They were silent, the younger following the elder without direction and without speech, their bodies automatically attuning to one another's. The long denied blood bond between them, kicking in at their proximity and the relative lack of hostility between them at the moment. Neither one would admit it, but there was also a touch of nostalgia there. Once again they were side by side, united.
Angel stopped first and after a few more steps, so did his grandchilde as what the dark haired vampire sensed, permeated through his preoccupation.
"Incoming...", Angel hissed, just as a group of vampires rushed in from one of the other access tubes.
Spike welcomed them in a flurry of violence and fists, glad for the distraction.
They fought side by side, falling back into old habits, reading each others moves and feeding off the competitive edge which had always existed between them. As a result, their movements appeared almost choreographed as they played off of one another. Alone, each was a highly effective killing machine. Together, they were a force of nature. A scourge.
All too soon, there was only silence and dust, as their last opponent fell away in a cloud of particles.
"Well that was bloody amusing", the blond chuckled darkly.
Spike reached into his coat pocket for a cigarette. He lit the fag and inhaled deeply, watching his Grandsire's broad back. There was a feeling of waiting in the air, a heaviness.
"They were waiting for us."
The younger vampire frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"There was no reason for them to attack us, and unrelated minions don't make a habit of forming large groups like that. Especially in a small town like Sunnydale. They'd be in direct competition for all their prey", Angel explained his thoughts softly.
Spike was beginning to see what the dark vampire was saying. "So either they decided they were tired of us using them for target practice, or somebody set them on us?"
Angel only just managed to nod before he stiffened and lurched forward. Only his outstretched arm on the tunnel wall, kept him from collapsing to his knees in the three inches of fetid water which lined the sewers.
The bleached blond's mouth fell open in surprise, the cigarette falling and hitting the water with a hiss.
"You didn't get hurt did you you bloody Poof?!", Spike snarled.
The dark vampire didn't answer.
"Angelus?"
"Willow", Angel finally choked. "She's upset. Something's happened, and it wasn't good." His eyes opened abruptly. Yellow eyes burned into the gloom.
"If anything's happened to my witch I'm going to kill the Slayer's boy-toy."
"I'll help", Angel growled, taking off into the darkness with Spike right behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"They still walk...", the female voice sing-songed. "They walk. Saint and sinner, father and son, they walk together..."
His lady's voice still sang in the gloom of their lair. The Sorcerer slammed his fist on the table in frustration. He'd hoped to get rid of the vampires, further weakening his enemies by striking at the red-haired witch and the blond Daybreaker. He had been sure that destroying their consorts could have secured him victory.
It was they who had disturbed the sanctity of the temple. Their magickal signatures had been easy to trace, neither women had exactly been discrete as they stomped through. Luckily, they're tripping of the safety measures had allowed him the necessary time to remove the girl. She was the last. She fulfilled all the prerequisites. 'A goddess-blessed natural witch, with hair like blood, untouched by man', the ritual dictated.
'So typical', he thought snidely. 'A virgin sacrifice. Quite silly really....'
The tall, dark haired woman behind him, continued to murmur and hum, finally closing her eyes and tilting her head back as she began to twirl slowly. She twirled faster and faster, her feet a blur and the long, velvet skirt of her dress swishing against her pale, slender legs.
Hunger rose within him, fearful in its intensity.
"Drusilla!", he barked.
The vampiress stopped. Her long, sable hair whipping about her face and neck. She stared at the Sorcerer, and swayed slightly.
"Naughty boy, having naughty thoughts.... I should punish--" She walked towards him slowly, her moves preternaturally graceful. "--with a switch."
He grabbed her by her waist and dragged her against him.
Drusilla dragged one of her dagger-like fingernails down his cheek. "We're like snakes in the woodshed, we are..."
The Sorceror smiled in agreement, his hands already gathering her skirt.
~Part: 52~
Willow watched the blond girl silently, wondering how long it would take her to awaken. She'd barely managed to make the blond vampire understand what was wrong with his love. He paced just out of the red head's sights. Angel sat behind her one arm settled around her offering comfort in the silence.
"Why isn't she waking up Red?", Spike demanded coming to stop in front of the unconscious blond woman. He knelt easily next to her, his hand reaching out and gently tucking strands of wild blond behind her ear.
"Soon Spike," Willow said, turning sharply when a soft sigh escaped the woman on the couch.
Tara's blue eyes blinked, slowly focusing on the vampire kneeling next to her. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Spike hissed softly, wanting desperately to stop the pain that he saw there.
"She's awake", Buffy whispered from where she stood in the doorway. She turned and Willow had no doubt she was going to get Giles.
Tara studied Spike for a long moment, before she threw herself into his arms, soft sobs falling from her lips.
Spike sighed needlessly, wrapping his arms around the blond witch. "Oh luv" he whispered. He didn't understand the nature of what had happened to her, but Willow had explained it would be like loosing a limb only even more so. Tara had been a witch far longer then Willow had been, and Willow could not imagine what it would be like to suddenly loose that.
"Tara...", Giles spoke her name from the doorway concern clear on his face. The young woman offered the Watcher a sad smile, more tears spilling from her blue eyes.
"I'll be all right", she murmured, "I just need to go home."
She drew back from the blond vampire her eyes moving around the room, she offered her redheaded friend a small sad smile, then looked at Spike once more.
"Take me home", she whispered softly.
The blond vampire nodded, scooping her up in his arms. Not a word escaped the others. It was quite plain to them all that Tara was quite safe with Angel's childe. That Spike was in love with Tara had become patently obvious.
Spike headed back the way he had come sensing somehow that the streets would not be safe. He could only hope that the apartment would be, he had no way of knowing for sure.
Tara's head lolled on his shoulder, eyes closed. She felt empty, like she'd been completely drained of who she was. The place where her connection to Circle Daybreak had been was empty and void; like a gaping wound in the back of her mind. The place where the Circle's combined powers had resided was also empty and cold. She gasped softly. It hurt. Bile rose in her throat, hot and bitter. Pushing herself frantically away, he released her with reluctance. Tara almost fell out of his arms in her haste.
She leaned heavily against the sewer walls, bent so that she could retch.
"Tara?"
She could hear Spike's frantic calling of her name as she continued to throw up, sinking unsteadily to her knees. What had they done to her? She felt like she had the first month after her initial initiation. The Circle's power had done something to her, she hadn't understood what it was, and now it seemed that the removal of it was much like it's taking.
The woman began to shiver then, uncontrollably; her teeth chattering and cold like nothing she'd ever known settling on her bones.
A warning growl echoed through the tunnels from Spike's throat. As if he felt the need to warn off any possible foes. Tara was weak and defenseless and he would protect her with his very life. Without another word, the vampire lifted her once more.
Tara was barely aware of what was happening around her. All she could focus on was Spike's continued presence at the edge of her mind. His hold on her never wavering.
When they finally reached the cellar of their building she had managed to get the worried vampire to let her walk albeit unsteadily.
She moved slowly, still weak in the knees. Something was wrong. She just knew it.
When she saw that the door to their apartment, which had been carefully locked earlier that day, was ajar; she knew she was right. Sighing, Tara pushed it open, wondering what she would find.
The living room was untouched, exactly as they had left it. She bit her lip softly, already suddenly sure what had happened. Moving as quickly as her weak form would allow her to the small room that had once held all her supplies. A cry formed on her lips, never leaving her throat as she took in the damage.
Every book, rock, crystal, candle, and herb was scattered to the four winds. It looked as though a hurricane had hit the small room. Blinking back tears, she moved quickly towards the back of the room. The closet was open and she was terrified of what she might find. They had no right; those things had nothing to do with them. They were from before... and there for not theirs to take.
The trunk looked unharmed and she sighed softly steeling herself, the fear not leaving her. She opened the trunk and quickly settled on her knees in front of it. She didn't have to look at the items to know they where still intact. Her mother's tools, safe and unharmed. A watery, relieved smile formed on her countenance. They had not taken everything from her after all. She had Spike and she had the legacy that her mother had given her.
She glanced back at the chipped vampire, who stood a distance away taking in the destruction of the main room.
Standing, Tara looked at the trunk again, breathing easier. Calm and realization swept over her, as something seeming to fall into place inside. She was not left with nothing. She was still herself, and that was something. She moved toward her companion, holding out her arms to him.
Spike wrapped her in a strong embrace, his mouth finding hers in comfort.
~Part: 53~
Xander stared at the wall. He sat unmoving; still as a statue, eyes focused on some unseen point on the kitchen wall.
He had gone home. He hadn't known where else to go. Hell, he didn't have anywhere else to go. He wondered if he would even have this once Buffy came home. He wondered if she would throw him out. Or worse, maybe she wouldn't come home at all, preferring to stay with Giles or even choosing to stay with Willow and Angel. The thought made his stomach roil.
His dark eyes closed in anguish as he remembered the disgust and disbelief on Buffy's face. To his fiancée, he'd committed the ultimate sin. Betrayal. The Slayer hadn't even been able to look at him. That hurt. A lot.
And Willow...
'God--', he thought.
Never in his entire life had he ever seen the girl he'd grown up alongside, so angry. She'd literally been giving off sparks. She'd struck him. Besides the occasional vampire or demon, Xander was certain that Willow had never deliberately hit or hurt anything or anyone before. That she'd struck him was telling, and it was devastating.
His breath hitched. They would never forgive him.
And Tara...
His jaw tightened, as he recalled the moment her raw, primal scream of agony had ripped through the room as Daybreaker magick tore through her. What had he done?
This wasn't what he'd wanted. It wasn't what he'd meant to happen. He'd told Liam about Spike and Tara because he thought that would mean an end to the chipped vampire, and hopefully an end to the souled vampire he'd hated for all his adult life. The dark haired carpenter had never once given thought to the consequences of his actions in regards to Tara.
He snorted angrily, and kicked away from the stool he'd been sitting on. The seat rocked unsteadily, before gravity's pull sent it to the ground with a heavy thud. Ignoring it, he paced along the length of the kitchen counter.
Xander was sure they hated him. In fact, they were right to hate him. He'd been selfish. He hadn't given a thought to the consequences. He hadn't given a thought as to how what he was doing would affect his love, or Willow, or Tara, or Giles for that matter. He didn't give a damn about Angel or Spike, but he cared for his friends, his family. That's why this was so important. They were his family. They were more a family to him than the two people who were genetically related to him. Didn't they understand that vampires were demons? Didn't they understand that demons couldn't be trusted? Didn't they know that all these creatures did was destroy lives? Didn't they remember Jessie? He wouldn't allow the things that bumped in the night to take anyone else from him.
The construction worker's eyes gleamed with new purpose. This was his fault, so he would fix this. He would find Liam and get this undone. He wasn't going to take this lying down. He was going to fix this.
~~~*~~~
Buffy sat in the car despondently, wishing they could just be there and get this over with. She watched the scenery wiz by, as Giles drove. Her Watcher was a man with a mission. If there was a possibility of saving Kat than he was bound and determined to do it.
So was she. It was just hard to concentrate on her student, when all she could think of was Xander.
Why had he done it?
Her hand tightened on the seat leather, digging into the upholstery cruelly.
A hand reached out to cover her own.
"Buffy", Willow said gently.
The blond Slayer looked at the witch, her eyes questioning and unsure.
"We're here."
Buffy nodded shortly in affirmative, despite not even realizing that the car had stopped.
Collecting herself, she stepped out of the car and joined Willow, Angel and Giles on the sidewalk.
She stared at the gothic style facade of the temple with a mixture of anticipation, trepidation and confusion. The growing gloom of night seemed to gather around the building, as if it was absorbing the darkness which had fallen all around them.
"I thought you said the place was cloaked with magic Wills?", Buffy queried. "I mean, I'm not supposed to be able to see it am I?"
Curiously, the Slayer looked up and down the street. It was relatively empty, which was not surprising for Sunnydale and especially not this more industrialized part of the town, except for a solitary homeless man who was making his slow, painstaking way up the sidewalk. The sound of voices brought the older man's head up. Rheumy eyes took in the strange group of people and then the building they were all staring at. Those same moist eyes grew large in surprise and fear, and Buffy watched as he quickly crossed the street, and then ducked out of sight into an alleyway.
Buffy looked back at the taller woman.
Willow's face was frozen. She was speechless, it was Giles who answered.
"No Buffy we shouldn't be able to see it. When I came for Tara and Willow barely two hours ago, this place looked like nothing more than a vacant lot."
"We're too late...", Willow whispered harshly, starting toward the temple door. Angel followed immediately behind. He remembered all too well the feelings that had overcome him when his witch had encountered evil within. He would not let her go inside alone.
Startled Buffy and Giles moved to follow. Giles clutching a crossbow, and Buffy a short sword.
Willow paused at the large, ornate wooden doors and held out a single hand almost gingerly. A look of concentration and then surprise crossed her face.
"Nothing."
Buffy grabbed her hand. "What do you mean we're too late? What do you mean nothing? Is Kat already dead?", she demanded.
The hacker pulled her hand away, took hold of the large, black iron ring on the door, and pulled. It opened easily, and she stepped inside, fully aware when Angel came in close behind her.
The others followed. Immediately Buffy understood, her sword arm which had been held in readiness, lowered.
There was nothing. The place had been emptied. Nothing Willow had described remained. The wooden pews, the brass plate containing Cat's jewelry and other belongings, nothing.
Seized by the need to make sure, the redhead darted towards the back of the building and through a doorway.
"Willow!", Angel shouted, following behind.
The souled vampire found his love face down against a round opening in the floor, her face pressed against a black grate as she searched the darkness for any sign of what she had sensed the before.
Angel recognized this place, despite the difference in vantage point. He had peered up from the grate only the night before. It was the underground tunnel system Spike had taken them through. The place where whomever they were combating had been collecting blood --and souls.
Fear clutched his heart he remembered how the experience of sensing those agonized spirits had struck Willow to the core of her being.
"Willow, come away from there", he ordered abruptly.
The redhead looked up at him, large green eyes wide and liquid with emotion.
"Its gone. Everything's gone. The magick, the wards that guarded this place, the tools, the Shunk, even the power they were hoarding", she said in a rush, a lone tear falling and tracing a path down her ivory cheek.
"My fault", she gasped. "This is my fault. If only I had told all of you. If only Tara and I had waited. We could have saved that girl. We could have stopped this."
Angel kneeled beside her.
"Its not your fault. You didn't know. Its possible they were already planning this move", he said, trying to soothe her.
But Willow was already shaking her head, her gaze meeting that of the Slayer who was standing next to the doorway by Giles, her shoulders slumped.
"No! This building had been heavily protected, hidden away from prying eyes for decades with old, powerful magick. This is our fault, no, MY fault. Tara and I set off the wards. They knew we were here, and when we left they cleared it out and took Kat with them."
Giles cleared his throat. "It is not your fault. The only reason you set off the wards was because you were attacked by the Shunk. If Tara had not repelled it the way she had, it's possible you would both be dead."
"But--"
"--No buts", Angel interrupted angrily, "you two did what had to be done at the time. Perhaps waiting for us, would have been a better option, but dwelling on the whys and maybes isn't going to get us anywhere right now."
"Angel's right", Buffy said suddenly, shoulders squared and appearing very grim. "What's important right now is finding Kat."
The Slayer's eyes were hard as her gaze drifted from Giles to Angel before finally resting on Willow.
"There has to be a way."
~Part: 54~
Spike could not sleep. Worry still filled his mind. Even after Tara's repeated insistence that she was going to be fine. He thought he understood what she was going through now; something rather like he had when he'd first learned he could no longer harm humans. He knew that his despair and desperation had been such that if it hadn't been for this one extraordinary woman, he would have been dust.
She had saved him, despite understanding what he was. She had invited him into her home and her life, and finally her heart. The blond vampire could not remember a time when he had not shared the woman he loved the memory of another. Even in his human life he had never had any luck with the ladies. The one woman he had fallen in love with had trampled cruelly on his poor, poetic heart.
A sardonic smile crossed the vampire's lip, before softening when his blue gaze fell on the woman lying next to him.
Tara's long curving form pressed easily against his own length, dipping and clinging to him even in sleep. Her warm breath bathed the skin on his chest. The gentle movement of her body, the sounds of life filling his head, made him ache. He craved her on a level he could not even begin to equate with any other hunger he'd known in his existence. Not even the bloodlust of a fledging vampire could compare to this endless ache which seemed only to lessen with her in his arms, her warm, vital body pressing his into the mattress beneath them.
Spike had wanted to make love to her. He had for some time. Still despite seeing the hunger in her gaze he forced himself to remember what she had just been through. No matter how much he wanted her, he would not have her believe it was a mistake in the morning's light.
He would wait forever for her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander parked his Jeep haphazardly on the street, grabbing what he needed from the passenger seat. A few stakes were shoved into the interior pockets of his leather jacket, a few vials of holy water joining them seconds later. As an added precaution he attached the dagger Buffy had given him some months ago, its leather sheath clipping conveniently to his belt. There were more things in this town than just vampires.
For a moment he simply breathed. The thought of the woman he loved hating him was anathema to him. Pain lanced through his heart, hardening his resolve even as he momentarily rested his head against the cool plastic of the steering wheel.
He would fix this. But first he had to find Liam.
Looking up and to the right, he glanced at the ramshackle motel the male witch had chosen as his nightly shelter and felt his nostrils flair with anger.
Opening the car door, he eased out of his vehicle, his leather boots making barely a sound as they met the asphalt.
Years of experience on the Hellmouth made him take stock of his surroundings. He knew better than to take anything for granted in Sunnydale, especially Sunnydale at night.
Dark eyes flickered from the parking lot to a decrepit nearby building. Satisfied that he wasn't about to meet unexpected company, the construction worker strode across the street, and knocked on Liam's hotel room door.
There was no answer.
Frustrated, Xander looked around him furtively before leaning forward and trying to peer into the window.
It was dark inside, he couldn't see a thing.
"Damn it!", he swore under his breath.
Once again making sure he was alone, he went back to the door. He looked at it with the practiced eye of one who'd made their living working with wood.
A small smirk worked its way on to his face. 'Cheap', he thought.
For a second he hesitated wondering if he should go back to his car and get out the jack. Jimmying the door would probably be less loud. Impatience flared inside him. 'What did he care? What did he have to lose?'
He forced himself not to finish that thought and instead aimed a well-placed kick near the door knob. The cheap wood splintered with absurd ease, the door itself slamming into the wall as it gave way to his determination.
Closing it behind him and hoping what he'd done wouldn't be immediately obvious, the dark haired male hedged his bets. In a neighborhood like this he probably had nothing to worry about.
He flicked on the lights, and stared at the room.
The bed was made, and there was nothing at all to indicate that anyone had been staying there.
Frowning, Xander moved to the closet. No clothes.
He went to the drawers, opening each one in turn as he grew more and more angry. Empty, all of them empty.
'What the fuck was going on?', his mind shouted. 'Had the bastard gone home? Had he gone and stripped Tara of her powers and then retreated? What about the cult and the murders? What about the damned vampires? Weren't these Circle Daybreak freaks supposed to help?"
Slamming the last empty drawer to the ground, the construction worker left.
He paused at the door of the hotel and looked out across the parking lot again. He listened carefully, and heard no sirens or any sign whatsoever that his actions had been witnessed.
Efficiently, he strode to his waiting Jeep, and drove away.
He meandered through the streets of Sunnydale, unsure what exactly it was he was looking for.
Snorting at the improbability of it all. 'What did he expect exactly?', he wondered. 'To spot Liam walking--'
His thoughts collided to a stop as he did just that, his foot hitting the brake at the same time.
Xander's eyes followed the Daybreaker as Liam made his way down one of Main Street's sidewalks.
Determined not the lose him, the construction worker hastily pulled his car to the side, ignoring the fire hydrant he'd parked in front of. A ticket was the least of his worries.
Jumping out of his vehicle, he jogged down the sidewalk he'd just seen the other man on. He bumped a woman carrying bags of groceries.
Her grip faltered and the bag fell, scattering her purchases.
Xander bent to pick up an orange which had rolled to his feet.
"I'm sorry", he said handing it to her.
"You should be", she retorted angrily, staring at ruined carton of eggs which had splattered at her feet and on her shoes.
Looking past her, Xander saw Liam cross the street, moving out of view.
He looked back at the angry woman, and started to move away. He couldn't lose him.
"I'm sorry", he said again, moving past her and breaking into a jog.
Her voice echoed back her shouts to him. "Hey! HEY!"
But Xander didn't look back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angel stood in the shadow of a tree in the front yard. He could feel Willow's discomfort, and grit his teeth. His witch was a fundamentally honest person. Having to lie so that she and Buffy could get into the missing girl's room went against all of Willow's instincts, but he'd agreed with the Slayer for once. If the only way to find Kat now was a spell that required a personal item, then this was the only way to do it.
Still, it suprised him that the girl's mother had answered the door so quickly, or even that she'd invited them in. Was everyone really so blind as to not see the constant danger that surrounded them in this place? Couldn't they feel it?
Time ticked by, and even though Angel knew that barely five minutes had passed since they'd entered Kat's home, he was becoming impatient. Being separated from Willow had always been hard. The tenuous bond that had been created between them when she had returned his soul, had gone through many changes and adjustments since they had closed the Hellmouth and she'd taken the magical backlash which had been meant for him. When she'd left and began a life in the northeast, he had forced himself to exist with the aching hole the lack of her presence left inside of him. And he'd done so gladly, if only so that the redheaded witch who'd become his friend, could find happiness.
He'd always known that the seeds for more than simple friendship existed within their relationship. Deep inside himself, Angel had always cherished the hope that someday the evolving feelings he'd kept hidden could be revealed to her.
Now that they had, now that everything had changed yet again, Angel knew that they were inextricably linked. The love that had been born of respect and friendship, had been forged in blood and pain, had only grown deeper and stronger now that they could freely express their emotions both in word, and deed. They were as one.
The vampire watched as the figures inside the house moved from the front room. A light went on on the second floor, at the side of the house and Angel could feel his love's sudden, hopeful happiness. He could only assume they'd found a suitable object for the spell.
He wondered idly, what they had told Kat's mother.
Moments later, Buffy and Willow stepped out onto the porch. The blond Slayer turned and spoke softly to the woman behind them. The woman was backlit by the lights inside and Angel vaguely noted impressions of soft, rounded limbs and curly auburn hair. Dark smudges stood out in stark relief on her pale face.
He sighed at the irony. Willow, Cordelia, even Xander had survived the Hellmouth despite their families disinterest, uncaring and abuse, and yet this woman who so obviously loved her daughter, could easily lose her to the evils which resided here.
The woman stepped back, closing the door. The sound resounded with finality, and Angel watched as Buffy and Willow glanced at one another before silently heading towards the car where Giles waited. Angel joined them, his hand automatically reaching to touch Willow's shoulder, to connect with her in some physical way and reassure himself of her presence.
Warmth flooded through him as she offered a small smile. Light seemed to dance in her eyes, and he was happy to see that hope had been rekindled inside of her. Taking one of her small hands in his own, Angel brushed his lips across the back of her knuckles.
They climbed into the car.
"Well?", Giles asked.
"Mission accomplished", Buffy replied, looking over her shoulder at the redhead who'd cuddled into her vampire's side. "Show them Wills."
Willow nodded and fished in her pocket. She pulled out her prize carefully. It was a round, half-dollar size locket. She opened it with her thumbnail carefully, exposing a photo of a younger Kat, her mother and a smiling blond man.
"That was her dad", Willow said.
Giles frowned. "Was?"
"He's dead", Buffy said curtly. "He worked late one night and his car died. He must have decided to hoof it... Anyhow, he wasn't found til morning. Sunnydale's finest ruled it a case of gang violence." The Slayer's hazel eyes hardened. She knew exactly what a finding of gang violence in Sunnydale actually meant.
No one spoke.
Starting the car, the ex-Watcher drove away.
~Part: 55~
Willow paced in the shop, waiting. The blond witch would be there soon. Willow had spent most of the morning going through books, and searching for a spell she knew she had seen, but for some reason could not locate now that she needed it. She hoped Tara would know of something that could be used. As they stood, they had nothing to go on.
She glanced up as the shop door opened, she thought she heard the door in the back room open as well. It probably meant that Tara and Spike had arrived at the same time as Buffy. She studied the vampire's companion when she walked in. Willow watching Tara with troubled eyes, trying to see the energy around her. She wasn't sure what she had expected to see, but the same brilliantly glowing aura that fairly screamed with magical power and innocence, had not been it.
How was that possible? The Daybreakers had stripped the woman before her of her powers. Willow herself had seen the energy those witches had drained from her the night before. So how was it that she appeared the same?
Unaware of the redhead's internal dialogue Tara offered the hacker a smile in greeting before coming to stand next to her. She grinned in amusement at the sheer number of books that littered the tables.
"You're trying to find a locator spell right?" Tara asked.
"Yes."
"Have you checked in '1,000 Magical Spells; Rhymes and Reasons' ?", Tara asked.
Willow blinked in disbelief, and looked at her oddly. She shook her head. No she hadn't actually thought to check in that volume. She had assumed what they needed would be a much more powerful spell than what was found in that volume. Willow had always thought it rather whimsical herself.
Tara laughed softly, as she moved toward the bookshelf. "Sometimes in plain sight is the best place to put the hard stuff. Most people don't look deeply enough to see past the humor."
Willow nodded, she hadn't really thought of it that way but it made sense, the most difficult spells sometimes called for the simplest ingredients. She watched as the blond flipped through the volume in question. Her eyes scanned the pages before pausing.
"Here," she said, handing the book to Willow.
The hacker took the heavy volume. She glanced down at the page it was open to and sighed. Of course, the spell was right there. The only thing it required was something belonging to the subject being sought and a simple ritual. The locket would be perfect. It would still carry Kat's essence.
The blond witch smiled as her vampire moved closer. He reached for her easily drawing her into his arms. He pressed a tender kiss to Tara's mouth, his eyes searching hers. They seemed to seek something, and whatever it was Spike must have found it, because he drew back from her seemingly comforted.
Tara felt an ease that she wasn't sure how to explain fall over her. She knew that the spell was in that book. She had to hold onto the idea that they could save this girl. To put an end to the darkness, even without her Daybreaker magic. She watched as the other witch gathered the ingredients for the spell. Simple ones really. Sage, dragon's blood, a map, a pendulum, and the charm.
A strange sense of sadness filled her as she studied the things now set out on the table. She turned quickly fighting the sudden desire to cry. Trying to busy herself, she quickly gathered the other scattered volumes and replaced them in their proper spots. She kept her back to Willow as she began to situate the table. The map down near the edge, the sage lit as an offering, the dragon's blood added to give strength. She heard the hacker move and knew she was getting reading to start the spell.
"Aradia, Goddess of the way, holder of those lost. We seek one in your care. We seek the path taken by a child, stolen from her hearth. Lady of the Depths I call on thee, to show me the way. Show me Lady fair, show me what I seek." She heard the hacker gasp, and spun around, shocked when the pendulum was settled on another set of buildings in Sunnydale.
Willow marveled. It was simple. So easy and very close.
"Yes!!," Willow shouted finally, and Tara felt a smile break across her lips, she allowed herself to be embraced.
Buffy came out of the backroom where she had been talking to Giles, drawn by the commotion. Tara had a feeling that the Slayer had stayed in back because she didn't want to face her. Angel and Giles followed suit.
"What's happened?", Giles asked.
"They've found her", Spike replied, a smirk tinged with pride painting his raw features.
Buffy screeched and whooped, hope flooding her.
Tara knew this was just the beginning. Now that they had a location, they had to plan. Things were very different now that they were down one witch. Of course they did still they had two vampires and a very powerful sorceress on their side, not to mention a Slayer, and a Watcher.
"So what's the plan?", Buffy asked, defering to the witches.
Tara glanced toward Willow. She wanted to have a part in this, but she wasn't sure what use she could possibly be. Her magic was gone, and what earth magic she might be able to find would be useless in this matter.
"I think Willow would be the best to answer this, as I don't know anymore." Tara glanced around the room again. Avoiding the concern in their eyes.
"Where is Xander?" she asked.
She heard the gasp come from her vampire and she turned, laying a hand on his chest. She could almost feel the anger coming off of him at the mention of the other man's name. It was true Xander had made a mistake in his anger at Spike he'd gotten her caught in the crossfire. She knew however that it would do no good to hate him. The Slayer's fiance hadn't understood the consequences of her involvment with a vampire and what it meant to the Daybreakers. She had, but Xander certainly had not.
"We will want him to know what is going on", Tara said, after a moment's pause.
"If he shows up here-- I kill him, chip or not pet."
"Spike", Tara admonished the blond vampire gently. "He made a mistake, we all do some times." She ran her hand over the vampires game face and watched as it melted back into the countenance she knew so well. She smiled, drawing him down to her, parting her lips, inviting his possession.
Buffy grimaced but dropped her eyes. Tiredly, she used a fisted hand to rub her eyes. She would not cry. She would not.
"Buffy?"
The Slayer looked up at the sound of her name to find concerned green eyes observing her.
"Where is Xander?"
Finally, the petite woman answered. "Xander never came home last night."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander woke up groggy and aching. He blinked at the unfamiliarity of his surroundings, the stark walls and dank cement floor. Rubbing a hand across his face, he slowly rose into a sitting position, feeling the cold of the floor against his bare feet.
Reality reared its ugly head reminding him why he was here in this place instead of in his own bed, in his own apartment with the woman he loved.
"God", he hissed, annoyed with the painful pang that stole across his heart at the thought of Buffy. He pushed those thoughts away and ran a hand through his dark hair. He was almost glad when the movement caused the sudden sharp pain in his shoulder, it gave him something else to focus on.
Frowning, he stood up and shuffled tiredly to the small, dirty sink. Turning one of the handles only elicited a sluggish stream of lukewarm water. Sighing, Xander bent and washed the remnants of sleep from his face. Realizing with a grumble that he didn't have a toothbrush with him, the carpenter gargled and spit a few times, hoping to rid his teeth of the furry feeling.
He grit his teeth when the pain in his shoulder throbbed again.
'Damn', he thought, 'I really should've have allowed Liam to take care of that last night. Stupid demon got in a lucky shot.' If he'd have been any luckier, the damn thing would have taken his head off with that board instead of just ramming him in the shoulder. For a moment Xander thought back to the night before.
He'd caught up with the male Daybreaker easily, much to his suprise. Initially, he'd thought that Liam was aware of his presence and had been trying to lose him. So when he'd walked purposefully behind the Bronze, Xander had followed only to find that the witch had been surrounded by vampires. It had been an easy choice to channel his anger at Liam, himself, Buffy and everyone else, unto the undead enemies he'd been fighting against since he was a teenager.
Between himself and Liam, the six vamps had been dusted with relative ease. Although the Daybreaker had used some magics on two of them, it was apparent that he craved the physicality of the altercation as well. Xander was sure that the fight could have been over instantaneously if the other man chose.
After that, it had seemed natural to patrol at his side. At first they didn't speak. They traversed the labyrinthine alleyways and dead end streets that made Sunnydale such a haven for demons looking to cause trouble, and killed things.
Their last confrontation with a group of scaley, green demons had left Xander battered and tired. It had seemed only natural to follow Liam when he had suggested they retire for the night. After all, it wasn't as if he felt that he would be welcome at home.
Rubbing his hand over his face again, Xander wondered at the origins of this place he found himself in. The room reminded him all too strongly of a jail cell. He supposed that nothing in Sunnydale should suprise him any more. Maybe he should have paid more attention when they'd walked over the night before.
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