Part 13

Giles leaned an elbow against the new staircase railing and rubbed the back of his neck. "So, you've been able to verify that Doc has been around the Hellmouth during the last several months, and that he's probably been tracking your movements."

"We know Doc's been watching him." Buffy motioned toward the table where William and Dawn were looking for information on Time Wizards. "We also think that he might have been trying to kill us with the Suvolte eggs."

"How so?" Giles straightened to listen intently.

"He told Clem that the eggs were harmless and just needed a quiet dark place to sit for a few days. He was even the one who suggested that an old crypt might be an ideal spot. Clem knew Spike was looking for some extra cash." Buffy glanced around, uncomfortable about looking Giles in the eye. "If we had been down there unarmed when those things hatched out."

"I see." Giles cleared his throat. "Well then, did you feel like the Fyarl demons were attempting to kill you?"

"No." Buffy rejected the idea. "They were able to get the drop on us and could have killed Dawn and me pretty easily. I'm thinking more along the lines of a kidnapping."

"So Doc has gone from wanting you dead to needing you for some unknown purpose?"

Buffy nodded. "Maybe he wanted us dead for revenge, or. or to just get us out of the way."

Giles rubbed his chin. "Now, for whatever reason, he's decided that he needs you alive." He shook his head "I just don't know. There's something we're not seeing here." Giles pursed his lips as he thought deeply for a moment. "I'm going to make some calls that might prove enlightening."

"And we'll keep trying to get a bead on this guy." Buffy tuned to look at the other two again. "My main concern right now is Dawn and keeping her safe. Doc is the one who bled her that night. I won't let him harm her again."

***** Several hours later, after supper had been eaten and Dawn had showered and gone to bed, Buffy and William stepped out onto the back porch to discuss the situation quietly. Buffy sank down on the top step and wrapped her arms around herself, even though it was a warm evening. "I'll kill him before I ever let him near Dawn again."

"You'll have to wait in line, love." William sat down and patted his pockets, finally locating a nearly empty pack of cigarettes."

"I haven't seen you smoke since you came back."

"I've cut down." He lit up and dropped his lighter back into his pocket. "Don't want to make a bad impression on the kiddies." He looked up at the sky, and blew a trail of smoke up into the air. "Figured I could use a bit of the old vice tonight."

"About earlier," Buffy began tentatively. "What Clem said."

"Forget it Buffy." There was a faint growl in his voice.

"But, when we found those eggs. I didn't even give you a chance to explain."

He exhaled another trail of smoke and looked away from her. "Doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters."

"No." His voice was calm and deliberate. "It doesn't. You were right. I was evil and it was a stupid scheme. I don't know if it would have made any difference if I'd have known what was in the eggs."

She leaned forward and draped her arms around her knees, interlacing her fingers. "It makes a difference to me." She said in a small voice.

"Well then," He stood and ground out the cigarette with his boot heel. "I'd best be off and let you get some sleep."

She stood and slid her hands into her front pockets. "Good night. You try to get some rest too."

He paused in the moonlight, a faraway look in his eyes. "Good night, good rest. Ah, neither be my share."

"That's nice." She tilted her head. "Is there more?"

He twisted his lips into a wry smirk. "I don't think you'd much care for it."

"Go on." She urged him.

He closed his eyes, then continued: "She bade good night that kept my rest away; And daff'd me to a cabin hang'd with care, To descant on the doubts of my decay. 'Farewell,' quoth she, 'and come again tomorrow.' Fare well I could not, for I supp'd with sorrow."

He paused and opened his eyes to gauge her reaction. Her expression was thoughtful. "Finish it."

"Yet at my parting sweetly did she smile, In scorn or friendship, nill I construe whether. 'T may be, she joy'd to jest at my exile, 'T may be, again to make me wander thither. 'Wander,' a word for shadows like myself, As take the pain, but cannot pluck the pelf."

"I didn't know you knew poetry. What was that?"

"Shakespeare." He shifted uncomfortably, then turned to leave. "Well, good night then."

"William, I don't hate you."

"Perhaps you should."

Before Buffy could say another word the backyard was inexplicably filled with vampires. Most were newly risen from the smell of them. Buffy and William immediately moved so that they were standing back to back, their muscles poised for action, their eyes and ears on full alert.

"Well well, what have we here?" William drawled out in a sardonic tone that was belied by the tension Buffy could feel in his body. "Looks like we have some minions who stumbled into the wrong place."

The vamps moved in, closing in a tight circle around the two. Buffy counted eight. There were too many in close proximity for her to tell if more were hidden in the bushes. None of them spoke, except for growls of hunger and rage.

"Four for me and four for you." She said lightly.

"That's about the size of it."

"Good odds, I'd say."

Lightning swift they both sprang into action. Buffy grabbed the stake concealed in the back of her waistband and dusted two before they realized she was armed. William grabbed the head of one nearest to him and twisted viciously. He didn't wait for it to dissolve into dust before kicking another in the stomach and knocking it into a third. Buffy leapt into the air, spinning and catching a vamp in the head. It fell to the ground and she landed on top of it, staking it in a quick, smooth thrust. William grasped the arm of the fourth attacker and spun him around. Buffy stood ready and killed it, then tossed her stake to William, who finished off the two struggling to their feet. Buffy smiled at the remaining vampire, which had just realized his undead afterlife was nearly over.

"Something tells me you should have slept in tonight!" She quipped, before hurtling herself at the demon, bloodying its mouth and nose with vicious punches and smashing her knee into its groin. As it bent over, clutching its stomach she reached her hand up in the air and caught the stake, then slammed it home into the creature's back. She tucked her weapon back into her pants.

"Wow!" she turned to her partner, brushing her hands on her jeans to remove the fine particles of dust. "That was."

Their eyes met. He recognized the glow he saw in hers. He stepped back in retreat.

She took two steps forward, not breaking their eye contact.

"Buffy, you don't want to do this."

"Shut up." She launched herself onto him, knocking him onto his back. Her mouth found his and her fingers twined through his hair.

"Mmpf. Buffy. Please..." His protest was interrupted by her greedy kisses. Her hands crept down his shirt and back up underneath it. He was able to twist his head free. "Love, you're going to regret this..."

"No." And she was on him again, ripping his shirt open. He managed to gain a little leverage and flipped her over onto her back. When he attempted to stand she grabbed the sides of his torn shirt and pulled him back down on top of her. "William," she moaned.

At the sound of his name, he sank into her kiss, returning its fervor for a moment, before a measure of sanity returned and he pulled himself slightly away. "Buffy, think about this. You don't really want to... You'll hate yourself and me in the morning."

"No! No I won't." She denied feverishly, and reached for him once again. "Please..." Her voice was raw.

Suddenly his body was ripped away and flying through the air to land on the porch steps.

"What?" She sat up in a daze and looked into the furious face of Angel. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill him." Angel stated grimly. He marched over to the fallen vampire, lifted him by the now tattered shirt, and punched him twice in the face.

"Angel. Stop!" She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, then backhanded him across his cheek.

Angel looked at her in surprise. "I saw what he was doing to you. I heard you pleading with him."

"It's not what you think."

William pulled himself up and wiped the blood from his nose and mouth with the back of his hand. "Well, hello Peaches. Fancy meeting you here."

Angel advanced on him, rage darkening his features. "What did you think you were doing? You were sent here to help her, not rape her."

The words turned William cold. "I would never hurt her like that. Not again."

"Again?" Angel raised his fist and grabbed him.

Buffy wrenched his arm back. "You're not going to hit him. You will stop and listen."

"What's going on here Buffy?"

"Let's just all calm down and go inside to talk." She walked over to William. "And we need to clean your face up."

With nearly identical nods of their heads, the two vampires followed her inside the house, eyeing each other warily.