Ghost Stories

Author: Jennnillu

Parts: 11 - 22 (end)

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~Part: 11~

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"Of course."

"Really? Because you don't really look like you know where you're going."

"Anya, I know exactly where I'm going."

"Then why is this the third time that we are passing that tree?"

"What?"

"That tree. There. With the funny little fruit in it. It's the third time we're passing it."

"It is not the third time that…That isn't even the tree with the fruit. It's…it's the tree with the funny carving, and it's the second time that we're  passing it. Damn." Willow mumbled the last part to herself as she looked around helplessly.

"Wonderful," Anya griped, crossing her arms and glaring at the redhead. "Now you've gone and gotten us lost."

"Me? Why is it always my fault? You were walking too, Anya. You might have mentioned a little sooner that we were going in circles," Willow shot back.

"Well, my mind was a little preoccupied, what with my boyfriend falling into a dark hole and the dead bodies and severed hands."

"One dead body, Anya, and one severed hand," Willow told her.

"Oh, just wait. That's how it always starts out. One dead body shows up, next thing you know, you have a string of murders on your hands. I used to see it all the time as a vengeance demon."

"You used to CAUSE it all the time as a vengeance demon!" Willow pointed out in exasperation.

"Yes, well, that is neither here nor there," Anya replied, her nose held up a bit in the air.  "The POINT is that YOU got us lost, and now WE are going to die."

"Anya, we are not going to…" Willow was cut off as Anya let out a loud scream, flailing her arms around and running in small circles.

"What is wrong with you?" Willow questioned, annoyed by the sudden, strange outburst.

"Bee!" Anya shouted.

Willow looked at her in confusion.  "What?"

"A bee!" Anya shouted again, swatting at the small creatures attacking her. "Make it go away!"

"You're afraid of a bee?" Willow asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Help me!" Anya demanded, still running around and now very annoyed.

"How can you be afraid of bees after all that you've done in the last thousand years?" Willow asked, clearly not at all concerned.

"Is now really the time to discuss this?" Anya questioned as she ran past the redhead, swatting the small, buzzing bee away from her face.

"It's actually strange that a bee is attacking at night," Willow mused, not really paying attention to the brunette running around her.

"Willow! Do something! A spell…anything!" Anya screamed.

"Oh, alright, fine.  You know, no one ever wants me to do any magic until THEY need it for something, and then all of the sudden it's all `willow mix this' and `willow incant that'. Spike's right.  Maybe if you all would appreciate what I can…"

"Willow!" Anya interrupted.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Closing her eyes for a moment, Willow recited a quick incantation to make the bee disappear. A moment later she heard what sounded like increasingly loud buzzed, and her eyes flew open just in time to hear Anya scream again, and to see her run by with what was now a large swarm of bees chasing her.

"Not the right spell!" Anya yelled as she passed the witch and ran a few feet away, disappearing behind some bushes.

"Uh, sorry Anya. Come back this way and I'll…" Willow stopped as she noted that the buzzing was sounding further and further away, until she couldn't hear it at all.

"Oh, see now," she said with a bright smile, very pleased with herself, "all gone." Looking around, she realized that Anya had not yet come out of hiding.  "Anya? You can come out now. They're…Anya?" Walking in the direction that Anya had run, Willow was surprised to not see the former demon anywhere.  "Well this can't be good," she mumbled to herself as she walked alone through the dark woods, trying to follow the path that Anya had run in.

~*~

"You know, this wouldn't be nearly so difficult if you would lay off the donuts and do a sit up every once in a while," Spike complained as he yanked on the rope.

"Shut up and pull, blondie!" Xander yelled, just before hitting the ground again with a thud.  "Hey!" He shouted, glaring up into the darkness.

Spike gave the hole that contained Xander an innocent grin.  "What? My hand slipped.  Perhaps I'd be a bit more attentive if you were a bit more grateful."

"Yeah, well, just pull me up."

"You could help you know," Spike complained, yanking hard on the rope again.

"I AM helping! And anyway, aren't you supposed to have super vampire strength, or are you getting flabby in your new-found impotency?" Again, this comment was followed by the thudding sound of Xander hitting the dirt floor.

"Hey!" He shouted again.

Spike gave the rope a few hardy pulls, ready to finally bring the boy up.

"What the hell is going on here?" Startled by the sudden voice behind him, Spike lost his grip on the rope, sending Xander crashing to the ground below yet again.

"That's it!" Xander yelled. "When I get out of here I am so going to st…"

"Slayer!" Spike yelled, loud enough to cut Xander off, and hoping he would get the hint not to mention anything vampirey in front of Riley.  "Your boy fell down the hole. Was just pulling him up," Spike explained.

Buffy peered down into the hole.  "Xander?"

"Buffy?" She heard him yell up.

"What are you doing?" She asked, Riley joining her as they stared down into darkness.

"Flying a plane," Xander replied sarcastically. "Pull me up, please." He sounded frazzled and desperate.  Riley took the rope from Spike and began to pull the slightly bruised young man from the deep well.

"Where are Willow and Anya?" Buffy asked, looking around.

"Didn't you see them?" Spike asked, suddenly feeling a twinge of fear as Buffy shook her head no.  "They went off to find you. Figured that was why you were here."

Again Buffy shook her head.  "We just happened by, luckily for Xander," she told him, rolling her eyes.  "They must have gone back to the cabin. I'm sure they'll be there when we get back."

"Yeah, I `spose," Spike mumbled, not entirely sure she was right, and not entirely surprised that she would be wrong.

~Part: 12~

"Anya?" Willow called, still wandering through the woods, becoming increasingly nervous. "Anya, this isn't funny!" Looking around wearily, she saw no sign of the former demon.

"Great. This is just great. Here I am, a witch, in the middle of the woods, and I can't even find a screaming girl, let alone stumble across…" Willow was cut off as her foot connected with something small and solid in the grass, sending her tumbling to the ground. Gripping her right ankle, she winced in pain, having twisted it harshly.

Turning her head, she glanced back to see what she had fallen over, and found herself staring at a very old, worn grave stone. The dates etched on it were from several hundred years back, and Willow immediately remembered what Giles had said about there being a burial site near the cabin. Looking around, the redhead caught sight of several other similar looking stones. Witches. Witches were buried here. She thought that she should feel a sort of protection, or at the very least, a connection to those buried below, but somehow, the thought of where she was did nothing to alleviate her fears.

Pulling herself up carefully, the redhead winced again as she put pressure on her injured ankle. She tried to limp a few feet, but quickly found that walking was not going to be possible. Looking around, she noticed a raised alter not far away, and slowly hobbled over, leaning against it as she contemplated her options.

Finally, unable to come up with a better plan, Willow settled on a simple healing spell that she had learned not long ago. Though she was well aware that her magic was very erratic as of late, and that the spell wouldn't completely heal her, if it worked, it would alleviate the pain, at least enough for her to be able to get back to the cabin.

Looking down, she was relieved to see a few candles scattered around the alter. It seemed a bit strange, since the ranger had told them that no one else came around this area, but Willow was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, and quickly bent down, grabbing one of the red candles and placing it on top of the stone alter. Having no match, she glanced around quickly, as if feeling the need to make sure that Giles wasn't watching, and then whispered, "Incindere." The candle lit and she smiled at herself, clearly pleased.

Taking a moment to center herself, the redhead closed her eyes, attuning herself to the air and energy around her. After a few moments, the wind began to pick up, whipping around her, tossing her red hair around her face like dancing flames.

"In the divine name of the Goddess," she whispered, "who breathes life into us all, I consecrate and charge this candle, as a magical tool for healing." That said and done, she took another moment to focus, before doing the spell.

"Magic mend, and candle burn," she chanted. "Sickness end, good health return." She chanted the incantation over three times, her voice becoming louder and more commanding with each repetition. After the third time, the flame blew out, and the wind immediately died down. Panting slightly, Willow opened her eyes, just before letting out a terrified scream.

~*~

"They're not here," Xander announced.

"We can see that, moron," Spike responded. He was worried now, and there was no one better than Xander to take his anger out on.

"They never came back here," Giles assured them.

"Then they're out there still, lost somewhere," Xander stated.

"Thank you for once again pointing out the blatantly obvious," Spike replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, listen fangless, that's my girlfriend and my best friend out there," Xander yelled, walking up to Spike and poking him the chest pointedly.

"Why did he just call him fangless?" Riley questioned, looking toward Buffy.

Spike and Buffy were both about to open their mouths to respond, when the front door of the cabin flew open and Anya ran in, her arms flailing frantically around her. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, panting heavily.

"Anya! Are you alright? What happened?" Xander ran toward the brunette.

"Bees," she gasped between breathes. "Lots and lots of bees."

"God lord, you were attacked by bees?" Giles questioned.

"You don't look like you got stung," Xander stated, looking her over carefully.

Anya shook her head. "I got away," she whispered, still trying to catch her breath.

"Were they demon bees?" Buffy asked, sounding a little more excited than she should have.

Again, Anya shook her head. "Where did they come from?" Giles asked.

"Willow," she told them.

"Willow sent a swarm of bees after you?" Buffy asked. "I knew she wasn't fond of you, but I don't think that…"

"Not on purpose," Anya explained. "She did a spell, to get rid of one, and instead made a whole bunch."

"Where is she now?" Spike asked. Everyone turned and looked at the blond, hearing the growl of anger and concern in his voice.

"I-I don't know," Anya told him quietly, looking down. "I ran from the swarm and lost her."

"You bloody bint!" Spike roared. "You left her alone out there?"

"Hey!" Anya retorted. "She's the one that sent a SWARM of bees after me!"

"Well if you hadn't…"

"Guys! Stop!" Buffy interjected. "No time for this. We need to split up, go out and find Willow."

"Right, because splitting up has been working out for us so well thus far," Xander said, rolling his eyes.

"Better suggestion?" She asked, glaring at him. Xander simply shook his head.

"Alright, Riley's with me, Xander and Anya, Spike and Giles. Everyone spread out, and we'll meet back here in an hour."

~Part: 13~

As Willow screamed, she stumbled backwards, tripping and falling over her own feet. The redhead tried to scramble backwards, as the figure in front of her took several steps forward, and she screamed again, demanding that he move away.

"Dang it, girl, you'll go and wake the dead with all that wailin," Wilber complained, shaking his head and glancing around nervously. "And this ain't the place you wanna be doin that," he added in a harsh, hushed tone. Willow stopped screaming and looked around, desperately searching for a means of escape.

"Wh-what do you want?" She asked nervously.

"Ain't what I want," he told her. "It's what they want."

"They? What do you mean? They who?" She was terrified and exhausted, and still in quite a bit of pain. The young witch was definitely not in the mood to play twenty questions with cryptic-creepy man. Wilber simply looked around the area, as if expecting there to be someone listening to what they were saying.

"They've been waiting for you. `Bout damn time you got here. Ready to put an end to all this, they are."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," she told him, her fear quickly shifting to frustration.

"They ain't no different than you, ya know," he told her, gesturing toward a grave stone at his feet.

Willow's eyes widened. "They the-the witches? What would they…"

"They been waiting for ya," he stated.

"Yeah I sorta got that part already, but why? What am I supposed to do?"

"They need to be freed," he told her. Willow scrunched her nose up in confusion and he continued. "You got the power. I can feel it. They need to be freed!" At that, he reached forward, gripping her arms harshly and hauling her up off of the ground.

"Freed how?" She whimpered as she was hauled up before the old man and struggled against his impossibly tight grip.

"A trade," he told her. "You fer them."

Willow began to shake her head frantically. "You're going to kill me? You-You can't!"

"Don't be daft, girl," he ground out. "I ain't gonna kill ya. Won't be needin to." Those words said, his already painful grip on her arms tightened, and his eyes began to glow red as he held her above the ground.

~*~

"I'm holding all of you responsible if she's not found in one piece."

"Lovely, Spike."

"I mean it, Rupert. If that girl is harmed in any way, I'll…"

"Yes, yes, I've heard the threats before, Spike. It's all a bit less worrisome, what with your chip, and I must say, I'm a bit surprised at how upset you've become over it."

"Well, why shouldn't I be? I care about the girl! A bit more than the rest of you, apparently."

"Spike," Giles said with a sigh, "I know you care about her. We all do. Willow is like a daughter to me, and…" Giles paused, seeing Spike gaping at him incredulously. "What is that look for."

"You know that I care about her? Who told you?" Spike yelled in outrage. He really had not thought his feelings for the redhead were so transparent. Did everyone know?

"No one told me," Giles replied with a roll of his eyes. "It was just rather obvious to anyone that was bothering to look. Now shut up and help me find her, will you?"

Spike was about to come back with what was sure to be a very witty retort, but was cut off by the sound of a woman screaming, the voice all too familiar. Just as his head whipped around in the direction of the scream, another came from the opposite direction.

"You go that way, I'll head this way," Giles said hurriedly, before both ran off toward the separate screams.

~*~

"Get it off! Get it off!"

"I'm trying!"

"Well, you're not trying hard enough! Get. It. Off! It's icky and gross and it has fur!"

"Anya, hold still!" Xander commanded, though his girlfriend simply proceeded to squirm more.

"I can't take this anymore, Xander," Anya told him, as he proceeded to pull a large spider web from her hair. "Dead bodies, and scary people, and bad food, and hidden holes in the ground, and bees and spiders. I just hate this."

Anya let out a sob and Xander quickly flicked a spider from her shoulder, before she was able to notice it and scream again.

"I know this trip isn't turning out to be so great, but let's try to make the best of it," he told her, leaning in and kissing her sweetly.

"It's just that nothing is going right," she responded when he pulled away. "A-and Willow's lost, and probably dead now, and…" She stopped when she saw the stricken look on his face. "I'm sorry, Xander. I shouldn't have said that, but well…"

"What's happened? What's wrong?" The couple turned in time to see Giles running up, ax in hand, ready to kill whatever creature necessary.

"Anya walked into a spider web," Xander explained.

Giles let out a sigh of relief, dropping his arm with the weapon down, and leaning over slightly, trying to catch his breath.

"Thank god that's all it was," he huffed.

"No luck finding Wills yet?" Xander asked, a slight hint of desperation in his voice.

Giles shook his head sadly, before giving him a hopeful, if not forced smile. "I'm sure that we'll find her in no time, though. Spike is still looking, and…" At those words, he suddenly remembered the other scream. "Oh dear."

"What? Giles, what is it?"

"A scream. A-another scream. Spike went to see…"

"Maybe it was just another spider web," Anya said with a little too much enthusiasm and a smile hiding the dread they all felt.

~Part:14~

"Let me go!" Willow yelled angrily as she fought against the iron grip holding her off the ground. "Or I'll-I'll turn you into something, um, really, really bad!"

"I'd listen to the girl if I were you."

Wilber dropped Willow to the ground and spun around, his eyes still glowing as he stared at the blond vampire. "This ain't your concern," the old man told him.

"Well, see mate, that's where you're wrong. Happens the redhead IS my concern, so I suggest you keep your hands off of her."

"You won't be doin nothing to stop me," Wilber stated coldly.

"I can't hurt humans," Spike agreed, "but funny thing about that, you don't exactly look to be fully human."

"They need to be freed, and she's the one to do it," Wilber told him angrily. "They been waitin."

"I don't have a bloody clue what you're talkin about. Fortunately for me, though, I don't really care either," Spike stated, just before swinging his arm out to punch the old man. Wilber ducked, missing the first blow, and reached out, easily catching Spike's other arm as he attempted to punch him again. The vampire's eyes widened in surprise as his arm was held at bay, and before he could contemplate his next move, Spike found himself thrown several feet back, landing on the ground with a hard thud.

"Spike!" Willow yelled out, hobbling toward the downed blond as quickly as her injured leg would allow. "Are you alright?"

Spike was already pulling himself back to his feet when Willow reached him, nearly falling into him in pain and exhaustion. The blond looked around the small clearing, growling as he realized that Wilber was now no where to be seen.

"Bastard got away," he mumbled, before looking toward the redhead who was now leaning against him. Spike pulled her into his arms, looking her over carefully. "Are you alright, luv?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly. "Just a little freaked out is all." She went to take a step back and stumbled on her weakened leg, only managing not to fall thanks to Spike and his quick reflexes.

"You're hurt," he stated grimly.

"I just twisted my ankle," she told him. "I-I tried to do a healing spell, but…" She stopped as she saw him frowning at her, concern filling his eyes.

"Is she alright? Did you find her?" Xander came running through the trees and into the clearing, followed by Giles and Anya. "Willow! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, thanks to Spike," she replied, looking up and giving the blond a soft, grateful smile. "Just having a little trouble walking right now."

That said, Spike quickly swept her up into his arms, allowing her to hang onto his neck and huddle in close to his chest, as the group headed back to the cabin.

~*~

"So, Wilber's our man or demon, actually," Buffy stated, starting to root through the small bag of weapons that they had brought.

"I guess," Willow whispered. She was sitting on the couch, leaning slightly into Spike, who was rubbing her back reassuringly.

"You guess? Will, you were the one that was attacked," Buffy told her.

"Yeah, I know, it's just, well, he wasn't exactly attacking me so much as, you know, holding me up in the air, a-and yelling at me a lot."

"Yeah, what was all that talk about someone needing to be freed, and you bein needed, pet?" Spike questioned.

"I honestly don't know," Willow told him with a shake of her head.

"I know," Xander stated. "He's a crazy old demon man who likes to pick on girls."

"Well, very soon he's going to be a very dead, crazy old demon man," Buffy stated, holding up a crossbow and handing one to Riley.

"He said he wasn't going to kill me," Willow explained softly, her head swirling with questions.

Spike shifted on the couch and gently lifted one of the redhead's arms, pulling her sleeve up, revealing the dark bruises forming there. "Was that before or after he did this?" He growled.

"Well, during, actually, but…"

"No buts, Will," Buffy interjected. "The guy is a demon, he threatened you, and he's probably the one that killed that girl."

"I just-I just don't know," Willow said quietly, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"What did you find at the his place?" Xander asked. "Any incriminating evidence?"

"Uh, well, actually," Buffy studdered, her face turning red as she glanced side-ways at an equally flushed Riley. "We, sort of, um, never made it to his cabin."

"I knew it! I knew it!" Xander shouted in triumph. "While we were all getting cornered by the wacky ranger and falling into the ground, these two were making with the wild monkey love!"

"Xander!" Buffy shouted in outrage and embarrassment.

"Well, that's not fair," Anya complained. "All I've gotten is attacked by a bunch of bugs. I haven't had any "wild monkey love" at all. I haven't even seen my boyfriend naked since…"

"More information than any of us care to indulge in," Giles interrupted, much to the appreciation of everyone else listening. Turning to his slayer, he addressed her next. "Buffy, are you saying that you never got a look inside the cabin at all?"

Buffy looked down sheepishly. "I meant to," she whined. "Maybe a, uh, spell of some kind made us get, uh, distracted," she said hopefully, though no one was buying it.

"Spell my ass," Xander mumbled.

"M-Y A..." Spike began, cut off by an angry glare from Xander. The blond shurgged innocently before Willow elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't tell me you weren't thinkin it," he whispered to her, grinning as she stiffled a giggle.

"Are we going to go kill this thing or not?" Buffy complained.

"I just…" Willow began, before pausing and then looking toward Giles. "There was something there. I felt something. An energy or presence, or...I'm not sure, but there's something about that burial ground," Willow told him.

"It's a cemetery, Will," Buffy told her. "They always feel creepy. Just look at the kind guys that hang out there," she added, pointedly glaring at Spike.

"I know, but, this was different. I just think, I don't know." She wasn't sure of what to say. "It felt like other witches were around a- and not just in the ground."

"You think their spirits still exist there?" Giles questioned.

"I don't know," Willow admitted. "Maybe."

"Well, I suppose I could do a little more research on it. I don't think there's any harm in looking further into it."

"Unless we all wake up dead and armless," Anya supplied.

"Fine," Buffy huffed. "But I am at least going to go question this guy, see what he knows and what the hell he wants. And if he happens to get a little demony, not my fault."

At that, Buffy spun on her heels and headed out, followed closely by Riley.

"Try to actually keep your clothes on this time!" Xander yelled after them.

~Part: 15~

"You alright pet?" Spike asked as he walked into her room, carrying a small cup of tea. He handed it to her before joining her on the bed, watching her expressions carefully.

"Seems like you've been asking me that a lot the last few days," she replied with a weary smile. She took a sip of the tea before letting out a deep sigh, her shoulders sagging a little.

"It was strange, being there, where all of those witches were killed and buried. It-it felt strange." Spike nodded, waiting for her to continue. "There's a certain energy in the air there that I've never felt before, a-and I can't explain it, but…" Her voice trailed off as again she found herself at a loss for how to explain what she was feeling.

"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt. That guy was strong," he told her, concern in his voice.

Willow nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I really don't think he was trying to hurt me. I mean, yeah, he was holding me up, and ow, painful, but I think, I mean, he seemed like he was trying to tell me something."

Spike suspected that there was more that she wasn't saying, and remained quiet, waiting for her to speak again.

"There was an alter there," she said, not looking at him as she spoke. "I did the healing spell there, a-and I felt power go through me. Strong, dark power."

"Why didn't you tell the watcher that?" He asked, anger edging into his voice.

Willow shook her head sadly. "I didn't want him to know I had been doing magic. He just would have been all `bad willow' and `learn restraint' and blah blah blah."

Spike nodded. She was right, of course, but he still thought that watcher needed to know about the alter. That wasn't a standard to cemeteries after all, and if Willow had been right, and the other girl that had been killed was a witch, that meant that the redhead could potentially be another target, and that was something he just didn't want to think about.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Spike saw the redhead stifle a yawn and went to stand up. "You should get some sleep pet," he told her.

Willow nodded and looked away, a nervous expression on her face. When she glanced back at the blond, he was giving her a questioning look. "Just a little full up here tonight," she whispered, pointing at her temple. "Harder to sleep that way. Oz used to…" She stopped and looked down sadly.

Spike moved back to the bed, sitting on the edge and reaching out, tilting her chin up to look at him. "Red, you don't need him, you know. You're strong and so bloody powerful."

"I feel like, without him, I'm just a ship floating aimlessly on the sea and I've lost my anchor. My head just gets so busy, I feel like I'll float away and get lost without anyone to care."

Spike moved his hand up to smooth back a few strands of red hair as she forced her tears back. "He isn't the only one to care, Willow," he told her.

The redhead smiled softly as her eyes met his. "I know," she whispered, leaning in and pressing her lips softly against his. It was only a brief, fleeting moment, and Spike almost wondered if it had happened at all, but the blush spreading across her face quickly assured him that it did.

"You know?" He questioned, a small grin on his lips.

Willow simply nodded, her mischievous eyes telling him everything.

"Damn demon girl and her revelations," he muttered.

"I'm glad she figured it out, Spike," she told him with a soft smile. "I'm glad I know." At that, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in for another kiss, this one deeper and more passion filled. The vampire swept his tongue along her lips, seeking entrance, which was quickly granted with a moan from the redhead, as she pressed her body further into his.

"When you feel lost, luv," he whispered, "I'll be your tether, keeping you grounded."

~Part: 16~

"I just don't understand why Willow is trying to protect this guy. He attacked her. He's a demon. What more proof do we need?" Buffy ranted to her boyfriend as they stomped through the forest, heading to Wilber's cabin for questioning.

"You know me, Buff. I'm the first one to say `yay' for killing demons, but Willow's a smart girl. If she thinks something else is up, we should listen," Riley told her gently.

Buffy rolled her eyes.  "Right. You're also the one that thinks that Spike and Willow are interested in each other."

"Don't be so quick to discount it, Buffy," he told her. "There's something there. Maybe you just can't see it because you don't want to see it."

"Riley! It's Spike! He's a…" She paused, just catching herself before it was too late.

"A what?" Riley asked curiously.

"A…a creep," she supplied, wincing at her own pathetic attempt to cover up her near mistake. "If you knew him like I do, you wouldn't think they were so cute together."

"Don't be so sure," he replied quietly, a hint of a smile on his lips.  Looking up, he gestured to the small cabin straight ahead. "We're here."

"Good. Let's get this over with," she mumbled, raising her crossbow and heading toward the door.

~*~

Willow woke a few hours later, snuggled tightly in the blond vampire's embrace and smiled to herself, glancing toward the covered window.  She had fallen asleep quickly, knowing that Spike was there to just hold her.  The last few days had taken their toll on her, leaving the witch drained and weary, not to mention a little hungry.

Carefully, the redhead extracted herself from Spike's arms and pulled herself from the bed, needing to find some food to quiet her growling tummy.  Heading toward the kitchen, she heard hushed voices and paused by the entrance, listening to the small group talking.

"I think it's sweet," she heard Anya say cheerily.

"I think it's disgusting. It goes against all laws of nature and man," Xander grumbled, leaving Willow to wonder what in the world they were talking about.

"Well so does only eatting food we can make on a stick in the fire, but you don't see me complaining about it," Anya mumbled. Her boyfriend glared at her incredulously. "Well not at that moment, anyway," she added haughtily.

"And I think it's none of our business," Giles huffed as he turned a page in a book pointedly, and reached for a glass of scotch he had just refilled.

"It's about time, I say," Anya stated, clearly ignoring Giles as he sighed loudly, and Willow could just picture him rolling his eyes.

"Anya, what are you talking about?" Xander replied loudly.  Willow wondered the same thing. "About time? About time that she start bedding a demon?"

Ah, now she knew what the topic of conversation was. Her and Spike, of course. Heaven forbid she attempt any form of a life without Xander's approval.

"Well, it's worked out pretty well for you, hasn't it?" Anya pointed out, causing Willow to grin in spite of herself.

"You are not a demon, Anya," Xander told her.  "You are a former demon and not evil. Spike, on the other hand, is very much still a demon and very much still evil. Not to mention that…"

"What Willow does with her life is her choice, Xander, not yours," Giles stated again, his voice slightly slurred from the alcohol he had been drinking.  He hiccuped and glanced up toward the doorway before removing his glasses and cleaning them.  "You children all seem bound and determined to date demons. Apparently all this time on the hell mouth has soured you to humans.  We aren't so bad, as a species goes, you know, if a little on the stupid side now and again."

Xander gave the watcher a confused look, resulting from his rambling, before turning back to Anya. "She doesn't know what she's doing," he argued, oblivious to the redhead now standing in the doorframe, in clear view. "She's still all confused and weepy about Oz. Spike is just using her to…"

"To what, Xander?" Willow questioned.  "He's using me to what?" Xander jumped, startled by his friend as she came storming into the room.

"Hey, Will!" He said hesitantly, wondering how much she had heard. "We were just…"

"Oh, please, Xander," Anya interrupted. "She's been standing there the whole time. Give it up."

Willow grinned again. Maybe Anya wasn't quite as bad as she thought.

"Xander, what I choose to do with my life is my business," Willow told him, glaring at the boy with her hands on her hips, "not yours. I appreciate your concern, but I'm a big girl, and I think I've proved more than once that I'm smart enough to make my own decisions. I'm living away from home, I'm in college, I'm learning more about witchcraft, AND I'm even able to feed and dress myself now." The redhead glared at him pointedly as her voice took on a momentary sarcastic tone.  "Nothing has happened between me and Spike, but if I decide that I want it to, that's MY choice, not yours."

Xander had the good grace to look slightly ashamed, before opening his mouth and destroying that impression. "Willow, I know you're smart, sweetie, but I don't want to see you get taken advantage of. You don't know what he's capable of."

That was the final straw for Willow. "YOU don't know what I'M capable of, Xander! I'm a lot smarter and stronger than you give me credit for, and it's about damn time that you figured that out!" At that, she turned and stormed out of the room.

~*~

Buffy watched in amusement as Riley carefully tiptoed around the small, barren cabin, looking closely at everything he came across. He seemed completely lost in his "initiative soldier" persona, and she couldn't help but giggle at how cute it was.

"Hey Mr. Stealthy Moves Guy," she called out to him.  Riley's head shot up, and a smile spread across his face. "I don't think we're going to find anything here," she told him. Wilber had not been at the cabin when they arrived and the door was unlocked, allowing easy entrance.  They had searched for over an hour, finding nothing suggesting any kind of foul play.

"Yeah, I guess this turned out to be a bust," he replied, walking toward the slayer. "At least we got to spend a little time alone." The soldier wrapped his arms around the blond and kissed her.

"Yeah, this is definitely the kind of quality time I had in mind," she quipped when he finally released her mouth from his own.  "Searching for clues about a horrible, gruesome murder, in a demon's home."

"I know it's not ideal, but we should at least try to make the best of it," Riley told her.

Buffy scrunched up her nose in distaste.  "How do you always manage to be so positive about everything?"

"Can't help it," he told her. "You just bring it out of me."

At that, Buffy smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

"Guess we should head back to camp," she suggested. Riley nodded as they turned to head out the door.

Pausing just before they left, Riley took a step back, peering at a closet he hadn't noticed before.  "You checked that closet, right?" He asked.

Buffy shook her head. "I thought you did."

Releasing her hold on his waist, Buffy turned and headed to the closet. "I'm sure that there won't be anything but…" Her voice trailed off as she opened the door and took in the contents of the closet.  "...A dead body."

At her words, Riley rushed over to the closet, his stomach lurching as he saw Wilber, dead and hung in the closet, looking very similar to the way the girl in the woods had looked.  As his eyes traveled downward, his suspicions were confirmed as Riley mentally noted that Wilber was missing a right hand.

~Part: 17~

"Well, this definitely blows the whole `Wilber done it' theory to hell," Xander stated gravely, as they all sat around the fire, the sun having just set behind the trees. Buffy noticed that Willow and Xander were purposefully ignoring each other, and wondered what she had missed while finding dead body number two. She also noticed how Spike seemed to refuse to leave Willow's side, but chose to ignore it for the moment, concentrating on the matter at hand.

"I don't get it," Willow said softly. "All that stuff he said, a-and… Who would kill him?"

"Maybe a blood sucking demon," Xander suggested, earning an angry scowl from Willow.

"He wasn't drained," Buffy mentioned. "He was strung up, like that girl, and cut to shreds. There…there was so much blood," she whispered.  Riley leaned closer, putting his arm around the strong blonde.

"Everyone is thinking what I am, right?" Anya spoke up. The rest of them gave her doubtful looks.  The former demon almost never thought the same thing as the rest of them.

"The ranger did it," she stated in a chipper tone, as if proud that she had solved the riddle.  "It's like clue!"  She added, earning confused looks all around.  "Y-you know…the game," she explained hesitantly. "It was the ranger, in the conservatory, with the knife." The brunette beamed at the rest of the group.

"Anya, this isn't just a matter of pointing a finger and poof, he did it, end of story," Buffy stated coldly.

Anya frowned before Xander spoke up.  "Isn't that exactly what you did earlier, Buff?" He asked, slipping his hand over his girlfriends and earning a slight appreciative smile from her.

Buffy scowled at her friend. "No! A-and anyway…It didn't do a whole lot of good, now did it."

"So, it was okay for you to do it, but if one of the rest of us…" Xander stated, before the blonde cut him off.

"I'm the slayer, Xander. That's, like, my job."

"To make improper judgment calls?" Spike quipped.

"Watch it bleach-boy," Buffy warned.

"Well, you've done a swell job so far, Slayer," Spike growled. "Two people are dead, your boy here got himself trapped down a well, Willow got attacked by some demon and you and your soldier…Well, you've just been shagging like bunnies in the forest now, haven't you?"

Buffy glared at the vampire in outrage as Willow nudged Spike's side.  "You're not helping," she whispered.

"Didn't realize I was supposed to be," he responded with a smirk.

"Guys, this isn't the time to fight," Willow stated loudly.

"Tell that to your buddy there, Wills," Xander responded with a pointed look at the vampire.

"Xander, not now," Willow whispered, glancing toward Buffy with a worried expression.

"What's that, Will? Something you're trying to hide?" Xander asked, his voice purposefully loud. Willow's face took on a look of panic, just before Giles spoke up.

"That's enough from all of you!" He shouted, startling them all into silence and stumbling slightly as he stood up. "This bickering is getting us nowhere, and it's giving me a bloody headache. Sobering up to a murder scene is never ideal," he mumbled. "Buffy, I think it would be best if you, Riley, and I go to see the ranger. It's time we asked him a few questions."

Buffy gave him a doubtful look. "Giles, you're completely drunk," she stated.

"I am not!" He replied, adding under his breath, "unfortunately."

"Giles," Willow spoke up, "the stone?" The watcher nodded, remembering the stone she had told him about earlier at the ranger station. He looked at Xander, Spike, Willow, and Anya. "The four of you will stay here, and for gods sake, be civil to one another. We don't need any more dead bodies, understand?" The four simply nodded sheepishly, all looking away from one another.

~Part: 18~

Willow watched Xander and Anya leave the cabin, assuming that they were going to sit by the fire, and turned back to the book in front of her.

"Find anything else?" Spike asked as he sat next to her, setting a glass of water in front of the redhead.

"There are a bunch of old stories," she told him, scrunching her nose up in confusion, "but they seem more like urban legend than fact. They talk about witches fighting a demon of some sort. According to this," she stated, holding a book up, "the demon killed them, trapping their spirits here, but that doesn't make sense. According to the history books, humans killed them. A-and it doesn't really go into detail about why the demon would be fighting them, or what kind of demon it was."

"History books rarely hold the entire truth, Red," Spike replied gently, pulling the book from her hand and putting it down on the table, before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him, his lips meeting hers in a sweet, delicate kiss.

Willow leaned in further, deepening the kiss, moaning softly and opening her mouth to his questing tongue.  Finally, several minutes later, he slightly loosened his hold on her, allowing the girl to breath.  Willow sucked in several deep breaths before shuddering, feeling his lips moving down her bared neck.

"Spike," she gasped, trying desperately to remember what it was they were supposed to be doing as he arched his body into hers.  "I…I think we should…I mean, this is really big."

Spike smirked against her throat.  "Really big, huh?" He purred. "So glad you think so. Just wait until I'm inside of you."

"What?" She whispered hoarsely, before moaning, feeling his hands slide under her shirt and across her stomach, sending shivers over her heated flesh.  "I…I mean…the…the…whatever is happening," she mumbled.

"What's happening, luv," he whispered, before biting down on her ear lobe, "is that I'm trying to seduce you, and the little restraint I have left is killing me."

Willow was barely aware of her shirt being lifted up, over her head, and tossed to the floor.  Cool lips made their way across the top of her chest, before diving lower, and the redhead ran her hands down his back, pulling mindlessly at the vampire's own shirt.

"Killing," she moaned, the word triggering a distant thought in her mind.  "There is something out there…killing, and…and you're distracting me….and…and don't stop."

"No plans on stopping," he spoke in a husky voice, just before his mouth closed around one breast, sucking eagerly on a hardened nipple. Willow keened with pleasure and wriggled against the blond vampire, desperately pulling his clothes away from his body in fevered motion.

~*~

"That is just…gross."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't put that under the category of anything I want to ever see again in my lifetime."

"I mean, I'm not even entirely sure of what I was looking at. It was all red and…and slimy and…"

"It was a deer."

"A what?"

"A baby deer," Riley informed the slayer and watcher.  They had just reached the ranger station, passing a dead and skinned animal on the way.  "You know, I would think that with everything you've seen and done, a dead deer wouldn't be that big a deal," he told her.

"Not that big a deal? It was a dead BABY deer!" Buffy shouted. "It… it was…it was Bambi! And it was all skinned and cut up and…and…iwww…"

"You've seen two dead and shredded bodies in the last two days. Is the deer that big a deal?"

"What did the deer ever do to you? Poor, defenseless little…" Buffy stopped as they reached the ranger station, and she shook off the thoughts, raising her weapon and nodding toward the two men. Riley was always amazed at how quickly she could center herself, become the slayer, when necessary. At both of their nods, she leaned back and kicked the door open.

"Alright, buddy, come on out!" She shouted, as the three cautiously stepped into the dark cabin. "Got a few questions for ya." They all looked around the dark, empty cabin. "Which would be a lot easier if you were home," she mumbled.

"Well, I'm right here." The three spun around, all startled by the voice behind them, seeing the ranger standing outside, glaring at the small group.   "What the hell are you doin, breakin into my cabin?" He growled, stepping in and brushing past them.  He pulled the door, examining the lock. "You know," he complained, "the door was unlocked. There was no need to break it." Buffy gave him an incredulous look. "I'm just sayin…it's plain rude is what it is. Girl like you shoulda learned herself some better manners."

"Sorry," Buffy mumbled, before realizing what she was doing. She opened her mouth again, to argue, but he raised a hand, stopping her.

"Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't have you arrested immediately?"

"I'm holding one good reason up in front of you right now," she told him, waving the weapon around slightly.

"Big, tough girl, thinks she can play with the boys, eh?" The ranger said with a smirk.

"Another good reason," Giles added, "would be the dead bodies that have been found."

"Yeah, those," the ranger spoke darkly.  "Don't know what's going on there.  Want the truth? I was beginnin to suspect your little group."

"Us?" Buffy shouted in outrage.  "Tell me what you know, right now."

"What the hell makes you think I'm gonna to tell you anything?" He questioned.  Buffy rolled her eyes, waving the weapon again.  "Are you threatening me?" He asked, glaring at her.

"Yes! Yes, I am," she told him, quickly losing all patience.

"Look, Mr…uh…Rogers…" Giles began.

"Won't ya be my neighbor," Buffy sing-songed. Giles and Riley both looked toward her in surprise.  "Oh, come on, like you weren't thinking it."

"I just have a few questions to ask," Giles told him.  "About the area, and about a small rock which you have in your possession."

The ranger's eyes widened, before narrowing in anger.  "I knew you damn kids were in here," he growled. "Knew I wasn't insane."

"Oh, no. You are very probably insane," Buffy told him with a grin.

"She's right," Riley added. "Most evil people are at least a little bit insane."

"I ain't evil," the ranger told them.

"Could have fooled me," the slayer responded.

"Look, little girl, why don't you…" The ranger was cut off as Riley suddenly slammed the man against the nearest wall, his neck held in a death grip.

"Why don't you be a pal, answer our questions, and then we'll be on our way," Riley stated in a cool, calm voice.

The ranger tried to speak, but found that he was unable to do anything more than squeak with the hand that was wrapped firmly around his neck.  Finally, he just nodded.

"Good. That wasn't so difficult, right?" Riley said, cheerily. Turning around, he saw Giles and Buffy both staring at him in surprise.  "Oh, well your way was good too. I just thought mine would be a little faster," he told them.

"Um…right," Giles replied, taking off his glasses and quickly cleaning them.  "Just a few quick questions then."

"You're kinda sexy when you get all commando-like and demandy," Buffy whispered to Riley as she stepped up next to him.

"The stone," Giles stated, ignoring Buffy's words. "Where did you find it?"

The ranger sighed. "Out in the woods."

"And where is it now?"

"Sittin right over…" The ranger turned and pointed to the mantel, his eyes widening as he saw that the stone was now gone. "Where the hell did it go?" He shouted gruffly, moving to the fireplace.  "What the hell did you do with it?"

"Us? I can assure you that…"

"Are you saying that it's gone?" Buffy asked, not believing the man at all.

"Well I sure as hell don't see it here, do you?" The other three moved toward the ranger, seeing that there was no stone where Willow had said she had seen it.

"Where did you put it?" Buffy demanded.

"Shouldn't I be the one askin you that?" He shouted back. "After all, you are the ones that are breakin into my cabin."

"Why would we…" Buffy paused, sighing. "Alright, look, we need to know everything that you know about that stone."

"Well there ain't no way in hell I'm tellin you a damn thing until I get it back."

Riley took a quick step toward the ranger, who flinched and stepped back.  "I know 47 different ways to make a man talk," Riley growled.  "I have a lot of patience, and I'll go through each and every one if I have to."

"Wow," Buffy mumbled. "OK, I take back that whole sexy thing. Now you're just plain scary."

Riley took another step forward and suddenly, the ranger turned, running for the door. Just as he reached the open doorway, Buffy stepped out, hitting him hard on the back of the head with a lamp.

The slayer watched as the ranger fell to the floor, unconscious, and looked up at the other two men, shrugging. "Your way was good too," she told Riley. "I just thought that mine would be a little faster."

~*~

Willow shivered, feeling the cool air on her heated flesh. "Spike," she whispered hoarsely. "I think that maybe…we should…uh…mmmm…yeah…I mean…we should…you know, go up to my room, before…"

He had been teasing her for what felt like forever, and her body was nearly humming with pent up tension.  The things that vampire could do with his tongue… But the last thing she wanted was for her friends to come walking into the cabin and find her naked, with a blond vampire between her legs.

"Good idea, pet," he whispered against her stomach as he licked his way back up her body, meeting her lips in a passionate kiss.  Willow moaned, tasting herself on him and thrust her hips up in desperation. In one quick motion, he stood and swept the redhead up into his arms, tossing her shirt and jeans over her and carrying her up to her room at a pace that left her dizzy.

Laying her down gently on the bed, he shucked his pants, his shirt already gone, and covered her body with his, feeling here shake in anticipation and need.

"Positive you want this?" He questioned, not sure of why he bothered.  Vampire. Evil. Takes what he wants…but here he was, practically begging for permission to have the girl.

"Do you really have to ask?" She responded, her voice hoarse and shaky.

Positioning himself over the witch, he leaned down, kissing her again, just as he thrust into her fully, muffling her scream with his mouth. Starting a slow rhythm, Willow was soon meeting him thrust for thrust, begging him to move faster, harder…anything, she just knew that she needed more.

"So beautiful," he murmured against her neck, feeling her heart racing beneath her chest and knowing she was close…so close.

Willow ran her hands over his back, her nails leaving light red lines in their wake, causing the vampire to shiver and move even faster and with more force.  Feeling her begin to shudder and shake, Spike nuzzled Willow's neck, biting in just as he felt her falling over the edge.  The combination of her sweet, warm blood and her scorching walls clamping down around him caused Spike to reach his own climax as well.

After several minutes, they had finally both calmed down a bit, her heart rate returning to normal, even as she still panted and shook in his arms, Spike licking her neck gently.

"That was…that was just…" Willow tried to speak, though words were not very forthcoming.

"Yeah," he replied, smiling contently against her throat.

"I mean…I never..not like…and…oh! You bit me!  You bit me, and…"

Spike winced as she announced her sudden realization.  "Yeah, sorry `bout that.  Kind of a thing we tend to do. Didn't mean to hurt you though. Hope I didn't…"

"No! Spike. I mean…It didn't hurt, but you bit me and…and no chip going off," she explained with a smile, looking into his eyes as he leaned back and stared at her in surprise.

"You're not mad?" He asked.

"If it feels like that every time," she told him, "you can bite me from now until forever."

"I might just take you up on that," he murmured, nuzzling her neck again contently.

~Part: 19~

Willow had just changed into clean clothing, adjusting the turtleneck sweater to cover the bite mark, and walked back into the main room with Spike, when the door was flung open, and Giles entered, followed by Buffy and Riley, who were dragging someone with them.

"Someone else die?" Willow asked with worry, trying to nudge Spike away from her as he ran his hands up and down her sides from behind. They had already discussed this, and decided that they should wait to mention anything about the two of them to Buffy until everything else had blown over, but now, Spike wanted nothing more than to let the world know that the girl belonged to him and him alone.

"Not quite," Buffy told her, tossing the ranger to the floor in a heap.

"Um...I thought you were only bringing back the stone, not the whole ranger with it," Willow told her, glancing at the unconscious man in confusion.

"He wasn't very cooperative," she told the redhead. "So we had to improvise."

"Where are Xander and Anya?" Giles asked.

"You didn't see them?" Willow asked. "I thought they were out by the fire."

"They weren't out there. If they aren't in here, then I don't know where..."

"What's with the body?" Everyone turned and saw Xander and Anya standing in the doorway, looking at the ranger.  Anya had a funny look on face, and Xander looked slightly uneasy.

"Where were you?" Willow asked, suspicion evident in her voice.

"Around," Xander responded vaguely, not actually looking at his friend.

"Kill the ranger, did you?" Anya asked Buffy.

The slayer glared at the brunette.  "Brought him back for questioning."

"You know, that usually works better when they're conscious," Xander told her.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "He'll come around soon. I didn't hit him THAT hard." Turning her attention back to Willow, she noticed the way the girl seemed to be almost glowing.  "What's gotten into you, Wills?" The slayer questioned with a smile, glad to see her friend looking so happy, but wondering at why she would be at a time like that.  "You're all smiley glowy girl."

"Me?" Willow squeaked.  "Glowy? Nah...I'm not...I don't glow."

"You do," Spike whispered, delighting in the blush that over took her face and chest. He knew enough to know now that the flushed hue ran further across her whole body, and grinned at that knowledge.

"Something's going on with you," Buffy told her, taking a step closer.  "You're hiding something."

Xander snorted and Anya elbowed him in the side, earning a glare from her boyfriend.

"Spill, Will," Buffy pushed.

Willow was about to open her mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"What's this?" Everyone turned and looked at Giles, who was now standing in the kitchen and holding something up that he had found on the cupboard.  "Willow?"

The redhead moved toward him, stopping as she saw what was in his hand.  "Where did you find that?"

"Right here," he told her.  "Is this what I think it is?"

"Looks like a big pebble to me," Xander stated coldly.

"It's the stone, from the ranger station," Willow confirmed. "I can feel something...some kind of power coming from it."

"How did it get here?" Buffy questioned with a slight growl. Everyone turned and looked at one another, no one forth coming with the answer.

~*~

"Our guest is finally coming to," Buffy stated as she walked back into the main room of the cabin and looked at the man tied to the chair.

"Good, we're just about ready," Giles told her, stashing a few things away in a bag at his feet.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked as she saw Willow glance toward the watcher.  Neither of them said anything. Before Buffy could ask again, the rest of the group came into the room.

"What the hell," the ranger began to protest as he struggled against the roped binding him to the chair.  "Untie me, or so help me..."

"Sorry," Buffy told him. "Not gonna happen."

Ranger Rogers turned and looked toward the rest of the group, his eyes stopping on Giles.  "My stone!" He shouted. "You have it. I knew you damn people..."

"Now wait just one minute," Giles interrupted. "I have no idea how this got here, but we are about to find out."

"How?" Anya questioned.  "How are we about to find out?"

"Well, a few minutes ago, Willow and I enchanted the room with a truth spell." At those words, a chorus of objected erupted throughout the room.

"Well, it's a bit too late for your concerns and objects," he told them decidedly.  "We've run out of options, and we need to do something now.  Willow has cast a spell so that no one in the room will be able to speak anything but the truth.  It requires a bit of time to take effect, but it shouldn't be long now."

"I can't believe you did that without telling us!" Buffy shouted. "That is such a violation of...something."

"Well I for one am not staying in here a second longer," Xander stated, backing up toward the door.  "Truth spells only lead to embarrassment and tears."

"Well, if you have something to hide," Spike said with a smirk.

"Me? Something to hide?  Yeah, buddy, I wouldn't talk."

"Then I guess you have nothing to worry about.  Right?"

"Right. Right!  I got nothing to hide.  Bring it on. Start with the questioning."

"H-how do we know she didn't do a different spell?" Anya said, raising her hand.  Everyone turned and looked toward her, waiting for further explanation of her question.  "I mean...how do we know she didn't cast some kind of false confessional spell...o-or a murder-us- all-in-this-room kind of spell?"

"I watched as she cast the spell, and I can assure you it was a standard truth spell," Giles told her with a roll of his eyes.

Anya thought for a moment before hesitantly raising her hand again.  "H-how do we know that you aren't in on it together?  Maybe you're in cahoots!"

"Anya, really now...That's just..."

"A really good point," Xander interjected.  "We have no way of knowing that you two didn't have this planned all along."

"I wasn't even with Willow when the stone was brought here. I was with Buffy and Riley."

"Ah-ha!" Xander shouted, jumping up.  "Then maybe you're in on it with them."

"You are all being ridiculous," Giles stated.  "I am not IN on ANYTHING with ANYONE."

"What about you two?" Willow questioned, pointing at Anya and Xander. "Where were you guys before? Huh? You two went all missing and..."

"Xander and I were in the woods having phildphorgmmmss," Anya replied, Xander clamping his hand down over her mouth, muffling the end of her explanation.

"Did she just say you were having wild..." Riley began, not able to finish the sentence, his face already turning red.

"Yes!" Everyone else shouted, not allowing him to say more.  Anya just looked around innocently.

"See. I don't even need a truth spell," she told them proudly.

"What about before? When you took off, leaving me alone in the woods?" Willow asked. "You could have gone and taken the stone then."

"Me?" Anya shouted. "I was a little busy being chased by the swarm of bees that you conjured. Maybe you did that just so that you would have a chance to go back for the stone. You seemed awfully interested in it back at the ranger's cabin. I don't even have a reason for wanting it."

"It was you two!" The ranger shouted suddenly. "In my closet!" Anya and Willow both glared at the man.

"You were in his closet?" Giles questions the girls. "What ever for?"

"Anya, that's ridiculous," Willow told the former demon. "If I had wanted the stone I could have taken it while I was invisible."

"Invisible?" Several people questioned at once.

"Long story," Willow told them, rolling her eyes. "And besides, you heard me saying how valuable it was. I saw your face. It was like two big dollar signs went cha-ching in your eyes."

"Hey! There was no cha-ching," Anya responded haughtily.  "And what about your blond little friend there? Huh? He had to go back to the cabin for the rope. Maybe HE took it."

"My rope?" The ranger questioned. "The one that had been holding my tarp up over the firewood?"  Spike just looked toward the man and smirked, before turning his glare toward Anya.

"I was helping your boy there," he told her. "If he hadn't fallen down the well, I wouldn't have had to go back for the bloody rope. What about you two, anyway, huh? Sneak off for a little romp in the hay, who knows what you were really up to."

"Us?" Xander shouted. "What about Buffy and Riley over there. Or...or you and Willow for that matter!"

"Spike and Willow?" Buffy scoffed.  "Why would they...Oh my god! Willow! Willow and Spike! That's why you were all glowy!"

Willow simply looked down, blushing furiously. "Told ya," Riley whispered to his girlfriend with a satisfied grin.

Desperate to get the attention away from her, Willow looked toward Giles. "What about him?" She asked, flailing her arms around. "He's been all Joe-research-guy...Maybe he did it."

"Why would I point out that the stone was here, Willow?" Giles asked, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe, you...uh...wanted to turn us against each other, not unlike you're doing right now."

"Guys, what about the ranger?" Buffy interjected. "You know, the guy we actually think did it?"

"I didn't do nothin!"  The ranger protested. "It's you damn kids that stole from me! Now untie me before I…"

"Shut up!" Everyone shouted.

"We all need to just stay calm, and try not to rip one another apartm," Giles stated.

"I think we should listen to Giles," Buffy stated.

"I think Giles is a little out of his league here and has no idea what's he's talking about," Willow stated, before clamping her hand over her mouth. "And, I, uh...I think the spell is working."

~Part: 20~

"Great!" Xander exclaimed. "Now, do you see why I said that truth spells are a bad idea?"

"Right," Giles replied, rolling his eyes, "and it's amazing that we didn't listen to you, given that you are so very often correct about these things." He paused for a moment, looking around the room, before adding, "That was sarcasm, by the way."

"Why are you telling us that it was sarcasm?" Buffy questioned.  "The spell rendered us compulsive-non-liars, not completely stupid."

"Uh, no, that wouldn't be necessary," Spike offered. "You were already completely st-" Willow clamped her hand down over Spike's mouth before he could finish.

"I don't really know why I was telling you that, Buffy," Giles answered the slayer. "I just felt compelled to explain that it was sarcasm. Must be part of the spell."

"We can't even be sarcastic?" Xander shouted in outrage. "Well, Willow, your little spell here is just full of fun surprises." Xander, like Giles, paused for a moment before speaking again. "That, too, was sarcasm." The young man rolled his eyes. "Damn it!"

"Watch out, luv, you've taken away the boy's ability to be annoying. You've rendered him completely helpless," Spike joked.  "What ever shall we do? We're doomed now. Uh, that, also was sarcasm. Oh, bloody hell."

"Well, now that we've pointed out the many, exciting ways to use sarcasm," Giles spoke up, "perhaps we should get down to business. I think that…"

"I think you're all insane," the ranger interrupted. "Spells making people say the truth. Complete nonsense in my opinion."

"As I was saying," Giles continued.  "I think that our best course of action is to move directly to questions pertaining specifically to the topic at hand, and to stay away from anything else that might lead to arguments or insults."

"I think," Willow started to speak, "that Giles is a…"

"Yes, Willow," the watcher interrupted, "we are all well aware of what you think about me. Again, I am suggesting we not make comments about one another."

"Someone has control issues," Anya mumbled a little too loudly to her boyfriend.

"Oh, right, like you're one to talk," Buffy replied, feeling the need to defend her watcher.

"Please," Anya replied.  "You're the most controlling of all, little miss the-world-revolved-around-me."

"Uh, hello!" Buffy exclaimed.  "Do you remember Cordelia? Because that was HER title, not mine, and besides, if I seem a little controlly, it's only because I SHOULD be in charge. I'm stronger, smarter and over all better than the rest of you."

"I beg your pardon," Giles interceded, clearly angered at her insinuation that she would know more than he did.

"I knew it!" Xander shouted. "I always knew that you felt that way! Ha! Now I have proof!"

"Way to go, Xander," Willow interjected, rolling her eyes. "You have proof that we are second best."

"You are not second best," Spike told her, looking her right in the eye. "I don't fall in love with second best."

Catching his words, Willow's eyes widened. "Love?"

"Well, yeah," Spike replied with a grin, knowing he had been caught and not caring very much. Leaning in, he brushed her lips with his own in a deep, passionate kiss that left the rest of the group groaning and gagging.

"I really don't think that…" Giles interrupted.

"I think that…" Willow began to speak, pulling away from the blond vampire, before he stopped her with a hand over her mouth.  She shot him a glare before he removed it. "You're not helping yourself, pet," he whispered to her.  Willow folded her arms over her chest, pouting slightly.

"If I could suggest…" Riley began, before being interrupted.

"Riley, honey, be quiet," Buffy said gently, patting his arm.  "Let me handle this."

"Well, I was just going to say…"

"Oh, right, army-man over here wants to add his two-cents in. Maybe he can get us to all do a few hundred push-ups before the interrogation begins," Xander grumbled. "More sarcasm."

"I only wanted to point out that…"

"Everyone, quiet!" Giles shouted, halting all conversation.  "This is very simple.  We will all go around the room and simply say yes or no as to whether or not we took the stone."

Everyone nodded in agreement before each said "no" in turn.

"Well that worked out just great," Xander muttered. "Sarcasm," he added with another roll of his eyes.

"This doesn't make sense," Giles stated. "One of us had to have brought that stone here."

"Guess you aren't as smart as you'd like to think, Rupert," Spike said with a chuckle.

"Hey," Riley spoke up. "Since it's a truth spell and all, shouldn't he not be able to fake the accent right now?"

"Oh for hell's sake," Spike grumbled. "I'm from England, you poncy bugger. Get over it."

"But, then why did you lie?" Riley asked Buffy, whose eyes grew wide at the question.

"I, um…didn't want you to know," she said honestly, choosing her words carefully. "I thought that if you knew, you would kill him."

"Kill him?! Why? Do you think I have something against British people?" Riley questioned.

"Um, maybe we should stick to the whole stone issue," Willow pressed, desperate to turn the topic of conversation.

"Because I don't. Really, and you know I mean it, since we obviously can't lie," Riley pressed on.

Buffy just smiled nervously.

"Well, this has clearly been of no help," Giles stated, "other than to allow us all to sling insults at one another.  I have a few questions I'd like to ask the ranger, but the rest of you are free to go." Before the words were even out of his mouth, the entire rest of the group was up and gone from the room, leaving the watcher alone with an angry and slightly amused ranger.

~Part: 21~

"That didn't work out very well," Willow told Spike quietly as she shut the bedroom door behind her. "And all those things I said about Giles!"

"Don't worry about it, luv," he replied, pulling her to the bed to sit down next to him.  "The watcher'll get over it."

"What now? We're still no closer to having even the slightest idea of what's going on."

"Maybe Rupert will get something out of the ranger," he said, though doubt filled his voice.  Willow yawned and the vampire pulled the tired girl closer, wrapping his arms around her. "You must be exhausted," he cooed. "Why don't you lay down, get some rest." Willow nodded, giving him a look, questioning what he would do.  "Think I'll go see how the watcher is doing with his questioning. Always enjoyed a little interrogation." The vampire smiled wryly at the redhead who frowned disapprovingly.

"You know you can't torture him," she reminded Spike.

"I know," he whined. "Doesn't mean I can't scare him a bit though." At that, he gave her a soft kiss, before standing up and leaving her alone to get some rest.

~*~

"Well?" Buffy asked, when Giles finally left the room that still contained that tied up Ranger.

"Nothing useful," the watcher admitted. "Seems the only thing that he knew was that it was very valuable on the black market and would fetch a good price."

"I'd be happy to question him a bit further for you, if you'd like, Rupert," Spike offered as he walking into the room.

"I'm sure you would," Xander stated, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, being in the initiative and all, I know a few ways to…" Riley began to speak up, before Giles interrupted.

"Trust me, I can be very…persuasive when trying to extract information, despite what you all think of me. He doesn't know anything."

"You know, Willow didn't mean anything by…" Spike began, stopping as Giles held up his hand and smiled weakly.

"I know, Spike. Thank you."

"Speaking of Wills, where is she?" Xander questioned.

"Resting," Spike simply answered, as they all made there way out to the camp fire, wanting to further discuss the stone without the ranger overhearing them.

~*~

The ranger smiled to himself as he felt the ropes slip away from his wrists. It had taken the better part of an hour, but he was finally able to free himself. Stupid bunch of kids, thinking they could keep him captive in this crazy house.  Now, he simply needed to find his stone and get out.  Creeping quietly around the room, he finally spotted the small stone that had caused him so much grief and lunged for it.  Holding it up, the ranger inspected it carefully.

"You're turning out to be more trouble than your worth," he thought out loud.  "Well, the money I get for you WILL be worth my trouble," he said on second thought, grinning wickedly.  Turning toward the back door, he was about to put the stone into his pocket when he suddenly paused.

"Who...What do you think that…Hey. Hey!  What are you…Hey! Ahhhh!!!!"

Buffy and Spike both jumped up first, running into the cabin, followed quickly by the others as they heard the ranger yelling inside.  Stopping as they entered the main room, Buffy's eyes widened, while Spike's narrowed, seeing the ranger lying dead in a pool of his own blood.

"Shouldn't someone go check for a pulse or something?" Xander asked, not making any movement to go forward.

"No heartbeat," Spike stated with a shake of his head.

"Hey," Riley spoke up. "How do you know that…"

"Riley, not know," Buffy barked, before looking toward her watcher. "Giles?"

"I have no bloody idea what is happening, but…"

"Willow!" Spike shouted, dashing up the stairs toward her room in sudden panic, followed by the rest of the group.  Throwing the door open, the vampire's unbeating heart dropped as he saw that the redhead was not in the room. Straining his senses, he knew almost instantly that she was not in the cabin, and turned around, giving the slayer a defeated look like none that she had ever seen from the blond.  "She's gone," he whispered.

"We'll find her, Spike," she assured him, hoping against hope that it wasn't a lie.

~Part: 22~

Willow glanced down at the small stone in her hand as she wandered through the forest. She wasn’t really paying attention to where she was going. It didn’t really matter. The stone was guiding her, and she didn’t seem to have much say in it one way or the other.

She had only just drifted off to sleep an hour or so earlier, when the redhead was suddenly awakened by a strong gust of wind inside the room.

“I knew the cabin was drafty,” she thought out loud as she continued her meandering, “but now it’s gotten down right gusty.”

Shaking her head and smiling slightly at herself, the young witch once again turned her attention back to the stone. She could feel the power radiating from it, much stronger now than it had been earlier.  It was strange. She had been sleeping, had thought she had been alone, and then woke, finding the small stone on the night stand next to the bed. It seemed to be calling to her, almost glowing with power, and as soon as she had touched it, she felt drawn out into the woods. Willow had no idea where it was leading her, but funnily enough, she didn’t seem much to care. The witch felt almost as if she were in a trance, her head foggy and her legs feeling light.  It almost felt to her as though she were floating through the forest, rather than walking.

~*~

“Where the hell is she?” Spike growled.

“We’ll find her Spike,” Buffy replied in aggravation and worry.  “But yelling doesn’t help.”

“Actually, I think it does,” he stated flippantly, earning an annoyed glare from the slayer. “It’s pissin you off, and that’s definitely makin me feel better.”

“Hey, lay off,” Riley tried to intervene. “Let’s concentrate on the task at hand.”

“Do you want to find Willow or stand in the woods and argue with me?” Buffy challenged, feeling victorious as she saw Spike’s jaw clench, and the vampire turned away, quickening his step.

“What is that up ahead?” Buffy asked suddenly, halting in her movement.  Past a few trees, there seemed to be a faint glow coming from a small clearing.  Spike strained to look ahead and let out a low growl.

“That’s the spot where I found Willow with that crazy, old geezer,” he told Buffy quietly.

“Crazy, old, DEAD geezer,” the blonde reminded him, taking a few steps forward and peering through the darkness.  “That’s the cemetery, right?”  Spike nodded.  Of course it was the cemetery. If you were going to find something creepy and evil, it was a good bet that you would find it in a cemetery.

“Willow?” Spike called out, catching Buffy’s attention.  She started to rush forward, but was stopped by the vampire’s firm grasp.  “She’s not alone,” he whispered.

~*~

“I don’t like this,” Anya complained.

“Join the club,” her boyfriend muttered.

“What exactly are we trying to do? I mean, we’re looking for Willow, right? But in all probability, Willow is the one that killed the ranger and took the stone,” Anya pointed out, “which means she probably doesn’t want to be found.  If we do find her, she’ll be none too thrilled with us, and probably string us up like the rest of her victims. So really, the best case scenario here is that we DON’T find Willow and fail miserably.”

“Anya!” Xander gasped.  “Willow did NOT kill the ranger, or anyone else. Who ever killed him probably took her and…”  Xander’s voice trailed off, his fears too horrible to voice, and Giles looked toward the young man with a pang of sympathy.

“I’m sure Willow will be alright,” Giles reassured him.  “She’s much stronger than anyone realizes.”

Xander nodded with a faint, thankful smile.

“Strong enough to, say, kill a ranger and steal his valuable treasure?” Anya questioned, earning a silencing glare from both men.

“What is that?” Xander suddenly asked, squinting as he strained to look through the dark forest.  “Up ahead. It looks like something’s glowing.”

~*~

“I…I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do? I…I mean, I wanna help, really, but I don’t think I can. I mean, I don’t even know how, and even if I did…plus, aren’t you already dead?”  Willow rubbed her temples wearily as she looked at the figure before her.

“Yeah, well, I’m a lot more difficult to kill than ya might think,” Wilber responded with a wry smile.  “Thought you bein friends with the slayer, ya might have caught on to that by now.”

Willow sighed and shook her head. “What makes you think I can do anything to help?” She asked.

“The stone, it came to ya, didn’t it? It calls to ya, even now.  Told me, it did, that you were the one it was waitin for. Ya gotta set ‘em free.”

“Set who free?” She yelled, frustration taking over. “And how?”

Wilber gestured to the graves around them sadly.  “They been waitin a long time,” he told her.

“The…the witches?  But…how can I…”

“Ya already know,” he interrupted.  “The stone, the alter, the magic, it’s all right there. Fate’s a funny thing like that. It’ll steer ya in the right direction. Sometimes ya just gotta be smart enough to get the hell outta it’s way and let it works it’s will.”

Willow nodded, understanding finally dawning on her. She knew what she needed to do. Closing her eyes and tightening her grip on her stone, the redhead took a step toward the alter, centering herself.

“Didn’t you die already?”

Willow’s eyes popped open and she spun around, seeing Buffy, Riley and Spike walking into the clearing.

“Yeah, how many lives do you have?” Hearing Xander’s voice, Willow turned to look in the other direction, seeing him walking toward her, Giles and Anya a few steps behind.

Wilber’s eyes flashed as his demon features slipped forward, and Anya’s gaped as she turned toward Buffy.  “Didn’t you decapitate him?” She asked.

“What?” Several voices responded.

“It’s the only way to kill that type of demon,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Now you tell me?” Buffy responded with raised eyebrows.

Anya shrugged. “Didn’t realize what he was before. Besides, he’s perfectly harmless, barely any evil in him at all.”

“Hey!” Wilber shouted indignantly. “Ya know, my great grand-daddy was all kinds a evil.”

“Sure he was,” the brunette relied in a condescending tone, patting him on the back.

“Can we stop with the friendly chatting and move onto the painful killing?” Buffy asked, weapon aimed and ready.

“No! Wait, stop!” Willow yelled suddenly.

“Aha,” Anya chirped with a bright smile. “You see, I told you it was her. Now at least when I’m ripped to shreds and my bloodied corps is left to swing in the trees, I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I was right.”

“Way to go, Anya,” Xander mumbled.

“No, you don’t understand. He’s not the bad guy,” Willow tried to explain.

“Um, are you the bad guy, Wills?” Xander asked in confusion.

“What? No!” She shouted in outrage.  “Listen, Spike and I, we had read speculation that the witches had been killed by a, uh, a demon.  He had slaughtered them, trapping their spirits here, a-and Wilber just confirmed that it’s true. AND he said that as a little souvenir, the demon would…”

“Cut off their hand,” Giles finished with a sickened sigh.

“Yeah,” Willow replied quietly, grimacing.

“Well this is all very fascinating,” Buffy stated, “but what’s this got to do with…”

“The stone!” Willow interrupted. “I woke up, and there it was, a-and it was calling to me, to come out here. When I got here, Wilber was standing by the alter, waiting for me.”

“Okay, well that’s fairly freaksome,” Xander told her.

“Yeah, gotta kinda agree with you there,” Willow replied, “but after he started talking…I can release their spirits. There’s a ritual, with the stone and the alter, and I could…”

“No,” Giles stated loudly. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Well, hey, big girl here,” the redhead protested. “You know, you keep telling me to lay off the magic, Giles, but you know what? I’m not all greavey girl anymore, thanks to Spike,” she said, glancing toward the vampire with a smile, “and I’m much more centered, and I have to do this.”

“What does it involve?” Buffy asked.

“Not much,” Willow told her.  “Just, you know lighting a few candles, reciting a few words, hopping over to another plane and…it’s kinda like popping the lid off of a stubborn jar.”

“So it's just a matter of knowing how to tap it in the right place then," Xander stated with a wink.

“Yeah, so see, no big deal, and…”

“Hopping to another plane?” Spike interrupted.

Willow frowned, hoping no one would catch that part.  “Uh, yeah, well, not a big deal, really, just…I would need an anchor here, grounding me.”

“Great, I’d be happy to be anchor girl,” Buffy stated, stepping toward Willow.

“No,” Spike growled, pushing the slayer aside. “I’ll do it.”

“I really think that Buffy should,” Giles began to argue, but was suddenly cut off by a piercing scream next to him. Everyone looked over just in time to see Wilber fall to the ground, his head rolling several feet away.

“Now, you see, that’s how it’s done,” Anya stated.  At that, a large demon moved out from behind the bushes, a sharp knife in it's hand.

“So, you’re the one that’s been causing all the noise in these parts,” Buffy stated, sizing up the demon, who was several feet taller than her and covered in sharp scales.  Before she could say more, the demon was lunging for her. The slayer began to fight it off with the help of Riley and Giles.

“Don’t kill him!” Willow shouted.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder as she tried to hold it off of her.  “What? Will, generally, when fighting evil demons, we aim for a kill not be killed policy."

“Not yet! Just…I have to do the ritual first. If he dies before…they’ll be trapped there. Spike, will you be my anchor?” The vampire nodded and smiled broadly, moving next to her and asking what she needed for him to do.

“Why can’t Buffy do it?” Xander complained.

“Buffy’s a little busy right now,” Willow told him, rolling her eyes and lighting the candles as she gestured toward where she needed Spike to be.

“Fine, then I’ll do it,” Xander told her.

“I claimed her. We’re physically and spiritually bound. It will be easier for me,” Spike quickly explained.

“You claimed her?!’ Buffy shouted in outrage, kicking the demon away from her and toward Riley, who didn't seem to hear her.  He hit the demon with a tazer, barely slowing it down.

“Is now really the time to discuss this?” Willow questioned, kneeling before the alter and taking the stone in her hand.  Spike knelt next to her, and she gripped his hand tightly, beginning to chant.  After a moment, the world grew fuzzy and seemed to fall away.

~*~

“Is it dead?”

“Yep, I’d say so.”

“You sure we waited long enough?”

“Yep, the ritual was definitely over with.”

“I can’t believe you wasted the stone on some ritual for dead witches. Do you know how much that thing was worth?”

“Anya!”

“I’m just saying…”

“What’s going on?” Everyone turned their attention to the redhead who was finally coming to.

Willow opened her eyes and tried to focus on the face looking down at her.  “Spike?” She asked softly.

“Hey,” he whispered with a soft smile. “Quite a ride, huh?”

“Yeah, I don’t really remember much. Did I…Did I do it?”

“You did great,” he told her, helping the witch to sit up and lean against him.  “Felt it when you released the spirits.”

“Oh, good, I wasn’t sure, I mean I can’t really remember…”

“Probably for the best,” he told her, shivering at the memory of the power he had felt coming from the girl as she performed the ritual.

“We should be heading back. It’ll be light soon,” Buffy suggested. “We could all use some rest, and we still have to finish packing up.”

Everyone nodded wearily. Spike gently lifted the redhead up into his arms and carried her back to the cabin.  They spent the last day packing up their supplies and getting ready for the long hike back to civilization, everyone too tired to say much of anything.  Once the sun had set again, they began to head out, Willow already feeling much better after a day of rest, and everyone happy to be leaving the woods.

Trudging through the dark forest, Spike was surprised when Riley came walking up next to him.  “So you and Willow, huh?” The commando questioned.

Spike smiled for a moment, before scowling. “What’s it to you?”

“Willow’s a good friend of mine,” Riley told him.  “She seems to be really happy with you. You suit each other.” Spike raised an eyebrow, surprised at the words. “So as long as you keep her happy, we don’t have a problem,” Riley told him. “But if you hurt her, in any way, I’ll thoroughly enjoy bringing the ashes of Hostile 17 back to the Initiative.”

With a final, knowing glance, Riley headed back to Buffy’s side, leaving a slightly stunned vampire to follow after the redhead he loved.

The End

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