Title: Rescue
Author: Shannon
Email: angels_soul_1@yahoo.com
Rating: PG
Pairing: Willow/Asher
Disclaimer: Willow and Anya belong to Joss Whedon, ME, UPN, WB, and FOX, Anita Blake characters belong to Laurell K. Hamilton.
Distribution: My site, http://magical-worlds.us/musings/ , NHA, TtH anyone else with other fics of mine, anyone else that wants it just let me know first.
Summary: Willow has reason to believe Anya may not be dead.
Spoilers: Through Chosen. Nothing specific for AB but through Incubus Dreams to be safe.
Author’s Notes: This is for Lisa, its gone way beyond the promised drabble but Merry Christmas anyway.
Also thanks to Leslie and Gabrielle for beta-ing this for me.

Part 4


Willow cringed as she listened to Jean-Claude divulge the details of the latest murder as well as less graphic descriptions of several other killings that the police believed were connected. She would’ve liked to assure the vampire that Anya was not responsible for these crimes. She would’ve liked to convince herself of that, but she knew Anya’s past and had heard enough stories from Anya, herself, to know that this was most likely her work.

“Does it sound as if this could be your friend’s…handiwork?” Jean-Claude asked.

“Unfortunately yes,” Willow sighed. “I’m afraid Anya really enjoys her work.”

“And this…Xander,” Asher said, pushing away from the wall and moving closer to the desk. “He wants her back?”

“He really does,” Willow responded, “He loves her.”

“The police are already looking for her, Miss Rosenberg,” Jean-Claude said, “Time is of the essence, using magic to kill is an automatic death sentence here.”

“So I’ve heard. I’d like to get her out of here before that happens if at all possible.”

“We will do what we can to assist you,” Jean-Claude offered, “It should be dark soon and Asher will help you search.”

“Do you have any idea where to start looking?” Jason asked.

“No, I’ve never been to St. Louis before,” Willow pointed out, “And I know nothing at all about this dimension. Do you have a D’Hoffryn here?”

“A what?” Jason asked.

“D’Hoffryn,” she repeated, “He was like the head vengeance demon.”

“I will see what I can find,” Jean-Claude said, “But I doubt he is in St. Louis.”

“Okay, well…Is it possible to get into the crime scene?”

“Why?” Asher asked.

“I may be able to track her magical…signature. I mean, she must be using magic to do this right? I’ve done it before, to find slayers but I don’t know for certain it will work here. Sometimes my magic works differently in different dimensions, or I may not be able to identify her magic.”

“I’ll call Ma Petite,” Jean-Claude said and reached for the phone.

“Anita,” Jason whispered, at Willow’s confused look.

“Wait,” Willow said as Jean-Claude dialed the phone, “I don’t want to cause you any more trouble, and Jason said Anita…”

“I’ve already spoken to her about you and your friend. If you can find her and stop her before another murder, Anita is willing to ignore it. If Anya kills anyone else…”

Anya has definitely been here, Willow thought, as she wandered through the now deserted house of the latest victim. She could feel the demon’s magic throughout the house. Anita had been more helpful than Willow expected. She wasn’t happy about Anya wreaking havoc in her city but was sympathetic to Willow wanting to save her friend. Willow had been shocked by the power radiating from the other woman when she had met her outside the crime scene. Not that she was surprised that someone so tiny could be dangerous, Buffy and Faith had proven the error of that logic long ago, but she hadn’t expected to feel magic. No one had mentioned Anita being a witch or, as she found out, a necromancer. They had discussed the possibility of combining their power to locate Anya more quickly but had decided it wouldn’t work. Anita’s power was strictly over the dead, and Anya wasn’t dead, at least not here. She was very much alive and making Willow’s life very difficult at the moment.

Willow glanced back at Anita and Asher standing on the other side of the large room, whispering. The vampire seemed more at ease than he had all evening. He wasn’t hiding in the shadows, trying to keep the other woman from seeing his face. She had tried asking him again about hiding his face. His only answer was that she didn’t want to see his entire face. She didn’t understand, and he wasn’t willing to elaborate, so she had dropped it again. She didn’t know him well enough to push the issue right now. She had seen a painting of him at the Circus of the Damned and couldn’t imagine why he would want to hide such a beautiful face.

“Have you found anything, Miss Rosenberg?” Asher asked, suddenly standing very close.

“You really have to stop doing that,” Willow said, spinning around to face him, “And call me Willow.”

“I am sorry,” Asher shrugged and moved back several steps. “Are you able to track your friend?”

“Well, I know she’s been here, this dimension doesn’t seem to have altered her magical signature at all,” Willow explained, “There is a spell that may let me trace her but I’ve never used it on a demon and my magic is…different here. She also has to be using her magic for me to find her which means it’s possible that we’d be too late.”

“So if she doesn’t use her magic until she…attacks,” Asher said, “Then the spell is useless.”

“Well, yeah,” Willow frowned, “There is another way, but I can’t do it. Someone else has to, and even then if she knows I’m behind it and she doesn’t want to go back with me it may not work.”

“What is it?” Anita asked, “I may be able to find someone from the coven who can help?”

“It won’t take any real power, I mean any woman can do it,” Willow explained, “It’s just that… Anya is so unpredictable and one wrong word can do a lot of damage.”

“What exactly is it you’re asking to do?” Asher asked.

“We can try to summon her. All it really takes is a desire for vengeance; no magic involved.”

“That doesn’t sound too difficult,” Anita said, “I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?” Willow frowned, “She won’t answer if she can’t sense a need for vengeance. It doesn’t really have to be toward a man but it will help. There are risks though; Anya is very creative in her vengeance.”

“Why is it so hard?” Anita asked, “We summon her she attacks the man I’m angry with. We get there first and stop her.”

“It’s not that easy,” Willow explained, “She doesn’t always kill. She acts on wishes, she’s probably done more here than you realize. You only know about the deaths.”

“Anita’s plan should still work,” Asher said, “We simply make sure we are there when she makes her move.”

“She’ll go to you first,” Willow said, “You have to actually make a wish for something to happen. You have to be very careful if we do this, do not use the word wish. As soon as you say it, she’ll grant it.”

“Okay, when can we do this?” Anita asked.

“Tonight?” Willow suggested.

“I have to work, but I can meet you at the Circus later.”

“Is that okay?” Willow asked Asher.

“Yes, I will take you back with me. Anita can drive you back to the hotel after dawn.”




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