Part 31

Willow stormed into the lair. Energy rolled off of her in waves, making the air crackle with intensity. The vampires could _feel_ her, and she was angry. They backed away searching for a safer distance that did not exist, but moving anyway because standing too close was very unwise.

Willow was so angry that the thunder of her pulse threatened to deafen her, but she could see just fine. The first two vampires that she saw found themselves involuntarily kneeling before her - way too close for comfort.

"You. Find Eric and tell him I said to meet me in the Hall." She turned to the other, wrapping her hand around her throat. "You, I want to find Angelus." Digging her fingernails in for emphasis, she continued, "Ask him _nicely_ to come visit me.  Understand?" At the female's frantic nods, Willow abruptly released her. The motion causing her to fall back awkwardly, but the vampire was up and running before Willow took her next breath.

Willow was every inch the Lady as she stalked into the throne room. Eric was alone in the Hall looking at the two chairs on the dais. He was facing away from her, which was perfect.

"Eric. You disappoint me." As he turned towards the sound of her voice, Willow slapped him with all the force of her anger unleashed. He stumbled back, he didn't fall, but instead knelt quickly as Willow raised her hands, a faint nimbus of blue light playing around the long slender fingers.

"What have I done to displease you?" Eric asked softly, trying to soothe away the anger that he still saw shining from her eyes. "What have you done? Why nothing!" Willow walked up to him, pressing into him so close that he was forced to lean back, trapping
his legs underneath even as his body was forced to the ground by the delicate fingers pushing down above his heart. She stared into his eyes from inches away, watching the surprise reflected in their shadowed, silvery depths.

Still oh-so-close, Willow leaned down to whisper into his ear. "But you see, there was someone killed inside of my school. By a vampire, in my school! That displeases me." She suddenly pulled back, giving him a mischievous smile and leaving him having trouble with focusing on what she had said. "And you know what the penalty for killing is." _Those_ words he understood with no trouble. "Lady, none of us have killed! I swear it!"

A thoughtful look crossed Willow's face. "If none of you have killed..." She looked at him, suddenly intent. "Do you think we could have missed a clan? We never did find Luke, or the Master that Angel was so worried about." A few minutes of silence passed when she turned again to him, exasperation coloring her voice. "Oh get up, Eric! And get dressed, we're going to the Bronze tonight."

Willow and Eric were just stepping out of the warehouse when Angel arrived.

"Angel! The messenger found you that quickly?"

"Messenger? No. Listen. You missed one, a clan, I was in the cemetery a little while ago and...nevermind. The point is the Master's going to escape. Tomorrow, I think, something called a Harvest. He has his vampires all over town looking for sacrifices or something. We have to find the Slayer _now_. I'm going to get all the vampires here to go search the town for her. If they even get close, they should be able to _feel_ her..."

He was interrupted by Eric's angry voice. "We will not obey you." He said with contempt in his voice. This vampire dared to order the Lady. The pet may have been right about this stranger needing a good beating.

Angel noticed the vampire standing behind Willow for the first time. He had _seen_ him, but Angel hadn't paid him the slightest attention. The other's feet were braced, his hands clasped behind him. Dark hair shadowed eyes gray and intent as a wolf's.  The vampire had all the stillness of a weapon confident of it's killing edge, and most of his attention was focused on Angel.

With a quick gesture, Willow stopped Eric from saying anything more. "Angel, you didn't really think that you could just pick up where you left off, did you?" In the surprise written across his face she saw that he had. "Angel, you left. Things just don't work that way. Anyway, we've already found the Slayer, that's why I wanted you here. She's hanging around with Cordelia Chase, so she'll probably be at the Bronze tonight." Meeting his eyes, she tossed him a black velvet box and continued. "Give her that, and warn her about this Harvest you were talking about. And whatever you do..._don't_ open the box, okay? It's a cross."

"As my lady commands."

"I don't command you," Willow said with a smile. "I doubt anyone's ever commanded you."

"Not until tonight, my lady." Angel replied with a flourished bow.

Willow giggled. "You're impossible!"

"Just ancient."

"You're not that either." Laughing together, they left.  Eric, ever watchful, following behind.

Part 32

Angel ran with the easy, loping pace of a wolf. His senses alert for the slightest trace in the air of 'enemy', a presence that the demon inside of him abhorred. He hunted in an ever-increasing circuit that radiated out from the Bronze until, at last, he felt the unmistakable prickling at the edge of his mind that meant 'Slayer'.

He used that feeling to guide himself, judging from the strength of it which way to go. It led him straight to a girl, but this was no warrior, no great fighter. The girl looked like a strong wind could blow her over. Angel wondered if what he felt could be wrong, but no, the closer he came the more he wanted to rip her throat out or run, or both. Only a Slayer would cause his instincts such indecision.

Willow had been right, the girl did appear to be on her way to the Bronze. Angel followed close behind, waiting to see when the girl would feel him. She must have felt _something_. Her walk quickened, hurrying now, nearly in a run. She ducked into the first alley she came to. One Angel knew was a dead-end. He chuckled softly, almost pitying the girl. He doubted she could take _Xander_, putting this one up against the Master...

Angel entered the alley more slowly, looking around. Just when he felt sure he was right on top of her he heard a faint creaking from above. A sudden force kicked him in the back, and he found himself on the ground; a black boot planted firmly across his chest. Angel looked up into cold blue eyes, let out a surprised laugh, and contrived to look helpless.

"Is there a problem, ma'am?"

"Yeah, there's a problem. Why are you following me," she asked angrily. Angel tried to contain his laughter; she reminded him of a spitting kitten, all hiss and spunk, but hardly dangerous.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I don't bite."  The Slayer backed off, removing her boot, and stood in a composed stance, ready to fight. Angel stood up, massaging his neck and continued, "Truth is, I thought you'd be taller, or bigger muscles and all that. You're pretty spry, though."

"What do you want?" she demanded again.

"The same thing you do."

"Okay, what do _I_ want?"

He stepped closer to her as she let down her guard, whispering confidentially, "To kill them. To kill them all."

"Sorry, that's incorrect. But you do get this lovely watch and a year's supply of Turtle Wax. What I want is to be left alone!" After nearly yelling at the psycho-man, she started to walk away, determined to get away from him as fast as she could. Even if he was gorgeous.

Angel called after her. "Do you really think that's an option anymore? You're standing at the Mouth of Hell. And it's about to open."

The words sent shivers down her spine, and she stopped and turned to look back at him, wide-eyed; wondering what they meant and
why they sounded so important, so familiar. (The Mouth of Hell.)

Angel reached inside his coat and pulled out the small velvet box that Willow had told him to give to the Slayer.  He tossed it to her and watched as she caught it automatically. "Don't turn your back on this. You've gotta be ready."

"What for?" she asked, confused.

"The Harvest."

"Who are you?"

"Let's just say...I'm a friend."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend!"

Angel smirked at her, "I didn't say I was yours." (I wonder if that was cryptic enough to get her attention?) She looked down and opened the box. Shadows shifted, and by the time she looked up again, he was gone.

Part 33

"Come on, Eric. It's not _that_ bad!"

"Lady...with all due respect, you look like bait. You want me to find someone from the enemy clan, but you want me halfway across the room! It is _that_ bad. What if he tries to kill you?  I'll be too far away!"

"But that's the point! I'm _supposed_ to be bait. I _want_ to be taken. If he tries to hurt me, he'll be dead. Now stop arguing with me, get over there, and help me look! I'm going over by the snack bar. Wave or something if you see someone, okay? And look out for Xander, he said he'd stop by later."

Seeing the stubborn light in Willow's eyes, Eric knew better than to continue resisting, it wouldn't get him anywhere. Instead he nodded his acceptance and went to stand next to the stairs. He ended up having his ears filled with the empty chattering of some high
school girls. Tuning them out, he studied his Mistress. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought she was perfect for a bite to
eat, or more... But he _did_ know better, and so he beat those thoughts into submission before they got him into trouble, and turned
his attention to what he'd been ordered to do.

He scanned the crowd, looking for an unfamiliar vampire who would fit her needs. Someone young who wouldn't be too hard to control. And then Eric saw him - he was impossible to miss in the clothes he was wearing. He was dancing, clearly trying his best to entice a meal outside, and obviously not having any luck. Ought to be feeling just a bit desperate right now, hunger gnawing, wondering if tonight he'd get to eat. A young one, no more than ten years into his turning, if that. Perfect.

Looking at Willow, he was about to try for her attention when he saw that she had already noticed his target, and was on her way over to him. She gave the stranger shy, flickering glances from underneath dark lashes. Appearing innocent, and doing her best to act gullible without arousing suspicion. Whatever she said to him must have worked, because almost before he knew what was happening, the vampire was leading her out into the night. (Stay or go after her?) He saw a flash of bright red hair going out the door, and his mind was made up before he had consciously made the decision. He followed.

He watched as the badly dressed vampire led Willow away from crowded areas, but he didn't try to harm her, just continued to almost drag her into the nearest cemetery. He heard snatches of their conversation and wondered if the other was really buying the Lady's act.

"Well, that's a dark time, night. Traditionally. I still can't believe I've never seen you at school. Do you have Mr. Chomsky for history?" He saw her pause and pretend to look a little anxious.  She must have really felt some fear, because Eric could see gold flash in the other's eyes, but she continued. "Uh...the ice cream bar is this way. It's past Hamilton Street."

(Ice cream, Lady?) Eric laughed silently as the vampire did exactly what the Mistress wanted him to do..."I know a shortcut."...lead her straight to his lair.

The vampire, Thomas he was called, brought her to a large mausoleum and threw Willow inside. Eric could hear the anger in her voice as the vampire continued to push her around. (Not a good idea to keep that up, young one...)

There was a pricking along his skin, the sensation alerting him to new arrivals, two groups. One was Xander and a girl, and ahead of them a very old vampiress and a boy. Eric ducked back, staying out of sight. If the Mistress needed him, he'd know.

Willow continued to back away from Thomas, hoping that he'd stop playing silly games with his food, and just bring her home and eat already. (Ohhh...it's not a good thing when you start calling yourself food!) There was a commotion outside, and someone else was thrown into the crypt.

"Jesse!" (Oh, great! Play time's over children.) Willow calmed her emotions, and was seconds away from calling on her magic when Xander and the Slayer arrived. (Oh, this is just wonderful!  Like I didn't have enough problems. Why couldn't they show up _after_ I was finished?)

"Well, this is nice. It's a little bare, but a dash of paint, a few throw pillows...call it home!"

Willow almost laughed out loud at the Slayer's banter. (We might just get along this girl and I.) She smiled.

"Who the hell are _you_?" The vampiress questioned her. The Slayer didn't take too well to being questioned. Thomas got dusted quickly as he came up behind her. She turned to the female, and they danced, or at least that's what it looked like. They moved so fast.

While the Slayer was otherwise occupied, Willow and Xander got Jesse standing. They moved him outside, and Willow called out for Eric.

"Get Xander out of here. Take him home. I'll see about the Slayer."

Eric didn't even try to argue, he knew that Xander was important. He knew that if the boy wasn't safe, his skin wasn't likely to be safe either, so against protests of leaving Willow alone, Eric dragged Xander off.

There's a quick scream from inside, and Willow rushed inside, to see Luke about to take a bite out of the Slayer.

"Luke!"

His head shot up, and he growled. "Witch! Still wanting to play with vampires, little girl?" He smiled, jumped out of the coffin he was leaning over, and started quoting something. "But on the third day of the newest light would come the Harvest, and the blood of men will flow as wine. When the Master will walk among them once more! And Hell itself will come to town." He showed his fangs, and then he just...left.

Willow rushed over to the coffin, looking down inside to see if the Slayer was alright. "Slayer?"

The girl was panting softly, wide-eyed. Then she snapped out of whatever it was, and looked at Willow. She was alright. "Is everyone okay?"

Willow nodded, "Yeah. Xander went home. Jesse needs to go to the hospital, though...oh!" She rushed out, the Slayer right behind. "I left him out here! I just left him, and he's gone!"

"I'll get him back. I won't let it happen again!" the Slayer whispered determinedly. Her thoughts turning to what had recently happened in L.A; to all of her dead classmates, to the disaster, the burned down gym, her failure to keep her friends safe.

"Slayer, the vampires have him, and we don't know where they've gone! Don't make promises you can't keep." Willow told her in a steely voice.

"Buffy," the Slayer stated absently, her mind still elsewhere.

"What?" Willow asked. She looked at the girl, feeling a little confused, not sure she'd heard right.

"My name is _Buffy_." she explained. "And does _everyone_ in this town know I'm the Slayer? What? Was there, like, a flyer passed around or something?!"

"Umm, no? Just me. Well, me and a few other people, and a few people who aren't people, exactly. A few vampires."

"Oh," Buffy sighed.

They stared into the quiet darkness. There was no sign of anyone, no trace of what had just occurred. They looked for any clue the vampires might have left that would show where they had gone, but there weren't any and Willow soon got impatient.

"Let's go. This isn't going anybody any good. He's dead by now."

"Maybe...maybe my Watcher knows where they took him."

"Mr. Giles? He's probably at home. Do you know where he lives?"

"No. Hey! How did you know he...Xander, huh?"

"Yeah. Xander. Well, we can meet in the library before school starts, and ask him. It's worth a try, and if nothing else...we'll find those vamps and kill them."

Buffy looked up in surprise, but she didn't say anything to correct her. Willow gave her a wicked smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You want me to walk you home?"

Willow laughed. "You can come with me if you want to, but you don't have to." She held out her hands, palms cupped. Buffy watched as they filled with a soft blue light. "Vampires are kinda funny. They just don't take well to being toasted...tend to burn."

Buffy laughed. "No, no they don't, but be careful, okay?  Don't want another friend taken tonight."

"I'm your friend now, am I?" Willow gave her a cocky grin.

"Yes. You are," Buffy said seriously, and then waved and started walking away. "Goodnight!"

"See ya tomorrow, Buffy!"

Part 34

Willow was almost home when she heard voices raised in anger emanating from inside. She ran up the walkway and onto the porch.  It sounded as if Angel and Xander were arguing.

At her approach, Eric opened the door. A look of pure relief crossed his face when he saw it was her. Moving back to allow her room to enter, he gestured helplessly at the scene: Angel and Xander standing on almost opposite sides of the room, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs.

"Fine! If you won't leave, then I will!" Xander exclaimed harshly.

"That's enough!" Angel snapped. He shook his head; not even wanting to consider that option. "Nobody's going anywhere. Xander, I
would move halfway around the world before I let you move back into that house your parents call a home!"

Stung, Xander struck back. "Let me?! You're not my father!  You have no right to tell me what to do! You lost whatever say-so you had when you left me!"

Eric leaned down to whisper in Willow's ear. "Shall I kill him now Mistress? He was already here when I brought the boy home.  I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I waited."

He just shrugged at the frown she cast his way, as if to say 'What did you expect?'. She shooed him out the door; following, and closed it after them. "They're gonna have to work that out for themselves."

Angel flinched. "No, I'm not your father; I care!"

"You cared enough to leave us alone for two months. In all that time you never once even called! Willow _cried_," He shot back, blinded by tears.

Angel stepped closer; lowering his voice to keep it from breaking. "And you? Did you cry, Xander?"

"Yes! I cried, okay? I missed you so much sometimes that I felt sick. You're one of the things that make this home. But you
know something, Angel? It didn't matter how much I missed you, you were still gone. Why did you go? Was the girl really that important?"

Angel felt suddenly tired; his face was grave as he gestured for Xander to sit.

Willow stared intently into Eric's shadowed face, as she explained what she feared was going to happen soon. Trying to convey all of the urgency she felt, and hoped that he understood what she wanted of him.

She watched as he walked down the moonlit street, wishing that for once things would go as planned. Then, taking the silence as her cue, she turned and went back inside.

Xander felt a dizzy lurch in the pit of his stomach. He had never considered Angel's mortality; he was a _vampire_, he wasn't supposed to die. He stared in dawning horror as the realizations washed over him. Angel was _afraid_, had been so afraid that he'd left to find help, afraid for himself and for both of them. He did care.

He looked up at Willow as she came and sat next to him; her face a mass of conflicting emotions. Sinking back into the cushions of the sofa, he waited for her to say something.

She looked into both their faces before she began, glad to see that things seemed settled between them. "Jesse's gone," she stated plainly. At Xander's shocked expression, she hurried to continue. "Vampires, not mine, took him when I went to help the slayer, Buffy." A slight smile crossed her face as she said the girl's name. "The Harvest has begun, and we still don't know how to stop it. Buffy gonna meet us tomorrow morning in the school's library. We're hoping her watcher, Mr. Giles, may know something about what's going to happen, may have some idea how we can prevent the Master from escaping."

Xander looked at Angel. "We can do it, right?" He laughed nervously. "No problem."

"We're going to try."

Later that night

Dawn was still a few hours away as Angel moved though the peaceful house, bringing his book and a mug of blood into the living
room. (Microwave ovens are wonderful things.) He was glad to be home again.

A couple hours later, Pip's adventures in "Great Expectations" were interrupted by Willow's soft laughter coming from the kitchen. Xander, his face and tone haughty enough to be worthy of a king, was arrogantly explaining to Willow why chocolate ice-cream was the best.

"Another point in my favour is that if you don't have a spoon, chocolate can be eaten quite nicely with your finger." He demonstrated, dipping a finger into his bowl, playing to her laughter.

Willow caught Angel staring at them wistfully from the door.  Beckoning to him, she said to Xander, "What we need is a judge. Some
fine person who will agree with me that vanilla is by far the better flavour. And look, here's our judge now."

They both waited expectantly as Angel dutifully tasted each, considering each carefully and making thoughtful "hmm's". He was still trying to decide when the announcer on the radio interrupted the music for a special new broadcast.

"...to bring you the news of a very strange robbery. About an hour ago, approximately thirty men wearing Halloween masks broke into Toys 'R' Us, stealing more than fifteen playstations. Nothing else was taken or tampered with. Police are still investigating the scene for any evidence that could lead them to understand the motive of this unusual crime. "

Confronted with two nearly identical expressions of incredulity, Willow took the easy way out. "Umm...well guys, I'm gonna go get dressed now...and Xander, you're completely right, chocolate is the best." She beat a hasty retreat to her room, leaving them staring after her.

Xander was the first to speak. "Playstations? Fifteen playstations?! What would Willow want with fifteen playstations?"

"Actually, she said more than fifteen. Willow is really taking her position as Mistress seriously, isn't she?" Angel said.

Xander looked at him, "You have no idea what a playstation is, do you? But yeah, she is, or does...most of the time."

"Things have changed while I was gone. I wish now that I hadn't left."

"I wish you'd stayed, too. But you did go, and we understand. Things will work out." (Hopefully.) "I'm gonna go back to bed, Angel, don't stay up too late. Something is probably gonna happen soon, we all need our rest."

"Good night, Xander."

Angel smiled as he watched the boy leave. But his smile quickly faded as his thoughts turned to another leave-taking. One from which he'd never returned. (My sweet Will, where are you now?)

Part 35

Somewhere in Europe--Present time

A single shaft of sunlight pierced the canopy of branches that rose above the open courtyard, lighting the fountain in it's center.  The sun-touched water tumbled down, clear as glass, into the deep pool below. It's noisy fall issued whispering and babbling madness to the man passing but a few feet away.

He stopped to listen for a moment...

Prague--1891

He was pressed belly down into the icy slush of snow-covered mud. The blood from his wounds mixing with the foul stuff beneath him. Dirt was ground into his mouth, nose, and eyes even as he tried to spit it out. Then a hand locked into his hair and jerked his head from the ground, nearly snapping his neck. Someone stood on his back to try to keep him still while others held him down and his head was bent back.  They were going to slice open his throat.

He struck out with his arms and legs randomly, erratically, barely hearing the sounds he made that escaped his constricted throat. He listened for the loud cracks telling him of broken bones. His lips were drawn back with the effort of dislodging the men holding him down. The mobs cries of 'Daemon' ringing in his ears. He flailed again, struggling, managing to free himself long enough to turn over. Long enough to wish he hadn't.

He saw her then, his princess, as they dragged her down, swarming over her and tearing her to bits. He watched her cry out in anguish, cry out for _him_, until one of the blood-crazed mob hacked off her beautiful head. He lay on the ground, mud oozing through his clothes, his body burning in pain, as his love exploded into glittering dust, gone. There was nothing. (Drusilla!)

"Noooo!" He screamed, ripping the flesh of his throat. A high, heartrending cry that heralded the death of every man, woman, and child. The last tattered remains of his soul fled. What made him William was gone, and all that was left was a demon who was empty
of all emotion save one.

Hate.

...and then continued, his heels tip-tapping on the stone floor. His face was devoid of all expression, glacial blue eyes masked, hiding the emotions that lay within him. Had the man's minion's known the haunted thoughts that occasionally flitted through his mind they probably would have run, or killed themselves, instead of patiently waiting in the white-tiled room that was his destination.

A woman hung limply in chains, the iron bands of manacles cutting into her wrists. Blood ran slowly down her bare arms dripping onto the floor, the bright red beads stark against the white tiles.

He stood watching as she tried to control her terror. Her eyes shut tight, blocking out her surroundings; all the people in the room watching her. He smiled, little more than a mocking twist of his lips. She didn't know he was there...yet.

"Hello, pet."

Her eyes shot open in panic. His smile grew wider as she breathed hard and her heart began to race. He tapped the solid weight of his sharpened railroad spike against the palm of his hand as he walked around her several times, prolonging her anxiety. Her enjoyed her fear, but he loved the pain more.

"Shall we begin?" he whispered.

Part 36

By the time Giles parked his car the moon had already drifted high in the sky. He had the awful feeling in the pit of his stomach that said they were too late. He parked about a block away from the club. Vampires had remarkable hearing and, if they were already inside, he didn't want to let them know they were coming with the noise that his old car made.

The group ran the rest of the way with Buffy in the lead.  She reached the door first, only to find that it was locked. (Why did Mom have to pick tonight to start listening to self-help tapes?  Like they're really gonna help her deal with being the slayer's mother. Not that she knows I'm the slayer, but still!)

Buffy turned to the others, not wasting time trying to break down the solid steel door. "It's locked," she said. Dread crept into her voice. If the door was locked, the vampires were definitely already inside, probably already killing.

"We're too late!" Giles exclaimed.

Feeling guilty because she'd caused the delay, Buffy tried to defend herself. "I didn't know I was gonna get grounded!"

Xander tried to bring their attention back to the problem.  They needed a solution, not a screaming match in the middle of the street. "Can you knock it down?"

"No, not that thing. I'm not Superman, ya know," she said sarcastically, but she gave him a quick apologetic smile to show she didn't mean it. She was just scared. The whole situation brought back memories, bad ones. Memories of dead friends, dying trapped in a burning gym, calling out her name, for help that didn't come soon enough.

A scream split the air, whether real or imagined she didn't know, but it prompted her to action. "Um...you guys try the back entrance. I'll find my own way," Buffy looked up at the windows.  (Not too far...)

"Right. Come on," Giles ordered, expecting Xander and Willow to follow him as he started off around the building as his Slayer had
suggested.

(Just who does he think he is?) Willow thought idly as they turned follow him to the back of the warehouse. The order wasn't welcome, but the Slayer's suggestion had some sense.

"Uh, wait! Guys!" Buffy called softly, getting Willow's and Xander's attention.  Giles, however, didn't hear and kept on going.

"Here," Buffy handed a cross to Xander and her duffel to Willow. "You get the exit cleared and the people out. That's all!  Don't go all 'Wild Bunch' on me."

"Buffy, don't worry about us. Just stop the Vessel. We'll be fine!" Willow assured her. (You get the Vessel, we get everything else. Even trade, I think.)

Giles ran around the back of the club, going ahead of the two strange children who didn't act like children. He didn't trust them, and that conversation he'd overheard in the car hadn't helped. He hoped Buffy wouldn't trust them too easily. They didn't know much
about the two, other than that both went to the high school and seemed to know a lot about vampires.

The Watcher, thinking of Xander and Willow, didn't pay much attention to his surroundings. If he had, he might have noticed the five people he was running toward with breakneck speed.

Willow and Xander went more slowly, looking for Angel and the others. (I wonder who will be with him, other than Eric.) Stealing the playstations had been nothing more than a test inspired by Xander's comment a few nights ago. It was to find out which of her clan had the most initiative and intelligence, to see who would be the most help to her. (I'm gonna have to find some way to pay for them...)

"Hey, Will?"

She turned to see Xander dangling the cross Buffy had given him at arms reach between two fingers, looking confused.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

Willow laughed, "Give it to Giles."

She pulled the duffle from over her shoulder and rummaged through it. (There ought to be something better than a cross in here...ah! Here we go.) She pulled out two wooden stakes with sharp points and gently tossed one to Xander. "Here, take that. Try and aim for the heart."

Xander looked sick, and more than a little worried. Willow's vamps were one thing - they didn't try to eat him, but the vampires in the Bronze probably wouldn't like him poking holes in them with a stake. He looked at his best friend, his near sister, with a wordless question in his eyes.

Willow saw the emotions in his expressive brown eyes and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She tapped his shirt over
the place where she knew the silver medallion hung hidden beneath. "You'll be fine."

Xander nodded, "Yeah. Let's get going before we miss all the fun," he said, trying to work some enthusiasm into his voice, but when she turned away he swallowed. Hard.

"Just let him go. He's only one man. We have other things to do right now." Angel said in a reasonable tone.

David held the man, keeping him quiet as Angelus and Eric argued over what to do. Staying quiet himself. He'd gotten himself noticed enough: first when he'd disagreed with Eric about letting Angelus in to see Willow, and again last night when Eric had ordered them to bring back some playstations for the Mistress. Really, all he'd done was get the bunch pointed in the right direction. He hadn't done anything big. Now, here he was, stuck waiting on a back street for the Mistress.

"He'll be sure to go to the police. I'm not suggesting we kill him. That's against the rules. Just knock him unconscious until we're done so he doesn't go for the police." Eric replied in an equally reasonable tone.

"I say! You..." A hand clamped over Giles' mouth as the he interrupted, his sentence ending in a hard "eep!"  (Damn hooligans!)

"And hurting people isn't against the rules? What if you hit him too hard? Humans are fragile!" Angel wished Willow would hurry; her vampires were most definitely _hers_. They weren't taking what he said very well and there were too many to fight without risking the man more. Dominance was getting to be an issue.

They heard the sound of gravel crunching underfoot and looked as Willow and Xander turned the corner. Willow was walking towards
them with a light, aggressive step; her glance sharp; her hair hanging freely in a cloud of fire around her face. Angel had never seen her look so beautiful.

"Lady," Eric greeted her, giving a nod to the solemn boy at her side when they got closer.

"You're okay?" Angel asked, hurrying to them both. He started to hug them when a wave of fear hit him, his own fear. He backed away quickly. (What am I afraid of?) He was puzzled. There was nothing.

Xander hadn't expected Angel's sudden approach. He hadn't really seen who it was, and had instinctively started to back away, not wanting to be touched. He hadn't been. He sighed, relaxing a little. (The medallion must really work. Big relief. Big, big relief! Not that I doubted Willow, it's just nice to know for sure!)

Willow noticed his odd behavior but didn't mention it, instead answering his question. "We're both just wonderful. We haven't even gone in there yet." She grinned, "How are _you_, Angel? Ready for some excitement?"

Willow didn't wait for his answer. The thrill of anticipation coursed through her, making her impatient. She pivoted, turning her dancing eyes to Eric, and indicated the other three vampires. "These are the three that did the best?"

"Yes, Lady." Eric confirmed.

"I'm hardly surprised to see Aaron and David, but who's she?" A woman stood behind David and Giles, peeking out from behind
the males as she looked at the Mistress, her guileless blue eyes riveted to the human girl. She had an uncommonly thick mane of sable hair that clouded in silky, unruly waves about her face, nearly obscuring what was an almost cameo-perfect visage. The loveliness of her delicate features made Willow's breath catch. (Aren't there any ugly vampires?)

"That's Sydney. She stopped a few of the fledglings from killing the security guard at the store."

"Were the fledglings punished?"

Eric nodded. "Good." Concerning herself with the Watcher still struggling in David's arms finally, she told him to let Giles go. At their uncertain looks she explained, "He's the Watcher I told you about."

At her words, David's face became a mask of pure horror and he let go of Giles so fast the man almost fell. "We didn't know, Lady! I would never have touched him if I'd known!" He explained franticly.

"Wha...Willow..." Giles started to question Willow about what was going on, but Buffy was probably already inside. (Nevermind! I've need get inside now. The questions must wait.)

Willow smiled at him, "He's fine, David. You didn't do anything wrong." She continued briskly, addressing everybody as Giles ran to the Bronze's back door trying to force it open, but kept her voice low so the Watcher wouldn't hear. "Now remember. No slip-ups!  The Slayer is already inside, and so is the other clan we're here to fight. Ignore the Slayer and anyone she's fighting, concentrate on everyone else. There are humans in there, get them out. Dust any strangers you see. Keep your faces human! I don't want to have to hurt the Slayer because she dusts one of you. If she comes after you anyway, yell for me by name. Got that?" They did, grinning at her, as ready as she for the fight ahead.

Eric saw the pitiful human still trying to force open the door. It wasn't moving, even under the Watcher's hardest attempts. "David, Aaron. Get the door for the Lady."

The two kicked in the door, almost making it fall off the hinges. Xander handed Giles the cross as he stood, openmouthed. He flashed the man a slight grin, "Time for the fun to start."

They entered the darkened warehouse, the only illumination spotlighting the stage with a blue glow that drew their eyes to the scene unfolding before a terrified audience. Buffy was down. She lay on top a pile of brown cardboard boxes against a wall at the back of the stage with Luke slowly advancing on her. Exaggerated panic was written across her face as she crawled away from him.

Willow grinned. Buffy was okay, and Luke was a moron. He didn't suspect a thing until the Slayer flipped up and kicked him in the face, breaking his nose. (Oh...that had to hurt!)

Giles saw his Slayer get up, pride filling him at seeing her determination. He looked at the crowd of panicking people and, taking heart from her example, he set about doing what he knew she would want him to do. He put aside all of the thoughts that tried to muddle his head. He'd think about Willow and all those people later. He wasn't going to just "watch", he was going to help, starting with getting the people out of this godforsaken club. It would give her one less thing to worry about and let her concentrate more on defeating the Vessel.

"Come on! Hurry! The door's open, " he whispered urgently, repeatedly, to the group nearest the open door. The group of young  people had their attention fixed on the fight, but Giles' words had them quickly moving. The librarian went to the next group, alerting
the people as fast as he could, hoping the vampires wouldn't notice until he had them all out.

Willow, green eyes flashing a contagious fire, quickly took in the situation: Giles evacuating the people, two vampires guarding the front exit, a few fledglings mustering up enough courage to feed while Luke was distracted. She held up a hand, smoothly gesturing
her orders as she had so many times before. Sydney was to take care of the fledglings. She sent David and Eric to get the front door  open, Angel to protect the Watcher, and Aaron to protect Xander.

She was burdened by responsibility for the other humans, she couldn't kill them or risk them, not even if it would make killing the vampires easier. Willow never hesitated. She embraced the decision. It was harder than simply killing them but it kept those she cared about safe.

Willow gathered her will and calmly thrust her consciousness into a spell that spread like a web across the dark, settling upon each enemy vampire. Power snared her awareness, keeping her attention fixed upon her enemies. Denying them the kill was against their natures, and only force would stop them. She rammed her desires into the vampires' minds, her thoughts like hot needles penetrating through every weakness she found. They would not kill.

She would have kept them immobile if she could have, but there were over twenty. That was just too many, she was straining her power enough as it was, and constantly holding the vampires in check was draining her a little at a time.

Only one escaped, the one that mattered most. She couldn't penetrate the shields of protection that surrounded him. Luke, the Vessel. Willow sent a desperate thought the Slayer's way. (Hurry up, Buffy! I can't keep this up forever!) It was really too bad Buffy couldn't hear.

(This has got to be the _dumbest_ idea you've ever acted on Xander Harris. Saving Harmony the Cordette's life? What a joke.)  Xander walked up behind a vampire about to take a bite out of Harmony, one of Cordelia's friends. He raised his trusty stake - it  hadn't failed him once tonight - and tiptoed closer to the vamp.

He was leaning in for a bite when he felt a cold trickle of fear run down his back. The vampire looked over his shoulder to see a young brown-eyed boy pointing a stick at him. He regretfully backed away from his dinner. But when he moved, the boy rushed him, sinking  the stake into his flesh even as he fell to the floor in his haste to get away.

Xander heard the hiss of pain as the stake sunk into the vampire's shoulder, felt the quiver as it struck. It made him sick to hurt anything, and he had hurt the vampire, but he hadn't killed it and that's what he had to do. Xander cursed as the vampire tried to crawl away. "Will you please hold still?!"

The vampire was paralyzed with terror as the boy came closer, froze as the stake darted once again towards his heart. The last thing he heard was his dinner screeching at the boy. "You killed my date!"

Dust.

David and Eric must have gotten the front door open because the Bronze was clearing out fast, which was good for the people who left, but it did make the ones who stayed behind stand out a lot more. Giles, still hurrying people out the door, was especially conspicuous and two vampires quickly tried to drag him off. If they brought the Master some dinner maybe he wouldn't be so mad about Luke  failing him, because it looked like the little blond was wiping the floor with him.

Unfortunately, for them, Angel didn't like that idea. Willow watched him start to beat one into unconsciousness, but her attention was diverted by a loud squeak that made her look up; someone was coming down the stairs above her. Green met amber as the girl caught her eyes. She wore a red uniform, obviously doing her best to look like a school girl, but a woman's face marred the illusion and her  eyes gave the demon away. Violence seemed to echo in the air around her like an aura, and her eyes shone with an inhuman lust for blood and killing.

Willow felt her stomach tighten in recognition of evil. The demon's lovely face was nothing but a mask that fell away as the vampire stopped in front of her. A cruel smile touched her lips, baring fangs as she spoke.

"So you're the little girl who holds my childe's leash." The vampiress assessed her with a look, and laughed. "I must say, you're  welcome to him. He's become a great disappointment to me."

Willow's concentration splintered and it took her a moment to bring the spell back under control enough to answer, but she did answer. The first rule of dealing with vampires is to show no weaknesses. (Why do _you_ care?)

"Who are you?"

The demon looked genuinely surprised for a moment, but the emotion was quickly covered with sarcasm. "You mean he's never  mentioned me? I'm crushed! I'm his Sire, little girl."

Willow had no idea what she was talking about, or even _who_ she was talking about. It made no difference. As long as the demon was talking, she wasn't attacking. But some of Willow's confusion must have shown.

"Oh, you meant my name? Darla. Anymore than that would be telling." She waited, poised like a cat toying with helpless prey.  But Willow refused to be baited, tilting her head and smiling sweetly. Darla matched her smile with a feral grin, tired of the game, and started to slowly advance on the girl.

In a flurry of motion, Aaron came out of nowhere, dashing towards them and colliding forcefully with Darla. They hit the ground rolling. Gaining the advantage because of his size, Aaron sprang to his feet, drew back a leg, and buried a boot in the woman's midsection. Then he grabbed her by her hair and jerked the blond to her feet.

But with Willow's concentration broken, the effects of controlling the enemy vampires descended upon her. She was exhausted. With invisible starbursts flashing before her eyes, Willow could barely see - let alone stand. When her legs started to fold beneath her, she didn't even try to keep her feet. Instead she leaned back against one of the stair's support columns and closed her eyes as she slowly slid to the floor.

Angel finished off the vampires and helped Giles to his feet in time to see Willow start to fall. Fear washed over him in an icy cascade he'd known only once before.

"Willow!"

He lunged toward her in what felt like slow motion. Her head turned in his direction, her pale face framed by a cloud of fiery-red hair. He caught only a glimpse of her wide eyes before they drifted shut as she slowly fell to the floor.

(She's dead.)

Like a deep, clean cut that doesn't bleed until several moments after it is inflicted, Angel was blessedly numb to the pain of loss. Darkness overwhelmed him. Tendrils of a cold, black fog swirled through his mind, stealing reason and emotion. It left behind a curious sense of waiting.

(Willow's dead?)

Then, without knowing how he got there, Angel was on his knees drawing her into his arms. He slowly rocked her back and forth, paying no attention to the events unfolding around him. A rhythmic thud echoed in the unnatural silence shock had imposed. Angel struggled to discern the significance of the sounds but his brain simply would not process the information. He could only focus on the fragile form lying utterly still in his arms. Except, it wasn't still, not completely.

Fascinated, Angel's eyes were drawn down to the fine, almost translucent skin. He could see the coppery veins stretching like a  delicate spider's web all over her body. The color was very much like a watered-down burgundy wine. Light, almost indiscernible  movements shuddered underneath that porcelain skin in time with the strange noise. Angel knew it was important but why...

A wistful sigh feathered the air.

The shroud of darkness and the numbness that it brought with it suddenly shattered, leaving Angel openly exposed to a wild torrent of raw emotion.

Fear, helpless rage, utter loneliness, an overwhelming sense of relief buffeted Angel until he could hardly focus. They picked him up in a strange tidal wave and threw him around until all he could do was cling to Willow in an effort to remain calm and sane.

(She's alive. Willow is alive. She's alive)

Relentlessly repeating his mantra, he cupped her delicate jaw in his hand, searching her face for pain, afraid she had been hurt.  He cradled her in his arms and lowered his head, nuzzling her neck in desperate need for reassurance. He found it in the warmth of her  silken skin, the miraculous throb of her pulse. He placed a light kiss against it, finally understanding the significance of the feel of the gentle fluttering beneath his lips. The darkness retreated, the fear fleeing as well, releasing it's grip on his soul once more.  It left him curiously lost in a pool of relief and another emotion he wouldn't, couldn't, even put a name to. It warmed him in a way he hadn't been in his life.

It flooded Angel's heart and mind. In the face of such a confusing and foreign emotion, he held her in his arms, crushing her to him gently as if the tightness of his embrace would keep her from turning into a ghost and fading away, taking this wonderful new emotion with her.

Willow's eyes shot open in shock at the feel of Angel's lips against her skin, the specks of phantom light continuing to cascade across her darkened vision. (I think I need to sit down. Can I faint now?) She blinked sightlessly up at the ceiling several times, then said his name in a breathy, questioning voice.

"Angel?"

Angel only gave her a soothing rumble of a purr in reply.  (Don't want to stop! I can't...)

Willow, a little more insistently, "Angel? What are you doing?" (This is nice, but...Angel?)

He didn't want her to continue, to tell him 'stop'. Angel was helpless in the face of his tumultuous emotions. It was strange, new, and a little scary but it overwhelmed him and he didn't want to let it, or her, go. He didn't want to stop, and so he moved to her mouth, occupying it in ways other than talking. It happened so abruptly that there wasn't time for questioning, much less surprise.  The act of sharing, of touching so intimately, released a rush of euphoria in him. Angel hadn't anticipated the softness, the warmth, or the sheer _rightness_ that kissing her gave him. Shivers racked his body, tiny fingers of pleasure spider-walked up and down his body, and he deepened the kiss in desperation.

Willow wrapped an arm around his neck and closed her fist in his hair, hanging on for dear life. She drew him closer as a slow fire began to build, burning deep inside them both.

He accepted her invitation with a hoarse growl that was half plea, half warning as the slight pain threatened to break his control. His mouth slanted over hers, capturing first one lip and then the other, tasting and tugging in such a way that it had the fire coiling in her stomach. And then his tongue touched her touch her slightly parted lips.

"Open for me," he begged. "Dear God, open you mouth and let me inside."

The words were spoken in a rasping voice so unlike Angel's usual calm, that Willow immediately complied. He'd sounded as if he were in pain. With a low sound, he sent his tongue into her warmth, the two blending together perfectly, twirling and twining and stroking in an amazing and intoxicating fashion. An electricity more primitive than lightning arcing between them.

Xander came up behind Angel. He was still kneeling over Willow and Xander was getting worried. "Angel? Is Willow all right," he asked softly.

Angel broke the kiss, turning to look up. Willow's intake of breath froze in a feeble squeak as she saw Xander. She turned back to look at Angel. Willow tried in vain to shake the cloud of pleasure and confusion that had descended upon her. (Angel kissed me?) The absolute delight she had felt had been so unexpected that it left her breathless and wondering.

She stared at him for longer than he could bare, her face clouded with confusion. Then her hands touched her mouth, fingers  trembling.

"Oh," she said on a rushing breath, gusting it into her palms. A second breathy "Oh," and then she scrambled to her feet, backing away from him straight into Aaron. She didn't notice.

Willow stared wide-eyed at Angel as a sentence repeated itself in the depths of her mind. (Angel kissed me.)

Angel frowned as she backed away. Willow had _never_ backed away from him. Never. (I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...) But the truth was he _had_ meant to, and even as he started to apologize, he stopped. He wasn't sorry, not for kissing her. He was sorry for scaring her, but now wasn't the time to explain.

He looked away from her face into the eyes of the man standing behind Willow. Their gazes met, amber striking amber.

One pair burned.

Buffy spat, sickened by the taste of blood on her lips. Her arm throbbed and every inch of her body felt bruised. She had to win this fight soon. She was getting tired, and that was dangerous. Her resolve hardened. There was a lamp behind the blacked-out window.  If she couldn't beat the vampire one way, there were always others. She grabbed the closest thing in reach: a metal microphone stand,  and got ready to throw.

"You forget, metal can't hurt me," the large vampire told her scornfully.

(Idiot.) "There's something you forgot, too. Sunrise!"  Buffy threw the stand, shattering the window, and watched as the Vessel cowered in the golden lamplight. (Double idiot.) She pulled her stake from the sheath strapped to her back, and walked up behind him as he continued to shield his face. Just as the vampire realized the trick, she plunged the stake into his heart.

"It's in about nine hours, moron!" (He was the Vessel?  Where do they get these guys?)

She turned, narrowing her eyes into slits against the glare of the spotlight, and looked around the Bronze. The glint of light striking metal caught her attention. The last two vampires were dusted even as she moved to help the dark-haired woman fighting them.

Sydney dusted off her hands and sheathed her twin blades, pleased with herself. Eight minions dusted. She had a higher count tonight than when they'd taken Aaron's clan.

A rush of warm, electric power beat against her back. She swung around to see a petite blond walking towards her. (The Slayer.) She backed away slowly, hands in front of her in a warding gesture.  (I didn't do her anything! Why is she coming over here?) "La...Willow!"

(Where's the Mistress? She said she'd come...) "La..Mis...Willow, please!" (Go away, go away, go away!)

The girl stopped, looking at her curiously. The waves of energy receded a little as she said, "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything, you know..." She trailed off as the Mistress arrived, out of breath and flushed.

"Sydney? What? What's the matter? You okay?"

Sydney nodded but didn't answer. Willow looked at the Slayer. "Buffy?"

"She dusted two vampires. I was just..."

"I killed eight," Sydney broke in, stung.

"Good," The Lady praised her, but then she sent her over to Eric. (Man! I never get to see anything fun anymore! I wonder what the Lady's going to do with the Slayer?)

"She killed eight?" Buffy was incredulous. "Eight!"

Willow giggled, "Buffy, we've lived here our whole lives.  What did you think we did until you got here?"

"But...eight!"

"Come on, let's get out of here."

Giles walked towards the man. Now that he wasn't in such a hurry because his Slayer was in danger, he had time to think over several things that these people had said. They just didn't make sense. The man who had held him outside had called Willow 'Lady', and had been extremely afraid when he had thought he'd done something she wouldn't like. Willow seemed like an ordinary young woman, if a
little quiet. Why had the man been afraid? Then the other man, the one who'd threatened to knock him unconscious, had mentioned 'rules'. Whose rules? The group had obviously been the back-up Willow had mentioned to Xander in the car. They had probably been who she'd called at the library. It was also very obvious that they all knew about vampires. Which reminded him...

"Excuse me." The man turned around and Giles quickly studied him. "I wanted to thank you for your help earlier. You were quite
timely. A few more minutes and I would have been dragged off. Also, thank you for...for," he gestured to the door, "outside earlier.
Knocks on the head aren't good for me, I fear. I'm Rupert Giles," he said, holding out his hand.

The man shook it politely. "I'm Angel. It was no problem.  I was glad to help."

"Please. Call me Giles," he said absently. The man's name pricked at his memory, at something familiar, but nothing came  immediately to mind. "Angel. That's an unusual name you have," he said, but Angel wasn't listening.

Giles followed his gaze and saw the two girls walking towards them and wondered which one the heat in Angel's eyes was reserved for.

Buffy walked straight up to Giles. "I thought I said not to get involved. What happened to being safe?"

"W...well, uh, I..." Giles tried to come up with an answer but didn't have any luck. (How am I supposed to say that I didn't want her to get hurt?)

Buffy smiled. "Thanks for the help. We'd better go before the police get here." She nodded to the two bodies up on the stage, the Bronze's bouncer and a girl. "I, for one, don't want to be here for all the questions."

"It's over, I take it?," Giles asked.

"For now at least," Buffy replied.

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