5.

Willow leaned back from the laptop and stretched her arms above her head, looking in satisfaction at the screen in front of her. She'd hacked into the Sunnydale Clarion newspaper system and the following day's headline, the issue currently in print, was displayed on the screen.

"Teacher's Body Missing from Morgue" proclaimed the main headline; an brief account regarding the unexplained death and subsequent disappearance of Jenny Callender's body followed. The coroner expressed himself baffled at the sick inhabitants of the town who could commit such a crime, but refused to comment on how the teacher had died. When Buffy reached the part about there being no forced entry into the morgue, how the attendant was quoted as saying, "It's like the body got up and walked away," she pointed at the screen.

"Well, that just says everything, doesn't it?" She got up from her perch on the edge of Willow's bed and began to pace round the room, absently looking at the empty fish tank as she passed it. Willow and Xander exchanged uneasy looks.

"But it doesn't mean that, that anything's happened to Giles," Willow ventured. "I mean, he's upset, who wouldn't be, he probably went off by himself someplace."

"Yeah, that'll be it, Buff," Xander joined in. "He just needs some time to deal. That's all. He'll turn up soon."

Buffy swung round to face them. "Without telling anyone? Without telling me?" The hurt betrayal in her voice was clear. "No. It's something else, Will, I just have – I have a feeling."

She picked up her coat from Willow's bed and shrugged into it. "I'd better go. Patrol and all that. Though doesn't seem like much point when my Watcher's gone missing on me."

"We'll come with you, we can help. You know. Like we always do." Willow said quickly, nudging Xander in the ribs. He gave her a hurt look and smiled at Buffy.

"Yeah, sure," he said, a little over enthusiastically. "It'll be fun. We might find Miss Callender."

* * * *

They trailed dispiritedly through the cemetery, Buffy turning a stake idly backwards and forwards in her hands. The patrol had been deathly quiet – literally. No demons, no werewolves, no vampires. No nothing. Willow fell behind, stopping to examine a headstone of someone who had recently been a classmate. When the blond vampire stepped out behind her and grabbed her arms, shoving his hand roughly over her mouth, all that escaped was a strangled squeak. However, even that small noise in the quiet was enough to bring Buffy whipping round, stake raised. Spike arched an eyebrow at her and grinned.

"Careful with that," he cautioned her. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to this little morsel here, now would we?"

Buffy lowered the stake and glared at him. "What do you want, Spike?" she said between gritted teeth.

"Now that's better," he said approvingly, pulling a struggling Willow along and awkwardly moving to a tomb; he leant back against it, whilst keeping a firm hold on his wriggling captive. "I just want to talk. She's," he jerked his head at Willow, "insurance that we do talk, and not dust. Get my meaning?"

"OK. But this better be good," Buffy warned him. Spike grinned even more widely and nodded sagely, adjusting his grip on Willow to make it more comfortable. "And if you touch even one hair on her head," she added, "You'll be dust before you can blink. So speak. Quickly."

"We-ell, it's about your Watcher. Or rather, your not-Watcher-any-more," Spike said slowly, staring at her, face unreadable in the shadows. He sniffed. "Saw him with his lady love, just this evening. Sitting in the town, they were. They've already left four bodies behind them." He watched Buffy's eyes widen. "Ah. Didn't know that, then, did you?" He shook his head pityingly. "Thought you'd have guessed. A bright Slayer like you. It was Angelus, you know that, don't you? He took the teacher, she took the Watcher. And one of them will take you."

"I don't believe you." Buffy denied Spike's statement, even though she knew it was true. Had known from the moment that Giles called her to say the Jenny was dead. She'd known that the gypsy/teacher would come for him, as soon as he mentioned the drawing by Angelus. And she'd let it happen.

Spike sniffed again. "Don't really care whether you believe it, Slayer. It's true." Abruptly he released his hold on Willow and shoved her forwards, sending her stumbling into Xander's arms. "But I can help you."

"Why?" Buffy asked bluntly.

"Because Angelus plans to open the doors to Hell, and everything in this world will be gone. Finished. Done. And I don't want that any more than you do." Spike answered, watching her face. "We can help each other. I'll let you know when." He turned and without a backwards glance, strode off into the darkness of the graveyard, black coat quickly blending him in with the shadows.

* * * * *

They were almost back at Willow's house when it happened, when the tall figure stepped out in front of them from the shadows.

"Buffy." His voice was unmistakable and Buffy watched, face empty, as he approached them. He nodded to them all in turn. "Xander. Willow."

"Giles." She was surprised at the steadiness of her voice, though inside she felt numb and sick, shaking. She saw that he was shaking his head slightly.

"Giles is gone. Ripper's back. And he's here to stay," the vampire Watcher said, an evil grin spreading across his familiar features. He beckoned to her, starting to move forwards. "Come on then, my Slayer. Let's see what you're capable of now."

Willow and Xander backed away, watching miserably as a stake appeared almost magically in Buffy's hand. Her face was set, stony as she circled towards the former Watcher, moving lightly on the balls of her feet. "It doesn't have to be like this, Giles," she said quietly, watching his face.

"Oh, I think it does," he replied, Changing. "It has to be just like this."

He rushed her and she twisted, kicking out, planting a booted foot into his midsection. He staggered backwards, but recovered quickly, dancing easily away as she followed, twisting to kick again. This time, he caught her foot, pushing upwards and flipping her over. She landed heavily, but rolled easily to her feet, flowing upright and punching. He misjudged it badly, not expecting her to rise so quickly, and took the full force of the punch, and the ones that followed it. Buffy twisted easily, kicking out again, hearing the crunch of bone underneath her boots as she hit ribs and his face. The only sound was the sound of Buffy breathing, of the grunts of effort in each punch and kick. He twisted and kicked back, winding her, following with a kick that spun her round, following, grabbing her and bodily throwing her to one side. She fell again, rolling upright, spinning into a crouch and kicking his feet away as he followed her; he fell heavily to the sidewalk but rolled up. He rushed her again; her final kick sent him sprawling into a low fence, so powerful that he crashed through it in a tangle of pickets and hedge. He scrambled to his feet and came forward again, catching Buffy by surprise, landing a solid kick into her ribs that left her doubled over and winded, on her knees, knocking the stake from her hand. "Just like Angel," he said contemptuously, sneering. "You can't do it. Can't kill me. We'll meet again. And soon."

With tears in her eyes, she watched the blurred figure of Giles stride away, gasping for breath as Willow and Xander hurried to help her to her feet and take her home.