&&&&&&&&&
Spike's Mansion
Sunday, 8 am
"How long do we have to wait before he gets bored and decides to start
torturing us?" Anya asked.
"Gee, Anya, that was a nice thought to wake up to," Xander replied
sarcastically.
"I'm afraid she's right, though," Wesley said. "What did Angelus do
the last time he was here?"
"He taunted Buffy, he played mindgames. He lured her away, and sent
his pals to kill the rest of us. Luckily I only ended up with a broken
wrist...gee that seems familiar. Willow got knocked out, and Giles got
the torture....oh, yeah. We're screwed."
"Good call, Xander," Angelus said as he walked in then. "The trouble
is I just haven't been able to choose which one of you to play with
first. But, I think my boy Spike was right. You first, then the rest
of you, I don't care what order. Then the red-haired witch. Then,
finally, Buffy."
"Oh, good. Did I come back just in time to watch the fun start?" Spike
said. "Can I play too?"
"Maybe you can have one of these for breakfast, but I get the boy,"
Angelus answered. He walked over to Xander.
Anya screamed, "Leave him alone!" and kicked out at him, tripping
him.
"Oh, you really shouldn't have done that," Angelus said, getting
up. "Change of plans." He grabbed Anya and sunk his fangs into her
neck, drinking from her.
"NO!" Xander yelled. He tried to help Anya, but Spike walked
over and kicked him, knocking him down.
"Down, Boy," Spike said. "You'll get your turn later."
"Thanks, Spike," Angelus said with a grin, as he stood up. "You can
have Cordelia later. Right now, I'm feeling a serious need to torture
someone." He grabbed Xander by his injured wrist, and Xander screamed
in pain. "That's just the beginning, kid," Angelus chuckled, as he
dragged Xander out of the room.
"Have fun listening to the screams," Spike said to Wesley and
Cordelia. "Your turn comes next."
When he'd left, Cordelia said, "Wesley, look at Anya. Is she still
alive?"
"I think I see her breathing," Wesley answered. "She was a demon,
maybe she's stronger than Angelus knew."
"Okay, how close are you to getting my wrists untied," Cordelia asked,
as she scooted her way back to where Wesley could reach her bound
wrists.
"Almost. Are you sure you can get out that window?" he asked, looking
at the small window above the bed.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Cordelia said. "Because
if I had heard you, I would assume that was a criticism about my
size. And then I would be inclined to forget about coming back to
help you."
"Done!" Wesley said, as he finally got the last knot untied.
"God, finally," Cordelia went to work on the rope tying her feet
together. "Are you sure you don't want to try to get out too? I mean,
you'll be in really big trouble--"
"Cordelia, don't talk, just go! We don't know how much time we have
before one of them come back!" Wesley hissed.
"Okay, but she's going out the window first." Cordelia got up, and
checked Anya's pulse. "Wow, it's still pretty strong. Maybe you were
right." She picked up Anya under the arms and dragged her to the bed.
She put her on the bed, and slapped her face gently, "Hey, wake up!"
"Wha--" Anya's eyes fluttered open.
"No talk. Stand up, there we go, on the bed okay. Now I open the
window, and boost--" She shoved Anya out the window, and waited for
the resulting thud as Anya hit the ground outside. Cordelia looked
back at Wesley, "I can't leave you--"
"Go!" Wesley insisted. "Get Buffy, and do what we agreed on."
Cordelia looked at him in surprise, "You mean you still--"
"Save Angel. He's my friend too," Wesley replied.
"Okay, I'll be back before you know I'm gone," Cordelia assured him.
She grabbed the windowsill and pulled herself out the window. "Ow,"
she said as quietly as possible as she hit the ground on the other
side, narrowly missing falling on Anya who was lying there.
"Never thought you'd get here," Anya said with a smile. She then got a
puzzled look on her face, saying, "Where's Xander?" Her answer was a
Xander's yell of pain from inside. "Oh, God, I gotta help him," Anya
said, standing up.
"Oh, no you don't. Use your head, Anya. We can't help him unless we
come back with reinforcements," Cordelia argued, grabbing Anya's arm.
"But--"
"There's only one thing that can stop this," Cordelia said. "And we
will stop it. Nobody deserves that, not even Xander Harris," she
added as she pulled Anya away down the street.
&&&&&&&&&
Sunnydale Hospital
9 am
Buffy woke, to the sight of being hooked up to an IV, in a
hospital. "Now there's a shocker," she muttered to herself. "There's
gotta be some irony somewhere in the fact that not even Spike felt
like killing me. I must be really pathetic."
"Not pathetic," Willow protested, as she, Oz and Giles entered the
room.
"Where's mom?" Buffy asked. "And where's Xander, and Anya?"
"Anya showed up about five minutes ago, with Cordelia of all people,"
Willow answered. "Anya had lost a lot of blood, but they think she'll
be okay. She's getting replenished too, just like you. Apparently,
Angelus decided to bring Wesley and Cordy to Sunnydale with him. He
grabbed Anya and Xander last night, Buffy."
"Oh, Will, I hate myself for forgetting to tell them. I don't know
what's wrong with me--"
"We do," Willow replied. "Magic, Buffy. All this time I thought you
were acting weird because of everything you've been through since
graduation. I just thought it had changed you. But I was wrong, and I
should've known. I've got a story for you, if you're feeling well
enough to hear it. It'll have to be quick, though, because Wesley and
Xander are still with Angelus and Spike."
"I'm almost good as new, Will," Buffy answered. "Part of being a
Slayer, you know. I heal fast. So let's get out of here--" She slowly
sat up.
Willow said, "You shouldn't, you need to rest--"
"Willow, I need to be doing something now. I need to save Xander and
Wesley. I have to stop Angelus," Buffy said with determination.
"Okay, well...Giles and Oz will wait outside while I help you get
ready." Willow said. She nodded to the two men, who went outside.
While she was helping Buffy dress, Willow began to fill her in on what
Cordelia had told them and what else they had discovered. " ...I guess
first thing to tell you is Tara is the one who caused Angel to lose
his soul. She got her hands on the curse, and somehow she figured out
how to reverse it. Oz and I went to the dorm this morning, and I got
into her room. She's into the really powerful black magic, Buffy. I
had no clue, after all the time I've spent with her. Anyway, I
borrowed a few of her books, and I don't think there's a way to
reverse what she did."
At Buffy's look of despair, she continued, "at least not how we
thought. I can't just do the curse again, it wouldn't work. Her magic
is stronger than mine. That's where Cordy comes in, though. But
before I tell you that, you need to know that Riley's a vampire."
"I know," Buffy said with a sigh.
"You do?" Willow asked.
"Yeah, I ran into him and Spike last night. I also found out that
Spike has some kind of a protection spell which keeps anyone from
hurting him--"
"That would be Tara again," Willow supplied.
"And that's how he was able to attack me," Buffy said. "This is really
bad, Will. If I can't do my job, we're all as good as dead."
"Well, I think I can counteract that spell enough to weaken it,
hopefully that will be enough for you to do your thing," Willow
offered.
"But I don't understand why I didn't _know_ that Riley was a vampire,"
Buffy said. "I've gotten to the point that...let me guess. Tara
again?"
"Who else?" Willow answered with a shrug.
"What is with that girl, Will? I mean, seriously, what _is_ her major
trauma in life that she's helping two vampires in their plot to take
over this town?"
"I wish I knew. I think there's some reason, a reason that would make
more sense than what we know now. But at least we do know, so now we
can try to bring Angel back," Willow said reassuringly.
"I can't believe you still want to do that. I mean you know what he's
probably doing to Xander--" Buffy noticed Willow wince, and said,
"That was a major case of Buffy stupidity. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean
to bring that up. Okay, all ready, let's go."
Buffy and Willow walked out of the room, and were met by Joyce. "Where
do you think you're going?" she demanded of her daughter.
"To say you have bad timing would be the understatement of the
century," Buffy said in frustration.
"Well, that's just too damn bad," Joyce replied. "You are not going
anywhere--"
"Yes, I am," Buffy interrupted. "We've done this before. Try a new
tune next time," she said as she pushed her way past her mom. She and
the rest of the gang went outside to Oz' van.
End of part ten
Spike's Mansion
Sunday, 8 am
"How long do we have to wait before he gets bored and decides to start
torturing us?" Anya asked.
"Gee, Anya, that was a nice thought to wake up to," Xander replied
sarcastically.
"I'm afraid she's right, though," Wesley said. "What did Angelus do
the last time he was here?"
"He taunted Buffy, he played mindgames. He lured her away, and sent
his pals to kill the rest of us. Luckily I only ended up with a broken
wrist...gee that seems familiar. Willow got knocked out, and Giles got
the torture....oh, yeah. We're screwed."
"Good call, Xander," Angelus said as he walked in then. "The trouble
is I just haven't been able to choose which one of you to play with
first. But, I think my boy Spike was right. You first, then the rest
of you, I don't care what order. Then the red-haired witch. Then,
finally, Buffy."
"Oh, good. Did I come back just in time to watch the fun start?" Spike
said. "Can I play too?"
"Maybe you can have one of these for breakfast, but I get the boy,"
Angelus answered. He walked over to Xander.
Anya screamed, "Leave him alone!" and kicked out at him, tripping
him.
"Oh, you really shouldn't have done that," Angelus said, getting
up. "Change of plans." He grabbed Anya and sunk his fangs into her
neck, drinking from her.
"NO!" Xander yelled. He tried to help Anya, but Spike walked
over and kicked him, knocking him down.
"Down, Boy," Spike said. "You'll get your turn later."
"Thanks, Spike," Angelus said with a grin, as he stood up. "You can
have Cordelia later. Right now, I'm feeling a serious need to torture
someone." He grabbed Xander by his injured wrist, and Xander screamed
in pain. "That's just the beginning, kid," Angelus chuckled, as he
dragged Xander out of the room.
"Have fun listening to the screams," Spike said to Wesley and
Cordelia. "Your turn comes next."
When he'd left, Cordelia said, "Wesley, look at Anya. Is she still
alive?"
"I think I see her breathing," Wesley answered. "She was a demon,
maybe she's stronger than Angelus knew."
"Okay, how close are you to getting my wrists untied," Cordelia asked,
as she scooted her way back to where Wesley could reach her bound
wrists.
"Almost. Are you sure you can get out that window?" he asked, looking
at the small window above the bed.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Cordelia said. "Because
if I had heard you, I would assume that was a criticism about my
size. And then I would be inclined to forget about coming back to
help you."
"Done!" Wesley said, as he finally got the last knot untied.
"God, finally," Cordelia went to work on the rope tying her feet
together. "Are you sure you don't want to try to get out too? I mean,
you'll be in really big trouble--"
"Cordelia, don't talk, just go! We don't know how much time we have
before one of them come back!" Wesley hissed.
"Okay, but she's going out the window first." Cordelia got up, and
checked Anya's pulse. "Wow, it's still pretty strong. Maybe you were
right." She picked up Anya under the arms and dragged her to the bed.
She put her on the bed, and slapped her face gently, "Hey, wake up!"
"Wha--" Anya's eyes fluttered open.
"No talk. Stand up, there we go, on the bed okay. Now I open the
window, and boost--" She shoved Anya out the window, and waited for
the resulting thud as Anya hit the ground outside. Cordelia looked
back at Wesley, "I can't leave you--"
"Go!" Wesley insisted. "Get Buffy, and do what we agreed on."
Cordelia looked at him in surprise, "You mean you still--"
"Save Angel. He's my friend too," Wesley replied.
"Okay, I'll be back before you know I'm gone," Cordelia assured him.
She grabbed the windowsill and pulled herself out the window. "Ow,"
she said as quietly as possible as she hit the ground on the other
side, narrowly missing falling on Anya who was lying there.
"Never thought you'd get here," Anya said with a smile. She then got a
puzzled look on her face, saying, "Where's Xander?" Her answer was a
Xander's yell of pain from inside. "Oh, God, I gotta help him," Anya
said, standing up.
"Oh, no you don't. Use your head, Anya. We can't help him unless we
come back with reinforcements," Cordelia argued, grabbing Anya's arm.
"But--"
"There's only one thing that can stop this," Cordelia said. "And we
will stop it. Nobody deserves that, not even Xander Harris," she
added as she pulled Anya away down the street.
&&&&&&&&&
Sunnydale Hospital
9 am
Buffy woke, to the sight of being hooked up to an IV, in a
hospital. "Now there's a shocker," she muttered to herself. "There's
gotta be some irony somewhere in the fact that not even Spike felt
like killing me. I must be really pathetic."
"Not pathetic," Willow protested, as she, Oz and Giles entered the
room.
"Where's mom?" Buffy asked. "And where's Xander, and Anya?"
"Anya showed up about five minutes ago, with Cordelia of all people,"
Willow answered. "Anya had lost a lot of blood, but they think she'll
be okay. She's getting replenished too, just like you. Apparently,
Angelus decided to bring Wesley and Cordy to Sunnydale with him. He
grabbed Anya and Xander last night, Buffy."
"Oh, Will, I hate myself for forgetting to tell them. I don't know
what's wrong with me--"
"We do," Willow replied. "Magic, Buffy. All this time I thought you
were acting weird because of everything you've been through since
graduation. I just thought it had changed you. But I was wrong, and I
should've known. I've got a story for you, if you're feeling well
enough to hear it. It'll have to be quick, though, because Wesley and
Xander are still with Angelus and Spike."
"I'm almost good as new, Will," Buffy answered. "Part of being a
Slayer, you know. I heal fast. So let's get out of here--" She slowly
sat up.
Willow said, "You shouldn't, you need to rest--"
"Willow, I need to be doing something now. I need to save Xander and
Wesley. I have to stop Angelus," Buffy said with determination.
"Okay, well...Giles and Oz will wait outside while I help you get
ready." Willow said. She nodded to the two men, who went outside.
While she was helping Buffy dress, Willow began to fill her in on what
Cordelia had told them and what else they had discovered. " ...I guess
first thing to tell you is Tara is the one who caused Angel to lose
his soul. She got her hands on the curse, and somehow she figured out
how to reverse it. Oz and I went to the dorm this morning, and I got
into her room. She's into the really powerful black magic, Buffy. I
had no clue, after all the time I've spent with her. Anyway, I
borrowed a few of her books, and I don't think there's a way to
reverse what she did."
At Buffy's look of despair, she continued, "at least not how we
thought. I can't just do the curse again, it wouldn't work. Her magic
is stronger than mine. That's where Cordy comes in, though. But
before I tell you that, you need to know that Riley's a vampire."
"I know," Buffy said with a sigh.
"You do?" Willow asked.
"Yeah, I ran into him and Spike last night. I also found out that
Spike has some kind of a protection spell which keeps anyone from
hurting him--"
"That would be Tara again," Willow supplied.
"And that's how he was able to attack me," Buffy said. "This is really
bad, Will. If I can't do my job, we're all as good as dead."
"Well, I think I can counteract that spell enough to weaken it,
hopefully that will be enough for you to do your thing," Willow
offered.
"But I don't understand why I didn't _know_ that Riley was a vampire,"
Buffy said. "I've gotten to the point that...let me guess. Tara
again?"
"Who else?" Willow answered with a shrug.
"What is with that girl, Will? I mean, seriously, what _is_ her major
trauma in life that she's helping two vampires in their plot to take
over this town?"
"I wish I knew. I think there's some reason, a reason that would make
more sense than what we know now. But at least we do know, so now we
can try to bring Angel back," Willow said reassuringly.
"I can't believe you still want to do that. I mean you know what he's
probably doing to Xander--" Buffy noticed Willow wince, and said,
"That was a major case of Buffy stupidity. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean
to bring that up. Okay, all ready, let's go."
Buffy and Willow walked out of the room, and were met by Joyce. "Where
do you think you're going?" she demanded of her daughter.
"To say you have bad timing would be the understatement of the
century," Buffy said in frustration.
"Well, that's just too damn bad," Joyce replied. "You are not going
anywhere--"
"Yes, I am," Buffy interrupted. "We've done this before. Try a new
tune next time," she said as she pushed her way past her mom. She and
the rest of the gang went outside to Oz' van.
End of part ten