Part 10:

Buffy and Angel decided against hiding in the bathroom, mostly because they did not want to give Faith any further material for her teasing attacks. As Angel owned the entire building they simply went up one floor, using the empty apartment above their own as a listening post. The floorboards were thin enough that their supernatural hearing allowed them to hear everything that went on below.

Xander and Cordelia arrived at the apartment as well. No one made a comment on their arriving together, though there was the slightest of smiles on Faith's face. The younger Slayer had overheard one of their conversations a few weeks back and had seen how much it hurt Cordelia to stay apart from this stupid boy. Faith disliked Xander on principle, he had done too much to hurt Buffy for her to do anything else, but Cordelia had become something of a friend to Faith and maybe she was getting another shot at happiness here. Just maybe.

Willow had prepared the ritual for the Living Flame as best she could without the missing details and ingredients. Now she was looking into another spell she was planning to do, one that would help them find Amy.

"How is this supposed to work?" Oz asked. He had begun developing a certain interest in magic as well, most probably because he was still hoping that something from Amy's collection of spells could help him gain control of his lycanthropy, as it had done that night when all the masks had fallen away from Sunnydale's monsters.

"Much of this stuff belonged to Amy," Willow explained. "She has worked magic with these books, which means they carry something of an imprint of her. If I can put this tracing spell together in the right way ..."

Her voice trailed off as she became entranced in another paragraph. Her Latin was getting quite good, but she still did not understand why all these spell books had to be in outdated languages. Was English not good enough for ancient magicians? Or maybe even French, though she was toiling there. Right now the development of her magical skills seemed to be hampered a lot by her lacking language skills.

Maybe once Buffy was not so busy with all the bad currently descending on Sunnydale anymore she would be able to teach her friend some of those languages she had picked up from Angel.

Everyone looked up when the door flew open without a knock, admitting a rather hurried-looking Watcher into the apartment. Post's eyes went immediately to Faith, dismissing everyone else.

"Faith, good. Where is the glove?"

"Where is Giles?" the Slayer asked in return, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Wasn't he supposed to come with you?"

"He is getting the rest of the ingredients from the car. We have to hurry, though. Lagos ..."

"No need to worry about him anymore," Xander announced happily. "Bu... I mean, Faith trounced Lagos during her patrol. He's toast."

"Is that true?" Post asked, apparently not noticing Xander's slip.

"Sure it is," Faith said, not reluctant to take the credit for Buffy's kill in this special case. "Knocked his block clean off. We can chill."

"Good to know, but we should still apply haste. There is no telling who else might be interested in a weapon as powerful as the glove. Where is it?"

Faith regarded the Watcher and some instinct was screaming at her that this woman was up to no good. There was no logical reason for it to be sure, but Faith was slowly learning to trust her instincts.

"Maybe we should wait for Giles," she said slowly. "We don't want to mess up this spell thing and ..."

The rest of her sentence and whatever response Post might have come up with was cut short when the door flew open again, knocked right out of its frame this time and exploding into shrapnel. Oz went down as a large splinter impacted against his head, the rest of the gang quickly taking cover.

A vampire stepped into the apartment.

"Now isn't this interesting," Amy said, her demon face sporting a wide grin. "No problem entering this apartment. Are some of you not what they seem?"

Faith was the first to move again. She might be of two minds about Post, but that thing in front of her was clearly a vampire and therefore legitimate prey.

"You are just in time, sweety! I really need someone to vent on."

She pounced towards the creature like a jungle cat, stake slipping into her hand with ease. Amy , though, just held up her palm and said a single word.

Without warning Faith was hit with a wave of dizziness, the room spinning around her like a carrousel. She stumbled, unable to tell up from down or left from right. There was no way for her to hit her target or to avoid the deceptively slender fist of Amy the vampire. The blow knocked her for a loop and she found herself on the floor with an aching jaw.

Try as she might she could not get her feet back under her, everything still spinning around and around.

"Good luck trying to fight with your equilibrium shot to hell," Amy said, still grinning. Her eyes searched the rest of the room, taking in the other people present. She did not know the older woman, nor was she interested in Cordelia. Willow might be someone to warrant attention at a later date, being the current owner of quite a few magical books Amy really wanted back. First thing first, though.

Her gaze fixed on Xander.

"I hope we won't be interrupted again, Xander," she cooed at him. "Where were we when I got hit by a car last night?"

"Hey, no one hurts Xander except me!"

Amy turned toward the source of the new voice, just in time to be hit in the face by Buffy. Angel was half a step behind her, sword in hand. Amy was thrown across the couch, almost colliding with Ms. Post on her way down. The Watcher leaped out of the way, not really sure what was happening here. A moment later she no longer cared.

Amy collided with a chest standing in the corner, knocking it over and spilling its contents out on the floor. Post's eyes fixed on the Glove of Mhynegon.

"That was not nice!" Amy leaped back to her feet, her demon eyes sparkling black. "I just want to kill Xander, is that so much to ask?"

"You should have asked me that a few weeks ago, might have gotten a more positive response."

Buffy swung her sword, but Amy ducked at the last moment and threw the Slayer back with a burst of magical power. Angel was on his way around the couch, the crowded living room restricting his movements, when he spotted Post heading for the glove. The gleam in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.

For a few confusing moments everyone and everything seemed to be in motion. Angel trying to reach Post, who was scrambling for the glove. Buffy was getting back on her feet and leaping at Amy, who was heading towards Xander once again, who was retreating as much as the narrow space allowed. Willow was huddling over the injured Oz, while Cordelia did her best to stay out of the way and Faith tried once more to get back to her feet, failing again.

A series of metallic clangs drew everyone's attention just in time to see Post rise with the Glove of Mhynegon on her hand, smiling triumphantly.

"That took long enough," she chuckled. Angel was leaping for her, sword drawn back for a lethal strike, but she blocked it effortlessly with the glove and swiped him away with an equally casual gesture.

"I've waited a long time for this."

Post started pronouncing some words in a language not even Buffy or Angel recognized and moments later the living room of their apartment was filled with lightning.

TO BE CONTINUED