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"So, what is the point of this thing?" Anya exclaimed from behind the couple. Lost to the whole concept of these inane rituals humans found so compelling.

"An, I told you. It's good scary fun." Xander said, squeezing her hand as he continued to drag her toward the entrance.

"What sort of entertainment value can be achieved from wondering around in a field full of corn?" Anya asked, watching as a couple entered the maze ahead of their group, the girl grasping on tightly to her male companion as screams were heard emanating from the field.

"An, trust me, I'll make it worth your while." Xander said using his most suggestive tone, as they came to a stop behind Buffy and Riley.

"Isn't this exciting? I just love Halloween. And mazes are the best. You never know what's around the next corner." Willow asked Tara, as they saddled up with the rest of the group. Taking Tara's hand, she turned to the others. "So, are we going to split up or go through as a group?"

"Well, why don't we start this thing together and branch off if we get stuck." Buffy suggested, hoping for the later so that she could get Riley into a dark dead end somewhere and kiss him senseless.

"Sounds like a plan." Riley offered as they reached the entrance. The employee extended his hand as Riley handed him the six tickets for entrance into the corn maze. Tearing off the stub, he handed the remains back to Riley before indicating that the group could enter. Pulling back the black sheet that led into the maze, Riley waited as the rest of the group passed through before following them in.

This time, revenge was going to be so very sweet. Not only was that little brat of a Slayer going to get her due, but that tall army boy as well. After months of agonizing therapy and 'rehabilitation' at the hand of the US government, Ethan Rayne will get his retribution. Watching from the hillside as the tiny group entered the gateway of the maze, Ethan smiled in anticipation. Though having Ripper here would make this complete, Ethan was thrilled with the idea that Giles would blame himself for her death, not being able to protect *his* Slayer and her band of merry men. That would be sheer torture for the old boy, that is how Ethan would get his revenge on his mate.

Returning to the van he had rented earlier that day, he began making preparations that would result in perhaps his most ingenious and deadly plan yet. The candle wick stood tall and bare as Ethan set about preparing the rest of the spell. The crystals were placed around the back of the van, forming a circle. Settling himself Indian-style within the circle, he began the spell. "Oh, hear me now Chaos. Come forth and reek thy havoc upon those that have wronged thy servant. That hath wronged you. Come forth and seek thy revenge." A spark, tiny at first, then another. The wick on the candle erupted into a bright flame, shooting towards the roof of the van before settling into a constant, unwavering flame. Ethan sat entrance by the light, as a smirk slowly found its way to his features. "Happy Halloween Slayer!"

As soon as the sheet fell back into place behind the group, it was as if they had entered another world. Gone were the lights and sounds of the outside world. Here the only noise was the soft sound of a cricket’s song. With the moon as their only source of light, the gang set out into the maze.

Riley taking point, assumed the position of the brave boyfriend as Buffy used the opportunity to play the helpless girl to her advantage, snuggling into his embrace. Anya merely shuffled her feet as Xander pulled her forward. The two witches took the back position as they wound their arms around the other’s waist.

Around the first bend, they came face to face with an employee in a rubber werewolf mask. Buffy tried to appreciate the effort the young man was putting into his performance as a creature of the night, but after seeing the real thing on a monthly basis for almost two years, it didn’t have the same impact.

"The snout was way too long to be realistic. Besides, he didn’t have that deep grrr thing down that Oz had." Willow said, as the employee gave up on trying to get a reaction from the group Tara nodded her head in agreement remembering her one and only encounter with a werewolf.

"Oooh, look rubber snakes." Xander said, poking at the decoration that had been placed on a stalk of corn.

"Xander, I’m bored. This isn’t fun at all." Anya pouted as she began tugging on Xander’s arm. "Let’s finish this ridiculous thing so that we can go home and copulate." Xander took Anya’s hand as she began to lead the way through the maze.

"I guess we should probably follow." Tara suggested to the other four.

Willow grabbed Tara’s hand and began after the amorous couple. "Okay, but if Anya decides she can’t wait until they get home, we’re going off on our own."

Riley watched as the girls rounded the same corner that Xander and Anya had. Glancing down at Buffy, he noticed that she was looking around, an expression of puzzlement on her face. "Buff, is something wrong?"

"Uh..no. My spider-sense is just tingling." Buffy turned to face Riley, who’s face was now etched with concern. "Its probably nothing. Just having a reaction to the darkness. I’m fine." Buffy instinctively touched her pocket jacket, taking comfort in the hard wood her hand found there. Looking around and noticing that the others had gone ahead, Buffy took the opportunity allotted her.

Standing on her tippy-toes, she pulled down Riley’s head, giving him a deep kiss. He pulled Buffy close to him as he returned her kiss. Hearing her moan against his mouth, he suddenly wished they weren’t in a chilly maze, but were home, where there was a bed, and he could...A fit of giggles from behind him brought him back to the reality of the situation. Riley pried his lips from her’s and turned to see a group of six teenage girls staring at them. Wiping his mouth absently, he smiled at the girls before grabbing Buffy’s hand and hurrying around the corner.

Buffy waited until they were out of sight of the girls before breaking down. Laughing so hard that she began to cry, Buffy leaned on Riley. "Did....did...you see...their ...faces?" Buffy said between giggles.

"Yeah, I’m sure we gave them quite a good show." Riley tried to control himself, but her laugh was always contagious and he found himself chuckling.

Composing herself, Buffy grabbed his hand. "Come on, we better catch up with the others before they think we’re running around naked in the corn somewhere."

"Hey, that’s not such a bad idea." Riley smiled as he pulled her close, giving her a closed mouth kiss.

"Mmm...later!" Buffy said as she wagged her eyebrows suggestively at her lover. With that promise, Riley and Buffy made their way after the others, neither noticing the path behind them shift. Corn appearing where there had been none before.

"Buffy! Riley!" Willow called out, hoping to get an answer. The four of them had gotten themselves turned around, going in circles several times and were now sufficiently lost. To make matters worse, they hadn’t seen Riley or Buffy for the past twenty minutes, since they first entered the maze.

"Will, there probably off somewhere having a hot and heavy makeout session. Better to leave them be than to have a cranky, sexually unsatisfied Slayer on our hands, eh?" Xander said, as he reexamined their position. "Now, I’m pretty sure we have gone down that way. What about this way?"

Getting no argument from the three tired girls, Xander led the group down a path he hoped led to the exit.

Willow noticed Tara staring off into the distance, shivering slightly. "Tara, you okay?" Willow asked, rubbing her girlfriend’s shoulder.

"Something just seems off. You know, wrong. Don’t you feel it?" Tara asked, turning her attention to her red-haired companion as she rubbed her goosebump covered arms. She didn’t like this place. A sense of an evil presence, just out of reach from this reality was so strong here. Tara felt a desperate need to exit the maze, she just knew there was danger close at hand.

Holding still for a moment, thinking about it, Willow shook her head. "No, I only feel the intense desire for a bathroom. Sorry. What do you think it is?" Willow asked, peering into the corn.

Shaking her head, Tara placed her hand on the small of Willow’s back, guiding her after Xander. Tara didn’t want to frighten her anymore than was necessary. Besides it might just be some residual vibes from the demon they vanquished last week that were giving her the heebie geebies. "Nothing, it’s probably just my imagination." Tara smiled, reassuring Willow that everything was fine. "Let’s get going."

Up ahead, Willow could hear Anya nagging on Xander as they passed yet another guy in a hockey mask with a chainsaw. "I still think you should ask one of these pathetic teenage creatures for directions." Willow just rolled her eyes.

An eerie calm had settled over the maze awhile ago. The crickets and distant screams of young girls could no longer be heard. But that’s not what unnerved Buffy. What unnerved her was that they had yet to come across anyone in the last twenty minutes. No Scoobie Gang, no giggly girls, no costumed employees, nothing. They had tried to return to the entrance several times, only to find a dead end the way they had come. Buffy’s sense of direction was all off. She didn’t know East from West anymore.

Riley lifted Buffy onto his shoulder’s, hoping to allow her to see where they were in respect to the rest of the maze. "See anything?"

Buffy was horrified by what she saw. "Yeah, corn!" Row after row of corn brightly lit in the moonlight. Swinging her leg off Riley’s shoulder, she crawled from off her perch on Riley’s shoulder, landing on her feet.

"What do you mean?" Riley turned to face her. He was getting worried. It was late and dark and the only weapons they had were a couple stakes and crosses. The lack of people and unearthly silence were getting to him.

"I mean the only path there appears to be is the one we are on. There’s no sign of anything other than this field." Buffy said, trying to evaluate their situation. "Far as I can tell, there is no maze. Everything has vanished."

"Do you think that there is some sort of supernatural presence at work here?" Riley offered. Getting a look that clearly said ‘Duh!’ Riley smirked, "Right!"

"You know I am beginning to hate this holiday. I think the Watcher’s Council needs to seriously reconsider its whole ‘Nothing ever happens on Halloween’ policy." Buffy exclaimed, extremely miffed that once again she couldn’t have a normal Halloween, full of cheap thrills and lots of chocolate.

"So, what do we do now?" Riley asked, very aware of the predicament they were currently in.

"Well, we could split up, try to find a way out. But that leaves us on our own and if some big evil is out here, I think it would be better to face it together." Buffy was not about to let Riley go off alone, to face some unspeakable evil.

"Agreed, we stick together." Riley said, not liking the idea of leaving Buffy to fight alone. "What if we get off this path, go through the corn. If we take a straight line, we have to eventually come out of this thing right?" Riley said peering through the rows of corn.

Buffy looked down the path in front of them, in the dark, she could barely see five feet in front of them. For all she knew, the path stretched for miles. Chewing her lip for a moment as she rolled over their options, Buffy couldn’t think of an alternative. "Let’s go for it."

Grabbing her hand, Riley stepped off the path, and began making his way through the corn.

Willow and Tara sat, sharing a bench, sipping hot chocolate, watching as Xander and Anya warmed up in their own way. "I think he just grabbed her breast." Willow exclaimed as she watched Anya and Xander grope each other while sharing passionate kisses. Tara was just glad that Xander had found some way to subdue Anya. She didn’t know how much more of the girl’s whining she could take. She had even considered a spell that would render Anya mute but decided against provoking an ex-vengeance demon.

"I just hope Buffy and Riley get here before they get groiny with each other." Willow said as she turned her attention to the maze stretching out before them. On the hill, they could see a majority of the field and had yet to see any sign of the two. She was beginning to worry, but knew Buffy and Riley could handle themselves.

Tara saw the concerned look on her lovers face and took her hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I’m sure their fine. They probably just needed some alone time. With Buffy’s mom not feeling well, they haven’t had a lot of time to themselves." Tara, even though she would like to believe the words she spoke were true, still had yet to shake the feeling that something was off. But she didn’t want to worry Willow with her concerns, she had enough on her mind. Tara was rewarded with a smile from the red head as Willow began to relax.

"You’re right. Their fine." Willow leaned her head on Tara’s shoulder, looking back toward her other two friends as Xander gasped when Anya grabbed his butt. "Should we get the hose?"

The corn became more dense the further they moved into the field. Riley held Buffy’s hand tightly in his own, afraid if he let go, he would lose contact with her. They had been walking for what felt like hours, with no sign of the force that was behind the sudden change in the maze. Frustration was getting the better of him, and Riley could feel it coming off Buffy in waves. They had settled into an uncomfortable silence after bickering bitterly about which direction to head in over 20 minutes ago. Using his hand, Riley brushed the tall stocks away before leading Buffy through yet another row of corn.

"Riley?" Buffy asked carefully, hoping his temper wouldn’t flare again.

"Yeah?" He asked as he looked down the row, hoping to spot a way out, instead coming up with nothing but darkness.

"I..I really need to go."

"Go?" Riley asked, turning his attention to the woman by his side.

"You know..." Buffy said, slightly embarrassed.

Riley watched as she bounced impatiently on her feet, before getting the idea. "Oh...um, why don’t I step through there" he pointed, indicating a row "and you take care of business and then come join me."

"Okay." Buffy said, releasing Riley’s hand as he made his way toward another patch of thick corn. Waiting until he was out of sight, Buffy unbuttoned, proceeding to quickly finishing her business. Buffy was just zipping her pants back up when she heard it. A low, guttural growl. Her hand, fast as lightening, was in her jacket, withdrawing the stake from within. Her eyes combed the darkness, looking for the source, which had seemed to move soundlessly. The growl, having first been heard to her right, was now coming from directly behind her.

Taking a defensive stance, Buffy waited, the silence unbearable. Then she saw it. Blending so well with the surrounding darkness the only thing visible was its eyes, shining blood red, staring intently at her. As soon as she saw it, it was on the move, heading fast toward her. Its speed took Buffy by surprise, as it was on her in moments, knocking her off her feet, its claws tearing into her arm, causing her to gasp in pain. As she hit the ground with such force that the wind was knocked out of her, she caught a glimpse of her attacker as it leapt passed her into the corn. Into the corn that Riley had just gone into.

Gasping to catch her breath, Buffy struggled to get up. "Riley!" She called out. Fearing the worse, Buffy charged into the dense growth, caring nothing for her own safety, in a panic over Riley’s. Breaking through the corn, she was shocked to discover Riley, face frozen in silent terror, lying on his back, the corn bowing down under his weight. His blood staining the leaves and silk from the wound in his stomach. The claw marks clearly visible in the bright moonlight.

Buffy’s hand covered her mouth as she began to sob violently. "No, oh God, no." The tears that came, rolled down her cheeks, spilling down onto his face as she pulled him to her. Cradling him, she gently rocked, her cries and pleas continuing through her tears, "no, please no...baby, please, no, Riley." Buffy could feel Riley’s warm blood soaking through her jacket and shirt, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered now. Riley was gone.

"Buffy?" Riley had watched as Buffy had come through the corn, a look of terror on her face. He had tried to get her attention, but to no avail. Her tears had surprised him as she dropped to her knees, her arms encircling the air as if she were holding something to her, mumbling softly. It wasn’t until he placed a hand on her shoulder that she responded. He was flat on his back within seconds, the point of a stake placed dangerously against his throat. Buffy’s eyes were full of crazed rage as she sat astride him, pinning him easily to the ground.

Her mouth opened in confusion and shock as she took in Riley beneath her, alive. "Riley?" She asked tentatively, unsure of anything anymore.

"Yeah, baby, it’s me." He said as he slowly moved the stake away from his throat. Buffy, pulled him into a sitting position, hugging him tightly as she buried her face in his neck. He pulled her tighter to him as he felt her hot tears soaking through his jacket. "Shh...it’s okay, Buffy. Hush, baby, I’m here." He said softly as he began stroking her back, running his fingers through her hair, trying desperately to calm her as she continued to murmur his name into his neck.

It took awhile, but she had finally calmed enough so that she could raise her face, taking his appearance in. Besides the concern look on his face, he was fine. No wound, no blood. She allowed her hands to trace his stomach, just to be sure. Riley cupped her cheeks in his hands, his thumbs tracing the wet tracks, wiping them from her face. Pulling her face to his, he kissed each cheek in turn, tasting the salty liquid, assuring her he was real. Buffy put her arms around him again, hugging him tightly to her, thanking God he was okay.

"Buffy, what happened?" Riley asked as he returned her embrace, thankful that she had calmed somewhat.

"I saw you. You had....you were...God, Riley, if I had lost you..." she said as a fresh wave of tears sprang from her eyes.

"You saw what, honey?" Riley said, pulling away from Buffy so that he could look as her eyes. He brushed the hair that had fallen forward back behind her ear, stroking her cheek with his hand before allowing it to slid to her shoulder and finally down her arm. Pulling his hand away, he noticed that it was damp with her blood. Turning her a little, he noticed that her jacket had been torn on her upper arm and was now soaked with blood. "You’re bleeding!" He said as he turned her so he could examine the wound more closely.

Buffy didn’t even notice the pain, the adrenalin from everything she had just experienced was still coursing through her veins. "There was something...a creature. It attacked me and then...when I went after it...I saw you. You were dead. I touched you. It was so real. There was nothing I could do." Buffy explained as he tore the bottom half of his tee-shirt, creating a make shift bandage.

Tying the material around Buffy’s arm, Riley noticed the tears well up in the Slayer’s beautiful eyes again. "Hey, hey, it wasn’t real, okay? I’m right here."

"I know Riley, but..."

Riley silence her with a kiss, letting her feel just how real he was, how he wasn’t about to leave her. Tasting every part of her mouth, he left no doubt in her mind that he was real, alive and warm. Breaking the kiss, Riley leaned his forehead against hers, listening as her breathing calmed. Grabbing her hand, he lightly rubbed his thumb across the back of it. "But what?" He whispered. She looked into his eyes, silently pleading with him to make it all better, to wipe away the memory of his body lying cold and dead on the ground. "Buffy?"

"I’m fine." She smiled weakly, the image too fresh in her mind to have any real comfort. Though he was right here in front of her, so wonderful and alive, she knew that he could be taken from her at any moment, a split second is all it would take and the events she just witnessed could become reality.

"Are you sure?" Riley asked, not at all convinced.

Swallowing back the tears, Buffy wiped her face with the back of her hand before she stood, offering her hand to Riley. "Yeah. What do you say we get out of here?" Buffy put all her senses on alert. Next time this thing wanted to play, she would be ready, if not for her sake, then for Riley’s.

Xander paced the length of the bench as he continued to watch the exit for any sign of his missing friends while Anya sat across the way, pouting. Willow and Tara had made good on their threat and had separated the two before things got out of hand. Admittedly, Xander concurred with their actions, after all they had been in a public, family oriented place, but Anya’s touches had left him longing for the privacy of his apartment. Unfortunately, the gang had decided to come to this activity together and since Riley had driven, there was no hope for escape.

"Where are they already? The maze is about to close and there is still no sign of them." Willow said as she glanced down at the field below.

"They’re probably having sex." Anya stated, looking at Xander accusingly. "Hot, dirty sex. Something we should be having."

"Anya, not now." Xander stated, his irritation at the situation increasing.

Tara scanned the parking lot, making sure the missing couple wasn’t trying to play a trick on them. "Car’s still here. They must be around somewhere." Pointing to the 4-Runner they had all squished into, Tara caught something out of the corner of her eye.- a van parked at the far end of the lot. Ordinary and plain, the van that should have seemed perfectly acceptable, felt out of place to the young witch.

"Well if this is a joke, I’m certainly not laughing." Xander said as he sat down in a huff. "They’re probably sitting somewhere,laughing their asses off."

The air was heavy with moisture as the young couple made their way through the dense crop. A thick fog had settled over the entire field not more then ten minutes earlier, making it impossible to see even a foot in front of them. Buffy pushed through the corn, her eyes darting to and fro as she listened for any sign of the beast she had encountered earlier.

Her arm where the creature had injured her had begun to throb in time with her pulse. The strip of Riley’s t-shirt was already soaked with blood from the deep wound and Buffy knew she needed stitches. The important thing now was getting both her and Riley out of this field safely, she really didn’t want a repeat of the vision she had had earlier.

Buffy was holding onto his hand tightly causing Riley to wince in pain. He didn’t want to mention it to her due to the fact that she seemed rattled still over what she had seen. Trailing along behind her, only Riley’s long stride allowed him to keep up with her as they hurried through the never-ending rows of corn. He could barely see Buffy’s outline just ahead of him as she pulled him along and it worried him that he couldn’t make the uneven ground out clearly.

A low keen sounded off to the left causing Buffy to pause. Riley drew close to her. Noticing her look off in the distance, the fog and corn too thick to really see anything, he asked "What is it?"

"Shh! I thought I heard something." Buffy said, silencing her boyfriend as she cocked her head to the side listening intently to the night.

Minutes passed with nothing but silence. Buffy shook her head before turning back to Riley. Leaning close to see him better through the increasingly dense haze, she was able to barely make out his features. "It was probably nothing. Just my over active imagination."

"Are you sure?" Riley asked, noting the unease in her voice. She had been extremely fidgety since they had stopped earlier for her little bathroom break and it was beginning to unnerve him. He had never seen the Slayer so jumpy.

"Yeah, let’s just keep going. We’re sure to find something soon." Buffy gave him a small smile, hoping he could see it as she squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"Okay." Riley said, preparing to follow. He took a step only to find his jeans caught on something on the ground. "Hold on, Buffy. I think I’m stuck on a branch or something." Riley let go of Buffy’s hand, though she protested, before kneeling down to free himself. An upended root or branch of some sort seemed to be the culprit. He pried his jeans from the wooden object before standing back up.

"‘Kay, all set." He reached out for Buffy but found nothing but air. "Buffy?"

"Riley?" He heard her call out, no longer just ahead of him, but some 10 feet away.

"Buffy?" He cried as he raced to catch up with his girlfriend. Though he knew he was heading in the right direction, her voice continued to get farther and farther away from him with every step he took, until it was no more then a whisper on the wind. Stopping, Riley tried to calm his breathing in hopes to hear her again. Riley stood, listening to the dark, praying for some sign from her, but none came.

"Buffy!" Riley shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth, hoping to carry his voice further. The fog had begun to thin somewhat and Riley could see more clearly now as he continued his search for his missing love. Racing down aisles of corn, Riley was dismayed at not being able to find even a trace of the lost Slayer.

Buffy had been horrified when Riley had released her hand. She had instantly reached for him in a desperate attempt to touch some part of him. But she had come up empty handed. Walking forward slightly, she held her arms in front of her, her hands groping the air as they searched for her boyfriend. "Riley?" She cried, dropping to her knees, Buffy began crawling, feeling for his body, praying that what she had seen earlier had not in fact become reality.

Riley’s voice sounded from a distance, her name being shouted over and over again. Buffy jumped to her feet, calling out to her lover, running toward where she had last heard his voice. She would pause occasionally in her quest, trying to determine if she was headed in the right direction, only to find the voice had moved. Realizing that Riley was trying to locate her as well, she shouted for him to stay put, that she would find him.

His voice continued to get louder as she raced to his position. Barreling through the corn, Buffy could tell he was just a couple rows over. Bursting through the stalks, Buffy found herself in a small clearing. Grass grew high here, up to Buffy’s knees and as she looked around she realized that Riley had stopped calling out for her. As she took in her surroundings, Buffy realized she was alone except for the large scarecrow perched upon a cross in the middle of the clearing.

The warm water felt like heaven on his cold hands. An hour of standing around, waiting for Buffy and Riley had left him tired, chilled, and put off. The bathroom was almost completely vacant, the maze had shut down sometime ago and employees were doing a walk through to make sure no kids were hiding out in the field. Xander was just drying off his hands when he heard the flush of the toilet. Preparing to make way for the next person to use the sink, Xander quickly disposed of the paper towel and moved to the door. Just as he was pushing out the exit, the door to the stall opened to reveal an older gentleman, a man about Giles’ age, a man that looked a whole lot like....

Xander rubbed his eyes in disbelief, before reconfirming what he saw. Ethan Rayne. There was no mistaking it. Xander quickly exited, hoping the Sorcerer hadn’t seen him. Walking quickly, Xander caught sight of the girls huddled together near the car. Looking back, he noticed Ethan emerge from the bathroom and sped up. Motioning to the girls to follow, Xander led them to a patch of dense trees, where they could observe Ethan without being seen.

"We’ve got a problem." Indicating to the man currently walking down the path from the restrooms, Xander noticed Willow’s eyes widen in surprise.

"Isn’t that..." Willow tried to get a better view, trying to make sure her eyes weren’t being deceived.

"Ethan Rayne." Xander confirmed.

"I thought he was being rehabilitated by the military." Anya inserted, watching the man as he gazed at the field below. He had a gloating air about him, one she had seen many times before on the faces of women whom she had avenged.

"Maybe he got out on good behavior. But why would he come back here?" Willow questioned Xander, watching the man turn and head towards the parking lot.

"It looks like the guy just doesn’t know when his ass has been kicked." Xander whispered as the man drew near. Ethan passed their hiding spot mumbling something about sweet revenge. The gang watched as the older man crossed the parking lot before climbing into the back of the van, closing the door behind him.

Buffy frantically tried to pull herself together. Knowing Riley was a solider, that he was trained to handle situations that may appear, was little comfort to the young Slayer as she realized that Riley had no weapon on him. He was alone and defenseless. Glancing around her, Buffy tried to come up with some kind of plan, but all that ran through her head was the vision of Riley, torn, bleeding, and dying.

Gazing around at her surroundings, Buffy took note of the outlying crop, looking for any movement that could signal either the creature that she'd encountered earlier or Riley. The wind rustling gently through the tall stalks was the only sound she heard as she gazed up at the tall scarecrow before her. The burlap face, decorated with a few buttons and paint, seemed to sneer down at her, jeering at her helplessness.

Turning, Buffy cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling her boyfriend's name again, listening to the wind for any kind of response. As tears welled up, Buffy felt the fruitlessness of the situation weighing down on her.

In frustration, she called out his name again, hoping to hear him reply in kind. One came, though not the kind she had hoped for. Behind her, a mocking hiss repeated her, calling out for Riley, so low and venomous, that it caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

Whirling around, instantly taking a fighting stance, Buffy held her stake in her hand as she scanned the area. Finding herself alone in the clearing, her eyes began to search the outlying area for the source of the voice as she turned in slow circles. Buffy soon found herself backed up against the scarecrow as she continued her search, her senses on alert for anything out of the ordinary.

The arm came out of nowhere, pinning her to the lumpy body of the scarecrow. The strong appendage had her by the throat, choking her as her hands tried to loosen the vise-like grip. Her assailant lifted her up, her legs left thrashing as she lost purchase on the ground below her.

As her nails began to tear at her attacker's clothing, Buffy came to the realization that the arm was attached to the straw man behind her. The solid form had come to life, its arm hindering her breathing as the other compressed her stomach. The young Slayer felt as though she was being squeezed to death as black spots began to dance in front of her eyes.

Summoning up all the strength she could muster, Buffy reared her leg up before slamming it back into the wooden post that held the scarecrow. The wood splintered with a deafening crack. The weight of the Slayer and scarecrow was too much strain on the wood and both Buffy and her attacker were propelled forward as the post snapped in two. Landing on the hard dirt before her, Buffy felt the air rush from her lungs as the heavy weight of the scarecrow and upper pole landed on top of her, pinning her.

She felt the form above her shift slightly, and called out as its nails raked her back, tearing through her clothing, ripping her flesh. Smashing her head back into the stiff burlap face of the scarecrow, she caught her aggressor off guard long enough for her to push herself up, crawling from beneath the heavy weight.

Taking a fighting stance, Buffy watched as the scarecrow floundered on the ground awhile before going limp. Taking a step closer to investigate, Buffy jumped back as the scarecrow once again began to convulse, the clothing bubbling up in places, as the mass of her aggressor began to multiply rapidly. Buffy stepped back as the churning body before her exploded into dust.

Not dust, dust doesn't buzz.

Bees.

The cloud of bees closed together, creating a ball. Buffy felt her fighting instincts run out the door, and decided they had the right idea. Buffy took off, racing through the corn as the swarm gave chase.

The silence that had plagued the evening had been broken by the low symphony of crickets refuged somewhere in the dense crop. Riley wandered aimlessly through row upon row, his frustration at himself and the situation at a peak If he hadn't let go...

Every fiber of his being was telling him to do a sweep and search, but he also knew Buffy wasn't the kind of person just to stay in one place and wait to be found. She had to be moving. Just one of the many things he loved about her.

In the distance, he heard what sounded like a high whinny, coming from somewhere in the field off to his right. Turning, he listened closely to see if he could hear the noise again, hoping to get a fix on the source. Holding still for a minute and hearing nothing, he was about to turn back into the corn when he heard the sound again, this time multiple occurrences, closer then the previous one. That's when he heard it, a low rumble, similar to distant thunder.

As the noise grew closer, Riley began picking up other noises, men's voices whooping and hollering as what Riley could only assume were horses, began to draw near. Ahead, he could see the top of the crops moving, giving way to objects moving between the stalks. Planting his feet, he fought the urge to retreat, waiting instead for visual confirmation of a threat.

As the noise continued to head toward his position, the ground below him trembled as the beings continued their approach. Based on his visual analysis, the objects were only ten feet from his current position and yet he couldn't see the mounted rider or horse. Fear gripped his heart as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

As the crops before him began to bow and part, Riley's fears were confirmed....there was nothing there. Yet the tumult continued as the sound of hooves pounding the dirt began to boom in his ears, the clouds of dust permeated the air where ghostly horses tread. The phantom riders continued to bear down on him as Riley decided to take action.

He ran.

Heading fast through the corn, he stumbled a bit over the rugged ground, but managed to stay on his feet and just ahead of the pack. As he continued to run, he could see from the corner of his eye dark figures overtaking him from the side, the crop bowing and snapping under the assault. Turning his head he found the dark figures had disappeared, but the destruction to the field continued around him.

As he continued to pump his legs, Riley felt himself tire, his lungs burning, his muscles screaming as he tried to pick up the pace. Continuing his race forward, he felt a whoosh of air in front of him and then he felt a light weight around his ankles. As he glanced down, he felt some kind of rope pull tight around his feet, tripping him. His motion carried him forward and he landed hard on the dirt below.

Flipping over onto his back, Riley gazed around at the motionless corn around him, waiting for the attack. His feet were still held fast and he could not move them and was therefore unable to regain his footing to make an escape. Sitting up, he continued to glance around, listening and watching for any threat. Reaching down, he felt around his ankles, trying to find what was binding them, but he felt and saw nothing. Straining, he tried to pull his ankles apart, but to no avail.

Riley felt a slight tug on his jeans, and before he could react, the tug became a strong pull as he was dragged back through the crop he had just run through. It increased speed and as Riley's body pounded the ground, he could feel the rocks scrapping, biting into the skin of his back as his jacket and shirt were torn.

Struggling, Riley flailed his arms out, trying to find purchase on the rough ground beneath him, his fingers digging into the dirt as the crop flew past him. The stalks swatted him as he was pulled through the dense crop unable to see his attacker only the green and yellows of the corn dancing before his eyes. A hard bump and a rough change in direction had Riley flipped over onto his stomach, his forehead hitting hard on the dirt below. Just before he lost consciousness, one thought ran through his mind. "Buffy."

Her body throbbed with the stings she had endured. Using her fingernails, she was able to pull the stingers from beneath the skin of her arms and hands. Just as quickly as the attack had come, it had ended, leaving Buffy with hundreds of bumps dotting her exposed skin. Luckily she had pulled her jacket over her head and had minimal stings to the face, but that had left her back exposed. She had yet to see the damage done there, but could feel each and everyone as she walked through the crop, her jacket rubbing roughly against the sensitive skin.

Sore and dirty, Buffy trudged along the rows of corn, always watchful for another attack and for her missing lover. Forging through a dense spot, Buffy found the ground smoothing out as she found herself back on the maze path. Behind her, the path made a sharp turn, and she could not see what laid beyond that to the thick crop that lined the path. Ahead of her, the path was a little more clear, a small curve, followed by several of the same until it curved out of sight some 50 yards away.

Buffy weighed over whether to stay on the path or continue her exploration among the corn. Deciding that if she stayed on the path she'd have room to maneuver should the entity that had been stalking her decide to attack, plus there was still a chance she may run into one of the gang and any help she could get in finding Riley would be appreciated. Neither way looked more promising then the other, so Buffy just turned right and began her solo journey through the maze.

She felt like she had been walking for an eternity. It didn't help that her limbs felt heavy, her eyes droopy. She was so tired. There was a weakness in her grip that shouldn't be there and all she wanted to do was sleep. Deciding that sitting for a moment wouldn't hurt, she dropped to her knees before sliding into a sitting position on the packed dirt. As her vision began to blur, she saw dark shadows begin to break from the perimeter of the corn, a harsh red glow appearing where she guessed the eyes would have been.

Trying to raise the stake in defense, she found she couldn't lift her arm. Her fingers instead relaxed around the stake and the weight of the wooden object was too much for her fingers. The stake clattered to the ground beside her as she felt her body go limp as she fell back into nothingness.

"Oh God, we're going to die aren't we?" Xander said, going through the plan one more time.

"It's risky, but with both Tara and I doing the confinement spell, I'm almost positive we can contain him." Willow continued grinding the root into a fine powder, glancing only occasionally at Xander and Anya's progress with the fire.

"Almost!? How about giving us a certainty percentile to go with that statement."

Willow shrugged. "Sixty-five. But I'm sure if he breaks free he can only seriously injure one of us as we flee in terror. So, there is something positive."

"Yeah, real positive." Chances were he would be the one in the line of fire, after all he was the person that had to get close to the powerful sorcerer they were about to launch a full-scale attack on.

"Perhaps Willow knows a spell to protect your-" Anya's eyes flickered down briefly, signifying Xander's nether regions "- assets. Like a magic cup. That way when you are in a coma, I can still-"

"An-please!" Xander was not liking this at all. "Then again.."

He hurt all over. He couldn't remember ever being this sore, not even when he had taken that pounding back during the high school championship football game when the entire opposing team decided to use him as their own personal punching bag. Groaning, Riley tried to open his eyes as he fought back the wave of nausea that accompanied it. He must have hit his head. Not only that, but he could taste blood and why was his backside so warm?

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a bunch of dark figures huddled around a fire, their hairy backs to him. The fur was coarse, matted with dirt and the smell emanating off of them was strong and spoke of decay. They were grunting softly, moving their arms to their faces. As one turned, Riley saw a piece of bone held in its taloned hands, muscle and burnt skin hanging from the femur as the beast took another bite from it. They were feasting on an animal of some kind.

Taking in his surroundings, Riley found himself suspended in the air, his arms tied together at the wrists, his legs at the ankle, allowing the rest of his body to hang from a pole that connected to two others, one at his head and feet. Beneath him, a small fire had began consuming kindling, waiting for the larger logs that would bring about his fiery death.

Glancing around to see if any of his captors had noticed that he had awakened, he caught sight of something red between two beasts that were separated from the others. As they moved, Riley got a clearer picture of what lay just beyond them. Buffy.

Riley closed his eyes as the two turned around and waited until he heard them move off before cautiously opening his eyes again. She looked okay. A couple of scrapes and bruises that would fade in no time. A couple of odd bumps littered her face and hands but Riley was sure they weren't life threatening. She was bound like him, a small fire beginning to grow beneath her unconscious body.

Hearing movement near their captors, Riley shut his eyes again, fearing he had been discovered, but remaining hopeful. Riley heard several larger sticks being placed beneath him as the fire crackled and popped. And that's when it clicked in his mind. The beasts were merely working on the appetizers. He and Buffy were to be the main course.

Waiting until he could hear no noise in his immediate vicinity, Riley quickly checked his restraints for any weak points. The rope was strong and his wrists tied well. Struggling only tightened the bindings, causing him to wince in pain. As he continued to claw at the knot, trying to loosen it, his eyes continued to search for a possible escape route. He would have to not only get himself free, but Buffy as well. And escaping on foot, carrying an unconscious body would be difficult at best.

Feeling the flames lap at his back, Riley's sense of urgency began to rise as he continued to squirm. A low moan escaped from Buffy's lips as she began to regain her senses. Riley, speaking low, tried to quiet her, but the moment she heard his voice, she called out for him. The noise roused the hungry crowd and as they noticed their meals struggling to get free, they rose, baring claws and fangs as they began circling them.

The swaying of Riley's body caused the two sticks at either end to snap in two, his body landing hard on the fire below. Pain ripped through his body as he rolled off the burning logs, snuffing the fire out in the dirt below. Positioning the stick still holding his arms and legs tight between his legs, he was able to crack the wood into two. Still immobilized, Riley at least now had a weapon. Crawling towards Buffy, he was able to get the stick free of the ropes and used it to put out the fire beneath Buffy who was struggling against her own restraints.

Turning back toward their aggressors, Riley watched as a smaller one edged forward, taking a swipe at the stick in Riley's hand, only to receive a bone-crunching hit to the hand. Keeping an eye on all of them had become a difficult task and only Buffy's shrieks of "watch out!" had kept them safe.

This was a bad idea. Possibly the worse they had come up with. Edging near the van, Xander kept looking toward the front of the van, hoping to get some sort of location on the man inside, yet seeing nothing but darkness. Looking back, he noticed all three girls standing huddled together around the fire, Willow gave him a thumb's up accompanied by a huge smile. Tara looked a little more worried and Anya kept messing with her scarf.

Raising his hand slightly, Xander indicated that he was fine as he made it to the van's sliding door. Swallowing hard, he took a deep breath before pulling hard on the door. The white door swung open easily, as the van's occupant spun around from his spot just inside. A quick shout of "boo!" and Xander reached out and grabbed the first thing he saw before turning tail and running.

Surprised, Ethan had little time to react before the young man had grabbed his chain. Scrambling out of the back of the vehicle, the wizard gave chase. Just as he made it out of the vehicle, he noticed the boy threw his chain to one of his female companions, who in turn threw it into a small bonfire. A blue cloud rose up, circling towards the heaven's before racing toward him. The cloud hit him with such force, that he fell backward, landing hard on the grass below. Regaining his footing, Ethan tried to move, but could only turn circles in the translucent mist, his way blocked by the young Wiccans' spell.

Willow smiled proudly at the rest of the group. "See, I told you it would work."

"Um, I think he may be trying to escape." Tara said, pointing toward where the older man was currently chanting, feeling around his confines for weak spots.

"We'd better hurry," Anya suggested. To which Xander raised his hand. "I second that motion."

Led by Willow, the four hurried toward the open van door, hoping to find some way to determine what had happened to their missing friends. As they gazed around at the crystals and candles, they noticed a shimmering pool at the back of the van. Tara climbed in for a closer look despite Willow's protests that she needed to be careful.

The image was blurry, but as she got closer, she saw Riley and Buffy in the center of the circle, surrounded by darker figures who were primed to attack. So soft she almost couldn't hear it, voices carried through the portal and reached her ears as Riley screamed in pain as one of the demons sliced into his leg with its long talons.

Two against more then a dozen, Riley and Buffy were outnumbered, added to the fact that Buffy was completely bound and Riley was still struggling to free his legs, the two didn't stand a chance. "We have to hurry." Tara called over her shoulder.

"What do we do?" Xander said taking note of the panic in Tara's voice.

Tara's eyes met Willow's for an instant before they gazed down onto the design of the spell. "It's a Chaos spell. It alters reality, right?" Willow asked, a little uncertain.

"Yes, that means we just have to d-destroy the symbol." Tara said as she knocked over the crystal nearest her, causing it to skitter across the bare floor of the van. The others did the same to the ones nearest her and as she turned back to glance at the shimmering pool, she had found that it had vanished. "It's gone."

"So is Spell Guy." Xander indicated as he glanced around looking for any sign of Ethan Rayne.

Buffy was just about to yell to Riley to watch out as one particularly nasty looking demon charged him with a spear when everything around them seemed to just fade. The ropes holding her fast to the wood dissolved. With nothing securing her, Buffy fell, landing hard on her back. Groaning, she glanced around for Riley. "Riley?"

"Right here, baby." Scooting over to her, the dust and blood-covered Riley gazed down at her, brushing the blonde strands from her head. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. You?" She asked, gingerly touching a scrape on his forehead.

"I've survived worse." He said with a shrug, stroking her face gently before leaning down to kiss her softly. Twining her fingers into his hair, she pulled him closer, knowing that she might have lost him, that her vision may have in fact become reality.

The clearing of a throat brought them to an abrupt halt as both their heads raised up to gaze at the man standing behind them. "Excuse me, but we closed over an hour ago. You mind taking this elsewhere."

The young man, probably not much older then Dawn looked down at the couple in disgust. "Exit's that way." Pointing, he shook his head, as he went back into the maze, a trash bag dragging behind him. Just before he rounded the corner, Buffy heard him say, "get a room," and she couldn't help but snicker.

Riley hissed as Buffy touched the washcloth gently to his forehead. Whispering an "I'm sorry," she continued cleaning his face off. She had promised to kiss each of his wounds better later on that evening if he would sit quietly and not complain, with such an arrangement, the ex-marine remained silent, plotting out ways to exact his sweet revenge.

"So `boo' was the big plan?" Buffy asked, still disbelieving that Willow of all people would let Xander do such a thing. Anya maybe, not Willow.

"Yeah, not the brightest apple to fall of the plan tree, but hey it got the job done." Willow said, defending her idea.

"Well at least no one was hurt. That's the important thing." Giles carried in a pot of Earl Grey tea, placing it before Buffy. Receiving disbelieving glances from both the battered Riley and the stung Buffy, Giles corrected himself. "Oh right. Buffy do you need anything for those stings"

"Nah, they're pretty much healed up. Can't really see all of them, but I'm sure they're all fine."

"Maybe I could check, just to make sure." Riley said, his hand squeezing her knee gently.

Mouthing "later" to him, she gave him a wink as she passed behind him, moving his shirt out of the way.

"Any word on Ethan?" Riley inquired while trying not to wince as Buffy ran the cool clothe over his torn back.

Giles took his glasses off, rubbing them on a handkerchief before setting them back on his nose. "No, I've asked around. It would seem he has cleared out of town."

Pushing through the woods, Ethan stumbled a bit, but managed to retain his footing. Seeing a car pass by just ahead, he knew he was near the highway. Breaking free from the wooded area, he breathed a sigh of relief as yet another car passed. At this rate he wouldn't have to wait long to be picked up.

As if on cue, a black stretch limousine pulled to a stop just ahead of him. Not questioning his luck, he straightened out his shirt as he approached the back door, which had opened up, inviting him to enter. Crawling inside, he found a beautiful brunette perched amongst the blood red interior of the limo. "Thank you for stopping. I would hate to have to be in this bloody town any longer then necessary."

The young woman smiled at her guest and a sparkle seemed to dance in her eyes as she spoke to him. "You don't like Sunnydale? Miss Edith here doesn't like it either. The air worries. That is why we are going to see Grandmother." The young woman reached to her side, producing a doll. Stroking its hair gently. "Miss Edith likes you. She thinks you'll make a nice present for Grandmother."

Smiling at the man sitting across from her, she knew Grandmother would be pleased with her. That is if she didn't get hungry first.

The End

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