Chapter Three

The gang had all gathered at Giles' for some late night research, as they
usually did. Buffy was on the chair across for the couch; a place were she
had so many bad memories of Spike kissage, Xander and Anya were on the couch,
Anya leaning against Xander; her back against his side while is left arm was
draped around her, his forearm resting around her abdomen. Giles was at his
desk, his book almost completely finished.

The whole room was completely silent till they heard a knock at the door.
Getting up, Giles went to answer the door and swung it open to an unlikely
person.

"Riley." Giles stated, his gaze shifting around the man in front of him,
checking for any other company.

"Mr. Giles, sir. Is Buffy..." He spotted her inside and stepped past Giles to
get inside the doorway. "Buffy. We need to talk." Buffy stood, taking the
book in her hand and setting it on the chair.

"No, we really don't. I told you. I don't want t see you till I'm ready. You
slept with Faith."

"I slept with you." He took a step closer.

"You slept with her. Angel would have been able to tell but you didn't see
the difference."

"Who's Angel?" Buffy opened her mouth in utter disbelief that she had
actually said that. Giles moved away, not getting into this conversation as
Xander and Anya slumped in there seats away from view.

"Angel's--" Buffy's confession was interrupted by Willow barging into the
room through the still open door. She moved bast Riley to Buffy.

"Buffy! That thing, the thing that Tara felt. It attacked us!" She was
struggling for breath as she told her friend.

"What happened, are you guys okay?"

"It, he, attacked her before I got there, I tried to help her but he -- oh
goddess, Buffy. He attacked me when I got there too."

"How did you get away?" Buffy said, trying to calm the red headed witch down.

"He was using a stone. A fanthom just it was powerful. I pushed him away with
my powers while he was using it. He went flying and then I threw him out the
door, closing it. But he didn't come back."

"When did your powers get so advanced? Before you couldn't even get a pencil
to move right, now you're able to use it to throw people?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are. The biggest thing I've ever moved was the
soda pop machine in the laundry room but that was with Tara's help."

"What happened to Tara?" Giles interjected.

"She's still back at her place. Dead, Giles, she's dead. This guy killed her
and he wasn't even that close to her." She leaned over catching her breath
again and Buffy took Willow's hand.

"I'll take her to Tara's, see what we can find that could lead us to this
guy. Wait, this is a guy?"

"Human." Willow nodded as she confirmed. "And a very powerful witch."

"You guys stay here and keep researching, there's less likely going to be
anything on this but you might find some resent deaths that could give some
clue as to what this guy is after." Giles, Xander and Anya nodded.

"I'm going with you." Riley stated, following behind.

"No. You're staying out of this. You'll just want to take him back to the lab
to experiment on and if this guy is human, he's not going to the lab but
instead to a prison." She looked at the bruise forming on Willow's cheek and
turned back to Riley. "If he makes it there."

With that, Willow and Buffy left, Willow leading the way.

*****

Willow walked into the room and turned away. Buffy started to walk round,
checking the area. She went over to Tara and checked her out, seeing how she
might have died. She couldn't see a mark on her that would cause her to have
died.

"I don't get it. She doesn't have any injury that would kill her."

"Maybe it's a power like Willow has." Both Willow and Buffy turned to see
Riley in the door way.

"I thought I told you to say gone."

"You did, but I never have been good at listening. Ask Forest." He cracked a
smile. "Strictly slayer business, no Initiative. I just want to help." Buffy
ruled her eyes knowing this wasn't going to be an argument she was going to
win.

"Fine, then help me look for some clue." They both started to look around as
Willow stayed to the side, still shook up.

"What's this?" Riley asked, spotting a wallet on the ground next to the wall.

"He must have lost it when I threw him to the wall." Willow said, walking
over to Riley as Buffy joined them and Riley opened it. Inside were multiple
ID cards and credit cards. "Walter Lorence"

"Jonathon Stright" Willow read one.

"Tohmas Christopher" Buffy read another.

"Michael Hayes." Riley read another.

"Charley Round." Buffy read the next in the pile.

"Here's the most resent picture.' Willow pulled one from the group. "Mark
Loid." she read in a voice just above a whisper.

"I'm guessing he doesn't like people to know him." Buffy said, taking the ID
from Willow. "So this is the guy? He doesn't look to scary, in a bulky sort
of way."

"Well, a lot of things you have fought looked not so scary but, well, were."

"True."

"So what now? I mean, he found Tara and look what happened. And he said he
hoped I was as easy as she was. Should I expect him some time soon?" Willow
looked at Buffy worried and searching for an answer.

"I hope he shows, I really do. Cause you're gonna be safe Wills. I won't let
him hurt you. Promise."
_______________
 

Chapter Four

Willow was in her room on her bed. She had been going through some print outs
from the net for hours and as much as she denied it, she wouldn't be able to
stay awake much longer. Buffy had left a little while ago promising to be
back as soon as possible and that she wouldn't be alone for long.

Her head drooped a bit and she pulled it back up, putting her palms to her
eyes and rubbing them. She then laid back on the bed, her head hitting the
bottom of the pillow. /What's a little bit of sleep. If anything it'll help
me, right?\ she said to herself. She closed her eyes and it didn't take her
long to fall into a not so deep sleep.

Time passed and she was in-between consciousness and unconsciousness as she
lay in a lazy dream on her bed. Her arms were wrapped around someone, who,
she didn't know. Yet, she didn't mind. She was enjoying *his* company.

Lazily she opened her eyes as her dream drifted off to nothingness only to
hear her door open. She panicked, tensioning to her place in an act to look
still asleep. She could have sworn she had locked the door. She didn't know
who it was but she wasn't planning on finding out the wrong way.

Mentally counting to calm herself, Willow slowed her breathing in a quiet
manner till she got to ten. Then she started to count that down, ready for
her only move. /... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2... 1...\ Throwing her arm out, she
used what magick she could muster in her fear to throw the intruder to the
wall. Sitting up she looked to see who her *threat* was.

On the floor was Riley Finn, solder boy extraordinary.

"Riley!" Willow yelled. "Goddess! You scared me to death! What were you
thinking?! Why didn't you knock!?"

"I thought you would be a sleep. Buffy asked me to come by and watch you till
you woke up and then bring you by Mr. Giles'. I'm so sorry Willow. I didn't
want to wake you. Buffy gave me her key and..." his babbling stopped. "You're
good." He added while he picked himself off the floor, rubbing the bruise on
his head that was now forming.

"Excuse me?"

"Your magick. You're really good. I mean, I knew you were but the accuracy of
where I was ... how did you know?"

"I ... don't ... know." She looked at her hands then back at Riley. "I think
I kinda guessed."

"Good guess then." He smiled. "Well, why don't you get your things. the group
is all at Mr. Giles' researching on your laptop so we should get going over
there."

"Yeah." She picked up the papers from her print up research and turned to
Riley. "And Riley, um, it's just Giles. Don't need the Mister."

"Sorry. I'm just used to saying Mister and Misses. Just hit me the next time
I do it."

"Promise."

~*~

Willow and Riley were walking silently through the treed area of the campus
towards Giles'. Neither had said anything sense they had left and it almost
seemed like an awkward silence.

Willow turned to Riley to say something and bit her tongue. She quickly
turned back to the direction they were heading and continued walking. Riley
turned to look at her for a moment then looked back as well.

"What is it Willow?"

"Oh, it's nothing." She answered, not sure what she really was going to say.

"No, go a head Willow. What is it?"

"I wanted to say that I don't understand what happened between you and Buffy
but not to take it wrongly." She said in the calmest voice she could find.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and she aren't on the best of terms right now. I mean, we couldn't tell
it was Faith, how were you to. But it's just that..." She stopped herself.

"What?"

"Never mind. This is something you and her should talk about and I don't want
to get into something I shouldn't."

"I won't tell her, Willow. If that's what you're worried about." She looked
at him with a worried look and then back strait.

'It's just she and -- " her sentence was cut off as an invisible force threw
her away from Riley into a tree.

"Willow!" Riley screamed to her as he went to help. Only to be thrown just as
far in the opposite direction into another tree by that same force. Willow
coughed and looked over to see Riley, then she saw him.

Mark.

She panicked, struggling to get up. Her feet were literally planted to the
ground. As Mark got near she saw him wave his hand and she felt a dizzy
spell. /Oh Goddess. Don't tell me this is how I'm going to die.\ She was
telling herself. /I grew up on the hellmouth and a witch is going to take my
life, not some monster or vampire. This can't be real.\

She could feel her life slipping till the hold it seemed to had on her
disappeared. She weakly looked up to see Riley with the stone she had seen
the last time in his hand and dodging Mark as he averted him away from
Willow. She then found she had her feet back. Standing she threw her hand in
a motion and Mark flew, hitting a tree.

"Willow, go!" Riley yelled to her. She turned to quick glance to Mark and
then back.

"No! I'm not leaving you. He'll kill you."

"I'm not a witch. You're the one he wants! Now go!" Mark was too his feet
advancing on Willow. She went to throw her hands again and it was like Mark
anticipated it and waved his hand at the same time she did.

Nothing happened.

"Willow, go!" She looked to Riley and then started to walk backwards as Mark
walked towards her. Before he could advance any more on her, Riley tackled
him and looked up to her. "Go, now!" he screamed at her.

She didn't have a choice. She didn't have her power against him anymore. What
was she to do? so she turned and ran as fast as she could. Maybe if she got
Buffy, just maybe they had a change to save Riley.

_________________
 

Chapter 5

Buffy was reading through some newspaper articles from deaths in young girls
while Xander and Anya went through some papers Willow had printed out and
Giles looked over the net on Willow's lap top.  All was quiet till the
frantic pounding on the door.  Buffy and Giles wearily got up, looked at each
other, then answered the door.

Willow ran into Buffy, franticly passing her in the room.

"Will? What is it?  Where's Riley?"

"Mark, " she franticly started. "He came out of nowhere again.  He threw
Riley and me from behind.  Riley went to fight him, he told me to go.  I
didn't want to but I didn't know what to do."

"It's okay Wills. Just take me to where you two were."  Buffy said, trying to
calm.

"Okay."  Willow whispered in a calming-down voice.

~*~

"We were here."  Willow said twisting in the air, almost looking for him.
"Where is he?"  She turned behind a bush and stumbled, falling to the ground.

Right next to a dead body.

She turned to see what it was.

Right next to Riley's dead body.

Buffy helped Willow as she franticly scrambled to get to her feet.  She then
took Willow into her arms as she pulled her attention from Riley, hugging
her, and closed her eyes so she didn't look at him herself.

She started whispering hush comfort, to her as Willow sobbed.  Buffy opened
her eyes once more to see the broken, bloody body laying at her feet, eyes
staring their death at her.

~*~

Buffy walked Willow into Giles' house, her arm around her as Willow had as
much emotion on her face as Buffy.

None.

Giles and everyone looked at them as they walked in and Giles knew instantly
what had happened. Xander ended up being the one to break the silence.

"What happened?"

Willow looked to Buffy and then back down to the floor, she dragged herself
to the couch and plopped down. Buffy leaned up against the wall, looking down
to her feet as well.

"Riley didn't make it through the fight." She looked up for a second then
back down. "We found the body. It was, well, it was ugly." She looked up and
over to Willow. "It's not safe for you here anymore."

"And where can I go?" She asked, looking over from the floor to Buffy then
back. "He's going to find me, we both know that."

"As much as it's going to kill me to admit it, you'd be safer with someone
else."

"Who's better than the slayer?" She looked up confused. That's when she saw
Buffy's eyes and knew the answer. "Oh."

"You'll be safer there than here."

~*~

Angel heard the door to the main office open as he sat in his office reading.
When he looked up he saw the last person he expected to see.

"Buffy." That's when he saw who was with her. "And Willow." He stood up. "How
can I -- What are you doing here?"

"Hey to you too." Buffy stated dryly.

"Hey Angel." Willow said, shy and uncomfortably waving to him.

"Hey." He walked over to them and looked at them strange. "Umm, what's up?"

"New problem in Sunnydale." Buffy answered.

"Demon?"

"Witch. It, ah, killed a bunch of people. Five in the town near by. Two in
Sunnydale. So I, ah, was hoping Willow could stay here. You know, till we
catch this guy. Just to know she's safe."

"Yeah. You know you guys are always welcome here."

"I figure I could ask Cordelia if I could stay with her for the time, you
know. So I don't impose."

"You won't impose. And I truthfully trust Cordelia, with my life even, but I
think it's better if you stayed here with me. If this witch does track you
here then it could get to you in Cordelia's place so you'd be safer in a
place I'm at."

"I don't know."

"I hate to admit it, but I agree with him Will. If something happened, who
knows who'd be better." She looked at Angel with the last part then looked
down. There was an awkward silence till Angel broke it.

"Well, I'll help you with your bags." He went to move past them till Buffy
took his arm as Willow went out the doors to car.

"Angel." She stopped and didn't meet his eyes. "I, ah, just wanted to say
thank you. You didn't have to so for you to do this." She looked up. "It
means a lot to me. And Willow, I'm sure."

"No problem." He turned and headed to Buffy's car. While she was alone she
stared at the door.

"No, my life's not complicated at all." With that she left to help the others.
 

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