Love is a Mystery

Author: Kat, a.k.a. KallieRose

Rating:  PG-13 for character death.  But believe it or not, this is kind of a fluffy fic, with a little angst thrown in.

Pairing: Spike/Willow, Angel/Fred, Xander/Anya

Distribution:  If you want it, just ask, and you're welcome to it.

Disclaimer: It's all someone else's.  Josh and co. own the characters, Agatha Christie owns large portions of the story.

Summary: The Scoobies and Angel and Fred find themselves stuck on a deserted island.

Spoilers: Takes place sometime after season 5, I guess.  Spike's chipped and helping the Scoobies, Angel and Fred are back from Pylea.  It's pretty AU though.

Feedback: pretty pretty please!

A/N:  This story is a little different from some of my usual ones in that it's more of a mystery/adventure than a romance.  Hopefully you guys will like it anyway  :-)

A/N2:  Thanks to Feen for giving this the once-over, and to everyone else who saw bits and pieces of it and encouraged me to post it.

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~Part: 1~

Buffy came running through the front door of the Magic Box at full throttle, her excitement almost palpable.  Her eyes scanned the interior of the store eagerly, looking anxiously for any customers or strangers that she might not want hearing her news.  Her eyes took in Xander and Willow, sitting around the table, heads looking up at her from their books.  Over in the corner she spied Spike, lounging comfortably in a plush chair, his blond hair sticking out and making him easy to identify.  She frowned at him, then her eyes flickered over to the door to the stockroom, where she could hear Giles and Anya discussing some item or other in dour tones.

"Guess what I've got, guess what I've got," she called out eagerly in her sing-song voice.

"A nasty case of the clap, if there's any justice in this world," Spike muttered quietly, giving the slayer a disgruntled look.  He'd been idly watching the redhead as she bent over her book, the graceful curve of her neck reminding him of all the things he couldn't have until that damned chip was taken out of his head.

Xander quickly stifled a laugh, and looked suitably guilty as Buffy turned to look at him.

"What was that, Spike?" she asked uncertainly, shooting a hostile look towards the vampire.  She hadn't paid attention to what the blond had said to her, she'd been to wrapped up in her excitement, but she suspected that she'd just been insulted.

Spike looked back at her, the picture of innocence, and Buffy immediately forgot about him, as her mind drifted back to the reason for her earlier exhilaration.

"Giles," she called, her voice penetrating into the storeroom and bringing and Giles and Anya back into the store.

"Yes, Buffy, what is it?  Anya and I are rather busy at the moment.  Could it wait a bit?" he asked fretfully.

"Yes.  We are *quite* busy, as you can see," Anya snapped, grabbing Giles' arm and pulling him back towards the storeroom.  "By my count, we are short by at least 20 eyes of newt, and if someone is stealing from me...er, from Giles," she shot him a look to see if he had noticed her slight gaffe, "Then I, for one, want to know who."  The ex-demon eyed the others in the shop suspiciously, and when her eyes reached Willow, she looked as if she wanted to ask the redhead to turn out her pockets.  Instead, she settled for giving Buffy a look of pure annoyance.

"Anya, honey," Xander said, eyeing his girlfriend anxiously, "Remember that talk we had about rampant paranoia, and about how you needed to learn to *trust* your friends?"

"But Xander, the calculator said so," Anya whined. "And unlike humans," she continued caustically, "the calculator doesn't lie." She shot Xander a look that clearly said 'so there' and then turned back to Giles.

"Okay, we're *so* getting away from the point here," Buffy interjected, bringing all eyes in the room back to her.  "And the point here is me, and what I have in my hand."  She waved an off-white envelope gaily in front of her, and then handed it to Giles.

"Read it, Giles, and tell me if you think it's true.  Oh please, let it be true," the slayer enthused, practically bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in her excitement.

All eyes were on Giles as he carefully took the envelope Buffy had handed him and opened it up, his natural curiosity showing on his face.  After what seemed like a millennia to the impatient Slayer, he folded the letter up and put it back into the envelope.

"Well that is *quite* amazing," he remarked in a rather surprised tone of voice.  At that remark, even Spike managed to stop looking bored for a moment as he waited for the ex-Watcher to tell them what was in the letter.

"So Giles, do you think it's real?  Please?  Can we go?  Pretty pretty please?"  Buffy snatched the envelope back out of Giles' hand and opened it, eyes scanning the page again eagerly.

"What does it say, Giles?  Go where Buffy?" Willow was confused.

"Yeah, what *she* said," Xander added, pointing towards his redheaded friend.

"Well," Giles began, "this letter purports to be from Quentin Travers, from the Watchers Council.  In short, he says that he regrets the rift that has formed between the Slayer and the Council, and hopes that he can start working to rebuild the relationship.  To further that wish, he has offered Buffy, and her friends, a visit to a private retreat that the council owns in Washington State."  Giles stopped momentarily as he heard gasps of surprise from the others, and a giggle of excitement from his slayer.

"He goes on to say that the lodge is fully stocked with enough food and drink to entertain you for a week.  Also, since they are aware that Spike is helping you, they have provided for him as well and have stocked the refrigerator with enough blood to keep him comfortable for that same amount of time."

"Do you think this is really from the Council, Giles?" Willow asked wonderingly.  The thought of a vacation, both from slaying and from 'real life' was such a welcome relief. Each and every member of the group was smiling his or her own private smile and daydreaming about what kind of fun they could have if they were free from the restraints of their day-to-day life.

"Well I'll certainly call and speak to Travers myself to ascertain his motives, but I suspect that this letter, and the offer it contains, is genuine."  Giles smiled slightly as he saw the grins that creased Willow and Buffy's faces.  Both women were so young, and yet had lived through so much.  If they could be provided with a short respite from their responsibilities, he would do all he could to make that happen.

"And just who will be watching the Hellmouth while all this is going on?" asked Spike.  He was all for a vacation as much as any of the others, but he was not willing to ignore the big picture.

"Ah-ha," muttered Anya.  "I knew this was too good to be true.  And who will watch over m--the shop while we're gone?" she asked anxiously.

Giles watched their smiles falter just a bit, but he would not let little matters like that destroy their excitement.  "Travers has mentioned that he has several operatives that he would like to patrol the hellmouth, and he will be sending them out at the end of the week, assuming that we accept his proposal.  We will have a week to train them and show them the ropes, and then we can leave.  Now as for the shop," he faltered a bit there, knowing that Anya would not like his next words, "I propose that we close the shop down for a week."

"But--" The words were out of Anya's mouth before he even closed his own.

"No but's, Anya," Xander told her, getting up and walking over to her.  He put his arm comfortably around her shoulder and whispered into her ear.  She giggled like a schoolgirl, and then coyly grabbed his hand and they headed for the door of the shop.

"We can count more things tomorrow, okay, Giles?" she yelled as the two lovers hurried out of the shop, in search of the nearest bed, dark alley, or shady tree.

~Part: 2~

And so it was that a scant three weeks later, the slayer and five slayerettes set foot on Cemetery Island, part of the San Juan Islands, just north of Seattle, Washington.  True to their word, the council sent several operatives that Buffy had worked with, and eventually she had given them her slayer seal of crunchy goodness approval.  Privately, she hoped there would be no end-of-the-world catastrophes while they were gone.  She was comfortable leaving the slaying with them for a week, but anything more serious than a vampire would probably leave them quivering in terror.

The flight from Sunnydale to Seattle had been uneventful. And even though Xander and Anya had both gotten a little seasick on the small yacht that had taken them to the private island, there was still an air of joyful abandon about the young adults that the watcher and the vampire somewhat envied.  Of course they would never admit it to anyone else.

It was shortly after 11pm, and the dark wintery skies combined with the lack of city lights to create a complete and total darkness.  Small torches lit the way up a steep path to the house that towered over them.  They watched the yacht pull out and head back to Stuart Island, the nearest inhabited land.  There was something rather lonely-looking about the small boat, as it headed back to land, Giles thought, but before he could ponder exactly why that was, he heard Buffy's voice urging them to head up the hill towards the house.

Spike spared a glance towards the large house that seemed to loom over them.  Seemed more like a mansion, really, he thought.  It was a huge stone building, with little touches here and there and fine detail to the stonework that made it obvious that this house had been built long ago.  Back when words like craftsmanship and detail actually meant something, he thought with satisfaction.

As Willow scrambled up the path, she decided that she must have gotten lost inside a medieval fairy tale.  The house they were approaching seemed to her more like an ancient castle from the days of King Arthur's court than the 'lodge' promised by the Council.  She wished she were wearing something fancier than jeans and a t-shirt; it just didn't seem to do justice to their surroundings.

Finally they reached the huge doorway of the house.  Buffy knew that they were expected, but she wasn't sure whether they should knock, or just walk in.  After a minute of discussion, Xander took the lead and clacked the brass knocker on the sturdy wood door.  The sound seemed to echo back and forth inside the house, and although they strained their ears, no one, not even Spike, could hear the slightest sign of movement from within.

After waiting for a minute, Spike decided that although patience had its virtues, he wasn't the least bit interested in being virtuous.  The others were welcome to stand out there all night if they wanted, but he was getting hungry.  He moved the others out of the way, none too politely, and grasped the knob confidently, turning it and opening the heavy door.  "Yo!" he yelled out.  "Anyone home?"

There was no response to his query except the sound of his own voice, echoing back to him from within the house.  Convinced by his senses that there was nobody waiting in ambush, the vampire strode into the building, his eyes sweeping the room appraisingly.  He turned back to the others, still standing on the threshold of the house, and told them, "Nobody here.  Might as well come in."

One by one they entered the house, each one surveying the room curiously.  The foyer was huge, and dominated by twin marble staircases that lead up to the second floor.  Off to the left was another large room that resembled a library, complete with case upon case of books.  Willow immediately made a path for that room, her fingers and eyes roving the titles reverently.  She sighed, a sound of pure contentment, as Giles came to stand beside her.

"Look, Giles, they have the Chronicles of the Dead and the Septariat Compendiumâ?"the unabridged version.  This is wonderful," she positively glowed with enthusiasm, cursing the human need for sleep.  Now that she'd seen the library, she didn't know how she was going to tear herself away from it.

Giles followed her lead, amazed by the sheer magnitude of ancient texts the large room contained.  "Indeed, Willow," he spoke in hushed tones, "I could lose myself in this room for days and be *quite* happy.  Well, except for that pesky need for sleep."

Willow giggled, surprised yet pleased that their thoughts were so similar.  Before she could say anything further, a shout of excitement reached her ears.  Curious to find out what was going on, she left Giles to his contemplations and went back into the foyer.

The excited exclamation seemed to have come from the opposite direction, from the room directly to the right of the front door.  Curiosity still spurring her onward, Willow quickly entered the room, her interested eyes taking in the occupants.

Xander and Spike had found some sort of a gaming system, she saw, and had immediately gone to work trying to beat the crap out of each other, just like old times.  Only this time they were using some sort of a boxing game to do it.  Willow watched as Spike's long fingers deftly manipulated the controller in his hands, letting out an occasional yelp or triumphant shout as the game continued.

Xander, on the other hand, seemed much less at ease with the game.  His hands held the controller awkwardly, as if this game was something new to him.  Anya stood behind her boyfriend, whispering words of encouragement to him, which he promptly ignored.

"There, make your little man hit him there, and that will hurt him.  No, wait, there," she added, as Spike, hearing her chatter, moved his character slightly.  "Spike, stop moving your little character.  How is my Xander going to beat you if you keep moving?" she asked in frustration, giving the blond vampire a venomous look.

Spike merely looked at her impassively and then gave her a slightly maniacal grin.  He had this game at home, something he had failed to mention to the others, and he was *not* going to let some overgrown teenager beat him. Besides, he had 100-plus years of fighting experience on his side; he *deserved* to win.

Willow soon tired of watching the boys play.  Her eyes cataloged the room as she passed through it, taking in the big-screen TV and the large number of comfortable chairs and couches surrounding it.  There was also what seemed to be a fully stocked bar in back of a large ornate gaming table.  The room's colors were primarily dark reds and greens, and like the rest of the house so far, the room was without windows.  The young witch knew that there were windows on the upper floors of the house, probably in the bedrooms, but the lower level, which contained all of the common rooms, seemed to be without them.  She had been surprised by that fact, but she supposed that that was one of the reasons the Council had decided to send them here, since they knew that Spike was with them.

As she passed into the next room, Willow gasped in surprise.  She had walked into a large formal dining hall.  The table was definitely the centerpiece of the roomâ?"long and wooden, mostly covered by a soft cream-colored tablecloth.  Several silver candelabras dotted the length of it, the dark green candles looking tall and elegant in their fittings.  Each place at the table was fully set, and Willow could see that there were sufficient place settings for eight people total.  The pretty redhead was slightly confusedâ?¦there were only six of them in their party, yet the table was definitely set for eight.  The only explanation that came to mind was that perhaps their host and his or her spouse might be joining them at some point.

As she headed out through the other end of the dining room, Willow came upon the kitchen.  It was immaculate, the modern appliances and conveniences sparkling as if unused.  As she opened the refrigerator, she noticed that there was, indeed, plenty of food for all of them.  In addition to human food, she saw a separate bag with the Red Cross emblem emblazoned across it. From the look of it, the blood was human.  Willow grinned wryly:  Spike would never want to leave this place.  He'd be drinking something besides pig's blood for the first time in quite a while, and would probably enjoy the hell out of it.

The redhead frowned slightly when she counted the bags, realizing that there was enough blood to keep the handsome vampire fed for far longer than the week they were supposed to be staying here.  Well, maybe they could figure out some way to package some of it up in a cooler; then Spike could eat leftovers when they got back to Sunnydale.

When she closed the refrigerator door, Willow noticed a small folded note taped to the front.  Curious, she opened the note and quickly scanned the contents:

        Dear Guests,

        Please excuse our absence; an emergency has come up and we will be unable to join you just now.
        The servants will be along in the morning, and at that time all your needs will be seen to.  In the
        meantime, we've left a small midnight snack for you in the refrigerator.
        Enjoy.

        Sincerely,

        Your Hosts

~Part: 3~

One week earlier, in Los Angeles

Angel stood deep in thought at the base of the stairway, a cream-colored envelope held loosely in one hand.

"What is that you're holding there?" Wesley asked curiously as he left his office and headed for the front door.  When the scruffy ex-watcher received no sign of acknowledgement from the dark vampire, he looked at him again, noting the unfocused look on his face.  "Angel?" he asked, breaking through the older man's reverie.

"Sorry Wes, my mind must have been elsewhere," he acknowledged wryly.  "I guess I've got an announcement to make," he added.  Could you rally the troops and have everyone meet in the lobby in about ten minutes?"

"Certainly, Angel."

"So what's the big deal, Mister Broody," asked Cordelia as she perched comfortably on the couch.

Fred and Gunn sat on either side of her, and Wesley and Lorne stood next to the davenport.  Angel paced the floor in front of them uneasily, although the reason for his nervousness was as yet unclear.

"Well, now that you're all here, I guess I can start," Angel decided. "I got this envelope by special messenger earlier today."  He held up the envelope that Wesley had seen him handling earlier, and now he opened it and started reading it aloud to the assembled group.
 

Dear Mister Angel,

I have heard that your Angel Investigations has a reputation of being both discreet and effective.  I find myself in need of both qualities, and would like to talk to you and your people about the possibility of coming to work for me.

I would like to arrange a meeting at my retreat in the San Juan
Islands so that I can explain my situation to you in more detail.

Please let me know if you and your staff would be available to
meet with me on the weekend of the 19th.

Sincerely,

Mr. Owen
 

"So what do you guys think?  Is this Mr. Owen for real?" Angel asked the assembled group.

Wesley put out a hand to receive the letter from Angel, and quickly scanned the piece of paper for anything that the vampire might have missed.

"I have to admit, I have some reservations about this," confided Wesley. "Sending the entire team out of the area is highly unorthodox.  We have responsibilities, and clients, in Los Angeles that need our attention.  We can't all be expected to jump on the first flight up to the," he hesitated as he scanned the letter again, "San Juan Islands."  He frowned thoughtfully, trying to make up his mind.  "Perhaps sending a small contingent would be appropriate?  You, Angel, and one or two others."

"Don't you *even* look in my direction," Cordelia scolded both the vampire and the ex-watcher.  "I've heard about how it is up there.  It rains *constantly* and there's all kinds of wilderness and stuff.  Besides coffee, what else does that state have going for it?"

Fred, who had heretofore sat silently in the corner, snuck quietly into the conversation.  "I-I wouldn't mind going," she said softly.  "It might be nice to be someplace different for once.  And the rain doesn't bother me.  It's...kind of cleansing, I used to think."

Angel gave the young woman a grateful smile.  "Thanks, Fred.  I think you and I would be enough of a presence.  The rest of the crew can stay in L.A.  We could leave tomorrow evening and spend the day in Seattle, then head out to the island early the next evening.  Sound okay to you?"

"Sure," the brunette replied eagerly.  She was looking forward to spending some time with her good friend.  Everyone at Angel Investigations was wonderful, but she'd always felt an extra connection to Angel, something dating back to those terrible days in Pylea.  He may be a vampire, but he had always done his best to make her feel comfortable and appreciated.  Fred would never be able to repay him for that kindness.

*********************************************

"Wiiiiiilow," yelled Buffy, the words shaking the redhead out of her perusal of the note from their hosts.  She folded the missive up and put it in her pocket, then raced out of a door at the other end of the kitchen, finding herself back in the foyer, as she suspected she might.  The door was unobtrusive from the large foyer, and unless someone knew it was there, it would have gone unnoticed to any but the most careful observer.

"Heeeey Wiiiiilow," Buffy called again, her voice louder this time.

"Coming," Willow yelled back, smiling for joy at the ability to make noise.  Living in the dorms had been a wonderful experience, but having so many people on the other side of the wall, and having to be quiet and considerate all the time, left a bit to be desired.  It was fun to be able to yell out and not worry about waking someone, or disturbing someone's studies.

She raced up the stairs, listening to the tat-tat-tat of her shoes as they clicked on the marble. As the redhead hit the top of the stairway, she laid eyes on the slayer who was grinning happily as she danced around the hallway at the top of the stairs.

"Isn't this place just unbelievable?" she asked, gesturing to door after door.  "There are over a dozen rooms up here!  And Willow," she added quietly, "we're first, so we get to choose whichever ones we want."

Willow grinned at her friend's enthusiasm.  With the lack of responsibility and the chance to enjoy herself, the blonde Slayer looked much like she had when Willow first met her back in high school, before years of tragedy and strain put harsh lines around her eyes and on her face.  It was good to see Buffy looking so happy again, Willow decided.

She linked arms with her friend, and one by one they opened each of the rooms and explored what was contained within.  Each room was different.  The first one was decorated in a nautical theme, complete with a waterbed.  A second was done up all in pastel pinks and greens.  Yet another housed walls covered with bookshelves.  The girls finally chose two bedrooms near the front of the house.  Buffy's room was reminiscent of her Slayer heritage.  A collection of stakes and other weapons dotted the room here and there, interspersed with pictures of young girls of all time periods and nationalities.  They all, however, had the same determined glint in their eyes that Willow had noticed in Buffy's eyes so many time over the years.

Willow chose the room with the bookshelves, of course.  An additional plus was that it was located next to Buffy's room, and the two rooms actually shared a common bathroom through connecting doors on either side of the room.  Before anyone could argue, both girls grabbed their luggage and unpacked, mingling their meager possessions with what was there already to give each room a "lived-in" feel.

As they finished reorganizing the bathroom, a loud pounding sound startled them and brought them running into the main hallway.  The others had paused their activities as well, and soon they all met at the bottom of the stairs, in front of the large front door.

"Perhaps our hosts are making their rather tardy appearance?" Giles suggested.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys," Willow mentioned guiltily, "But I found this note in the kitchen.  Our hosts have left us to our own devices, at least for the night.  I don't know who this is, but I doubt it's them.  Besides, if it's their place, why would they knock?"

"Good question," agreed Buffy, nodding.

Whoever was at the door banged again, and everyone jumped in guilty surprise.

"I don't want to hear that sound anymore, it's annoying," Anya said crossly.  Seeing that nobody else was in much of a hurry to do anything about it, she finally walked to the door herself and opened it.

Outside the door were the last two people that any of them had ever expected to see.

"An-Angel?" Buffy asked hesitantly, not believing that her former flame was really standing in front of her.  The rest of the gang crowded behind her, surveying the dark vampire with varying levels of surprise and unease.

"Buffy?" Angel blinked twice, as if expecting the blonde before him to disappear from his sight once he had cleared his vision.  "What are you doing here?"

Fred stood quietly behind Angel, confusion flickering in the depths of her hazel eyes.  She had heard Angel talk about Buffy and the Sunnydale contingent before; she had even met Willow briefly, when she had come to inform them of Buffy's death.  She could not, however, understand what they would be doing here, of all places.  This was supposed to be a business meeting, wasn't it?

Angel's eyes surveyed the occupants of the hallway:  Buffy, Willow, Xander and the Watcher he knew well.  Anya was somewhat of an unknown.  He'd seen her before once or twice, but didn't know her well.  And behind the ex-demon, his eyes focused on his childe.  His Spike.  He hadn't seen Spike since the time the younger vampire had come to L.A. and tried to steal the Gem of Amara.  Things between them had been bad since then.  Although he was aware that Spike was working with Buffy and her friends, he still didn't trust his wayward childe completely.  Spike always had an agenda, and if he was helping the slayer, it was because it serviced his purposes to do so.   He gave Spike a curt nod, and then turned his attention back to Buffy.

"Errrmmph," Giles said, clearing his throat in an attempt to get everyone's attention and to regain control of the situation, "Would you mind telling us exactly what you're doing here, Angel? "

"That's funny, Giles," the vampire replied, smiling lightly, "I was about to ask you the same thing."

~Part: 4~

"I was called here for a business meeting," Angel informed the ex-Watcher.  He took Fred's hand and drew her to his side.  "Everyone, this is Fred.  She works with me in L.A."

The willowy young woman with long auburn hair smiled nervously; she was obviously uneasy around so many strangers.  "Hi," she said quickly, giving a small wave of her hand.  Her anxious eyes flitted from face to face, trying to figure out exactly what was going on here.

"So *my* question would seem to be," Angel said, as he stepped across the threshold and entered the large house, pulling a reluctant Fred behind him, "What are you people doing here?  I have to assume that you're not here for a business meeting, so why exactly *are* you here?"

"The Council, trying to make amends for the rather shabby way they've treated Buffy, has set us up here for the week," Giles told him.  "We are to have free reign of the house and the island for that time, after which they will return us to Sunnydale.  In Buffy's absence, they have sent reinforcements to take over patrolling and the day-to-day activities on the Hellmouth.

The ex-librarian motioned them all into the living room, the room Xander and Spike had occupied earlier while playing their game.  Soon they were all sitting comfortably on the various chairs and sofas in the room, and Giles went to put some tea on in the kitchen.  It looked as though there was something odd going on, and if they were going to have to figure out what it was, tea was definitely in order.

As Anya watched on jealously, Xander and Willow attempted to engage Fred in conversation.  Meanwhile, Buffy and Angel slipped back into the hallway for a talk of their own.

"What do you make of this, Buffy?" Angel asked her, his voice low and edgy.

The blonde looked at him, remembering how much they had once meant to each other, and was rather surprised to feel nothing but a small ache, instead of the severe pain that seeing him used to invoke.  Was she finally over him?  The thought made her smile sadly, but it really was for the best, she knew.  What they had, while exciting and wonderful, had been a case of first love, young love.  Now she was older and wiser, and she knew that she wanted someone who would be able to be there for her in every way.  Someone who would be able to share the things that she loved about life:  her friends, her family, and her love of the light.  With Angel she could never have had that. When he had left her for exactly those reasons, it had almost torn her to pieces.  Now she realized how right he had been.

When she responded to his question, it was as the slayer and not as his soulmate.  She was all business.  "I don't know, Angel.  I don't suppose the business meeting you were supposed to be having here was with a representative of the Council, was it?  I mean, of course it wasn't, you would have mentioned it if it was.  Duh, silly question."

"No, not silly, but yes, you're right.  In fact, I still have the letter here."  He pulled out the cream-colored envelope and handed it to Buffy, watching her as she quickly scanned the contents.

"Hmmâ?¦so they invited the whole gang, did they?  Why were you and Fred the only ones that showed?"

"Well, we decided that just in case this *was* something weird, we didn't want to have everyone stuck out here.  So I volunteered and so did Fred, and everyone else stayed home to hold down the fort."

Buffy noticed a certain protectiveness in Angel's voice when he mentioned Fred, and wondered if there was anything between them.  She knew it was none of her business, so she only answered back with the simple words, "Fred seems nice."

Angel nodded earnestly.  He did have a growing affection for the newest member of Angel Investigations, and was hoping that during this trip they would have a chance to get to know each other a little better.  "She's a good kid.  Had a rough time recently, but I think she's finally starting to get over it and return to the real world."

Buffy didn't ask for any particulars, and Angel didn't offer any, so they got back to the topic du jour, that being their odd circumstances.  "So do you think the Council set this up?" she asked him uneasily.

"I guess they could have.  It certainly wouldn't have taken many of their resources to do it.  I just can't imagine why though.  If they wanted to get at me, it would have been easy enough.  Or if they wanted to get at you, again, they could have.  But why bring all of us here together?  It just doesn't make any sense to me."

"You're right, of course," Buffy said, rubbing her forehead tiredly.  They had all been up since early morning, and it was now closing in on two in the morning.  "I don't know, maybe we should just try to settle in for the night and then figure it out in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Angel agreed.  But there was still a hint of uneasiness hiding in the depths of his dark brown eyes, and no matter how hard he tried to quell it, it remained.

As they rejoined the others, Buffy plastered a confident smile back on her face and told her friends that although they still had no clue what was going on, as far as she was concerned, the best plan was to get a good night's sleep and then tackle the puzzle in the morning.

Xander and Anya had been smothering yawns for some time now, and the ex-demon was still curious about how much fun it would be to have sex in a stranger's bed, so the two of them headed out the door and up to the bedrooms.

"I do hope I'll be able to find a room far, far away from them," Giles commented as he watched the pair disappear from view.

"Yeah, they do tend to be a bit, erm, 'enthusiastic' in their enjoyment," Willow agreed, a slight flush of embarrassment coloring her skin.  Angel smiled as he saw her blush; even after everything she had been through in her young life, she could still manage to blush just like an innocent schoolgirl.  He found the trait rather endearing, for some reason.

The dark vampire looked around the room and saw his childe's eyes focused on him.  Spike had seen him looking at Willow, and for some reason that fact had made the younger vamp angry, perhaps even jealous.  Did Spike have feelings for the little hacker?  It was certainly possible.  And considering the way things were, Angel was sure that his childe would never say anything.  He had been love's bitch too many times to just put his heart out there to be broken again.  And since Willow probably had no idea of Spike's feelings, or at least he assumed that was the case, the two would never get together without a little help.

Well, Angel thought to himself, this weekend was shaping up to be *quite* the interesting gathering.

The remaining six chatted briefly in a desultory fashion.  Fred and Willow had discovered some common interests and were looking forward to discussing them the next morning.  The rest of the group were looking a bit sleepy, so finally they all trekked their way up the stairs.  Those who had not already laid claim to a room quickly did.  Spike snagged the room next to Willow's, while Giles grabbed the one next to Spike.  Fred and Angel both took rooms across the hallway from the others.  Much to everyone's relief, Xander and Anya seemed to be occupying one of the rooms at the far end of the hall, and although they heard muffled thumps from time to time, that was the only evidence they heard of the couple's activities.

After a long day, and an even longer evening, everyone except the two vampires fell asleep quickly.  After a half hour or so, Spike emerged from his room still wide-awake and full of energy.  He padded down to the kitchen to check out some of the promised blood, and when he reached the door he saw that his sire had already beaten him to it.

Grunting quietly in acknowledgement, Spike opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bag of blood, tearing the packet open and pouring the contents into a large mug, which he then stuck in the microwave.  Once the blood was warm, he grabbed it and plunked himself down at the kitchen table across from Angel.

"So what do you make of this, sire?  Is someone playing games with us?" he asked curiously.  "Because I get the feeling that someone is, but I'll be damned if I know who, or why."

~Part: 5~

The brooding vampire lifted his head and turned his soft brown eyes towards Spike.  He was still for a moment, considering his childe's question.

"I'd tend to agree with you.  There was a deliberate attempt to lure us all here, to an isolated, out-of-the-way place.  I didn't want to say anything to Buffy, but yeah, I can't help but feel a little uneasy."

"That had to be weird," Spike offered casually, "seeing the slayer again, I mean."

"I won't disagree," his sire confirmed solemnly.  "But I think we both know that it's really over.  Despite what you said all those years ago, we *can* just be friends.  Maybe we couldn't back then," he acknowledged, "but we've grown apart.  And matured."

"Plus there's that cute little brunette I saw earlier," Spike reminded his elder, a devilish glint in his crystal blue eyes.  "She's quite a bit of all right, if I do say so."

Angel glared at the blond, wondering how much to say.  Sometimes with Spike, the more he felt you were hiding, the deeper he would dig.  The dark vampire fought his first impulse to be silent and finally decided to be honest.  "Yes, I have feelings for Fred," he admitted, giving a deep sigh.  "But if my experience with Buffy taught me anything, it's that giving in to my feelings can be dangerous.  Too dangerous.  We don't want a repeat ofâ?¦" his voice trailed off. Both vampires lost themselves in thoughts of Angelus as they drank their blood reflectively,

"Yeah," Spike agreed softly, stopping to lick a stray rivulet of blood from his lips.  "Last bloody thing in the world that we need now is a return of that bastard."

Slightly stung by his childe's response, Angel decided to throw a little barb of his own.  A lazy smirk on his lips, he remarked casually, "Speaking of easy on the eyes, what's going on with you and Willow, Spike?  I caught that look you gave me earlier.  Got some feelings of your own that you're hiding?"

Spike's eyes slid away from his sire's, casually surveying the room as if it were the most interesting place in the world.  Angel knew his childe well.  Knew that the blond was using the time to fabricate an answer that he thought would be sufficiently close to the truth, without giving anything real away.

"She's a good kid," he conceded finally, bringing his guileless blue eyes back to meet chocolate brown ones.  "I look out for her now and then.  It's amazing how naive she can still be, even after all these years and all she's gone through."

Angel nodded, not surprised that Spike's thoughts about the redhead were so similar to his own.  He stood and took both their empty mugs, placing them in the sink and running some water over them.  "Ready to head up?" he asked.

Spike yawned, stretching as he stood.  "Yeah, might as well try to get some sleep.  I'm sure the rest will be up early, full of questions and theories.  Hell, the damn watcher will probably have us researching and reading.  There's a huge stinkin' library here, did you know?"  He snorted in disgust, before adding, "Just my bloody luck.  First vacation I get in years, and I'm going to have to spend the whole time working."

~~~*~~~

Fred lay in bed, watching the wind and the sunlight cause shadows to dance around the walls of her bedroom.  The tree outside her room was whipping to and fro with wind's the effort.  Her mind was never quiet, and this morning was no exception.  Well, except that technically speaking it was probably afternoon.  It had been a late night, what with the boat trip out to Cemetery Island, and then the confusion and explanations that ensued after their arrival.

She shuddered slightly as she considered the name of the island.  Hopefully that wasn't a sign of things to come.  There was definitely something wrong with the situation here, but whether it was just innocent mischief, or a larger, more serious conspiracy, the young woman wasn't sure.  Fred had spent a lot of time with Angel over the past year or so.  Enough time to know when something was bothering him.  And despite the somewhat upbeat face that he tried to put on this situation, he was definitely uneasy.  Therefore, Fred was uneasy as well.

They all seemed harmless enough.  Well, harmless enough for a slayer, a vampire, an ex-demon, and a witch.  Plus the two normal human men.

She had enjoyed talking to Willow last night.  The two women seemed to have a lot in common, including a keen, questioning mind and a shy, quiet façade.  She hoped that they would have a chance to discuss some theories and ideas she had regarding the Zenozian prophecies.

Spike was a bit of an enigma to her.  She knew that the younger vampire and Angel had a history together.  Just how 'together' they had been, she wasn't sure.  There had been some bad blood between them in the past, she knew, but they had seemed polite enough last night.  Still, there was something about the blond that she just didn't trust.

The watcher, along with the ex-demon and the boy, were of no serious concern.  They seemed nice enough, but probably wouldn't be of much use if the situation got serious.  On the other hand, they might be handy if any researching needed to be done.

And that left her to consider the slayer.  Buffy.  You couldn't spend more than a day around Angel Investigations without hearing something about the young slayer.  And of course her past with Angel.  Fred wasn't blind to the fact that the two of them had disappeared together almost immediately.  She wasn't jealous, she insisted to herself.  Really, she wasn't.  She just wished she knew what it had been that they had talked about.

Fred sighed softly, finally accepting that the time to dawdle was past.  She had spent the last half hour organizing her thoughts and considering the situation, but sooner or later she would have to get up and see the others.  There was simply no way to avoid it.  So, marshalling her energy, she stretched her lithe body taut, before getting up and marching to the bathroom.  Might as well look her best, she thought.  The little boost of confidence it would give her would be nice.

~~~*~~~

Giles looked around the room he currently occupied.  The decorators had decided to go with a musical theme.  Instruments from every country and just about every time period graced the walls, along with sheet music that doubled in some places as wallpaper.  It was a truly unique idea, and something about it had appealed to that bit of 'Ripper' that still remained in the watcher.

Plus, and this was the deciding factor, you could not hear Xander and Anya in this room.  In fact, the watcher realized rather thoughtfully, you really couldn't hear much of anything that went on outside.  The large house must have been built with very high quality standards, as all the walls seemed to be quite thick.

Thoughts of their purpose here brought him up short.  Why exactly were they here, he wondered.  The Watcher's Council had insisted it was a peace offering, a chance to mend fences with the slayer and her mentor.  However, the recent arrival of Angel and his young employee made him feel deeply troubled.  Something was afoot, but whether it was evil or not he could not guess.

A quick glance at the clock next to his bed told him that it was just passing three in the afternoon.  Such a lazy, decadent day, yet he had definitely needed the extra sleep.  Now, however, it was time to meet the day and have some breakfast.  Make that lunch, he thought guiltily.  Well, some tea, at any rate.

~~~*~~~

Willow bounded down the steps enthusiastically.  A good night's sleep, mixed with a nice warm shower this morning, had her spirits flying high.  They were on vacation.  An honest-to-god vacation.  She tried to remember the last time she'd been on one of those. Sure, her parents took them all the time, but Willow hadn't been on one since she'd been twelve.

The memory of it broke the surface of her consciousness, and she thought about the time her parents had taken her to Disneyworld in Florida.  They had left her with strangers while they spent their time lecturing on a cruise ship.  Well, par for the course, she thought with a sigh.

Determined not to let depression grab hold of her, the petite redhead quickened her steps.  By the time she reached the bottom of the stairway and turned to enter the living room, she was practically flying.  In her preoccupation she failed to notice the other occupant of the room, and before she could stop her hurtling body, she had smacked head-on into Spike.  They both fell to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, the vampire underneath Willow.

"Cor, witch, what's the rush?"  He didn't sound particularly angry, she noted, just curious. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you.  I kinda like the view," he added, looking down her shirt and eyeing her breasts enthusiastically.

Willow looked down at the blond and noted his expression and where his eyes were currently looking, and felt her skin burn with embarrassment.  She tried to disentangle herself and spring to her feet, but before she could, Xander and Anya came walking into the room, hands entwined, and a satisfied smile on both their faces.

"Wow Willow, never seen this side of you before," Xander teased her.  "Must be all this fresh country air, just turns the chicks on like crazy," he added shooting a knowing look at Anya.  "You should have seen what Anya wanted to do last niâ?""

Before he could finish his sentence, both Willow and Spike jumped to their feet and ran screaming from the room.  They raced desperately for the kitchen and away from the slightly surprised couple.

As they sat down across from each other at the table, Spike gave his co-conspirator a wink and whispered, "I think made it, luv."

Their eyes met briefly before they both burst out into laughter.

Willow got up and started to dig through the pantry, looking for something that would make a suitable snack before dinner, which was only a couple of hours away.  She turned and smiled back at her companion, her earlier embarrassment forgotten.  "I love Xander to death, he's my dearest friend, but if I have to hear one more sentence about their sex life, I swear, I'm going to lose it!" she declared vehemently.  Plus, she added silently, it doesn't help matters that I'm not getting any regular smoochies.  She knew that Xander wasn't purposely flaunting his happiness, but sometimes it did rather seem like it.

"Maybe you just need a little someone to take your mind off of it," Spike said knowingly, standing and coming to join the redhead at the counter, watching as she made herself a bowl of cereal.  She looked up at his approach, wondering exactly what he meant by his comment.  Before she could ask him, the kitchen door opened and Buffy, Giles, Angel and Fred joined them, already deep in discussion.

"But we can't just sit here like, well, sitting ducks," complained Buffy.  "We should be out doingâ?¦ *something*."

"Well what do you suggest we do, Buffy?" Giles asked, his frustration evident as he sat down and began to polish his glasses.  "There isn't a whole lot to be done until whoever it is that sent us here decides to let us go."

The others sat down at the long wooden table, Willow and Spike joining them, each of them trying to think of something that they could do.  Buffy was unused to a problem that action couldn't solve.  Her usual modus operandi was to fight the enemy, or barring that, research it to death.  The problem now was that they didn't have a discernable enemy, and it was making the slayer feel useless and rather cranky.

"What I wanna know is who's responsible for this," Spike growled, his interrupted conversation with Willow forgotten as he got back to the subject of their 'vacation.'  He really didn't have a problem with being here, especially with the delectable redhead sitting so closely next to him, but he *hated* being toyed with.  It showed a certain lack of respect, he thought irritably.

"Okay, there's a good starting place," Angel agreed.  "Personally, I think this stunt just reeks of the Council."

"Yes," Giles agreed.  "And I know for a fact that they own this island.  So they own the island, they have the resources, and the knowledge to set this up.  The only question is why."

Fred looked nervously at Angel, tapping him on the shoulder.  He leaned down to listen to her softly whispered words.  "I feel like such an idiot," she told him quietly, "but I don't understand.  Why would the Council do this? Doesn't Buffy work for them?"

Angel realized that unlike the rest of them, Fred had never dealt with the Watcher's Council or heard about the rift between the Council and their Slayer.  "Usually the Slayer does work for the Council, but some time back Buffy quit working for them.  Things have been tense between them ever since."

Fred nodded gratefully.  "Thanks, Angel."

"So why don't you just call them?" she asked.  "I mean, there are phones here, right?  I saw one downstairs earlier."

Giles stood and began to pace the small room, his uneasiness quite apparent.  "Yes, we did try that earlier, I'm afraid, but the phone seems to be disconnected.  Whether on purpose or by accident, I couldn't really say.  But all the same, it does seem suspicious."

"And none of the rest of you thought to bring a cell phone?" Spike asked sarcastically.  "Bunch of bloody wankers, why on earth not?"

Buffy looked across the table at the blond and, judging from her expression, tried to think of some way to entice him out into the sunlight.  "Well where is *your* cell phone, blondie?" she asked nastily.

"Vampires don't use cell phones, you stupid twat," he shot back angrily, shooting a look at Angel and daring the dark vampire to contradict him.

"Well you're welcome to use mine," Fred offered cheerfully, bringing it out of her pocket and setting it in the middle of the table.  She shrunk back slightly as five sets of surprised eyes trained themselves on her face.

~Part: 6~

There was a moment of shocked silence, and then everyone started talking at once.

"You mean youâ?""

"Fred?"

"Give it hereâ?""

"Well at least one of you has a brain," Spike grumbled, giving the slightly alarmed brunette an approving look.

Angel was the first one to grab for the phone, and within seconds he was dialing the number for the Hyperion, hoping that one of his employees could send some help their way by nightfall.

"Why isn't this working," he growled in frustration when his call wouldn't go through.

Fred peeked her head over his shoulder and took a quick look at the face of the phone.  She groaned softly in dismay.  "See that little symbol there?" she asked quietly, pointing at an icon and the words 'no signal' that flashed on the panel.  "That means that we're too far away to get a signal.  Maybe if we go outside it would help?"

"Damn," he swore softly, then handed the phone back to her.  "Here, why don't you try it outside?  I'm afraid it's still too light out for me.  If you *do* find a way to make a call, call Gunn immediately and get him to send some reinforcements.  Tell him that this is urgent, and not to waste any time."

"Sure Angel," she agreed, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder and giving it a brief squeeze before leaving the room.  Giles and Buffy went with her, although they both suspected that they would have little more luck outside than they did inside.  They were just too far from the mainland, he suspected.  And that was just what whoever had set this up had intended.

Sure enough, the phone-wielding trio was back within minutes, frowns on all of their faces.

"No luck at all," Fred said glumly, confirming Giles' earlier suspicions.

"Well, I think we all know what that means," Buffy said dejectedly, looking at the unhappy faces at the table.

Willow groaned.  "Research time, right?"

"C'mon, Wills, you know you want to," Buffy said, laughing a bit at Willow's gloomy face.  "You've been itching to take a crack at that library since the minute you got here."

"Yeah, but only for *fun* research.  Not for the 'if we don't find the answer to this problem we might be in trouble' kind of research," the little redhead complained.

One by one they unenthusiastically made their way to the library, pausing to call up to Anya and Xander to meet them there.

"But this was supposed to be a vacation," Spike whined.  "I was promised fun and time off and free blood.  Well, I did get the free blood I guess, but still, where's the fun?"

Angel shot him an amused glance, before getting up to follow the others.  "Come on, childe, let's get this over with. The sooner we find something, the sooner you can go back to your little video games," he snickered.

Spike gave the dark vampire a menacing glare, but his heart really wasn't in it, and finally he got up to join the others.  "Last time I go *anywhere* with the bloody watcher," he muttered under his breath.

~~~*~~~

"Well I think we've made our way through every single book in this soddin' library, other than the general fiction, and we didn't find a damn thing," Spike groused.  "This was the last one, right, Watcher?"

"Yes, Spike, that was the last book," Giles replied in barely-polite tones.  The blond vampire had been complaining bitterly ever since they had started researching four hours ago, and although he had managed to hold his tongue admirably, the watcher was just about at the end of his rope.

Angel looked at the faces in the room.  Their attention was starting to lag a bit.  Willow and Buffy both looked sleepy, and Xander and Anya could barely keep their eyes open.  He suspected that Spike had actually stopped reading his book a half hour ago, and had spent the remaining time stealing glances at the redhead.  Even Fred, who was usually good for a long night of research, was looking a little weary.

"How about we take a break and go outside for a bit.  The cold evening air ought to wake us up, and then some."  Plus, the vampire added quietly to himself, we could keep an eye out for anything unusual.  A little bit of impromptu patrolling was definitely a good idea.

"Yes, that is an excellent idea," Giles agreed, casting a grateful look at Angel.  Maybe with the children gone, he could actually concentrate on the research at hand.  Between Anya's giggling and Buffy popping her gum, the ex-librarian had been hard put to get any in-depth reading done.  His concentration had been rather lacking, that was for sure.

As the children eagerly left, Giles settled back comfortably onto the leather couch and took his glasses off for a second.  Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a moment, he thought, he could get back to the books with a better frame of mind and better concentration.

~~~*~~~

As soon as they left the house the group quickly split up.  Anya and Xander took off for a quiet romantic walk on their own, promising the others that they would be careful and would return before too long.  They headed down the path towards the dock, coming to a stop and sitting on a bench there. The two held hands and talking softly, the sound of the water the perfect backdrop to their conversation.

The rest of the gang headed north, taking a well-worn path along the edge of the island.  The moon was bright and high overhead, and the tall trees that surrounded the house gave way to small bushes and plants. As the five figures walking along, Angel, Buffy and Fred quickly forged ahead, while Willow and Spike walked more slowly, the young woman taking more interest in their surroundings and the water down below.

"It's so quiet here," she whispered to Spike.  "I mean, the noises you hear from the city, all those sounds that you take for granted, you don't hear them here."

"Yeah, downright spooky, if you ask me."

Willow looked at him briefly, and then started to giggle softly.

"Hell, what's so damn funny, witch?"

She slapped him lightly on the arm, and then said, "You're the big bad.  You've tried to kill us, like, a bazillion times.  And yet something as innocuous as the quiet here creeps you out.  Some big bad you are," she teased, giving him a smile to soften her words.

Spike looked over at the redhead next to him and flashed her a brief glimpse of ridges and fangs, before allowing his face to blend back to its usual human visage.  He leaned in close to her ear and threw a casual arm around her shoulder before whispering seductively, "Give me a minute or two, and I'll show you just how big and bad I can be."

"Tease," she called him, stopping briefly to look up at his smiling face, before skipping down the path to join the others.

Spike continued leisurely behind her, watching the sway of her hips as she moved ahead of him.  And she called *him* a tease, he thought ruefully, as he quickened his steps to catch up with the others.

~~~*~~~

"Oh, he looks so cute," Willow said with a giggle, leaning down to get a closer look at the sleeping watcher.

"Cute?" Xander and Buffy exclaimed in unison.  They had returned to the mansion just in time to catch Giles asleep on the job, so to speak.  In their absence he had stretched out onto the couch, and now appeared to be dead to the world.

"Shush," Anya insisted, "If we wake him up, he'll make us work again, right?" she asked, looking at the others for confirmation.

"My girl here's got a good point," agreed Xander, pulling Anya quickly out of the room so that the two could enjoy some more one-on-one time.

The others quickly followed them, eager to avoid waking the most serious member of their group.  They headed towards the living room, each of them discussing what they should do for the evening.

"Poker," Angel insisted.

"Movies," was Willow's contribution.

"Reading?" Fred asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Drinking," Spike added to the ever-growing list of suggestions.

"Okay, how about a drinking game," Buffy asked, trying to put together at least a couple of suggestions.  "With a movie on in the background," she added, seeing Willow's slightly disappointed look.

"I guess I could read any old time," Fred agreed softly.  "I've never played poker before, but it's just a game of mathematical certainties, right?" she asked.

"Yup, that's exactly what it is," Spike agreed with a devilish grin.  He decided that he liked the little brunette.  She seemed quiet and scared, but he sensed that there was a backbone hidden underneath her soft demeanor and quiet lilting voice.  Plus, she was able to put up with his broody bastard of a sire, so she must have unseen reserves of patience.

"Okay, everyone sit down," Angel commanded, grabbing several exotically colored bottles from the fully stocked bar behind him.  Green, yellow, white and blue liquids sparkled in the light.  The vampire then searched for and found several shot glasses, placing one in front of each seat.  "Here are the rules of the game.  We're playing poker, nothing's wild, no special rules, just plain simple poker.  Whoever gets the high hand doesn't have to drink.  Whoever doesn't win, well, they each take a shot of their liquor of choice."

"Hey, vampire constitutionâ?"" complained Fred.

Willow and Buffy shot her grateful looks.  They hadn't considered that point.  Vampires seemed to be notoriously good at holding their liquor, and that put the women at a distinct disadvantage.

"All right, all right, we'll take double shots," Spike groused.  "But I'm sure it'll just be the poof here who'll be doing that, since I plan to win every hand," he added with a smirk.

"We'll see about that," Willow shot back, her competitive nature kicking in.  Angel smiled slightly as he looked at his childe and the little redhead.  She reminded him of a tiny terrier going up against a larger dog.  She knew the odds weren't in her favor, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

"And let the games begin," Fred intoned solemnly, before smiling and giggling breathily.

~~~*~~~

"I am drunk." Angel informed them all, a rather silly grin on his face.

"Drunk as a skunk," Spike agreed, smirking.

Willow giggled.  Soon her giggles became full-fledged laughter, and her head hit the card table with a thud.  "Oww," she complained, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

Fred was giggling too.  "You," she said, pointing at Willow between giggles and gasps for breath, "You're so funny!"

Buffy smiled at them, feeling slightly superior.  I may not have won that many hands, but I managed to hold my alcohol better than they did, she thought smugly.  Little did she know that she had a tootsie roll wrapper stuck to the top of her forehead.  The slayer was so smashed that she couldn't feel or sense it there, and nobody else was about to tell her.  They were having too much fun looking at it.

"It's almost," Angel stopped briefly to look at his watch.  Damned hands, why couldn't they stay in one place, he wondered.  Always moving, the blasted things were.  "It's almost 4am," he began again.  "Time for most good little girls to be in bed," he added, giggling at his own wittiness.  "May I escort you ladies up to your rooms?" he asked, getting somewhat unsteadily to his feet.  The dark vampire linked arms with Fred and Buffy, and the three of them stumbled their way up to their rooms.

"M'lady," Spike drawled, giving the remaining woman the same treatment.

"Oh, Spike," Willow giggled, grabbing his arm and then lurching slightly against him as she tried to get herself upright.  "Ummmâ?¦. so tired," she sighed, resting her head briefly against his shoulder.

"C'mon, you card shark you," he mumbled sleepily, "Let's get you to bed."

~~~*~~~

The previous night's revelry caused the young adults to sleep in even later than they had the previous morning, make that the previous *afternoon*.  By the time the first of them made her way down the stairs, it was shortly after 3pm.  Keeping a vampire's hours was becoming a habit, Willow thought, but not an unpleasant one.

As she made her way down the stairs, Willow spied Giles, still sprawled out on the couch in the library, as he had been the previous evening.  That's odd, she thought.  He really ought to be awake by now.

Instead of heading for the kitchen, she decided to stop in the library to make sure that the ex-librarian was all right.  She watched his chest as she entered the room, waiting for the comforting rise and fall that would indicate steady breathing.  She became more and more alarmed as she saw no evidence that Giles was breathing at all.  As she quickly reached his side, panic began to fill her, fueled by how still and pale he was.  Willow placed her fingers on his neck, trying desperately to find a pulse.  Finding nothing at all, put a hand over his heart, and then grabbed his wrist, searching frantically for a heartbeat or a pulse; anything to let her know that Giles was alive.

Then she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and Angel's voice was suddenly very close to her.  "Willow?" he asked.  As she turned to look at him, he took in her devastated face.  Tears ran from her eyes, trickling down her cheeks and losing themselves as they hit her the fabric of her cotton blouse.  Her eyes were huge and heartrending, begging him to tell her that what she suspected wasn't true.

"He's dead, Angel," she said, her voice breaking.  "Giles is dead."

~Part: 7~

Spike walked down the stairs quickly, his senses registering the scent of his redhead's salty tears.  Listening carefully, he could hear Angel whisper soothingly to her, but he could not tell what his sire was saying.

As he entered the library, he could see the older man holding Willow, his arms around her, comforting her and attempting to dry her tears.  "What the bloody hell did you do to her?" he asked angrily, tugging the young woman roughly from Angel's arms and looking into her huge tear-filled eyes.

"Giles," she whispered brokenly, her eyes traveling once again to the still body on the couch.  "Heâ?"he'sâ?"" but that was all she could manage before she was sobbing again, throwing herself into Spike's arms.  He instinctively closed them around her thin frame, holding her tightly and letting her pour out all of her grief.

"When I came down here, she was looking for a pulse," Angel explained.  "The body was cold, though," he added softly.  Obviously Giles had died at some point during the late night or early morning hours.

"Any ideaâ?¦?" Spike whispered.

"No, I didn't see any signs of anything," Angel said quietly, answering his childe's unasked question.

Spike pulled away from Willow for a moment, looking down into her eyes again.  "C'mon, luv, let's get you out of here.  You don't need to see this," he told her, walking her into the living room and setting her down on one of the couches.  He disappeared for a moment before returning with a glass of the green liqueur that she had seemed so fond of the previous evening.

"Here ya go, just have a sip of this," he prompted gently, putting the glass to her lips and tipping it slightly.

She protested, trying to move her head away from the liquid.  "Don't want it," she said, her voice quiet and child-like.

"I know, Willow.  But you need it.  You're in shock.  If you don't drink some of this, well, something will happen.  I'm not quite sure what, but whenever something awful happens in the movies, they give the girl a drink of alcohol and it fixes her right up.  So you've got to drink it, okay?"

She gave him an odd look but finally drank down some of the emerald liquid.  Willow watched with unseeing eyes as Spike sat down next to her and put a consoling arm around her.  She snuggled into the comforting gesture, trying not to think of what was going on in the room down the hall.

Just a few minutes later she heard Buffy and Xander come down the stairs, their voices exuberant and carefree.  Then she heard Angel murmur to them quietly, and the next thing she knew, she heard Buffy's sobs and her footsteps as she raced back up the stairway to her room and then slammed her door behind her.

Willow knew that she should go to her friends and make sure that they were all right, but for some reason all she could do was huddle closer to the vampire next to her and think about all the things that she'd never have a chance to say to Giles.

The older man had been a father to her.  Not 'just like a father' but an actual father.  Her own father was a stranger who had little or no time for her.  Giles had quietly but surely taken that place in her life.  He had cheered her up when she was down; had encouraged her when she wanted to learn more; and he had praised and depended upon her growing abilities in the magicks.  He had guided her on the path to adulthood, and had never asked for anything in return.  And now he was gone, she thought sadly, tears pooling again in her emerald eyes.

"Willow," she heard Angel's soft voice calling out to her as he entered the room, his face solemn.  "I called a meeting.  Everyone will be here in a minute.  I just wanted to give you some warning."

Willow nodded her thanks to the dark-haired vampire and sat up, pulling away from Spike.  She used her hands to brush the tears away from her eyes, and when Spike put a comforting arm around her shoulder again, she gave him a tentative smile and a quickly whispered "thanks."

One by one they entered the room.  Anya and Xander held hands tightly, their faces somber.  Xander looked as if he had aged years in the space of a couple of hours.  His face was drawn into a tragic mask and his eyes looked like the eyes of someone who has seen more than they wanted to see, knew more than they wanted to know.

Next came Angel, his face sad and worried.  He and Giles had never been close, but he had respected the watcher for his intelligence and his devotion to his young charges.  Seeing those young adults now, trying to act like they were all right when they so obviously weren't, made Angel feel that respect even more strongly.  Giles had instilled that ability in them: the ability to go on and get the job done, even when everything else in their lives was falling apart.

Behind Angel came Buffy and Fred.  They were an odd couple, to be sure.  Buffy shuffled along slowly, her face thin and haggard.  The brunette seemed to be coaxing her along, whispering things in her ear that caused the blonde to start moving again after she had stopped momentarily.  Her eyes took in the faces of her friends, but it was almost as if there was nobody there behind those eyes.  They were as empty as the rest of her face, devoid of any emotion or animation.

"Buffy," Willow exclaimed softly, and blonde turned to face her.  The redhead quickly got up and ran to hug her friend, grasping her hands and drawing her down to sit with her on the couch.

All heads turned towards Angel as he cleared his throat softly. "As you all know, Giles isâ?¦no longer with us," he said carefully, not sure if the others were up to hearing the "D" word just yet.  The looks that greeted him reinforced that impression, especially the looks on the faces of Willow and Buffy.  They had both cared deeply for the former librarian.

"So far," he continued, "We haven't found any cause of death.  His passing may have been completely natural.  But considering the rather odd circumstances, I think we have to concede that there may have been something more involved."

Buffy nodded, acknowledging that Angel might just have a point.  The others sat silently still, contemplating this latest information.

"Spike and I will take care of the body," he continued.  Spike opened his mouth to protest, more out of habit than anything, but a warning look from his sire made him close it again.  The last thing Willow and the others needed was to have to help with disposing of the body.

"Afterwards we can hold a small service, if you like," the dark vampire added, looking to Buffy for acknowledgement.  She nodded slightly.

"I don't know what Giles' religious beliefs were," the slayer admitted, "But I'm sure that everyone would probably like to say a few words.  I know I would," she added sadly.

Angel put a hand on Buffy's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.  He wished he could do more for his former love, but she had her friends, and they would grieve together in their own way, he knew.

"The next thing I think we should do is make a thorough search of the house and the island.  It shouldn't take long, but we need to be sure that there is nobody hiding here that might have done this.  Someone who might plan on further actions."

Spike saw the wisdom in Angel's plan; he had already been thinking along the same lines.  Sure, Giles' death might have been a complete coincidence, but then again, maybe it wasn't.  If it wasn't, they had to make sure that this place was safe for the rest of them, at least until they could figure out some way to get to safety.

"You okay here luv?" Spike asked Willow, turning his head to look down into her eyes.  She nodded, her face sad and scared.  He must not have looked too convinced, because she hesitated a moment, and then gave him a shy half-smile, and whispered softly, "I'll be okay.  Thanks."

He gave her one final look, then got up and left with Angel, their footsteps echoing as they walked down the hall to the library.  Soon the others heard the front door of the house close loudly behind them as the two vampires trudged out into the early evening air.

"So what do you *really* think," Spike asked as they walked, looking for a suitable final resting place.  He was curious to find out if the elder vampire had thoughts that ran along the same lines that his did.

The older man frowned uneasily.  Bloody poof, Spike thought in annoyance.  Always had to think every last thought to death.  The man could never just say what was on his mind.  "Sometime today, if you don't mind," he added under his breath.

Angel shot his childe a look of pure irritation.  "Fine, you want to know what I think?  Well here it is.  Giles was not a young man by any means, but he certainly wasn't old enough to die.  I think there might have been something else going on here."

"Well duh," Spike said sarcastically.  "The watcher had a good couple of decades left in him, by my count.  The question is, what happened, and who was behind it?  I mean, someone lured us out here, and now one of us is dead.  If someone orchestrated all this, will they stop there, or will they try again?  That's what I want to know."

~~~*~~~

Two hours later they all assembled around the hastily made gravesite, staring down at Giles' lifeless body.

"He looks so peaceful," Anya said, wonder and surprise showing in her voice.  "Almost like he just fell asleep.  Maybe after some really good sex."

The others looked at her, some with shock, some with amusement.  Xander thought about trying to explain to her why that was probably the most inappropriate comment she could possibly have made, but decided that there really wasn't any point in doing so.  She was who she was, and he loved her.  That was what he should concentrate on now, he thought.

"So, does anyone want to say anything?" Angel asked uncertainly.  He'd known hundreds of people who had died, but had never really gotten the hang of the whole 'funeral' thing.  He had always felt that the life of the one now dead should be celebrated with remembrances and stories and songs.  This whole somber showing always made him uneasy and uncertain.

"I'll go first," Anya said, as if it were some kind of a prize she was claiming.  The others let her go, holding their breath.  They were slightly uneasy about what Anya might think was an appropriate speech for a memorial service, but she surprised them all with her simple yet elegant words. The young ex-demon walked up to Giles' body and looked down at his peaceful face.  "Giles, you were one of my favorite humans, and I'm going to miss you very very much."  She reached out to gently brush her hand against his forehead, a stray tear dropping to splatter on his cheek.  Stepping back to stand next to Xander, she grabbed his hand again and rested her head gently on his shoulder.

Fred went next, walking quickly to stand beside the grave and look down.  "You seemed like a really smart, wonderful man.  I wish I had had the chance to get to know you better," she said sadly, walking back to stand next to Angel, placing a comforting hand on his arm.  He turned to look at her and gave the young woman a soft smile, briefly pressing his lips to her forehead in a chaste kiss.  She smiled back at him, her eyes surprised but not unhappy.

"I guess I'll go next," Xander said quietly.  He walked slowly to the grave and looked down at his mentor and friend.  "I'm sorry I called you G-man," he started, apropos of nothing.  "But I always meant it as a compliment.  A sign of respect.  I hope you knew that."

He stopped for a moment, trying to get his emotions under control again.  "You were like a father to me, you know?  Only you never belittled me or made me think less of myself, like my 'real' father did.  That meant a lot to me.  But you were more than just a parent; you were a friend.  Andâ?¦that meant everything to me.  More than I can ever tell you.  And now you'll never knowâ?"" The young boy stopped then, unable to finish.  Anya came up to stand beside him, and while the others watched on, he hid his face in her shoulder and cried.

Anya turned the two of them; they walked back to the house alone, leaving the others to continue on in their absence.

"Guess it's my turn," Spike commented, unusually subdued.  "The watcher and I had our fights.  Hell, he kept me tied up in his tub for the better part of a year.  But I respected him, and what he did and why he did it.  He was a good man."

Angel nodded in agreement, then walked up to the shallow grave to look down on the man within.  "He was a good man.  And a champion for good, whether he had a title or not.  He will be missed."

Willow and Buffy walked up to Giles together, tears again streaming down their faces.  "We thought we'd do this together.  Maybe it would give us more strength, or so we hoped," the blonde began.

Willow took over where the slayer left off.  "Giles, you were our mentor, our father-figure, our friend, and our unwavering moral compass.  I don't know how we're going to do this withoutâ?"" and that was as far as she got before the tears fell again and her throat tightened up, making further speech impossible.

Buffy looked at her friend, and put her arm around the redhead's shoulder.  "We love you, Giles, and we'll never forget you," she said simply.  With those final words, the two women collected Fred and walked back to the house, leaving the vampires to cover the body of Rupert Giles with dirt, closing him into his final resting place.

~Part: 8~

It was a downhearted and somber gathering at lunch the next morning.  After their return from the impromptu service for Giles, each of the mourners had gone their own way, most of them spending time privately thinking about Giles, and pondering the meaning of life and other such weighty subjects.

Now it was late morning, and the seven remaining habitants of Cemetery Island sat around the kitchen table, eschewing the formality of the beautiful dining room for the comfort and convenience of the banged-up kitchen table.

"Are you really all right, Fred," Angel asked the brunette sitting quietly next to him, noting the far away look on her face.  Out of all of them, she had known Giles the least, but she seemed to be affected by his death just the same.

"I think so, Angel.  It's just so weird, you know?" she asked uncertainly.  "I mean, one minute he's there, and we're talking, and I'm getting to know him and I think he was a really nice man, and now he's gone and I'll never find out whether he likes music or what he thought of the Goarnian prophecies, orâ?¦death is just so final.  It's not like what you see on TV or in a movie."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked, bringing his head closer so that he didn't have to strain to hear her soft voice.

"Well on TV someone dies, and everyone mourns for a couple of hours, but then it's over, and things go back to some semblance of normality.  Only I can't do that, because every time I try to think normal thoughts, I think about him and how normal he seemed and then I think of all the things I'll never be able to talk to him about."  Her voice was still soft and lilting, but now a string of sorrow had been added to the symphony and the sound made Angel wish that he could comfort her properly.  He wanted to hold her and kiss her and promise her that nothing bad would ever happen to her again.  Instead, he simply took her hand and held it lightly, hoping that he could convey to her without words the comfort he wanted to give to her.

"I'm sorry, Fred.  This should have been a business trip, sprinkled with a little sightseeing, and instead here we are stuck in the middle ofâ?"well, whatever this is that we're in the middle of."  The dark vampire ran his hand through his hair anxiously, wishing that he could do something to ease Fred's troubled thoughts.

Their quiet moment came to a quick finish however when Xander, who had been whispering to Anya, stood up and addressed the others.

"I know that we all feel likeâ?"well, like shit.  But we need to face some facts.  Giles' death might not have been an accident or from natural causes.  I think we should search this house and this island and make sure there's nobody hiding."

The young man was surprised to see both Spike and Angel nodding their heads in agreement.  "Xander's right," Spike agreed.  The fact that he used the young man's real name showed just how serious he was.  "I guess Peaches and I should take the house, seeing as it's still light out.  Maybe the rest of you lot should break into two groups and check out the rest of the island.  We can meet back here when we're done and talk about what we've found.  Any objections?"

"Willow, Fred, you both can come with me and check out the north part of the island," Buffy said, sounding a little more like the take-charge slayer of a couple of days ago.  "Xander, you and Anya take the south part of the island, including the dock and the area around the house.  That sound good?"

Her eyes roamed the table looking for dissenting opinions and found none.  They were all as eager as she was to get this taken care of.  The sooner they made sure that the island was empty of unwanted guests, the sooner they could accept the fact that Giles' death had been a horrible, but entirely natural, event.
 
 

"What's wrong, hun?" Xander asked Anya as they headed down towards the dock.

"I'm just thinking," Anya told him, her eyes alert and watchful.  The two young lovers were just finishing their search, having found nothing at all to support the theory that someone was hiding on the island.

Xander stopped and sat down on the bench they had occupied the other night, pulling Anya down to sit next to him.  "I'll take care of you, you know.  You don't have to worry."

She nodded, looking out over the water with a wistful expression.  So much has changed in the last 24 hours, she thought.  And not for the better.

"What if there's nobody else on the island except us?" she asked idly.  "Do we stay here until we die?  Or will help come?"

He ran a comforting hand through her hair, resting it gently on her shoulder as he pulled her around to face him.  "Someone will come for us, Anya.  One of Angel's people, probably.  They'll be worried that they haven't heard from him, and they'll come up here to check it out."

Anya frowned.  "What if Giles' death wasn't an accident?" she asked, causes and effects and alternate scenarios chasing each other through her mind.

"If Giles' death was caused by someone or something, we'll find them.  Someone will come across them, and we'll make them tell us why they're doing this to us."

Anya shifted uneasily on the bench, not wanting to voice her fears, but still wanting Xander to calm her and make those fears disappear.  "What if nobody's on the island, but Giles' death wasn't natural," she finally whispered, sharing her worst fears with her love.

Xander looked at her in surprise.  Not because of what she had said, but because he had been thinking about the same thing.  He gave Anya a searching look, wondering what else was going on behind that pretty face.

"I'm not stupid, you know," she whispered.  "I know that people think all I care about is the shop and having orgasms.  And maybe that's what I want them to think.  But there's a lot more going on with me than just that."

Xander pulled her to him, planting his lips on hers for a soft kiss.  "You constantly surprise me, Anya.  And I mean that only in the nicest way."

She leaned against him, enjoying the comfort he gave her freely.  "I love you Xander.  And I'm afraid.  Something is very wrong here.  I can feel it.  And I don't think that Giles' death was an accident.  And if it wasn't, and we don't find someone else on the island, then that meansâ?¦"

"Then that means that one of us killed him," Xander whispered softly.

Anya nodded sadly in agreement, her eyes as dark and fathomless as the ocean before them.
 
 
 

Angel and Spike worked efficiently, checking room after room of the huge house in an organized manner.  Angel even went as far as to bring a tape measure with him, measuring here and there to make sure that there were no hidden rooms or cubbyholes large enough to hold a person.  They had discovered two such spaces, but both were empty and showed no sign of any recent use.

The house was huge, even bigger than they had realized.  There was a large unfinished basement, empty and cavernous.  It had taken them about two minutes to do a thorough search, but forever to make the measurements work.  Finally, once Angel was assured that the room was nothing more than what it seemed, they moved on.

There was nothing more to see on the ground floor, except that that was where they found one of the hidden spaces.  It was hidden in the library, and was barely large enough to hide a person.  Still, it made the vampires uneasy.

The second floor took a little longer.  They made their way through room after room, checking every inch of space.  Spike stopped to do a little bit of snooping when he got to Willow's room.  He opened her closet and stopped for a moment to sniff her clothes, enjoying the scent that was unique to the young woman.  "Just making sure there isn't anyone hiding in here," he assured his sire, who merely smirked, knowing full well what his childe was up to.  He left the room, giving Spike the chance to be alone withâ?¦her clothes.

Boy would Willow be mad if she found out, Angel thought smugly, his mind devising ways and scenarios in which he could let the vital information slip.  Then he sighed, thinking about what they might be up against, and decided he'd better get back to work.  He steeled himself slightly before opening the door of the room that had belonged to Giles.

He surveyed the interior silently. It was simple and uncluttered, reminding him of the watcher himself.  The walls were decorated with sheet music and musical instruments, giving the room an almost festive look, which was somewhat at odds with the way he was feeling at the moment.

Angel heard a noise in the hallway and turned quickly, ready for battle, but it was only Spike.  Together they turned back and surveyed the room.

"He shouldn't have died that way," Angel murmured sadly.  "He should have died in battle, beside his slayer."

Spike nodded in agreement.  "That's the way he would have wanted it.  Her too, for that matter.  This just seems soâ?¦pointless, I suppose.  Hell, any number of times I wanted him to die, but I always figured I'd be the one killing him.  This way, takes all the fun out of it."

Angel smiled wistfully, his thoughts reaching back to the past.  "I remember when I first met them all.  Sometimes, in my dreams, when the soul was resting, I suppose, I'd have such dreams."

"Yeah, I've had those dreams.  Where you're standing in the middle of a room, surrounded by their corpses, blood running freely.  Your mate standing at your side.  For me it's always the redhead.  I suppose for you it was the slayer."

"Sometimes," Angel agreed quietly, his mind still stuck in the past.  "Sometimes it was someone else," he added, thinking of the innocent young redhead who still possessed such fire in her eyes.

Spike growled softly, sensing the direction his sire's thoughts had taken.  Angel looked at his childe and chuckled gently when he saw the warning expression in the blond's eyes. "Don't worry, Spike, my interests have changed.  Willow is yours.  If you have the horns to do anything about it," he added with a smirk.

The blond shot the older man a dark look.  "I've got the horns, mate.  Don't ever think otherwise.  But I'm not some bastard like Angelus.  I'm going to do this right.  I'll be the best friend she's ever had, and then when the time is right, I'll make my move."  Spike noted Angel's flinch at the name of his hated alter ego and smiled in satisfaction.  He still knew exactly which buttons to push to get a reaction from the poof.  Some things never changed.

"Speaking of horns," Spike added, his voice taking on a teasing tone, "What about you and the brunette?  You ever gonna do anything about her?  She's a right tasty morsel, she is, all tall and willowy and soft-spoken.  Wouldn't mind a try at her myself."  He smiled as he watched the thunderclouds form on Angel's face, and waited for the inevitable eruption.

Instead of the outburst he expected, the older man just grinned.  "You can't get me that easily, boy.  Besides, Willow would never go for that and you know it.  And if you hurt her, you're not only going to have to deal with the Slayer and the moron, you'll have to deal with ME.  And you *know* what kind of tortures I'd love to subject your lily-white skin to, don't you?  Just give me an excuse."  He watched as his childe's expression changed from cocky to sullen, feeling satisfaction that he'd gotten his point across.

"And as for my interest in Fred, well, you know better than anyone, except possibly Buffy, why it can never go beyond what it is now.   None of us want a reappearance of Angelus, and that's just what it would lead to if Fred and I ever got too close.  So I keep my distance and try my best to be her friend.  That's all I can do, really."

Spike felt a sudden feeling of compassion and pity for his sire.  He was destined to live forever, yet never able to be truly happy.  Life became nothing but a cruel joke with little to look forward to.  I still hate the poof, he reminded himself, but he decided it couldn't hurt to feel a little pity for the bloke.

"C'mon, mate.  Sooner we get this job finished, sooner we can relax and have a drink," Spike said, heading down the hall to take a look at the next room.

~Part: 9~

Buffy, Willow and Fred were the last ones to return to the house.  It was early evening, and the island was covered in darkness once again.

"If there's anyone else on this island, then they're sure as hell not hiding outside anywhere," Buffy told them, nods of agreement coming from Willow and Fred.

"We looked everywhere," Fred added softly, "But there really isn't anywhere to hide.  There are some trees around the house, but once you get past that it's pretty much open land right up to the cliffs.  And there are cliffs on every side that go straight down to the water.  The only part wide enough to even walk on is down by the dock."

"And we checked that out completely," Xander told them.  He was stretched out on the floor, Anya lying next to him, watching as he practiced with the video game.  He'd have a few tricks up his sleeve the next time Spike tried to take him on, he thought with satisfaction.

"So I guess that is that," Anya said, uncertainty coloring her voice.  "Giles died because of something completely natural.  It's really awful, but it's what you get for being a human."

Xander gave the ex-demon another of his 'not now, honey' looks, and Anya quieted, her eyes looking blankly at the TV set.  She always managed to stick her foot in it, she knew, and she just never understood how.  Sometimes she really hated being a human and having to live by human society's rules and mores.

"What do you guys want to do now?" Buffy asked. She wandered over to sit down on one of the loveseats, stretching out and crossing her long legs before kicking of her shoes.  "I don't suppose our captors thought to provide us with any board games or cards or anything, to wile away the long hours before they decide to tell us what the hell they want with us?" she added bitterly.

Everyone was silent for a moment, trying to think of something that would occupy their evening hours.

"I've got it!" Willow exclaimed excitedly.  "This game, I mean.  We used to play this game at parties."

"What game is that, Will?" Xander asked.

"You know, the one that I can never remember the name of."

"Oh, that one, I've played it a hundred times," Xander quipped, rolling his eyes in an exaggerated fashion.

"Oh hush, you!" she smiled indulgently at him.  "It's the one where everyone writes down the name of someone in history that they admire, and then we put all the names in a hat.  Or, I suppose if we don't have a hat, maybe a bowl or something would work.  Anyway, everyone picks out a name and tapes it to their back, and then they have to go around asking everyone else questions about the person they picked, until they guess who it is."

"Oh, that's easy," Anya said excitedly, catching on to the idea of the game.  "And it's educational too, so it's something Giles would have approved of," she finished with a small smile.

Buffy grinned at Anya and nodded in agreement.  "Definitely something he would have been happy about."

Willow ran to the kitchen to grab paper, pencils and a bowl, and before long they were playing.  Anya was rather disappointed when she found out that she was only allowed to ask 'yes or no' questions, but other than that, everyone seemed to settle down and get into the spirit of the game.

Spike, who just happened to pick the name that Willow had written out, guessed the correct answer almost immediately.  "Giles," he told her, a melancholy expression on his face.

Willow gasped in surprise.  "How did you know?"

"Whom else would you be thinking about right now?" he answered, knowing that the former watcher had occupied most of her thoughts during the last several hours.

"Okay, my turn to ask questions," she said, making an effort to shake off her sadness, at least for now.  "So, who did I kill?" she asked Spike with a grin, when he informed her that she had his name of choice taped to her back.

"What?!?  I'm wounded," he exclaimed, grinning, looking not in the least bit offended or hurt by her question.  When Willow merely gave him a pointed look, he added, "Okay, maybe it's a reasonable question.  But it's not a 'yes or no' question, so you'll have to try again, luv."

"Okay, I'll rephrase it then," she told him, a twinkle in her eye.  "Did I kill more than 5 people?"

"Actually, no," he admitted, giving her an approving glance.

"More than two?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, whoever it is has to have killed at least a couple of people, right?"

"Right," he replied, his blank face giving her no clues.

"Hmmmmâ?¦he or she killed two people?"

Spike nodded, smiling slightly, as he watched the redhead lose herself in thought.

"And it's a woman, right?" she asked, although by the tone of her voice she already knew the answer to the question.

"Yes," he answered, his voice teasing.

"Alive?"

"No."

"Undead?"

Spike threw back his head and gave a short bark of laughter; the sudden noise earned him surprised looks and annoyed glances from those nearby.  "I bet this is the first time that question's ever been asked during this game," he told her, a sardonic grin on his face.

Willow thought about the absurdness of the question and agreed that he was probably right.  She grinned back at him then, her eyes sparkling in the soft light of the room.

"So let me think hereâ?¦it's a woman, she's dead, she killed two people, right?"

"So far, so good," he agreed.

"Okay, gotta be Lizzie Borden," Willow said, flashing the vampire a quick, smug smile.

"Whaâ?"how the hell did you guess that?" the blond asked, shaking his head in amazement and admiration.

The young woman merely gave him an enigmatic smile.  "I know how your mind works, buster," she told him, as she reached around to grab the piece of paper taped to her back.  Sure enough, the name Lizzie Borden was written in Spike's neat handwriting, bringing a triumphant smile to Willow's face.

"C'mon, let's see how the others are doing," she urged, grabbing Spike's hand and pulling him towards Angel and Fred.

Spike glanced down at their clasped hands, enjoying the feeling of her warm skin against his. "So who'd the poof choose," he asked the young brunette.

"Oh, he chose George Washington," she told them, a shy smile on her lips.

"I can not tell a lie," Angel joked.  His friends groaned at his choice of words.  "Sorry.  I'm awful at these things.  I can never come up with a good name when the pressure is on."

"You're bloody awful at jokes too, apparently," Spike agreed, drawing a smile from both women and a growl from his sire.

"So let's see who Fred picked," Willow demanded, turning Angel around so that his back faced them.  "Hmmmmâ?¦" she said meditatively, as she saw the name René Descartes.  She turned Angel back to face the rest of them, and then gave Fred a sad look.

"You know he's never going to guess that one," Willow told the young woman.  "I mean, it's not like he's never heard of him or anything, but I just don't see it happening.

"It's a he?" Angel asked.

"Hell, you poof, what kind of questions have you been asking if you don't even know it's a guy yet?"

Fred giggled, her hand moving reflectively up to stifle the sound.  "He was being very methodical," she told them, the smile on her face getting bigger.  "First he went through all the different types of demons to make sure it wasn't one of those, then he asked if it was a vampire, and I think he was just about to ask if the person was a human."

"Angel, you've *got* to get out more," Willow told him, her laughter joining with Fred's.

"Hey!  I've got a system!" the injured vampire insisted.  "And it was working, too."

"Of course, the point of the game is to guess the name *before* the end of the century," Spike told his sire.  "Remember, they're humans, they won't live forever.  You're gonna have to be a bit more specific in your questions."

"Gee thanks, boy," Angel said sarcastically as he glared at his smirking childe.

Willow smiled apologetically at Angel and Fred before grabbing Spike again and pulling him away from the other couple.  "If you can't play nice with Angel and Fred, we'll just have to hang out with Buffy, Xander and Anya," she told him, shooting him a mock threatening glance.

The blond tried to glare back at her, but his heart wasn't really in it.  Gotta keep up appearances, though, he reminded himself.  Couldn't have them thinking he had gone soft.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath.  He could easily have broken away from her, or told her to go to hell, but if he was honest with himself, he would have to admit that he was enjoying being bossed around by the little redhead.  She was just so cute when she tried to be forceful.

Buffy looked up at them as they approached.  "You guys done already?" she asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Willow nodded, and then motioned for Buffy to turn around.  She read the name Lara Croft scrawled hastily on the piece of paper and groaned, her eyes meeting Xander's smiling ones.

"What, what?" he asked, his face the picture of innocence.

"I knew it!" Buffy exploded, stalking towards Xander, as he hastily moved behind Anya.  "You cheated, didn't you?  You made something up, or chose a character from a stupid computer game or something?"

Xander peered out at her from behind Anya, using his girlfriend as an impromptu shield against the angry slayer.  "Um, maybe," he conceded guiltily.

Willow laughed, her eyes sparkling with mischief.  "In his defense, Buffy, he probably really *does* admire her quite a bit.  In fact, when he was a teenager, I bet he 'admired' her every night when he was alone in his bedroom."

The blond vampire snorted with glee, and Xander's eyes went wide with horror as Anya turned on him and demanded, "What exactly does she mean by that, Alexander Harris?"

Spike grinned at the young woman next to him and leaned down to whisper in her ear.  "Now who's not playing nice," he asked, caught by surprise when Willow suddenly turned her head to look up into his cold blue eyes.  A slight smile played around her lips, and her brilliant green eyes were wide with laughter, and something else he couldn't quite define.

"I think my work here is done," Willow said with a grin, leaving Buffy to referee between an enraged Anya and an apologetic, and uncharacteristically tongue-tied, Xander.

"Take me for a walk?" she asked her partner in crime, that teasing smile still on her face.

"Anywhere you want to go," he agreed, falling into an easy step beside her.

They walked down to the dock in a companionable silence, Spike casting occasional glances at the young woman beside him.

When they reached the dock, Willow sat down on the bench, pulling Spike down next to her.  He watched her face, looking for a clue to her mood, but nothing was forthcoming.

"You're different tonight, aren't you?"  It wasn't really a question, more of a statement.

Willow nodded her head in agreement, seeming to be deep in thought.  Her eyes gazed out over the fog-covered water, as if searching for answers.

"Why?  Is it because of the watcher?"

She turned to look at him, grateful for his perceptiveness.  Then she turned back towards the water.  "I suppose it is," she admitted, "But not the way you think, probably."

"Then in what way, Willow? Tell me," he demanded quietly.

She turned to face him then, and he marveled at her beauty, and the way that the muted lights from the house bounced off of her stunning blood-red hair.  Her emerald eyes shone brightly with a range of emotions:  sadness, regret, determination, and even a bit of fear.  Fear, he wondered?  Surely she knew that she had nothing to fear from him.

Willow took a deep breath, held it as long as she could, and then began to speak.  "Giles died without warning, and it made me think about some things.  Things about myself, and my feelings, and what I want out of life."  When it looked like he might interrupt her, she held her hand up, stopping him.

"No, I need to say this.  For better or for worse, I need to know."

"Need to know what, luv?" he asked, as she lapsed into a brief silence.

"How you feel about me," she said bluntly, looking at the shocked vampire next to her.  She blushed then, a deep red crimson that no ordinary human would have been able to see in the darkness of the night.  But Spike could see it.

"Damn it," she swore softly, too embarrassed to even look at the blond's face.  "That is *not* the way this was supposed to go.  I planned this whole conversation, you know?  I was going to say that I had feelings for you, and then you were going to say whatever it was you would say, and then I would either be all happy and excited, or all disappointed, but oh, we can still be friends, and stuff like that."

She stopped, suddenly, and when she heard the vampire next to her start to laugh quietly, she stole a look at his face.  The smile he wore was large and happy, and suddenly hope crept into her heart that somehow he did indeed feel something for her.

Spike saw her staring at him and his laughter faded, but a gentle smile remained.  He understood now why he had seen fear in her eyes earlier. It hadn't been fear of him; it had been fear of rejection.  She had been afraid that after she'd poured out her heart to him, he would stomp all over it.

He grasped her small warm hands in his own cold ones and turned her to face him.  "Willow," he began, trying to memorize this moment, "I do have feelings for you.  Strong ones.  I'm not sure where they will lead, but I want to follow them, and you, wherever you want to go."

She released a deep breath, unaware that she had even been holding it.  He had feelings for her, she thought excitedly, his words to her ringing repeatedly through her head.

Suddenly she smiled, and it was as if Spike was seeing the sun for the first time in ages.  The brightness that shone from her eyes was blinding in its intensity.  In that instant he realized that living with her for an eternity would not be long enough.  Damn it all, to hell with that romantic drivel, he thought, as he cupped her face lightly in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

Willow sighed as they kissed, her lips parting automatically to allow his tongue to explore her eager mouth.  His hands moved from her face to her hair, teasing the long silky tresses with his fingers.  Soon she was breathing heavily, and damning her humanity and the fact that it made breathing necessary at all.

Finally Spike pulled away from her regretfully.  "We'd better get back, Willow.  The others will start to worry, I'm sure, and well, with Buffy in the mood she's in, I don't want to be pissing her off any more than usual.  Now that you're my girl, I suppose I have to promise not to kill her, don't I?"  He asked the question teasingly, but Willow suspected that there was a certain amount of seriousness behind his joking.

She looked at him, and with a light, but serious tone, set down the first rule of their relationship:  "If we're going to be together, you have to promise not to kill *any* of my friends.  That's not too much to ask, is it?"

~Part: 10~

Willow and Spike slowly walked back to the house hand in hand.  Few words were spoken, but much was said with the looks they cast at one another.  Their understanding was new and fragile, and neither one was sure exactly how they should act around one another.

"Should we tell the others? Do you think they'll understand?" Willow whispered nervously, as she approached the front door of the house.  "Not that it matters whether they do or not," she continued hurriedly, casting a quick look up to his face to make sure he understood her reasoning.  "I just mean, I don't know if we should go in there and make a big announcement, or whether we should just let them figure it out themselves."

Spike nodded, slightly relieved.  For a minute there, he'd been afraid that she intended to hide their relationship.  The very thought that she would want to do that had saddened and angered him at the same time.  He had no intention of being kept out of any part of her life.  If they were to be together, everyone was going to know.

"When we walk in together," he said softly, his voice low and seductive, "and I hold you like this," he added, pulling her into the circle of his arms, "I think they'll get the idea."  He smiled down at her radiant face, wishing that they could stand like this forever.  Unfortunately, dawn would come sooner or later, and by then it would behoove him to be inside.  After all, dating a vampire is one thing; dating a pile of dust is another one entirely.

"And if they still don't get it," Willow giggled, enjoying their game, "I could do this a couple of times," she said, pressing her lips to his, and linking her arms around his strong, pale neck.

"Any time you wâ?"" Spike began, but was interrupted by the opening of the door in front of them.  Xander and Anya stood within the threshold of the house, looking with surprise at the happy couple on the doorstep.

"I thoughtâ?"" Xander began, slightly dazed.  He blinked several times, just making sure he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. "You wereâ?"he was," but the poor boy couldn't seem to spit out the words.

Anya took charge of the situation then, deciding that Xander had embarrassed himself enough for one night.  "We thought we heard a noise outside," she explained.  "But obviously it was nothing.  Well, not nothing.  Definitely not nothing. But none of our business."

Willow, still comfortable in the vampire's arms, took in Xander's confusion and began to giggle.   Xander looked back at her, stunned at first, and then he too began to laugh.  Perhaps it was the situation, or maybe it was just the need for something happy to break their tension, but soon Spike and Anya were laughing out loud as well.

"I guess we don't have to worry about how to tell everyone now," the vampire whispered into her ear as he nuzzled her neck.  Willow nodded happily in agreement.  As they entered the hallway, Buffy, Angel and Fred appeared from the living room, wondering what had been the cause for such hilarity.  One look at Willow, held safely and comfortably in Spike's arms, and the smiles on both their faces, and it became obvious.

"So you finally decided to do something about it?  I would have bet good money that you'd go to your grave, again, without telling her how you feel." Angel's words brought a soft growl from Spike, but Willow's hand on his shoulder stopped him from telling his sire exactly what he thought of him.

"Angel, play nice," Fred remonstrated, talking softly as if to a wayward child.

The dark vampire looked over at the brunette that he had such feelings for, and realized that his teasing words were at least partly motivated by jealousy.  Spike had had the horns to actually open up to the woman he cared for.  Angel didn't.  Then again, Spike could make love to Willow without turning into a homicidal maniac.  No matter how much he wanted to, he'd never be able to do that with Fred.  It was just too big of a chance to take.

"So, um, you two are, like, together?" Buffy asked, frowning.  "I mean, I guess it's pretty obvious, but I just want to be sure, because, well, spells go wrong sometimes and things happen, and..." she trailed off uncomfortably.

"Yeah, we're together, and it has nothin' to do with some bleedin' spell, so you can just forget that little idea," Spike answered, sensing some antagonism behind the slayer's question and answering it with a little hostility of his own.

"I'm sure that's not what she meant," Willow assured him.  "I mean, she's my friend, and she wants me to be happy.  Right, Buffy?" The redhead shot her friend a questioning, and slightly pleading look, and Buffy decided that she would back off, for now.  She had always tolerated Spike's existence within their group because he was useful.  But if he thought for one minute that she would let him date Willowâ?"Willow, of all people, well then, he was in for a rude awakening.  As soon as they were off this god-forsaken island, that is.  And if shortly after that, a certain bleach-blond vampire had a slight accident, well, things happen sometimes, especially on a hellmouth.

"Sure, whatever," she mumbled, ignoring the questioning looks she got from Xander and Anya as she headed up to her room.  The others jumped slightly as the slam of her door reverberated around the house like a shot.

"Well, that went well," Willow remarked, attempting to inject some cheer into her voice and failing miserably.  She was not quite sure what had just happened between her and Buffy.

"Don't worry Will, she'll come around," Xander told her, giving her a consoling smile.

"Surprised you're not right there along with her," Spike remarked carefully, knowing that the young man before him had never been one of his biggest fans.

"Nah, you and I get along okay now, don't we, now that you're not trying to kill me, that is.  At any rate, I know you'll take good care of Willow.  Because, if you don't, Buffy, Angel and I will just come around and kick your ass, right?" he added with a lopsided smile.  "Either way, it's a win-win situation for me."

The group dispersed as they laughed at Xander's words, but underneath the laughter there was still a thread of uneasiness.  There were just too many uncertainties right now.  Not just with the bright and shiny new couple standing uncertainly in the foyer, but also with their situation on this island and the intentions of those keeping them here.  Would their captors *ever* make themselves known?

Willow also knew that Buffy would make 'them,' whoever they were, pay for the death of her watcher.  How would that affect the situation?  The slayer seemed less than mentally stable at the moment, although one could hardly blame her, considering all she'd gone through.  Giles had been more than a father figure to her.  He had also been her friend, her confidant, and her watcher.  She had lost so very much in the space of a heartbeat.

Maybe I'm being too hard on Buffy, Willow thought.  How can I expect her to be happy for Spike and me when she's still trying to get over Giles' death?  Then again, how can *I* be so happy when we laid Giles' body to rest so recently?  Am I just a terrible person?

"I can see those wheels in your head spinnin' round and round, luv.  You're makin' me positively dizzy.  Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Spike's worried words penetrated her internal monologue, and she looked up at him, trying to hide her uncertainty from his sharp eyes.  His arm around her shoulder tightened, as he pulled her into the safety of his embrace, and she held onto him like a lifeline to happiness.  Sadness and self-recriminations threatened to overwhelm her, and he seemed to be the only one who could pull her away from it.

"Just thinking about Giles," she admitted, hiding her head against his chest.

"You don't think he would have approved of this, do you?"

She knew what 'this' he was referring to.  That particular thought hadn't actually crossed her mind. "Honestly, Spike, I hadn't even thought about that.  I was just missing him.  And I can't even conceive of how bad it must be for Buffy."

Spike knew that her thoughts lingered on the confrontation they had had earlier with Buffy.  Running a comforting hand through her silky hair, he murmured, "She'll come around, Willow.  You know she's upset right now, what with everything that's happened. Just give her some time."  And if that doesn't work, he thought grimly, well, slayers don't live forever.  It was truly amazing that this one had lasted as long as she had, really.  Although in truth, Spike knew that a lot of the credit for her longevity was due to the very people on this island.  Without her friends Buffy was good, but she wasn't *that* good.

"C'mon luv, it's getting late.  Or early, I suppose.  Either way, it's time to get you to bed."  He took a step back from her and swung an arm around her shoulder.  Willow snuggled against him, and a smile lit his solemn countenance.  She snuck a quick look up at him, catching the smile before he had a chance to wipe off of his face.

"I'm glad you're here," she told him seriously, smiling back at him.  "As long as we're together, I think I can handle whatever there is to come."

Little did she know just how much more she was going to have to deal with.

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