Title: Of Magic and Machinations (16/?)
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X
Description: Buffy and Xander are in England. Angel has revealed himself as a traitor. The new Slayer is in over her head, and what about the children?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a pair of Scooby Doo boxers, and a garlic press. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters.
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"Will? Honey, can you hear me?"
Willow heard Oz's voice, but it sounded far away. "Oz? I can't see you."
"Open your eyes, Will. I'm here."
Willow opened her eyes. It was dark, but she could see Oz's face. There was a deep gash across his forehead. "Oz?"
"I'm here," Oz said, pulling her gently into his arms. "I'm here, baby."
"The others?"
"We can't find Anya," Oz said. "Sarah ran outside to see if she could tell which way they went."
"They?" A horrible thought passed through her mind. "Where are the kids?"
"Willow, you're hurt. You need..."
"Where are the kids? Answer me!"
Oz ducked his head, hiding the tear that ran down his face.
"They're gone," Sarah said, running into the room. "There's no sign of them."
"Don't touch anything," Buffy cautioned. She stepped over the body of a young Watcher-in-training. The smell of death permeated the air.
"So not a problem," Xander said. He immediately forgot himself, and bent down to check the pulse of the young man.
"Don't bother," Buffy said coldly. "They're dead."
Xander stared at her a moment before standing up straight. "So far, no Giles. That's a plus."
"Strangely this doesn't instill me with hope."
"We'll find him alive. He'll live to tell me to stop touching the things in the shop for many years to come. You'll see."
Buffy looked at him blankly. "I'm sorry, but now is no time to be naïve."
"So hope is naïve now?" Xander took a step closer. "Strange. I thought hope was what we keep fighting for -- the hope that tomorrow may be a little brighter -- the hope that someday we'll win this damn fight, and the world will be aa better place for it."
"I can't... let myself hope, Xander." Buffy's eyes filled with tears. "I don't have any left."
He grabbed her roughly by the arms. "Find some. Hope is what brought me back to you. Hope is what brought you back when you sacrificed yourself for Dawn. Buffy, Giles needs you. We can save him. It's what we do."
"It's done?" Lilah asked.
"It's done. They should be delivered to you in a few days. Flying them would be too conspicuous, so they are only flying out of California to Seattle. Then they take a train to New York, where they'll catch their flight to London. Hopefully, even if they know we flew them out, Buffy and the others will expect them to fly out of L.A. instead. It should throw them off."
"You did a good thing," Lilah said.
"Right. You can say that because you didn't have to hurt your friends to make this work," Angel said.
"You have no idea who I hurt to get where I am," Lilah said. "Besides, you knew you had no choice. Now that the second phase of the plan is in motion with Mr. Giles, you can join us here in London."
"No. I'm done."
"Hardly. We need you. There is still the matter of the children. The ritual requires someone with the blood of many on their hands."
"You should qualify, Lilah. You do it."
"If I do it, it will be painful."
Angel clenched his jaw until it felt like it would shatter. Before he could form a thought, Lilah spoke again.
"We'll expect you tomorrow. You know where."
"I'll kill him," Willow said as Oz lowered her into her wheelchair. "What the hell did he shoot us with?"
"Some sort of tranquilizer," Sarah said. She lifted a small dart and sniffed it. "Pulled this one out of my chest. Smells funny. Why didn't he go for the kill?"
"I don't know," Willow said.
"I don't much care," Oz said. "We have to find him."
"What does he want with the kids?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know," Will answered. "Leverage of some sort, maybe."
"We need to find Anya," Oz said. "She might be able to track Angel."
"Already done," Anya said, phasing up through the floor. "I wasn't sure how long you guys would be out, so I followed. Angel took them to the private airfield south of town. He didn't go. He just loaded the kids. The plane was too small to be going far."
"Damn it," Sarah said. "We have no way of knowing where they are headed."
"And the kids have to be so scared," Willow said, resting her face in her hands.
"No," Anya said. "I slipped onto the plane. I whispered to Alex that we would come for them. I told him to be brave and look after Jenny and Dawn."
Willow reached out as if to touch Anya's hand. Instead, it moved through her. "Thank you."
"We need a plan," Oz said.
"We need Buffy," Anya added.
"I'll call the cell number she gave me," Sarah offered. "You guys work on finding us a plane. Maybe demon-gal can search for any flight plans that were filed for tonight at that air strip."
"Demon gal?" Anya questioned. "She knows that I used to..."
"She means me," Willow said. "I'll do some hacking. Oz, you work on the plane. Sarah can get Buffy on the phone."
"What about me?" Anya asked.
"You find Angel and follow him," Willow said. "I want to know the meaning of all this, and he has some answers."
"Oh, my God!"
Xander ran toward the sound of Buffy's voice. He found her in the main library, staring at the ceiling. He turned his gazed upward, and saw the cause of her exclamation.
"Oh, my God," he whispered himself. It was the only thought he could bring himself to think.
Written in blood across the vaulted ceiling was a message.
Slayer
Your day of reckoning has come
This is only the beginning
To Be Continued...
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X
Description: Buffy and Xander are in England. Angel has revealed himself as a traitor. The new Slayer is in over her head, and what about the children?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a pair of Scooby Doo boxers, and a garlic press. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters.
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"Will? Honey, can you hear me?"
Willow heard Oz's voice, but it sounded far away. "Oz? I can't see you."
"Open your eyes, Will. I'm here."
Willow opened her eyes. It was dark, but she could see Oz's face. There was a deep gash across his forehead. "Oz?"
"I'm here," Oz said, pulling her gently into his arms. "I'm here, baby."
"The others?"
"We can't find Anya," Oz said. "Sarah ran outside to see if she could tell which way they went."
"They?" A horrible thought passed through her mind. "Where are the kids?"
"Willow, you're hurt. You need..."
"Where are the kids? Answer me!"
Oz ducked his head, hiding the tear that ran down his face.
"They're gone," Sarah said, running into the room. "There's no sign of them."
"Don't touch anything," Buffy cautioned. She stepped over the body of a young Watcher-in-training. The smell of death permeated the air.
"So not a problem," Xander said. He immediately forgot himself, and bent down to check the pulse of the young man.
"Don't bother," Buffy said coldly. "They're dead."
Xander stared at her a moment before standing up straight. "So far, no Giles. That's a plus."
"Strangely this doesn't instill me with hope."
"We'll find him alive. He'll live to tell me to stop touching the things in the shop for many years to come. You'll see."
Buffy looked at him blankly. "I'm sorry, but now is no time to be naïve."
"So hope is naïve now?" Xander took a step closer. "Strange. I thought hope was what we keep fighting for -- the hope that tomorrow may be a little brighter -- the hope that someday we'll win this damn fight, and the world will be aa better place for it."
"I can't... let myself hope, Xander." Buffy's eyes filled with tears. "I don't have any left."
He grabbed her roughly by the arms. "Find some. Hope is what brought me back to you. Hope is what brought you back when you sacrificed yourself for Dawn. Buffy, Giles needs you. We can save him. It's what we do."
"It's done?" Lilah asked.
"It's done. They should be delivered to you in a few days. Flying them would be too conspicuous, so they are only flying out of California to Seattle. Then they take a train to New York, where they'll catch their flight to London. Hopefully, even if they know we flew them out, Buffy and the others will expect them to fly out of L.A. instead. It should throw them off."
"You did a good thing," Lilah said.
"Right. You can say that because you didn't have to hurt your friends to make this work," Angel said.
"You have no idea who I hurt to get where I am," Lilah said. "Besides, you knew you had no choice. Now that the second phase of the plan is in motion with Mr. Giles, you can join us here in London."
"No. I'm done."
"Hardly. We need you. There is still the matter of the children. The ritual requires someone with the blood of many on their hands."
"You should qualify, Lilah. You do it."
"If I do it, it will be painful."
Angel clenched his jaw until it felt like it would shatter. Before he could form a thought, Lilah spoke again.
"We'll expect you tomorrow. You know where."
"I'll kill him," Willow said as Oz lowered her into her wheelchair. "What the hell did he shoot us with?"
"Some sort of tranquilizer," Sarah said. She lifted a small dart and sniffed it. "Pulled this one out of my chest. Smells funny. Why didn't he go for the kill?"
"I don't know," Willow said.
"I don't much care," Oz said. "We have to find him."
"What does he want with the kids?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know," Will answered. "Leverage of some sort, maybe."
"We need to find Anya," Oz said. "She might be able to track Angel."
"Already done," Anya said, phasing up through the floor. "I wasn't sure how long you guys would be out, so I followed. Angel took them to the private airfield south of town. He didn't go. He just loaded the kids. The plane was too small to be going far."
"Damn it," Sarah said. "We have no way of knowing where they are headed."
"And the kids have to be so scared," Willow said, resting her face in her hands.
"No," Anya said. "I slipped onto the plane. I whispered to Alex that we would come for them. I told him to be brave and look after Jenny and Dawn."
Willow reached out as if to touch Anya's hand. Instead, it moved through her. "Thank you."
"We need a plan," Oz said.
"We need Buffy," Anya added.
"I'll call the cell number she gave me," Sarah offered. "You guys work on finding us a plane. Maybe demon-gal can search for any flight plans that were filed for tonight at that air strip."
"Demon gal?" Anya questioned. "She knows that I used to..."
"She means me," Willow said. "I'll do some hacking. Oz, you work on the plane. Sarah can get Buffy on the phone."
"What about me?" Anya asked.
"You find Angel and follow him," Willow said. "I want to know the meaning of all this, and he has some answers."
"Oh, my God!"
Xander ran toward the sound of Buffy's voice. He found her in the main library, staring at the ceiling. He turned his gazed upward, and saw the cause of her exclamation.
"Oh, my God," he whispered himself. It was the only thought he could bring himself to think.
Written in blood across the vaulted ceiling was a message.
Slayer
Your day of reckoning has come
This is only the beginning
To Be Continued...
