Willow twiddled her thumbs. She didn't want to look away from her lap, so she pretended to be fascinated with the movements of her thumbs. She knew Tara must know what she was doing, but Tara hadn't yet said a word the whole trip. Giles was pretending that nothing odd was going on, but Willow knew her old librarian was more perceptive than that. "We should be in L.A. in about thirty minutes." Giles said in a bright tone "Then we can get this over with."
"This is just a magical consultation right?" Tara asked "What's so bad about that?"
Willow flinched at how calm Tara sounded. Wasn't she still furious? "Giles isn't looking forward to seeing some old acquaintances." Willow said while remaining fixated on her thumbs
"It's one thing to talk to Angel on the phone." Giles said "It's quite another entirely to see him again. Although I suppose if Wesley can deal with Faith I can deal with Angel."
"I feel like I'm missing a lot of backstory." Tara said "Angel is Buffy's ex right?"
Willow sighed. "Basically two of the people at this little gathering we're about to have have tortured two of the other people there. So that's a tad awkward making." She explained
"I see." Tara paused. "Do they… still torture?"
"No, at least I don't think so." Willow said "Angel never tortured with a soul did he?"
"Not that I am aware of." Giles said "But I don't know what all Angel and his band of misfits have been doing in the city. All I know is that they need our help and if I'm not mistaken we all needed to get out of Sunnydale. At least I know I bloody well did."
Willow turned to face Giles, stunned that he had broken the denial. "What?"
Giles gave her a quick disapproving look before returning his gaze to the road. "I needed to get away from Buffy for a little while to clear my head. I think it's fair to say that you two need to have a conversation not influenced by magic or any hellmouth activity. Correct?"
Willow returned her eyes to her lap, cheeks red. It was Tara that whispered: "Correct,"
"But our first priority is to figure out what this spell is." Giles said "We can't forget that."
"Right," Willow whispered
…
Wesley heard the knock on his office door and absent-mindedly bid the knocker to enter while he kept his attention focused on the volume he was reading. "Hard at work Wes?"
Wesley looked up. "Oh, hello Faith."
"Any news on that spell?"
Wesley examined her. She looked better rested and cleaner than she had when she'd first shown up at the Hyperion, but her eyes still contained disturbing shadows. Despite the fact that she had been living on the floor over his office since they got back from the other dimension he had seen very little of her. He had assumed that was because she was resting. "We have very little information to go off of. But Willow should be here soon and might be able to shed some light on new possibilities. There are very few magics that require the kind of power that would need slayer blood to activate it. And magics that powerful require skilled witches and wizards."
"Plural? How many people are we talking?"
"That depends on the spell, but a triad would be the minimum I should think."
"So there's that bitch you went to school with, Halloween guy, and the dork who escaped with the demon. That makes three. Hopefully the spell needs more than that." Faith said
"I don't think Andrew is actually a wizard." Wesley said "He just got lucky with the weakness of the binding spell Angel used and that he knew the counter incantation."
"Right, well…"
Wesley waited for a moment. "That's not what you came to talk about?"
"I uh… I don't really know where things stand between us."
Wesley looked down at his book. He looked back up at the slayer and was surprised by the vulnerability he saw in the woman who had once had all the power over him. She was waiting patiently for what he was going to say next and afraid of what it might be. "As far as I'm concerned we're good. Neither of us has a spotless record where the other is concerned. I don't have the patience or inclination to sort out what we owe each other. How about we start fresh?"
Faith stared at him like he was insane. "Are you serious?"
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Clean slate, we're good? Wes… that's crazy. What I did to you-"
"You saved my life." Wesley said to cut her off "Twice,"
Faith shook her head. "Look, you have every right to be angry. I just want to know-"
"Faith." He waited to make sure she was paying attention. "The past is not a place I am overly fond of right now. I don't want to live there. I don't even want to visit. Okay?" He asked
Faith understood. She nodded. "Thank you," She whispered
Wesley nodded. "Is that all?"
"Just one more thing. Feel free to tell me to piss off, but uh…"
"Yes," He prodded
"It's just that… The thing is… Now that I'm out of prison I guess I'm sort of a slayer again, and that means… The council and I aren't getting along overly and…" Faith shuffled her feet and then took a deep breath before just blurting it out. "Will you be my watcher?"
Wesley's jaw dropped. "What?"
"I know, it's stupid to ask. But I don't really trust myself to do it on my own and I just thought since you were trained to be a watcher and you're already watching Angel, maybe you could take on one more case. It was either ask you or Giles and I much prefer you."
Wesley started to laugh. He tried to stop as soon as he realized he was laughing but then he gave up and just let it run its course. When he was done he looked up at Faith and saw that she was confused and apprehensive. "I'm sorry." Wesley said "I just can't believe that you said that, but you really did. Faith, I would be honored to be your watcher." Wesley assured her
She smiled. "Are you going to make me run the obstacle course?"
"Every day," He said with a cheeky grin
…
Cordelia entered the Hyperion lobby and smiled when she saw Angel sitting on the shoddily repaired couch. Her smile evaporated when she saw Faith's back in the open doorway to Wesley's office. "What is she doing in there?" Cordelia demanded of the vampire
"They're talking." Angel said in a soothing voice as he continued to read his book
"Oh yeah, what about?"
"Cordelia, it would be unethical for me to use my superpowers to-"
"Don't even try me, okay? I know you listen to all of our private conversations and I know even if you could turn off your super hearing you wouldn't. So spill." Cordelia ordered
Angel chuckled. He looked up from his book. "Good morning to you too Cordelia."
She tried to glare at him but it turned into a smile. "Sp-ill."
"She wants him to be her watcher again." Angel said
Cordelia turned her gaze back to Faith's back. "The unmitigated gall." Cordelia said
"I think it's sweet." Angel said
"Yeah, because when I've been brutally tortured by someone the first thing I want to do is spend more time with them. There is nothing sweet about it. Faith doesn't do sweet."
"I think you should give her another chance."
Cordelia scoffed and then went to make coffee. Angel looked back down at his book, but before he could even find his spot again he heard someone clear their throat. Angel got up and turned around to see Giles standing in front of two young women. "Giles! Hey," Angel said
"Angel," Giles said politely
Cordelia came back out with Faith and Wesley following her. "Willow!" Cordy said
"Hey Cordelia," Willow smiled and waved.
"It is so good to see you again." Cordelia said "I haven't seen you since you came to L.A. to tell us that Bu- Does anybody want coffee?" Cordelia asked in her fastest track switch yet
"I'd love some." Faith said
"I wasn't talking to you." Cordelia said in a cold voice that made the whole room flinch
"Cordelia," Angel said
"I'll accept that she's here." Cordelia said "But I won't make her coffee."
"Message taken," Faith said softly "I get it."
"What a lovely way to start this little palaver." Giles said
They heard footsteps and all looked toward the staircase. Fred was coming down to meet the new people. "Hi!" She seemed ecstatic to see them, even though she didn't know them.
Wesley walked over to Fred. "Mr. Giles, Willow," He paused when he realized he didn't know the name of their third member. "This is Winifred Burkle. She works with us."
"Just Fred," Fred told them
"A pleasure to meet you Ms. Burkle." Giles said "I'm Rupert Giles, this is Willow Rosenberg, and this is Tara Maclay." He gestured to both women in turn.
"I guess that's everyone until Gunn gets here." Cordelia said "We all know who sir broods-a-lot is. Of course I'm Cordelia and Wesley is Wesley. So that's it."
"On that topic," Giles said casually to Wesley "What the bloody hell happened to you?"
Wesley sighed. "It's a long story, very boring."
"Faith didn't torture you again did she?" Willow asked "Because we came here under the assumption that there was no more torturing going on. We're very anti-torture."
Tara nodded with emphatic agreement. "Extremely anti-torture,"
Wesley sighed. "Faith has reformed. She's no threat to anybody anymore."
"Except vampires," Faith said
"Right, they're fair game." Wesley said
"Except Angel," Cordelia said
"Of course," Wesley said
"Except for when he's evil." Willow said
Wesley rubbed his forehead. "Can we focus on the spell?"
…
Ethan lay in bed with his ferocious partner on top of him. Even while she dominated the interaction he had her hair wound around his hand and he would on occasion give a powerful yank that made her yelp with pain and passion. For her the two were the same. Rose wasn't the first masochist Ethan had dated, but she was the most devoted to pain out of any of them and at times she frightened even him. She avoided permanent damage to her body when possible, but pain was her intent and she could only go so long without it. They finished when she decided she was done and she left him to tend to the remainder of his needs. When Ethan was done with that task he went out to the balcony of their hotel room where Rose was standing in a robe. He wore only boxers when he put his arms around her. "What are you thinking about?" He asked her
"The past," She told him
He began to nibble on her ear. "Why are you doing that?"
"It hurts." She said "To think about what was."
"Very badly?"
"It's like hands in my chest pulling my heart and mashing it until it is putty and can be shaped into whatever emotion. But then the hands leave my heart shapeless and I feel pain."
"That sounds awful." Ethan said
"I like the pain, it's what comes next that I dislike."
"What comes next?" Ethan moved his mouth down her neck, licking and biting.
"The judges come to sentence us. They come while we are sleeping. They call us ugly little girls and we take it because we are. I'm so very ugly, my soul screams with it."
"Your body hides this ugliness well." Ethan said
Rose turned in his grip and they kissed. "Thank you love." She said "How have your sources progressed in finding our vengeance demon? I really want to cut her to pieces."
"Patience Rosie,"
"I wonder what he'll do when we succeed."
"Who?" Ethan asked
"My old schoolmate, what will he do? I bet he'll be one of the first men to die."
"First men?" Ethan asked "Why the distinction?"
Rose removed herself from his grip. As she walked away he could hear her sing in her soft voice. "Lovely ladies waiting for a bite, waiting for the customers who only come at night."
"Don't you know any other songs?" Ethan called after her as she continued to sing
"Lovely ladies ready for the call, standing up or lying down or any way at all."
"I guess not." He said with a sigh
…
When Gunn arrived at the Hyperion a research party was in full swing in the lobby with books and scrolls scattered everywhere. He went over to Wesley to get his assignment. "Do we have any books in English for this case?" Gunn asked "Because the last time I tried Latin-"
"Cordy has all the English books." Wesley murmured as he flipped a page
Gunn scanned the room as he went over to Cordelia. "Where's Faith?"
"She got antsy and so volunteered for the easy job of getting coffee and donuts."
"You said you were hungry." Angel said
"She didn't even offer to pay." Cordelia protested
"She's a fugitive, where is she supposed to get money?" Wesley asked
"Oh great, now you're on the pro-Faith team too?" Cordelia said "Fred you're still with me right? We have to band together if our hatred is to thrive in this forgiving environment."
"Sorry Cordy," Fred was sitting next to Wesley and as she spoke she positioned herself so that she was leaning against his shoulder. "I want to be on Wesley's team."
"Traitor," Cordelia mumbled "Gunn, are you with me?"
"Uhhh…" Gunn thought about who was more frightening, Faith or Cordelia. "Yep,"
"At least one of you still has some loyalty." Cordelia handed Gunn a book.
Gunn looked at the title. "A history of the slayer line."
"Look for other instances of slayers being sacrificed in profane rituals." Wesley said
"Is this indexed?" Gunn asked
"Yes," Cordy said "But there isn't a sacrifice one. You'll have to check all the murders."
"Awesome," Gunn said
…
Jonathan and Andrew were playing a video game while Warren worked on the project he had abandoned to work on the scroll. Now that the scroll was gone he was back to the cerebral dampener and more determined than ever to finish it. Jonathan turned his head to make sure Warren was still absorbed in his work. Jonathan leaned toward Andrew. "Hey," He whispered
"What?" Andrew asked with a mouth full of twizzlers
"Sh, listen for a second."
"You're trying to distract me so you'll win." Andrew whined "Stop it."
"No listen, this is about the spell." Andrew fell silent. Jonathan took that as his cue to explain his fear. "I think it might be something bad. I think Warren might want to use it to do something very bad. I don't mean cool bad, I mean like really bad, like evil. Get it?"
"No." Andrew said
Jonathan sighed. "Do you remember how the mayor turned into a giant snake?"
"No, I wasn't there for that." Andrew said
"Do you remember Snyder?" Jonathan tried
Andrew made a face. "Snyder," He muttered
"I think Warren might want to do something Snyder evil."
"What?!" Candy spilled out of Andrew's mouth at the exclamation.
"Shh," Jonathan hissed
"Can you losers keep it down?!" Warren demanded
"How could you say something like that?" Andrew whispered
"Why won't he let us see what's in the scroll?" Jonathan asked
"Because it's really cool and he wants it to be a surprise." Andrew whined
"Andrew that's stupid." Jonathan said
"No you're stupid!" Andrew yelled "You're stupid and your ugly face is stupid and Warren is our friend and you're trying to turn me against him because you're jealous that he's a beautiful virile man while you're an ugly short loser! I don't want to play anymore!"
Jonathan jumped as Andrew threw his controller to the ground and stormed off, sending a bowl of popcorn and boxes of candy to the ground. Jonathan sat in the mess while Warren continued to work, not even paying attention to them. "What am I going to do?" Jonathan asked
…
Wesley was sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the wall with a book in his lap and a beautiful woman leaning against his chest. He could not imagine a better position to be in, well one, but this was pretty great. Fred's hair was so close to his nose that it was a constant perfume, distracting him from his work. He had to keep internally chastising himself and drawing his attention back to his book. He forced himself to focus on a passage about the power which comes from mixing human and demon blood. This was close enough to the origin of the slayer's power to warrant further investigation. The chirrup of a cellphone broke his concentration again. He looked up and saw Willow answer her phone. "Hello," She said
"Oh, if it's Dawn, tell her I don't know what happened to that skirt." Tara said
Willow's eyes widened. She put her hand over the microphone. "It's Jonathan."
This got everyone's attention. "What does he want?" Giles asked
"What can I do for you?" Willow asked politely
Tara smiled while Cordelia rolled her eyes. "What did he say?" Fred asked
"He says the spell is in something called the scroll of Creon and they don't have it anymore because the vengeance demon stole it. She said if they tried it again she'd kill them."
"Ask him if-" Angel began
Willow shook her head. "He hung up."
That's when everyone noticed that Wesley and Giles had gone very pale. Fred twisted around to look at Wesley's face. "Wesley?" He stood up and walked over to the pile of books
"What's going on?" Willow asked
Wesley picked up a book and flipped to a page. He wordlessly handed the volume to Willow and then pointed to a passage. Willow read and they got to watch every speck of color leave her skin. "Baby," Tara said nervously "What is it? What does it say?"
Willow began to read the book in a shaking voice. "Creon blamed Antigone for his suffering and so he went to the most powerful of all dark magicians. He agreed to damn himself for all eternity as the slave of the lord of hell if he could but take vengeance against Antigone and her unfair sex. The magician was intrigued by what Creon proposed and created a spell that would punish all womankind. Though he did not have the power to bring it about it was complete and if the proper rites are observed it may be cast. The spell was confiscated by a hero who, seeing what it was, tried to destroy it. He was never successful and it was buried in his tomb to be kept away from humanity forever. The last known location of the scroll of Creon is a vault that belonged to a powerful demon sorcerer. When the demon sorcerer died the scroll became lost and it is hoped that it was destroyed. For the effects of the scroll are devastating and will end humanity as we know it. For all of Eve's daughters will cease to be if the power of the scroll is realized. They will move for their hearts will beat. They will live for their lungs will fill with air. But their will and their freedom will cease to be. No woman will move of her own accord if the scroll is used successfully. They will be as puppets. They will speak only if a man bids them to for only the sons of Adam will retain their freedom while Eve's daughters act as their willing slaves. Though the word willing will no longer be applicable to their sex."
The book slipped from Willow's fingers and she began to shake. "Wh-what?"
Willow turned to face her lover at the sound of Tara's terrified stutter. Willow reached for her hand and Tara dove into Willow's arms, seeking comfort. Everyone was silent as they processed the horror of what they had just heard. Those who were standing sat down. Giles took his glasses off and began to clean them. Cordelia rubbed her arms, suddenly chilly. Angel stared at Faith, who was staring at her still-bandaged hands. Gunn looked at Cordelia and thought about how very alive she was. Wesley leaned against the couch and stared across the room at Fred who met his gaze. Her eyes were the size of saucers. Neither of them could quite conceptualize the horror that they felt. "Half of the world," Giles whispered "Gone, alive but gone in every sense."
"Zombies," Cordelia whispered
"Zombies with their souls trapped in their bodies," Wesley said "Unable to think, dead but going on. Forced to be used and unable to even protest, unable to even feel… anything."
"It's sick." Fred said in an angry voice "What kind of monsters would ever want-"
Fred's voice cracked and she looked down. "We have to find Ethan." Giles whispered
"And Rose, and the rest of this trio." Wesley said
"I don't get it." Fred said "Rose is a woman. Why would she…"
"According to her file she is insane." Giles said "And it is possible that some of the people involved in this don't know the full details. Regardless, we have to find and contain-"
"She knows." Wesley whispered "She said the spell would end the world."
"But it won't technically do that." Gunn said
"Oh it will." Wesley said "Can you imagine the chaos? No child could be conceived without an act of rape. Millions of jobs would no longer get done. Human beings would become a commodity in societies where all residual traces of slavery were previously abolished."
"It can't get that bad that fast." Cordelia said
"Yes it can." Angel said "The systems in place to protect people from being victimized rely on the victims reporting the crimes. That will become impossible. It would only take a few bed men to start things off. Then the problems would just get worse and worse."
"Infrastructure would fall apart." Fred said
"Governments would reform or crumble." Wesley said "Those that stuck by the ideals of the current times would be the first to fall while misogyny would become the prevailing ideal."
"Can we stop talking about it and just make sure it does not happen?" Willow said
"That's a very good idea." Giles said
…
Buffy sat on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest staring out of her window at the beautiful sunny day. Dawn was at school. Willow and Tara were in L.A. with Giles helping Angel figure out what was going on. Buffy wondered if her old lover was asking her roommates for information about her. If he was she wondered what they were telling him. Buffy wished the sun would hurry up and go down so that she could go out into the darkness. The bright sunlight was taunting her. Her phone went off and Buffy considered not answering it, considered going up to her room and taking a nap. She answered the call. "Hey Will," Buffy said quietly
"Buffy we need to talk to the trio." Willow said
"Did you figure out the spell?"
Buffy detected a tremble in Willow's voice. "It's pretty bad."
"Okay, I'll go look for them. Maybe I'll hit up Willy for info."
"Spike might know something." Willow suggested
"Yeah, maybe I'll talk to him when the sun goes down."
"Buffy this spell… If it gets cast we'll all be dead." Willow said
Buffy should care about that. Buffy would care about that. Buffy forced herself to summon the appropriate Buffy reaction. "Well that's not going to happen. We'll stop it."
Buffy heard Willow breathe a sigh of relief. Everything would be okay because Buffy was on the case. Was that the only reason they had brought her back? "I know."
"I'll call you when I have information." Buffy hung up and then forced herself to stand.
…
Cordelia was making up a room in the Hyperion. Willow and Tara had offered to stay and help do more research. Wesley had taken them up on the offer once he remembered that he was still in charge. So they would be spending the night. Giles was headed back to Sunnydale and would help Buffy find and interview the trio. "Are you okay?" Cordelia yelped and dropped the pillow she had been putting a pillowcase on. She turned to glare at Angel. "Sorry," He said
He did actually look sorry so Cordelia decided not to hassle him. "It's fine."
Angel picked up the case and held it open for her. "So are you okay?"
"A few crazy wizards want to enslave my entire gender, what's new?" She put the pillow into the case and then Angel set it on the bed. "How could any woman be a part of this?"
"Giles said Rose is crazy." Angel said
Cordelia rubbed her head. "You'd have to be pretty crazy to want to be a slave."
"I know." Angel said "But I remember a time when a lot of women let themselves be treated that way with no spells involved. That's the way society used to be." He said
"Well it makes me sick." Cordelia said
"Me too," Angel said as Cordelia grabbed her head. "Cordy?"
Cordy groaned in pain and Angel grabbed her before she could fall to the ground while she shouted snippets from her vision. "A shop! A magic shop! The demon! Anya?"
People came running into the room. Wesley, Fred, Willow, and Tara were the first to get there and Wesley pulled out a pen and a pad of paper. "Did Cordelia have a vision?"
"No doofus," Cordelia said "I developed Tourette's."
Gunn and Faith ran in. "What happened?" Gunn asked
"What did you see?" Angel asked
"I saw Anya in a magic shop."
"The Magic Box!" Willow said "She co-owns it with Giles."
"The vengeance demon was there. They were talking and then…" Cordelia flinched and rubbed her sore head. Fred ran off and then came back with a glass of water and aspirin.
"Then what?" Angel prodded gently as Cordelia took the pill
"Ethan and Rose showed up. They're going to kill the demon."
"Well I'm not going to start crying about-" Gunn began
"She has the scroll, remember." Fred said
"Could we get there in time?" Wesley asked
"No," Cordelia said "We have to call Buffy. Even she might not be able to make it."