dreamerjules
bookish brits are it
And here's the last fic. Set Season 2. Originally I wanted to do a series with a different character for each day of the week. That got dropped. This is an 'as is' fic. There should be more to it, but I lost it and I don't have the heart to start over. I hope you enjoy it anyway.
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The first thing that Willow noticed about the man standing in the hallway was his clothes. Even Giles didn"˜t wear that many layers. Well, at least, not anymore.
The second thing that she noticed was that he appeared lost. Totally bewildered seemed a more accurate description on second thought. Willow almost had to wonder if he had ever been in a high school before.
"Excuse me. You seem a little lost. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes, you can." Willow could feel his relief at having someone come to his rescue. He certainly didn"˜t seem like someone whoever needed rescuing. "I"˜m looking for a friend who works here."
"Oh. You"˜re English." *I bet he"˜s looking for Giles.*
"Actually, I prefer to think of myself as a citizen of the world."
""˜I often wonder what you did to leave your country. Have an affair with the boss"˜s wife? Embezzle church funds? I like to think you killed a man. It's the romantic in me.'"
His laughter filled the air. "Good thing Claude Rains didn"˜t have a smile as nice as yours. He"˜d never have made it a police inspector." The smile didn"˜t completely leave his eyes as he continued. "My friend"˜s name is Rupert Giles and he"˜s the librarian here, I believe."
"I thought so. I"˜m on my way there now." They lapsed into an oddly comfortable silence. Odd because Willow couldn"˜t believe it. She never felt this comfortable with someone she just met. Certainly not someone this handsome and charming and British. Okay, she had felt comfortable with Giles when they first met, but not quite this comfortable.
"Why did you think so?"
"Um?"
"When I said I was here to see Rupert, you said you thought so. Why did you think so?"
"Well, there"˜s your accent. We don"˜t get many of those in Sunnydale. And, of course there was the fact that you"˜re wearing too many clothes. I.... It"˜s just that you see more skin on people out here. Not that I want to see yours. Skin, I mean." *Why couldn"˜t the Hellmouth open up now? At least then he couldn"˜t see what an idiot I am.*
The young man had the good grace not to look at Willow just then, although it was only her own mortification at what she said that prevented here from seeing the smile on his face as he held the library door open for her.
"Ah, Willow. There you are. I need your help.... ADAM?!? Is that really you? What are you doing here?" Giles quickly came around the counter and embraced Adam. It had been far too long since they had seen each other.
"I"˜m here to see you if you couldn"˜t figure it out. I"˜ve found out something that might interest you."
"Come in. I"˜ve just put the kettle on."
"I"˜d prefer a beer."
"Later."
Seeing the two men had completely forgotten her, Willow coughed.
"I"˜m sorry, Willow. Forgive me?"
"On one condition. You introduce me to your friend."
"I thought... Oh, well, yes, Willow. I would like you to meet a very old and dear friend of mine, Adam Pierson. Adam, this is Willow Rosenberg, a young dear friend of mine. Also a student here. Speaking of which, what are you doing here on a Saturday. Shouldn"˜t you be at the mall with Buffy or something?"
"I just wanted to check a few things for my class on Monday. Plus, you mentioned you"˜d be cataloging books today and I thought you could use some help."
"Good. I can. If you wouldn"˜t mind starting with the ones on the table?"
"Okay." Willow watched the old friend walk into Giles"˜ office feeling a little left out. She"˜d love to be in the office right now, sipping a cup of tea, listening to the two men reminisce. Not even saying anything herself, just letting the lush British tones fall on her ears like waves on a beach. Willow sighed and turned to the stack of books on the table.
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Giles and Adam had barely gotten settled in their chairs before Giles spoke.
"Do you plan on popping up once a decade or is it just coincidence?"
"Coincidence. I overheard something in a bar in San Francisco that I thought you should know. Ethan is up to his old tricks."
"I"˜ve already run into him twice this past year. I doubt he"˜s coming back after his last visit."
"I wouldn"˜t be so sure. He still hasn"˜t forgiven you. He"˜s a petty man. Petty men are the ones who hold grudges. He has access to some very powerful forces and he wants to hurt you."
"What about you?"
"He thinks I"˜m dead. Even the demons he deals with can"˜t make death any worse."
"You"˜re sure he didn"˜t see you in the bar?"
"I was careful. He has no reason to believe he"˜ll see me, so chances are good that he won"˜t unless I walk right up to him."
"What all did you hear? Who was he talking to?"
"Guy didn"˜t seem like a typical bar fly. I"˜d give him a wide berth and I know he can"˜t kill me. Ethan was going on about how he was really going to hurt you this time. That the last time with Eyghon was just a fluke. That he"˜d find a way to make you pay. Oh, and "˜your little friend too"˜."
"Your little friend, too. I have to call Buffy. She may be in grave danger."
"Well, then. I"˜m off to Seacouver. You really should come up and visit sometime. Joe has a great little place. Hope to see you again."
Adam had just begun to get out of the chair when Ripper stopped him.
"And just where do you think you"˜re going? You honestly believe you can drop this in my lap and just carry on as though it were a Christmas cake? You are very much mistaken."
"I did what I came here to do. My involvement stops here. I didn"˜t have to tell you. Do you realize that? I could have left you to Ethan"˜s mercy, which we both know is nonexistent."
"You know I need your help. I want to finish this. He"˜s put the people I care about in danger once too often. He"˜s stronger than I am. He"˜s had more practice than I have. I can keep things at a stand still and if Ethan"˜s determined, a stand still is no longer good enough."
"What the hell do you think I can do?"
"Help me kill him."
"No. You don"˜t know what you"˜re asking."
"You think I haven"˜t killed before?"
"Vampires. Demons. Things that go bump in the night. Not a human being."
"I helped kill Randall."
"You didn"˜t kill Randall. Eyghon killed Randall."
"I helped call him. I am just as responsible as Ethan or the others."
"Just as responsible as Randall. Dammit, Rupert. It just isn"˜t the same."
"Murder is murder, Adam."
"And what happened to Randall was an accident, not murder. I will not help you kill Ethan. That"˜s final."
"Then help me get him out of my life. Buffy doesn"˜t need Ethan"˜s agenda interfering with her life. She has enough on her plate just being the Slayer."
"What can I do, Rupert? I"˜m just an Immortal, not a magician."
"We"˜ll think of something." Giles crossed to his office door and opened it.
"Willow, could you do me a favour?"
"Sure, Giles. What do you need?"
"Call Buffy"˜s and tell her to come here immediately. Something"˜s come up."
"Will do." Giles retreated back into his office as Willow started dialing the phone. Worry made her misdial the number twice before she got it right. She hadn"˜t meant to eavesdrop, but they had raised their voices, so that didn"˜t really make it eavesdropping, did it? Ethan was up to his old tricks and what did Adam mean about "just an Immortal"?
"Rupert, you"˜re not thinking rationally. If you really want to do this, you have to calm down."
There was a rap on the door. Giles opened it slightly. Willow stood in the doorway.
"Buffy"˜s mom said she went to the mall with Cordelia."
"Cordelia?"
"Maybe I should be a librarian."
Willow didn"˜t mistake the look Giles gave his friend. Ripper was more than ready to show himself. If not on Ethan, Adam would do.
"Giles, what"˜s going on?" Willow knew better than to let on she had overheard, but he had said something had come up and he wanted Buffy to come in on a Saturday. That was usually reserved for end of the world scenarios.
"Ethan"˜s back and I have reason to believe he"˜s targeting Buffy as a way to get to me."
"That"˜s a good reason to call her in on a Saturday."
"Willow, will you be all right here by yourself?"
"Yeah, sure. I still have plenty to do with the cataloguing. Is there anything you need me to research?"
"Not at the moment. Although if you can find some way to send him to Hell, I wouldn"˜t be too grieved." "Where am I going? I rather like it here. It"˜s cozy." Adam smiled at Willow.
Willow smiled back. Giles noticed immediately that it wasn"˜t her usual hesitant, shy smile or the exuberant smile she wore whenever Oz was around. He didn"˜t like what he saw.
"You"˜re coming to the mall with me. For some reason, I"˜m not convinced you"˜d be here when I got back."
"Moi?"
"Vous."
"Oh, well. I like malls."
"Is there anything you don"˜t like?" Giles was standing halfway to the library door, waiting on Adam.
"Flat beer, opera and people with no sense of humour."
Willow"˜s giggle did not put Giles in a better mood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adam and Giles had been gone a little over an hour when Willow heard the library doors open. Her smile faded quickly when she realized Ethan Rayne had come in. Why couldn"˜t there be a "can"˜t-come-in-till-you"˜re-invited" rule for him too?
"Hello, Willow. That"˜s a very pretty name. All pretty girls should have equally pretty names. Don"˜t you agree?"
"Giles isn"˜t here."
"I"˜m aware of that. Actually, it was you I came to see."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. You see, I"˜m planning something very special for Ripper and Buffy and you are the only one who can help me."
"No."
"My dear girl, I wasn"˜t asking for your help. I was telling you. You will assist me."
Willow backed away from Ethan and straight into someone else.
Willow did what any good Slayerette would do in that situation - she screamed.
"Hush, Willow. You may not know it, but vampire"˜s ears are very sensitive. All of our senses are heightened. Along with our desires," said Angel as he nuzzled her neck.
Willow shut her eyes as tight as she could.
"Angel, why are you doing this?" Even after Ms. Calendar"˜s death, Willow desperately wanted to believe in the old Angel, the good Angel. The Angel who was her friend.
"Because I like it." Angel laughed softly as he felt the shudder go through Willow"˜s body. "Very much."
"That"˜s enough. This has all been for nothing if she can"˜t make the phone call. Willow, we need you to call that friend of yours. The dark haired boy."
"No."
"Willow, no is not the time to go assertive. You don"˜t have enough practice." Angel picked her up and carried her over to the phone on the library counter. "You"˜re going to call Xander."
"So you can kill him too? No way."
"We"˜re not going to kill him," Ethan said soothingly.
"Unfortunately," muttered Angel.
Giving Angel a sour glance, Ethan continued. "We need you to tell him what"˜s happened. And be sure to tell him that we"˜ll be gone by the time he gets here."
"Why?"
"Because we will be."
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Giles and Adam led the way into the library.
"Buffy, all I"˜m saying is that mourning clothes went out like centuries ago. Unrelieved black is a thing of the total past."
"And fuschia is really good for blending in on patrol."
"You haven"˜t been keeping up, have you?"
"Willow?" Perhaps she was in the stacks. Or in his office making a cup of tea. That sounded so good right now.
"Willow." Adam headed up to the landing to look for her. Giles"˜ protégé and her friend were nice enough, and pretty, but didn"˜t they ever talk about anything besides fashion and slaying vampires. The dark haired one reminded him enough of Amanda that keeping a wide berth seemed the only sensible thing to do. Of course, since his last sensible act had been a couple of decades ago, perhaps he was due. "Willow?"
"She"˜s not in the office."
"Or up here."
"Maybe she went to the bathroom or to get a soda."
"What was Willow doing here anyway?"
"Helping me catalogue books."
"Wrong again, G-man. She was getting kidnapped by your dear old bosom buddy Ethan Rayne, and your ex-honey, Angel." Giles and Buffy felt Xander"˜s anger like a tidal wave.
"I"˜m confused. I thought Buffy was in danger from Ethan. You pulled me out of a major sale at Macy"˜s for nothing. You owe me big time, mister." Cordelia pushed past Giles to take her seat at the table.
"I told you you didn"˜t have to come with us."
"Can"˜t you two stop for even a second? Willow"˜s in danger. Grave danger if Ethan"˜s involved. What exactly do you know?" Adam stared into Xander"˜s eyes. Xander recognized the intensity of Adam"˜s concern. It was almost a mirror of his own.
"I got a call from Willow about 45 minutes ago. She said she was here in the library with Ethan and Angel. She said they were leaving. That they would be gone by the time I got here. And where were you? How could you leave her here all alone? And who the hell is he?"
"Willow can take care of herself." Damn the boy. How dare he say what Giles himself was thinking?
"No. Buffy can take care of herself. Cordelia can take care of herself. Willow...."
"Is a lot stronger than you"˜re giving her credit for."
"And again: who the hell are you? I thought you were on my side."
"I am on your side. Actually, I"˜m on Willow"˜s side. My name is Adam. I"˜m a friend of Rupert"˜s."
"Great. Just what we need. Another friend of Giles"˜."
"That"˜s enough." Giles"˜ voice roared through the library.
"Recriminations are useless. We"˜re wasting time that could be better used to find Willow. Adam, are you sure Ethan didn"˜t see you in that pub?"
"Positive. Although if he were watching the library today...."
"There goes any element of surprise. Damn. Xander, are you sure she called from here? Could you hear anything in the background?"
"No. I did take a swing by the costume shop on the way over. It"˜s been rented to a Beanie Baby Bonanza shop."
"Willow liked Beanie Babies. She had the cutest little frog one that her grandmother gave her." All eyes turned to Cordelia. AI"˜m not allowed to know anything about Willow?"
"No, dear. It"˜s just that we"˜re surprised that you know anything about someone other than yourself." Xander was surprised to see how worried Cordie was. He knew they had been friendly recently, but it wasn"˜t like Cordelia to let her emotions show through.
"Okay. So the costume shop and the factory are out as hiding places. Xander, Cordie, is there anywhere you can think of that would be a good hiding place for vamps? Big, dark and deserted are the requirements."
Adam was impressed by the petite girl"˜s switch to business. Rupert had himself a slayer to be proud of.
"That describes almost half of Sunnydale. We"˜ll never find her." Xander dropped into the chair next to Cordie. Cordelia took his hand and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Do you have a computer with Internet access in here?" Adam felt compelled to help. "Maybe some of the real estate sites can give us a clue. We can start looking for places deserted at least five years but less than ten."
Giles pointed to the desktop on the cross table. "I believe Willow was able to "˜surf the Net"˜ on that thing. She"˜s the computer expert."
"Why the time frame? Deserted"˜s deserted. Isn"˜t it?" Buffy came to sit opposite Xander and Cordelia. She hated not doing anything, but there wasn"˜t much for her to do until they found where Angel and Ethan had taken Willow.
"If a place has been deserted for several years, people don"˜t see it anymore. On the off chance they do see something, they put it off to their imaginations. More than ten years, there"˜s likely enough deterioration to discourage even a vamp from living there." Adam was just getting into one of the larger sites. Good. There was a search engine on the site. He should have something narrowed shortly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow was quite woozy as she opened her eyes. Dirty and tattered lace met her gaze. *Lace?* She turned her head to the left. Quickly, she scrambled to her right and sat up. This could just not be happening.
"Easy, ducks. I"˜m not the one you have to be afraid of. This time."
Spike was sitting a red wheelchair and looking, well, if not harmless, at least not harmful. Willow looked around for the door. Damn. It just had to be on the other side of the room, didn"˜t it. The other side of Spike.
"If it makes you feel any better, I could have fed on you while you were out, but I didn"˜t" Spike would have smiled, but he had a feeling that wouldn"˜t reassure her of his, for once, honorable intentions.
"It doesn"˜t." Willow"˜s hand had flown to her neck at his comment. True there were no puncture wounds, but a vampire could feed from any major artery. Couldn"˜t they? *I"˜ll have to ask Giles.* "What do you want with me?"
"Me, nothing. Angelus and that poofter he"˜s working with are using you for bait. But you know that, don"˜t you?" Spike decided he liked the little red head. She was afraid, which was good, but he could see she was trying to find a way out, which, while not good, would at least make things interesting. It seemed like a long time since things had been interesting. Before that bastard Angelus showed up, that"˜s for sure. What Drucilla saw in him, he"˜d never understand. Wanker.
"Yeah. I know that. But that doesn"˜t explain why you"˜re here. With me." The wooziness was passing quickly. And as it passed, Willow realized that she wasn"˜t as afraid as she thought she"˜d be. Oh sure, there was fear, definitely feeling the fear here, but it wasn"˜t the mind-numbing fear she imagined.
"I"˜m protecting you." Spike looked so pleased with himself Willow"˜s mouth dropped. After several false starts, Willow found her voice.
"From what or for what?"
"What?"
"You"˜re either "˜protecting' me form something Angel and Ethan have planned for me. Which is really creepy. Or you"˜re "˜protecting"˜ me for some nefarious plan of your own. So which is it?"
"Define nefarious and I might tell you." The little girl was proving to have more fight than Angel had given her credit for. Spike couldn"˜t wait to see how that would muck up Angel"˜s plan. Promised to be lots more fun than sitting in a wheelchair.
"Flagrantly wicked or impious." Willow paused as a thought occurred to her. "You don"˜t know what nefarious means. I thought you were kinda smart. For a vampire."
"Smart doesn"˜t mean educated, ducks. I"˜m protecting you from Angel and that nancy boy. Angel"˜s planning on turning you into a vampire in front of the Slayer and the Watcher."
"Giles?" For the first time since Angel and Ethan walked into the library that afternoon, Willow wasn"˜t afraid for herself. "What are they going to do to them?"
"To who?" Spike was confused. Didn"˜t she hear what he said?
"To Giles. To Buffy. Watching me become a vampire can"˜t be all of it." Willow had a sinking feeling she knew what the rest of the plan was, but felt an undeniable need to have Spike confirm it.
"What they want to happen is for you to make your first meal out of one of them. Doesn"˜t matter which from what I can tell."
"Do vampires ever turn on each other?" Willow was pacing around the room.
"Constantly." Spike wondered what it would be like to dance with her. Dance with someone who would really be there in his arms.
"Do they ever turn on their sires?" Willow had stopped pacing and was staring into Spike"˜s eyes. Spike believed he knew what she was thinking.
"Yes. But I"˜ve never heard of a fledgling turning on its sire. It usually takes a few years, decades really, before a fledgling vampire is strong enough. That"˜s why Buffy has such an easy time with them."
"You said you wanted to protect me from them. Why?"
"I"˜ve always been an up-front guy. None of this driving people insane or playing mind games. Just kill them. Maybe a little torture if it"˜s been a bad day, but that"˜s rare. What Angel"˜s planning on doing is wrong and it"˜s gonna brass off the Slayer. Yeah, it"˜ll hurt her, but I can"˜t see Buffy curling up in a little ball. At least not till after she"˜s taken out whoever"˜s responsible for your death. I don"˜t want to be anywhere near Buffy"˜s line of fire of that happens."
"I thought you wanted to kill her."
"I did. Now I just want to get out of Sunnyhell Farm, with Dru, and never set foot in this damn town ever again."
"Will you help me?"
Willow had stopped her pacing and was kneeling in front of Spike, her hands resting lightly on the arm rests of the chair. Spike felt himself being drawn into her eyes. The intensity he saw in them was all consuming.
"Help you what?"
"Kill Angelus if he turns me."
They both jumped as the heavy door to the room opened inward. Spike breathed a sigh of relief, well, not really, when he saw it was only one of Angel"˜s minions.
"What the bloody hell do you think you"˜re doing? I left explicit orders about entering my room, didn"˜t I?"
"Yes, you did." The smirk on the minion"˜s face only added to Spike"˜s anger and frustration. "Angel wants the girl to join him for dinner."
"Ahamana." Willow backed up.
"Not his dinner, Willow. Yours. You have to keep you"˜re strength up, my dear." Ethan stood in the door, just behind Thomas. "Come on. I must say, it"˜s a simply delicious meal, even if I did cook it myself. Well, actually because I cooked it myself. Alas, modesty is not one of my virtues."
"Do you have any?" Will was startled to find she preferred Spike"˜s company to a human"˜s, but then again, Spike didn"˜t want to hurt her. Yet.
"It"˜s been a while, but I"˜m sure I have some rattling around somewhere. Willow, I know you"˜re afraid and I know you have no reason to believe me, but I mean you no harm. Just think of this as a major inconvenience that will be over soon." Ethan sounded so reasonable and he looked so damn seductive.
"But what about...." Willow"˜s voice died away as Spike caught her eye. It was obvious Spike didn"˜t want here letting on that she knew about Angel"˜s plan. "What about that spell Halloween where everyone turned into the costume they bought from your shop?"
"I just wanted to stir things up a bit. Have some fun. Nothing really bad happened." Ethan leaned against the doorway. It crossed his mind that taking her might have been a mistake. And he did owe her. She had gotten rid of Eyghon after all. But so had Angel. And Angel was far more vicious than this lovely little girl could ever be.
"Was Eyghon fun?" Willow heard the coldness in her voice and didn"˜t regret it. She doubted Ethan was capable of feeling remorse and he seemed to enjoy pain if what Buffy told her about the acid and tattoo were any indication.
"You"˜d better come along, Willow. Your supper"˜s getting cold and
Angel hates to be kept waiting." Ethan turned on his heel and left. Thomas started to grab Willow"˜s arm, but Spike rolled in front of him.
"I"˜ll take the lady in." The dangerous tone in Spike"˜s voice was unmistakable, even to Thomas.
"Whatever. Just hurry." With that, Thomas left.
"Come on. We don"˜t want to keep the "˜master"˜ waiting."
Willow wanted to burst into tears. She wanted to be back at the library, watching Xander try to stay awake while researching, listening to Giles chastise Buffy for some slight indiscretion, even to hear Cordelia whining about having an elsewhere to be. Or in the Bronze, laughing or dancing or just watching Oz"˜s band play. Or at home, working on her computer. Or even in Principal Snyder"˜s office being lectured on hanging out with "undesirable elements". She wanted to be anywhere but here. *I wonder if Spike knows how to play.*
But she didn"˜t want to cry in front of Spike and she"˜d be damned if she"˜d let Angel see her fear. Taking a deep breath, she put on her resolve face and looked at Spike.
"Let"˜s go."
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The first thing that Willow noticed about the man standing in the hallway was his clothes. Even Giles didn"˜t wear that many layers. Well, at least, not anymore.
The second thing that she noticed was that he appeared lost. Totally bewildered seemed a more accurate description on second thought. Willow almost had to wonder if he had ever been in a high school before.
"Excuse me. You seem a little lost. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes, you can." Willow could feel his relief at having someone come to his rescue. He certainly didn"˜t seem like someone whoever needed rescuing. "I"˜m looking for a friend who works here."
"Oh. You"˜re English." *I bet he"˜s looking for Giles.*
"Actually, I prefer to think of myself as a citizen of the world."
""˜I often wonder what you did to leave your country. Have an affair with the boss"˜s wife? Embezzle church funds? I like to think you killed a man. It's the romantic in me.'"
His laughter filled the air. "Good thing Claude Rains didn"˜t have a smile as nice as yours. He"˜d never have made it a police inspector." The smile didn"˜t completely leave his eyes as he continued. "My friend"˜s name is Rupert Giles and he"˜s the librarian here, I believe."
"I thought so. I"˜m on my way there now." They lapsed into an oddly comfortable silence. Odd because Willow couldn"˜t believe it. She never felt this comfortable with someone she just met. Certainly not someone this handsome and charming and British. Okay, she had felt comfortable with Giles when they first met, but not quite this comfortable.
"Why did you think so?"
"Um?"
"When I said I was here to see Rupert, you said you thought so. Why did you think so?"
"Well, there"˜s your accent. We don"˜t get many of those in Sunnydale. And, of course there was the fact that you"˜re wearing too many clothes. I.... It"˜s just that you see more skin on people out here. Not that I want to see yours. Skin, I mean." *Why couldn"˜t the Hellmouth open up now? At least then he couldn"˜t see what an idiot I am.*
The young man had the good grace not to look at Willow just then, although it was only her own mortification at what she said that prevented here from seeing the smile on his face as he held the library door open for her.
"Ah, Willow. There you are. I need your help.... ADAM?!? Is that really you? What are you doing here?" Giles quickly came around the counter and embraced Adam. It had been far too long since they had seen each other.
"I"˜m here to see you if you couldn"˜t figure it out. I"˜ve found out something that might interest you."
"Come in. I"˜ve just put the kettle on."
"I"˜d prefer a beer."
"Later."
Seeing the two men had completely forgotten her, Willow coughed.
"I"˜m sorry, Willow. Forgive me?"
"On one condition. You introduce me to your friend."
"I thought... Oh, well, yes, Willow. I would like you to meet a very old and dear friend of mine, Adam Pierson. Adam, this is Willow Rosenberg, a young dear friend of mine. Also a student here. Speaking of which, what are you doing here on a Saturday. Shouldn"˜t you be at the mall with Buffy or something?"
"I just wanted to check a few things for my class on Monday. Plus, you mentioned you"˜d be cataloging books today and I thought you could use some help."
"Good. I can. If you wouldn"˜t mind starting with the ones on the table?"
"Okay." Willow watched the old friend walk into Giles"˜ office feeling a little left out. She"˜d love to be in the office right now, sipping a cup of tea, listening to the two men reminisce. Not even saying anything herself, just letting the lush British tones fall on her ears like waves on a beach. Willow sighed and turned to the stack of books on the table.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giles and Adam had barely gotten settled in their chairs before Giles spoke.
"Do you plan on popping up once a decade or is it just coincidence?"
"Coincidence. I overheard something in a bar in San Francisco that I thought you should know. Ethan is up to his old tricks."
"I"˜ve already run into him twice this past year. I doubt he"˜s coming back after his last visit."
"I wouldn"˜t be so sure. He still hasn"˜t forgiven you. He"˜s a petty man. Petty men are the ones who hold grudges. He has access to some very powerful forces and he wants to hurt you."
"What about you?"
"He thinks I"˜m dead. Even the demons he deals with can"˜t make death any worse."
"You"˜re sure he didn"˜t see you in the bar?"
"I was careful. He has no reason to believe he"˜ll see me, so chances are good that he won"˜t unless I walk right up to him."
"What all did you hear? Who was he talking to?"
"Guy didn"˜t seem like a typical bar fly. I"˜d give him a wide berth and I know he can"˜t kill me. Ethan was going on about how he was really going to hurt you this time. That the last time with Eyghon was just a fluke. That he"˜d find a way to make you pay. Oh, and "˜your little friend too"˜."
"Your little friend, too. I have to call Buffy. She may be in grave danger."
"Well, then. I"˜m off to Seacouver. You really should come up and visit sometime. Joe has a great little place. Hope to see you again."
Adam had just begun to get out of the chair when Ripper stopped him.
"And just where do you think you"˜re going? You honestly believe you can drop this in my lap and just carry on as though it were a Christmas cake? You are very much mistaken."
"I did what I came here to do. My involvement stops here. I didn"˜t have to tell you. Do you realize that? I could have left you to Ethan"˜s mercy, which we both know is nonexistent."
"You know I need your help. I want to finish this. He"˜s put the people I care about in danger once too often. He"˜s stronger than I am. He"˜s had more practice than I have. I can keep things at a stand still and if Ethan"˜s determined, a stand still is no longer good enough."
"What the hell do you think I can do?"
"Help me kill him."
"No. You don"˜t know what you"˜re asking."
"You think I haven"˜t killed before?"
"Vampires. Demons. Things that go bump in the night. Not a human being."
"I helped kill Randall."
"You didn"˜t kill Randall. Eyghon killed Randall."
"I helped call him. I am just as responsible as Ethan or the others."
"Just as responsible as Randall. Dammit, Rupert. It just isn"˜t the same."
"Murder is murder, Adam."
"And what happened to Randall was an accident, not murder. I will not help you kill Ethan. That"˜s final."
"Then help me get him out of my life. Buffy doesn"˜t need Ethan"˜s agenda interfering with her life. She has enough on her plate just being the Slayer."
"What can I do, Rupert? I"˜m just an Immortal, not a magician."
"We"˜ll think of something." Giles crossed to his office door and opened it.
"Willow, could you do me a favour?"
"Sure, Giles. What do you need?"
"Call Buffy"˜s and tell her to come here immediately. Something"˜s come up."
"Will do." Giles retreated back into his office as Willow started dialing the phone. Worry made her misdial the number twice before she got it right. She hadn"˜t meant to eavesdrop, but they had raised their voices, so that didn"˜t really make it eavesdropping, did it? Ethan was up to his old tricks and what did Adam mean about "just an Immortal"?
"Rupert, you"˜re not thinking rationally. If you really want to do this, you have to calm down."
There was a rap on the door. Giles opened it slightly. Willow stood in the doorway.
"Buffy"˜s mom said she went to the mall with Cordelia."
"Cordelia?"
"Maybe I should be a librarian."
Willow didn"˜t mistake the look Giles gave his friend. Ripper was more than ready to show himself. If not on Ethan, Adam would do.
"Giles, what"˜s going on?" Willow knew better than to let on she had overheard, but he had said something had come up and he wanted Buffy to come in on a Saturday. That was usually reserved for end of the world scenarios.
"Ethan"˜s back and I have reason to believe he"˜s targeting Buffy as a way to get to me."
"That"˜s a good reason to call her in on a Saturday."
"Willow, will you be all right here by yourself?"
"Yeah, sure. I still have plenty to do with the cataloguing. Is there anything you need me to research?"
"Not at the moment. Although if you can find some way to send him to Hell, I wouldn"˜t be too grieved." "Where am I going? I rather like it here. It"˜s cozy." Adam smiled at Willow.
Willow smiled back. Giles noticed immediately that it wasn"˜t her usual hesitant, shy smile or the exuberant smile she wore whenever Oz was around. He didn"˜t like what he saw.
"You"˜re coming to the mall with me. For some reason, I"˜m not convinced you"˜d be here when I got back."
"Moi?"
"Vous."
"Oh, well. I like malls."
"Is there anything you don"˜t like?" Giles was standing halfway to the library door, waiting on Adam.
"Flat beer, opera and people with no sense of humour."
Willow"˜s giggle did not put Giles in a better mood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adam and Giles had been gone a little over an hour when Willow heard the library doors open. Her smile faded quickly when she realized Ethan Rayne had come in. Why couldn"˜t there be a "can"˜t-come-in-till-you"˜re-invited" rule for him too?
"Hello, Willow. That"˜s a very pretty name. All pretty girls should have equally pretty names. Don"˜t you agree?"
"Giles isn"˜t here."
"I"˜m aware of that. Actually, it was you I came to see."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. You see, I"˜m planning something very special for Ripper and Buffy and you are the only one who can help me."
"No."
"My dear girl, I wasn"˜t asking for your help. I was telling you. You will assist me."
Willow backed away from Ethan and straight into someone else.
Willow did what any good Slayerette would do in that situation - she screamed.
"Hush, Willow. You may not know it, but vampire"˜s ears are very sensitive. All of our senses are heightened. Along with our desires," said Angel as he nuzzled her neck.
Willow shut her eyes as tight as she could.
"Angel, why are you doing this?" Even after Ms. Calendar"˜s death, Willow desperately wanted to believe in the old Angel, the good Angel. The Angel who was her friend.
"Because I like it." Angel laughed softly as he felt the shudder go through Willow"˜s body. "Very much."
"That"˜s enough. This has all been for nothing if she can"˜t make the phone call. Willow, we need you to call that friend of yours. The dark haired boy."
"No."
"Willow, no is not the time to go assertive. You don"˜t have enough practice." Angel picked her up and carried her over to the phone on the library counter. "You"˜re going to call Xander."
"So you can kill him too? No way."
"We"˜re not going to kill him," Ethan said soothingly.
"Unfortunately," muttered Angel.
Giving Angel a sour glance, Ethan continued. "We need you to tell him what"˜s happened. And be sure to tell him that we"˜ll be gone by the time he gets here."
"Why?"
"Because we will be."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giles and Adam led the way into the library.
"Buffy, all I"˜m saying is that mourning clothes went out like centuries ago. Unrelieved black is a thing of the total past."
"And fuschia is really good for blending in on patrol."
"You haven"˜t been keeping up, have you?"
"Willow?" Perhaps she was in the stacks. Or in his office making a cup of tea. That sounded so good right now.
"Willow." Adam headed up to the landing to look for her. Giles"˜ protégé and her friend were nice enough, and pretty, but didn"˜t they ever talk about anything besides fashion and slaying vampires. The dark haired one reminded him enough of Amanda that keeping a wide berth seemed the only sensible thing to do. Of course, since his last sensible act had been a couple of decades ago, perhaps he was due. "Willow?"
"She"˜s not in the office."
"Or up here."
"Maybe she went to the bathroom or to get a soda."
"What was Willow doing here anyway?"
"Helping me catalogue books."
"Wrong again, G-man. She was getting kidnapped by your dear old bosom buddy Ethan Rayne, and your ex-honey, Angel." Giles and Buffy felt Xander"˜s anger like a tidal wave.
"I"˜m confused. I thought Buffy was in danger from Ethan. You pulled me out of a major sale at Macy"˜s for nothing. You owe me big time, mister." Cordelia pushed past Giles to take her seat at the table.
"I told you you didn"˜t have to come with us."
"Can"˜t you two stop for even a second? Willow"˜s in danger. Grave danger if Ethan"˜s involved. What exactly do you know?" Adam stared into Xander"˜s eyes. Xander recognized the intensity of Adam"˜s concern. It was almost a mirror of his own.
"I got a call from Willow about 45 minutes ago. She said she was here in the library with Ethan and Angel. She said they were leaving. That they would be gone by the time I got here. And where were you? How could you leave her here all alone? And who the hell is he?"
"Willow can take care of herself." Damn the boy. How dare he say what Giles himself was thinking?
"No. Buffy can take care of herself. Cordelia can take care of herself. Willow...."
"Is a lot stronger than you"˜re giving her credit for."
"And again: who the hell are you? I thought you were on my side."
"I am on your side. Actually, I"˜m on Willow"˜s side. My name is Adam. I"˜m a friend of Rupert"˜s."
"Great. Just what we need. Another friend of Giles"˜."
"That"˜s enough." Giles"˜ voice roared through the library.
"Recriminations are useless. We"˜re wasting time that could be better used to find Willow. Adam, are you sure Ethan didn"˜t see you in that pub?"
"Positive. Although if he were watching the library today...."
"There goes any element of surprise. Damn. Xander, are you sure she called from here? Could you hear anything in the background?"
"No. I did take a swing by the costume shop on the way over. It"˜s been rented to a Beanie Baby Bonanza shop."
"Willow liked Beanie Babies. She had the cutest little frog one that her grandmother gave her." All eyes turned to Cordelia. AI"˜m not allowed to know anything about Willow?"
"No, dear. It"˜s just that we"˜re surprised that you know anything about someone other than yourself." Xander was surprised to see how worried Cordie was. He knew they had been friendly recently, but it wasn"˜t like Cordelia to let her emotions show through.
"Okay. So the costume shop and the factory are out as hiding places. Xander, Cordie, is there anywhere you can think of that would be a good hiding place for vamps? Big, dark and deserted are the requirements."
Adam was impressed by the petite girl"˜s switch to business. Rupert had himself a slayer to be proud of.
"That describes almost half of Sunnydale. We"˜ll never find her." Xander dropped into the chair next to Cordie. Cordelia took his hand and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Do you have a computer with Internet access in here?" Adam felt compelled to help. "Maybe some of the real estate sites can give us a clue. We can start looking for places deserted at least five years but less than ten."
Giles pointed to the desktop on the cross table. "I believe Willow was able to "˜surf the Net"˜ on that thing. She"˜s the computer expert."
"Why the time frame? Deserted"˜s deserted. Isn"˜t it?" Buffy came to sit opposite Xander and Cordelia. She hated not doing anything, but there wasn"˜t much for her to do until they found where Angel and Ethan had taken Willow.
"If a place has been deserted for several years, people don"˜t see it anymore. On the off chance they do see something, they put it off to their imaginations. More than ten years, there"˜s likely enough deterioration to discourage even a vamp from living there." Adam was just getting into one of the larger sites. Good. There was a search engine on the site. He should have something narrowed shortly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow was quite woozy as she opened her eyes. Dirty and tattered lace met her gaze. *Lace?* She turned her head to the left. Quickly, she scrambled to her right and sat up. This could just not be happening.
"Easy, ducks. I"˜m not the one you have to be afraid of. This time."
Spike was sitting a red wheelchair and looking, well, if not harmless, at least not harmful. Willow looked around for the door. Damn. It just had to be on the other side of the room, didn"˜t it. The other side of Spike.
"If it makes you feel any better, I could have fed on you while you were out, but I didn"˜t" Spike would have smiled, but he had a feeling that wouldn"˜t reassure her of his, for once, honorable intentions.
"It doesn"˜t." Willow"˜s hand had flown to her neck at his comment. True there were no puncture wounds, but a vampire could feed from any major artery. Couldn"˜t they? *I"˜ll have to ask Giles.* "What do you want with me?"
"Me, nothing. Angelus and that poofter he"˜s working with are using you for bait. But you know that, don"˜t you?" Spike decided he liked the little red head. She was afraid, which was good, but he could see she was trying to find a way out, which, while not good, would at least make things interesting. It seemed like a long time since things had been interesting. Before that bastard Angelus showed up, that"˜s for sure. What Drucilla saw in him, he"˜d never understand. Wanker.
"Yeah. I know that. But that doesn"˜t explain why you"˜re here. With me." The wooziness was passing quickly. And as it passed, Willow realized that she wasn"˜t as afraid as she thought she"˜d be. Oh sure, there was fear, definitely feeling the fear here, but it wasn"˜t the mind-numbing fear she imagined.
"I"˜m protecting you." Spike looked so pleased with himself Willow"˜s mouth dropped. After several false starts, Willow found her voice.
"From what or for what?"
"What?"
"You"˜re either "˜protecting' me form something Angel and Ethan have planned for me. Which is really creepy. Or you"˜re "˜protecting"˜ me for some nefarious plan of your own. So which is it?"
"Define nefarious and I might tell you." The little girl was proving to have more fight than Angel had given her credit for. Spike couldn"˜t wait to see how that would muck up Angel"˜s plan. Promised to be lots more fun than sitting in a wheelchair.
"Flagrantly wicked or impious." Willow paused as a thought occurred to her. "You don"˜t know what nefarious means. I thought you were kinda smart. For a vampire."
"Smart doesn"˜t mean educated, ducks. I"˜m protecting you from Angel and that nancy boy. Angel"˜s planning on turning you into a vampire in front of the Slayer and the Watcher."
"Giles?" For the first time since Angel and Ethan walked into the library that afternoon, Willow wasn"˜t afraid for herself. "What are they going to do to them?"
"To who?" Spike was confused. Didn"˜t she hear what he said?
"To Giles. To Buffy. Watching me become a vampire can"˜t be all of it." Willow had a sinking feeling she knew what the rest of the plan was, but felt an undeniable need to have Spike confirm it.
"What they want to happen is for you to make your first meal out of one of them. Doesn"˜t matter which from what I can tell."
"Do vampires ever turn on each other?" Willow was pacing around the room.
"Constantly." Spike wondered what it would be like to dance with her. Dance with someone who would really be there in his arms.
"Do they ever turn on their sires?" Willow had stopped pacing and was staring into Spike"˜s eyes. Spike believed he knew what she was thinking.
"Yes. But I"˜ve never heard of a fledgling turning on its sire. It usually takes a few years, decades really, before a fledgling vampire is strong enough. That"˜s why Buffy has such an easy time with them."
"You said you wanted to protect me from them. Why?"
"I"˜ve always been an up-front guy. None of this driving people insane or playing mind games. Just kill them. Maybe a little torture if it"˜s been a bad day, but that"˜s rare. What Angel"˜s planning on doing is wrong and it"˜s gonna brass off the Slayer. Yeah, it"˜ll hurt her, but I can"˜t see Buffy curling up in a little ball. At least not till after she"˜s taken out whoever"˜s responsible for your death. I don"˜t want to be anywhere near Buffy"˜s line of fire of that happens."
"I thought you wanted to kill her."
"I did. Now I just want to get out of Sunnyhell Farm, with Dru, and never set foot in this damn town ever again."
"Will you help me?"
Willow had stopped her pacing and was kneeling in front of Spike, her hands resting lightly on the arm rests of the chair. Spike felt himself being drawn into her eyes. The intensity he saw in them was all consuming.
"Help you what?"
"Kill Angelus if he turns me."
They both jumped as the heavy door to the room opened inward. Spike breathed a sigh of relief, well, not really, when he saw it was only one of Angel"˜s minions.
"What the bloody hell do you think you"˜re doing? I left explicit orders about entering my room, didn"˜t I?"
"Yes, you did." The smirk on the minion"˜s face only added to Spike"˜s anger and frustration. "Angel wants the girl to join him for dinner."
"Ahamana." Willow backed up.
"Not his dinner, Willow. Yours. You have to keep you"˜re strength up, my dear." Ethan stood in the door, just behind Thomas. "Come on. I must say, it"˜s a simply delicious meal, even if I did cook it myself. Well, actually because I cooked it myself. Alas, modesty is not one of my virtues."
"Do you have any?" Will was startled to find she preferred Spike"˜s company to a human"˜s, but then again, Spike didn"˜t want to hurt her. Yet.
"It"˜s been a while, but I"˜m sure I have some rattling around somewhere. Willow, I know you"˜re afraid and I know you have no reason to believe me, but I mean you no harm. Just think of this as a major inconvenience that will be over soon." Ethan sounded so reasonable and he looked so damn seductive.
"But what about...." Willow"˜s voice died away as Spike caught her eye. It was obvious Spike didn"˜t want here letting on that she knew about Angel"˜s plan. "What about that spell Halloween where everyone turned into the costume they bought from your shop?"
"I just wanted to stir things up a bit. Have some fun. Nothing really bad happened." Ethan leaned against the doorway. It crossed his mind that taking her might have been a mistake. And he did owe her. She had gotten rid of Eyghon after all. But so had Angel. And Angel was far more vicious than this lovely little girl could ever be.
"Was Eyghon fun?" Willow heard the coldness in her voice and didn"˜t regret it. She doubted Ethan was capable of feeling remorse and he seemed to enjoy pain if what Buffy told her about the acid and tattoo were any indication.
"You"˜d better come along, Willow. Your supper"˜s getting cold and
Angel hates to be kept waiting." Ethan turned on his heel and left. Thomas started to grab Willow"˜s arm, but Spike rolled in front of him.
"I"˜ll take the lady in." The dangerous tone in Spike"˜s voice was unmistakable, even to Thomas.
"Whatever. Just hurry." With that, Thomas left.
"Come on. We don"˜t want to keep the "˜master"˜ waiting."
Willow wanted to burst into tears. She wanted to be back at the library, watching Xander try to stay awake while researching, listening to Giles chastise Buffy for some slight indiscretion, even to hear Cordelia whining about having an elsewhere to be. Or in the Bronze, laughing or dancing or just watching Oz"˜s band play. Or at home, working on her computer. Or even in Principal Snyder"˜s office being lectured on hanging out with "undesirable elements". She wanted to be anywhere but here. *I wonder if Spike knows how to play.*
But she didn"˜t want to cry in front of Spike and she"˜d be damned if she"˜d let Angel see her fear. Taking a deep breath, she put on her resolve face and looked at Spike.
"Let"˜s go."