The Devil And All His Works
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters are copyrighted (c)20th Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB, and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Dedicated: as usual to Cait who makes me write these stories. (So blame her!)
Thanks once again to Alan for his help and suggestions.
A/N If you like it please let me know. Thanks. Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Three
Giles looked up at Spike with a frown. "What do you mean?" He asked.
Spike shrugged. "I've lived through earthquakes before, a lot more than you'll ever see. This just doesn't seem right,"
"So you're an expert on earthquakes now are you, Spike?"
It was hard, if not impossible, to miss the sarcasm in Xander's voice but Spike choose to ignore it.
"There's something...wrong." He waved a hand in the air, making a vague gesture as he spoke.
"Oh yeah, a real expert." Xander scoffed.
Giles and Spike both glared at him and he turned away from them, sitting down on the sofa and picking up one of the books.
Giles frowned. " I can't find anything in the books but I have a feeling that all is not as it should be."
"Any help from that council of yours?"
Giles shook his head. "I rang them. They promised to ring back if they could offer any help. They haven't done so."
"Bloody idiots! Those Watchers never were any good."
Giles glared at him.
"Well, except for you, of course."
Xanders's head snapped up. He closed the book with a thud and glared at Spike.
"That's it. When he starts creeping around us like that it gives me the wiggins."
Spike raised an eyebrow and looked at Giles. "So, what's up with junior there?"
Giles saw Xander open his mouth to speak and quickly intervened. "Not now, Spike."
Spike nodded.
Xander glared at him but re-opened his book and began to read once more.
"So what gives you the impression that this isn't a natural phenomenon?"
Spike shrugged. "Dunno. It's just something I feel. Don't you?"
"Well, there have been a number of signs and portents.."
Spike snorted in derision. "Oh not those old things again! End of the world, all that stuff?"
He walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down. "Look, Watcher, there have been signs and portents every day for at least the last hundred years. The bloody world's still here, isn't it?"
Xander looked up from his book. "Not that it would have been if you had anything to do with it."
They both ignored him.
"So, what exactly are you saying, Spike." Giles asked, frowning.
"What were they, these signs?"
"Earthquakes, flooding, water turning red, fish raining down in the desert. Many others of course, but those are the main ones."
Spike nodded. "Yeah, caused by pollution, most of them. See, those aren't the signs you should be looking for." He thought for a moment. "That fish business is pretty interesting though. Wish I'd been there to see that one."
Xander abandoned his book, too interested in the conversation to keep up a pretence of reading it. "What should we be looking for?"
"Well, something here, rather then in the bloody desert. It's not called the
Hellmouth for nothing, you know."
It was then that the door opened announcing the arrival of Amy and Faith. Faith strode in through the door first, Amy quietly slipping in behind her.
Spike looked Faith up and down appreciatively, taking in the tight leather trousers and black T-shirt; her jacket now slung casually over her arm.
Faith, in turn, quickly ran her eyes over the body of the blond vampire before giving Xander a small smile and turning her attention to Giles.
"Right. Got the bat signal. What's going on?"
Before Giles could speak Xander cut in, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Spike here was just giving us his expert opinion, weren't you, Spike?"
Faith raised her eyebrows and shot a questioning look at Giles who shook his head at her. Deciding that tact was the order of the day she said nothing, but made her way over to the sofa, taking a seat beside Xander and slipping her arm under his. Something was wrong with him, she knew that much, and he had always been there for her when she needed him. Whatever was wrong she was determined to return the favour.
She felt Xander's hand reach for hers and a slight pressure on her hand told her that he appreciated the gesture.
Amy was standing just inside the door, her weight shifting from leg to leg as she waited uncertainly, her short acquaintance with these people making her feel a little shy.
Giles, being one who shared her affliction, noticed immediately.
"Amy, forgive me, won't you take a seat?" He asked with a smile.
Amy joined Faith and Xander on the sofa as Giles began to speak.
"I think we're all in agreement that we have to investigate the cause of these earthquakes. They may be natural but I really don't think that they are. We need to check the usual places for some kind of supernatural activity. I suggest the first and most logical place would be actual Hellmouth."
While Giles was speaking it had dawned on Spike that two of the Scooby gang were missing. "Wait a minute, what about Red and the Slayer, aren't they coming?"
Faith felt Xander stiffen. Even though she liked Willow she hadn't completely given up hope of winning Xander's affections and she was unable to stifle the brief feeling of satisfaction that she felt at the realisation that the mention of Willow's name was causing some tension.
Giles shook his head. "Willow is not feeling very well. She had some bad news." He looked around at them solemnly. "Tara is returning to Sunnydale. She was indeed bitten by Oz, so you are all aware of the implications of that." He paused briefly. "And Oz will also be returning."
Faith fought to keep the grin off her face at the news that Xander was due to have competition in his affections for Willow. And fierce competition at that. She squeezed Xander's hand and smiled reassuringly at him as he turned to look at her. The sadness in his eyes caused her to feel guilty, but only for a second, replaced by her certainty that she could make him happy.
"Right, then!" Spike announced, standing up suddenly. "Best get to it." He glanced out through the window and dragged his duster up off the floor where he had thrown it. "Before it gets dark." And he pulled the coat over his head, wrapping it around himself as he did so.
Giles nodded, getting to his feet. "I'll just let Buffy know. She can follow us when she's ready." He explained as he made his way out through the door to the bedroom.
The others waited in silence until he returned. It was not lost on Faith that Xander kept his eyes on the door, waiting anxiously for any news or any indication of how his girlfriend was. His eyes sought Giles as he came through the door closely followed by Buffy. Giles looked at Xander and shook his head.
"Buffy will come with us now. Willow needs a little more time to compose herself."
Buffy gave Xander a sympathetic glance that hardened into suspicion as she saw that he and Faith were hand in hand together. She caught Faith's eye and glared at her as Faith stared back unrepentant. In the few seconds that it took for that glance to pass between them war was once again declared.
As they made their way to the Hellmouth, Spike awkwardly trying to juggle a crossbow as well as keeping his coat secure, the rest of them suitably armed, there was a awkward silence that had rarely been found among the Scooby gang.
Giles was anxious, his nervousness showing in the way that he continually felt the need to fidget with his glasses. Amy was terrified. This was her first proper time out with the rest of them and she was aware of the consequences of not taking this seriously enough.
Xander was despondent, looking down at his feet as they walked along, with Faith next to him, casting defiant looks back at Buffy's glares of annoyance. The only one that appeared to be his usual self was Spike, peering out cautiously from beneath his coat.
They were soon at their destination. The old school building, now abandoned and derelict stood just before them. Giles shuddered as he stared at it. Even now the sky around the ruins seemed darker than anywhere else, the aura of evil drawing darkness to it like a shroud. He gave himself a mental shake when he saw that they were all looking at him expectantly.
He almost groaned aloud as he realised that they were waiting for some instruction, some plan to come from him. He had none. How could he when he had no idea what was happening? He sighed, trying to make his befuddled brain function. When that failed, he said the only thing he could. "Right, let's go in then, shall we?"
"About bloody time." Spike grumbled from beneath his coat. "I could fry out here in the time it takes for you to make up your mind."
Despite his worries about the possible consequences of exposure to the sun Spike appeared to be in no hurry to enter the ruin. He waited until Buffy took up the lead, her crossbow armed and ready, and then hurried behind her, barging rudely in front of Giles and nearly knocking the confused Watcher off his feet.
Spike grabbed at him, dislodging his coat as he did so, and a stray beam of sunlight found his arm, instantly igniting it. His cry of alarm alerted Faith and she was there in an instant, whipping off her jacket and beating at the flames with it. It only took seconds before the flames were out and Spike was safely covered once again.
Spike peered out at her appreciatively. "That was quick work."
Faith smiled slyly at him. "Oh, I am quick, at some things.."
Spike gazed at her speculatively for a moment. "Oh?" And a look passed between them, a look that promised that they would have to take some time to find out more about one another, before Buffy impatiently urged them back to the business in hand.
It was no illusion, Buffy thought. The sky was darker over here, the reduction in light making them stumble their way over the uneven ground. The going was particularly difficult for Spike because although the light was dim it was still enough to harm him and he found himself unbalanced, trying to maintain his grip on both his coat and the heavy crossbow.
Faith soon solved his problem. She put a hand out to steady him and, when his attention turned to her, she plucked the crossbow silently from underneath his coat. He stared at her for a moment, about to protest, but something in her face stopped him from doing so. He nodded his acceptance and they carried on their way.
Giles was also finding it difficult. Buffy frowned as she watched him, thinking that he seemed unduly clumsy today. She was worried about him. The man she had glimpsed in his living room earlier had been so different from the man that she knew. Giles, although never a supremely confident man, had a quickness of mind that she had often envied. Given a puzzle he would reach for his books and papers, scouring through them methodically until he had an answer.
Although it was true that he had been under some considerable strain, indeed so had they all, it still seemed unbelievable that he could have reacted in such a way. Something was wrong, very wrong, and she intended to find out what it was.
They had reached the gaping hole in what remained of the library, marked by the shredded and burnt paper scattered amongst the debris. Their feet crunched noisily on the shards of wood and glass as they approached it. Then, one by one, they dropped relatively soundlessly into the depths below, their way lit by two meagre beams of torchlight provided by Giles and Xander. Spike removed his coat from his head, his platinum blond hair tousled by the movement of the leather on it. He brushed back his hair with a hand and then tapped Faith lightly on the shoulder. She handed him his crossbow and he took it with a smile.
Once again that look of speculation passed between them. Spike licked his lips as Faith turned away from him, following after Buffy as the other Slayer made her way towards the mouth of Hell itself. Spike recognised that part of his attraction to Buffy had been the power that she held. Sometimes the feeling of power that he had from her was so strong that it was almost tangible, like ripples moving beneath her skin.
He had the same feeling from Faith but as well as that he felt a strange rapport. He recognised something more in her, something that called like to like. She, too, had a darkness within her and it called him to her like a magnet.
He watched her walk in front of him, his vampire eyes not needing the light to see, and promised himself that he would have to investigate this attraction further. And then he followed her, into the Hellmouth.
The path was not so hard to walk now. The stone beneath their feet was worn smooth with only the occasional small stone to catch the unwary. The air was thick with the smell of cold, damp earth and something more.. A wave of sulphurous gas hit them like an eye-watering, stomach-wrenching wall and they stopped suddenly, all of them blinking back tears and desperately trying not to cough the noxious odour from their lungs.
"I think we're close." Buffy whispered to Faith.
Faith rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I could do without the stink."
Buffy nodded. "I think we need to follow it."
"Oh, great!" Faith grimaced. "Let's get a move on then."
They began to move forward and the others came with them, hands pressed tight to their faces to try to filter out the worst of the smell.
They had only gone another twenty metres when the path ahead of them seemed to turn back on itself. They kept forward gingerly, Buffy and Faith in the lead, only to find that there was a sharp left turn and then the pathway opened up into a large cavern.
Buffy gestured for Faith to keep back as she crept forward trying to see what she could make out in the gloom. It was surprisingly easy. The cavern was well lit, a number of large lanterns hung from hooks in the walls spread a yellow glow over the entire area.
She edged forward, careful to keep to the wall, and peered at the figures standing in the light cast by the lanterns. Faith saw her cast a worried glance back toward them and then in front of her again.
Moments later Buffy began to shuffle back to them, still keeping well in to the wall.
"What did you see?" Giles demanded.
Buffy looked anxiously first at him and then at Spike before she replied. "Ethan Rayne." She muttered. "And Dru."
Giles stared at her in disbelief. "I thought he would have left after all that business with Oz."
Buffy shook her head. "It's him." She turned to Spike. "But what would he be doing there with Dru?"
Spike shrugged. "Like attracts like. There must be something that both of them want that means they have to work together."
Buffy nodded. "Dru's been known to dabble in magic before now. But what would that have to do with the earthquakes? What could they be doing?"
"Let's go in there and ask them." Faith stated, already moving back toward the cavern.
Buffy caught her arm. "No. They're not alone. I need to talk to Giles before we do anything."
Faith grimaced, impatient for some kind of activity, and stood uneasily glancing back at the place where the path led into the cavern. She kept back against the wall, faintly illuminated in the light from the two torches.
"There are some kind of creatures down there with them. These are big, Giles, about three metres tall. From what I could see they were pretty shapeless. They looked as if they'd been made out of mud. "
"They had a basic human shape, arms, legs, heads but not properly defined?"
"Yes."
"Yes, I think I know what they might be. Did you see any sort of mark on their foreheads?"
She considered this for a moment. "There was something there but I couldn't see what it was."
"How many of these creatures did you see?"
Buffy noticed that some of his confidence seemed to have returned to him. "At least twenty, maybe more. What are they?"
"From your description I would say that they are some sort of golem, an effigy brought to life." He looked at her solemnly. "They are creatures that are virtually indestructible. They have no bones to break, no blood to spill. The only way that they can be destroyed is removing the symbol for life that they have inscribed on their forehead."
Buffy nodded. "That's not going to be easy."
Giles nodded. "Did you manage to see what Ethan and Dru were doing?"
Buffy shook her head. "They didn't seem to be doing anything. They were standing around a hole in the floor of the cavern, just looking down, with those mud things all around them. What should we do?"
Giles considered for a moment. "Those things are going to be extremely difficult to deal with. They were created by magic and I need to find out the best way to destroy them. I suspect that we are going to need Willow's help for that. One of us should go back to my apartment to collect Willow and some of my books."
"But do we have time?" Buffy asked anxiously.
"I don't know. I have no idea what they might be planning."
"But couldn't Amy.." Faith began.
Giles interrupted her. "With the utmost respect to Amy's powers I think that she would be hard put to handle all of them. It would be extremely foolish to rush in there now completely unprepared, especially as there doesn't seem to be any urgency at the moment."
"But what if it starts again?" Buffy asked him.
"Well, then we will have to deal with it." Giles looked around at all of them.
"Right, someone has to go back for Willow."
Xander sighed. He had already worked out that the 'someone' was to be him. It was a reasonable assumption. Buffy and Faith were needed, as was Giles, Amy could help with her magic and Spike might be useful in exerting some kind of control over Dru. "I'll go."
Buffy looked concerned. "Are you sure?"
Xander shrugged. "I'm the obvious choice. All the rest of you are needed here." He looked around at them as he spoke and saw the uncomfortable glances that they gave him in reply. It was true, he wasn't needed as much as the rest of them, but it was hard for him to admit it.
Stifling a sigh he listened as Giles told him which books he would need and made his lonely way out as his friends stood and watched him leave, the light from his torch lighting his way.
Faith glared at Buffy. "That was harsh." She looked from Buffy to Giles, her expression grim. "You made him feel useless," she accused him.
Giles frowned. "This is hardly the time for this kind of discussion, Faith. Xander was the obvious person to go, not because he is useless, he's anything but that. He understood."
"Yeah." She said, bitterly, turning away from them. "Just like he always does."
Buffy winced. Faith's words had cut deep. She was aware of how desperately Xander wanted to be of help to his friends. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Now was not the time.
"Giles, do you want me to go back, to keep an eye on Dru and Ethan?"
"No. I think it might be best if we all wait here until Xander and Willow get here. I don't want to take a risk that you might be seen. Unless something happens, in which case we will have to do whatever we can." Giles looked around at them in the dim light, hoping that nothing would happen before Xander had a chance to return with Willow and the books.
Concerned for his friends, Xander wasted no time in returning to Giles apartment. It was nearly dark by the time he got there and he was relieved to see that Willow had locked the door. It was true that vampires required an invitation to cross the threshold but he had come to know that there were far more dangers lurking in the darkness in Sunnydale.
He noticed, not for the first time, the silence all around him. There were none of the sounds that should normally be heard at twilight in a normal town, no children out playing with their mothers calling them in for bed, no teenagers chatting with friends on street corners. This was Sunnydale and even those who would not admit to what went on in the hours of darkness knew enough to keep inside when the sun went down.
He knocked on the door, the sound loud and clear in the silence. He could hear nothing from inside. He waited and then knocked again, a little harder this time. He cocked his head on one side, listening intently. Deciding to give it one last try he hammered both fists on the door, making it shiver in its timber frame. No sooner had he done so than he heard the soft click of the lock being turned and the door swung open.
To his relief Willow stood in the open doorway, her eyes still a little red from crying. She looked puzzled to see him on his own.
"Hey." He said softly, moving through into the apartment, his eyes fixed firmly on her face. "Are you okay Will?" He wanted to put his arms around her but he held back, mindful of the way she had reacted to him earlier. There was still something restrained about her and he was wary of appearing too forceful.
She nodded. "There's someone here." She told him as she closed the door behind him.
A chill went through him. He looked past her for the first time and at the figure seated on Giles sofa.
He swallowed, trying to keep the hoarseness out of his voice as he recognised the seated figure.
"Hi Oz. I didn't expect you to get here so soon."
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel characters are copyrighted (c)20th Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB, and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Dedicated: as usual to Cait who makes me write these stories. (So blame her!)
Thanks once again to Alan for his help and suggestions.
A/N If you like it please let me know. Thanks. Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Three
Giles looked up at Spike with a frown. "What do you mean?" He asked.
Spike shrugged. "I've lived through earthquakes before, a lot more than you'll ever see. This just doesn't seem right,"
"So you're an expert on earthquakes now are you, Spike?"
It was hard, if not impossible, to miss the sarcasm in Xander's voice but Spike choose to ignore it.
"There's something...wrong." He waved a hand in the air, making a vague gesture as he spoke.
"Oh yeah, a real expert." Xander scoffed.
Giles and Spike both glared at him and he turned away from them, sitting down on the sofa and picking up one of the books.
Giles frowned. " I can't find anything in the books but I have a feeling that all is not as it should be."
"Any help from that council of yours?"
Giles shook his head. "I rang them. They promised to ring back if they could offer any help. They haven't done so."
"Bloody idiots! Those Watchers never were any good."
Giles glared at him.
"Well, except for you, of course."
Xanders's head snapped up. He closed the book with a thud and glared at Spike.
"That's it. When he starts creeping around us like that it gives me the wiggins."
Spike raised an eyebrow and looked at Giles. "So, what's up with junior there?"
Giles saw Xander open his mouth to speak and quickly intervened. "Not now, Spike."
Spike nodded.
Xander glared at him but re-opened his book and began to read once more.
"So what gives you the impression that this isn't a natural phenomenon?"
Spike shrugged. "Dunno. It's just something I feel. Don't you?"
"Well, there have been a number of signs and portents.."
Spike snorted in derision. "Oh not those old things again! End of the world, all that stuff?"
He walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down. "Look, Watcher, there have been signs and portents every day for at least the last hundred years. The bloody world's still here, isn't it?"
Xander looked up from his book. "Not that it would have been if you had anything to do with it."
They both ignored him.
"So, what exactly are you saying, Spike." Giles asked, frowning.
"What were they, these signs?"
"Earthquakes, flooding, water turning red, fish raining down in the desert. Many others of course, but those are the main ones."
Spike nodded. "Yeah, caused by pollution, most of them. See, those aren't the signs you should be looking for." He thought for a moment. "That fish business is pretty interesting though. Wish I'd been there to see that one."
Xander abandoned his book, too interested in the conversation to keep up a pretence of reading it. "What should we be looking for?"
"Well, something here, rather then in the bloody desert. It's not called the
Hellmouth for nothing, you know."
It was then that the door opened announcing the arrival of Amy and Faith. Faith strode in through the door first, Amy quietly slipping in behind her.
Spike looked Faith up and down appreciatively, taking in the tight leather trousers and black T-shirt; her jacket now slung casually over her arm.
Faith, in turn, quickly ran her eyes over the body of the blond vampire before giving Xander a small smile and turning her attention to Giles.
"Right. Got the bat signal. What's going on?"
Before Giles could speak Xander cut in, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Spike here was just giving us his expert opinion, weren't you, Spike?"
Faith raised her eyebrows and shot a questioning look at Giles who shook his head at her. Deciding that tact was the order of the day she said nothing, but made her way over to the sofa, taking a seat beside Xander and slipping her arm under his. Something was wrong with him, she knew that much, and he had always been there for her when she needed him. Whatever was wrong she was determined to return the favour.
She felt Xander's hand reach for hers and a slight pressure on her hand told her that he appreciated the gesture.
Amy was standing just inside the door, her weight shifting from leg to leg as she waited uncertainly, her short acquaintance with these people making her feel a little shy.
Giles, being one who shared her affliction, noticed immediately.
"Amy, forgive me, won't you take a seat?" He asked with a smile.
Amy joined Faith and Xander on the sofa as Giles began to speak.
"I think we're all in agreement that we have to investigate the cause of these earthquakes. They may be natural but I really don't think that they are. We need to check the usual places for some kind of supernatural activity. I suggest the first and most logical place would be actual Hellmouth."
While Giles was speaking it had dawned on Spike that two of the Scooby gang were missing. "Wait a minute, what about Red and the Slayer, aren't they coming?"
Faith felt Xander stiffen. Even though she liked Willow she hadn't completely given up hope of winning Xander's affections and she was unable to stifle the brief feeling of satisfaction that she felt at the realisation that the mention of Willow's name was causing some tension.
Giles shook his head. "Willow is not feeling very well. She had some bad news." He looked around at them solemnly. "Tara is returning to Sunnydale. She was indeed bitten by Oz, so you are all aware of the implications of that." He paused briefly. "And Oz will also be returning."
Faith fought to keep the grin off her face at the news that Xander was due to have competition in his affections for Willow. And fierce competition at that. She squeezed Xander's hand and smiled reassuringly at him as he turned to look at her. The sadness in his eyes caused her to feel guilty, but only for a second, replaced by her certainty that she could make him happy.
"Right, then!" Spike announced, standing up suddenly. "Best get to it." He glanced out through the window and dragged his duster up off the floor where he had thrown it. "Before it gets dark." And he pulled the coat over his head, wrapping it around himself as he did so.
Giles nodded, getting to his feet. "I'll just let Buffy know. She can follow us when she's ready." He explained as he made his way out through the door to the bedroom.
The others waited in silence until he returned. It was not lost on Faith that Xander kept his eyes on the door, waiting anxiously for any news or any indication of how his girlfriend was. His eyes sought Giles as he came through the door closely followed by Buffy. Giles looked at Xander and shook his head.
"Buffy will come with us now. Willow needs a little more time to compose herself."
Buffy gave Xander a sympathetic glance that hardened into suspicion as she saw that he and Faith were hand in hand together. She caught Faith's eye and glared at her as Faith stared back unrepentant. In the few seconds that it took for that glance to pass between them war was once again declared.
As they made their way to the Hellmouth, Spike awkwardly trying to juggle a crossbow as well as keeping his coat secure, the rest of them suitably armed, there was a awkward silence that had rarely been found among the Scooby gang.
Giles was anxious, his nervousness showing in the way that he continually felt the need to fidget with his glasses. Amy was terrified. This was her first proper time out with the rest of them and she was aware of the consequences of not taking this seriously enough.
Xander was despondent, looking down at his feet as they walked along, with Faith next to him, casting defiant looks back at Buffy's glares of annoyance. The only one that appeared to be his usual self was Spike, peering out cautiously from beneath his coat.
They were soon at their destination. The old school building, now abandoned and derelict stood just before them. Giles shuddered as he stared at it. Even now the sky around the ruins seemed darker than anywhere else, the aura of evil drawing darkness to it like a shroud. He gave himself a mental shake when he saw that they were all looking at him expectantly.
He almost groaned aloud as he realised that they were waiting for some instruction, some plan to come from him. He had none. How could he when he had no idea what was happening? He sighed, trying to make his befuddled brain function. When that failed, he said the only thing he could. "Right, let's go in then, shall we?"
"About bloody time." Spike grumbled from beneath his coat. "I could fry out here in the time it takes for you to make up your mind."
Despite his worries about the possible consequences of exposure to the sun Spike appeared to be in no hurry to enter the ruin. He waited until Buffy took up the lead, her crossbow armed and ready, and then hurried behind her, barging rudely in front of Giles and nearly knocking the confused Watcher off his feet.
Spike grabbed at him, dislodging his coat as he did so, and a stray beam of sunlight found his arm, instantly igniting it. His cry of alarm alerted Faith and she was there in an instant, whipping off her jacket and beating at the flames with it. It only took seconds before the flames were out and Spike was safely covered once again.
Spike peered out at her appreciatively. "That was quick work."
Faith smiled slyly at him. "Oh, I am quick, at some things.."
Spike gazed at her speculatively for a moment. "Oh?" And a look passed between them, a look that promised that they would have to take some time to find out more about one another, before Buffy impatiently urged them back to the business in hand.
It was no illusion, Buffy thought. The sky was darker over here, the reduction in light making them stumble their way over the uneven ground. The going was particularly difficult for Spike because although the light was dim it was still enough to harm him and he found himself unbalanced, trying to maintain his grip on both his coat and the heavy crossbow.
Faith soon solved his problem. She put a hand out to steady him and, when his attention turned to her, she plucked the crossbow silently from underneath his coat. He stared at her for a moment, about to protest, but something in her face stopped him from doing so. He nodded his acceptance and they carried on their way.
Giles was also finding it difficult. Buffy frowned as she watched him, thinking that he seemed unduly clumsy today. She was worried about him. The man she had glimpsed in his living room earlier had been so different from the man that she knew. Giles, although never a supremely confident man, had a quickness of mind that she had often envied. Given a puzzle he would reach for his books and papers, scouring through them methodically until he had an answer.
Although it was true that he had been under some considerable strain, indeed so had they all, it still seemed unbelievable that he could have reacted in such a way. Something was wrong, very wrong, and she intended to find out what it was.
They had reached the gaping hole in what remained of the library, marked by the shredded and burnt paper scattered amongst the debris. Their feet crunched noisily on the shards of wood and glass as they approached it. Then, one by one, they dropped relatively soundlessly into the depths below, their way lit by two meagre beams of torchlight provided by Giles and Xander. Spike removed his coat from his head, his platinum blond hair tousled by the movement of the leather on it. He brushed back his hair with a hand and then tapped Faith lightly on the shoulder. She handed him his crossbow and he took it with a smile.
Once again that look of speculation passed between them. Spike licked his lips as Faith turned away from him, following after Buffy as the other Slayer made her way towards the mouth of Hell itself. Spike recognised that part of his attraction to Buffy had been the power that she held. Sometimes the feeling of power that he had from her was so strong that it was almost tangible, like ripples moving beneath her skin.
He had the same feeling from Faith but as well as that he felt a strange rapport. He recognised something more in her, something that called like to like. She, too, had a darkness within her and it called him to her like a magnet.
He watched her walk in front of him, his vampire eyes not needing the light to see, and promised himself that he would have to investigate this attraction further. And then he followed her, into the Hellmouth.
The path was not so hard to walk now. The stone beneath their feet was worn smooth with only the occasional small stone to catch the unwary. The air was thick with the smell of cold, damp earth and something more.. A wave of sulphurous gas hit them like an eye-watering, stomach-wrenching wall and they stopped suddenly, all of them blinking back tears and desperately trying not to cough the noxious odour from their lungs.
"I think we're close." Buffy whispered to Faith.
Faith rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I could do without the stink."
Buffy nodded. "I think we need to follow it."
"Oh, great!" Faith grimaced. "Let's get a move on then."
They began to move forward and the others came with them, hands pressed tight to their faces to try to filter out the worst of the smell.
They had only gone another twenty metres when the path ahead of them seemed to turn back on itself. They kept forward gingerly, Buffy and Faith in the lead, only to find that there was a sharp left turn and then the pathway opened up into a large cavern.
Buffy gestured for Faith to keep back as she crept forward trying to see what she could make out in the gloom. It was surprisingly easy. The cavern was well lit, a number of large lanterns hung from hooks in the walls spread a yellow glow over the entire area.
She edged forward, careful to keep to the wall, and peered at the figures standing in the light cast by the lanterns. Faith saw her cast a worried glance back toward them and then in front of her again.
Moments later Buffy began to shuffle back to them, still keeping well in to the wall.
"What did you see?" Giles demanded.
Buffy looked anxiously first at him and then at Spike before she replied. "Ethan Rayne." She muttered. "And Dru."
Giles stared at her in disbelief. "I thought he would have left after all that business with Oz."
Buffy shook her head. "It's him." She turned to Spike. "But what would he be doing there with Dru?"
Spike shrugged. "Like attracts like. There must be something that both of them want that means they have to work together."
Buffy nodded. "Dru's been known to dabble in magic before now. But what would that have to do with the earthquakes? What could they be doing?"
"Let's go in there and ask them." Faith stated, already moving back toward the cavern.
Buffy caught her arm. "No. They're not alone. I need to talk to Giles before we do anything."
Faith grimaced, impatient for some kind of activity, and stood uneasily glancing back at the place where the path led into the cavern. She kept back against the wall, faintly illuminated in the light from the two torches.
"There are some kind of creatures down there with them. These are big, Giles, about three metres tall. From what I could see they were pretty shapeless. They looked as if they'd been made out of mud. "
"They had a basic human shape, arms, legs, heads but not properly defined?"
"Yes."
"Yes, I think I know what they might be. Did you see any sort of mark on their foreheads?"
She considered this for a moment. "There was something there but I couldn't see what it was."
"How many of these creatures did you see?"
Buffy noticed that some of his confidence seemed to have returned to him. "At least twenty, maybe more. What are they?"
"From your description I would say that they are some sort of golem, an effigy brought to life." He looked at her solemnly. "They are creatures that are virtually indestructible. They have no bones to break, no blood to spill. The only way that they can be destroyed is removing the symbol for life that they have inscribed on their forehead."
Buffy nodded. "That's not going to be easy."
Giles nodded. "Did you manage to see what Ethan and Dru were doing?"
Buffy shook her head. "They didn't seem to be doing anything. They were standing around a hole in the floor of the cavern, just looking down, with those mud things all around them. What should we do?"
Giles considered for a moment. "Those things are going to be extremely difficult to deal with. They were created by magic and I need to find out the best way to destroy them. I suspect that we are going to need Willow's help for that. One of us should go back to my apartment to collect Willow and some of my books."
"But do we have time?" Buffy asked anxiously.
"I don't know. I have no idea what they might be planning."
"But couldn't Amy.." Faith began.
Giles interrupted her. "With the utmost respect to Amy's powers I think that she would be hard put to handle all of them. It would be extremely foolish to rush in there now completely unprepared, especially as there doesn't seem to be any urgency at the moment."
"But what if it starts again?" Buffy asked him.
"Well, then we will have to deal with it." Giles looked around at all of them.
"Right, someone has to go back for Willow."
Xander sighed. He had already worked out that the 'someone' was to be him. It was a reasonable assumption. Buffy and Faith were needed, as was Giles, Amy could help with her magic and Spike might be useful in exerting some kind of control over Dru. "I'll go."
Buffy looked concerned. "Are you sure?"
Xander shrugged. "I'm the obvious choice. All the rest of you are needed here." He looked around at them as he spoke and saw the uncomfortable glances that they gave him in reply. It was true, he wasn't needed as much as the rest of them, but it was hard for him to admit it.
Stifling a sigh he listened as Giles told him which books he would need and made his lonely way out as his friends stood and watched him leave, the light from his torch lighting his way.
Faith glared at Buffy. "That was harsh." She looked from Buffy to Giles, her expression grim. "You made him feel useless," she accused him.
Giles frowned. "This is hardly the time for this kind of discussion, Faith. Xander was the obvious person to go, not because he is useless, he's anything but that. He understood."
"Yeah." She said, bitterly, turning away from them. "Just like he always does."
Buffy winced. Faith's words had cut deep. She was aware of how desperately Xander wanted to be of help to his friends. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Now was not the time.
"Giles, do you want me to go back, to keep an eye on Dru and Ethan?"
"No. I think it might be best if we all wait here until Xander and Willow get here. I don't want to take a risk that you might be seen. Unless something happens, in which case we will have to do whatever we can." Giles looked around at them in the dim light, hoping that nothing would happen before Xander had a chance to return with Willow and the books.
Concerned for his friends, Xander wasted no time in returning to Giles apartment. It was nearly dark by the time he got there and he was relieved to see that Willow had locked the door. It was true that vampires required an invitation to cross the threshold but he had come to know that there were far more dangers lurking in the darkness in Sunnydale.
He noticed, not for the first time, the silence all around him. There were none of the sounds that should normally be heard at twilight in a normal town, no children out playing with their mothers calling them in for bed, no teenagers chatting with friends on street corners. This was Sunnydale and even those who would not admit to what went on in the hours of darkness knew enough to keep inside when the sun went down.
He knocked on the door, the sound loud and clear in the silence. He could hear nothing from inside. He waited and then knocked again, a little harder this time. He cocked his head on one side, listening intently. Deciding to give it one last try he hammered both fists on the door, making it shiver in its timber frame. No sooner had he done so than he heard the soft click of the lock being turned and the door swung open.
To his relief Willow stood in the open doorway, her eyes still a little red from crying. She looked puzzled to see him on his own.
"Hey." He said softly, moving through into the apartment, his eyes fixed firmly on her face. "Are you okay Will?" He wanted to put his arms around her but he held back, mindful of the way she had reacted to him earlier. There was still something restrained about her and he was wary of appearing too forceful.
She nodded. "There's someone here." She told him as she closed the door behind him.
A chill went through him. He looked past her for the first time and at the figure seated on Giles sofa.
He swallowed, trying to keep the hoarseness out of his voice as he recognised the seated figure.
"Hi Oz. I didn't expect you to get here so soon."