Ryan sighed and sat down on a blue chair that puffed as he sat on it.
"Five years ago, Buffy's father, Hank Summers made a deal with a big firm
in Sunnydale, called Wolfram and Hart. Basically, Hank's business was
almost bankrupt and he needed some money. They stepped in, gave him to
money to straighten himself out. At first it was fine, he started earning
plenty of money again, bought a new house, a car. He was paying back the
money slowly as agreed. One day they turned around and asked for all the
money back. He didn't have it. They sent round bailiffs and took nearly
everything he owned, but it wasn't enough to pay them back. Eventually they
said he should sell his business and come and work for them. Hank started
to work his way up in the company. After a year, he was in what he thought
was quite a high position, but then he came across some dodgy dealing of
Wolfram and Hart. Some files on murders they had committed, basically taken
some people, killed them then wiped there birth certificate, licences etc.
He snooped around for a long time and found out a hell of a lot,
corruption, murder, fraud, a string of crimes. One day he made a file of
all the things he had found, ready to take it to the police the next day.
He went home and told his family. What he didn't know was his home,
telephone, car everything was bugged. They knew everything." Ryan paused a
second to collect himself before continuing, "Buffy left late that
afternoon to go to cheerleader practice. She had always had a bond with her
twin sister Faith, and during the practice she felt a pain in her throat
and knew something had happened. She ran home, but was too late. She found
Faith and her younger sister Dawn dead in the living room with their
throats slit. Joyce, her Mother was in the kitchen with multiple stab
wounds. She doesn't remember anything more from that point until waking up
at a hospital. Hank was found upstairs, shot in the head. She was in
hospital for four months under special protection, before they decided she
was alright to be released. She then moved in with us. They know she knows
their secrets, what they don't know is we do, as Hank told me everything in
a letter I received a few days before he was killed. She has been in hiding
for the past month, no problem but they have found her now. They want her
dead."
Tara stopped her quiet sobs and asked, "Why d.did they kill Mrs Walsh
then?" she stuttered. She always did it when she was upset or shy.
Ryan paused for a minute for before saying, "She knew. She was an old
friend of Giles and he trusted her to tell her."
"Do the police know?" Gunn asked, making no attempt to hide his tear
stained face.
"Yes. They got involved after they were killed. They are taking us into
hiding." Ryan said.
"When?" Angel asked.
Ryan glanced around, no one was there. "In a few minutes." He whispered.
"You're going? You can't just go." Willow blurted out.
"Where will you go?" Angel asked.
"We're just waiting for the police to come through with the information."
Ryan answered.
Just then his pager buzzed. "Hang on a minute." Ryan said, reading the
screen, "Emergency downstairs, I have to go."
He hurried off.
Everyone was quiet, really to shocked to say anything.
"How can one person go through all that and still be here?" Tara finally
murmured.
Willow clasped her hand through her girlfriends. Tara's own mother had died
giving birth to her, so she had never known her. Her father was more
interested in absorbing himself in work than looking after his daughter.
She was been a quiet, shy girl until she met Willow the first day of high
school. The group of them had managed to bring out the funny, strong woman
underneath.
'How could I not have seen anything? I could of helped her." Angel thought
to himself angrily.
Angel's parents had divorced when he was young. His mother was drunk most
of the time, cursing her ex husband. He lived with his father. He was a
nice man, but had no clue when it came to children and especially
teenagers, so he let Angel do whatever he wanted most of the time.
Just then a blonde woman came through the doors in a police officers
uniform. She was small but had a determined look on her face as if the
world was against her.
"Hello. Is Ryan Summers around?" she said.
"He got called to an emergency. Can we help?" Willow asked.
"No. It's a family thing." She replied.
"If it's about Buffy, then we know already." Gunn said.
She gave him a sharp look.
"Hello Kate." Giles said from the door, Laura by his side.
"Mr Giles, is it true these kids know everything?" Kate snapped.
"Yes. We agreed it was for the best." Giles informed her.
"Now you've endangered all of there lives! They are now all at risk." Kate
cried.
Laura stepped forward, "Angel was almost killed tonight. Don't you think he
should know why? They aren't stupid. Buffy's awake and she wants to see you
all."
