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!)
Grateful thanks to Alan for his suggestions and his help and to everyone for their reviews, especially to Zille, Bolo and Jeanny who have given me tremendous encouragement.
A/N Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Six
Something was troubling Faith as they made their way back to Giles' apartment. There was something wrong. She knew it, but she couldn't quite figure out what. Suddenly it occurred to her and she stopped dead in her tracks, uttering a single word as Buffy turned to look at her, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Willow!"
Buffy shook her head and her look of puzzlement deepened. "What?"
Faith frowned. "Do you know what you just did? You walked away and left Willow, left her alone and upset. Does that sound like the kind of thing you'd do?"
It was Buffy's turn to frown as she took in Faith's words.
"I did?" A look of self-disgust crossed her face. "I did. I left her. Faith, how could I have done that?"
Faith shook her head.
"I don't know. But think about it, B. Giles has been acting odd, that business with Oz and Tara...B, they hate each other normally. There's something weird about this whole situation."
Buffy considered this and then nodded.
"You're right. I was thinking about the way Giles was acting in the cavern and he just wasn't himself. And it wasn't just then. Willow and Xander said that he was acting strange before that, when they first called to the apartment. What do you think it is? Some sort of spell?"
Faith nodded. "Might be. And if it is I can't think of anyone better than Willow to help us with it."
Buffy sighed. "I'd better get back there right away and talk to her." She sighed. "And try to explain why I didn't go in and talk to her, even though I don't know why myself."
Faith shook her head. "I don't think that's a very good idea, B."
Buffy stared at her.
"Think about it. You're acting weird. Whatever "it" is, you've obviously been affected by it. Willow might have been too. I haven't. Well, not so far, anyway. I think that I should go back and talk to her, while you go on to talk to the others."
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "You? Talk to Willow?"
Faith chuckled and held up her hands. "I promise. Talking only. Aw, come on B, what do you think I'm going to do to her? The way that Red is getting along with her magic these days, I'd only have to look at her the wrong way and she could turn me into a rat." She made a face. "And there is no way that I'm going to risk sharing a cage with Paul."
Buffy smiled, despite herself, and nodded. "Okay. Maybe it will be best. You'll tell her that I'm sorry, won't you?" As she thought of how she had abandoned her friend she bit at her lower lip, tears threatening to come to her eyes. She blinked them back quickly. This was time for action, not time for tears.
Faith reached out and, to Buffy's surprise, patted her on the shoulder. "I'll tell her. Now you get back and let the others know what's going on."
Buff nodded and began to walk away, casting a worried glance back at Faith as she went. Faith watched her for a moment, then turned and walked back in the direction that they had just come from.
It didn't take her long to reach Willows apartment. She knocked at the door, but received no reply.
After a moment's hesitation she opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her and calling out, "Willow. Willow, it's Faith. I need to talk to you."
There was no reply so she moved further into the apartment and out of the living room. The tiny kitchen was empty, as was the bathroom, so there was only the bedroom left to try. The door was open, slightly ajar, and she pushed against it to open it, standing in the doorway and looking on in amazement as she saw Willow, fast asleep and floating in the air at least two metres above the bed.
Buffy pushed open the door to Giles apartment, not bothering to knock first. As she entered the room the first person she saw was Tara, sitting on the sofa, lounging back with her eyes closed as if sleeping. She looked around for the others but the living room was empty. The sound of activity, the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and the scent of something that she couldn't identify, but smelled really good, alerted her to the fact that someone was busy in the kitchen.
She walked in to find Giles laying out plates on the kitchen counter. Her mouth watering, she peered into the oven, trying to see what was in there.
Giles frowned at her. "Leave it alone. It won't take long and I'll be serving it up. Where are the others and what happened?
Buffy sighed. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. Where are Oz, Spike and Amy?"
"Oz took Amy back to her house. She needed to pick up a change of clothes and a few items that Spike suggested that we would need. I didn't want her going alone so I asked Oz to drive her. And I gave Spike the key to the Magic Box, to pick up a few things from there."
Buffy looked surprised. "You trust him?"
Giles made a face. "Strange, isn't it? I never thought I'd say it, but I do. He seems to know what's going on and he says that he can help us. I really don't think that we have any other choice."
Buffy nodded. "Xander and Willow had a fight. Faith stayed behind to talk to Willow and Xander went for a walk, to clear his mind." She sighed. "Giles, how do you feel?"
Giles considered this for a moment, staring at her. "What do you mean, Buffy?"
"Faith told me that I haven't been behaving the way I usually do. Giles, I have to say this, neither have you. I thought it was because of the way things have been around here. It's been one fight after another lately, with hardly a chance to catch our breath before something else turns up. But Faith seems to think it might be more than that."
Giles nodded solemnly. "A spell?"
Buffy nodded her reply. "She thinks so. That's why she's talking to Willow. She thinks that if it is, Willow would be the best person to deal with it."
Giles nodded again. "Yes, she's right." He sighed. "But that worries me. Willow has been experimenting more and more with magic lately. I worry that she might be taking chances with things that are more dangerous than she can possibly imagine."
Buffy opened her mouth to reply when they were interrupted by a loud crash as the front door flew open. Fearing the worst, they dashed through into the living room, to find Tara on her feet in front of the sofa and Amy and Oz standing in the doorway.
From the expression on their faces, it was obvious that something was very wrong.
Amy rushed towards them, clearly distressed, and blurted out. "The cage! It's open and Paul's gone!"
Faith stared up at Willow, her mouth agape as she watched the witch float above the bed.
Then she chuckled and shook her head. "Saves on bedlinen, I guess." She muttered, then raised her voice to call, "Willow. Hey, Willow. Time to come back to earth."
Willow's eyes flickered open and she looked down at Faith. She stretched lazily as she floated gently back down onto the bed.
Faith whistled. "That's quite a party trick you have there. Been doing it long?"
Willow stretched again, slowly moving to a sitting position. "It started happening a month ago. A side effect of one of the spells I was doing. It's been happening ever since, every time I go to sleep."
"It must make getting cosy with Xander a little difficult."
Willow blushed and looked away.
"You mean you and Xander haven't...?" Faith was surprised into asking, but retained just enough sense not to finish her question.
"Sorry." She muttered, suddenly remembering the scene at Giles apartment. "Look, I came back for a reason. There's something weird going on here, Willow, and I think it might be due to magic."
Giles looked concerned as he led Amy to the sofa and sat down beside her. Buffy looked at Oz, who shrugged and went to Tara, putting his arm around her shoulder, the two of them taking seats next to Giles. Buffy scowled and flopped down in one of the armchairs.
"What exactly happened?" Giles asked.
Amy shook her head. "I don't know. We went to the house for some supplies and the cage was on the floor, the door was open and there was no sign of Paul."
"Could it have fallen? Because of the quakes?"
Amy shook her head again. "No. It was safe on the table, I made sure of that." Her smile was almost apologetic as she continued, "I know what's it like to be in that cage. Regardless of what Paul did, I didn't want him to come to any harm while I was looking after him."
Giles nodded. He had no idea what it had been like for Amy, spending day after day stuck in that tiny cage, but he knew that it must have been dreadful and he could understand her empathy towards its latest inhabitant. "So someone must have let him out."
"It must have been Ethan, he's the only one it could possibly be." Buffy added. "But how did he know where to find him?"
Giles shrugged. "A process of elimination. He knew that if Paul were still here, he would be with one of us.
"So, next question. What are they up to?"
"That's something that we won't know until Spike gets here." Giles sighed wearily. "I do wish he'd hurry up." He looked at Amy. "Did you manage to bring all of the things on Spikes list?"
Amy nodded. "Yes, I have all of them. Oz has them out in the car."
Oz removed his arm from Tara's shoulder and got up to go back out to the car. As he got to his feet the door opened and Faith walked in, closely followed by Willow. Oz reddened slightly and dropped his gaze to the floor as Faith glared at him and Willow averted her eyes.
"Will!"
Buffy jumped up from her chair and hurried over to her friend, linking her arm through hers and ushering her over to the chair, letting Willow take the seat and perching beside her on the arm.
Giles, seeing Ozs' hesitation spoke up. "Oz, perhaps you could bring those things in from the car now, please. Tara, would you mind helping him?"
Tara gave Willow a brief pleading glance before accompanying Oz out to the car.
As soon as they had gone, Giles gave a sigh and began to speak.
"Right, time to clear the air a little, I think. I would be the first to admit that I'm a little slow when it comes to keeping up with your romantic liaisons, but I was under the impression that both Tara and Oz were free agents, and that Willow and Xander were together. Perhaps you could correct me if I'm wrong?"
He looked around at them and received no answer.
"Then why, precisely, is everyone getting so angry at Tara and Oz? Because I really can't see that they've done anything wrong."
Faith moved forwards. "It doesn't make sense, does it? But then a lot of things don't at the moment." She turned to Buffy. "You were shocked when I pointed out to you that you'd walked away and left Willow, it never entered your head for a moment that it was such a strange thing for you to do." She looked at Giles. "And you're not behaving the way that you usually do either. You know that, don't you?"
Giles nodded. "Yes, I have been aware of it and I've been trying to snap out of it, but it doesn't appear to be quite that easy."
Willow spoke up, her distress clearly showing on her face. "I should be pleased for Oz and Tara. As you say, Giles, I'm with Xander and I'm happy... at least I thought I was."
Buffy hugged her friend to her as her voice reflected her confusion and unhappiness.
"But if it is a spell, what exactly is it supposed to do to us?" Faith asked.
"From what you've told us it seems to be disorientating us, attacking us in the worst possible way that we can imagine, but discreetly, so that we wouldn't suspect a spell. I've found that my capacity to think and to reason has been affected. Buffy is having problems with her friends. Willow is confused about her feelings. There was the incident with Oz and Tara." He turned to the others. "What about the rest of you?"
Amy nodded. "I think so. I just feel nervous, unsure of myself." She made a face. "Same as usual, really, but more so."
Faith shrugged. "Well, that's where your theory falls apart. I don't feel any different."
Giles raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure? Because that really doesn't make any sense."
"I'm sure. Believe me, I've thought about it and I'm five by five."
Giles shook his head. "Then I have no idea why you're not affected, but I think you should be aware that you might be and to try to compensate for that."
The door opened and Oz and Tara came in, the former carrying a large pile of books while the latter carried a large cardboard box full of items that clinked together with the dull sound of full glass jars and bottles.
With a quick glance at Buffy, Willow got to her feet and walked towards Tara, who stopped and waited, a look of apprehension on her face, as Oz hovered uncertainly at her side.
Willow reached out her hands and touched the box and they all watched in amazement as it floated out of Tara's hands and through the air, before settling down on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
Tara laughed with surprised delight as Willow hugged her, muttering apologies into her ear, and Oz looked on, his usually impassive face wreathed in smiles as he watched the two of them together.
By the time that Spike returned to the apartment he was surprised, but relieved, to see that they all seemed to have sorted out their differences.
The only dark cloud on what appeared to be a happy occasion was when Xander arrived, the front door opening suddenly to reveal that dawn had come, after one of the longest nights many of them felt they had ever experienced.
Xander avoided Willow's anxious glance and took a seat between Faith and Buffy, squeezing in besides them on a very crowded sofa.
Spikes attempt to explain to them what was happening in the cavern was thwarted twice, first by Xander's arrival and then by Giles insistence on giving them all something to eat. At last they all sat down with full plates and looked expectantly at Spike who was sipping greedily from a large mug of warmed blood, suddenly aware of how hungry he was.
Willow took advantage of the upheaval caused by them all collecting their food from the kitchen to switch places with Buffy, taking her place beside Xander on the sofa.
Buffy smiled as she saw Willow's tentative smile returned, together with a hug from Xander. She knew that it was impossible for Xander to remain angry with Willow, regardless of the circumstances. Whether their damaged relationship could be repaired was another thing altogether however. Buffy fervently hoped that it could, but she had her doubts.
"Right then." Spike announced, licking the last vestiges of the blood from his mouth. "Let me explain to you just what's happening down there in the cavern."
Buffy sighed impatiently. "We know what's going on, Spike. There's a prophecy. It's the new millennium and the devil is coming through the Hellmouth. What we need to know is how Dru and Ethan are involved and how to stop them."
"Bloody hell, you make such a fuss about this, don't you? You know, you're made all this song and dance about the new millennium and this prophecy and I bet you don't even know which millennium it's supposed to be." Spike grumbled.
Giles stared at him. "Which millennium? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."
Spike rolled his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be the clever one. What I mean is that this is the Christian millennium. It might not be that one that the prophecy refers to. It's not the same for everybody, you know." He nodded towards Willow who was listening intently. "Red can back me up on that, can't you?"
Willow nodded. "It's actually the year 5762 in the Jewish calendar. We have two hundred and thirty eight years to our next millennium."
Xander grinned as he realised what that meant. "So if it's that one, we wouldn't be around to worry about it."
Spike scowled. "Well, maybe you won't but what about me?"
Xander's grin grew even wider. "Now I could help you with that one. Anybody got a spare stake on them?"
Buffy smiled and shook her head, delighted to see Xander verbally sparring with Spike. "You can't dust him now, Xand. Much as I hate to admit it, I think we need him."
"So what exactly are you saying, Spike?" Giles asked quickly, anxious to get to the point of the discussion.
Spike sighed impatiently. "What I'm saying is that it's not the fact that it's the millennium that lets down the barriers, it's the fact that so many people believe that it's going to happen. Red believes that her magic works and it does, but someone else could try her spells and nothing would happen."
"So the fact that people believe that it's going to happen can make it happen?" Buffy asked him.
"It's not quite as simple as that, but you've got the idea."
They all looked at Giles, who nodded his agreement. "As Spike said, it's rather a complicated theory, but it's possible for the portals to be weakened in such a manner. Note that I said weakened, not broken, but it would only take one person to take advantage of that and the barriers could be breached."
"And that would let the devil loose in the world? Didn't I just see half a dozen films about that? We just have to do what Scharwzenegger did and we'll be okay. Er, wait, maybe not. He died, didn't he?" Xander shrugged as they turned to face him. "Sorry, just thinking aloud."
Buffy looked at Giles. "So, how do we prevent it? What do we do?"
"Spike has an idea about that. Spike?"
"The problem is that Dru thinks that she can use the fact that the portals are weakened to loosen the barriers that hold back the devil. She doesn't want to free him completely, even Dru isn't that crazy, but to enable him to use some of his power. She wants to do a deal with him."
Buffy frowned. "But what does she want? And how is Ethan Rayne involved with this?"
"What does she want?" Spike shrugged. "She wants a world of total darkness, so that she can come and go as she pleases. A world without a Slayer, with nothing and no one to stand in her way. And Ethan is helping her because he wants power and he believes that the devil will give it to him. She needs him to help her with the spells to loosen the barriers."
"So what is that hole in the cavern floor for? What are they trying to do there?" Faith asked impatiently.
"It's directly over the Hellmouth, and because of that it's where the barrier is at it's weakest. They've been casting spells and potions into it to weaken them to the point where the devil can break through."
"Wait a minute, I thought you said that Dru wasn't going to actually release the devil?"
Spike nodded. "She isn't. She has everything ready so that when he breaks through there will be a magical barrier in place to hold him, until she can get him to agree to what she wants."
Giles frowned. "And then she hopes to return him to the Hellmouth? Do you really think she can do that?"
Spike sighed. "I don't know. But it doesn't really matter what I think, because Ethan Rayne is going to double cross her and let the devil out."
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!)
Grateful thanks to Alan for his suggestions and his help and to everyone for their reviews, especially to Zille, Bolo and Jeanny who have given me tremendous encouragement.
A/N Any comments can be sent to
Geemagicspell@hotmail.com
Chapter Six
Something was troubling Faith as they made their way back to Giles' apartment. There was something wrong. She knew it, but she couldn't quite figure out what. Suddenly it occurred to her and she stopped dead in her tracks, uttering a single word as Buffy turned to look at her, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Willow!"
Buffy shook her head and her look of puzzlement deepened. "What?"
Faith frowned. "Do you know what you just did? You walked away and left Willow, left her alone and upset. Does that sound like the kind of thing you'd do?"
It was Buffy's turn to frown as she took in Faith's words.
"I did?" A look of self-disgust crossed her face. "I did. I left her. Faith, how could I have done that?"
Faith shook her head.
"I don't know. But think about it, B. Giles has been acting odd, that business with Oz and Tara...B, they hate each other normally. There's something weird about this whole situation."
Buffy considered this and then nodded.
"You're right. I was thinking about the way Giles was acting in the cavern and he just wasn't himself. And it wasn't just then. Willow and Xander said that he was acting strange before that, when they first called to the apartment. What do you think it is? Some sort of spell?"
Faith nodded. "Might be. And if it is I can't think of anyone better than Willow to help us with it."
Buffy sighed. "I'd better get back there right away and talk to her." She sighed. "And try to explain why I didn't go in and talk to her, even though I don't know why myself."
Faith shook her head. "I don't think that's a very good idea, B."
Buffy stared at her.
"Think about it. You're acting weird. Whatever "it" is, you've obviously been affected by it. Willow might have been too. I haven't. Well, not so far, anyway. I think that I should go back and talk to her, while you go on to talk to the others."
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "You? Talk to Willow?"
Faith chuckled and held up her hands. "I promise. Talking only. Aw, come on B, what do you think I'm going to do to her? The way that Red is getting along with her magic these days, I'd only have to look at her the wrong way and she could turn me into a rat." She made a face. "And there is no way that I'm going to risk sharing a cage with Paul."
Buffy smiled, despite herself, and nodded. "Okay. Maybe it will be best. You'll tell her that I'm sorry, won't you?" As she thought of how she had abandoned her friend she bit at her lower lip, tears threatening to come to her eyes. She blinked them back quickly. This was time for action, not time for tears.
Faith reached out and, to Buffy's surprise, patted her on the shoulder. "I'll tell her. Now you get back and let the others know what's going on."
Buff nodded and began to walk away, casting a worried glance back at Faith as she went. Faith watched her for a moment, then turned and walked back in the direction that they had just come from.
It didn't take her long to reach Willows apartment. She knocked at the door, but received no reply.
After a moment's hesitation she opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her and calling out, "Willow. Willow, it's Faith. I need to talk to you."
There was no reply so she moved further into the apartment and out of the living room. The tiny kitchen was empty, as was the bathroom, so there was only the bedroom left to try. The door was open, slightly ajar, and she pushed against it to open it, standing in the doorway and looking on in amazement as she saw Willow, fast asleep and floating in the air at least two metres above the bed.
Buffy pushed open the door to Giles apartment, not bothering to knock first. As she entered the room the first person she saw was Tara, sitting on the sofa, lounging back with her eyes closed as if sleeping. She looked around for the others but the living room was empty. The sound of activity, the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and the scent of something that she couldn't identify, but smelled really good, alerted her to the fact that someone was busy in the kitchen.
She walked in to find Giles laying out plates on the kitchen counter. Her mouth watering, she peered into the oven, trying to see what was in there.
Giles frowned at her. "Leave it alone. It won't take long and I'll be serving it up. Where are the others and what happened?
Buffy sighed. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. Where are Oz, Spike and Amy?"
"Oz took Amy back to her house. She needed to pick up a change of clothes and a few items that Spike suggested that we would need. I didn't want her going alone so I asked Oz to drive her. And I gave Spike the key to the Magic Box, to pick up a few things from there."
Buffy looked surprised. "You trust him?"
Giles made a face. "Strange, isn't it? I never thought I'd say it, but I do. He seems to know what's going on and he says that he can help us. I really don't think that we have any other choice."
Buffy nodded. "Xander and Willow had a fight. Faith stayed behind to talk to Willow and Xander went for a walk, to clear his mind." She sighed. "Giles, how do you feel?"
Giles considered this for a moment, staring at her. "What do you mean, Buffy?"
"Faith told me that I haven't been behaving the way I usually do. Giles, I have to say this, neither have you. I thought it was because of the way things have been around here. It's been one fight after another lately, with hardly a chance to catch our breath before something else turns up. But Faith seems to think it might be more than that."
Giles nodded solemnly. "A spell?"
Buffy nodded her reply. "She thinks so. That's why she's talking to Willow. She thinks that if it is, Willow would be the best person to deal with it."
Giles nodded again. "Yes, she's right." He sighed. "But that worries me. Willow has been experimenting more and more with magic lately. I worry that she might be taking chances with things that are more dangerous than she can possibly imagine."
Buffy opened her mouth to reply when they were interrupted by a loud crash as the front door flew open. Fearing the worst, they dashed through into the living room, to find Tara on her feet in front of the sofa and Amy and Oz standing in the doorway.
From the expression on their faces, it was obvious that something was very wrong.
Amy rushed towards them, clearly distressed, and blurted out. "The cage! It's open and Paul's gone!"
Faith stared up at Willow, her mouth agape as she watched the witch float above the bed.
Then she chuckled and shook her head. "Saves on bedlinen, I guess." She muttered, then raised her voice to call, "Willow. Hey, Willow. Time to come back to earth."
Willow's eyes flickered open and she looked down at Faith. She stretched lazily as she floated gently back down onto the bed.
Faith whistled. "That's quite a party trick you have there. Been doing it long?"
Willow stretched again, slowly moving to a sitting position. "It started happening a month ago. A side effect of one of the spells I was doing. It's been happening ever since, every time I go to sleep."
"It must make getting cosy with Xander a little difficult."
Willow blushed and looked away.
"You mean you and Xander haven't...?" Faith was surprised into asking, but retained just enough sense not to finish her question.
"Sorry." She muttered, suddenly remembering the scene at Giles apartment. "Look, I came back for a reason. There's something weird going on here, Willow, and I think it might be due to magic."
Giles looked concerned as he led Amy to the sofa and sat down beside her. Buffy looked at Oz, who shrugged and went to Tara, putting his arm around her shoulder, the two of them taking seats next to Giles. Buffy scowled and flopped down in one of the armchairs.
"What exactly happened?" Giles asked.
Amy shook her head. "I don't know. We went to the house for some supplies and the cage was on the floor, the door was open and there was no sign of Paul."
"Could it have fallen? Because of the quakes?"
Amy shook her head again. "No. It was safe on the table, I made sure of that." Her smile was almost apologetic as she continued, "I know what's it like to be in that cage. Regardless of what Paul did, I didn't want him to come to any harm while I was looking after him."
Giles nodded. He had no idea what it had been like for Amy, spending day after day stuck in that tiny cage, but he knew that it must have been dreadful and he could understand her empathy towards its latest inhabitant. "So someone must have let him out."
"It must have been Ethan, he's the only one it could possibly be." Buffy added. "But how did he know where to find him?"
Giles shrugged. "A process of elimination. He knew that if Paul were still here, he would be with one of us.
"So, next question. What are they up to?"
"That's something that we won't know until Spike gets here." Giles sighed wearily. "I do wish he'd hurry up." He looked at Amy. "Did you manage to bring all of the things on Spikes list?"
Amy nodded. "Yes, I have all of them. Oz has them out in the car."
Oz removed his arm from Tara's shoulder and got up to go back out to the car. As he got to his feet the door opened and Faith walked in, closely followed by Willow. Oz reddened slightly and dropped his gaze to the floor as Faith glared at him and Willow averted her eyes.
"Will!"
Buffy jumped up from her chair and hurried over to her friend, linking her arm through hers and ushering her over to the chair, letting Willow take the seat and perching beside her on the arm.
Giles, seeing Ozs' hesitation spoke up. "Oz, perhaps you could bring those things in from the car now, please. Tara, would you mind helping him?"
Tara gave Willow a brief pleading glance before accompanying Oz out to the car.
As soon as they had gone, Giles gave a sigh and began to speak.
"Right, time to clear the air a little, I think. I would be the first to admit that I'm a little slow when it comes to keeping up with your romantic liaisons, but I was under the impression that both Tara and Oz were free agents, and that Willow and Xander were together. Perhaps you could correct me if I'm wrong?"
He looked around at them and received no answer.
"Then why, precisely, is everyone getting so angry at Tara and Oz? Because I really can't see that they've done anything wrong."
Faith moved forwards. "It doesn't make sense, does it? But then a lot of things don't at the moment." She turned to Buffy. "You were shocked when I pointed out to you that you'd walked away and left Willow, it never entered your head for a moment that it was such a strange thing for you to do." She looked at Giles. "And you're not behaving the way that you usually do either. You know that, don't you?"
Giles nodded. "Yes, I have been aware of it and I've been trying to snap out of it, but it doesn't appear to be quite that easy."
Willow spoke up, her distress clearly showing on her face. "I should be pleased for Oz and Tara. As you say, Giles, I'm with Xander and I'm happy... at least I thought I was."
Buffy hugged her friend to her as her voice reflected her confusion and unhappiness.
"But if it is a spell, what exactly is it supposed to do to us?" Faith asked.
"From what you've told us it seems to be disorientating us, attacking us in the worst possible way that we can imagine, but discreetly, so that we wouldn't suspect a spell. I've found that my capacity to think and to reason has been affected. Buffy is having problems with her friends. Willow is confused about her feelings. There was the incident with Oz and Tara." He turned to the others. "What about the rest of you?"
Amy nodded. "I think so. I just feel nervous, unsure of myself." She made a face. "Same as usual, really, but more so."
Faith shrugged. "Well, that's where your theory falls apart. I don't feel any different."
Giles raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure? Because that really doesn't make any sense."
"I'm sure. Believe me, I've thought about it and I'm five by five."
Giles shook his head. "Then I have no idea why you're not affected, but I think you should be aware that you might be and to try to compensate for that."
The door opened and Oz and Tara came in, the former carrying a large pile of books while the latter carried a large cardboard box full of items that clinked together with the dull sound of full glass jars and bottles.
With a quick glance at Buffy, Willow got to her feet and walked towards Tara, who stopped and waited, a look of apprehension on her face, as Oz hovered uncertainly at her side.
Willow reached out her hands and touched the box and they all watched in amazement as it floated out of Tara's hands and through the air, before settling down on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
Tara laughed with surprised delight as Willow hugged her, muttering apologies into her ear, and Oz looked on, his usually impassive face wreathed in smiles as he watched the two of them together.
By the time that Spike returned to the apartment he was surprised, but relieved, to see that they all seemed to have sorted out their differences.
The only dark cloud on what appeared to be a happy occasion was when Xander arrived, the front door opening suddenly to reveal that dawn had come, after one of the longest nights many of them felt they had ever experienced.
Xander avoided Willow's anxious glance and took a seat between Faith and Buffy, squeezing in besides them on a very crowded sofa.
Spikes attempt to explain to them what was happening in the cavern was thwarted twice, first by Xander's arrival and then by Giles insistence on giving them all something to eat. At last they all sat down with full plates and looked expectantly at Spike who was sipping greedily from a large mug of warmed blood, suddenly aware of how hungry he was.
Willow took advantage of the upheaval caused by them all collecting their food from the kitchen to switch places with Buffy, taking her place beside Xander on the sofa.
Buffy smiled as she saw Willow's tentative smile returned, together with a hug from Xander. She knew that it was impossible for Xander to remain angry with Willow, regardless of the circumstances. Whether their damaged relationship could be repaired was another thing altogether however. Buffy fervently hoped that it could, but she had her doubts.
"Right then." Spike announced, licking the last vestiges of the blood from his mouth. "Let me explain to you just what's happening down there in the cavern."
Buffy sighed impatiently. "We know what's going on, Spike. There's a prophecy. It's the new millennium and the devil is coming through the Hellmouth. What we need to know is how Dru and Ethan are involved and how to stop them."
"Bloody hell, you make such a fuss about this, don't you? You know, you're made all this song and dance about the new millennium and this prophecy and I bet you don't even know which millennium it's supposed to be." Spike grumbled.
Giles stared at him. "Which millennium? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."
Spike rolled his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be the clever one. What I mean is that this is the Christian millennium. It might not be that one that the prophecy refers to. It's not the same for everybody, you know." He nodded towards Willow who was listening intently. "Red can back me up on that, can't you?"
Willow nodded. "It's actually the year 5762 in the Jewish calendar. We have two hundred and thirty eight years to our next millennium."
Xander grinned as he realised what that meant. "So if it's that one, we wouldn't be around to worry about it."
Spike scowled. "Well, maybe you won't but what about me?"
Xander's grin grew even wider. "Now I could help you with that one. Anybody got a spare stake on them?"
Buffy smiled and shook her head, delighted to see Xander verbally sparring with Spike. "You can't dust him now, Xand. Much as I hate to admit it, I think we need him."
"So what exactly are you saying, Spike?" Giles asked quickly, anxious to get to the point of the discussion.
Spike sighed impatiently. "What I'm saying is that it's not the fact that it's the millennium that lets down the barriers, it's the fact that so many people believe that it's going to happen. Red believes that her magic works and it does, but someone else could try her spells and nothing would happen."
"So the fact that people believe that it's going to happen can make it happen?" Buffy asked him.
"It's not quite as simple as that, but you've got the idea."
They all looked at Giles, who nodded his agreement. "As Spike said, it's rather a complicated theory, but it's possible for the portals to be weakened in such a manner. Note that I said weakened, not broken, but it would only take one person to take advantage of that and the barriers could be breached."
"And that would let the devil loose in the world? Didn't I just see half a dozen films about that? We just have to do what Scharwzenegger did and we'll be okay. Er, wait, maybe not. He died, didn't he?" Xander shrugged as they turned to face him. "Sorry, just thinking aloud."
Buffy looked at Giles. "So, how do we prevent it? What do we do?"
"Spike has an idea about that. Spike?"
"The problem is that Dru thinks that she can use the fact that the portals are weakened to loosen the barriers that hold back the devil. She doesn't want to free him completely, even Dru isn't that crazy, but to enable him to use some of his power. She wants to do a deal with him."
Buffy frowned. "But what does she want? And how is Ethan Rayne involved with this?"
"What does she want?" Spike shrugged. "She wants a world of total darkness, so that she can come and go as she pleases. A world without a Slayer, with nothing and no one to stand in her way. And Ethan is helping her because he wants power and he believes that the devil will give it to him. She needs him to help her with the spells to loosen the barriers."
"So what is that hole in the cavern floor for? What are they trying to do there?" Faith asked impatiently.
"It's directly over the Hellmouth, and because of that it's where the barrier is at it's weakest. They've been casting spells and potions into it to weaken them to the point where the devil can break through."
"Wait a minute, I thought you said that Dru wasn't going to actually release the devil?"
Spike nodded. "She isn't. She has everything ready so that when he breaks through there will be a magical barrier in place to hold him, until she can get him to agree to what she wants."
Giles frowned. "And then she hopes to return him to the Hellmouth? Do you really think she can do that?"
Spike sighed. "I don't know. But it doesn't really matter what I think, because Ethan Rayne is going to double cross her and let the devil out."