Dedicated to my only reviewer Kenny7 :)
Chapter 2
For the third night in a row the lights inside Magic Box were indicating that something was amiss. It was very unlikely that shopkeeper decided to make the place operational 24 hours a day. Considering the vast denizens of Sunnydale especially those that preferred the darkness of the night it might have been an ingenious commercial decision. But it would be doomed from the very start by the obvious direct relation of the owner of the shop to the infamous Buffy Summers, better known as Slayer in the underworld of Sunnydale. To make things even more interesting the shop was closed even at daytime for the last three days, but only to the potential customers. And that was definitely not the way to run business if you wanted to prosper. To add insult to injury it was plainly visible to everyone that the place wasn't empty. In fact it was a boiling cauldron with people entering and leaving the place every five minutes or so.
The explanation was rather simple. As usually in the times of crisis the Magic Box has become Head Quarters for Slayer and her gang once again. And if the disappearance of the Key wasn't a crisis, then nothing was. For the last three days everything that could be done in the effort to find Dawn was given a try. Everyone willing to volunteer and to offer help wasn't turned away: friends, neighbors, Dawn' classmates, even Spike, especially Spike with his vast connections among demons. Buffy even has done unthinkable and visited Glory in a careful attempt to find out if she was responsible. To make things even more complicated, these last three days got the better of Joyce and she was once again hospitalized.
So on the third night since Key' disappearance she was finally here, standing 60 feet away in the shadows of a building across the street from Magic Box and watching the lights in its windows with her keen, if somewhat hard, green eyes. Catching only glimpses of several people through the windows she could feel their desperation even from here. She was probably their only hope, even if they didn't know it, and they would need all of her help especially if her suspicions were to be confirmed true. Deciding not to waste any more time in this foul place than was necessary, even if being relatively save from the evil that lurked in the streets thanks to her nature, she started towards the door of the Magic Box with determination written all over her beautiful, if somewhat strict, face.
The air in Magic Box was indeed filled with desperation and smoke from Spike' cigarettes. No one seemed to protest about him smoking anymore understanding that it was just his own way to fight stress and silently appreciating his concern. Xander and Anya were engaged in silent, but agitated conversation in the corner of the room. Tara disappeared in the bathroom again, not being able to bear all those strong emotions emanating from her friends for longer than half an hour. Meanwhile Giles, Willow and Buffy were still silently sitting around the table in the middle of the room though their short conversation concerning Joyce' condition were finished minutes ago. The first two were pretending to read the books in their poorly masked deception to stay close to Buffy in their silent support. Giles was carefully stealing glances at Buffy and Willow from time to time. While Willow who was not even bothering turning pages of her book anymore was doing the same at Buffy. They didn't have to bother being careful though since Buffy was ignoring them both and everything around her anyway.
She leaned at the table with both of her elbows, holding her head in her hands and looking at the pile of the books in the middle of the table with an empty stare, buried deep in her thoughts. Brooding. Completely still. She recently returned from the hospital after staying for several hours near the bed of her unconscious mother and still had a lot of to think about. The problem was that she didn't know where to start, since whatever happened to Dawn happened without a trace and leaving them completely without any clues whatsoever. And as hard as she tried now she couldn't order her mind to arrange her thoughts after three days of fruitless efforts to track her little sister. Exactly, Dawn was her little sister and she didn't thought about her as Key anymore. Maybe the fear she experienced earlier this day when Joyce was hospitalized made her change her perception of Dawn so much, she wasn't sure, but it was sure as hell that the fear to be completely left without family in this world made her froze in terror. But in terror or not she was still Slayer and it was she who was the first to register the soft, but insistent knock on the door. To utter amazement of Giles and Willow who only second before regarded completely still Buffy with expressions of worry and concern on their faces, the table they were sitting at violently shook as Slayer leaped from her chair and with unnatural speed headed towards the door, drawing attention of everyone else in the room, including Spike who just finished his cigarette and also heard knocking on the door.
Deep in her heart hoping to see Dawn behind the door, but in her mind quickly realizing that this was hardly possible, Buffy was still completely unprepared to meet anyone but Dawn when she swung the door wide open, not talking about a very attractive tall woman, with feline eyes, soaring cheekbones and a beautiful mane of long brown hair almost reaching her waist. She was wearing black trench coat with dark blue blouse and white silk scarf. Then Buffy realized that she was staring at the woman with interest and disappointment at the same time. A woman gave her a curious look and softly whispered so only Buffy could hear:
"Sorry. It is not she, but I came to help. May I come in?"
Buffy hesitated for a moment. Something about this woman' eyes and voice reminded her of Drusilla, only without malice in it. Also she could swear that she could feel a light tingling sensation at the back of her neck for a moment. Still something about the woman' voice that so conveniently sparked a feeling of hope inside her again made her accept and with a slow, barely visible nod she let the woman in. If woman was able to impress Buffy for a moment, you could say that she made a lasting impression on the other members of "gang". Something about her pace and the way she was holding herself gave her a regal look. Giles slowly stood up and was obviously staring, while Willow and Xander opened their mouths in awe. Only Spike and Anya seemed to resist her charm and while the former let out a barely audible uncharacteristic hiss and visibly tensed, which Buffy noticed not without interest, the latter gave Xander a not too gentle slap on the back of his head. And while Xander was turning his head with the words of protest forming on his lips something about the woman caught Anya' attention, too, and forced her to jump on her feet and to give a woman incredulous look.
"You!" she exclaimed and made several quick short steps toward the woman as if to get a better look. Then she suddenly halted as if confirming her suspicions and accusingly pointed a finger in woman' direction "Return where you came from. This is not your place!"
Xander mistakenly thinking that he knew what provoked Anya' reaction also rose to his feet, with annoyed look on his face: "Anya, this is not what you are..." But Anya was too quick to react for him and cut him in mid-sentence:
"No, you don't understand, she is an Enemy" she stated as if it supposed to mean something, however, it drew an approving nod from vampire. The mysterious woman at first seemed as if she wanted to say something, but just rolled her eyes at the last statement. Meanwhile Spike obviously alerted just by her very presence in the same room as him and getting confirmation of his own suspicions from Anya, suddenly hissed at the woman drawing attention to himself:
"Explain yourself. And make it, good." Stressing the last word that left no questions of what he implied.
The woman again at first opened her mouth for a moment as if she wanted to say something, then just shook her head in disbelief. And then decided to accept the challenge for what it was.
"You. Dare. Threaten. Me. Vampire?" she said stressing every word herself and made five steps in Spike' direction, one for every hissed word, with a sly grin and a promise of pain in her eyes. Spike just smiled in return exposing his fangs and leaped.
And then all the hell broke loose.
