Dangerous Elements:  Suspicions

After Dawn had taken Aiden out back for study, the conversation resumed. Buffy looked towards Willow. He mustn't have known it was her he had seen him in the cemetery; after all it was quite dark. She returned her attention to the others.

"What did you feel?" Piper asked Paige.

"Umm, nothing." Paige replied trying to hide the knowledge she held from being exposed.

Unknown to the 3 sisters, Willow and Buffy exchanged a glance. They both knew Paige was hiding something.

"Well, I guess I will just have to research." Buffy sighed and sat down, not taking her eye off Paige. She hoped Willow would realise what she wanted her to do.

Noticing Buffy's glance at her, Willow turned to the 3 sisters, "Hey, come on. I'll show you around town."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Meanwhile, below the town of Sunnydale, in one of the many caves, a dark figure lurked.

"They are getting too close," The dark figures voice, roared through the caves to the vampire minions crowded into the small cavern, "The Charmed Ones must not get their hands on the Connector. The equilibrium is beginning to falter. The connection is volatile. We must not let them get it."

"What about the Slayer, what if she gets it?" The terrified minion stepped forward.

"What about it?" Growled the figure.

"Well if The Key and The Connector were to combine, the balance of power will be thrown out." The minion explained, "It would stabilise the connection between the Charmed Ones and it is rumoured to have some sort of effect on the Slayer or something."

"Well we will just have to make sure that won't happen then." Losing patients, the figure grabbed the minion, "GO, kill the Slayer and her friends and bring me the Charmed Ones. NOW!"

The vampires hurriedly scampered out of the cave.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

That evening, found Buffy, Xander, Willow, Tara and Anya, in Xander and Anya's apartment. There was a discussion, becoming argument, over their next action.

"We need to confront him." Buffy insisted.

"There has to be a more subtle approach then walking up to him and asking, 'Hey, what are you?'" Anya argued.

"Since when are you anyone to talk about subtlety?" Buffy shot back.

"Buffy," Xander glaring at Buffy warningly, "Anya is right. You can't just go up to someone and interrogate them."

"I can try." Buffy stated as she attempted to barge past Xander.

"Stop." Tara stated, holding up her hand, her words quiet but full of power. Buffy stopped as though she had hit a wall.

"Buffy," Willow met Buffy's eyes, "You are not going to confront him, not just yet. We need to research more."

"But…" Buffy started but was cut off.

"We will all look through the books at The Magic Box and we will look for any prophecies involving someone with power over the elements and the Charmed Ones." Willow ordered with her voice full of authority, "Since we know to look for those things, we can probably work this out fast but we will all be required."

Defeated and unable to challenge Willow, Buffy sat down and waited for a plan.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The three sisters meanwhile were cruising around Sunnydale. It was just getting dark. Piper stared at the road ahead, Phoebe sat talking her thoughts to no one in particular, and Paige sat looking out the window deep in thought.

"There is something weird about those people," Phoebe thought out loud, "I can feel it."

"You say that all the time," Piper replied.

"No I don't," Phoebe glared at her older sister, "That's Paige."

"Hey!" Paige growled, distracted but broken out of her thoughts at the sound of her name.

"You have been really quiet since we visited that shop. What's on your mind?" Piper asked Paige worriedly.

"Oh, I was just thinking." Paige replied vaguely.

"About?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." Paige said dismissively.

"All right…" Piper said, looking worriedly at her sister.

Piper still looking back at Paige did not see someone run out on the road in front of the car.

"PIPER, LOOK OUT!" Phoebe shouted seeing the person run out onto the road.

Piper slammed the brakes. They were not going too fast but still they hit the person anyway.

As the car skidded to a halt, the limp figure of the person they hit, slid off to the ground.

"Oh my god!" Paige yelled.

"Calm down." Piper insisted.

All three got out of the car and ran over to the person they hit. Piper checked the woman, while Paige paced back and forwards in a panic.

"She's alive but hurt," Piper announced. She stood up, and began calling, "LEO!"

"She was in quite a hurry," Phoebe thought, "Where was she running to?"

"I think you should be more worried about what she was runnin' from." A new voice interrupted. The blonde vampire known as Spike stood leaning against a light post. At the accusing glares, "Ay, not from me!"

"From me," A new person approached growling.

All three sisters whirled around quickly at the sound of the voice.

"Vampire," Piper yelped seeing the male vampire standing before them.

The vampire suddenly lunged at Paige. She screamed and suddenly orbed, leaving the confused vampire standing where she was previously. She re-appeared behind, and after a moments hesitation, kicked him from behind as hard as she could. Phoebe then took the opportunity to levitate and kick the dazed vampire in the head. She landed, but suddenly realised the vampire towering over her. Surprise Phoebe gasped, the attempted to kick him again. He effortlessly grabbed her leg and threw her into a tree. There was a sickening crunch sound as Phoebe hit the tree.

"LEO!" Paige screamed, and was then thrown backwards onto the car.

The vampire then turned and began stalking towards Piper. Piper yelled in surprise as he lunged at her. She ducked under the vampire's arms, but tripped, landing on the ground. The vampire leaned down to grab her. Piper raised her arms in reflex, closing her eyes. She opened them again at the agonized scream of the vampire as he exploded in a cloud of dust. Realising what she did, she sighed in relief. She glanced towards the car to see Paige slowly rising, and then she walked over towards where Phoebe lay unconscious on the ground. She called for Leo again, then crouched near Phoebe as he materialised in front of them. Without a word he bent down to heal Phoebe then glanced around. He noticed the woman in front of the car and moved off to heal her.

"Wow." Piper looked up at the sound of a stunned Buffy's voice, "You exploded the vampire."

"Yes, it's one of my powers." Piper stated to Buffy, distracted as she helped her now conscious sister up off the ground.

"Nice trick." Spike said, looking Piper over appreciatively.

"Spike..." Buffy said warningly.

"Getting' a little jealous there Slayer?" Spike attempted to provoke a reaction from her.

"You wish, Spike." Buffy glared back at him.

"Ouch…" Phoebe moaned as she rose. Looking over at Spike, she studied him. There was something off about him, "Besides, Pipers married. Tough luck blondie."

"Come back to The Magic Box. I think we may need to talk some more." Buffy suggested as she walked over to help a limping Paige as Leo healed her. Then she glared at Spike, "Spike, what are you doing here? You should be with Dawn."

"Left the bit at the magic shop with the witches." Spike stated nonchalantly, before heading off to his crypt.

They told the woman they accidentally hit that she had passed out while running from a mugger. They offered her a lift home, but she informed them her house was only a block or two away. They then made their way back to the now dinted car and began to head back to the store.

"You can't heal cars by any chance can you Leo?" Piper asked of her husband as they drove off.

End of part 3

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*Well here's part 3 for you. I know it may have taken a while but I have been busy with schoolwork. Part 4 will be coming soon :).