Chapter 11: Treason

If looks could kill Knox would be cut up in a million pieces before he was able to hit the ground and scream out in agony.

"What's going on?" Knox asked glancing at each face.

"Why don't you tell us?" Gunn spoke up harshly.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Knox said with a slight stutter in his speech.

Spike let out a growl and grabbed Knox and pinned him up on the wall. A few employees that were walking in the lobby took notice of the scene. Everyone stopped and watched the vampire pick up the science geek roughly with ease and shove him into a wall.

"The game is over…no more lying." Spike growled.

"Game? What game? I didn't do a thing." Knox defended himself.

Angel let Spike continue to pin Knox up on the wall. Actually, Angel was wishing that he was the one doing all the physical abuse at the moment.

"Start talking." Spike said.

"Let me go!" Knox shouted, "Angel…Gunn?"

"Not your bodyguard anymore Knox…do as Spike says before I jump in and handle you myself…oh, and FYI my way of handling things involves squeezing of eyeballs and knives." Angel said.

"What's happening to Buffy?" Gunn asked.

Knox turned and looked at Angel, "She's dying." He choked out best he could while still being a little bit choked by Spike.

Spike vamped out and looked like he was going to go in for the kill; taking Knox's neck as prisoner.

"Spike don't!" Gunn stepped forward, "We need him alive."

Knox let out a little gasp as Spike pulled his face back to look at him with his yellow demon eyes.

"You did this didn't you? You wanted to kill her didn't you?" Spike yelled and tightened his grip on Knox.

"No! No…I didn't want Buffy to be the one." Knox quickly said to Angel. He also kept an eye on Spike from the corner of his eye.

Gunn thought about what Knox said for a moment, "The one?" Gunn spoke up.

Angel turned and looked at Gunn. "Huh?"

Gunn looked back at Knox, "If Buffy wasn't 'The One' then who is?" Gunn asked.

Everyone turned to look at Knox, who at the moment looked like a frightened rat.

A doctor exited out of Buffy's room with his clipboard. Buffy was lying in the bed lying very still. However, all of a sudden she starts squirming under her covers. She tossed her head from side to side on her pillow in a thrashing moment, acting as if she was under some uncontrollable force. Then as quickly as she started squirming, she stopped and opened her eyes.
Wesley and Fred were working down in the lab when Angel, Knox, Gunn, and Spike came through the door. Gunn pulled out a chair and Angel pushed Knox down to make him sit in the seat.

"What's going on?" Fred asked after seeing how poorly everyone was treating Knox.

"Seems that Knox has something to tell us." Gunn said to Fred and Wesley.

"Angel aren't we suppose to working on Buffy's case—" Wesley started.

"Knox is involved in Buffy's case." Angel interrupted.

There was a silence in the room. Fred and Wesley expressed their confusion on there face and turned to Knox.

"Knox?" Fred whispered.

Knox looked up and met Fred's disappointing eyes for the first time he entered the room.

"What did he do?" Wesley asked while shooting an untrusting glance at Knox.

"Buffy wasn't supposed to get what's coming to her…it was for you." Knox said to Fred.

Fred blinked a couple of times in disbelieve, "I…I…" she couldn't even make a proper sentence, she was so stunned.

Knox was too busy looking at Fred that he didn't realize a fist was coming towards his left cheek. Knox fell out of his chair and onto the ground. Everyone looked up and saw the owner of the fist was Wesley. He was still clenching his fist.

Knox quickly got up off the floor and moved away from the group. He moved towards to sarcophagus and went around it as if using it for protection from the Angel and his group.

"Look, look…I'm not the only one involved in this…I just play a part." Knox explained.

"One part too many, Knox." Angel growled.

"Look, I chose you because you were worthy." Knox said while looking at Fred lovingly, "I love you, Fred…I wanted you to be a part of this."

Fred stared at Knox as if he was crazy. She backed away from him and stood closer to Gunn and Angel.

"Part of what?" Gunn asked.

"It's the rebirth of the great goddess…" Knox started.

"Illyria." Wesley interrupted. Everyone turned to look at Wesley, "The text said the goddess is Illyria, a great monarch and warrior of the demon age murdered by rivals and left adrift in the Deeper Well."

"Until now." Angel said and turned to Knox, "You delivered this fucking thing to firm didn't you?!" he asked as he pointed to the coffin.

"This is not all my fault Angel…this was set in millions of years ago and there is no way that you can stop it." Knox said.

Spike and Angel glared at Knox. Before either one of them could say a word the labs doors burst open and a doctor came running in and causing everyone to turn their attention to him.

"I'm-I'm sorry to disturb you all, but it's regarding Ms. Summers." The doctor said.

Buffy exited into the alley way stumbling and looking ill. She had to hang on to the brick wall as she let out a couple of coughs. Buffy stood up straight and tried to look down the dark alley but her eyes were getting blurry again.

And down the same alley way two vampires were talking with one another until they noticed Buffy. They both let there fangs show when they smiled; seeing a helpless girl appear right before them made them think it was there lucky day.

TBC…