Part 15

Stepping into Darkness

Part 15

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

The door banged shut as the group collapsed onto Giles' floor. No one spoke, a stunned silence filling the room, punctuated only by heavy breathing.

Fliq looked around the room from face to face. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. She turned to Cordelia, who was sitting to her right. She was in shock, her face holding the same wide-eyed look it had since she had first realised that Angel had lost his soul, yet again. Fliq pulled her into an embrace and she finally let herself cry.

Willow stood up from her position next to Spike and walked over to Xander, who had stood up and was leaning onto the worktop that looked into the kitchen, his head hanging low.

"Xander?" Willow placed a timid hand onto his shoulder but jumped back as he shrugged her away. "Xander, there was nothing you could've done."

Xander whirled around to face her, "Really? Well, I think there was. For a start, I could've NOT argued with her so much, I could have kept her away from your psycho lover...and next, I could've kept her away from Angel."

"Xander, we were all there..."

"No, don't you get it?" He walked forward causing Willow to step back. "Every time we trust him he turns on us and one of us dies! First there was Miss Calendar, and this time there was Anya. How many times are we gonna give this guy a chance to kill the people we love?"

By this time Xander's shouting had caused Buffy to cry as Willow put more distance between her and Xander. Spike, however, walked straight up to him, "Look mate, none of us are all that happy with the poof at the moment, but there's no need to take this out on everyone else."

"Like you care," Xander spat out. "Why are you still here, Spike? Did someone give you a soul too?"

"Hey," Spike growled, "I might not be the big bad at the moment but I could...ahhhh" he stepped back clutching his head as the chip stopped him from grabbing Xander by the collar.

"You could what?"

"Stop it!" Everyone turned to look at Amy as she stood up. "Look this is getting us nowhere. We have to stop them. Fighting amongst ourselves won't make this go away."

"Amy's right," Fliq stood up as Cordelia wiped her eyes. "We have to stop this."

"It seems to me that all of this started when you arrived," Xander challenged her.

"Oh, for goodness sakes, Xander," Cordelia stood up, "We're here because I had a vision. I saw this starting. That's why we're here. This isn't Fliq's fault." Fliq flashed Cordelia a small smile, which the ex-cheerleader returned.

The anger left his face in a sudden movement as his features crumbled, "Why?" he whisperedm, "Why did they give her her powers back and then kill her...it doesn't make any sense."

"She said they needed her help," Willow said softly, trying to figure it out, "she was a vengeance demon...maybe they had hoped they could make her one of them and when they couldn't..." she trailed off. Looking up, she watched as tears began to fall from Xander's clenched face.

"I think the first thing we can do is try to find out where they're hiding," Giles said trying to break the tension threatening to engulf the room.

"The sewers?" Fliq asked.

"No," Buffy answered, standing up. "They're at the old mansion."

"How can you be so sure?" Willow asked.

"It's Angelus' style...besides, he was wearing a ring that I know was left at the mansion when he left."

Spike nodded, "She's right, that's where they'll be."

Giles moved behind him and picked up the book that held the prophecy, "Well it would seem that almost everything from the prophecy has come to pass. The town is shrouded in darkness, our most recent experience tells us that the undead have gathered together... Angelus has turned and is with the vampire Willow and all that is left is for them to rise... 'and the darkness will engulf us all.'" There was a silence as everyone exchanged glances. Buffy walked to Giles and closed the book.

"No, no it won't. Because we're going to stop this thing. We're going to end it once and for all."

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

Cordelia gasped as the tears hit her all at once, the pain resonating through her noiseless breathing. *No, no, no* the words echoed through her head, taunting her with the truth.

She had lost him.

After everything she had faced since leaving Sunnydale, since leaving behind the 'old her', this was the worst thing that could have happened to her. She had lost Doyle, had faced countless dangers from being pregnant with demon spawn (twice) to facing her own personal demons.

She had lost him.

She felt numb. It didn't matter what happened now, she had to get him back, she couldn't do this without himshe needed himshe loved him

She would find him

she had to.

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

There was a snap and Angelus' laughter echoed through the mansion as he watched another of their minions collapsed into a pile of ashes.

"Ah, death is a wonderful thing," he grinned as Vampire Willow smiled at him seductively. "Of course, sex is better," he laughed. "Just ask my soul." Angelus walked across the room to her and tried to pull her into his arms, but she walked behind him, her fingers digging a path into his chest as she moved.

Tara entered the room, followed closely by five vampires and two hunched figures, "Willow, Angelus, I've got a present for you." She smiled as both vampires turned and looked at her. She signalled for the minions to drag the hunched figures to the wall where they chained them tightly, "I must say, Angelus, I love the decour in this place."

Angelus wandered over to the blonde witch and pulled her roughly into his arms, "Maybe we could try it out sometime." He smiled at her, "The three of us could have a lot of fun,"

"I'm sure we could," she sent a shock through his body and rubbed his crotch as he jumped back. He growled at her and smiled. She smiled back and signalled for the minions to follow her out of the room.

"One day witch," he smiled to himself.

"Puppy, I wanna play."

"Sure," Angelus grinned, swinging around and pinning her under him on the floor in one fluid motion. "I love games."

She wiggled underneath him and he groaned, "I wanna play with Fluffy and the Slayers."

He laughed, "You read my mind. That's my favourite kinda game." He leaned down and kissed her hungrily then pulled back. "And I know just how to start it," he grinned evilly and nodded his head to the figures chained to the wall.

Vampire Willow smiled, "You mean we get to play with our presents?" Angelus nodded and she smiled and kissed him again as the two men pulled hopelessly at their chains.

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

"OK. Does everyone know what they've got to do?" Buffy asked one last time as the gang prepared to leave for the mansion. There was a consensus of nods. Buffy gave a brisk nod of her head and the two Slayers headed for the door only to stop.

Buffy gasped as she saw the manilla envelope, the writing scrawled across the front made her breath catch in her throat. Slowly she walked towards the open door and, checking that the deliverer was gone, she lifted it from the ground.

The gang watched as she cautiously opened the envelope with shaking hands and pulled out the folded piece of paper. Tentatively, she opened out the paper.

"Oh God," she clutched one hand to her stomach and the other over her mouth as the paper floated to the ground.

Fliq walked forward and picked them up. She read the scrawl on the envelope, "Hello lover, think you or your Slayer friends can stake me now?" She glanced at Cordelia, reolising that it was meant for her. She glanced at the paper and sucked in a breath.

"Oh Goddess, no." She gasped looking at the perfectly drawn figures chained to a wall, "Wesley." She whispered as Buffy continued to look at the figure next to him

"Riley."

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

END OF PART 15