Chapter 10: Forelic

Giles eased the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside room where Bridget and Forelic were being held. Like a predator, she eased slowly out of the shadows. The creature's glowing green eyes stared back at Giles with menace. Just like Jenny, his stomach tightened. The only remnant of Bridget was her body. Forelic had full control. Even Bridget's voices had lowered to a demonic pitch.

"And what do we have here?" the creature tilted its head.

"I'm here to make you an offer Forelic."

The demon stepped menacingly towards Giles, but stopped suddenly with a look of confusion on its face.

"Just a little protection spell to keep you on your best behavior," Giles put his hands in his pockets as if to reinforce his nonchalance.

"You have nothing I want," the creature growled.

"Oh, I beg to differ," he pulled the Disc of Ages out of his pocket. Forelic's glowing eyes widened and Bridget's small frame shook as Forelic strained against the protection spell.

"Naïve human, you cannot conceive of what that disc can do. Give it to me."

"Not until you release Bridget and tell us what we want to know."

The creature scoffed.

"Your spell won't last long human. And when it fails, the disc will be mine. And so will your organs. There's nothing as tasty as a nice warm heart, preferably still beating." An inhuman growl issued from Bridget's throat.

"The disc is bound to me now Forelic. You cannot harvest its magic without me releasing it," Giles tossed the metal object to the beast, who quickly saw that Giles was telling the truth. It would not respond to the creature's incantations. Forelic uttered what must have been curses in his native tongue and peered at Giles warily.

"What do you want?"

Giles took his opportunity before it slipped away.

"Your ability to sense and, well…steal dark power is legendary. We need to know where the best place to open a Hellmouth in this area would be. If you provide us with good information, we will release you and give you the Disc of Ages."

"This is a trick," the beast cocked Bridget's head.

"No trick. We need this information, and we are willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary." Giles looked at the Bridget's body with a grim expression.

"I can feel the taint of white magic in this place," Forelic looked around with disgust. "You and your witches would never open a Hellmouth."

Giles looked genuinely surprised.

"We're not going to open it, we're going to close it."

"And why would I help you do that?"

"For your freedom." Giles let the offer hang in the air. This was either going to work or it wasn't. He still couldn't tell which. Forelic was notoriously unpredictable. The demon turned the Disc over in Bridget's hand and prowled around Giles towards the door. The unseen shield blocked the demon from stepping outside the room, and caused him to growl again.

"I will tell you what I know, human. Although you may not comprehend what I say with your puny brain, you will release me when I am done," the beast commanded. Giles nodded his concession.

"What you seek is not here. It is in the depths of the nearest metropolis. A place that has seen death, madness, torture, and countless atrocities. Man didn't know what they were capable of when they ran their wires through the ground and then through their neighbors. But these miles of tunnels have already led to hell. It's almost poetic that someone would call forth a Hellmouth here. I'm sure that the spirits left behind will celebrate the coming of something new, since their place as been long unchanged." Forelic finished his enigmatic tirade and held out the Disc with expectation. "Release me." Giles paused for a moment, trying to remember all of the details of the demons revelation. He looked up as the demon spoke again with anger. "Release me!"

"Yes, of course." Giles opened the door to the chamber and let Willow into the room. He nodded at her in confirmation that they had gathered the information they needed. She began to chant, perspiration beading on her forehead.

"Selu conta expedia vertamente, gordona ferna ratu sedu…" she continued chanting over Forelic's words,

"What are you doing witch!" Forelic watched the Disc begin to glow in Bridget's hand.

"Lacoiste walo questimentado gorlina…"

"You cannot imprison me in this Disc again witch," he protested vigorously. "I was tricked last time into making a wish while I held the damned Relic, but I did not wish again!" his arguments began to fade as the demon was pulled from Bridget's body into the metal device.

"Salimarnum ecto finito!" Willow finished the spell and leaned against the wall as the pain from the surge of white magic ebbed away. Giles rushed to catch Bridget as she crumbled to the floor when Forelic left her body completely. Claire and Eliza both hurried into the room and to Bridget's side. Eliza looked from Giles to Willow,

"How did you do it?"

"Well, it was Willow's idea actually," Giles smiled with a bit of pride and let Willow tell the tale. She had recovered from the magic and joined the group as Bridget regained consciousness.

"I remembered reading about the Disc of Ages back in Sunnydale. It's like a mystical lie detector. Throughout the Ages," Willow grinned at her play on words. Giles caught her pun and smirked back. "Warlocks have used the Disc to entrap souls that engage in behavior that's, err, I guess unbecoming is the best word to use." Willow picked up the disc off the floor. "See these markings," she pointed to the engravings on the inside of the Disc and then began to twist the disc in her hands. It made a clicking sound and realigned the symbols. "Each marking is for a difference sin, for lack of a better word. See, this one is for wishing for gain, and this one is for murder, and this one," she pointed to the one that was just active. "That's for trying to use the disc for dark purposes." Claire looked up at Willow.

"If the Disc is that powerful on it's own, what was your incantation?"

"I was just removing the binding spell I had put on it earlier. He may have been able to harness the Disc's energy before it could take him, so I bound the Disc's power for a few minutes."

"Well done," Bridget sat up on her elbows and gave Willow a look of genuine appreciation. "I dare say that I thought I was a gonner. He wouldn't let me back into my body, the punsy bastard." She looked at the Disc with as much malice as if it were Forelic himself.

"No problem," Willow waved of the compliment with a self-indulgent smile. Giles could see that her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

"You should think about some sleep," he put an arm around her. She nodded. The two said their goodnights and agreed to meet the coven in the tearoom bright and early the next morning to discuss Forelic's revelations.

§

Giles stood in the doorway of Willow's room and watched her slip off her shoes. Feeling a surge of confused emotion from him, she looked up tried to read the expression on his face.

"What?"

"You were incredible tonight Willow," he shook his head in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't have faith in you right from the beginning."

"Well I did go all evil, Giles, I think that constitutes a pretty good reason for some doubt," her gaze turned inward. He could see her own shame as she tried to bury it.

"That may be, but you should be proud of yourself. Most witches with your kind of power would have immediately sought out much stronger spells to try to beat Forelic on their own terms. But you used your head and beat him with your knowledge rather than some fancy spell." He couldn't have been more proud than he was at this moment, and Willow could hear it clearly in his voice as well as hear it in her heart. Her tired smile lit up the room for him.

"That was pretty clever, wasn't it." Their eyes met for the first time since his song at the coffee shop. Willow's stomach churned with nervousness, remembering their kiss in the library. She wanted to feel his arms around her again, but found herself suddenly shy. Which is ridiculous, she thought. I've known this man for 6 years. But still she couldn't move more than here eyes, which lowered to his mouth and stared at those lips that had turned her knees into jelly just hours before.

Giles stood, staring back at the young woman he's watched grow up for the past 6 years into the stunning creature before him. Even in jeans and a tank top she took his breath away. He couldn't resist reaching out and brushing aside a lock of hair that had fallen across her face. Her skin was velvety smooth under his fingers. Willow closed her eyes and sighed with contentment.

This moved him even more than their earlier kiss. If she could find contentment with him, even after all that had happened between them, there was hope for much more. Maybe, possibly they could make this thing work, despite the age difference and the events of last week.

He pulled her close into his arms and just held her, the weariness of the day weighing heavily on them both. Giles smoothed her silky red locks under his course palm and felt the tension ebbing from himself. After a few wonderful minutes of just breathing together, she looked up at him.

"Could you just stay here tonight and just hold me," the blush crept up her cheeks as she contemplated what else he might want to do. But the truth was that neither of them had the energy for anything other than falling fast to sleep.

"Of course love." He kissed the top of her head lightly.

§

Awash in peacefulness for the first time in forever, Giles stretched and reached for Willow as he opened his eyes. They had only remained awake for moments after their heads hit the pillow. Exhaustion had claimed them quickly. But his hand found only bedding that was cool to the touch. She must have gotten up a while ago, he thought as he reached for his glasses on the nightstand. Once he could finally see, he found her sitting on the floor on the other side of the room.

Willow's eyes were closed as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. Sitting in the lotus position with candles around her, she practiced pushing down the dark magic. Giles watched her face struggling for calmness as she worked her spell, her dripping wet hair darkening her shirt. The smell of her shampoo filled the air. It was a more intense version of the usual strawberry smell that surrounded her. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling intoxicated by it.

He half expected to awake from this dream any moment. For all of these years the best he had hoped for was to be there for her, to be her colleague in demon chasing, perhaps to be her guide, but never her lover, her love. He flushed a little when he opened his eyes and caught her staring at him.

"Morning," he smiled. Her eyes smiled back but she remained silent in concentration. Her gaze shifted to a tray of breakfast he had neglected to notice thus far. Slowly, one of the strawberries rose up off the plate and floated towards him. It hovered in front of his lips until he opened them and the juicy red fruit slid into his mouth. He took a bite, feeling alternately aroused and concerned. He decidedly shrugged off his concern, in favor of the more appealing emotion. Besides, Willow had worked hard over the past few days to prove her ability to control her magicks.

After the second strawberry, he slid over to the tray and plucked one off, intent on his own mission. He knelt down in front of her and fed it to her waiting mouth. The noise of pleasure in her throat made his arousal surge. She finished swallowing his offering and looked into his eyes.

"Eliza can sure conjure a good breakfast," she smirked. He raised an eyebrow to her.

"The strawberries are quite tasty Willow, but that's not what makes this breakfast so delightful." He lowered his mouth to hers. Their tongues mingled in fruity sweetness. Willow's pulse quickened beneath his hand that gently caressed her neck. They broke apart reluctantly.

"They're expecting us downstairs in a few minutes," the familiar sound of duty edged his voice. Willow could hear the unspoken statement in them, but I would rather stay up here with you.  She knew they would have plenty of time later though, so she didn't encourage him to remain.

"There's a shower down the hall on the right," she moved to put on her shoes. He stared at her for a moment, wanting to just carry her to the bed and be damned with the witches downstairs. But he knew that if they didn't show up down there soon, that someone would come looking for them. And the last thing he wanted was to be interrupted the first time he and Willow…

He shook off his thoughts and began to move towards the door.

"Will you tell them I'll be down in a moment?"

"No problem," she zipped up one of her brown earthen boots. "And Rupert…" He stopped in his tracks. The last time she had used his first name, she had tried to kill him. He turned slowly towards her. But the sparkle in her eye held only affection, nothing maniacal. He let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Thank you for staying with me last night. I really needed that."

"So did I Willow." He gazed at her for a long moment and left the room is search for his shower.

§

What you seek is not here. It is in the depths of the nearest metropolis. A place that has seen death, madness, torture, and countless atrocities. Man didn't know what they were capable of when they ran their wires through the ground and then through their neighbors. But these miles of tunnels have already led to hell. It's almost poetic that someone would call forth a Hellmouth here. I'm sure that the spirits left behind will celebrate the coming of something new, since their place has been long unchanged.


"Well, let's break it down on line at a time then." Giles could not keep his irritation out of his tone. Everyone from the coven was trying to put their two cents in, and they were getting nowhere fast.

"Giles is right," Willow used her intimidation of the others' to her advantage. "And we don't need 30 women to do that. Why don't you all work on the protection spell we'll be needing when we find the location." Her voice held an edge of power that caused most of the women to back off. Only Eliza, Bridget, and Claire remained at the table where they were working.

Bridget had chosen today for a change in fashion sense for once. She wore a soft blue angora sweater and immaculate jeans, which must have been ironed for their stiffness. She frowned at Giles' tablet where he had written down the demon's puzzling words. She ran an impatient hand through her long hair.

"Alright, fine. The nearest metropolis…that means the nearest city, right? Would that be Boston?" she looked at her mother. Claire shook her head.

"No, there are other cities that are closer. They aren't terribly urban, but they are classified as cities. There are two that are about the same distance from here – Brockton and Taunton."

"That's good. We've quickly narrowed it down to two towns," the crease in Giles brow deepened as he looked at the rest of the message.  "But this next part about countless atrocities, well that could mean just about anything." He sighed and started cleaning his glasses. Willow watched Giles with new eyes. She forced herself to put back thoughts of their budding relationship and tried to focus on the job at hand.

"But what about this next part?" she pointed to the passage about the underground tunnels. "There have got to be city records about these so-called tunnels. I'm gonna go grab my lap top out of the car Giles. I'll be right back." She squeezed his shoulder and trotted out of the room.

She returned quickly and hopped on the Internet. He watched her with fascination. Her hands flew daintily across the keyboard as she chewed on her bottom lip. For a moment he allowed himself to be distracted by his attraction, but quickly remembered the talented witches surrounding him. They could probably sense his desire without so much as a chant. In his mind he threw up his emotional wall. Willow looked up quickly with silent concern and just as quickly nodded an affirmation that she understood what he was doing.

After only a few minutes of checking local newspapers and municipal sites, Willow looked up with excitement. The other woman and Giles gathered around her to see what she had found.

"Both cities have and intricate underground maze of sewer tunnels, just like Sunnydale," she began. But Taunton has something else. In 1851, during the rise of state sponsored mental facilities, Taunton State Hospital for the Insane was built.  Some of the old buildings are still being used, but they had built underground tunnels connecting all of the buildings, and oh…" Willow frowned.

"What?" Eliza tried to peer over her shoulder.

"They built rooms down in the tunnel for their extreme therapy." She looked up at Giles. "That's where they performed their shock treatments."

"Well that certainly falls into the bad energy category," he frowned.

"That's not even the half of it," she clicked to the next page of the site that showed pictures of patients lying in their own filth in the dark hallways. "Many of the patients died there in the late 1800's through the mid 1900's. They didn't have enough staff to care for everyone, so some of them starved to death. Others killed themselves. And the state uncovered some really disturbing experiments some of the doctors were doing on these poor people.

"Since most of the patients didn't have any family, they wouldn't be missed. So a half dozen of the doctors had created a secret research society in the 1920's. They performed both surgical and psychotherapy on these patients that would never be allowed today. Their methods were unsanitary and their experiments inhumane." Willow's frown turned to disgust at one of the more graphic black and white photos of a surgical victim.

"Well I'd say we found our Hellmouth," Claire stated the obvious.

"It all makes sense now," Giles guided them along his path of logic. "This place has seen death, madness, torture, and more.  And Forelic's mysterious comment about wires through the ground and through their neighbors refers to the tunnels and the shock therapy victims. And I'm sure most of these people considered these tunnels their own version of hell. There must be hundreds of people that died down there, and most of them are probably still there…" His voice held an ominous tone. They would not only be facing another coven. They would be facing ghosts and poltergeists with unfinished business. And most of them weren't sane in the living world. There wasn't much hope that they would be anywhere close to sane now.

"All the more reason for us to practice our protection spells," Eliza said sharply, in her no-nonsense tone. Willow almost felt bad for any ghosts that crossed paths with that woman.