Part 2
Spike was in a panic. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Buffy yet again. Knowing there would be some mojo-related explanation for what had happened, his first thought was to find Willow. He took off running toward Buffy's house. He had seen Buffy and the man she was fighting go into the strange mist and then they had just disappeared. Spike had no idea of where they could've gone.
Spike reached Buffy's house just minutes later. He started banging on the door, making it rattle. "Willow!…Willow!" He continued banging on the door even harder, nearly causing the wood to crack.
Within seconds,Willow opened the door. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the clearly upset vampire. "Spike….what's going on?" she asked.
Spike pushed his way into the house. "It's Buffy – she's gone. She was in an alley fighting this guy. There was this mist. I don't know. She disappeared…." He explained to Willow what had happened and her eyes widened as she realized that Buffy was in trouble.
"So what did the guy Buffy was fighting look like?" Willow asked, trying to remain calm.
"Uh, I don't know." Spike said, pausing as he visualized the stranger in the alley. "He was dressed kind of funny, sort of like a magician – except evil. You know…black top hat…cape."
"Sounds kind of like Jack the Ripper – " Spike and Willow looked up in unison as Dawn descended the stairs. "We're studying about him in school. There's a picture of him in my textbook upstairs in my room." Dawn gestured for them to follow her and they headed up to her room.
They entered Dawn's room and followed her to the desk by the window. Dawn picked up her textbook and showed Spike and Willow the picture of Jack the Ripper. Spike grabbed the book and took a closer look – squinting as he examined the picture. "Yeah," he muttered, practically spearing the picture with his index finger, "that looks like the bloke from the alley!"
"Oh my God!" Willow said, sounding concerned. She took a closer look at the textbook. "Jack the Ripper! He like murdered tons of people!"
"More like seven, actually," Spike corrected her, "That's not so much, you know. I mean, I've ki—" Spike stopped himself as he remembered that killing innocent people was no longer considered to be a good thing. "Yeah…well… he was never caught. The police weren't particularly on the ball in those days—so much for Sherlock Holmes. But how… " As he spoke, Spike's eyes wandered to Dawn's desk and a worn-looking book that seemed out of place. Willow's eyes followed Spike's gaze and she spotted the book. She recognized it immediately.
Willow picked up the book. "This is a spell book from the Magic Box," she said, looking over at Dawn, "How'd this…"
Dawn quickly glanced at Willow, then at Spike and attempted a smile. "I, uh…kind of borrowed it." She said, looking very guilty "I was trying to do a spell…create a time passage…but it didn't work." She looked down at her sneakers and her shoulders hunched over.
"I'll say it didn't work!" Spike muttered, shaking his head. "You just brought a crazed killer to Sunnydale and now he's taken Buffy back to the past!"
Dawn looked up at Spike then quickly looked away. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…" Her eyes started to fill with tears.
Spike clenched his jaw and tried to calm down. A muscle in his left cheek twitched, betraying the anger he felt. He took a deep breath. "Okay then…so what are we gonna do…to get Buffy back?"
Willow studied Dawn's "borrowed" spell book for a few minutes before looking up. "It looks like one of us has to go back in time to get Buffy," she said, glancing at Spike. "I can open a portal that will take you to the time and place Buffy is at, which appears to be where Jack the Ripper is from. The portal will remain open until whoever goes returns…with Buffy that is."
"I'll go," Dawn volunteered. "I mean this whole thing's my fault and all."
"No – you've caused enough trouble for one night," Spike said harshly. He then softened his voice. "I'll go. I know the time period: London….late nineteenth century. I lived there, even though it was a long time ago. I've got the best chance of finding her."
Willow agreed with Spike but looked uncertain. She put the book down. Her hands were shaking. "I don't think I can do this. The spell, I mean. It's too soon for me."
"Don't be an idiot!" Spike snapped at her. "Buffy is out there alone, lost--"
"We'll call Tara." Dawn interrupted, "She'll be here in no time. Spike, maybe you should change clothes or something. That way, you'll blend in more." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my god! Do you remember what Buffy was wearing today?"
"Yeah." Spike smiled as he pictured how Buffy had looked that evening. "Tight leather skirt…skimpy lingerie-like top…pretty hot, I'd say." Suddenly, the smile fell from his face. "Bloody hell! We'd better get moving….pronto!" He was out the door before anyone could say another word.
Spike was in a panic. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Buffy yet again. Knowing there would be some mojo-related explanation for what had happened, his first thought was to find Willow. He took off running toward Buffy's house. He had seen Buffy and the man she was fighting go into the strange mist and then they had just disappeared. Spike had no idea of where they could've gone.
Spike reached Buffy's house just minutes later. He started banging on the door, making it rattle. "Willow!…Willow!" He continued banging on the door even harder, nearly causing the wood to crack.
Within seconds,Willow opened the door. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the clearly upset vampire. "Spike….what's going on?" she asked.
Spike pushed his way into the house. "It's Buffy – she's gone. She was in an alley fighting this guy. There was this mist. I don't know. She disappeared…." He explained to Willow what had happened and her eyes widened as she realized that Buffy was in trouble.
"So what did the guy Buffy was fighting look like?" Willow asked, trying to remain calm.
"Uh, I don't know." Spike said, pausing as he visualized the stranger in the alley. "He was dressed kind of funny, sort of like a magician – except evil. You know…black top hat…cape."
"Sounds kind of like Jack the Ripper – " Spike and Willow looked up in unison as Dawn descended the stairs. "We're studying about him in school. There's a picture of him in my textbook upstairs in my room." Dawn gestured for them to follow her and they headed up to her room.
They entered Dawn's room and followed her to the desk by the window. Dawn picked up her textbook and showed Spike and Willow the picture of Jack the Ripper. Spike grabbed the book and took a closer look – squinting as he examined the picture. "Yeah," he muttered, practically spearing the picture with his index finger, "that looks like the bloke from the alley!"
"Oh my God!" Willow said, sounding concerned. She took a closer look at the textbook. "Jack the Ripper! He like murdered tons of people!"
"More like seven, actually," Spike corrected her, "That's not so much, you know. I mean, I've ki—" Spike stopped himself as he remembered that killing innocent people was no longer considered to be a good thing. "Yeah…well… he was never caught. The police weren't particularly on the ball in those days—so much for Sherlock Holmes. But how… " As he spoke, Spike's eyes wandered to Dawn's desk and a worn-looking book that seemed out of place. Willow's eyes followed Spike's gaze and she spotted the book. She recognized it immediately.
Willow picked up the book. "This is a spell book from the Magic Box," she said, looking over at Dawn, "How'd this…"
Dawn quickly glanced at Willow, then at Spike and attempted a smile. "I, uh…kind of borrowed it." She said, looking very guilty "I was trying to do a spell…create a time passage…but it didn't work." She looked down at her sneakers and her shoulders hunched over.
"I'll say it didn't work!" Spike muttered, shaking his head. "You just brought a crazed killer to Sunnydale and now he's taken Buffy back to the past!"
Dawn looked up at Spike then quickly looked away. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…" Her eyes started to fill with tears.
Spike clenched his jaw and tried to calm down. A muscle in his left cheek twitched, betraying the anger he felt. He took a deep breath. "Okay then…so what are we gonna do…to get Buffy back?"
Willow studied Dawn's "borrowed" spell book for a few minutes before looking up. "It looks like one of us has to go back in time to get Buffy," she said, glancing at Spike. "I can open a portal that will take you to the time and place Buffy is at, which appears to be where Jack the Ripper is from. The portal will remain open until whoever goes returns…with Buffy that is."
"I'll go," Dawn volunteered. "I mean this whole thing's my fault and all."
"No – you've caused enough trouble for one night," Spike said harshly. He then softened his voice. "I'll go. I know the time period: London….late nineteenth century. I lived there, even though it was a long time ago. I've got the best chance of finding her."
Willow agreed with Spike but looked uncertain. She put the book down. Her hands were shaking. "I don't think I can do this. The spell, I mean. It's too soon for me."
"Don't be an idiot!" Spike snapped at her. "Buffy is out there alone, lost--"
"We'll call Tara." Dawn interrupted, "She'll be here in no time. Spike, maybe you should change clothes or something. That way, you'll blend in more." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my god! Do you remember what Buffy was wearing today?"
"Yeah." Spike smiled as he pictured how Buffy had looked that evening. "Tight leather skirt…skimpy lingerie-like top…pretty hot, I'd say." Suddenly, the smile fell from his face. "Bloody hell! We'd better get moving….pronto!" He was out the door before anyone could say another word.
