Sebastian was gagged and bound to a chair. The smell of cleaning supplies reached his nose, almost nauseating him. His head was spinning, but he could feel his body already healing. "That's quite a trick you have there," the Mayor remarked as he entered the room. Sebastian had barely gotten outside of Sunnydale when the man's crones came after him. So, his target had been right under his nose all along. He glared up at the smiling mayor, growling. "Oh calm down, we're just going to have a little chat." He motioned for one of the others in the room to take of Sebastian's gag.
"Why would I trust that? I've already been well beaten," Sebastian growled. The Mayor laughed.
"Well, you were about to put your nose into some things you just shouldn't. We couldn't have that now could we?" he asked. Sebastian just glared. "Now, let's take care of things before you rat out on us."
That evening Rige had decided to delve into the wine storage. Ciel was out again after Giles called about an attack on Buffy at the skate rink. Rige didn't want to be out though. She was still thinking back to what Ria had said. It was all a bit heavy for her. Still, she had to find who she had to help. It was just then that her phone rang. "Rige, how do you tell if you like a guy?" Willow asked within seconds of Rige answering. She almost dropped her glass of wine. Willow liked a guy?
"I think it's one of those things you just know," Rige calmly replied. They talked for a while longer, and Rige hung up. It was almost morning now. Ciel trudged through the door.
"I'm going to get a shower," Ciel calmly remarked. He and Rige had never exactly gotten along, and now that Sebastian was gone, things had only become worse.
"Fine. I'm going for a drive. I don't know when I'll be back. Watch yourself, and stay with Xander if you have to," Rige replied. Ciel raised an eyebrow.
"Why not Giles?" Ciel asked. Rige sighed.
"He has enough on his plate as is. I don't want you making his life more stressful," Rige growled, grabbing her jacket, wallet and keys before storming out the door. She got in car swiftly and began to drive away, no destination in mind. She just needed space to think. Things would never make sense unless she did so. After a few hours, she pulled off the road. She was in the desert, and finally had an idea. She grabbed an old duffel bag out of the trunk and walks a ways off. Digging through the bag, Rige retrieved a few candles and some incense. She lit them with a match and sat on the sandy ground, eyes closed. "Water, Fire, Earth, Air, and Spirit," Rige muttered, concentrating. She hadn't mediated in a long time, but she needed answers no matter what happened.
Her mind flickered with the candles, bringing her to a large room. A fire began to burn at her feet, but she dared not moved. Rige focused her gaze on the wall ahead of her where two gems akin to eyes looked back at her. She focused, the fire burning her slowly. She kept her body still, and her mind calm. She knew the magic well enough, and knew that any slight movement would be her death. The fire licked and teased, climbing up her body with its hot fingers. She didn't scream. She didn't even blink, not until the fire had completely consumed her. She let out a deep breath, and the trickling of rain began to fall on her. As the flames were washed away, Rige opened her eyes, and found herself in the desert once more. She was panting, and the sun had set. The candles had burned out, but Rige understood now, and she would make sure that she was prepared.
August watched from a distance as Drusilla carried Spike out from the crumbling church. It was a good hour left before sunrise, and August wasn't surprised. The ritual called for the blood of the sire, more the merrier. That didn't mean that the bit Angel had unwillingly given wouldn't be enough for the ritual to work. These vampires were so stupid, August thought. He smiled. Sebastian was on a mission, and Rige was out of town. No one would really be able to stop him if he just happened across Ciel. He laughed. Oh, this was all too perfect! Those damn vampires would get just what they deserved.
He didn't waste any time, and during lunch that next day, he walked up to Ciel wearing a pair of his favorite sunglasses. "You look lonely," August remarked. Ciel glared at him.
"Who the hell are you?" Ciel demanded. August chuckled.
"Let's just say I'm a man with information you certainly require," August cooed. He looked around to make sure Buffy wasn't around. "I know who killed your parents all those years ago."
"Wh-What?" Ciel breathed. August nodded.
"Angelus. You should look him up. I'm sure his nice counterpart won't be waiting too much longer to get into a certain Slayer's pants. It'll all go to hell then," August winked, walking away to leave Ciel stunned. The final wheels were beginning to turn, and not too far off in the future, it would all come into play. The final pieces were being set. The game was about to begin.
A/N: Alright, it's a short chapter, but it's better than nothing. Rige, you're an idiot. Sebastian, you're also an idiot. Don't leave Ciel alone, because August will know, and August has a mission. Needless to say, things are heating up. I'm debating what I'm doing next, but I think we will jump ahead to either Surprise or Innocence... I don't know yet... But it will be one of the two! Sorry, I just think it'll be difficult to do Ted or Bad Eggs. Actually, Bad Eggs would just be really weird. Also, is Rige jealous of Willow liking Oz (who is an awesome character by the way. Seth Green is epic)? And yes, I brought the Mayor in, how dare I do that a season early! There is a reason, and in order for me to do something/have something play out a certain way this needed to be done now. On a side note, if you want to know what my plans are, I plan on doing after Surprise or Innocence to touch on Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered (could you imagine Rige falling for Xander?), Passion (as much as it will probably rip my heart out and laugh in my face... Again...), and Becoming Part 1 and 2. After season 2 is finished, I will have to see what I'm doing, but when I finish this season 2 stuff I will let you know what the game plan is. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. (PS. I'm saying now that I will not be doing Once More With Feeling because A. it's awesome as is and B. The idea of writing a musical out in this format is just very daunting and confusing and sort of like a nightmare)
