as he looked Buffy in the eyes. ‘Those amazing green eyes.’ he thought to himself. Buffy walked to the door and pulled the slats apart on the blind so she could get a better view. She studied the house for a moment then turned and walked to the counter.

Angel shook his head, trying to get past the daydream he was about to land smack in the middle of, and followed Buffy to the register counter.

Gunn, confused by Buffy’s seemingly lack of concern for the realization that they were being watched, followed her to the counter and asked, "So?"

"So, what?" she repeated as she began rummaging through some boxes under the counter.

"So, aren’t you even the least bit worried that they’re gonna attack us, like any time? They obviously know we’re all here." he said glaring over the counter at Buffy and wondering what the hell she was looking for under there. He knew that dealing with Angel could sometimes be challenging, but the Slayer’s attitude was beginning to become a real issue for him.

She finally found what she was looking for. Buffy grabbed the rather large maps and began spreading her new treasures out on the countertop.

"What’s that?" Gunn asked.

"These are maps of the sewer tunnels running throughout Sunnydale." Buffy explained as she unrolled the large maps. "I’m actually surprised that Giles had even kept them. We haven’t used them since I first came to town." she continued with a smile on her face as she remembered her first few encounters as the new Slayer in town. Angel began to study the maps intently, knowing precisely what Buffy had in mind!

* * * * * * * * * *

Chapter 14 –

Spike walked around the room debating whether he liked the idea of him being the bait in this little plan. "You know mate, maybe you should be the one with the cup, and I’ll go kill the Slayer!" he said finally. This bait thing wasn’t good for his image, he reasoned to himself.

"The ritual will only work if the Slayer dies at my hands, no one else’s!" Bangola replied sternly.

"Ahhh come on! I want to get in on the fun too!" Spike said, sounding like a spoiled child who was not getting his way. This Bangola prat was obviously not going to share his toys and Spike was getting more and more impatient. Why he hadn’t just up and left hours ago was beyond him.

"If you will be patient and follow my instructions, you will be well rewarded in the end." Bangola said, trying as hard as he could to convince Spike that the best was yet to come. The demon could sense he was losing the vampire. He needed to get him back in the game.

"Okay then mate. But I’m warnin’ you, if I get turned into a frog or the like by that blessed witch, you’re gonna be damn sorry you didn’t let me kill the Slayer." Spike said poignantly. He wanted to make sure Bangola understood his displeasure with his assignment.

"I understand your reluctance to take care of The Great Elizabeth, but you will find that she can be easily distracted. Her defeat is within your power." Bangola advised. He wasn’t sure that his attempts to convince Spike that he was actually getting the better end of the deal were successful. He figured he had one last try at pushing Spike over the edge.

He had an idea; one that he thought would guarantee Spike’s loyalty. Bangola turned away from Spike. Gazing out the large window, he finally spoke, "You know Spike, if you could kill The Great Elizabeth, you would receive all of her powers. Drink her, and you would no longer be just a vampire. You would possess powers beyond your wildest imagination." He paused, sensing the renewed interest Spike suddenly had in the plan. Bangola chuckled to himself. He was quite pleased with himself for seeing that this was indeed exactly what he’d needed to say to the vampire.

"Powers? I’d get powers if I killed the witch?" Spike asked. He sat up, suddenly interested in what this stranger had to say.

"Yes. Kill the witch and drink her blood. You will then possess all that she is. Her knowledge, her wisdom but most importantly her magick." Bangola replied sincerely.

"Deal." said Spike, now anxious to get this plan into motion and for him to get some good stuff.

"Good." Bangola replied. "We shall wait until sundown tomorrow. At that time my men will draw them out of the shop. You shall stand waiting in plain view with the cup. The Great Elizabeth must be led away from the Slayer. Once you have killed her, meet me in the cemetery by the south entrance. I will be there with the Slayer, and then the ritual can begin." he continued.

"I found it!" shouted Anya, as she raced up the basement stairs.

"Hey! I helped!" Xander moaned from close behind his girlfriend.

"Great!" exclaimed Buffy, as she smiled at Anya and Xander. "Now, see if you can find anything at all in there on this Bangola or the Palkees Tribe. I mean anything!!" she continued.

"Buffy." called Angel, still hunched over the counter studying the maps she had laid out only moments earlier. Buffy swung back around to meet Angel’s glance.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Here." Angel said as he pointed to a specific notation on the first map. "That’s the house." he continued.

"You sure about that?" asked Gunn peering over Angel’s shoulder at the maps on the counter.

"Yeah. That’s the house up on the hill." Angel said confidently.

"Can we get to it from here?" asked Buffy. Angel was about ready to answer her when a loud shrill came from the front of the store. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned quickly to investigate the noise.

"What’s wrong?" asked Buffy as she scurried to where her sister and friends had gathered with their books.

"I found it!" screeched Dawn, beaming from ear to ear.

"Found what?" asked Buffy with a scowl on her face. She was used to her sister finding useless information or just plain making a big deal over nothing. Buffy wasn’t in the mood for more of Dawn’s games. Plus the sound she had made was damned unnerving.

"I found the spell. The one that will make that Bangola dude’s mind thing all screwy." Dawn informed her sister. Dawn danced in place.

Xander smiled when he noticed it just wasn’t any jig she was dancin’, but the Snoopy Dance he’d taught her when she was eight. He shook his head as he remembered that memory wasn’t real. Then smiled again as he continued to watch the Dawnster prancing around happily at the front of the store. ‘Doesn’t really matter now does it?’ he thought to himself, smiling again, he returned his thoughts to the information he was looking for.

"Dawn. I don’t have time for this." Buffy sighed, exasperated. To her surprise Liz confirmed Dawn’s discovery. She had indeed found just what they were looking for. Buffy looked at Dawn in astonishment. She had actually helped this time.

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