Eve of Change
Chapter Two
Willow got up from her position on the couch, where she was watching soapies and eating junk food, when she heard the banging on the front door. Willow went to open the door reluctantly. She wasn’t really up to seeing people right now, she thought miserably, she was still in shock – her best friend was missing...but then again maybe they had news. Or it was Oz she thought brightening slightly at the idea. “Oh, hi guys,” she exclaimed in a falsely bright voice as she saw the whole gang at her doorstep.
“But Xander you promised that we would be able to…” Anya sulked.
“Anya this is not the time or the place for this discussion,” he whispered, his cheeks flushing. She pouted,
“I know, I know, Buffy’s missing.”
“G man we gotta find her!” Xander continued ignoring Anya’s outburst and dragging her behind him.
“I am quite aware of that,” Giles said with a suffering sigh and put his books down. “And would you stop calling me that?”
“Hey baby,” Oz murmured quietly as he walked in behind the other two, embracing his girlfriend warmly. Which brightened the redhead considerably.
“What’s happened?” Joyce cried as she ran into the room full of Slayerettes. “Where’s my baby?”
“Well, Buffy has gone ah, missing,” Giles said haltingly.
“And what are we doing about it?” she asked shrilly. Giles took her arm and led her to a chair.
“We’re going to find her,” Spike growled as he walked in the door.
“Well duh, prophecy boy,” Xander said sarcastically.
“Don’t take that tone with me boy,” Spike said through clenched teeth as he glared down at him eyes flashing gold. “I could so easily…”
“Spike,” Giles snapped sharply.
“Ponce,” he muttered under his breath and stormed back out the house, leather jacket flying behind him.
To go patrol the cemetery and get some clues, maybe kill something…maybe kill lots of things.
“Well I was thinking that Willow could search that Internet thing of hers. Spike and Angel can patrol and keep their eyes and ears open for any news. Anya and I will get in contact with our sources and the rest of you can research the books and look out for any news…”
****
Ow my head! Buffy thought to herself with a groan as she came to. It feels like I’ve had my head cracked open and filled with rocks! She moaned and rolled over, then noticed she was in a bed. I don’t remember coming home, she thought as she lay there and cracked open her eyes, everything was blurry. She blinked a few times and her vision finally cleared. She was in bedroom, but it sure wasn’t hers, it was much too big and clean to be her room, and the theme was all wrong. It was a high ceiling room and in shades of fawn and black, which surprisingly didn’t make it gloomy or subtract from the room but enhanced it…
So the room was lovely, she thought shaking herself out of distraction.
The real question was where was she? She thought to herself as she sat up, and the events of the night before ran through her head and she groaned again and fell back against the pillows. She’d been fighting those two vampires and that redhead must have hit her on the head again. And she, the Slayer must have passed out, Damn it! And now she was in some bedroom somewhere hopefully still on Earth, but even that wasn’t necessarily good. Who knew who or what she was with and what they wanted with her…and it was all her own fault, if she wasn’t so independent and pig-headed she would have had Angel or Spike with her.
She felt like screaming out in frustration, but thought better of it. No need to let the people outside know that she was up and awake. Angel and Spike would have realised that she was missing and come and find her…hopefully before it was too late. She put her hand up to her throat and her breath caught, the rings were gone! She searched her clothes and they were nowhere to be seen, the necklace must have broke during the fight, hopefully they could find the rings too and she’d get them back.
“Excuse me,” whispered a voice from behind her. Buffy spun around in surprise, there was a small girl standing at the door. She tried to look outside the door and there were half a dozen strong guards, so there was no point attempting escape, just yet anyway.
“Yes?” Buffy answered, warily eyeing the girl. She looked human and her sixth sense was usually right…but it never hurt to be overly cautious.
“Um…I’m here to check that you’re okay and comfortable,” she babbled shyly and a bit nervously.
“Oh, well I’m fine I guess,” Buffy said with a false smile. As happy as you can be when you’ve been kidnapped and left in a weird bedroom that’s who knows where, she grumbled under her breath.
“Well can I get you something to eat? Oh and you can shower and change. There’s clothes in here,” she mumbled. Opening the wardrobe to show it full of gorgeously expensive clothes, which oddly enough were in her size. Which was kinda freaky when you thought about it, the person knew what to buy for her. “And through here is the bathroom,” she said opening the adjacent bathroom filled with fluffy towels and luxury items, everything a girl could want.
“Thanks,” Buffy said distractedly. This vampire was really strange, he was either trying to buy her with fancy things, make her comfortable before he killed her or he wants her to do something for him. Well he wasn’t going to get anything out of her, whichever one was right she told herself firmly. Then started to pace agitatedly, she hated being out of the loop and not knowing what was going on!
Oh well, she thought with a shrug, it’s not like she could do anything before she could scope out the situation and find a loophole. So she would just have to enjoy herself until, including pampering herself a bit… after all maybe she could borrow some of the clothes when she left, especially since her own were torn and looked awful...she thought with a grin.
“Actually if I could get some pizza or something?” Buffy asked innocently. “And I’m going to have a bath,” she added and walked over to the wardrobe and started sorting out the clothes. The little girl nodded and darted out of the room.
****
“So, how is she?” the auburn haired vampire asked sharply, pinning the small girl with his green eyes.
“She is fine Sir,” she answered trying not to squirm under the hard scrutiny of his eyes. “She woke up this morning and she’s had a bath and changed.”
“Good,” he said thoughtfully. “You may go,” he said with a wave of his hand and the girl scampered away. I must ask her to dine with me tonight, after all my plan cannot succeed if I do not get to at least know the girl and she me… but I think perhaps we will take away most of the wooden furniture for tonight. You never know with Slayers what’s going through their minds and when they might strike. “Henry!” he bellowed loudly and a tall, dark man in a suit walked into the room,
“Yes Sir?”
“Take an invitation to our guest inviting her to dinner this evening, and try to make it clear that though she has the choice. I insist that she come,” he said icily.
“Of course Sir,” he answered with a bow. “Anything else?”
“Oh yes, and change the normal furniture into the decorative set,” he added blandly and as Henry went to go added, “Oh and Henry try to take most of the wood out of the room’s vicinity. And keep the minions away from the dining room this evening, I won’t be responsible for any dusting.”
“Very good Sir,” he intoned and left the room.
“Good help is so hard to find these days,” he said sadly and walked off to his room to get ready.
****
Buffy was still wearing her own jeans and sweatshirt after her bath when she heard the knock on the door. She was still looking through the clothes selections on the bed. It was kind of nice that they knocked on the door though, she thought to herself, after all they have keys so they could probably open it.
Not that I don’t still think they’re evil, after all they kidnapped me and wrecked my night with Spike and Angel. Especially since they wrecked my night with Angel and Spike, she thought with a frown. Don’t Evil guys realise that as the Slayer she had little time to begin with and even less to go out on dates and do normal stuff! Well as normal as it can be when your boyfriends are Vampires…
But at least they have some manners, she told herself as she opened the door and found herself looking up at a tall, dark older looking guy.
“Ma’am,” he stated with a bow.
“Who are you?” she asked suspiciously.
“Ah, Henry ma’am,” he said cautiously.
“Don’t you ma’am me,” she spat, glaring at him. “I’m not old!”
“It’s a sign of respect,” he protested nervously, this time leaving off the ma’am.
“I don’t care,” she rebuked with a wave of her hand. “You can call me Buffy or Miss Buffy if you think I need a title,” She continued loftily.
“But,” he started, looking slightly horrified at the lack of propriety. She thought resisting the urge to laugh then added with a wicked grin,
“Or of course you can call me Slayer, it’s my proper title. But you would all know that because that’s why you kidnapped me in the first place.” She had to fight to keep the smile off her face this was fun.
“Ah, well…” he stuttered. “I’m here to invite you to a formal dinner tonight with the Master,” he soothed gently. “And he really insists that you attend so you might…further your acquaintance.”
“I suppose I can come and meet the mystery guy,” she drawled breezily. “Thanks for the invitation, but if you want me to go to this dinner you better go and let me get ready.” She added looking pointedly, and he almost ran out the door.
“Oh and Henry,” she said, smiling cattily.
“Yes, ah Miss?” he wheezed, slowly turning back, his hand resting on the door handle.
“You wouldn’t happen to have any wood around here would you?” she asked innocently. “Oh and a knife?”
“Ah, I’ll ask Miss.” He said swallowing heavily.
“Cause it’s my hobby you know,” she said grinning. “I love whittling wood. Especially into nice wooden stakes.” And with that he turned and left, quite quickly too.
Mm…now that he’s gone what am I going to wear to visit my anonymous captor, she thought to herself. I don’t want to look drab…but I don’t want him thinking that I want anything to do with him and I don’t want to look slutty. Her eyes lit up mischievously when they rested on the perfect outfit, sleek, sophisticated and slightly sexy.
****
“What is taking the girl?” the auburn haired vampire muttered from where he was seated at the table, swirling the blood-spiked wine in his glass. “How long does it take to get dressed and come down to eat?”
“Um…Sir?” a masculine voice asked quietly.
“What?” he growled, looking up to see an uncomfortable Henry standing beside him.
“Ah, the lady is here,” he murmured and stepped aside to present the blonde who was standing behind him.
“Sorry I’m late,” she breezed, a slight frost in her voice daring him to object or reject her apology.
“Ah, ma Cherie! At last we meet it’s a pleasure,” the vampire said a slight French accent flavouring his voice, and stood up from his seat and kissed her hand as he silently appraising her. The stories hadn’t done her justice. The petite blonde stared at him with cool green eyes, looking absolutely stunning in the Emerald green velvet gown that she was wearing. It showed all the curves in just the right way.
“I wish I could say the same, but then it isn’t a pleasure is it?” Buffy purred coolly, noticing the appreciative glances coming her way. “Sorry but small talk was never my good point, and we all know I’m known for more than my good looks,” She said pointedly.
“That you have. I trust you have been well looked after?” he soothed courteously, slightly disregarding her outburst.
“I suppose if you count being bashed by a tree branch and kidnapped, then stuck in a bedroom full of luxuries, in a house that is God only knows where and then having to come to dinner with a probable enemy. Then yes I’ve been very well looked after,” she hinted calmly, her tone slightly biting. Though her face and voice was fairly bland as she watched the auburn-haired, green-eyed vampire sitting in front of her.
He was tall, well muscled, and a real smooth talker. She could tell that already and he was a ladies man, no doubt believing he was God’s gift to women. “Oh and Henry refused to find some wood and a knife for me, I don’t know why…do you?” she added innocently.
****
I can’t stand it any longer; the Spike thought to himself wearily as he paced the hallway, it was hopeless and nothing was working. Buffy was definitely not in Sunnydale, but that’s all they knew. He couldn’t even find out anything from his usual sources, he was at a dead-end and he didn’t like it one bit.
The others were in another of their deep discussions, it had been a week and Buffy still wasn’t back. They’d used up resources and still couldn’t find anything, so they had called another meeting.
“So what can we do?” Joyce asked despondently from where she sat on the couch with Dawn.
“Well I’m not sure what else there is to do,” Giles sighed wearily as he rubbed his eyes. “She seems to have…well vanished and I don’t know what else we can do to find her.”
“I could…” Willow started hesitantly, tears glistening in her eyes.
“No I will not put you in danger like that,” Giles said vehemently at the thought of her doing witchcraft.
“I wouldn’t be in danger exactly,” she said softly from her spot on the floor in Oz’s arms.
“I said no!” He said loudly making the redhead flinch in her boyfriend’s protective embrace. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, “I’m sorry Willow.”
“It’s okay,” she said tremulously, snuggling further into Oz’s arms.
“I just can’t understand how this can happen. We haven’t been able to get any information from the texts,” he said tiredly.
“Or from any of my demon sources,” Anya added helpfully. “And your Council people haven’t been any help either!”
“I am quite well aware of that Anya,” he sniped as he anxiously cleaned his glasses, “Even Spike and Angel haven’t been able to find anything out successfully.”
“Isn’t there anything else we can do?” Joyce asked apprehensively, hugging Dawn to her. “I want to find my baby.”
“I don’t know what there is left to try…” he answered dejectedly. Only to be interrupted by Angel as he came in.
“I think I know who has her,” he said abruptly cutting into the conversation. “I was patrolling the warehouses near the wharf when I heard some vampires talking about how someone had managed to capture the Slayer. And that she was possibly going to be up for grabs.”
“Come on mate. Who is it?” Spike growled in impatience as he walked into the room after over hearing the last part of the conversation.
“I’m getting to that,” he said roughly, glaring at the blonde. “As I was saying, they said that some specially trained fighters had caught her and Nicholas might be selling her in the next couple of weeks.”
“Nicholas?” Spike snarled, horror flickering briefly on his face. “You don’t mean that Nicholas do you?”
“I’m afraid I do,” Angel said darkly then added with a smirk, “I did manage to… convince them that I was Angelus once more and they were only quite happy to supply me with the details they knew, unfortunately they didn’t know very many important details. Like where he was keeping her or any real time line.”
“What do you mean that Nicholas?” Willow asked worriedly looking from one vampire to the other. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“Nothing of real importance,” Angel informed with a shrug. “Only that he’s a Master Vampire, situated in France last time I knew and we made his acquaintance years ago and didn’t particularly like him.”
“Okay well let’s start searching again, he should be mentioned in the Watcher chronicles,” Giles said getting up from his seat to go get some books. “We need to find everything we know about this vampire and this sale of his.”
“I can search the internet,” Willow offered brightly. “You never know what kind of things people put on there.”
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