Pacing around the small tomb, Xander thought about what he would tell Buffy about what happened. Maybe he could tell her that Anya was already gone when he got to the tomb. Of course, that would be a lie. And it would make Buffy question his ability as part of the team. If he couldn't catch his girlfriend in a chase, would could he do? There was always the truth. But again, it would make Buffy question his abilities. Or, even worse, Buffy might not even care if Anya was gone forever. But he cared. He cared a great deal.
Xander knew he could have stopped Anya from teleporting or whatever she did, he knew it. What should he have done to stop her? Was she gone for good because of him?
Then, suddenly, there was a flash of light and out of it stepped a perturbed Anya. An unexplainable joy swept over Xander when he saw her. Anya saw this joy on his face and for a moment, she shared his joy. But it was only a brief moment which she quickly shrugged off. He caught this and doubted himself. What if she had gotten her powers back and was about to sike a band of killer bees on him?
"So, uh, how'd it go?" Xander asked cautiously. 'Yes, conversation, good. Buy yourself some time,' he thought.
Anya shot him a murderous glare. "There's some bad news and some not as bad news."
"You're only going to sike bumble bees on me?" he asked hopefully.
"What?"
"Nevermind. So what's the news?"
"Well," she said, "I didn't obtain my powers again but D'Hoffryn did offer me a way to get them back."
"Oh, I'm... happy for you," Xander lied unenthusiastically.
"You should be especially since you're going to help with the process."
"Hold on, what? I think I missed something. I knew I should've fired my secretary."
At this point, Anya wasn't listening. She was instead attempting to open the large stone door that sealed them in the tomb.
"I have one question," Anya started.
"Only one?" Xander muttered.
"Well, two. One is, where am I and the other is who are you?"
Xander didn't answer for a moment so he could figure out what to say. The first question was easy to answer, of course. In fact, Anya had probably heard of Sunnydale as the Hellmouth during her demon days. But how was he supposed to answer the second question delicately?
"Well, you're in Sunnydale and I'm you're boyfriend, the guy you like to have sex with," Xander informed her.
"My boyfriend? I'm human *and* I have a boyfriend?" Anya spat, ashamed of herself.
"It could be worse. You could be a construction worker."
Anya gave him a questioning look which Xander responded to with a shrug.
"Anyway, don't you want to know what you're going to help me with?" Anya asked somewhat impatiently.
"Yes, yes, of course," Xander replied.
"You're going to assist me with the capture of the Sirenial Sisters."
Xander perked up at this.
"D'Hoffryn said they have a lot going on in the demon dimension the Sirenial Sisters are imprisoned in. Nothing too profound but just a lot of small conflicts. Anyway, it's enough to distract the police there. So, long story diminutive, someone performed a summoning spell that released the Sirenial Sisters," Anya explained.
"It looks like we're a better match for each other than we thought," Xander grinned.
****
"So what's the plan, captain?" Graham asked as he peered out through the branches of a bush.
Ten men in camouflage were crouched together behind a large mass of bushes.
"Well, I was thinking we could look for local Wiccan groups or hang outs. We may be able to find either the demons themselves or the witches who summoned them," Riley informed the group he'd put together.
"So basically it's an all night deal. Or at least what's left of the night," Forrest said.
"We can always split up into two groups of five and then divide the town in half. If Dr. Walsh had given me a larger team..."
"Riley, man, there was what some might call a Code Red situation at headquarters. Dr. Walsh couldn't afford to loose many men," Graham intervened.
Riley nodded, knowing his friend was right. After looking out again through the branches, he turned to a blonde man close to his side.
"Damon, take Peter, Carter, Brint and Carl. You guys look through the north and east parts of town from Burry Street to Rose Court," Riley commended.
After hearing his commends, the blond man nodded and turned to the appointed men.
"Let's move out," Damon commended as he motioned to the men in his squad.
"We'll report back here at 0500 hours," Riley said.
"But, sir, that's only in three and a half hours, will we have time to cover everything?" Damon asked.
"I'm not sure but if we don't we'll be able to re-strategize when we meet."
Damon and his squad left the hiding place to explore their appointed part of town. Riley kept his men back to inform them on his plans.
"We'll take the rest of town. But first, I want to make one quick stop."
****
"Back for more?"
The same redhead who came to the door last time answered it again. But this time, there were two tired women behind her instead of one. And there were some scuffling noises from both of the closets.
"No," Buffy said quickly as she stepped between Spike and the door. She didn't trust that vampire when it came to baked goods. "Look, this is going to sound strange..."
"It's college, everything's strange around here," Cullena smiled.
Buffy laughed awkwardly, hoping to fill time while she thought of what to say.
"I know it's late but one of my," Spike poked her discreetly on the back, "our friend, I mean, told us you were a witch," Buffy made up as she went along.
The red haired women seemed shocked and suspicious. She turned to look at the women behind her who seemed just as shocked and suspicious.
"By witch she means Wiccan. You are in a Wiccan group, right?" Spike questioned, thinking Buffy had said the wrong thing which had made the women uncomfortable.
While she no longer looked shocked, the women in front of them still seemed suspicious and, they sensed, a little nervous. The other two women cautiously approached the door and surrounded the red head in an act of support. Spike could sense Buffy's uneasiness as she tried to slowly inch back.
"Who's your friend?" Karen asked. She and the other woman who had approached, Charlotte, seemed to be more afraid that the redhead.
Spike exchanged glances with Buffy who seemed to give him approval to tell.
"Willow Rosenberg, red hair, green eyes, tall, cute as hell."
Buffy was the only one who heard the melancholy and longing that lurked beneath Spike's indifferent tone. She looked up at him softly and felt some pity for the vampire. He did seem to really love Willow. But, she reminded herself, he hadn't proven himself to her yet.
After a brief hesitation, the three women in the dorm exchanged glances like Buffy and Spike had. Suddenly, there was a loud crash from inside one of the closets.
"Mice?" Cullena offered with a syrupy smile.
"Um, no, we don't know any Willow Rosenbergs, sorry," Karen said quickly and began to shut the door.
Putting out a hand, Spike stopped the heavy oak door, desperation on his features.
"So you guys aren't in a Wiccan group together?" Spike asked.
"No, sorry," Charlotte called.
"But you're having a bake sale!" Spike cried somewhat frantically.
Slowly the door opened a little bit and Cullena stuck out her red-locked head.
"Do you know how many people could be having a bake sale at any given time?"
The door slammed shut with a powerful bang that echoed down the silent halls of the college.
Xander knew he could have stopped Anya from teleporting or whatever she did, he knew it. What should he have done to stop her? Was she gone for good because of him?
Then, suddenly, there was a flash of light and out of it stepped a perturbed Anya. An unexplainable joy swept over Xander when he saw her. Anya saw this joy on his face and for a moment, she shared his joy. But it was only a brief moment which she quickly shrugged off. He caught this and doubted himself. What if she had gotten her powers back and was about to sike a band of killer bees on him?
"So, uh, how'd it go?" Xander asked cautiously. 'Yes, conversation, good. Buy yourself some time,' he thought.
Anya shot him a murderous glare. "There's some bad news and some not as bad news."
"You're only going to sike bumble bees on me?" he asked hopefully.
"What?"
"Nevermind. So what's the news?"
"Well," she said, "I didn't obtain my powers again but D'Hoffryn did offer me a way to get them back."
"Oh, I'm... happy for you," Xander lied unenthusiastically.
"You should be especially since you're going to help with the process."
"Hold on, what? I think I missed something. I knew I should've fired my secretary."
At this point, Anya wasn't listening. She was instead attempting to open the large stone door that sealed them in the tomb.
"I have one question," Anya started.
"Only one?" Xander muttered.
"Well, two. One is, where am I and the other is who are you?"
Xander didn't answer for a moment so he could figure out what to say. The first question was easy to answer, of course. In fact, Anya had probably heard of Sunnydale as the Hellmouth during her demon days. But how was he supposed to answer the second question delicately?
"Well, you're in Sunnydale and I'm you're boyfriend, the guy you like to have sex with," Xander informed her.
"My boyfriend? I'm human *and* I have a boyfriend?" Anya spat, ashamed of herself.
"It could be worse. You could be a construction worker."
Anya gave him a questioning look which Xander responded to with a shrug.
"Anyway, don't you want to know what you're going to help me with?" Anya asked somewhat impatiently.
"Yes, yes, of course," Xander replied.
"You're going to assist me with the capture of the Sirenial Sisters."
Xander perked up at this.
"D'Hoffryn said they have a lot going on in the demon dimension the Sirenial Sisters are imprisoned in. Nothing too profound but just a lot of small conflicts. Anyway, it's enough to distract the police there. So, long story diminutive, someone performed a summoning spell that released the Sirenial Sisters," Anya explained.
"It looks like we're a better match for each other than we thought," Xander grinned.
****
"So what's the plan, captain?" Graham asked as he peered out through the branches of a bush.
Ten men in camouflage were crouched together behind a large mass of bushes.
"Well, I was thinking we could look for local Wiccan groups or hang outs. We may be able to find either the demons themselves or the witches who summoned them," Riley informed the group he'd put together.
"So basically it's an all night deal. Or at least what's left of the night," Forrest said.
"We can always split up into two groups of five and then divide the town in half. If Dr. Walsh had given me a larger team..."
"Riley, man, there was what some might call a Code Red situation at headquarters. Dr. Walsh couldn't afford to loose many men," Graham intervened.
Riley nodded, knowing his friend was right. After looking out again through the branches, he turned to a blonde man close to his side.
"Damon, take Peter, Carter, Brint and Carl. You guys look through the north and east parts of town from Burry Street to Rose Court," Riley commended.
After hearing his commends, the blond man nodded and turned to the appointed men.
"Let's move out," Damon commended as he motioned to the men in his squad.
"We'll report back here at 0500 hours," Riley said.
"But, sir, that's only in three and a half hours, will we have time to cover everything?" Damon asked.
"I'm not sure but if we don't we'll be able to re-strategize when we meet."
Damon and his squad left the hiding place to explore their appointed part of town. Riley kept his men back to inform them on his plans.
"We'll take the rest of town. But first, I want to make one quick stop."
****
"Back for more?"
The same redhead who came to the door last time answered it again. But this time, there were two tired women behind her instead of one. And there were some scuffling noises from both of the closets.
"No," Buffy said quickly as she stepped between Spike and the door. She didn't trust that vampire when it came to baked goods. "Look, this is going to sound strange..."
"It's college, everything's strange around here," Cullena smiled.
Buffy laughed awkwardly, hoping to fill time while she thought of what to say.
"I know it's late but one of my," Spike poked her discreetly on the back, "our friend, I mean, told us you were a witch," Buffy made up as she went along.
The red haired women seemed shocked and suspicious. She turned to look at the women behind her who seemed just as shocked and suspicious.
"By witch she means Wiccan. You are in a Wiccan group, right?" Spike questioned, thinking Buffy had said the wrong thing which had made the women uncomfortable.
While she no longer looked shocked, the women in front of them still seemed suspicious and, they sensed, a little nervous. The other two women cautiously approached the door and surrounded the red head in an act of support. Spike could sense Buffy's uneasiness as she tried to slowly inch back.
"Who's your friend?" Karen asked. She and the other woman who had approached, Charlotte, seemed to be more afraid that the redhead.
Spike exchanged glances with Buffy who seemed to give him approval to tell.
"Willow Rosenberg, red hair, green eyes, tall, cute as hell."
Buffy was the only one who heard the melancholy and longing that lurked beneath Spike's indifferent tone. She looked up at him softly and felt some pity for the vampire. He did seem to really love Willow. But, she reminded herself, he hadn't proven himself to her yet.
After a brief hesitation, the three women in the dorm exchanged glances like Buffy and Spike had. Suddenly, there was a loud crash from inside one of the closets.
"Mice?" Cullena offered with a syrupy smile.
"Um, no, we don't know any Willow Rosenbergs, sorry," Karen said quickly and began to shut the door.
Putting out a hand, Spike stopped the heavy oak door, desperation on his features.
"So you guys aren't in a Wiccan group together?" Spike asked.
"No, sorry," Charlotte called.
"But you're having a bake sale!" Spike cried somewhat frantically.
Slowly the door opened a little bit and Cullena stuck out her red-locked head.
"Do you know how many people could be having a bake sale at any given time?"
The door slammed shut with a powerful bang that echoed down the silent halls of the college.