Chapter 6
Giles rushed to his house as quickly as his crappy little car would allow. He cursed as it stalled out in the street. **Bugger.I should really get a new car. Maybe something red and sporty** He thought as his car lurched to a halt in his drive. Rushing into the house he walked determinedly to his phone. He knew the number from long ago, but still he hesitated when he dialed. Gritting his teeth Giles knew what had to be done. He had to put the past behind him.
"Bradburry speaking." A crisp English voice answered the phone only to be greeted with silence. "Hello?" Giles sighed.
"You were in Sunnydale when you called weren't you?"
"Ripper." Bradburry paused. He wanted to help his old friend and the Slayer but he would have to be careful. The door opened and Chamers came up from the torture chamber. He would have to be careful. "Yes. That's true."
"You BASTARD! First you get Fiona killed and now Buffy! I know that you helped them in whatever they did to get to her. Blasted Council. When I find you-"
"Shut-up." Bradburry hissed. Chamers looked at him skeptically and Bradburry turned away. "All I can say is that when the dust settles, not everything is as it seems."
"What? What does that mean?"
"Go talk to your associate." Bradburry said before hanging up his phone quickly. Chamers looked at him curiously.
"Who was that?"
"That?" Bradburry panicked. "Err.my.maid. Yes. She was having some trouble." Chamers looked at him skeptically.
"If you've got a girl on the side, no one really cares." He replied before rolling his eyes and leaving room. Bradburry looked at the closed door with his mouth agape.
On the other side of the Atlantic Giles looked at the phone in his hand curiously. It started to beep at him and he hastily hung it back up. Dust settling? What could that mean? It could only mean that Buffy had indeed not been dusted.that would the easiest explanation. And talk to you an associate? Giles thought for a second. Wesley. Of course! The Council would need someone here who knew their group and could tell them the inner workings of their group. Well, one thing was certain. They would need to have a 'chat' with Mr. Wyndam-Price. A cruel smile lit up Giles' face as he called the Scoobies and told them to meet him at the library.
*~*~*~*~*~
Faith smiled in satisfaction as the dust from her prey settled around her. That was the fifth one tonight and even though the glint in her eye told the world that she was having fun, she was silent. Hearing a scream Faith ran off to another part of the cemetery and her eyes lit up in anticipation as she saw an ugly horned demon circling a young girl.
"Get away from her." Faith intoned coldly. The demon smirked at her.
"Make me." And without anymore preamble Faith pounced and the fight began. The girl wisely ran from the fight and Faith made sure she was out of sight and then deftly snapped the demon's neck. Brushing off her hands she turned to find her next kill when a sorrowful voice called to her.
"Faith." Angel said stepping from behind a statue. He had been watching her for the better part of the night. She seemed to be missing her zest and he was worried about her. If she wasn't careful she could start to like the killing too much and start to isolate herself from the others. "You can go. I'll take over patrol."
"No way. I am in the mood for a little action." She answered brusquely. She NEEDED to help.
"It's fine. I don't mind."
"But I do." Faith said sharply and glared at him. "I'm going to keep patrolling whether you like it or not." Angel was a little taken aback at her adamance but he started to get irritated as well. He knew that she had already been out there for a few hours and had to be getting tired. It was his turn now to help the helpless!
"Faith. You've been out here for hours. I think that I should take over for tonight." His voice raised a little as he started to get frustrated. She merely rolled her eyes.
"No way! I'm the Slayer and I decide when I slay and when I don't. And right now I slay!"
"I want to!" Angel shouted and winced when he realized that he sounded just like a teenage girl.
"No.it's my job!" They stood there for a moment glaring at each. "Uh. Angel?" Faith asked tentatively.
"What?" He was still feeling a little irritated that she apparently didn't want him to help out around town.
"Are we really arguing about who gets to protect the town more?" She asked with a half smile on her face. Angel soon saw the irony and looked at her a bit sheepishly.
"I think that we are." Faith laughed. Vampires looked funny when they were sheepish.
"What do you say that you and me work as a team and help protect the Scoobies and the rest of this sorry town?" Angel gave her a half smile and swept his hand in front of him in a mock bow.
"Lead the way." Faith laughed again and the two unlikely allies walked off into the night ready to kill some evil.
From the shadows of a mausoleum Wesley watched the souled vampire and slayer walk off companionably. He frowned. It was happening again. It seemed that Angel was getting close to another slayer and that could only end in one thing: his soul being lost and another slayer being turned. Well, he would not shirk his duty this time. Wesley marched off in the direction of the library. He knew that Quentin Travers would be very interested to learn of this new blossoming friendship.
*~*~**~*~*
The four teens looked at Giles in shock. He paused as he took in their expressions. He knew that telling them what he had learned from Faith and then from Bradburry would be a little hard to swallow, but they didn't have time to sit about if Buffy was still alive.
"So you're saying that the Buffster is still among the undead?" Xander asked breaking the tense silence.
"I believe so." Giles answered.
"And that the Watchers all set this up?" Cordelia asked. At least they knew that vampires were supposed to be all-evil but she always thought that Watchers were the good guys.
"That means that Wesley had to have helped set her up." Willow said in an icy voice that none of them recognized. Oz put his hand on Willow's arm and she have him a small smile in reassurance then went back to business. "If it was a spell that they used to make it seem like there was a monster attacking her then all traces would be gone."
"That would also explain why Xander just went right through the thing when he tried to attack it." Cordelia replied. She still couldn't believe that the supposed good guys would kidnap Buffy and torture them all by making them think that she was dead.
Just then Wesley walked in the library. He gave the group what he though appeared to be a sympathetic smile and began to walk into the office to place his phone call about Faith. Xander saw red. All he could see was Wesley smirking at him and jumped from his seat beside Cordelia.
"You bastard! You knew all along!" Xander punched a shocked Wesley in the face. Wesley fell to the ground and Xander stormed out of the library leaving a shocked Wesley behind. Cordelia quickly followed after Xander grabbing her purse and shooting Wesley a dirty look.
"What was that all about?" Wesley asked as he got to feet and brushed some dust off of his impeccable suit. Giles turned to glare at him and quickly grabbed him by the collar and pushed him in the wall.
"We know about the Council's plans for Buffy. We know that you helped them." Giles hissed. Wesley paled and looked to Willow and Oz for help. But Willow's eyes were nearly black and Oz looked like he was about to change into his wolf form any second.
"They made me do it!" Wesley cried out. Giles' eyes narrowed further.
"We know she's alive. Where is she?"
"They wouldn't tell me." Wesley muttered. Then he looked at them in all seriousness. "They don't trust me anymore than you do. They told me that they had killed her and I believed them. But I heard Quentin talking to her before they left for England." He paused and looked at the others. "They probably took her with them." Giles frowned at Wesley but his frown was quickly turned into a smirk.
"Thank-you Wesley." Wes watched him warily before inching towards the door. Giles let him go a few step before clonking him over the head with the book on vampires that he had picked up from the nearby table. Wesley slumped to the ground unconscious. "You'll be coming with us." He said to the unconscious watcher and signaled to Willow and Oz to help him tie Wesley.
*~*~*~*~*
Xander slammed open the door to the school and strode angrily out into the night not really hearing Cordelia yelling at him to wait up. All he could hear was the buzzing in his ears. Suddenly Xander feels a pain explode in his head and the world goes black.
"Xander!" Cordelia yelled from the doorway. She saw the vampire sneaking up on Xander, but he was too pulled into his rage to hear her warning. Feeling an intense panic well up within her, Cordelia screamed at the top of her lungs. Fortunately the vampire stopped before he actually bit Xander. Unfortunately his attention was now focused on Cordelia.
"I was just going to eat your boyfriend girly. But now I think that I'll turn you and let you do it instead." He said and smiled at her through his fangs. Cordelia scrambled to pull the cross out of her back but the vampire was too fast and quickly had her pushed up against a wall. She could feel his breath on her and just as his fangs pricked her skin, she felt a shower of dust and Angel stands where he would-be killer once was.
"Thanks." She says unsurely and flinches when Angel moves to help steady her still shaking form. Before the situation can become more awkward, Cordelia quickly went over to where Xander is still unconscious. Faith bounds over to the trio.
"You guys ok?" She asks Cordelia.
"I'm fine. And Xander will be fine too once the swelling goes down from this lump on his head." Cordelia smiles a bit sadly at Faith. Can't they have one day where someone isn't attacked?
"I'm sorry." Angel whispers. Cordelia can feel her fear bubbling up inside of her and quickly tries to push it down remembering what Giles told her.
"No. Thank-you for saving us." Cordy answered and Xander groans as he begins to come to.
"I'd better go." Angel says as Xander begins to shake himself awake. Faith gave Angel a small smile while he turned to leave the three teens on their own.
"Wait. You can't go." Angel and Faith look at Cordelia in surprise. Xander sits up and nods at her giving her his support. Cordelia stands up helping Xander to his feet and Faith helps to steady him as Cordelia moves to Angel. "We're going to need all the help that we can get."
"What? Why? I mean you know that I'm still here patrolling and everything." Angel stops once he notices the impatient look in Cordelia's eyes.
"Buffy's alive." Faith almost dropped Xander as soon as Cordelia spoke those words.
"Impossible!" The brunette Slayer exclaimed before she could stop herself. Cordy merely rolled her eyes at the pair.
"Ok. She's undead. The Council kidnapped her and made us think she's dust." Stunned silence greeted this revelation until Angel spoke in a tone that made their blood run cold.
"We have to go tell Spike and then.and then we need to go and kill some Watchers."
**~*~*~*~*~*~*~
hee hee
I hope that you guys liked that. I had this really bad feeling that this chapter was going to be sorta lame because I have all these plans for Chapter 7 that I needed to get set up. I would also like your opinion about a couple of things that I have been pondering since starting this sequel. The first is if I should have Faith and Angel hook up or just have them stay friends. I am leaning towards just friends but I thought it could work either way but if I wanted them to be more it would have to start to heat up a bit more. Also, I am a bit at a loss with what to do with Wesley. Should he be redeemed or continue to be a jerk. Sigh. Give me your opinions please! I really want to know what you guys are thinking. (
Giles rushed to his house as quickly as his crappy little car would allow. He cursed as it stalled out in the street. **Bugger.I should really get a new car. Maybe something red and sporty** He thought as his car lurched to a halt in his drive. Rushing into the house he walked determinedly to his phone. He knew the number from long ago, but still he hesitated when he dialed. Gritting his teeth Giles knew what had to be done. He had to put the past behind him.
"Bradburry speaking." A crisp English voice answered the phone only to be greeted with silence. "Hello?" Giles sighed.
"You were in Sunnydale when you called weren't you?"
"Ripper." Bradburry paused. He wanted to help his old friend and the Slayer but he would have to be careful. The door opened and Chamers came up from the torture chamber. He would have to be careful. "Yes. That's true."
"You BASTARD! First you get Fiona killed and now Buffy! I know that you helped them in whatever they did to get to her. Blasted Council. When I find you-"
"Shut-up." Bradburry hissed. Chamers looked at him skeptically and Bradburry turned away. "All I can say is that when the dust settles, not everything is as it seems."
"What? What does that mean?"
"Go talk to your associate." Bradburry said before hanging up his phone quickly. Chamers looked at him curiously.
"Who was that?"
"That?" Bradburry panicked. "Err.my.maid. Yes. She was having some trouble." Chamers looked at him skeptically.
"If you've got a girl on the side, no one really cares." He replied before rolling his eyes and leaving room. Bradburry looked at the closed door with his mouth agape.
On the other side of the Atlantic Giles looked at the phone in his hand curiously. It started to beep at him and he hastily hung it back up. Dust settling? What could that mean? It could only mean that Buffy had indeed not been dusted.that would the easiest explanation. And talk to you an associate? Giles thought for a second. Wesley. Of course! The Council would need someone here who knew their group and could tell them the inner workings of their group. Well, one thing was certain. They would need to have a 'chat' with Mr. Wyndam-Price. A cruel smile lit up Giles' face as he called the Scoobies and told them to meet him at the library.
*~*~*~*~*~
Faith smiled in satisfaction as the dust from her prey settled around her. That was the fifth one tonight and even though the glint in her eye told the world that she was having fun, she was silent. Hearing a scream Faith ran off to another part of the cemetery and her eyes lit up in anticipation as she saw an ugly horned demon circling a young girl.
"Get away from her." Faith intoned coldly. The demon smirked at her.
"Make me." And without anymore preamble Faith pounced and the fight began. The girl wisely ran from the fight and Faith made sure she was out of sight and then deftly snapped the demon's neck. Brushing off her hands she turned to find her next kill when a sorrowful voice called to her.
"Faith." Angel said stepping from behind a statue. He had been watching her for the better part of the night. She seemed to be missing her zest and he was worried about her. If she wasn't careful she could start to like the killing too much and start to isolate herself from the others. "You can go. I'll take over patrol."
"No way. I am in the mood for a little action." She answered brusquely. She NEEDED to help.
"It's fine. I don't mind."
"But I do." Faith said sharply and glared at him. "I'm going to keep patrolling whether you like it or not." Angel was a little taken aback at her adamance but he started to get irritated as well. He knew that she had already been out there for a few hours and had to be getting tired. It was his turn now to help the helpless!
"Faith. You've been out here for hours. I think that I should take over for tonight." His voice raised a little as he started to get frustrated. She merely rolled her eyes.
"No way! I'm the Slayer and I decide when I slay and when I don't. And right now I slay!"
"I want to!" Angel shouted and winced when he realized that he sounded just like a teenage girl.
"No.it's my job!" They stood there for a moment glaring at each. "Uh. Angel?" Faith asked tentatively.
"What?" He was still feeling a little irritated that she apparently didn't want him to help out around town.
"Are we really arguing about who gets to protect the town more?" She asked with a half smile on her face. Angel soon saw the irony and looked at her a bit sheepishly.
"I think that we are." Faith laughed. Vampires looked funny when they were sheepish.
"What do you say that you and me work as a team and help protect the Scoobies and the rest of this sorry town?" Angel gave her a half smile and swept his hand in front of him in a mock bow.
"Lead the way." Faith laughed again and the two unlikely allies walked off into the night ready to kill some evil.
From the shadows of a mausoleum Wesley watched the souled vampire and slayer walk off companionably. He frowned. It was happening again. It seemed that Angel was getting close to another slayer and that could only end in one thing: his soul being lost and another slayer being turned. Well, he would not shirk his duty this time. Wesley marched off in the direction of the library. He knew that Quentin Travers would be very interested to learn of this new blossoming friendship.
*~*~**~*~*
The four teens looked at Giles in shock. He paused as he took in their expressions. He knew that telling them what he had learned from Faith and then from Bradburry would be a little hard to swallow, but they didn't have time to sit about if Buffy was still alive.
"So you're saying that the Buffster is still among the undead?" Xander asked breaking the tense silence.
"I believe so." Giles answered.
"And that the Watchers all set this up?" Cordelia asked. At least they knew that vampires were supposed to be all-evil but she always thought that Watchers were the good guys.
"That means that Wesley had to have helped set her up." Willow said in an icy voice that none of them recognized. Oz put his hand on Willow's arm and she have him a small smile in reassurance then went back to business. "If it was a spell that they used to make it seem like there was a monster attacking her then all traces would be gone."
"That would also explain why Xander just went right through the thing when he tried to attack it." Cordelia replied. She still couldn't believe that the supposed good guys would kidnap Buffy and torture them all by making them think that she was dead.
Just then Wesley walked in the library. He gave the group what he though appeared to be a sympathetic smile and began to walk into the office to place his phone call about Faith. Xander saw red. All he could see was Wesley smirking at him and jumped from his seat beside Cordelia.
"You bastard! You knew all along!" Xander punched a shocked Wesley in the face. Wesley fell to the ground and Xander stormed out of the library leaving a shocked Wesley behind. Cordelia quickly followed after Xander grabbing her purse and shooting Wesley a dirty look.
"What was that all about?" Wesley asked as he got to feet and brushed some dust off of his impeccable suit. Giles turned to glare at him and quickly grabbed him by the collar and pushed him in the wall.
"We know about the Council's plans for Buffy. We know that you helped them." Giles hissed. Wesley paled and looked to Willow and Oz for help. But Willow's eyes were nearly black and Oz looked like he was about to change into his wolf form any second.
"They made me do it!" Wesley cried out. Giles' eyes narrowed further.
"We know she's alive. Where is she?"
"They wouldn't tell me." Wesley muttered. Then he looked at them in all seriousness. "They don't trust me anymore than you do. They told me that they had killed her and I believed them. But I heard Quentin talking to her before they left for England." He paused and looked at the others. "They probably took her with them." Giles frowned at Wesley but his frown was quickly turned into a smirk.
"Thank-you Wesley." Wes watched him warily before inching towards the door. Giles let him go a few step before clonking him over the head with the book on vampires that he had picked up from the nearby table. Wesley slumped to the ground unconscious. "You'll be coming with us." He said to the unconscious watcher and signaled to Willow and Oz to help him tie Wesley.
*~*~*~*~*
Xander slammed open the door to the school and strode angrily out into the night not really hearing Cordelia yelling at him to wait up. All he could hear was the buzzing in his ears. Suddenly Xander feels a pain explode in his head and the world goes black.
"Xander!" Cordelia yelled from the doorway. She saw the vampire sneaking up on Xander, but he was too pulled into his rage to hear her warning. Feeling an intense panic well up within her, Cordelia screamed at the top of her lungs. Fortunately the vampire stopped before he actually bit Xander. Unfortunately his attention was now focused on Cordelia.
"I was just going to eat your boyfriend girly. But now I think that I'll turn you and let you do it instead." He said and smiled at her through his fangs. Cordelia scrambled to pull the cross out of her back but the vampire was too fast and quickly had her pushed up against a wall. She could feel his breath on her and just as his fangs pricked her skin, she felt a shower of dust and Angel stands where he would-be killer once was.
"Thanks." She says unsurely and flinches when Angel moves to help steady her still shaking form. Before the situation can become more awkward, Cordelia quickly went over to where Xander is still unconscious. Faith bounds over to the trio.
"You guys ok?" She asks Cordelia.
"I'm fine. And Xander will be fine too once the swelling goes down from this lump on his head." Cordelia smiles a bit sadly at Faith. Can't they have one day where someone isn't attacked?
"I'm sorry." Angel whispers. Cordelia can feel her fear bubbling up inside of her and quickly tries to push it down remembering what Giles told her.
"No. Thank-you for saving us." Cordy answered and Xander groans as he begins to come to.
"I'd better go." Angel says as Xander begins to shake himself awake. Faith gave Angel a small smile while he turned to leave the three teens on their own.
"Wait. You can't go." Angel and Faith look at Cordelia in surprise. Xander sits up and nods at her giving her his support. Cordelia stands up helping Xander to his feet and Faith helps to steady him as Cordelia moves to Angel. "We're going to need all the help that we can get."
"What? Why? I mean you know that I'm still here patrolling and everything." Angel stops once he notices the impatient look in Cordelia's eyes.
"Buffy's alive." Faith almost dropped Xander as soon as Cordelia spoke those words.
"Impossible!" The brunette Slayer exclaimed before she could stop herself. Cordy merely rolled her eyes at the pair.
"Ok. She's undead. The Council kidnapped her and made us think she's dust." Stunned silence greeted this revelation until Angel spoke in a tone that made their blood run cold.
"We have to go tell Spike and then.and then we need to go and kill some Watchers."
**~*~*~*~*~*~*~
hee hee
I hope that you guys liked that. I had this really bad feeling that this chapter was going to be sorta lame because I have all these plans for Chapter 7 that I needed to get set up. I would also like your opinion about a couple of things that I have been pondering since starting this sequel. The first is if I should have Faith and Angel hook up or just have them stay friends. I am leaning towards just friends but I thought it could work either way but if I wanted them to be more it would have to start to heat up a bit more. Also, I am a bit at a loss with what to do with Wesley. Should he be redeemed or continue to be a jerk. Sigh. Give me your opinions please! I really want to know what you guys are thinking. (