“Shouldn’t this one be helping us?” Lucas said as he shoved Spike to the ground and shackled him to the wall.
“No,” Bartholomew answered, doing the same to Giles. “He’s got a soul now.”
“Another vampire with a soul? How many of them are there?”
“Only two,” came the French voice behind them. With his usual panache, Armand du Plessis walked into the room. His black, wool overcoat flowed behind him like a cape. He frowned slightly, seeing that his blindfolded audience was unable to experience the effect.
“You may remove the blindfolds,” du Plessis said in an annoyed tone. “And wait outside.”
Lucas pulled the blindfolds off and dropped them on the ground. He looked up at du Plessis, annoyed at being subservient to this French dandy. But he nodded his assent and left, followed by Bartholomew.
“Mr. Giles,” du Plessis said with a smile. “And Mister . . . the Bloody, I suppose.”
“No need for formalities, Frenchie,” Spike said. “You can just call me the guy who’s going to kill you.”
“What an excellent segue,” Armand said with a slight smile. He kneeled near Giles. “It doesn’t have to be like this. I can’t contact the senior partners. You know this. There’s no reason we can’t work together.”
“Of course not,” Giles said. “Other than you being evil, of course.”
“At this point, I’m neither god nor evil. Merely a man with resources. Those resources could be yours.”
“No good, mate,” Spike said. “Angel already made that devil’s bargain and found it not worth the price.”
“I wasn’t speaking to you,” du Plessis said, still looking at Giles. “So, Mr. Giles, do we have a deal?”
“If you wanted a deal,” Giles said angrily. “Perhaps you should have offered to meet for tea instead of kidnapping me.”
“You English and your tea,” Armand scoffed. “As a small child in a village in Poitou, the larger boys would often beat me.”
“I’m getting teary eyed already,” Spike mocked.
“Silence!” Armand yelled, throwing out his hand. Spike flew from the ground up against the spiked ceiling. He flopped back to the ground, now with a large wound in his stomach.
“As I was saying,” du Plessis continued. “The older boys would beat me. They’d mock me and take my money or my shoes. They’d force me to agree to perform humiliating acts in public. But I studied and learned. I grew powerful in the dark arts. And then I had another conversation with my tormentors. You wouldn’t believe how they begged and cried and promised me anything I wanted. Perhaps it is a result of my childhood insecurity that as an adult, I am adamant that I only deal from a position of power. Or perhaps, it’s merely that you’ve killed enough of my colleagues, that I don’t trust you enough to pre-arrange a meeting.”
“Perhaps your colleagues shouldn’t have been evil,” Giles said, glaring at du Plessis forcefully.
“Then I settle for information on where your next attack will fall,” du Plessis said.
“What?” Giles said. “What attack?”
“If that’s how you want to play it.” Armand stood and walked to the door. “Lucas. Bartholomew. They’re all yours.”
Lucas entered the room with his game face on, as did the other vampire, Bartholmew.
“If you won’t tell me as a human,” Armand said, grinning maliciously. “Perhaps you will when you’re a vampire.”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about!” Giles yelled, more angry than afraid.
“I could take your word for it,” Armand smiled. He looked at his watch. “But why should I when in a few hours, I’ll know for sure.”
Lucas grabbed Giles and flipped him over. He lowered his face and bit into Giles’ neck.
“Turn Giles and they’ll never let up,” Spike yelled. “Buffy and the other slayers love him like a father. They’ll gather every resource. Deploy every weapon they have. If you think the attacks you’ve suffered so far were bad, wait until you see what happens if you turn Giles.”
Giles looked at Spike. “What are you talking about? What attacks?”
“If we turn Giles,” Armand said, “We’ll have all the plans. We’ll be prepared.”
“Giles doesn’t know the plans,” Spike shouted back. “You’ll get nothing. Besides, the terror Buffy will rain down on you. Nothing could prepare you for that.”
Armand held up his hand, telling Lucas to back off.
“Oh, thank god,” Lucas said. “I’m so glad I didn’t have to eat him. This guy tasted awful.”
“I do not!” Giles yelled. “Oh, well, never mind I suppose.”
Armand signaled Bartholomew to pick up Spike and take him out. He turned and walked out behind the three vampires, leaving Giles alone.
Giles sighed. He supposed he should be happy just to be alive. But how could Faith and Spike keep him out of the loop like this? How many more slayers were in on these attacks that had apparently crippled Wolfram & Hart so badly? And why weren’t they telling him?
**
“This is stupid,” Connor said as they walked through the dock yard.
Dawn and Gretchen sighed, knowing this was going somewhere unpleasant. Dawn wished Xander or Lorne had come along. They seemed to be able to mediate between the two hotheads, Faith and Connor. Instead, they were back at the hotel researching.
Faith clenched her fist and fought the urge to punch him. “Seeing that we’re rescuing the guy that told me to treat you nice, even when you were being a brat, I think you should be a little more enthusiastic.”
“I want to rescue him, but the plan is stupid.”
Faith turned and squared her body to Connor’s confrontationally. “What’s stupid? Giles has a tracker on the phone. We follow the tracker. We find Giles.”
“You think they’d let Giles keep his phone?” Connor said.
“No. But the guys who took it will have it. We find them. Then we beat them until they tell us where Giles and Spike are.”
“I don’t smell him here.”
“We don’t know that this is the path they took. We just know where the signal is.”
“We’re probably at the docks because the phone is in the ocean. We’re talking about Wolfram & Hart. They’re too smart not to check for-”
Faith quickly punched Connor. He stumbled back a step, more from surprise than the impact. He stared at Faith in shock, as if surprised she hit him.
“You’re objection is noted,” she said, glaring at Connor. “Now shut up and follow my orders. Understood?”
“Yikes,” Connor said, still shocked from having been hit.
“What are you, slow or something? Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” Connor said bitterly, pushing past Faith.
Faith grabbed his upper arm and shoved him back. “I lead.”
“Okay, Faith, clam down,” Dawn said calmly.
“Who’s in charge here?” Faith barked.
“I am,” Dawn yelled back. “I’m the watcher. I’m in charge.”
Faith raised her eye brows. She was annoyed when Connor questioned her authority. Seeing Dawn do it somehow made her proud.
“Alright,” Faith said. “Chill.”
“Connor,” Dawn said. “Faith has point. You follow her lead. And if you didn’t like the plan, you should have come up with your own.”
“Find a snitch and beat him ‘til he talks.”
“This kid always wants to hit something,” Gretchen mumbled.
“I heard that,” Connor said angrily. “Why’s everyone picking on me?”
“No one’s picking on you,” Dawn said. “We’re disagreeing with you. People do that sometimes and you need to get used to it.”
Connor lowered his arms to his side, then folded them, then lowered them to his side again. He felt uncomfortable and fidgety. He felt naked. Exposed. “Yeah,” he said sullenly. “Okay.”
“We don’t know of any snitches with info on du Plessis,” Dawn explained. “And we don’t talk strategy when we’re already out in the field. Follow Faith.”
Connor nodded. “Okay.”
***
“O negative,” du Plessis said, as the valet handed Spike the glass of blood.
“Wow,” Spike said as he sat in the comfortable leather chair by the fire. “Rare stuff. But I don’t drink human anymore.”
“Would it help if I said we got it from a blood bank?” du Plessis asked.
“Did you?” Spike asked.
“No. But would it help if I said we did?”
Spike laughed and took a sip. “Guess I can make an exception.” He set the glass down, not wanting to indulge a habit that had been difficult to break. “So, in there, I was telling the truth originally. Don’t know what attacks you’re talking about.”
Armand’s features grew dark and angry.
“But if someone’s trying to take you out, killing the watcher isn’t the way to go. Do that and Buffy and hers really will come down you like God on the Sodomites.”
“Biblical reference,” du Plessis smiled. “Nice.”
“Thought you’d like that.”
Armand continued nodding. “I expected your lack of cooperation. But I suppose you’re right about the watcher. Killing him would only inflame your slayers’ anger and push them to greater acts of hostility. Luckily, Plan B arrived just in time.”
“Plan B? And what might that be?”
“Who. The question is who might that be. She’s only just arrived.”
Spike frowned and looked down. He felt a fool for not noticing that familiar feeling earlier. “How long has she been here?”
“Long enough to find out what we need to know.”
****
“Keep close and stay frosty,” Faith said as she descended the stairs. “Eye-“
“Eyes on the periph,” Connor said mockingly. “You say the same thing every time.”
“Connor,” Dawn said in a cautioning voice.
“We need to stay quiet,” Faith said. “Don’t want them to-”
“Crap,” Gretchen screamed as her foot missed the stair. She fell into Connor knocking him into Faith. Like dominos, all three fell, rolling down the remainder of the stairs in a tangled mess.
Dawn ran down after them, but as soon as the hit the floor, a large metal gate dropped, cutting her off from the others. Dawn moved her hand to magic the gate up. As she did, a powerful force threw her up into the air. She landed with a crash and screamed.
Gears started moving and the room began filling with water.
Connor picked a cell phone up off a crate. “Phone,” he said belligerently to Faith. “No Giles. I told you this was a trap.”
“Yeah,” Faith said. “You’re very smart. Now shut the hell up and think of a way out of here.”
Gretchen moved forward. “I could melt the bars,” she said.
“Did you see what happened to Dawn?” Faith called. “There’s some kind of shield.”
“Maybe it’s just from the outside.” Gretchen moved her hand and immediately screamed in pain as her clothes went up in flames. Faith pushed Gretchen to the floor.
Gretchen ducked into the water and extinguished the flames. She moaned slightly. The burns were mostly only first degree, but they hurt like hell.
The room was filling quickly. It was already up to their knees.
“Dawn, get out of here,” Faith said.
Dawn stared through the gate and gave a smile. “No. I got it. Gretchen, can you do a spell to make the gate fly right through the three of you?”
“What?!” Connor and Faith yelled simultaneously.
Gretchen shook her head. “I don’t know.” She was weak from being a human torch a moment ago.
“Just try!” Dawn yelled.
“Are you crazy?” Faith yelled.
Gretchen raised her hand and began chanting. Suddenly, she was sucked through the gate.
“Crap!” Dawn yelled. “It only works on the one doing the casting.”
“What?” asked Faith. “What worked?” The water was up to their waist and they were running out of time.
“Reversal spell,” Dawn said. “It bounces any spell back on the caster.”
Faith nodded, but she wasn’t really listening. “Connor. Reach down there and grab the bottom bar.”
Connor moved forward and grabbed the bar. Faith did the same. “Little help, ladies?” Faith said.
“Emphasis on the ‘little’,” Dawn said as she and Gretchen grabbed the bars
“One,” Faith said. “Two. Three.”
All four pulled the grate. They were grunting and groaning, but getting nowhere.
“Wait,” Gretchen said. “We can still do spells on ourselves.”
“Strength spell,” Dawn smiled. “Best I can do is about a minute.”
“That’s about all the time we have, too,” Faith said.
Dawn and Gretchen cast the spells and quickly grabbed the grate. All four pulled up hard and managed to wrench it a foot from the ground. They tried for one more pull, but Gretchen collapsed. Dawn, feeling woozy, backed away in a daze.
“Sorry, Faith,” Dawn said as she closed her eyes and fell backward.
“You and me kid,” Faith said.
Connor and Faith pushed the gate up one more time and wrenched it up a bit more.
Connor looked down. “Never been so happy to be so skinny.”
“And I’ve never been so pissed to have such big breasts,” Faith groaned. She dove into the water and tried to pull through the opening. It was tough. She was making progress, inch by inch. But she could feel herself running out of air.
She felt the steady pressure of Connor’s hand on her butt and grimaced. She knew she was irresistible, but the kid was picking a hell of time to cop a feel. Connor pushed hard and Faith finally pushed through the grate. A moment later, she and Connor were carrying Gretchen and Dawn up the stairs and out of the warehouse.
“Does she need mouth to mouth?” Connor asked desperately.
Dawn’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Connor. “Much as I might like it, I think waking up in your arms is enough of a thrill for one day.”
“What?” Connor said.
“You can put her down, stud,” Faith said. “And speaking of cheap thrills, what was with grabbing my ass back there?”
“What?!” Connor said, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.
Despite a pang of jealousy, Dawn said, “She’s teasing you, Connor.”
Dawn tried to walk on her own, but stumbled and began to fall again. Connor grabbed her and kept her up.
“Wow,” she said as Connor pulled her to him. “You really are my knight in shining armor.”
Connor looked confused again. “Why shining armor? It would reflect light and be easier to see. Black armor would be better. Stealthier.” Faith was staring at him with her mouth open. “What?” he said angrily. He hated when people treated him like this.
Faith shook her head. “You’ve got to be the most romantically retarded kid I’ve ever seen.” She could see Connor was angry about the statement. She held up her hand to keep him from going off. “Sorry. I meant, romantically impaired.”
Connor continued to stare at Faith. “Not that, you know . . . not that I have to tell you but . . . it works fine.”
Faith raised an eyebrow. “How fine we talking?”
“That’s it,” Dawn said. “We’re going home.”
“Yeah, we need to get these two back,” Faith said to Connor. “I think they could use a rest after all that. Then you and me hit the streets.”
“And?” Connor said.
Faith rolled her eyes. “Find a snitch and beat him ‘til he talks.”
Connor smiled as he scooped Dawn back into his arms. “I like that plan.”
“Thought you might,” Faith said.
Gretchen, still unconscious, stirred in Faith’s arms. “The goblin stole my cookies,” she mumbled in her sleep.
“I hate when goblins steal my food,” Connor said as he walked away.
“You and me both,” Faith laughed. It felt bad to laugh when Giles was in danger. But she just got her as kicked and didn’t finish her mission. She needed some release. Since she didn’t have time for any serious tension relief, laughing would have to do.
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