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 Seven
Giles stared at him aghast. "What on earth gives you that idea? Even Ethan wouldn't do something like that."
"Wouldn't he?" Buffy raised her eyebrows. "From what I've seen of him, I wouldn't put anything past him."
Giles shook his head. "He's ruthless, but he's not insane. If he lets the devil out, the world ends. I don't think that even Ethan would want that."
Spike shrugged. "Then how do you explain the fact that he's doing his best to sabotage Dru's spells?"
"He is? You're sure?"
Spike nodded.
"Then we have to stop him. We can't let it happen."
"Well, duh, we know that. How are we going to do it?" Faith snorted.
"If you bloody lot would give me a chance, I was just coming to that."
They all looked at Spike and he nodded slowly at their questioning glances.
"I found some spells to counteract all that Dru is setting up. We've got everything that we need; we just have to get things ready. When it is, we have to get to that hole in the cavern. Tara and Red can perform the ritual, throw in a few things and it will close up." He grinned. "That's all there is to it."
Xander raised his eyebrows. "And what about the mud men? Are they just going to let us past them? Because I don't think so."
Spike shrugged. "I can't think of everything, you know. You lot are going to have to find a way to get rid of them."
Buffy nodded thoughtfully. "All it takes is for you, Tara and Willow to get to the hole and do the spell? That leaves the rest of us to distract the golems, to let you get on with it."
Xander stared at her. "Distract them? What where you planning on doing? Work it out, Buff. There are twenty of them, and six of us. And they're indestructible, remember?"
Willow shook her head. "Not completely. If you get rid of the writing on their forehead, they'll just crumble into dust."
"And how do we get close enough to do that? Any ideas?" Faith asked.
Willow shook her head again. "According to the legend, you have to wipe it off and then the golem will dissolve back into dust again.
"Wait a minute. I think I might have one." Xander frowned; thinking hard as the others waited to hear his suggestion. "Do you have to wipe it off, or can you cover it over?"
"I don't know." Willow admitted. "What's your idea?"
"What if we covered it over somehow? We could blast more mud over it so that it couldn't be seen?"
Giles shook his head. "No, it wouldn't work. It would still be there, even though it was covered over. We have to think of something else."
"I think I might be able to do something." Amy ventured, growing pale as everyone turned to look at her.
Giles gave her an encouraging smile. "Yes, Amy?"
"I found something. It was in one of your books. I can show it to you. It's a confusion spell and it seems quite simple."
She jumped to her feet and went to the bookcase, taking down a large thin book and carrying it over to Giles. She flicked quickly through the pages and pointed out the spell to him. Giles read it, nodding slowly as he reached the end of the page.
"Yes, I think this might work, Amy. Well done." He beamed at her and Amy blushed slightly.
He looked towards the others. "It's a confusion spell." He explained. "What happens is that the subject of the spell becomes disorientated, unable to perform even simple tasks. It can be used on a group of people, or in this case golems."
Willow and Tara glanced at each other, nodding their agreement. "But can you do the spell, Giles? Because Tara and I are going to have our hands full with the ritual."
Giles thought for a moment. "I can do better than that." He said, looking at Amy once again. "Do you think you could handle this sort of spell, Amy?"
Amy smiled and nodded. "Yes, I think so." She saw the worried glances that the others were giving. "Yes, of course I can." She stated firmly.
Giles nodded. "Fine. Then it's all settled. Well, if everyone has finished their meal, we'd best get on with things."
Spike showed Willow and Tara the ritual to seal the opening as the others worked on the ingredients for the spell.
Giles and Amy read through the confusion spell, carefully rehearsing the words to make sure that nothing could go wrong.
Faith sat next to Oz at the table, Buffy and Xander sitting opposite them, as they followed the instructions given to them by Spike and prepared the charms and potion.
Faith brushed back her hair from her face and made a face as she caught a few strands in her necklace. Oz tried to help her; concerned that she might break the flimsy looking silver chain. The pendant caught Buffy's eye and she smiled.
"That's not your usual kind of jewellery, Faith." She said. "It's really pretty though. I noticed it a few days ago and I meant to tell you then."
Faith grinned. "Amy gave it to me. She said it was some kind of lucky charm."
Buffy smiled. "You two are really good friends, aren't you?"
When it had become obvious that Faith and Amy had become friends, Buffy had expressed her amazement to Giles that two such different people could get along so well. Giles had told her that it wasn't surprising. Both Faith and Amy had come as late additions to the Scooby gang and didn't have quite the same closeness as the rest of them enjoyed. He told Buffy that in his opinion it was a good thing, and Buffy had to agree with him.
Oz, clearly anxious despite his deadpan expression, glanced over at Willow and Tara, and saw with some relief that they were talking together in the same easy way as they always had.
Xander noticed and grinned at him. "Just like old times." He commented, hastily adding. "Well, not quite, but you know what I mean."
Oz nodded, silently watching the two girls for a moment. "I just hope that Willow finds someone, you know?"
Buffy intervened, unable to hold her tongue any longer. "She has."
Oz looked at her, surprised. "She has?" He looked at Xander, realisation suddenly dawning. "Oh, man. That's great. You and Willow." He grinned, putting out his hand and beginning to pat Xander lightly on his shoulder as Xander tried to smile in return.
Oz's smile froze on his face as Xander's expression told him that something was wrong. He thought about the way that he had acted with Willow and mentally kicked himself. Then he glanced over at the two witches and frowned.
He had come back to be with Willow, but then he had met Tara again. His feelings for Tara had seemed so natural and right that everything else had gone out of his mind. But how could something like that have happened so suddenly? He shook his head, trying to clear it of the confusion that he felt.
He looked down as he felt someone touch his arm and looked up into a face full of concern.
"What's wrong, Oz?" Buffy asked him.
"I don't know." He admitted, his glance straying over to Tara and Willow. "What's going on? I don't understand."
"Let's not worry about that now, Oz. We'll take care of things in the Hellmouth and then we'll work everything out. I can't find the Asafoetida root. Do you think you might have left it in the car? I hope it hasn't tipped out. That stuff stinks!"
Oz got up quickly and Buffy thought that he seemed grateful for an excuse to get out of the apartment. "I'll check." He said, pulling the car keys out of his pocket and going to the door.
As soon as he had left, Faith frowned at Buffy. "What was that about?", she asked. "That stuff you were talking about is in the kitchen. Giles put it in an airtight container, because of the smell."
Buffy nodded. "I know. I wanted to distract him. I just didn't want him to start thinking too much about what happened between him and Tara. It might be because of the spell, or it might not, but the last thing we need right now is two emotionally charged and upset werewolves."
Xander nodded. "Good idea. But someone should go out and stop him before he tears the car apart looking for something that's not there."
Faith got up. "I'll give him a few minutes and then go tell him that we found it in the kitchen. I'll blame it all on Giles." She paused before going to the door, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Why do you think he thought about it now?"
Xander thought for a moment, then gestured at the things laid out on the table in front of them. "There's probably something here that affected him. All of this stuff is from the magic shop, after all. I'll mention it to Giles, when he and Amy have finished. It might help."
Faith nodded and turned to follow Oz out to the car. As she walked away Xander added. "Of course, we can't be sure whether the spell attracted him to Tara or confused things, can we?"
Spike was enjoying himself immensely. He was in charge again and he loved it. He nodded at Tara and Willow, finally satisfied with the performance of the ritual before moving on to the table, peering closely at the efforts of the others.
Of course the irony of the situation was not lost on him. On the previous occasions when he had been involved in so much complex planning he had been working against Buffy and the Scooby gang. Now he was working with them and against Drusilla, his Drusilla, and it wasn't for the first time either.
He silently wondered how it had come to this and stifled a sigh, nodding his reply to a question from the blonde Slayer that he had hardly listened to, his mind suddenly drawn to other matters. His enjoyment of the situation dissipated as he thought about the events that had led him to this moment.
Willow bit her lip as Spike moved away, leaving her alone with Tara for the first time. The blonde witch glanced away, then back, not meeting Willow's eyes as she searched desperately for something to say, her look of panic turning to one of confusion as she heard Willow give a low chuckle. Tara looked up into Willow's face, frowning slightly.
"I've been dreading this and, from the way you look, so have you." Willow said softly, a small smile of amusement turning up the corners of her mouth.
Tara sighed and nodded. "Yes, yes, I have. "
"Can you forgive me, Tara?"
Tara's eyes widened in surprise as she heard the pain in Willow's whispered question. "I... what?"
"It's my fault that you're the way you are. I'm responsible."
Tara shook her head. "No, you're not. Oz is..." Her voice trailed off as she realised what she had said and she stared over at the table, where Oz was now sitting next to Faith, his back to her.
"No one is." She said, after a pause, tearing her eyes away from Oz and looking down at her lap, where her hands clenched together, the knuckles turning white.
Her anger at the way Willow had treated her had turned to acceptance and resignation soon after she had returned to her family. Tara had never expected the relationship to last. In her mind it had been too good to be true.
Willow reached out and touched her hands, gently separating them and taking one of them into her grasp. "It's okay, Tara. If you want to be with Oz, I'm okay with it." She smiled and the warmth of the smile melted any reserve that Tara still felt. "I'm more than okay with it."
Tara smiled back. "You're sure?"
Willow nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. It was sudden, that's all. But I suppose I can understand it, and I'm glad that you two have someone." She refrained from adding the thought that continued in her mind, 'I just wish it didn't have to be each other.'
She looked puzzled for a moment as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "When did you stop stuttering?"
Tara paused, taken aback by her bluntness, then laughed. "Since the full moon. It seems that werewolves don't stutter. It's a pretty strange side effect and I wouldn't recommend the cure."
Willow nodded, lost for words. Tara squeezed her hand lightly. "It's not your fault, you know."
Willow bit her lip. "I treated you so badly, Tara. You didn't deserve that."
Tara shook her head. "You didn't. It was the spell you were under. It wasn't your fault." She sighed, looking down at her lap as she continued. "We were happy, but I never thought that it would last. I'd see you looking at Xander and I always knew that I was second best."
She felt Willow stiffen and quickly added. "Not that you ever made me feel that way. You made me happy and I think that I made you happy too. But you need to work out how you really feel about Xander."
Willow smiled. "I have."
Tara looked up at her, surprised and a little apprehensive.
"I want to be with him, and he wants to be with me."
Tara grinned, pulling Willow against her in a tight hug. She was so delighted that she failed to hear when Willow murmured very softly. "At least...I think so."
When all the preparations had been completed Giles insisted that they should rest. Spike agreed that there was time and despite the urgency they were all aware that they needed a little sleep before they ventured back out again.
It was decided that Giles would go to his bedroom and Faith and Buffy, who as the Slayers would need to be fully alert, would take the small guest bedroom.
The others would sleep in the living room. They sprawled over chairs and sofa, long limbs dangling awkwardly, convinced that they would not sleep, but sleep they all did, their exhaustion overcoming their concern.
Spike watched for a while then, satisfied that they all slept soundly, pulled his duster over his head and slipped out through the front door, peering cautiously out at the grim, dull day.
It was three hours later that he returned; carrying several large flat boxes that smelled invitingly of freshly baked dough, cheese, meat and herbs. He opened the door almost soundlessly, peering cautiously at the slumbering humans and satisfying himself that no one had awakened while he had been about his business.
He placed the boxes of piping hot pizza down on the coffee table and roused the others to eat, returning to the kitchen to heat up a mug of fresh pig's blood in the microwave, filled from a thermos that he had crammed into his coat pocket.
They left the apartment laden down with weapons, stakes jammed into pockets and trouser waistbands, crossbows flung over shoulders and small bags full of evil smelling concoctions of herbs and spices dangling from their necks.
Whether it was the effect of the bags, the fact that they finally knew what they were doing, or that they were together and ready to meet whatever was in front of them, or a combination of all three, they all felt better, walking with determined strides and resolute expressions.
There were only two hours of daylight left to them as they made their way once more toward the ruins and even then it was overcast, the greyness and damp of the early evening threatening to subdue their spirits. But even with the recent conflict between them they were aware that they had to work together in order to stand any chance of overcoming the evil that they were about to stand against.
They helped each other as they picked their way over the rubble that scattered the ground of the ruined school library. Buffy was the first to drop through into the passageway that led to the cavern, supporting and steadying the others as they followed her. She fought against the impulse to hug them all as she touched them, seeing the same thought in their eyes, but knowing that to acknowledge that impulse would be confirmation of the idea that they all shared, that this was a fight they did not think they could win.
Giles was last and she peered at him in the gloom, seeking reassurance that he was all right. Giles acknowledged this silent communication between them by nodding and squeezing her hand.
And so they made their way toward the challenge that awaited them, to save the world again or to die trying.
Spike took the lead as they rounded the corner into the cavern. The golems had seen him there before and, even with their inferior intelligence it was obvious from his previous visit that they had understood that he was a vampire, the same as one of the beings who commanded them and he was unlikely to be challenged by them.
There was no sign of Dru or Ethan. The flickering light of lanterns placed around the cavern gave a little illumination and the golems could be seen, gathered around the hole in the cavern floor, crudely sculpted soldiers standing stiffly to attention.
They turned at Spike's approach, but appeared to sense no threat. As the others came closer, however, they began to make awkward shuffling movements, some moving toward them, the others closer to the hole, protecting it from any threat.
Amy moved to the front, taking a small white cotton bag from around her neck and tossing it into their midst while chanting quietly, a frown of concentration on her face.
It landed in the middle of the nearest group of golems. Their huge misshapen heads lolled on their short thick necks as they looked down at the bag. One of them kicked at it, watching through round black eyes as it rolled away with the force of his kick.
For the first time Willow was close enough to notice that these were different from the golems she had read about, and seen illustrations of, in her books. She had read about golems, even before she had been called upon to do so for research.
The golem legends were part of Jewish legend, particularly the story of the Golem of Prague, but they had been finely sculpted, the image of a man, even if lacking a little in intelligence and grace.
She stared at these shambling mockeries of creation and almost felt sorry for them, until Tara grabbed at her arm, forcing her back as they came closer.
Buffy was also staring at the golems. She thought about the picture of the Golem of Prague in the book Willow had shown her. The one in the illustration was perfectly shaped, with a face that looked smooth and unlined.
These creatures had lumpish skulls, their faces and bodies looked like that of wax dummies that had been partially melted or Plasticine models fashioned by a clumsy and careless child.
Only the eyes were like those of the golem in the illustration. They shone, dark and glassy, apparently devoid of intelligence. Intelligence was not required of a golem. They were created and existed merely to do the bidding of their master, and their single-mindedness was what made them so dangerous. They would carry out their orders without a thought for their own safety.
Giles looked on in horror as the creatures came closer. Amy's eyes were almost shut, her forehead moist with perspiration, as she concentrated on speaking aloud the spell she had memorised. He shook his head, perplexed. This should work, it had to work. He had gone over it with her a number of times and he could see no reason for it not to work.
He looked around in confusion and saw the others looking at him, waiting for him to give them some guidance. Forcing himself to think clearly, he did the only thing he could.
"We have to give Amy some time for the spell to work." He shouted, moving towards the golems. "Spike, you, Tara and Willow should try to get to the opening. We'll do all that we can here."
He pulled the small crossbow from his shoulder and quickly fitted a bolt into it, holding it steady with both hands as he aimed for the forehead of the nearest golem. "We have to destroy the symbol. That's the only way to stop them."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "And that's going to be so easy, isn't it?" He muttered sarcastically, plucking a stake from the waistband of his trousers and moving cautiously toward the nearest golem.
He started slightly as he became aware that someone had joined him, glancing around nervously to see that it was Oz, stake in hand and a determined expression on his normally expressionless face.
Oz nodded and they moved forward together.
Willow looked over at them, close to tears as she saw the golems moving relentlessly toward them, then Spike grabbed her hand, hauling her past the creatures that were about to intercept her and nearer to the opening. Tara was ahead of them, her hands already reaching for the charms and potions hanging in small pouches from her neck.
Buffy glanced at Faith, nodding her head to the unspoken question in Faith's eyes. They were ready to fight. Faith's body movements mirrored her own. Both girls shifted nervously from one foot to another, bodies moving unconsciously into an attack position, hands raised, elbows held tightly to their bodies, anxious for the waiting to be at an end and for the fighting to begin.
When they moved, they did so as one, Faith yelling out a war cry as she launched herself forwards, feet crashing into the nearest group of three golems, sending them flying like nine pins and getting to her feet within seconds while her victims wriggled awkwardly on the ground.
Buffy kicked out her leg, grunting at the force of the impact as she connected with the neck of the nearest golem with a snap that would have broken the neck of any other creature, but merely staggered this being of mud. Her fist crashed into another, while she drove her elbow into the throat of a third, sending both reeling to the ground.
Giles steadied his aim, ignoring the golems moving closer to him and concentrating on the small symbol in the centre of the forehead of the nearest creature. He fired and the bolt smacked into the centre of the symbol. Chunks of dried earth flew into the air, obliterating the writing and the golem instantly dissolved into a puddle of wet mud, splattering the bodies of the nearby creatures with a moist slapping sound.
Encouraged by Giles' success, Xander and Oz raised their arms, rushing the nearest creatures with the stakes directed towards their heads, aiming for the symbol, as Giles fitted another bolt into the crossbow, steadied and aimed again.
Amy was retreating backwards into a corner of the cavern, her lips moving almost soundlessly as she repeated the words of the spell, trying to ignore the sounds of fighting around her and to concentrate on what she was doing. Her back hit the cold uneven wall and her eyes flickered open. She faltered, looking around the cavern where the powerful monsters of mud outnumbered her friends and closed her eyes once more, starting the spell from the beginning once again.
Oz and Xander were being pushed back, their human strength useless against the might of the golems. Thrusting out blindly with his stake, Xander managed, more by luck than judgement, to scratch his stake across the forehead of one of them, grimacing with disgust as the wet mud spattered his clothes.
"Oh man, can't these things be less messy to kill?" He complained. "One of these days I'm going to fight something that doesn't cover me with dust or ooze."
Giles fired and missed, falling backwards as the nearest golem struck out at him with a fist that might have been made of iron.
Buffy and Faith crashed into a group of six golems, arms and legs connecting with enough power to break bones. But the golems had no bones to break no blood to spill. They staggered, then regained their balance and kept advancing, driving the Slayers back and away from the witches huddled over the opening while Spike tried to give them sufficient time to complete their spell.
Buffy glanced over at him and he shook his head, telling her what she already knew. This was hopeless, a battle that they could not hope to win.
She looked around at where Giles lay on the ground, unmoving, at where Oz and Xander had been forced against the cavern wall, arms raised above their heads in an attempt to ward off the blows, at Amy, nearly hysterical in a corner of the cavern.
She heard a cry and saw Faith fly sideways, her head connecting loudly with the jagged wall, falling bonelessly to the dirt floor. Just before she was overcome, the golems driving her to her knees, she looked across at Spike and saw that he too had fallen and that Tara and Willow had been surrounded and driven away from the opening, their charms and potions torn from their bodies and littering the ground.
Then the nearest golem struck out at her and she was forced to the ground, the air rushing from her body and her consciousness leaving her as one of the golems pitched forward on top of her.
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 Seven
Giles stared at him aghast. "What on earth gives you that idea? Even Ethan wouldn't do something like that."
"Wouldn't he?" Buffy raised her eyebrows. "From what I've seen of him, I wouldn't put anything past him."
Giles shook his head. "He's ruthless, but he's not insane. If he lets the devil out, the world ends. I don't think that even Ethan would want that."
Spike shrugged. "Then how do you explain the fact that he's doing his best to sabotage Dru's spells?"
"He is? You're sure?"
Spike nodded.
"Then we have to stop him. We can't let it happen."
"Well, duh, we know that. How are we going to do it?" Faith snorted.
"If you bloody lot would give me a chance, I was just coming to that."
They all looked at Spike and he nodded slowly at their questioning glances.
"I found some spells to counteract all that Dru is setting up. We've got everything that we need; we just have to get things ready. When it is, we have to get to that hole in the cavern. Tara and Red can perform the ritual, throw in a few things and it will close up." He grinned. "That's all there is to it."
Xander raised his eyebrows. "And what about the mud men? Are they just going to let us past them? Because I don't think so."
Spike shrugged. "I can't think of everything, you know. You lot are going to have to find a way to get rid of them."
Buffy nodded thoughtfully. "All it takes is for you, Tara and Willow to get to the hole and do the spell? That leaves the rest of us to distract the golems, to let you get on with it."
Xander stared at her. "Distract them? What where you planning on doing? Work it out, Buff. There are twenty of them, and six of us. And they're indestructible, remember?"
Willow shook her head. "Not completely. If you get rid of the writing on their forehead, they'll just crumble into dust."
"And how do we get close enough to do that? Any ideas?" Faith asked.
Willow shook her head again. "According to the legend, you have to wipe it off and then the golem will dissolve back into dust again.
"Wait a minute. I think I might have one." Xander frowned; thinking hard as the others waited to hear his suggestion. "Do you have to wipe it off, or can you cover it over?"
"I don't know." Willow admitted. "What's your idea?"
"What if we covered it over somehow? We could blast more mud over it so that it couldn't be seen?"
Giles shook his head. "No, it wouldn't work. It would still be there, even though it was covered over. We have to think of something else."
"I think I might be able to do something." Amy ventured, growing pale as everyone turned to look at her.
Giles gave her an encouraging smile. "Yes, Amy?"
"I found something. It was in one of your books. I can show it to you. It's a confusion spell and it seems quite simple."
She jumped to her feet and went to the bookcase, taking down a large thin book and carrying it over to Giles. She flicked quickly through the pages and pointed out the spell to him. Giles read it, nodding slowly as he reached the end of the page.
"Yes, I think this might work, Amy. Well done." He beamed at her and Amy blushed slightly.
He looked towards the others. "It's a confusion spell." He explained. "What happens is that the subject of the spell becomes disorientated, unable to perform even simple tasks. It can be used on a group of people, or in this case golems."
Willow and Tara glanced at each other, nodding their agreement. "But can you do the spell, Giles? Because Tara and I are going to have our hands full with the ritual."
Giles thought for a moment. "I can do better than that." He said, looking at Amy once again. "Do you think you could handle this sort of spell, Amy?"
Amy smiled and nodded. "Yes, I think so." She saw the worried glances that the others were giving. "Yes, of course I can." She stated firmly.
Giles nodded. "Fine. Then it's all settled. Well, if everyone has finished their meal, we'd best get on with things."
Spike showed Willow and Tara the ritual to seal the opening as the others worked on the ingredients for the spell.
Giles and Amy read through the confusion spell, carefully rehearsing the words to make sure that nothing could go wrong.
Faith sat next to Oz at the table, Buffy and Xander sitting opposite them, as they followed the instructions given to them by Spike and prepared the charms and potion.
Faith brushed back her hair from her face and made a face as she caught a few strands in her necklace. Oz tried to help her; concerned that she might break the flimsy looking silver chain. The pendant caught Buffy's eye and she smiled.
"That's not your usual kind of jewellery, Faith." She said. "It's really pretty though. I noticed it a few days ago and I meant to tell you then."
Faith grinned. "Amy gave it to me. She said it was some kind of lucky charm."
Buffy smiled. "You two are really good friends, aren't you?"
When it had become obvious that Faith and Amy had become friends, Buffy had expressed her amazement to Giles that two such different people could get along so well. Giles had told her that it wasn't surprising. Both Faith and Amy had come as late additions to the Scooby gang and didn't have quite the same closeness as the rest of them enjoyed. He told Buffy that in his opinion it was a good thing, and Buffy had to agree with him.
Oz, clearly anxious despite his deadpan expression, glanced over at Willow and Tara, and saw with some relief that they were talking together in the same easy way as they always had.
Xander noticed and grinned at him. "Just like old times." He commented, hastily adding. "Well, not quite, but you know what I mean."
Oz nodded, silently watching the two girls for a moment. "I just hope that Willow finds someone, you know?"
Buffy intervened, unable to hold her tongue any longer. "She has."
Oz looked at her, surprised. "She has?" He looked at Xander, realisation suddenly dawning. "Oh, man. That's great. You and Willow." He grinned, putting out his hand and beginning to pat Xander lightly on his shoulder as Xander tried to smile in return.
Oz's smile froze on his face as Xander's expression told him that something was wrong. He thought about the way that he had acted with Willow and mentally kicked himself. Then he glanced over at the two witches and frowned.
He had come back to be with Willow, but then he had met Tara again. His feelings for Tara had seemed so natural and right that everything else had gone out of his mind. But how could something like that have happened so suddenly? He shook his head, trying to clear it of the confusion that he felt.
He looked down as he felt someone touch his arm and looked up into a face full of concern.
"What's wrong, Oz?" Buffy asked him.
"I don't know." He admitted, his glance straying over to Tara and Willow. "What's going on? I don't understand."
"Let's not worry about that now, Oz. We'll take care of things in the Hellmouth and then we'll work everything out. I can't find the Asafoetida root. Do you think you might have left it in the car? I hope it hasn't tipped out. That stuff stinks!"
Oz got up quickly and Buffy thought that he seemed grateful for an excuse to get out of the apartment. "I'll check." He said, pulling the car keys out of his pocket and going to the door.
As soon as he had left, Faith frowned at Buffy. "What was that about?", she asked. "That stuff you were talking about is in the kitchen. Giles put it in an airtight container, because of the smell."
Buffy nodded. "I know. I wanted to distract him. I just didn't want him to start thinking too much about what happened between him and Tara. It might be because of the spell, or it might not, but the last thing we need right now is two emotionally charged and upset werewolves."
Xander nodded. "Good idea. But someone should go out and stop him before he tears the car apart looking for something that's not there."
Faith got up. "I'll give him a few minutes and then go tell him that we found it in the kitchen. I'll blame it all on Giles." She paused before going to the door, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Why do you think he thought about it now?"
Xander thought for a moment, then gestured at the things laid out on the table in front of them. "There's probably something here that affected him. All of this stuff is from the magic shop, after all. I'll mention it to Giles, when he and Amy have finished. It might help."
Faith nodded and turned to follow Oz out to the car. As she walked away Xander added. "Of course, we can't be sure whether the spell attracted him to Tara or confused things, can we?"
Spike was enjoying himself immensely. He was in charge again and he loved it. He nodded at Tara and Willow, finally satisfied with the performance of the ritual before moving on to the table, peering closely at the efforts of the others.
Of course the irony of the situation was not lost on him. On the previous occasions when he had been involved in so much complex planning he had been working against Buffy and the Scooby gang. Now he was working with them and against Drusilla, his Drusilla, and it wasn't for the first time either.
He silently wondered how it had come to this and stifled a sigh, nodding his reply to a question from the blonde Slayer that he had hardly listened to, his mind suddenly drawn to other matters. His enjoyment of the situation dissipated as he thought about the events that had led him to this moment.
Willow bit her lip as Spike moved away, leaving her alone with Tara for the first time. The blonde witch glanced away, then back, not meeting Willow's eyes as she searched desperately for something to say, her look of panic turning to one of confusion as she heard Willow give a low chuckle. Tara looked up into Willow's face, frowning slightly.
"I've been dreading this and, from the way you look, so have you." Willow said softly, a small smile of amusement turning up the corners of her mouth.
Tara sighed and nodded. "Yes, yes, I have. "
"Can you forgive me, Tara?"
Tara's eyes widened in surprise as she heard the pain in Willow's whispered question. "I... what?"
"It's my fault that you're the way you are. I'm responsible."
Tara shook her head. "No, you're not. Oz is..." Her voice trailed off as she realised what she had said and she stared over at the table, where Oz was now sitting next to Faith, his back to her.
"No one is." She said, after a pause, tearing her eyes away from Oz and looking down at her lap, where her hands clenched together, the knuckles turning white.
Her anger at the way Willow had treated her had turned to acceptance and resignation soon after she had returned to her family. Tara had never expected the relationship to last. In her mind it had been too good to be true.
Willow reached out and touched her hands, gently separating them and taking one of them into her grasp. "It's okay, Tara. If you want to be with Oz, I'm okay with it." She smiled and the warmth of the smile melted any reserve that Tara still felt. "I'm more than okay with it."
Tara smiled back. "You're sure?"
Willow nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. It was sudden, that's all. But I suppose I can understand it, and I'm glad that you two have someone." She refrained from adding the thought that continued in her mind, 'I just wish it didn't have to be each other.'
She looked puzzled for a moment as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "When did you stop stuttering?"
Tara paused, taken aback by her bluntness, then laughed. "Since the full moon. It seems that werewolves don't stutter. It's a pretty strange side effect and I wouldn't recommend the cure."
Willow nodded, lost for words. Tara squeezed her hand lightly. "It's not your fault, you know."
Willow bit her lip. "I treated you so badly, Tara. You didn't deserve that."
Tara shook her head. "You didn't. It was the spell you were under. It wasn't your fault." She sighed, looking down at her lap as she continued. "We were happy, but I never thought that it would last. I'd see you looking at Xander and I always knew that I was second best."
She felt Willow stiffen and quickly added. "Not that you ever made me feel that way. You made me happy and I think that I made you happy too. But you need to work out how you really feel about Xander."
Willow smiled. "I have."
Tara looked up at her, surprised and a little apprehensive.
"I want to be with him, and he wants to be with me."
Tara grinned, pulling Willow against her in a tight hug. She was so delighted that she failed to hear when Willow murmured very softly. "At least...I think so."
When all the preparations had been completed Giles insisted that they should rest. Spike agreed that there was time and despite the urgency they were all aware that they needed a little sleep before they ventured back out again.
It was decided that Giles would go to his bedroom and Faith and Buffy, who as the Slayers would need to be fully alert, would take the small guest bedroom.
The others would sleep in the living room. They sprawled over chairs and sofa, long limbs dangling awkwardly, convinced that they would not sleep, but sleep they all did, their exhaustion overcoming their concern.
Spike watched for a while then, satisfied that they all slept soundly, pulled his duster over his head and slipped out through the front door, peering cautiously out at the grim, dull day.
It was three hours later that he returned; carrying several large flat boxes that smelled invitingly of freshly baked dough, cheese, meat and herbs. He opened the door almost soundlessly, peering cautiously at the slumbering humans and satisfying himself that no one had awakened while he had been about his business.
He placed the boxes of piping hot pizza down on the coffee table and roused the others to eat, returning to the kitchen to heat up a mug of fresh pig's blood in the microwave, filled from a thermos that he had crammed into his coat pocket.
They left the apartment laden down with weapons, stakes jammed into pockets and trouser waistbands, crossbows flung over shoulders and small bags full of evil smelling concoctions of herbs and spices dangling from their necks.
Whether it was the effect of the bags, the fact that they finally knew what they were doing, or that they were together and ready to meet whatever was in front of them, or a combination of all three, they all felt better, walking with determined strides and resolute expressions.
There were only two hours of daylight left to them as they made their way once more toward the ruins and even then it was overcast, the greyness and damp of the early evening threatening to subdue their spirits. But even with the recent conflict between them they were aware that they had to work together in order to stand any chance of overcoming the evil that they were about to stand against.
They helped each other as they picked their way over the rubble that scattered the ground of the ruined school library. Buffy was the first to drop through into the passageway that led to the cavern, supporting and steadying the others as they followed her. She fought against the impulse to hug them all as she touched them, seeing the same thought in their eyes, but knowing that to acknowledge that impulse would be confirmation of the idea that they all shared, that this was a fight they did not think they could win.
Giles was last and she peered at him in the gloom, seeking reassurance that he was all right. Giles acknowledged this silent communication between them by nodding and squeezing her hand.
And so they made their way toward the challenge that awaited them, to save the world again or to die trying.
Spike took the lead as they rounded the corner into the cavern. The golems had seen him there before and, even with their inferior intelligence it was obvious from his previous visit that they had understood that he was a vampire, the same as one of the beings who commanded them and he was unlikely to be challenged by them.
There was no sign of Dru or Ethan. The flickering light of lanterns placed around the cavern gave a little illumination and the golems could be seen, gathered around the hole in the cavern floor, crudely sculpted soldiers standing stiffly to attention.
They turned at Spike's approach, but appeared to sense no threat. As the others came closer, however, they began to make awkward shuffling movements, some moving toward them, the others closer to the hole, protecting it from any threat.
Amy moved to the front, taking a small white cotton bag from around her neck and tossing it into their midst while chanting quietly, a frown of concentration on her face.
It landed in the middle of the nearest group of golems. Their huge misshapen heads lolled on their short thick necks as they looked down at the bag. One of them kicked at it, watching through round black eyes as it rolled away with the force of his kick.
For the first time Willow was close enough to notice that these were different from the golems she had read about, and seen illustrations of, in her books. She had read about golems, even before she had been called upon to do so for research.
The golem legends were part of Jewish legend, particularly the story of the Golem of Prague, but they had been finely sculpted, the image of a man, even if lacking a little in intelligence and grace.
She stared at these shambling mockeries of creation and almost felt sorry for them, until Tara grabbed at her arm, forcing her back as they came closer.
Buffy was also staring at the golems. She thought about the picture of the Golem of Prague in the book Willow had shown her. The one in the illustration was perfectly shaped, with a face that looked smooth and unlined.
These creatures had lumpish skulls, their faces and bodies looked like that of wax dummies that had been partially melted or Plasticine models fashioned by a clumsy and careless child.
Only the eyes were like those of the golem in the illustration. They shone, dark and glassy, apparently devoid of intelligence. Intelligence was not required of a golem. They were created and existed merely to do the bidding of their master, and their single-mindedness was what made them so dangerous. They would carry out their orders without a thought for their own safety.
Giles looked on in horror as the creatures came closer. Amy's eyes were almost shut, her forehead moist with perspiration, as she concentrated on speaking aloud the spell she had memorised. He shook his head, perplexed. This should work, it had to work. He had gone over it with her a number of times and he could see no reason for it not to work.
He looked around in confusion and saw the others looking at him, waiting for him to give them some guidance. Forcing himself to think clearly, he did the only thing he could.
"We have to give Amy some time for the spell to work." He shouted, moving towards the golems. "Spike, you, Tara and Willow should try to get to the opening. We'll do all that we can here."
He pulled the small crossbow from his shoulder and quickly fitted a bolt into it, holding it steady with both hands as he aimed for the forehead of the nearest golem. "We have to destroy the symbol. That's the only way to stop them."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "And that's going to be so easy, isn't it?" He muttered sarcastically, plucking a stake from the waistband of his trousers and moving cautiously toward the nearest golem.
He started slightly as he became aware that someone had joined him, glancing around nervously to see that it was Oz, stake in hand and a determined expression on his normally expressionless face.
Oz nodded and they moved forward together.
Willow looked over at them, close to tears as she saw the golems moving relentlessly toward them, then Spike grabbed her hand, hauling her past the creatures that were about to intercept her and nearer to the opening. Tara was ahead of them, her hands already reaching for the charms and potions hanging in small pouches from her neck.
Buffy glanced at Faith, nodding her head to the unspoken question in Faith's eyes. They were ready to fight. Faith's body movements mirrored her own. Both girls shifted nervously from one foot to another, bodies moving unconsciously into an attack position, hands raised, elbows held tightly to their bodies, anxious for the waiting to be at an end and for the fighting to begin.
When they moved, they did so as one, Faith yelling out a war cry as she launched herself forwards, feet crashing into the nearest group of three golems, sending them flying like nine pins and getting to her feet within seconds while her victims wriggled awkwardly on the ground.
Buffy kicked out her leg, grunting at the force of the impact as she connected with the neck of the nearest golem with a snap that would have broken the neck of any other creature, but merely staggered this being of mud. Her fist crashed into another, while she drove her elbow into the throat of a third, sending both reeling to the ground.
Giles steadied his aim, ignoring the golems moving closer to him and concentrating on the small symbol in the centre of the forehead of the nearest creature. He fired and the bolt smacked into the centre of the symbol. Chunks of dried earth flew into the air, obliterating the writing and the golem instantly dissolved into a puddle of wet mud, splattering the bodies of the nearby creatures with a moist slapping sound.
Encouraged by Giles' success, Xander and Oz raised their arms, rushing the nearest creatures with the stakes directed towards their heads, aiming for the symbol, as Giles fitted another bolt into the crossbow, steadied and aimed again.
Amy was retreating backwards into a corner of the cavern, her lips moving almost soundlessly as she repeated the words of the spell, trying to ignore the sounds of fighting around her and to concentrate on what she was doing. Her back hit the cold uneven wall and her eyes flickered open. She faltered, looking around the cavern where the powerful monsters of mud outnumbered her friends and closed her eyes once more, starting the spell from the beginning once again.
Oz and Xander were being pushed back, their human strength useless against the might of the golems. Thrusting out blindly with his stake, Xander managed, more by luck than judgement, to scratch his stake across the forehead of one of them, grimacing with disgust as the wet mud spattered his clothes.
"Oh man, can't these things be less messy to kill?" He complained. "One of these days I'm going to fight something that doesn't cover me with dust or ooze."
Giles fired and missed, falling backwards as the nearest golem struck out at him with a fist that might have been made of iron.
Buffy and Faith crashed into a group of six golems, arms and legs connecting with enough power to break bones. But the golems had no bones to break no blood to spill. They staggered, then regained their balance and kept advancing, driving the Slayers back and away from the witches huddled over the opening while Spike tried to give them sufficient time to complete their spell.
Buffy glanced over at him and he shook his head, telling her what she already knew. This was hopeless, a battle that they could not hope to win.
She looked around at where Giles lay on the ground, unmoving, at where Oz and Xander had been forced against the cavern wall, arms raised above their heads in an attempt to ward off the blows, at Amy, nearly hysterical in a corner of the cavern.
She heard a cry and saw Faith fly sideways, her head connecting loudly with the jagged wall, falling bonelessly to the dirt floor. Just before she was overcome, the golems driving her to her knees, she looked across at Spike and saw that he too had fallen and that Tara and Willow had been surrounded and driven away from the opening, their charms and potions torn from their bodies and littering the ground.
Then the nearest golem struck out at her and she was forced to the ground, the air rushing from her body and her consciousness leaving her as one of the golems pitched forward on top of her.