The C141 landed at Lackland Air Force Base and the troops piled into the waiting trucks and drove to the command center. Buffy was quiet, oblivious to the looks from the other Initiative team members. Arriving at the command post they walked into the building to find everyone dead.

Riley stood, totally still in shock as everyone checked pulses but no one was alive.

"Sam's not here." One of the men said.

"Angelus has her." Buffy stated flatly. "He knows me." She pointed to a pink florist's box on the console. One of the men opened it to find dead roses inside.

She rolled her eyes, "What a romantic."

Everyone jumped as the phone rang shrilly. As one of the men was about to pick it up, Buffy stopped him with a gentle hand. "It's for me."

She picked it up, "Hello Angelus."

"Hello Lover, miss me?" He purred.

"Not really." She looked at the very pale Riley.

"Oh now, let's not be rude."

"Ok, losing the rudeness. Where's Major Finn?"

Angelus glanced over, "She's with me."

"Is she alive?"

Angelus ran a gentle hand over the frightened woman's hair, "Yes. For now." He hung up, then he cupped the Major's face, "Don't worry. I don't want to give Major Finn any ideas about Buffy, which of course he would if you were out of the picture."

Buffy hung up the phone. "He says that she's alive. He wants me, not her." She looked around for a piece of paper and wrote down 2 phone numbers, these she handed to Riley. "If something happens to me call Giles, then this other number."

Riley placed the paper in his pocket and nodded. "You got it Buffy." He took her shoulders, "Please help her."

"I will."

Buffy walked into the warehouse. " Angelus!" she said, keeping her eyes on Riley's frightened wife.

Angelus dropped in front of her with a flourish. He was wearing a blue satin shirt, tight black pants and black thigh high boots, his sword strapped low on his hips.

"Wow, nice shirt. Black too boring for you now?"

He smiled wickedly, "Cordelia told me I could use more color in my wardrobe."

Buffy sighed, "Enough fun and games. I'll stay, let Major Finn go." She knew that the teams right outside would be inside within seconds to take Angelus out.

The Vampire looked surprised, then triumphant. "You're not going to fight?"

"Nope, let her go."

He gestured gracefully, "Be my guest."

Buffy pulled her sword and sliced the woman's ropes. Helping her stand she smiled at the taller woman, "Riley's waiting for you. Go." And Sam limped to the doorway. She took a long look at Buffy before walking out.

Buffy turned and twirled her sword, "Shall we dance Lover?" she asked cheerfully.

Angelus pulled his sword and tapped hers, "Do you think you will win?"

She smirked, "Angelus, Angelus, I sent you to hell! I always win."

Riley hugged his wife, checking her over frantically.

"I'm fine Riley." She held onto him as the noise of the sword battle filtered out to them. One of the men went to the door and shook his head, "That little blonde is good!"

Riley pulled back from his wife and checked his gear, "Ok people, let's go in and get the demon."

The Colonel in charge shook his head, "Miss Summers is on her own."

"What?" Everyone stared at the Colonel in horror.

"You heard me. Pack up, we're on the next plane for Honduras."

There was stunned silence then Sam started to speak, "But Sir…"

"That might be construed as insubordination Major." The Colonel had placed his hand on his sidearm. One of the others pulled the Finn's back and led them away before something bad happened.

Riley picked up one of the commo boxes and headed out to the truck to deposit it. Once there he went around back to the small alley and pulled out his phone.

Buffy wondered what the hold up was, but after a few minutes she realized that the Initiative had bailed. She fought Angelus as hard as she could but knew she was tiring, evidenced by the bleeding cut on her left arm and a stumble that she had taken. She didn't want to kill him and knew she was being weak. There had to be some other way.

Angelus surveyed the tired woman in front of him with satisfaction. She was his. He spun, using his boot to catch her on the chin and she went down, her sword dropping to the cement floor with a discordant clatter. Grinning with triumph he strode to her and scooped her up. He left her weapons on the floor and strode out the far door with her in his arms.

Riley kept his eyes moving continuously as he listened to the ring of his phone,

"Hello Magick Shoppe."

"Giles, Angelus has Buffy." And he hung up.

Dialing the second number he waited again,

"General Hammond."

Riley froze, then spoke quickly, "Sir, this is Major Riley Finn, Angelus has taken Buffy."

Hammond was rocked by the quietness that the incredibly bad news was delivered. "Is she alive?"

"So far Sir. I have to go, I'm not supposed to be doing this. I'll try to update later." And he hung up, taking a deep sigh.

Riley snapped his phone closed, placing it in his thigh pocket and picked up the huge box and trotted to the equipment truck.

Unknown to all was that the Initiative Colonel was under a compulsion spell that Angelus had bought for this occasion. As they started to load their gear onto the C141 the Colonel dropped like a sack of sand, making everyone drop to one knee, weapons clear, searching for a gunman. Sam raced over and knelt beside the Colonel whose eyes snapped open.

"What happened?" He sat up woozily and looked around. "Why are we back here? What happened to Angelus."

Realization dawned like a slap on the face and Riley's eyes widened, "A spell! You were under a goddamned spell Sir!"

"What? What did I do?"

"You told us to leave Buffy behind Sir." Sam said quietly.

The Colonel's eyes widened in horror, "We have to go back!"

They piled into their vehicles, racing back to the warehouse, only to find Buffy's weapons, and blood on the warehouse floor.

The Colonel knelt, shaking his head. "I'm sorry you guys." He whispered.

One of the men came trotting in, "Sir, we've found tire tracks heading North East."

In Los Angeles Wesley was feverishly doing research on Angelus when his phone rang.

"Yes?" he said impatiently.

"Where in the bloody hell do you think Angelus will take Buffy?"

"Rupert?" Wesley asked in shock.

"Angelus has Buffy, where do you think he'll take her?" Giles asked harshly.

Wesley rubbed his eyes, "Probably here. I think I've found something on the gypsy curse, but I believe that we will need Willow."

"We'll be there as soon as possible." Giles hung up and met Willow and Dawn's eyes. "We're leaving right away. Dawn, you'll need to stay here, and you know why."

Dawn nodded, "He'll try to use me against her."

Giles nodded, "You'll need to help Faith with the Slayers." She nodded and Giles turned to Willow. "Pack light."

General Hammond was in shock but stood to deliver the bad news to Colonel Coburn, when his phone rang.

"Hammond."

"Tex? Listen, I'm sorry as hell about Buffy. My Colonel was under a compulsion spell." General William Dixon III sighed from behind his desk, "If you need any help you let me know."

"Thanks Billy. Listen, don't be surprised if your people stumble over mine."

The other General paused, "Why?"

"One of my Colonel's is in love with the Slayer."

A barking laugh, "It's a small fuckin' world Tex."

"Absolutely, right now I need to tell my Colonel."

"I'll let you get to it then."

Jay was sitting in his office when his phone rang, "Colonel Coburn."

"Colonel, it's Rupert Giles."

"Hey Giles, what's up?" Jay asked cheerfully, then Giles' tone of voice penetrated and he froze.

"I'm afraid that I have bad news."

Feeling suddenly lightheaded Jay gasped, "Buffy? She's not, she's not…" He stumbled over the word, him, a veteran of death couldn't say it.

Giles sighed, "She's not dead, no. Angelus has her."