Spike had fallen asleep. Actually, it was more like Spike wigged out and broke his head by slamming it on the wall repeatedly. Whatever. Just so long as he's unconscious. Dawn's previous panic had run it's course, and been replaced by determination. Buffy wouldn't let this freak her out and neither would she.
Of course, Buffy has super-strength and Dawn can barely lift a sword at the moment, but it was either blind optimism, or go back to panicking. Besides, It's not like she couldn't panic later if she wanted to. So optimism it is.
First things first. She needed to figure out how she got here. Spike didn't know, or wouldn't say, and her kidnapper didn't have the decency to show up and start bragging. The second thing she wanted to know was, what happened to Xander.
Did he get kidnapped too? Did he escape and find Buffy? This last option was the one Dawn prayed for more than anything to be not true. He could be dead. Whoever got her could've just killed him.
Whoever, whatever, attacked them, definitely had all kinds of elements of surprise on their side. One minute, she was looking at the probably evil thing Xander found, the next she was wetting her pants (Not literally, thank God!) at the sight of a psycho ensouled vampire who claimed to be evil.
That was another issue too. Spike said he's evil, but he doesn't act like it. Judging by his ranting, it actually sound more like he's feeling guilty about something. Something he wished he didn't do, or wouldn't do? Whatever. It wasn't important. Not yet anyway.
Dawn tested the chains that bound her and, yep, still metal. She looked around to see if there was anything she might be able to use to escape. Nope, nothing. Looks like she'd have to wait, either until Buffy shows up, or her captors make a mistake. Dawn sighed. If she's wishing for things, she might as well wish for Spike to wake up, snap back to sanity, break free of his chains, then break her chains, so together they could fight their way to safety.
Dawn looked at the vampire expectantly. He drooled a little.
She glared at him. "Nuts."
"Kinda disappointing isn't it?" Came a blessedly familiar voice.
A look of relief exploded onto Dawn's face.
"Buffy!" She cried out. "Oh thank God!" She yanked on the chains a bit. "Hurry up and get these off, I don't know when somebody's going to show up!"
Her sister didn't move.
"Buffy?" Dawn asked. "What are you doing?" Buffy smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile, and when Dawn spoke again, there was fear in her voice. "Buffy, please!"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Y'know something sis, you're a pain in the ass. So much sometimes, that I wish you were never born."
Dawn was stunned. "Wuh... what?" This couldn't be happening!
Buffy smiled sadistically. "Of course, that's actually the case isn't it?" She started walking around the cave with her hands clasped behind her back. "I mean, you're not actually my sister, right? You're just the Key. A thing. Oh sure, you may look like a person," Buffy conceded," heck, you even smell like one, but it's a lie. Isn't it Dawnie?"
Tears were running down Dawn's face as she glared at her questioner.
"Who are you?" She demanded hatefully. "Why do you look like Buffy!"
The woman stopped walking. "What do you mean?" She asked innocently, walking up to Dawn.
"You know exactly what I mean!" Dawn told her. "You aren't my sister!"
Buffy sighed dramatically. "What the hell do you think this whole conversation's been about?" She asked in exasperation. "Duh! Get a clue Pun'kin Belly."
Dawn's eyes widened in shock. "How...?"
"Did I know about that?" Buffy finished. "The same way I remember the time you, me, and Dad went to Disneyland while Mom was on a business trip." Buffy smiled in fond remembrance. "I wanted to go on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, but you had to be a baby and freak out when you saw Goofy."
Dawn's shock grew. "There's just no way." She said in disbelief.
"C'mon Dawnie," Buffy chided, purposely mistaking Dawn's expression. "you weren't that young, you gotta remember it!" She sighed in amusement. "You thought Goofy was really a robot and that he was gonna try and kill you, like in that episode of the Simpsons when they went to Itchy and Scratchy land." The woman laughed. "I thought Dad was going to have a heart attack when you ran off." She smirked. "It took an hour for us to find you! Do you remember where?"
Dawn nodded. "In line at Pirates of the Caribbean."
Buffy smiled knowingly. "Nope, it was at Cinderella's castle. You thought she could help you find me and Dad." Dawn stared at her in open mouthed horror. That was it! That was exactly it! Right down to the reason why she went to that stupid castle!
Dawn glared at the image of her sister. "I don't know how you know all that, but I don't care. You. Are not. Buffy."
For an instant, Buffy's lovely face was clouded by hate. But as quickly as it formed, it left.
"Y'know, I've always wondered why Mom died, even after the surgery was successful." She started conversationally. "Wanna know what I think?"
Dawn said nothing.
"I think it was you." The woman admitted. "I think it was because the monks INVADED her already weak brain to alter her memories. Maybe if that didn't happen, Mom wouldn't have died." She smiled. "Maybe," She whispered, "Maybe she wouldn't have even gotten sick in the first place." The woman wearing Buffy's face pulled back. "Why don't you think on that for a little while?"
She vanished, and Dawn was left alone with her grief and anger.
-
Sometimes, Willy thought, he'd rather be in LA. At least there, people knew how to treat their information brokers! It wasn't all, "Let's beat up old Willy if he won't say anything!" No, in LA they paid you for your services. Of course, LA also had Wolfram and Hart while the Mayor had welcomed him in with open arms.
"Every burg needs a little oil to turn the cogs Willy." His Honor said cheerfully when he put Willy under his protection. "And you're so oily, I'm surprised you don't burst into flames under the sun like a gosh darn vampire."
That was the only time he'd ever see the Mayor face to face, which was good because all that Leave It to Beaver wholesomeness was too creepy for words. Although, Willy did miss that protection. It certainly came in handy during situations like this.
"So are you gonna talk, or is my friend here going to stick you up there?" Buffy Summers asked while Peter Parker stood on the ceiling and dangled the man from his ankles.
Peter looked a little uncomfortable with all of this. "Could you just tell her what she wants to know?"
Willy looked up at his stain covered floor. "I'd love to kid, believe me I would, but I just don't know anything."
"C'mon Willy, tell the truth." Buffy coaxed.
"I am!" Willy gasped, getting dizzy. "Oh I think I'm gonna puke." He moaned.
Buffy winced. "Yuck. Don't get any up your nose." Peter made a face. That was just gross.
"Listen Slayer," He began desperately, "business has bad lately! Really! The only people that come in here anymore are vamps! When I asked where everybody else was, the blood suckers told me they ran off!"
"Why?" Buffy asked warily.
Willy shrugged. "I don't know. They mentioned some big evil coming, but I figured that for the same old, same old. Maybe it wasn't."
"Did they mention anything else?" Buffy wanted to know. Willy shook his head, then turned a brilliant shade of green.
"Oh no!" He gulped, as Peter whirled him right side up and dropped back to the floor. As soon as his feet were on solid ground, Willy hightailed it to the men's room.
"Y'know," Peter started as walked away from Willy's place, "I wouldn't have actually been able to stick him to the ceiling."
Buffy frowned. "I thought you have, like, webs and stuff?"
The teenager sighed. "I do, but I left them back in New York."
"You mean it's not natural?" Buffy asked in surprise. "I thought you could do whatever a spider can?"
He shrugged. "Except that, apparently. It'd be nice too. Webbing costs a lot to make, and I'm always so broke."
Buffy nodded understandingly. "I hear that. It's like everybody thinks supplies just grow on trees!"
"I know!" Peter commiserated.
Buffy scowled. "Just last week, Xander bent a sword while we were battling a Torvoc demon. They have stone skin! Who brings a sword to fight Torvocs?" She asked Peter. He just shrugged. "And don't get me started on all the stakes! How hard is it to pull them back out after jabbing it into a vampire's heart?"
Peter put his hands in his pockets, understanding written all over his face.
"I don't really understand what you just said, but I totally get the gist of it! MJ's all about trying to get me to bring her web-slinging even though I can barely afford to fight crime with what I have! And don't get me started on the time that smoking hot russian spy lady stole my web-shooters! God, I wish I was Tony Stark. Or Reed Richards." Peter pouted at the ground.
"Totally." Buffy agreed.
The pair sighed bracingly at the unfairness of it all.
After a few moments, Buffy turned to Peter.
"Wanna go hit stuff?" She asked him.
Peter nodded. "Oh absolutely."
-
Willow, Anya, and Mary-Jane, were back at the Summers house. They were sitting at the dining room table with a bunch of books stacked in front of them. They were looking for any spell that might explain what it was Anya saw. Willow researched using her computer while the others read.
"I can't do this!" MJ threw her book down in frustration. "How can you all sit here and read this stuff?" She picked up one of the other books and pointed to it. "This one's not even in english!"
"Yes, it's sumerian. I know how to read sumerian." Anya stated matter of factually.
MJ deflated a bit. "Oh. Well still... I want to help, but I don't know what I'm looking for." She looked to Willow imploringly. "What do you think I should do?"
Willow thought for a moment.
"You could not be annoying." Anya said under her breath, but loud enough to be heard. Willow glared at her before turning back to MJ.
"Ignore her. Anya's just being Anya. If books aren't your thing, maybe you could try my computer?" Willow passed it over to the younger girl. "Do keyword search for "cloaked illusion spells". If you find something that says something specific about not leaving magical signatures, let me know, okay?"
Mary-Jane accepted the computer and nodded gratefully. Willow smiled before picking up a book and continuing her research.
-
He was on his way to England and he got to sit in first class.
This was an incredibly enjoyable trip. Women serving him, comfy chairs, plenty of peanuts, pillows(!), and a James Bond picture for the in-flight movie. Yes sir, he could definitely get used to this.
Caleb smiled at the pretty flight attendant whore that winked him. Maybe he'd have time to mix pleasure with business.