”I don’t believe any of this! You’re…you’re making this up or you’re just wrong, Giles... You * have * to be wrong….” Buffy frowned at the assembled group and shook her head in denial. “Professor Walsh is not some mad scientist creating monsters! She’s trying to * stop * the monsters.” She got up and started pacing back and forth behind the couch. The same couch where Willow sat snuggled up against a blue haired Spike. Buffy grimaced at the sight and shook her head. Her eyes veered away from that disturbing sight over to where Angel sat on the arm of Cordelia’s chair, his arm resting behind her head along the back of the chair. That was not a good direction, either. At least Xander and Anya weren’t making out or anything --at least for the moment-- that would have been the final straw. “And just who is this Tara person, anyway? Can we trust that she’s telling the truth? I mean, she might have something against Professor Walsh and…”
”No, Buffy. I’m afraid it’s all very true. You know that Willow would never make up anything like this. And while Spike might, I believe he’s telling the truth as well.” Giles rose from his seat and went to stand in front of Buffy, blocking her path. “And Angel believed in it enough to stay and help *Spike*.”
Buffy’s shoulders slumped in defeat. That Angel would form a truce with Spike was the deciding factor for her. “So Professor Walsh is a mad scientist, Willow was kidnapped by a delusional witch and Riley…. Riley is what? A liar? Using me?” ((Please, not another Parker.))
Willow roused herself enough to sit up and peer over the back of the couch at Buffy. “I’m sure it’s not either of those things, Buffy. I just think he doesn’t know what’s going on. If he’s lying, it’s not knowingly and he’d never use you like that. He’s just too…. nice.”
”If he’s so nice and innocent, why is he working for those people, even with the little he does know?” Anya snapped out. This was all bothering her more than she would have thought possible. True, she wasn’t a demon anymore, but some of her friends were. And who was to say that this group of demon hunters would pay any attention to the 'ex' part in ex-demon?. Besides, this situation could end up getting Xander hurt.
”Look, that’s not really the point, is it?” All eyes turned to Spike, who’d been silent the entire time Giles had been telling Buffy everything that had happened. “I don’t give a damn why Riley joined the military. The important thing is what to tell him and how much to trust him. I’m voting for not trusting him at all and telling him nothing. He's one of * them* and that's where his loyalties are, not matter how much he pants after the Slayer.”
”Maybe… but maybe not. We won't know until we talk to him.” Willow said sleepily and then yawned. “Sorry… I mean, I like him and he *is * a good person. He's only been doing this for a few years and I'm sure they keep a lot of information away from the soldiers. He didn't even know about the Slayer! But I think it would help to have someone on the inside.” She laid her head back down on Spike’s shoulder. “And I still have to tell you guys some other stuff…”
”We have enough to think over for now, Willow. Why don’t you go upstairs and take a nap? You can sleep in my bed and I’ll wake you in a few hours.”
”Thanks, Giles, that would be great. It’s all hitting me really hard.” Willow sat up and shook her head, trying to wake up enough just to go upstairs.
”I’ll go with you, pet. Don’t want you falling asleep on the stairs or anything.” Spike followed along behind her, hand at the small of her back.
Buffy looked up at Giles in amazement. “You’re not going to stop him?”
Giles lowered his eyebrows in confusion. “Stop who from what, Buffy?”
”Spike… with Willow…. and a bed….” She rolled her eyes and went around the couch, throwing herself onto the cushions. “I feel like I’ve landed in a really bad episode of the Twilight Zone or something. Spike has blue hair, Angel and Cordelia are back in Sunnydale, my psych professor is the bad guy and my Watcher has no problem with a vampire taking Willow to bed. I think I need a drink.”
”He’s not really ‘taking her to bed’ taking her to bed, is he?” Xander shuddered at the thought. “Right here, where we could all… uh.. hear.. and everything?”
”No, I don’t believe so, Xander. But we’ve gotten off the subject, which is not Willow and Spike’s sex life.” Giles sat back down in his chair.
“Or lack, thereof.” Angel shifted on his perch and looked up the stairs where Willow and Spike had disappeared. He could hear them talking but not what they were saying. “He insists that they’re just friends and I believe him. He’s not the type to be shy about telling whoever will listen about his conquests.”
”Which is also very interesting, but not the subject at hand. So, if we could just get back to..”
”Willow is not a ‘conquest’!” Xander stood and glared at Angel. “Stop talking about her like that…”
”I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry, Xander, really. I just meant if Spike were sleeping with someone, he’d say so. He’s not sleeping with Willow, so there’s nothing to discuss.”
”Hello? Does anyone listen to a word I say?” Giles shook his head in disgust.
”Sorry.” Both Angel and Xander bowed their heads in apology and Xander resumed his seat next to Anya on the floor.
“Right. First, I think we should find out all we can about the ownership of that piano bar. It’s obviously a cover for something. Then, I believe we should…” Giles was interrupted once again, this time by Buffy.
”No. First I find out if my boyfriend can be trusted. I can’t deal with anything else until I know.”
”Buffy… bathroom.” Cordelia had remained silent during the entire conversation, first from boredom, then because she just didn’t want to talk to Buffy. But this was getting ridiculous.
Buffy looked first at Angel and then Giles for an explanation. When both just shrugged, she got up with a huff of irritation and followed Cordelia into the bathroom.
Before Buffy could say a word, Cordelia slammed the door shut and rounded on her. “I can’t believe how incredibly selfish you are! There is some major stuff going on here. But do you care if Willow is okay? No. Do you consider how much it cost -- and I don't mean money --Angel to come here? No. Do you pay the slightest bit of attention to the man that has been there for you for four years, no matter what? No.” Cordelia was in Buffy’s face, poking her in the shoulder with every ‘No’. “If Giles thinks we start investigating the piano bar, that’s where we start. If he thinks we should start with getting our nails done, that’s where we’ll start. This isn’t about just * you *, Buffy, have you forgotten that? YOU are not the most important person in the universe, I don’t care if you are the Slayer. God, Buffy, even Spike is acting more mature than you are and from what I’ve seen he usually acts like a ten year old.” Cordy took a few steps back and examined Buffy critically. “Even before graduation I saw how you were slowly taking over all the decisions. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now. You know more now than you did when I first started hanging with you guys, but Buffy, you * do not * know it all. All of them,” she made a motion towards the door with her hand, “are too nice and too afraid of hurting your feelings to tell you what they really think. But not me. Sure, you’ve had a lot of stuff to deal with, being the Slayer and all, but do you really think that your friends have had any * less * to deal with? Are any of their lives normal? Can any of them ever have a normal life now, even if they wanted?” Cordelia shook her head and sat down on the edge of the tub, her anger suddenly gone. “This time the situation is way beyond you, Buffy. It’s way beyond any *single* one of us. We need to be a team… like before. A few new members, but a team. Can you be a team player again, Buffy?”
Buffy had not moved from her place just inside the closed door since Cordelia had started talking. At first she was too shocked and angry to say anything. Then Cordy’s words started to penetrate her anger. “I didn't realize…. I’m.. I’m sorry, Cordelia…. I didn’t realize that I'd gotten so…” Buffy chewed her lip as she thought back on her recent behavior. "Okay, you're right about some of those things.. I have been getting pretty distant from the gang, but…. they understand…. don't they? Although now, it does seem I've missed a few things…." She shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, I'll try to…."
”It’s not me you should apologize to, Buffy. Just get with the program, okay? You are in danger, Willow is in danger, even Giles could be in danger… hell, the whole of Sunnydale is in danger from these people. Maybe not today, but eventually. You can’t go do a ‘Rambo’ on your own on this one. We have to be smart and plan things carefully.”
Buffy nodded her agreement and leaned back against the door. “You’ve really changed, Cordy. What happened to the girl who was more self-involved than I am?”
”Oh, I’m still pretty self-involved and I’ll always be better dressed than you, but I’ve learned a lot about life since graduation. And working for Angel is never a picnic.”
”How is he… I mean, really? Went I went to see him…. well, we didn’t exactly talk much.”
”Yeah.” It was on the tip of Cordelia’s tongue to tell Buffy just how much Angel had given up for her, but she didn’t. Angel had made her promise and she owed Angel at least that much. “Well, he had a few set backs, but I think he’s good.”
”Willow told me that Angel had told her about Doyle. I’m sorry. I know I should have called but....”
”But you didn’t know what to say. I understand and Angel does too. Wesley’s helping us out now, which is pretty freaky sometimes, but he’s a lot different than you remember him, too. Okay, not * that * different, but he’s a big help despite himself.” Cordy shrugged and stood up. “Alright, enough chit-chat. We need to get down to business.” She reached for the door handle but Buffy caught her wrist before she could open the door.
”Thanks, Cordelia. I guess… I guess I needed that. And you’re right, none of the others, except maybe Spike -- and I wouldn’t listen to him anyway-- would say the things you did.” She smiled and added, “Just don’t get to big headed about being the one to show me the ‘error of my ways’. I can still kick your butt, you know.” Buffy released Cordelia’s arm and was out the door in a flash.
Cordelia followed Buffy back into the living room and resumed her seat with Angel still perched on the arm of the chair. “So, what’s the plan?”
Giles watched as Buffy calmly sat down on the couch and folded her hands in her lap. “Buffy, is everything okay?”
”Sure, Giles. Everything is hunky-dorey. Like Cordy said, what’s the plan?”
Giles looked back and forth between Buffy and Cordelia but both of their faces remained impassive, not giving any hint as to what occurred in the bathroom. But whatever had been said seemed to have had the desired effect on Buffy, so he sat forward in his chair and started to outline the beginnings of what they had come up with. “We need to find out who owns ‘Tommy’s Rendezvous’ and we need to find out as much as we can about Professor Walsh, personally as well as professionally. We also need to find out how much immediate danger you and Willow may be in, how far they are willing to go to get Willow back and since they have to assume she’s told you what she knows, what they will do about you.” Completely into lecture mode, Giles took off his glasses and started polishing them as he thought out loud. “The only ready source for information on the piano bar and Walsh are the internet, so Willow will have to start us out there once she’s had some sleep. The second thing will require your Riley Finn, Buffy. Can you get him over here without arousing his suspicions?”
Buffy thought for a moment, then nodded her head. “I think so. When do you want him here? And it better be soon, ‘cause if he checks in with Walsh she may have new orders for him concerning me, ya know?”
“Yes, quite right. I think we should discuss what will occur once he arrives for a few minutes and then you should call him to come over here right away….”
Angel, Cordelia, Buffy, Xander and Anya listened to Giles and made their own suggestions and comments until a consensus was reached on the Riley situation. “Someone better go tell Spike to stay out of sight for a while.” Buffy picked up the phone and dialed Riley’s number.
Angel stood and started for the stairs. “I’ll go. I should probably stay out of sight for a while, too. I don’t know what kind of files they may have, but if they are anything close to Giles’, Riley may have seen pictures of me.”
”Good idea.” Giles turned to listen to Buffy’s conversation with Riley.
************************
Angel reached the top of the stairs and hovered outside of Giles' room, listening to Willow’s sleepy voice and Spike’s amused one. That Willow wasn’t already asleep was surprising but he could understand how the past 24 hours could make a person have trouble falling asleep no matter how tired they were.
”….. and those pants are too big for you Spike, you should go change.” Willow giggled softly.
”I will. Once you’re asleep.”
”I want to go to sleep, really I do, but I can’t.”
”I know, pet. I’ve had some days like that myself. It’s all whirling around in your brain and you’re afraid if you go to sleep you’ll forget something important.”
”Yeah, like that. What did you do when you couldn’t sleep?”
Spike shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed where he was sitting. “That’s not really something you want to hear. But I can tell you that it’s best to try to distract yourself. Think of something else, something fun or something you really like.”
”Oh.. you mean like… umm… Oh, I know! Tell me about your shopping trip with Giles. What kind of clothes did you buy? Not all black stuff, right?”
Spike chuckled and shook his head. “No, not all black stuff. Just regular clothes. Not a lot of them. I was only planning on using them while I was in disguise. Don’t need them now, I guess.”
”Well, you could still wear them. You know, just so you get your money’s worth and all.”
“Tired of my jeans and t-shirt, are you?”
”Well, it’s just that you look so good in other clothes.” Willows face turned red. “Did I say that out loud? I really need sleep if I did.”
”You really did say that out loud and you really do need sleep.” He smiled down at her and pulled the covers up higher. “Now, close your eyes and I’ll tell you a story about one of Angel’s more spectacular failures.”
Willow giggled and closed her eyes. “Be nice Spike.”
”I am being nice. I could tell you about all of them but that would take too long. Now, let's see…” Spike listened as Willow’s breathing deepened and sleep overtook her before he could say anything more. “Sleep well.” He stood and left the room, closing the door behind him.
”You knew I was here, didn’t you?” Angel kept his voice low, not wanting to wake Willow.
”Of course I knew you were there. What are you doing up here anyway?” Spike headed for the guest bedroom and went inside. He started unbuttoning his borrowed shirt as Angel came into the room.
“Buffy is calling her boyfriend.. um.. Riley something. Giles thinks that we need to find out who’s side he’s on and see if he’ll help us out with some more information. They want you to stay out of sight for a while until they can figure him out. I understand he’ll know you on sight, maybe even with the dyed hair. And I didn’t want to chance that he knows anything of me, either. So, here I am.”
Spike continued disrobing and made a sound of disgust. “Great! So I’m stuck up here with * you * for a couple of hours.” He pulled out a pair of regular blue jeans and a gray t-shirt and got redressed.
”We don’t have to do this, you know.”
”Do what?” Spike frowned at Angel, confused.
”Play this ‘I hate you’ game. We could try talking without fighting… at least until this is over.”
”But I *do* hate you. Why would I have anything to say to you?” Spike leaned down and picked up Angel’s now crumpled clothes and shoved them into the hamper in the closet.
”I’ve been watching you since I got here. I know you’re different now or maybe this is just the first time I’ve really been able to watch you while I’m Angel and you’re not trying to kill me. I don’t know if it’s that thing in your head or what, but….”
”What.. just because I can be nice to Willow it follows that I’m a pansy like you now? Think again, Angelus. I’d suck everyone in this house dry and stake you in a minute if I could.” Spike’s voice rose with each word.
”Keep your voice down, you’ll wake Willow.” Angel hissed. “And I don’t think you * would * hurt anyone in this house, even if you could. You’ve been supposedly trying to kill Buffy for years and you can’t tell me that you’ve gotten * that * sloppy over the years. You may not like any of them, but you respect them, otherwise they would have been dead already. But if you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. I just thought you’d like to talk to someone who can understand what has happened to you and how to deal with some of things I know you’re going through, but if you don’t…. fine. I have other things I could be doing.” He put his hand on the doorknob and turned it, actually getting the door partway open before Spike spoke.
”Wait…”
Angel paused but didn’t turn around. “Why?”
”You’d really do that? I mean, after everything…”
Angel finally turned and looked at Spike. “Yes, Spike, I would. And ‘everything’ isn’t just on your side, I know that. But I’d like to try and make up for some of that. I know what you think of the way I am now; you’ve made that perfectly clear. I have a soul; you have a chip in your head. Different reasons for change, but the result is the same….”
Spike stared silently at Angel for several minutes… deciding. Deciding whether to trust him, deciding whether it was worth it and most of all, deciding whether he could put the past, if not behind him, at least to the side. Finally, he nodded. “Close the door. I don’t want Willow disturbed.”
***********************
“Yes, I understand that. But do * you * understand that it does not work that way? You can’t say ‘build me three and deliver them by September 15’. This is science, not an assembly line.” Margaret Walsh tapped her pencil on the office desk rhythmically, betraying her impatience. Talking to the financial backers of her secret project always made her impatient. They had become very demanding, wanting to dictate the direction and speed of her research and experiments. She had had very little contact with them for the first eighteen months of their association. In the last three months, they had been calling her nearly every week, first for progress reports, now with barely veiled threats.
“No, I haven’t forgotten the deal. You’ll have your soldiers for the ‘cause’ once they are completed, not a moment before. I can’t make things go faster than they are already.” She listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, her lips tightening in anger.
“It will do you no good to threaten me. If I am dead, you will never get your money’s worth. Without me, this project is dead……… no one else knows about our deal…….. no, I don’t think it will be much longer. Once the prototype is tested in battle we can build the others quickly…. yes, the prototype is nearly complete, another two weeks at the most and then…...” She was interrupted by the raised voice on the other end of the phone.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, spacing her words as if she were speaking to a mentally challenged five-year old. “Because. We. Don’t. Know. If. It. Will. Work. Until. We. Field. Test. It.” Whatever the person on the other end of the line said caused to her narrow her eyes and say tersely, “Don’t call me again unless it’s important.”
She hung up the phone and continued tapping her pencil on the desk. Her eyes ran over the diplomas and awards adorning her office walls. Only the tapping of her pencil and the occasional custodian cleaning up after the late classes broke the silence of the now quiet building.
Her day had not gone well and the phone call had only been the topper. First, Tara had kidnapped Willow without authorization, bringing her in before they were ready for her. Then she had let the deceptively compliant witch escape! And no one had told her, the person that was *supposed* to be in charge, until it was all over with and Willow was long gone.
Tara would not be making any more mistakes like that. Walsh frowned at the memory of finding out how much Tara had let her body go and was therefore, mostly useless as an organ donor. ((Or maybe it was the magic that burned her out so young. Have to study that phenomenon.)) She flipped through her day planner and penciled in a more extensive investigative autopsy for the next day. ((At least those idiots remembered to harvest her ovaries before sliding her in the freezer.))
And then, the prototype had rejected a graft that she thought was doing well and they almost lost him completely. ((Maybe the breed we were using was just too incompatible after all.)) She again pulled her day planner closer and made a note to herself to go farther into the genetic code of the donor before trying another graft. ((I suppose we don’t really need another add-on, but….))
If those things weren’t bad enough, she had noticed Riley making eyes at Buffy all during class that morning and she hadn’t been able to get him alone long enough to talk to him about it. He hadn’t returned to his dorm after classes ended and he hadn’t checked in for hours. ((These college kids are a bad influence on him. Especially Buffy. It’s not like him to forget his duty.)) Walsh leaned back in her chair again and tapped her pencil against her teeth. ((I’m sure he’s just spending time with Buffy and there’s nothing to worry about.)) Her eyes widened a little when she realized how often she’d seen Willow with Buffy. ((Shit! I really must start paying attention to classroom dynamics!))
She reached for the phone again, dialing a number she knew by heart. When the line was answered after only one ring, she barked, “This is Walsh. Get me Finn, page him if you have to, this is important.”
****************************
Part 2
”I don’t know, Buffy. I mean… I believe that * you * believe it’s all true, but… I just don’t know.” Riley leaned forward on the couch dropping his head and staring at the floor between his feet. “And that you could think those things about Professor Walsh….it’s just…. hard for me to…. think that…. I just…” He shook his head dejectedly. “I don’t understand how you can think that demons aren’t evil. That’s kind of your job, isn’t it?”
”Willow wouldn’t lie, Riley, you know that. But we don’t know the same thing about Tara, so…” Buffy believed what Tara had told Willow, but she knew that was going to be the hardest thing for Riley to accept. He would just have to see for himself and she didn’t have that proof to present to him yet. “And I didn’t say * all * demons, Riley. But there are some that are not much different than anyone else. You probably see demons every day at the mall or the supermarket and don’t even know it because they look human. But they aren’t… human, I mean.”
”And vampires… them too?”
Buffy shook her head sadly. “No, most would be considered evil, some worse than others. Of course, most don’t have plans for world domination or anything, they are just trying to survive… but since humans are their food… I do what I have to do. I only know one who…. isn’t that way. Well, two now, thanks to the Initiative.”
”What are you talking about? Vampires that don’t….” Riley’s head shot up and he stared accusingly at Buffy. “Hostile 17! I knew it! That night at the school…”
”Yeah, mate, that’s me.. ‘ol Hostile 17 and yes, I dyed my hair, so don’t even ask.” Spike sauntered down the stairs with a smirk on his face, Angel close behind him. He and Angel had talked for hours, finally running out of safe topics and tolerance for each other’s company. Spike went directly to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and took out a container of blood, placing it in the microwave to heat.
Xander raised his head from Anya’s ear, where he’d been nibbling and scowled at the two vampires as they passed through the living room and into the kitchen. “Giles, I thought Deadboy and Deadboy, Jr. were supposed to stay out of sight until…”
Anya grabbed Xander’s ear and turned his attention back to her. “What do you care? They’re just going to keep talking endlessly, trying to convince the doofus that he needs to fight on the side of good. Now there’s just two more to keep the conversation going. Since you said we couldn’t leave to go have sex, you can at least keep me from being bored. Now kiss me… here, please.” She pointed to a spot on her neck just below her ear.
Xander shrugged and did as requested. He knew Giles would do the throat-clearing thing when it was time to pay attention again.
Riley continued starting at ‘Hostile 17’, watching him through the open pass-through bar, not quite sure what he should do. If the implant worked, he had nothing to fear, but still…. it *was* a vampire. “Buffy… I…. there’s a vampire in the kitchen.”
Giles tried to keep the inappropriate smile off his face. ((I really shouldn’t be amused at the poor boy’s confusion.)) But he couldn’t resist saying, “Two vampires, actually.”
”TWO! But only one escaped.. who..”
”That’s Angel. The other vampire I mentioned. You know…. who doesn’t eat people anymore. And ‘Hostile 17’s’ name is Spike.” Buffy patted Riley’s hand. “They won’t hurt anybody and they want to help. Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain everything later.”
”So this Angel doesn’t have an implant? Then how… why….”
Cordelia gave a loud sigh. “Look, Buffy can fill you in later. Short version; big bad vampire, bad choice in meals, gypsy curse, soul restored. Now he does the broody, guilt ridden, cryptic-guy routine and helps people in trouble. I work with him. And he’s not so bad once you get to know him. Although he does get a little testy if you make fun of his hair, so I wouldn’t go there. Now, can we move on to the ‘are you on our side or do we have to kill you for what you know’ part?”
”She’s kidding!” Buffy quickly interjected. “About the killing part.. not the other stuff. That’s all true. But she’s right, it’s getting late and we need to know if we can count on you to help.”
Riley cocked his head and looked at Buffy. Really looked at her. It hit him every so often that this girl, and she really wasn’t much past that—this girl was often all that stood between life and death and the end of the world. ((Can I trust her? Can I believe her wild story?)) His gaze shifted to the two… vampires… still standing in the kitchen sipping something ((is that blood?)) out of coffee mugs. ((And what are they whispering about? Wait… why am I wondering that? There. Are. Two. Vampires. In. The. Kitchen. Life is strange….))
Riley finally made a decision. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. But nothing came out. He shook his head and tried again. “I….uh… yes… I’ll help. But I can’t * help *.”
”Huh?” Buffy’s face scrunched up in confusion.
”I believe he’s trying to say that there is information he can not reveal but he will not stand in our way. He will try to help in any way that does not require him to break his oath. Is that correct Riley?” Giles couldn’t help but admire the boy. He clearly wanted to believe, yet he couldn’t really. But he believed in Buffy, so…
”Yes, that’s exactly it! Thank you, Mr. Giles.” Riley said, relieved. “I won’t tell Walsh as much as possible, but..” Before he could finish his sentence, both his and Buffy’s pagers went off.
”I really hope it’s nothing important.” Buffy sighed. “Come on, Riley. We better go, I don’t want Walsh getting suspicious. We’ll say we were over here having dinner and then got to talking, okay?” Buffy stood and grabbed Riley’s hand, pulling him to his feet.
“Later guys.”
Buffy pulled Riley out the door before anyone could do more than wave.
”And good riddance.”
”Spike… be nice.” Willow walked down the last few stairs, rubbing her eyes. “Hi, guys. How long have I been asleep?” She sat down on the couch in the space recently vacated by Riley and Buffy.
”About three hours. How do you feel?” Giles got up to put the water on to boil in case Willow wanted coffee or tea and then returned to his seat in the living room.
”I feel like I could sleep a few more days. But I know we need to get started so my brain wouldn’t let me sleep any longer.”
Angel watched with amusement as Spike walked ever so casually over to the couch and sat down next to Willow. Far enough away that it didn’t appear he was sitting * with * her but close enough that she could reach out and touch him if she wanted.
”You said there was more you needed to tell us about?” The teakettle whistled in the kitchen. “Oh.. would anyone like some tea or coffee?” Giles rose and waited for an answer.
”Some tea would be nice…. some of that vanilla almond, if you have it. Thanks Giles.” Willow yawed again and rubbed her eyes. “Not that caffeine at this time of night is a good thing, but I’m going to need it to wake up enough to make sense.”
Giles nodded and went to fix the tea. He looked over at Xander and Anya and cleared his throat. “Xander… uh, Anya…. um, if you can tear yourselves away from each other for a moment? We have business to attend to just now.”
Xander raised his head and looked at Giles with dazed eyes. “Uh.. yeah.. sorry…”
Giles shook his head in amusement and went into the kitchen.
”Do you two ever stop?” Cordelia never looked up from her nails, which she was filing with seemingly casual indifference. She was way over Xander but the sight of making out with Anya made her uncomfortable for some reason.
”We don’t stop unless we have to.” Anya answered with her usual bluntness. “I can never get enough of my Xander.” She ran her hand over his chest and down the top of his thigh, the whole time staring at Cordelia knowing she was watching even if she pretended she wasn’t. “I bet you feel very foolish now for dumping him the way you did. But maybe you just weren’t woman enough to find all his hidden talents.”
Xander turned his head away, blushing furiously. “Anya….”
”Oh, please! Like I can’t do better than Xander. You can keep your little boy-toy, I like real men. ‘Hidden talents’, yeah… right.” Cordy laughed and went back to her nails.
”Real men, huh?” Anya pretended to look around the apartment.. “I suppose your ‘real man’ is invisible? ‘Cause I don’t see him here. Couldn’t get time off from the Sanitation Department to join you on your life or death mission?”
Cordelia’s head whipped up to glare at Anya’s smirking face. “I’ll have you know that…”
Giles returned from the kitchen with two cups of tea. “Girls! Please! Rip each other to shreds later, if you will.” He handed one cup to Willow and resumed his seat with his own steaming cup.
Spike, Angel and Willow had been watching the sparring match with interest, heads turning back and forth between Cordy and Anya. Spike had been hoping for a catfight. Angel cringed as he listened. Knowing Cordelia’s dating record, he knew Anya’s words must have hurt more than she knew.
”Spies!” Willow ejected into the tense silence, turning the attention to herself.
”Huh?” Spike summed up everyone’s thoughts perfectly.
”When I escaped… there are spies and that’s what ‘Tommy’s Rendezvous’ is used for.”
”I’m going to have to second that ‘Huh’ and add a ‘What?’.” Xander moved Anya’s hand off his thigh and sat up straighter.
”Okay, I guess that didn’t make much sense, did it? Let me start over.”
”Yes, please do. You left off with Tara telling you of the reasons you had been taken and Professor Walsh’s plan for… well, whatever her plans are. Start from there.” Setting his now empty teacup aside, Giles leaned back in his chair and made ready to listen.
”Okay, let’s see…” Willow scrunched her forehead in concentration. “Tara finished telling me all that weird stuff and then she just sat there looking at me like she expected me to go ‘oh, what a wonderful plan, count me in!’, or something……..”
*****************
Part 3
“Um… that’s…um…. very.. uh.. interesting?” Willow didn’t know what to say to all Tara had revealed. “And where do I fit in to this… this… organization?”
”Oh, well, same as me. Magic spotter, demon and vampire spotter, undercover work, stuff like that.”
”That’s what you were doing at ‘The Dungeon’?”
”Yeah. Sometimes there’s just humans in there, so I go and wait till there’s a pretty good crowd of demons but only a few humans, then call in the troops. That night you were there, my timing was off. I waited too long and we only got a few good catches. It was just too weird seeing you there, I guess. So what * were * you doing there and who was that guy you were with?”
”Uh… William, you mean? A friend visiting from out of town, wanted to see the ‘seedy underside of small town America’. You know how it is.”
”Oh.. really? Did you know he’s a vampire?” Tara’s eyebrow arched and a smile quirked the corner of her lips.
Willow giggled as if that was the funniest thing she’d heard. “William? A vampire? Not a chance. I’ve known him for what seems like forever, trust me, I’d notice if he suddenly grew fangs. You must have been sensing someone else, ‘cause it wasn’t William. He thinks he’s a lot of things, but he’s never had delusions of being a vampire.”
The smile dropped off of Tara face. “Really? I was so sure…. But he knows about vamps and demons? I guess he’d have to since he was talking to one for hours while you were passed out. How does he know about that kind of stuff?”
”He’s British.” Willow said it as if that explained everything.
”Uh huh. Okay. So he’s British… and?”
”Um.. well, you know.. they believe in a lot of things Americans think are myths and all.” Seeing Tara’s disbelieving look, Willow blurted out the only thing she could think of to explain how ‘William’ knew of demons and vampires. “Okay, okay.. he was going to be a Watcher but he dropped out or got thrown out, I don’t know which. He won’t talk about it. He’s kind of a friend of Giles and he came to visit. That’s why he’s staying with Giles.” She added the last, just in case they checked up on ‘William’.
Tara nodded her head. “We were wondering who that was staying with Mr. Giles. But didn’t he have blonde hair last week?”
”Yeah, but you know how vain men are.”
”Mmmhmm. And they say women are the ones who are vain.” After the two women shared a good laugh at the expense of men and their vanity, Tara rose and walked to the door. “I’ll let you think about what I said and see you tomorrow. We can talk more then. Good night, Willow.” She left, closing the door behind her.
Willow listened and soon heard the lock sliding into place. But there was something interesting about that sound. It wasn’t one of those fancy electronic, card-key locks. It was a plain old external sliding bolt. The kind where you could slip a piece of wire or something between the door and the frame and slide it open. She looked around the room. “And of course, I don’t have a piece of wire.. not even a paper clip. And then there’s the guard….damn!”
Willow began to pace the room. ((You can do this Willow! What would Buffy do? Okay, Buffy would just rip the door off the hinges and go about her merry way. That's out. Hmm.. what would Spike do? Okay, again with the door ripping. Still not an option.))
Flopping down on the bed in frustration, Willow looked around the room again. ((Giles would tell me to use what I have available and what I know. So what do I have available?))
"Unpainted walls, that's useless. This place must be pretty new. The icky chair is useless unless I can hit somebody over the head with it. Let's see…hospital bed, comfortable but useless for escape purposes. Cute little table that looks like it came from a garage sale, again, useless except for use as a blunt instrument and I couldn't lift that anyway. Coffee cup…projectile weapon, I guess… Oh wait! I have me!"
Jumping off the bed, Willow began pacing again. "So, what do I know? There's a guard at the door. The door is locked with a fairly low-tech lock. I'm probably underground someplace. This place has been recently built. Oh, Oh! That means probably not a lot of security yet. But…" Her eyes fell on the empty coffee cup that Tara had left and she smiled as an idea formed. "Well, it works in the movies all the time, might as well."
Willow went to the door and pressed her ear to the wood. She could hear voices in the hall. Once they were gone, she began knocking on the door. "Please. Can you hear me? I need to go to the bathroom. Hello?"
"Hold it or go in the corner." Came the voice from outside.
"No, please, you don't understand. I * have * to go to the bathroom."
"I said to hold it."
"It's not like that. It's that… woman thing…. that comes once a month. Please! It's so embarrassing… and messy. Please, just let me use the bathroom." She tried to sound and pitiful as possible, which wasn't that difficult at the moment.
She almost burst into tears when she heard the bold sliding back "Oh, thank you, thank you. Where's the bathroom?"
"We don't have a public restroom, miss. You'll have to use the woman's locker room."
"Do you think they'll have a tampon dispenser in there?"
"I.. I.. don't.. it's down here, let's go." The soldiers face was flaming with embarrassment.
Willow tried not to smile at her small victory. Men were the same everywhere. Talk about menstruation and they fall apart. He led her down the hall and around a corner before pointing to a door.
"You have ten minutes, then I'm coming in after you."
"Thank you so much. I'll be quick, I swear." Willow pushed open the door and quickly looked around the locker room. It wasn't very different from any locker room anywhere. There was a separate area with three small showers and three toilet stalls, a mirror with sinks that lined one wall and five rows of slim lockers.
"No windows, a ventilation shaft only Amy could get through in her current state and one door. But at least I'm out of that room." Willow made use of one of the toilets and now stood washing her hands, looking in the mirror. A flash of white caught her eye and she turned around to look at the lockers in the other room. "Of course! Again with the movie cliché, but it might work."
Now counting the minutes before the soldier came back to look for her, Willow slipped the white lab coat out of a carelessly shut locker and slipped it on. Opening the locker further, she found a brush and hair bands. "Perfect." Quickly putting her hair in a sloppy bun, she pulled out the remaining contents of the locker and put them on the counter in the other room. The now empty locker was now just the right size for her to slip inside and pull the door almost shut.
"Miss? Miss? Its time, come on out."
Willow heard the soldier push open the door and come a few steps inside. "Miss? Are you okay? Did you find everything you need? Miss? Answer me!" More footsteps towards the showers and toilet stalls, shuffling as he bent down to look under the stalls, a few bangs as he pushed open each of the doors and then a muffled 'DAMNATION!' and hurried footsteps back out the door.
Pushing the door of the locker carefully open, Willow peeked out and then climbed out of the locker. ((This is absurdly easy. Guess they don't let the soldiers watch movies anymore. Does he think I just disappeared or something? He didn't even look around!))
Willow moved as quietly and as quickly as possible to the door and paused to listen. Hearing nothing, she took a deep breath for courage, pushed open the door and strode confidently into the hall.
********
Part 4
"The silly sod just ran off?" Spike asked incredulously.
"Forget that, what happened next? Where are these spies you were talking about? How did you end up in the sewer?" Anya's rapid-fire questions caused everyone to turn and look at her with surprise. "What? It's not that I really care since she obviously got out alive but I thought Xander might be interested so..."
Giles chuckled and moved back from the edge of his chair. "All of us want to know what happens next, Anya, so don't try to pretend you don't. Please go on Willow."
"Okay, well, I wandered the halls for a while, looking for a way out. Every time I got any where near an exit there were several armed soldiers. I could tell that the search was on for me so I tried to find somewhere where there weren’t a lot of people or somewhere I could sit for a while without drawing attention. I found the cafeteria and sat down in a corner."
Spike patted her hand approvingly. "That was smart of you, pet. They'd never think an escapee would stop for a cup of coffee."
"Uh, yeah, anyway, that's where I found out about the spies. There were several of the people we saw in the piano bar there. Only they were dressed in uniforms. I didn't recognize them at first until two of them started talking about hating the time they had to put in pretending to be someone else so they could blend in anywhere."
"It makes sense that some of them should be trained to blend in anywhere. Especially in towns where there aren't any military bases around." Xander shrugged. "Sorry, go on."
"So these two guys start talking about how next week they have to train with civilians and they have to do it out of town. I don't know which town, though, they didn't say. From they way they were talking, the Initiative is recruiting civilians to play spy for them. Kind of like the reserves, only not the real reserves. The demon spotting reserves."
"So people volunteer to help out because… why? Money? The chance to play 'Secret Agent Man'?" Cordelia never looked up from her nail file. "I wonder if they even know they're working for the government or if it's presented as a 'save the world' type thing."
"I don't know, Cordy. The men talking didn't say, but the way they were talking about the civilians, I don't think the civilians know whom they are working for. Maybe they see it as an opportunity to have a little danger in their lives without having actual danger. You know?"
"So, how did you end up in the sewers where we found you, pet?"
"Oh! Well, I stayed in the cafeteria for hours, waiting until the search had died down and I could tell it was pretty late or early, I'm not sure which. And then I started looking for maintenance rooms. You know, 'cause I figured if I was underground I could find a way in to the vampire highway. And that's what happened and here I am."
"Willow? You said the place seemed pretty new?" When Willow nodded, Angel continued. "It might be helpful to have the building plans for that place. And someone had to have built the main lab where Spike was held. Does anyone know who the military building contractor is around here?"
"I don't know who it is for sure, but in this town there's only two possibilities. Wainwright Construction and B.L Construction. I can find out for sure if you want." Xander thought for a moment. "And if it wasn't either one of those two, I think I know someone who could find out if it was someone from out of town."
"Very good, Xander. That will be your assignment, then. Find out as much as you can about who built the two underground facilities and if possible, get the building plans. But don't do anything stupid like breaking and entering to get them. We'll think of something else if it's going to come to that. And, yes Anya, you'll be with Xander." Giles wrote down the information Xander had provided and turned to Cordelia and Angel.
"I would like the two of you to spend some time at the piano bar and see if you can find any patterns in the comings and goings. I would also like you to try to talk to one of the 'civilians' involved, if possible. Find out how they are being found for recruitment, how they are approached and how the 'mission' is being presented. You also might want to visit 'The Dungeon' and see if you can find out anything there, but be careful."
Cordelia rolled her eyes and finally put away her nail file. "Oh, joy… that means spending more time in our lovely rented room, playing the happy couple. I so can't wait. Isn't there some nice smelly sewer I could crawl through, instead?"
Angel, looking a little insulted, spoke to the top of Cordelia's head. "We can move to a better place, but is spending time with me really that bad?" He hadn't thought he was that repulsive.
Spike snorted and refrained from answering Angel's question only because Willow pinched his arm.
Cordelia shifted in the chair and looked up at Angel. "It's not that, Angel. Well, it is that, but not really. Oh, never mind. Just talk a little more and read a little less, unless where ever we move to has really good cable, 'kay? It gets lonely when you're there, but not."
Angel nodded his agreement with Cordelia although it was clear he didn't completely understand everything she'd just said. "Okay, I'll try."
"Well, speaking of sewers…" Giles began, looking at Spike.
"You want me to go search the sewer where we found Willow and try to find the entrance, right? So that's going to be my big assignment? Figures." Spike made a noise of disgust, crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at Giles resentfully.
"Yes and no. Yes, I do want you * and * Angel, when time allows, to go back to the sewer and try to find where Willow exited. But no, that's not all. I also need you to stay with Willow at all times that either Angel or myself can't be with her. That will be quite a bit of time since Angel has his assignment and I will be doing some checking up on Walsh through my own sources. That may require me to be gone overnight at times. I don't want her ever left alone." Giles ignored the eyebrows rising all over the room and kept his gaze steady on Spike. "You two seem to get on well so I trust this is not a problem?"
"Wait a minute! I don't need a baby-sitter! And what am I supposed to do while all of you go running around?" Willow scowled at Giles and Spike both. "And how is Spike supposed to go to school with me?"
Spike reached over and took Willow's hand and gave it a sympathetic squeeze. He knew this was not going to make her a very happy camper. "You won't be going to school for a while, pet. Not until this is over. And I think Giles wants you to check up on your professor and whatnot. You can do that from here. I'll go and get your laptop tomorrow night or the Slayer can bring it over and you can get started."
"No. I'm not going to hide out while everyone else puts themselves in danger. And I can't miss class… I'll.. I'll fail! I can't fail, it's unthinkable." Willow put on her resolve face and looked back and forth between Giles and Spike, the two she knew would be the hardest to convince. "I'll go with Spike to the sewer. And I'll look up Professor Walsh and whatever else you want to know, but I'm *not* skipping school. No way. Huh uhh. Not going to happen."
"I suppose that if after a..a.. day or.. or two, if everything looks safe, you could go back…." Giles trailed off helplessly.
"Absolutely not." Spike shook his head and held Willow's gaze, giving her * his * resolve face. "They know you were down there and have information they don't want you to have. They * may * go after others but they * will * go after you. You are not going to go sit in that woman's classroom or to the dorm or anywhere else until this is over. "
"But.. Buffy… she doesn't have to.." Pulling her hand away from Spike, Willow looked to Giles for help.
"Buffy is the Slayer. Besides which, they don't know if she knows anything yet. If it becomes apparent that Buffy is in immediate danger she will also be put under watch. I'm sorry, Willow, but Spike is correct in his statement that you *will* be a target."
Willow slumped back on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not helpless you know." She sighed with resignation and looked around the room at her friends. They all looked as tired as she felt. "Giles, could you call Buffy and leave message to call over here when she gets back? I'll need more than just my laptop if I'm going to stay here. I *am* going to stay here, right?"
"I think that would be best for the time being. And Buffy knows to call before she goes to bed for the night. I just hope nothing has happened to her…." Giles glanced at his watch and frowned at what he found there. "I propose that everyone get go get some rest for what remains of the night and meet back here tomorrow. Angel, you and Cordelia should switch hotels right away, if you are going to, and get settled there. Call me with the location and number before turning in. Xander, I would like you and Anya to talk to your contacts as soon as possible tomorrow and come over here once you've done so. The information you provide may alter our game plan."
Xander nodded, stood and pulled Anya to her feet. "Okay, G-man, sounds like a plan." He watched Spike while he waited for Anya to find her shoes. "Giles? If Willow is staying here, where is she sleeping?" Xander still couldn't get over the fact that Willow seemed way too comfortable around Spike and vice-versa.
Spike glared at Xander and spoke up before Giles could answer. "She can take the guest room and I'll sleep here on the couch, not that it's any of your business."
"God, Xander! Get over it already!" Cordelia swung her voluminous purse to her shoulder and stood up, ready to go. "What difference does it make where she sleeps?"
"It doesn't as long as it's not with him!" Xander pointed at Spike and made a face of disgust.
"Xander! This is none of your…" Willow's protest went unheard while everyone watched as Cordelia stomped across the room and got into Xander's face.
"Like you should talk. You better go tend to your nympho demon before she finds someone else's 'hidden talents' to expose."
"Ex-demon…."
"Demon, ex-demon, same difference. You have no right to…"
"I have every right! Willow is my friend and I don't want that un-dead perv touching her…."
"Perv? Perv? You're the one who's screwing a demon every five minutes!"
"EX-DEMON! And it's not every five…"
"SHUT UP!" Willow's voice cut through the argument, silencing both participants. "Cordy, Xander is with Anya and it had nothing to do with you, so move on. And Xander, what I do or don't do with Spike is none of your business, so drop it. I'm going to bed."
Willow ignored everyone in the room and walked wearily up the stairs. Some little devil inside her caused her to pause when she was half-way to the top. Without turning around, Willow whispered into the silence, "Coming, Spike?", and continued on her way up the stairs.
Xander gaped at Willow's back for a moment, grabbed Anya's hand and made a quick exit.
Cordelia rolled her eyes and followed Xander out the door, throwing a "Meet you at the car.", over her shoulder at Angel.
Giles suddenly found something rather urgent that needed his attention in the kitchen.
Angel stayed where he was on the arm of the chair, waiting for Spike to acknowledge his presence. Once Willow reached the top landing and moved down the hall, Spike turned his head to look at Angel.
"What?"
"You're not going after her?" Angel was genuinely confused. It was very unlike Spike to turn down an offer like that one.
Spike smiled and shook his head. "Oh, she wasn't serious. She just said that to annoy the humans and keep them guessing."
"Your influence, I'm sure. Take good care of her Spike, I mean that."
It was on the tip of his tongue to respond in his normal manner, but Spike only nodded and said, "I will. I like her for some reason… so, I will. You'd better go before Cordelia decides to leave without you."
Satisfied, Angel stood and hurried out of the apartment.
Giles returned to the living room once he heard the door close. "I'm going to my room, Spike. You know where the blankets and pillows are. If the phone rings, let me get it… it will probably be Buffy." Giles started up the stairs, still talking, though mostly to himself now. "Now where did I put that address book? It was in the drawer of my desk… or did I move all my old things to…."
***********************
"How long do you think she's going to keep us waiting?" Buffy fidgeted in her chair and looked around the empty conference room. This room had seemed a little intimidating when she and Riley had first entered an hour before. Just one long table, chairs all around it, bare walls and no windows. Now it was just boring.
"I don't know, Buffy, but it's not unusual for her to call someone in and then get delayed herself. The good thing is that if she didn't send someone else to brief us it's not an emergency."
"That's good, I guess. I just wish she would hurry up. I have a test tomorrow and I'll never be able to stay awake if I don't get to bed soon."
Before they had arrived at Initiative headquarters, Buffy and Riley had agreed that they would act as if neither had seen Willow or knew anything about her brief disappearance. Both knew that almost every inch of the underground facility was monitored by either cameras or microphones or both so their waiting time had been filled with chit-chat about everything *but* Willow and what had happened to her.
"Just be patient, Buffy…."
Buffy pouted and moved her chair closer to Riley's so she could lay her hand on his thigh. "We could have been spending this time in a much more productive and … naked way. But no… instead we're down here staring at the walls."
Before Riley could reply, the door opened and Professor Walsh walked in, ignoring both Riley and Buffy until she had reached the head of the table.
Buffy snatched her hand away from Riley and returned her chair to its previous position facing the front of the room.
"Riley, I called * you * here to find out why you had not checked in. Why are you here Ms. Summers?" Walsh laid her clipboard on the table and crossed her arms.
"Well, I .. uh.. my beeper went off, too. So I thought… and well, here I am. And Riley not checking in is so totally my fault. We were spending some quality time together and then we went over to a friends house for dinner and the time just sort of got away from us. It won't happen again, I promise."
"I see…" Walsh raised an unbelieving eyebrow, but nodded her understanding. "Well, since you are here, Buffy, I'll go over the training schedule I've set up for you."
"Training schedule?"
"Yes. I want you to start working out with the men at least every other day. We have a gym here that allows us to monitor your physical status while you work out. Heart rate, breathing, endorphin release, blood pressure, things like that. Just so we can tell if you are using your unique gifts to their fullest possible capacity."
"But…" Buffy tried to interject, but Walsh continued on.
"Your first session will be day after tomorrow, right after your last class of the day. Bring your workout clothes and report to room 112. You will be there for approximately two hours, so plan accordingly. Now, if there's nothing else, you are excused Buffy. I need to discuss something with Riley, so he'll have to see you tomorrow." Without waiting to see if Buffy did indeed have anything else to say, Walsh dismissed her and turned her attention to something on her clipboard.
Buffy blinked a few times in surprise. Walsh was usually curt with her, but she'd never been this outright rude. ((Is it because of the thing with Willow or….)) She shrugged. There was no telling with Walsh and the only thing Buffy could do was wait to find out.
Standing, Buffy muttered a quick goodbye to Riley and left the room, squeezing his shoulder on her way past him. Once in the hall, she hesitated. Should she leave, call Giles and get to bed or wait to see what Riley said once he was finished? No, Walsh made it clear that she expected Buffy to be gone and with the precarious state of things right now, it was better not to give Walsh any reason to think things were other than normal.
Making her way to the elevator that would take her back above ground, Buffy just hoped Riley wouldn't have to start lying to Walsh this soon. Riley was a good man, and that's why this would be all the more difficult for him. Especially with finding out so recently that his role model was less than perfect.
Buffy stepped into the elevator and decided to compromise with herself.
She'd wait for Riley, but in his room. As the elevator doors closed, Buffy
groaned as she realized she still had to call Giles, which she shouldn't
do from Riley's dorm, find out what had been discussed after she and Riley
left, probably gather some of Willow's things from their room, decide when
the best time was to smuggle them to Giles'…. "* And* I still need to go
over my notes for the test tomorrow…. "