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Chapter 34
Buffy and Willow raced down the street, heading towards Main. They would begin their search from where Buffy found Angel’s car. Willow lagged behind slightly, not able to keep up with the Slayer but Buffy couldn’t bring herself to stop. It would mean being subject to Willow’s queries.
Her thoughts turned to what Giles had said as they left. Willow could handle herself. He’d seemed sure of her abilities but Buffy didn’t know what abilities he meant. The girl couldn’t fight, could she? Had Giles been giving her private lessons?
They emerged out of an alley to the spot where Buffy had first spotted the car. Together they searched the surrounding area, looking for any kind of clue, neither knowing exactly what they were looking for.
Anyone could have Angel, Xander too. No one had claimed responsibility, no one, human or demon, had spoken up. It was up to them to figure out who did it. Fear gnawed at Buffy’s stomach. Where were they? Was Xander okay? He couldn’t handle the things Angel could. Was he hurt? Still alive?
‘Buffy,’ Willow expelled a breath and Buffy braced herself. This was it. No more escaping. She was quiet for a while, gathering her thoughts and Buffy realized how hard it must be for her friend as well. ‘How…’ Willow spoke finally. ‘How did we not know about this?’
‘It was meant to be a secret… from everyone. I don’t even know how Giles found out. I told you all there were things in my past I was not proud of.’
‘Yeah, but Buffy we never knew, never even suspected this,’ Willow said loudly, a tinge of anger colouring her voice. ‘The picture…’
Buffy sighed and kicked at the pavement with the tip of her shoe. ‘The picture was taken a few weeks after I first started fighting. The night before I’d found a vampire nest. Merrick warned me not to go but I couldn’t not. The vamps had already taken some of the people I knew from school and when I heard a child had disappeared in that area, it was the last straw.
‘I spent days preparing, training, Merrick knew I was going into the nest, there was no way he could have stopped me so he helped me. He taught me everything he could, techniques to get out of a trap and such. The night I was to go in, another student was taken,’ Buffy stopped and glanced at her silent friend. Willow stood still, patiently listening to what Buffy was saying.
‘It was a friend of mine, Pike. He had done everything he possibly could have to help me once he found out I was a Slayer and now he was in trouble. I had to go for him. I broke into the building before sunset. I was too late. Pike was on the floor, the marks were fresh on his neck. I must have missed them by, like, a minute no more,’ Buffy hated the way her voice broke when she said that. The incident was still there in her mind, something she’d never forget. Pike had depended on her and she’d failed.
‘I tried to turn him over but,’ a tear ran down Buffy’s pale cheek. She closed her eyes against the horror of that night. ‘His arm got in my way. I-I moved it but something fell out of his hand. It was the cross I’d given him to protect himself. I felt so ashamed. I knew what horrors were out there, I knew he wasn’t like me yet all I gave him was a stake and a small cross to defend himself with. It was my fault he was gone.’
‘No, Buffy,’ Willow enveloped her in a hug. ‘It was not your fault. You can’t control what people do. He could have gotten something else. He had his own free will.’
‘No, that’s just it. He’d asked me to make him more stakes. He asked me if I could get him another cross and I brushed him off. He’d annoyed me that night and I didn’t deliver the message to Merrick,’ Buffy was lightly sobbing in her friends arms. After a moment she pulled back. That’s not even the worst of it. You only asked about the picture. That was me after I’d take the nest on alone. I won.’
‘Of course you did,’ Willow smiled, smoothing her friend’s hair from her face.
Buffy composed herself slowly. ‘I’ll tell the whole story later,’ she wiped the tears from her cheeks. ‘I don’t want to repeat myself. We’ll get Angel and Xander first.’
‘Okay,’ Willow nodded. Both girls returned to search for clues knowing the worst was yet to come.
************
Willy’s had turned up nothing. One demon claimed to have seen Angel pulled from his car but couldn’t remember any of the details, and that was with Buffy’s “help”. As they turned to leave, however, a short little fat demon approached them.
‘Excuse me. I heard you were looking for Angelus?’ it squeaked at them.
Buffy frowned. ‘Yeah, we are. What do you know of it?’
Willow sidled up behind Buffy, sticking close to her just in case. Buffy didn’t like the way some of the inhabitant were looking at the redhead.
‘I saw who took him,’ the demon said, bouncing slightly. ‘She took your friend too.’
Buffy took a menacing step towards it. ‘Tell me what you know.’
The demon described the woman who had kidnapped the two men. He also informed them that she was not alone. ‘She is definitely taking orders from someone,’ he squeaked with certainty.
‘Do you know where they are being held?’ Willow asked it quietly.
It shook its head and Buffy knew it had told them all it knew. ‘Thank you,’ she said briefly. She turned and walked out the door, leaving Willow to reward it for its services.
A gust of wind blew Buffy’s blonde hair from her tired face as she emerged and she glanced up in time to duck the large blade heading for her neck. She crouched quickly then lashed out with her leg, gymnast style, knocking her attacker to the ground.
Both sprang to their feet. Buffy faced a woman she’d never seen before. She was dressed in a wicked looking black Chinese style dress. Her long black hair fell down her back and Buffy wondered how she kept it so straight. This was the woman who had Angel and Xander, if that demon was telling the truth.
‘You are the Slayer,’ the female acknowledged with satisfaction. ‘I have been searching for you.’
‘I want my friends,’ Buffy said forcefully. ‘Where are they?’
‘They are safe, for now, little Slayer,’ she smiled, bowing her head slightly. ‘It will be an honor to be the instrument of your death. Go proudly to you grave knowing no one would appreciate this gift more.’
Buffy laughed. ‘Oh, please, instead of talking about killing me, how’s about actually trying... much more interesting that way.’ Buffy lashed out with her foot, aiming for the woman’s midsection but it was caught before it hit.
‘As you wish,’ she used Buffy’s foot to push the Slayer off balance, striking while she was distracted. Buffy narrowly missed a blow to the head.
Willow shouted to her in the background but Buffy was too busy to acknowledge her. From a brief look, she surmised the redhead was in no danger so she figured whatever it was it could wait.
Buffy grunted as her attacker kicked her in the stomach. She fought back but it was soon evident the other woman was winning. Willow tried to intervene but was thrown against the wall. Buffy gritted her teeth and fought the urge to run to her friend’s aid. If Buffy stopped fighting, they’d surely die.
The blade of the sword was all of a sudden pointing at Buffy’s throat once again. She’d lost. This woman was going to kill her. ‘It was a pleasure,’ the woman nodded. She lifted the sword and prepared to drive it through Buffy’s heart. Buffy glanced at a wide-eyed Willow then closed her eyes, not wanting the last thing she saw to be the sword jutting out of her chest or the woman’s satisfactory grin.
A flash of light blinded her, even behind her closed lids and the weight on top of her disappeared. Buffy opened her eyes and the woman was no where to be seen. Willow appeared at her side.
‘Buffy?’ she asked breathlessly. ‘Are you okay?’
‘What the hell was that?’ Buffy glared at her friend. Someone had been keeping secrets; two someone’s... not that Buffy wasn’t grateful to be alive; on the contrary, she was all Yay! life… It was that magic had never been her favorite thing.
Willow looked a little ashamed. ‘Giles has been giving me lesson for months now. I-I wanted to help. I knew I’d never get the fighting down pat so I mentioned magic.’
‘And Giles just agreed with it?’ Buffy asked incredulously.
‘He did,’ Willow nodded. ‘After he found me going through his books when he wasn’t looking. I think he figured it would be better if I was taught, not if I found out on my own. I could have blown stuff up.’
‘If you’d gotten the school, Xander would have been happy,’ Buffy remarked as she got to her feet. Her muscles were stiff and sore. The woman had given her quite a beating. ‘I’m gonna be feeling that tomorrow. What did you do to her?’
Willow grinned. ‘I’m not actually sure. I haven’t mastered the spell yet but I did a basic relocation spell. I don’t actually know where I sent her.’
Both girls turned at the sound of a car engine coming closer. A van turned into Main Street and headed in their direction. It slowed to a stop and Buffy smiled when she saw Oz at the wheel. ‘Oz. It’s been a while.’
‘Family reunion,’ he shrugged. ‘Willow.’
‘Hi, Oz,’ she blushed.
Buffy smiled. ‘Well, I’m gonna go. Oz, can you give Wills a ride home?’
‘Sure,’ he nodded. He reached over and opened the door for her.
‘What?’ Willow looked at her. ‘What about you?’
‘I haven’t finished searching,’ she said simply. At Willow’s stern look she relented. ‘I’ll go home soon, there’s just one more area I want to check. I won’t be long.’
Reassured, Willow climbed into the van. ‘I’ll be around first thing tomorrow and we’ll continue the search.’
‘We’ll find them,’ Buffy patted Willow’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to them.’
Willow nodded and shut the door. Buffy waved them off and as soon as they turned the corner, she collapsed into a jumbled heap on the pavement. That had been way close, too close. That bitch had almost killed her! If it hadn’t been for Willow’s... magic… her mind spat the word, I’d be six feet under or in six different pieces at least.
She stayed on the ground for a while, trying to control her thoughts and emotions. The overriding emotion was rage. Everything in Buffy screamed to find and kill the thing that had bested her… everything that wasn’t in Buffy screamed to find and kill the thing that had Angel and Xander. Since they were they same person, Buffy felt it was her lucky day, discounting the fact that the woman had whooped her ass.
She heaved herself off the cold sidewalk and brushed the dirt from her butt. This was not going to be easy. She’d have to be in top shape to beat this foe. Nothing less than her best would do. Not if she was to survive this encounter.
She glanced around warily, sensing something was watching her. It disappeared after a few moments and Buffy frowned. Was it the woman? Was she watching her, waiting for another chance to attack? Somehow, she didn’t think so.
She headed north, completing the search she told Willow she was going to do. When nothing turned up, she headed home. There was no point in her wearing herself out. The biggest battle was yet to come.
*************************
Buffy woke in the morning to the warm sun on her face and she smiled. She always felt refreshed in the mornings when she woke up. Then she moved. Her muscles protested and she felt the bruises on her midsection stretch. She rolled over slowly and felt the areas around the injuries. The skin and tissue felt tender to the touch. She hissed as she touch a particularly sore spot. The woman packed a mean punch. And kick.
Giles and Willow were in the kitchen when Buffy went in search of food. They sat at the counter, both deep in thought, frowning over their coffees.
‘Check out the she-Giles,’ Buffy said jokingly.
Both glanced up at her, only just noticing her presence. ‘Hmm?’ they said in unison. Willow was the first to notice. Horror dawned across her features. Giles merely shook his head.
‘How was the search last night?’ he asked his Slayer. Buffy figured he already had Willow’s account.
‘It was fruitless. No fruit for Buffy. We found no clue whatsoever but I almost got my head chopped off. That was fun,’ Buffy poured herself a cup of coffee, checking to make sure it was only coffee. The blood episode still had her creeped out. ‘Willow used her magic to save my ass when my assailant almost stabbed me. It was all good, Watcher-mine,’ she blew over the top of the cup then took a sip.
Giles placed his mug calmly on the table. ‘I didn’t tell you about Willow because I knew you would not like it. Your history-’
‘Is my own,’ Buffy countered. Willow didn’t know everything yet and she wasn’t going to. Buffy wanted them all here before she told her story. She owed it to them. ‘I should have been informed.’
‘Well, you weren’t. As it were, Willow’s magic using was a blessing last night,’ Giles argued. ‘You could have been killed Buffy. What were you thinking? The two of you should have escaped as soon as the chance presented itself.’
Buffy took offence to that. ‘You don’t think I tried? There was no chance, Giles. If she wasn’t kicking my ass, she was hurting Willow. Tell me, when should I have escaped?’
‘Be that as it may, you are the Slayer.’
‘Don’t you think I know that by now? After all these years, after all that I have seen and done, do you really think that fact is not drummed into my head so far I see it behind my eyelids every time I close my eyes? Take a look around Giles,’ Buffy said angrily. ‘If I hadn’t known that by now, getting my ass kicked last night while out searching for my missing friends would have done that just fine.’
Giles studied her quietly before nodding in agreement. Buffy sighed. ‘We’ll begin searching after we’ve eaten. We have to find them today. I don’t want them gone any longer.’
Willow and Giles both nodded. Willow got up to get another coffee while Buffy pulled out a cereal bowl. ‘Decaf,’ Buffy ordered without turning around. She didn’t need to look to know whether or not Willow took the other pot. Her growl was enough.
A loud crash came from the exterior of the mansion and Buffy almost dropped the bowl as the place shook. Glasses clinked against each other as they swayed in the cupboards.
The three occupants ran to the front of the building to see what was going on. A large rock sat on the lawn, obviously having been thrown against the wall. Buffy’s eyes widened at the size of it. There was no way she was picking that up. Angel’s place just acquired a new lawn ornament.
Beyond the rock twenty meters down the road stood the woman Buffy had fought the night before, sword strapped to her back, hands clasped in front of her. Behind her stood at least fifteen demons; all armed.
‘Buffy, I think it’s for you,’ Willow said uncertainly.
‘Is that the woman from last night?’ Giles studied her thoughtfully. ‘She looks familiar.’ He backed away from the door. ‘I know I’ve seen her somewhere…’ he trailed off as he went in search of information.
Buffy stared at the crowd in the driveway then turned to Willow. ‘How much more of the mojo you got up your sleeve?’ she asked the redhead.
‘As much as you need,’ Willow didn’t take her eyes off the assembly outside. ‘Why? What are you planning to do?”
‘It’s time to bring our boys home.’
How much do you love me? I updated again! Inspiration took hold. Yay me.
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Thanks to those who have been reviewing and keep patiently waiting for a new update. I love seeing the little number when it tells me i have new reviews. It makes my day.
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