Title: Of Magic and Machinations (18/20)
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X... naturally.
Description: Buffy and Xander have found Giles, but Giles is... well, you read on. Angel is flying to England for a ritual that involves the children. Willow, Oz and Sarah are on their way to the UK as well. The fuse has been lit. Get ready for a big bang!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but an Electro Woman and Dyna Girl t-shirt, and a fern that's on its last leg. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters. I just borrow them for the occasional party.
*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*8*8*
"This can't be happening."
Oz put his arm around his wife and hugged her tightly. "We'll get them back." He glanced across the aisle of the Boeing 777 to see Sarah Potts, the newest Slayer, sound asleep. "Sarah will help us find Buffy. Everything will be okay."
Willow looked back to her spell book. "I wish I felt as confident of that as you seem to."
"Hey, Jenny is like her mom. She's strong and smart. I have to believe that she knows we're coming for her."
"I hope so," Willow said. "I'm worried that we can't get Buffy and Xander... or Giles."
"I know," Oz said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But Buffy and Xander... heck, even Giles... they've been in danger before and they always come out on top."
"Not always," Willow said with a worried expression. "Faith died. So did Xander and ... Tara."
He smiled at her. "We brought Xander back."
"Only because he had a desire to come back. It wouldn't have worked for Tara. We had talked about it... about what would happen if either of us..."
"And she didn't want you to try?"
"No."
"I always wondered."
She smiled weakly. "And... if something happens to Xander this time..."
"The spell only works once," Oz said. "I remember."
"The thing is," Willow said, "I have that same feeling of disaster that I had when we stormed Wolfram and Hart."
"Me too," Oz admitted. "But we'll get through this. I promise."
Willow leaned forward and kissed her husband. "Somehow, when you say it... I almost believe it."
"I don't believe it," Buffy said weakly. "You back-stabbing son of a..."
"Buffy," Giles said sternly. "We don't have time for this. Hate me all you want, but if Xander is to live, you must come with me."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked through her tears. "Why hurt the children?"
Giles turned his gaze from that of his younger charge. "Pick him up. There is a car waiting downstairs."
Buffy moved faster than he had ever known her to move. Giles found himself unable to breathe as the Slayer's grip tightened around his throat. "Give me the antidote now, or I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands."
"I... don't ... have it," Giles said as he gasped for air. "Have... to come... with me."
Buffy punched him hard. Giles landed on the floor struggling to breathe. The Slayer moved to her lover and lifted him over her shoulder. She looked down at her Watcher with contempt. "If he dies, you die."
Angel stepped out into the cool wind and inhaled. The scent of familiar surroundings was strangely comforting... even after he saw the limousine waiting for him. He made himself comfortable in the back without ever looking up to see if he was alone.
"Hello, Angel," an all too familiar voice said. The tone wasn't quite right, so Angel looked up. He was alone. Lilah's voice was being piped in. The air got a little colder, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"So glad you could make it," she said. "There's a file on the seat next to you. Check it out. You might find it interesting."
Angel picked up the file. It was marked "confidential." Once opened, he scanned through the highlighted sections. He again felt a tingle in his spine that he couldn't shake. "Oh my..."
"Angel?" Lilah said through the speakers. "Now that you know the truth, how do you feel? Enlightened?"
"I... I can't..."
"Oh, Angel?"
Something about her voice made him queasy. It was then that he realized that she never intended for him to reach his destination. "Y-yes?"
"Bye-bye!"
The explosion was heard for miles.
Anya zipped around the airport, looking for her son. She was invisible unless she chose to be seen, but stealth was needed, so she stayed hidden. She knew Oz, Willow and Sarah would be landing within a few hours. Anya hoped to have a location to report. Unfortunately, she hadn't made any progress... until she saw a familiar face.
She followed him invisibly until he stepped into a limousine. She then passed her intangible form through the side of the car and waited to see what Angel was up to. Once inside, she heard a woman's voice. She noticed him tense. She knew her presence was sometimes felt, but Angel always seemed to be more in tune with it, even when he had posed as Xander. She listened intently to the woman. Angel picked up a file from the seat next to him. She read over his shoulder, and was shocked by what she read.
She knew what was happening long before Angel sensed it. She barely had time to react before the limousine exploded in a ball of fire.
"Poison, huh?" Xander looked at his surroundings with blurry vision. Buffy held a damp cloth to his head. They were in a small room. It was dark and filthy.
"Yeah," she said, kissing him gently, "but I'll get the cure."
"I'm not worth it," he said with a grin. "Even YOU know that."
She couldn't help but grin at him. "You know I won't sacrifice the children."
"I know," he said, closing his eyes. He had a raging fever, and his body occasionally convulsed.
"I won't lose YOU either," she said flatly. "We'll figure this out. I promise. Just hang on."
"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly. "Not after I fought so hard to get back."
"You didn't foresee this in your vision?" she asked.
"Would it have changed anything?" Xander asked in response. "I saw that I would be sick... just not how I would get this way."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"Because we have to be here. I don't know why we have to be here, but we do."
"You should have said something," Buffy said. "If nothing else, you should've mentioned it would be Giles."
"I didn't know it would be Giles," Xander admitted. "The PTB conveniently left that part out."
"Great."
"Any idea why they want the kids dead?"
"No. Does it matter?"
"No. We all get out... or none of us get out. That's MY plan."
She smiled. "Good plan, Xan!"
"Hey, I'm the man," he wheezed.
"Stop with the rhyming."
"Just as fast as I can."
"Should I add... out of the frying pan?" Ethan Rayne asked as he stepped into the room. "Because I have to say... things are looking more grim for you lot by the minute."
Buffy stood up and pulled her fist back to strike.
"Please, Ms. Summers... oh, excuse me... Mrs. Harris... You shouldn't hurt the man with your husband's cure."
"What did you do to Giles?" Buffy demanded.
"Ripper? Why, nothing. I simply showed him the light, as it were." Ethan grinned. "You see, this time I wear the white hat, Buffy."
"Right. You're a good guy."
"In this instance, I am." Ethan stepped over to the Slayer and held out a file. It was marked "classified." Buffy took it.
"You're the devil, himself," Buffy said, "if you think I'll have a hand in the death of those children... of my own daughter!"
"You may feel differently," Ethan said with a smile. "Once you've read that file."
"What's in it?" Xander asked from his position on the floor.
"The truth, Alexander," Ethan said. "The cold, hard truth."
To Be Continued...
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X... naturally.
Description: Buffy and Xander have found Giles, but Giles is... well, you read on. Angel is flying to England for a ritual that involves the children. Willow, Oz and Sarah are on their way to the UK as well. The fuse has been lit. Get ready for a big bang!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but an Electro Woman and Dyna Girl t-shirt, and a fern that's on its last leg. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters. I just borrow them for the occasional party.
*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*8*8*
"This can't be happening."
Oz put his arm around his wife and hugged her tightly. "We'll get them back." He glanced across the aisle of the Boeing 777 to see Sarah Potts, the newest Slayer, sound asleep. "Sarah will help us find Buffy. Everything will be okay."
Willow looked back to her spell book. "I wish I felt as confident of that as you seem to."
"Hey, Jenny is like her mom. She's strong and smart. I have to believe that she knows we're coming for her."
"I hope so," Willow said. "I'm worried that we can't get Buffy and Xander... or Giles."
"I know," Oz said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But Buffy and Xander... heck, even Giles... they've been in danger before and they always come out on top."
"Not always," Willow said with a worried expression. "Faith died. So did Xander and ... Tara."
He smiled at her. "We brought Xander back."
"Only because he had a desire to come back. It wouldn't have worked for Tara. We had talked about it... about what would happen if either of us..."
"And she didn't want you to try?"
"No."
"I always wondered."
She smiled weakly. "And... if something happens to Xander this time..."
"The spell only works once," Oz said. "I remember."
"The thing is," Willow said, "I have that same feeling of disaster that I had when we stormed Wolfram and Hart."
"Me too," Oz admitted. "But we'll get through this. I promise."
Willow leaned forward and kissed her husband. "Somehow, when you say it... I almost believe it."
"I don't believe it," Buffy said weakly. "You back-stabbing son of a..."
"Buffy," Giles said sternly. "We don't have time for this. Hate me all you want, but if Xander is to live, you must come with me."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked through her tears. "Why hurt the children?"
Giles turned his gaze from that of his younger charge. "Pick him up. There is a car waiting downstairs."
Buffy moved faster than he had ever known her to move. Giles found himself unable to breathe as the Slayer's grip tightened around his throat. "Give me the antidote now, or I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands."
"I... don't ... have it," Giles said as he gasped for air. "Have... to come... with me."
Buffy punched him hard. Giles landed on the floor struggling to breathe. The Slayer moved to her lover and lifted him over her shoulder. She looked down at her Watcher with contempt. "If he dies, you die."
Angel stepped out into the cool wind and inhaled. The scent of familiar surroundings was strangely comforting... even after he saw the limousine waiting for him. He made himself comfortable in the back without ever looking up to see if he was alone.
"Hello, Angel," an all too familiar voice said. The tone wasn't quite right, so Angel looked up. He was alone. Lilah's voice was being piped in. The air got a little colder, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"So glad you could make it," she said. "There's a file on the seat next to you. Check it out. You might find it interesting."
Angel picked up the file. It was marked "confidential." Once opened, he scanned through the highlighted sections. He again felt a tingle in his spine that he couldn't shake. "Oh my..."
"Angel?" Lilah said through the speakers. "Now that you know the truth, how do you feel? Enlightened?"
"I... I can't..."
"Oh, Angel?"
Something about her voice made him queasy. It was then that he realized that she never intended for him to reach his destination. "Y-yes?"
"Bye-bye!"
The explosion was heard for miles.
Anya zipped around the airport, looking for her son. She was invisible unless she chose to be seen, but stealth was needed, so she stayed hidden. She knew Oz, Willow and Sarah would be landing within a few hours. Anya hoped to have a location to report. Unfortunately, she hadn't made any progress... until she saw a familiar face.
She followed him invisibly until he stepped into a limousine. She then passed her intangible form through the side of the car and waited to see what Angel was up to. Once inside, she heard a woman's voice. She noticed him tense. She knew her presence was sometimes felt, but Angel always seemed to be more in tune with it, even when he had posed as Xander. She listened intently to the woman. Angel picked up a file from the seat next to him. She read over his shoulder, and was shocked by what she read.
She knew what was happening long before Angel sensed it. She barely had time to react before the limousine exploded in a ball of fire.
"Poison, huh?" Xander looked at his surroundings with blurry vision. Buffy held a damp cloth to his head. They were in a small room. It was dark and filthy.
"Yeah," she said, kissing him gently, "but I'll get the cure."
"I'm not worth it," he said with a grin. "Even YOU know that."
She couldn't help but grin at him. "You know I won't sacrifice the children."
"I know," he said, closing his eyes. He had a raging fever, and his body occasionally convulsed.
"I won't lose YOU either," she said flatly. "We'll figure this out. I promise. Just hang on."
"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly. "Not after I fought so hard to get back."
"You didn't foresee this in your vision?" she asked.
"Would it have changed anything?" Xander asked in response. "I saw that I would be sick... just not how I would get this way."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"Because we have to be here. I don't know why we have to be here, but we do."
"You should have said something," Buffy said. "If nothing else, you should've mentioned it would be Giles."
"I didn't know it would be Giles," Xander admitted. "The PTB conveniently left that part out."
"Great."
"Any idea why they want the kids dead?"
"No. Does it matter?"
"No. We all get out... or none of us get out. That's MY plan."
She smiled. "Good plan, Xan!"
"Hey, I'm the man," he wheezed.
"Stop with the rhyming."
"Just as fast as I can."
"Should I add... out of the frying pan?" Ethan Rayne asked as he stepped into the room. "Because I have to say... things are looking more grim for you lot by the minute."
Buffy stood up and pulled her fist back to strike.
"Please, Ms. Summers... oh, excuse me... Mrs. Harris... You shouldn't hurt the man with your husband's cure."
"What did you do to Giles?" Buffy demanded.
"Ripper? Why, nothing. I simply showed him the light, as it were." Ethan grinned. "You see, this time I wear the white hat, Buffy."
"Right. You're a good guy."
"In this instance, I am." Ethan stepped over to the Slayer and held out a file. It was marked "classified." Buffy took it.
"You're the devil, himself," Buffy said, "if you think I'll have a hand in the death of those children... of my own daughter!"
"You may feel differently," Ethan said with a smile. "Once you've read that file."
"What's in it?" Xander asked from his position on the floor.
"The truth, Alexander," Ethan said. "The cold, hard truth."
To Be Continued...
