Buffy's feet squished against the damp mud as she trotted down the dark tree lined path. Weaving her way through the low hanging pine tree branches, she carefully approached the edge of a steep slope. Beneath her lay a hillside cleared of vegetation. A cement canal ran out of the hillside from its base. Scanning the area, she spotted the utility road and the phone booth from which Jimmy had phoned her. She sucked in a breath as she realized it was empty.
Stake in hand, Buffy picked her way down towards the empty booth. A single lamp post provided the only light. Reaching inside the booth, Buffy lifted the receiver that dangled from its cord and replaced it on the hook, trying to keep her hand from trembling.
"Buffy?" Jimmy's voice floated from her left.
"Jimmy, are you okay?" Buffy asked, squinting out into the darkness. A chain link fence separated her from a small path and the storm drain on the other side. "Where are you?"
"Hiding in the canal," Jimmy replied in a hushed voice. "They came here looking for me."
"It's okay, I'm here now," Buffy said, concentrating her feelings on sensing the vampires. "We'd better go, they're really close."
"Could you help me out of here?" Jimmy asked in a quivering voice. "It's kind of deep, I dunno if I can climb out."
Buffy cleared the fence in a single jump. Tucking her stakes back into her sleeves, she leaned over the edge of the cement wall.
"Here, take my hand," she offered.
"Gladly," a deep growl replied. A clawed hand reached out of the darkness and yanked Buffy into the storm drain. The wind was knocked from her lungs as she landed on her back in a small puddle.
"Don't worry, little girl," Scar chuckled as he stepped forward. Through the stars bursting in her head, Buffy could see the rest of the gang detach themselves from the shadows of the canal wall. "We won't hurt you. Much."
Buffy caught a glimpse of Jimmy, hands in his pockets, walking away from her. Then a booted foot crashed into the side of her head and the world dissolved into blackness.
* * *
"So what do you need me to do?" Xander asked, rubbing his hands together.
"Hand me that volume across the table over there, please," Giles answered without looking up from the book he was reading.
"This one?" Xander asked and picked a tome up off the table. As he raised it, the book slipped out of his fingers and hit the floor with a jarring thud.
"Xander please, some of these books are over a hundred years old," Giles said and stood up.
"Sorry," Xander mumbled, reaching down to pick up the fallen book.
"Wait," Agent Mulder commanded, hurrying over to look at the book that lay open upon the floor.
"What?" Xander asked startled, freezing in mid-bend. Willow came over from the computer to get a better look at the book.
"A five pointed star," she said, sucking in a breath as she glanced at the open page. Agent Mulder gently lifted the book back to the table.
"What does it say?" he asked Giles. The librarian squinted through his glasses at the hieroglyphic looking markings on the page.
"It's part of a minor incantation," Giles replied after a while. "The five pointed star is actually quite common in spellcasting."
He flipped the pages of the book to show where similar markings had been placed.
"I have yet to find any reference to a spell that absorbs gold, however," Giles continued with a grimace. "Mostly, the symbol is used to increase the potential of specific spells by invoking the powers of hell."
The shrill ring of Mulder's cell phone interrupted Giles explanation. Mulder stepped away from the group and answered the phone.
"The Sunnydale First National! When?" Mulder asked, his entire body tensing. "Tell them we need the maps to the sewer system and all connecting tunnels. Scully, don't try to go down there without me. See you soon."
Mulder shoved the phone into back into his pocket and grabbed his trenchcoat off a nearby chair.
"The Sunnydale First National's been hit," he told them as he headed out the door. "Keep working on the meaning of the star while I'm gone."
Giles face paled suddenly.
"Six towns, six robberies, six nights," he said softly.
"Six, six, six," Xander repeated. "What does that mean?"
Willow simply stared at him.
"Oh, right," Xander said with a short laugh that died on his lips as he gazed at the five pointed star inscribed in the book.
"Of course, it all makes sense now!" Giles exclaimed. Seeing Xander and Willow's puzzled expressions, Giles ran to his office and grabbed a map.
"We live here, in Sunnydale, at the Hellmouth," he said quickly as he rolled out the map, "which as we all know acts like a supernatural magnet. Where are the bank's usually located in the surrounding towns?"
"On each town's main street," Xander said cautiously.
"Which is the center of each town," Willow's eyes opened wide as she caught on to Giles' idea.
"Precisely," Giles said, and proceeded to mark the location of the banks in red ink. He then began drawing solid lines between each bank.
"Connect the dots, my favorite scantron game," Xander nodded.
"A five pointed star," Willow said as Giles finished the diagram. "With Sunnydale at the center."
"But why?" Xander asked.
"Think of the Hellmouth as a giant antenna," Giles replied. "It channels all supernatural energy here to Sunnydale. The Brethren are adjusting the antenna, tuning in to an unholy frequency and increasing the energy through the use of the stars in order to --"
"To free their master Qulex," Xander finished for him. "That FBI guy mentioned something about the sewers, almost as if he thought the Brethren might be down there."
"Oh my God, Buffy," Willow exclaimed.
"Willow, I don't want to know how you do it, but we need the floor plans for the storm drain system right now," Giles said.
"I'm on it," Willow replied, running back to her computer.
"Xander, get all the holy water and crosses you can fit in your backpack together, along with some flashlights," Giles continued. Xander rushed off to the weapons cabinet without a word. Giles allowed himself a brief moment to take a breath.
"Please be okay, Buffy," we whispered aloud, then ran over to help Xander with the packing.
Scully and Mulder's footsteps echoed back to them out of the darkness as they proceeded down the dark corridor. The beams from their flashlights reached out like fingers to reveal dripping pipes and insulated electric lines.
"Do you think it's safe to split up from the rest of the officers like this Mulder?" Scully asked in a hushed voice. The old passageway had the same feeling as a vacant tomb.
"I don't like it either, Scully, but these passageway networks are huge," Mulder replied. "We'll never cover all of them in one night if we stick together."
"I don't understand how the robbers got into these tunnels. They were supposedly sealed off years before the bank was even built," Scully continued. A rat lunged into the path of her flashlight and paused to observe the two FBI agents. Scully kept her spotlight on the rat as it dashed for the wall.
"Looks like somebody's been doing a little redecorating," Mulder said as Scully's beam revealed a hole in the cement wall.
"This was done a long time ago, Mulder," Scully said, blowing away the dust from the broken rocks that lay strewn about the floor.
"What's over there?" Mulder asked. He shined his flashlight down the new tunnel. The beam disappeared into the darkness without striking an opposite wall.
"The map says it should be the storm sewer system," Scully replied.
"Does it lead to the outside?" he asked, stepping over the rubble and into the hole.
"In numerous places," Scully said and folded the map back up. "I'll call the sheriff and get him to block the exits."
Scully took out her cell phone and tried repeatedly to dial the number.
"No good," she said finally. "Something's interfering with the transmission. We might be too far underground already."
"Looks like we're the cavalry Scully," Mulder grinned as he helped Scully into the tunnel.
The new tunnel was wide enough for them to walk side by side. Splashes from their occasionally stepping through small puddles of stagnant water were the only sounds to break the silence. Scully suddenly stopped short.
"What's wrong?" Mulder asked.
"I thought I heard --" Scully began. There was a guttural growl and a blur of movement. Scully's flashlight was knocked to the floor, plunging the tunnel into near total darkness. Something crashed into Mulder's shoulder, knocking him forward. Somehow managing to hold on to his own flashlight, Mulder spun around.
"Mulder, help me!" Scully's cry pierced the darkness. Mulder swung his flashlight in the direction of the voice and drew his 9 mm pistol with his free hand. Scully and another person struggled on the floor of the tunnel. Mulder aimed his weapon at the thrashing bodies.
"FBI! Get off her now!" he yelled, rushing towards them. The assailant grabbed Scully's neck. There was a strange sound like hissing bacon, then the man yelped and jumped away from her. Clutching his hand, he swung around to face Mulder.
Mulder gasped at the twisted face that suddenly charged at him. The muzzle flash from Mulder's gun momentarily split the darkness of the tunnel. Instinctively he fired off two quick rounds before the attacker bowled over him. Mulder fell against the wall of the tunnel, pain lancing through his back. He heard footsteps fall away in the distance.
"Scully, you okay?" Mulder rubbed his arm and retrieved his flashlight and gun from where he had dropped them.
"I'm fine Mulder," Scully replied, picking herself off the ground.
"What the hell was that thing?" Mulder winced as he felt his ribs.
"Mulder, take a look at this." Scully held up the gold cross that she always wore around her neck. It steamed and glittered in the light of her flashlight. Mulder stroked the cross with his forefinger. It was warm to the touch. He exchanged a quick glance with Scully.
"I wonder where our friend disappeared to," Mulder said, flashing a light down the now empty tunnel.
"He shouldn't be too hard to find," Scully replied. She shined her flashlight down on the floor. Thick red drops of blood formed a trail that let off into the darkness.
* * *
Xander, Willow, and Giles marched their way through the maze of the storm sewer tunnels. Occasional rays from streetlights high above poked their way through sewer grates to illuminate small patches of the floor.
"Here's a thought," Xander said. "What if we actually find the vampires? I mean, Buffy's AWOL and there are like four of them."
"Well, how does Buffy put it," Giles began, wiping a bead of sweat from his temple. "Ah yes, 'A little sunlight, a stake through the heart -- it's just like falling off a log.' Quite."
"Oh, now I feel so much better," Xander said flatly. He gripped the wooden cross in his left hand a little tighter. "Hey Wil, shine your flashlight over that way."
"Another cross tunnel," Willow said. "At this rate we're never going to find Buffy." The knuckles that gripped the flashlight had turned an ashen white.
"Wait, what's that light," Giles said, taking a few careful steps down the tunnel. He hoisted a bo stick as he peered into the darkness. The modified sharpened end of the pole wavered in air in front of him. Willow and Xander followed close behind the librarian as he walked down the tunnel.
"Call it a hunch, but I think we're on the right path," Xander said in a subdued voice. Hundreds of black candles lined the pipes of the sewerway at the next intersection, causing shadows to flee up and down the walls. Willow clicked off her flashlight.
"All right, everyone keep together," Giles said, taking in a deep breath. The three warily eased their way down the tunnel, scanning the path for any signs of danger.
* * *
The pounding in her head forced Buffy to open her eyes. Lying on her back, she gazed up at a vaulted stone ceiling. With a grimace she glanced around the room. Candlelight reflections danced off a silver wrought mirror far to her right side. It rested on a stone table, decorated with black roses and a human skull. A pile of gold bars were neatly stacked next to the table, glowing dully in the flickering light.
Buffy tried to sit up and heard a clinking noise. She found her arms manacled with heavy chains to the stone slab she was lying upon.
"Ah, you're awake at last. I love to hear my victims scream before they die, you know."
Buffy turned her head to look at the man who had spoken. A chill ran down her spine as she stared at a hawk nosed man with spiked blonde hair.
"I see you recognize me. We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Jonothan Richardson." The man wiped a hand over his hair, revealing a sharp widow's peak.
"What do you want with me?" Buffy asked, testing how far she could move. The chains allowed her to move her arms no more than a few inches in any direction. Glancing down, she realized her legs were not bound.
"Oh, it's not what I want," Jonothan smile, motioning towards the mirror on the altar. "It's what he wants that matters."
Buffy looked closely at the mirror and barely contained a gasp. Two glowing red eyes looked hungrily back at her.
"You've done very well, Jimmy," Jonothan continued, drawing out a long thin needle from his sleeve. "The Brethren are pleased."
Buffy looked to her left and saw Jimmy, once again wearing his leather jacket and torn jeans.
"What are you going to do with her?" Jimmy asked, not meeting Buffy's cold stare.
"As the Slayer, she contains enormous power. We will sacrifice her to our lord and gather enough mystical energy to open the mirror and free our master," Jonothan said, stroking the needle as he spoke. "Bring in the rest of them!" he suddenly commanded.
Two of the vampires entered the chamber from a dark tunnel, tugging a rope. Five disheveled teenage girls stumbled into the room behind them, their hands tied behind their backs and a connecting rope looped about each of their necks. Their eyes darted back and forth around the room in terror. Buffy instantly recognized the last one as Kathy Dunlapp.
"You said no one would be seriously hurt!" Jimmy said, taking a step towards Jonothan. He pointed at Buffy. "She was supposed to be mine!"
"Jimmy, you know as well as I do that for our world to be perfect a few sacrifices have to be made," Jonothan cooed. "I sacrificed my body to be Qulex's avatar. These," he gestured vaguely at the girls, "will prove our worthiness to our Master when he awakens. He will feast on the gold and blood that we have brought him and then we shall make the world right."
"Jimmy, don't do this," Buffy said. "You wanted to end the abuse of power in the world, remember?"
"You would be wise to hold your tongue, girl," Jonothan hissed, stepping closer to her, "lest I forget your usefulness to our plans."
"He's lied to you once, Jimmy, he'll do it again?" Buffy continued. Jimmy looked between her and the advancing Jonothan. "It's not too late, you can stop all this--" Jonothan's knuckles slapped across her face, snapping her head sideways.
"Do you see this needle?" Jonothan whispered in her ear and held the glittering metal sliver before her. "When I insert this into your neck, it will drain the blood and organs from your body and infuse me with your life energy. Of course, that will be terribly painful. As Qulex's avatar, I will transfer your power directly to my Master, thus sealing the fate of the world. Goodbye Slayer." Jonothan raised the needle above her throat.
Another of the gang suddenly burst into the chamber from a square corridor to Buffy's left. Buffy realized that the large chamber had multiple tunnels leading into it. The skinny vampire scratched furiously at his chest. There was a ringing noise as two bullets popped from his body and fell to the floor.
"Jonothan, two humans armed with pistols are on their way," the vampire spat.
"And you didn't stop them?" Jonothan asked, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"They had crosses, Jonothan, there was nothing I could do," the vampire whined, hanging his head in shame.
Momentarily forgetting Buffy, Jonothan strolled around the stone slab and walked up to the slim vampire.
"There, there, I understand," Jonothan sighed. "You failed."
Jonothan's free hand snapped forward straight into the vampire's chest. There was a crunching noise as his fingers protruded out the back of the vampire. Blood spilled onto the ground from the convulsing vampire's form. The bound girls screamed at the sight, and even the two vampire guards looked a little ill. Jonothan whipped his arm back from the body, letting it fall to the floor and collapse into dust.
"Now, where was I?" Jonothan asked with a pleasant smile.
"Now where was I?" Jonothan smiled. "Ah, yes, about to rid the world of one Slayer."
"Not if we have anything to say about it," a voice called from a candle lit corridor. Giles, Xander, and Willow stepped into the room.
"Don't just stand there," Jonothan yelled at the two vampires guarding the kidnapped girls. "Get them!"
The vampires snarled and ran at the three. Willow and Xander raised their hands at the same time to reveal wooden crosses. Both vampires reeled backward as if striking a physical barrier. Giles gripped his wooden spear tightly in both hands and advanced upon the vampires.
A dark shadow appeared in hallway behind Willow and Xander. With a feral growl the shadow plunged into the room, knocking both of the teenagers to the ground at Giles’ feet. Giles turned in time to catch a punch squarely on his jaw.
"Looks like we're having guests for dinner tonight boys," Scar chuckled as he lifted Xander off the floor by his head with one hand.
"You have to do something Jimmy," Buffy whispered to the boy as the vampires laughed together. "Jonothan's used you to get to me. You're not somebody special to him, just his toy. Is this the world you want to create? Where innocents die and the elite abuse their power? How is that different from the way things are now?"
"And now," Scar announced loudly, "it's time for a bite to eat." Twisting Xander's neck slightly he bared his yellow fangs. Two hands hammered down on the back of his neck, forcing him to drop Xander and fall to the floor.
"We know you can play dead," Angel said, wiping his hands together. "Now let's see you roll over." Angel buried a kick into Scar's midsection, sending the burly vampire tumbling across the room. The two vampire guards lunged at the same time, one wrestling with Angel, another diving at Willow as she tried to regain her footing.
As the vampire tackled her, Willow kept her wits about her long enough to force the cross she held in her hand over her shoulder. There was a searing hiss and a sound like paper burning, followed by a high pitched wail. Willow turned to see the vampire that had jumped her claw at the blackened cross that was burned into his face. Seeing her opening, she raced past the distracted vampire to the tied up girls.
"Can't you idiots do anything right!" Jonothan fumed.
Buffy heard a soft click and felt a light touch on her arm. She looked down in amazement to see Jimmy unlock her manacled hands.
"I grabbed it when he wasn't looking," Jimmy whispered with a gesture at the silver key.
"Oh Jon-boy?" Buffy called in a lilting voice. Jonothan whirled around and caught Buffy's kick straight into his ribs. He staggered away from her, retreating around the stone slab towards the altar.
"You disappoint me, Jimmy," Jonothan said and gave him a pitying look. "You could have had everything. But I will deal with you later." He turned to Buffy. "It has been many years since I've had the pleasure of dismembering someone with my bare hands."
"Take your best shot," Buffy smiled and crouched into a fighting stance, slowly circling around him.
Angel was slammed to the ground as both Scar and a stocky vampire crashed into him simultaneously. The shorter vampire held Angel down while Scar prepared to deliver a death strike through his heart. Scar's accomplice suddenly grabbed at his chest where the point of a spear poked through. He gave a short gurgle before exploding into dust. With no hesitation, Giles thrust his spear at Scar, only to have the vampire grab the wooden pole with both hands. Scar yanked the spear and Giles forward, then reversed the momentum so that the butt of the pole knocked the wind from the librarian's body. Giles clutched his stomach and crumpled to the cement floor.
Xander, meanwhile, backed up against a wall and rummaged desperately through his backpack. Willow gave a scream from across the room. The vampire she had marked with the cross grabbed her by her wrist and dragged her away from the captive girls she was trying to free. In a chorus of screams, the girls tried to back away from the enraged vampire.
"Willow, shield your eyes," Xander yelled, finding what he was looking for. He sidearmed a vial of holy water at Willow's attacker. The vial struck true showering both the vampire and Willow with the wet droplets and glass shards. The vampire let go of Willow with a scream as smoke erupted from its body. Desperately pulling at the clothing that was now soaked with the holy liquid, the vampire fled down the nearest tunnel.
Angel dodged away from Scar's vicious swipes with the spear. Scar appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the deadly game. Scar suddenly ducked as a vial of holy water spun over his head and crashed against the wall behind him. Angel rushed in and delivered a knee to the vampire's head. The spear clattered away from the pair as Scar fell to the floor.
Buffy was dimly aware of Willow and Jimmy untying the kidnapped girls somewhere to her left.. She delivered a flurry of punches to Jonothan's face, finishing up with a side kick to the chest. Jonothan slid backwards a few feet from her onslaught, then came to a stop still standing. He smiled at her without so much as a wince.
"Nice try," Jonothan consoled her, "but I've already absorbed the lives of five security guards. That makes me more than a match for you."
Jonothan's uppercut rocked Buffy's head backward before she had a chance to move. She landed on the floor dazed, the bitter taste of blood filling her mouth.
Jonothan was on her in a second. Pinning one of her arms to the floor with his knee, he stabbed the ceremonial needle at her neck. She caught his arm with her free hand a moment before the needle pierced her skin.
"Stubborn to the end," Jonothan said with a wicked smirk. "I admire that. But I can use both hands while you can't." He slowly brought his opposite hand into view.
"FBI, drop your weapon!" Scully yelled as she stepped into the room and trained her pistol on Qulex. Jonothan opened his mouth and roared. The air in the room wavered before Buffy's eyes as a concussive shockwave flashed across the chamber and slammed Scully backwards into a wall.
"Scully!" Mulder shouted. He rolled his shoulder around the corner of the corridor and fired his weapon. Jonothan's shoulder jerked backwards as the bullet tore through him.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Buffy twisted Jonothan's arm away from her and shoved the needle upwards. It imbedded itself deep in the man's neck.
The room was plunged into darkness as a sudden wind extinguished all the candles. The winds howled with hurricane force, sending candles and debris spinning around the chamber. Mulder dropped down and covered Scully's unconscious form with his own body.
The darkness was split by a flash of light. A purple glow emanated from the mirror on the altar. Buffy opened her eyes and watched in awe as Jonothan staggered to his feet. Pulling with both hands, he slowly drew the sacrificial needle from his flesh.
Bolts of purple lightening lashed out from the mirror and wrapped around Jonothan's body. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he let out an anguished scream. The blood from his wounds congealed in the air and was dragged back towards the mirror in a seemingly unending stream. The surface of the mirror rippled as the blood passed through into the dimension beyond.
The strange colored bolts of light winked out as the last drops of blood drifted away. Jonothan's pale husk fell to the floor noiselessly. Buffy looked into the mirror and swallowed hard. Two crimson eyes glared back at her maliciously. Buffy held her breath as the mirror glowed brightly for one more moment, then exploded into a shower of silver dust that coated the room. Just as suddenly as they had come, the winds died, dropping candles and debri on the room's occupants. Darkness enveloped everything once again.
A single flashlight beam lanced through the room.
"Buffy?"
"I'm okay Giles, how about you?" Buffy replied.
"I've had better days." Giles cracked a smile as Buffy came into the light.
Buffy heard soft cries coming from across the room. A shaking but gentle voice was reassuring someone that everything was going to be okay and not to worry.
"Willow?" Buffy called hesitantly.
"We're all okay over here," Willow replied, switching her flashlight on and revealing the now untied captives. "Xander?"
"Me and Dark Knight over here are okay," Xander said as he and Angel entered the room.
Angel, his face human looking once again, handed Giles back his sharpened wooden pole.
"You have one impeccable sense of timing," Giles said, turning the pole over in his hand. "Things might have gone very differently tonight were it not for your intervention."
"I've been following the Annointed One from town to town for two weeks. I dropped by the library today and found the maps to the sewers still out on the table," Angel shrugged. "I took a wild guess and figured something might be going on down here."
"My partner needs medical attention." Mulder yelled as he stumbled into the light of the flashlights, carrying Scully's limp form in his arms. "Mr. Giles? What are you -- never mind. What's the quickest way to the surface?"
"I'll show you," Xander offered. "Follow me."
"No we have to stick together," Giles said quickly. "There's no telling what is waiting for us out there in the darkness."
"Wait, where's Jimmy," Buffy said suddenly, looking around the room. She was about to head off into the darkness when Angel laid a hand on her shoulder.
"He's gone. I caught a glimpse of him running down one of the tunnels when you killed Jonothan. Two of the gang got away as well."
"I don't understand, why would Jimmy run?" Buffy asked.
"Buffy, we have to go now," Giles whispered to her softly. "The lives of others are at stake," he continued with a pointed glance at the weeping girls and Agent Scully.
Buffy cast a despairing glance into the dark heart of the room, then nodded once. Xander plunged into the tunnel with Mulder close behind. Willow herded the teenage girls after them with the help of Giles. Buffy lingered a moment, glancing around and looking almost lost.
"I'll help you look for him once the others are safe," Angel said softly behind her. Buffy turned and took his hand in hers, squeezing it in a silent thank you. Together they left the silver dusted room and were swallowed by the darkness.
* * *
"And you didn't see anything after you shot Jonothan?" Scully asked weakly and sank back into her pillow. Mulder pulled a chair up beside her hospital bed.
"The lights went out and then it was like a tornado struck," he replied. "By the time I looked up again Richardson was dead, the strange altar had shattered, and the school librarian was standing there with a bunch of students."
"What?" Scully asked wide eyed.
"The students all claim to have been prisoners of the Brethren. One of them apparently escaped and brought Mr. Giles back for help."
"A librarian is not exactly my first choice for help when I'm being held by a human sacrificing cult. What about the gold?"
"It was all there, along with the missing teenagers," Mulder said. "I combed the whole sewer system with the sheriff, but we weren't able to locate any of Jonothan's accomplices. According to the abducted girls, there were four of them, but apparently they all wore some kind of hideous masks so we have no descriptions on any of them."
There was a faint knock at the door.
"Come in," Scully called.
Buffy entered the room carrying an armful of vibrant flowers. The yellow, red, and orange petals blended into a bright rainbow.
"I hope you're feeling better, she said as she closed the door behind her.
"The doctor says it's only a mild concussion, thought I'm still not sure what hit me," Scully nodded.
"I just wanted to say thank you," Buffy said as she laid the flowers at the foot of the bed. "To both of you, for risking your lives to save me."
"It's our job," Scully said, a smile lighting up her face, "but it is nice to be appreciated for it every once in while."
Buffy gave a weak smile in return, but quickly turned away from the FBI agents.
"Get well soon," she said and turned to go.
"Listen Scully, I've been doing some research on the history of this town," Mulder said as Buffy opened the door. "You wouldn't believe how much of town lore is connected to vampires."
Buffy froze in the doorway, halfway in and out of the room.
"Don't even think about it Mulder," Scully warned him. "Skinner's probably got three cases waiting for us in Washington right now. As soon as this headache is gone, we're getting on a plane and heading home. We'll leave this case to the proper California FBI agents."
Buffy gave a thankful sigh and closed the door behind her. Giles was waiting for her in the hallway. They walked silently for a minute down the white washed corridor.
"He almost had me, Giles," Buffy said finally. "Qulex used Jimmy to get to me, knowing I'd try to save him from himself. Because I cared, someone else almost died."
With a shudder, Buffy glanced over her shoulder back towards Scully's room.
"Buffy, if you hadn't cared, Jimmy would not have rethought his actions and Qulex might very well be ruling over this world right now," Giles said, stopping to face her. "By the way, did you and Angel find him?"
"We searched all night, but there was no trace of either him or Scar," Buffy replied. "I feel like it's all my fault."
"The boy has his own demons to face," Giles said. Catching Buffy's sour look, he quickly amended, "Sorry, bad choice of words. But he did almost bring about the end of the world. That's awfully tough to live with."
"I don't know," Buffy sighed. "Maybe I just should have knocked him out that first night at the Bronze like I do all the other bad guys. At least we'd know where he was."
"Buffy, listen to me," Giles said. "When we care about others, we always run the risk of being hurt. The vampires don't care who they hurt. You've seen their vision of the world. Is that a place you would like to live?"
Buffy shook her head in reply.
"Caring is what separates us from the demons," Giles said gently. "It is also what makes you such an excellent Slayer. You fight so others may live their lives the way they choose."
A ghost of a smile crossed Buffy's face.
"It's my job," Buffy said with a quivering laugh, "but it is nice to be appreciated from time to time. Thanks Giles."
"For what?" Giles beamed at her.
"For caring," Buffy smiled back.
* * *
Gravel bounced and skittered down the winding tunnel as Jimmy descended deeper into the caverns. Eventually the passageway opened up into a large chamber with smooth rock walls. Candles were scattered about the room, revealing the stalagmites that hung as stone icicles from the ceiling. Jimmy crossed to the center of the quiet chamber and gazed down at a circular depression in the floor.
"At one time, my mentor bathed there in the blood of innocents," a voice called from the shadows of the far side of the room.
Jimmy dropped to one knee and placed a closed fist over his heart.
"He who would usurp your proper place as ruler of this world is no more," Jimmy said, staring at the hole in the stone ground.
"And the Slayer?"
"She trusts me implicitly. No doubt she runs herself ragged searching for me like a worried mother hen even as we speak."
"Excellent," the Annointed One smirked as he stepped into the light. The child glanced down at Jimmy with amusement. "You have done well. I had no idea humans could make such excellent servants. Are you sure you don't want the gift of demonic immortality?"
"The fee we agreed upon earlier is more than enough," Jimmy replied.
"My minions will bring you your reward after dark tonight," the Anointed One shrugged.
"Thank you, my Master," Jimmy smiled and bowed low to the ground.
"Master...." A faint smile crossed the Anointed One's lips as he tasted the word. "I like that. I like it a lot."
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