Title: Of Magic and Machinations (17/20)
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X for the most part.
Description: The children have been taken. Angel is the culprit. The Watcher's Council has once again been slaughtered, as a new Slayer emerges. Giles has been spellbound by the enemy, and nothing is as it seems. That pretty much sums it up.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a pair of knickerbockers and a half-eaten can of Spam. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters. I just bend them to my own evil will.
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*
"No answers," Sarah said, entering the kitchen of Willow and Oz's simple home. "Buffy must not have her cell phone turned on."
Willow was in her wheelchair near the small breakfast table where her laptop was busy spitting out information. Willow was rubbing her temples. It had been a long night. "We can't delay for her. We have to find the children on our own."
"Can't find a pilot who will agree to fly us tonight without knowing where the destination is," Oz said, stepping into the kitchen from the den. "They apparently have no sense of mystery."
"They don't need one," Willow said, eyeing her laptop. "They're headed for Seattle."
"Seattle?" Sarah questioned. "What's in Seattle?"
"Coffee?" Oz offered.
"Maybe they're only routing through Seattle. I'll check for possible connections."
"That'll take time we don't have," Oz reminded. "I'm gonna get on that plane for Seattle. If they stay there, I'll find them. If not, you can call my cell and I'll redirect."
"What are you gonna do alone?" Sarah asked. "You're hardly Mr. Olympus, and if you wolf out, there's no telling what might happen."
"She's right," Willow said. "We should wait to see if Anya finds Angel. He's still our best bet. He may be human, but I'd feel better if you were here when we confront him."
Oz nodded. "Agreed."
"In the meantime, I'll keep tracking the plane," Willow said. "And hope that Buffy calls soon."
"Damn," Buffy said under her breath. She was changing clothes and trying hard to fight her jet lag while Xander took mental inventory of the weapons they had taken from the Watchers' headquarters.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I can't find my cell phone. I had it on the plane, but it's not in my bag. You didn't take it did you?"
"No. Didn't even know you had it with you."
"Hmm. We should call Willow's and make sure everything is okay at home. I haven't felt this uneasy since the Wolfram and Hart debacle."
"Debacle? Since when do you say debacle?"
She couldn't help smiling at him. "Since I grew up and learned the big words. Not everyone can be seventeen forever."
"Ah," Xander said with a grin.
There was suddenly a knock at the door.
Buffy shot Xander a look. He grabbed a crossbow and took a position behind the door. Buffy approached the door cautiously. She silently mouthed a three count as Xander readied the crossbow. At three, she threw the door open and grabbed their mystery guest by the collar. She threw him across the bed. He landed hard on the other side.
"Who are you?" She asked. "And what have you done with..."
It was then that the man stood to his feet and Buffy got a good look at him.
"Giles!"
"Angel boarded a plane to London," Anya said. She hovered in the middle of Willow's den.
"London?" Oz asked. "Why would...?"
"It doesn't matter," Willow said. "We have to get there. Call the pilot."
"On it," Oz said, heading to use the kitchen phone.
"I'm gonna take the ghost roads," Anya said, "and see if I can't find Buffy and Xander."
"Good idea," Sarah said. "We'll join up with you guys there. Remember, the Watcher's can't be trusted. You'll have to find Buffy and her boy toy on your own."
"He's her husband," Anya reminded. She turned to Willow. "Is she always this rude?"
"Pretty much."
"Husband... sex kitten... whatever," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "Just find them."
"Sarah, I need your help packing a few of my casting supplies," Willow said. "I have a feeling we're gonna need them."
"Keen," Sarah said sarcastically. "I just love fireworks."
Angel shook his head. He desperately wished the whole situation were different. Wolfram and Hart were the last people he wanted to work for, but he had no choice.
He had left Sunnydale for London just hours ago, He had already been through Los Angeles, his old stomping grounds, for a connection. It brought back memories of his time there with Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn. They were all dead now, killed at the hands of Angelus. Then, he thought of Doyle, who sacrificed himself so that Angel could live on to meet his destiny. Angel suddenly wished Doyle hadn't bothered.
"You must come with me immediately," Giles said.
Buffy and Xander just stared at him for a moment. After a second or two, Buffy threw her arms around him. To the casual observer, it would seem a perfectly natural reaction. Xander, however, knew that Buffy was attempting to make sure they weren't dealing with a shapeshifter.
Giles evidently was onto them. "I'm not a shapeshifter, Buffy. I just managed to escape those loathsome creatures. They replaced certain people in the Council."
"And killed the others," Buffy said. "Xander and I found a massacre at librarian central."
Giles looked suddenly disturbed. "Yes, well... We shall certainly make them pay."
"Them?" Xander asked.
"Wolfram and Hart," Giles explained, "or whatever is left of it."
"I knew I had a bad feeling about this," Buffy said. "I better call and check on the kids." Buffy turned her back and started dialing the phone.
"Ow!" Xander said behind her. She turned her head just as Willow and Oz's answering machine picked up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xander slumping to the floor. She dropped the receiver and whirled around. Giles was standing over Xander with a hypodermic needle.
"Wh-what did you do?" she asked, dropping and checking his pulse.
"Shot a mixture of things into his bloodstream," Giles said matter-of-factly. "One was something to knock him out for a short time. The other is a poison."
"Poison?" Buffy looked up with tears in her eyes.
"There is an antidote," Giles said. "Which I'll give him, once you let me inject you with this." He held up another syringe.
"Why? What have you done with the real Giles?"
"I am the real Giles," he said coldly. "But the stakes are far too high... the task far too difficult for you, not to give you some incentive."
"What? What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to kill your friends' children," he said coldly. "And once their blood is spilled, I want you to sacrifice your daughter."
To Be Continued...
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X for the most part.
Description: The children have been taken. Angel is the culprit. The Watcher's Council has once again been slaughtered, as a new Slayer emerges. Giles has been spellbound by the enemy, and nothing is as it seems. That pretty much sums it up.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a pair of knickerbockers and a half-eaten can of Spam. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters. I just bend them to my own evil will.
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*
"No answers," Sarah said, entering the kitchen of Willow and Oz's simple home. "Buffy must not have her cell phone turned on."
Willow was in her wheelchair near the small breakfast table where her laptop was busy spitting out information. Willow was rubbing her temples. It had been a long night. "We can't delay for her. We have to find the children on our own."
"Can't find a pilot who will agree to fly us tonight without knowing where the destination is," Oz said, stepping into the kitchen from the den. "They apparently have no sense of mystery."
"They don't need one," Willow said, eyeing her laptop. "They're headed for Seattle."
"Seattle?" Sarah questioned. "What's in Seattle?"
"Coffee?" Oz offered.
"Maybe they're only routing through Seattle. I'll check for possible connections."
"That'll take time we don't have," Oz reminded. "I'm gonna get on that plane for Seattle. If they stay there, I'll find them. If not, you can call my cell and I'll redirect."
"What are you gonna do alone?" Sarah asked. "You're hardly Mr. Olympus, and if you wolf out, there's no telling what might happen."
"She's right," Willow said. "We should wait to see if Anya finds Angel. He's still our best bet. He may be human, but I'd feel better if you were here when we confront him."
Oz nodded. "Agreed."
"In the meantime, I'll keep tracking the plane," Willow said. "And hope that Buffy calls soon."
"Damn," Buffy said under her breath. She was changing clothes and trying hard to fight her jet lag while Xander took mental inventory of the weapons they had taken from the Watchers' headquarters.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I can't find my cell phone. I had it on the plane, but it's not in my bag. You didn't take it did you?"
"No. Didn't even know you had it with you."
"Hmm. We should call Willow's and make sure everything is okay at home. I haven't felt this uneasy since the Wolfram and Hart debacle."
"Debacle? Since when do you say debacle?"
She couldn't help smiling at him. "Since I grew up and learned the big words. Not everyone can be seventeen forever."
"Ah," Xander said with a grin.
There was suddenly a knock at the door.
Buffy shot Xander a look. He grabbed a crossbow and took a position behind the door. Buffy approached the door cautiously. She silently mouthed a three count as Xander readied the crossbow. At three, she threw the door open and grabbed their mystery guest by the collar. She threw him across the bed. He landed hard on the other side.
"Who are you?" She asked. "And what have you done with..."
It was then that the man stood to his feet and Buffy got a good look at him.
"Giles!"
"Angel boarded a plane to London," Anya said. She hovered in the middle of Willow's den.
"London?" Oz asked. "Why would...?"
"It doesn't matter," Willow said. "We have to get there. Call the pilot."
"On it," Oz said, heading to use the kitchen phone.
"I'm gonna take the ghost roads," Anya said, "and see if I can't find Buffy and Xander."
"Good idea," Sarah said. "We'll join up with you guys there. Remember, the Watcher's can't be trusted. You'll have to find Buffy and her boy toy on your own."
"He's her husband," Anya reminded. She turned to Willow. "Is she always this rude?"
"Pretty much."
"Husband... sex kitten... whatever," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "Just find them."
"Sarah, I need your help packing a few of my casting supplies," Willow said. "I have a feeling we're gonna need them."
"Keen," Sarah said sarcastically. "I just love fireworks."
Angel shook his head. He desperately wished the whole situation were different. Wolfram and Hart were the last people he wanted to work for, but he had no choice.
He had left Sunnydale for London just hours ago, He had already been through Los Angeles, his old stomping grounds, for a connection. It brought back memories of his time there with Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn. They were all dead now, killed at the hands of Angelus. Then, he thought of Doyle, who sacrificed himself so that Angel could live on to meet his destiny. Angel suddenly wished Doyle hadn't bothered.
"You must come with me immediately," Giles said.
Buffy and Xander just stared at him for a moment. After a second or two, Buffy threw her arms around him. To the casual observer, it would seem a perfectly natural reaction. Xander, however, knew that Buffy was attempting to make sure they weren't dealing with a shapeshifter.
Giles evidently was onto them. "I'm not a shapeshifter, Buffy. I just managed to escape those loathsome creatures. They replaced certain people in the Council."
"And killed the others," Buffy said. "Xander and I found a massacre at librarian central."
Giles looked suddenly disturbed. "Yes, well... We shall certainly make them pay."
"Them?" Xander asked.
"Wolfram and Hart," Giles explained, "or whatever is left of it."
"I knew I had a bad feeling about this," Buffy said. "I better call and check on the kids." Buffy turned her back and started dialing the phone.
"Ow!" Xander said behind her. She turned her head just as Willow and Oz's answering machine picked up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xander slumping to the floor. She dropped the receiver and whirled around. Giles was standing over Xander with a hypodermic needle.
"Wh-what did you do?" she asked, dropping and checking his pulse.
"Shot a mixture of things into his bloodstream," Giles said matter-of-factly. "One was something to knock him out for a short time. The other is a poison."
"Poison?" Buffy looked up with tears in her eyes.
"There is an antidote," Giles said. "Which I'll give him, once you let me inject you with this." He held up another syringe.
"Why? What have you done with the real Giles?"
"I am the real Giles," he said coldly. "But the stakes are far too high... the task far too difficult for you, not to give you some incentive."
"What? What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to kill your friends' children," he said coldly. "And once their blood is spilled, I want you to sacrifice your daughter."
To Be Continued...
