ultimate sacrifice

Chapter 14

Willow and Xander followed Giles, they found his car parked at the edge of the cemetry. They couldn't just let him go out there without having some short of back-up.
They were part of his team and they were all in this together, weather he likes it or not.

"Following someone is not your strong suit is it?" she pointed to his flashight, more like a spot light.

"why would you say that?"

"Why? cause you brought the biggest," she touched his flashlight. "brightest, one that you could find."

"What this old thing." the beam flashed up a section on the trees when he moved his arms around.

"Yes, that. now turn it off, you will scare any and everything away." he turned in off. Willow stepped forward a few steps then saw, Giles. "shhh...there he is." Willow whispered.

"Where?" Xander tried to look over her shoulder.

"Shh, you have to be quite, he might think..." she slowly stepped a few more steps. "remember he is trained and..."

"And armed. I know." Xander was so close that he was breathing on her neck. Willow noticed that a creature with pointy ears dashed from tree to tree. She reconized it as an ugly troll-like creature. One that she saw only once with Buffy. Buffy told her that they usually had information and nothing else, not to mistake for evil ones.

"A demond." shouted Giles as he spun around and drew his bow and arrow weapon.

"Wait Giles." Willow races to stand in front of him even though she feared his weapon of choice.

"Step a side." Xander chimed trying to be the hero of the day.

"whoa boys, down." Giles still tryed to get the a shot off over her shoulder. "Stop. He's not a demond he's a troll..." she pleaded, hoping that he would listen to her. She saw the fear in his eyes. "Put it down." she whispered. Giles took in a long breath but did what she said. He didn't want to risk the two of them getting hurt by mistake.

"He wants something. usually to talk." Willow stared at the creature then back to Xander then to Giles.

"Wha?" Xander, who had never seen such an ugly creature before, asked. "How?" The troll kept his eye on the man with the bow. Giles never let any of the creatures of the night get the upper hand. He learned that the hard way.

"I..." with a shaky hand held out a big thick book, "I have..."

"For us." Willow question, watching the troll watch Giles. "He won't." she turned to face Giles. "Hurt you."

"This book," Xander stepped forward some.

"For...him..." the troll pointed at Giles.

"Me?" Giles was confussed why me is there something in there for me? if so... Giles put the bow by his side, and moved forward. He took the book. As soon as the book left the troll hands he back away.

"find key...stop spell. I gone." and the troll took off running for the wooded area.

that was just strange, Xander thought.

Giles glimps at the cover of the book, "not just any book." his mumbles to himself. He held it out so that Willow and Xander could read the tiltle.

"A book of love spells, what good is that," Xander commented. "I don't get it, how is that going to help us get that necklace off of Buffy."

"Um...I..." Giles stuttered. He didn't know what that had to do with the necklace on Buffy either. The only thing that I can think of is that a spell was placed on the necklace frist then...that's why.

"I mean why a book of love? what's love got to do with torture."

"It's not just about love," Giles answered. He remebered seeing this book somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it. "It's a book of scafrice."

"As in magic? Willow came closer to take a look. "Cool let me see." She touched the book. "scafrices of the heart, still what does that have to do with this...I mean...I don't know what I mean." Willow opens the book and skims the subtitles, then flips towards the back. A loose paper falls to the ground. Willow picks up the paper and her eyes lit up. A hand written note, most likely from a female, the way it's written. Someone had the book, and wrote a...she continued to read the note, no way. there's a key.

"Guys take a look at this," she points out that in the letter there was a key. That handwritting, Giles thought, that looks like...it can't be...he closed his eyes, and breathed slowly. A small grin was trying to creep on to his lips. He shook his head.

"What key is that though?" Xander always putting a negative spin on things, asking to many qustion.

"We may have to go to hell to get it." she commented, knowing that that might really be the truth.

"Then that's what we shall do." Giles nodded after reading the content of the letter. In his mind he thought he know where the key was but couldn't wrap all of it around his mind. Could he face the one fear that he had about the...

"I don't get it." Xander broken in.

"Pay attention." Giles' train of thought was lost. I hate it when that happens.

"This so called key isn't on earth," Willow went on so Xander could understand her. "well, it is but..." Xander sits beside her to read.

"Lovers...poetry but why?"

"Not that," this Willow pointed. "It would be quicker if I read it. The letter says that the slayers enemy holds the key."

"How can you be sure. That this is not just I don't know a ploy?"

"Well, um...My gut tells me that this is true. I have to go with that." Giles stated, taking off his glasses. He remebered what he was thinking about...he shut his eyes, he could still see her smiling at him. and her whispering the words, "I've fallen in love with you."

"Your lost in thought that tells me that you're holding back on me." Xander stared him down. "So tell me where is this key and how do we get it." He looked from Willow to Giles and then back to Willow for his answer. "Do we have to battle a monster or two?"

"It's not that easy... um...I mean..." Giles didn't know how to explain to Xander that they would be up against Spike of all people. Willow saw the disconfort on his face and decided to step in and help him.

"What giles is trying to say, is that...we know who holds the key but where he is we don't know." Willow shugged and threw up her hands in gesture.

"What do you mean? Where he is?" Then it donged on Xander who they were looking for or so he thought. "Oh no, not who I think it is...it's not Angel is it?" he watched the both of them, waiting on them to answer a question that he thought he had the right answer to. But he couldn't read them this time. Something was different, was he wrong in his question. If so who else could it be.

"We wish...that." Willow started. "It might be harder to get then that."

"oh no not..." Xander shook his head. "There's got to be anther way."

Giles just shakes his head.

"Does that mean that We have to go to battle with him?"

tbc...