Chapter Three
"Bloody wanker," Spike muttered to himself walking into Giles' apartment. "Had half a mind to rip his bloody head off."
"Which you won't," Laurel smiled, "because if you do then I get to put a stake through your heart and rid the world of one more undead pain in the ass."
Xander and Willow laughed when Spike stopped short and looked at the three with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. "What? Not happy to see us?" Xander asked.
"You? No," Spike recovered his ability to speak. "And you," he turned to Laurel. "You'd really put a stake through my heart?"
"Hmm. Let me think about it. Yup."
"Oh, that hurts," Spike mocked.
"You're a big boy," Laurel smiled. "I think you'll recover."
It was strange, Willow thought, William the Bloody – one of the most feared vampires in the world and second only to Angelus – and the Slayer being friends and trusting each other with their lives. The Council was having a heart attack but they never stepped in to intervene. Why? Because as much as they disagreed with her tactics Buffy had been a great Slayer and it was due, in part, to her relationships and the support she received from her friends. So when Laurel was called they never hesitated in sending her to Sunnydale where she would be accepted into the Scooby's lives and loved as Buffy was.
"Where the hell are twiddle tweed and twiddle tweeder?"
"There still shopping," Laurel responded to Spike.
"Like a pair of bloody teenage girls."
Swapping the book she was holding for another she had yet to sort through Willow rested her head on Spike's shoulder, letting her lover wrap his arm about her waist. Willow, however, was not reading the pages of the old, leather-bound book. She was busy getting lost in her thoughts. It had been more than two years since Buffy was killed and Angelus took control of Sunnydale. It was no longer safe for the average Sunnydale resident to prance around town after sunset and none of the once happy, giving people of Sunnydale would even dare to speak to someone they didn't know, let alone invite them inside their homes. Sunnydale now lived in fear, though hope still remained because every time things began to look their darkest the Scooby's always managed to quell the danger and bring a bit of light back to their small town. Their deeds, though, always went unappreciated for the townspeople never really knew of just how close existence had come to ending on several occasions.
The darkest time had been just after Buffy's death. Angelus fell into a rage, having been thwarted and finding his precious statue of Acathla smashed into a thousand pieces – courtesy of Buffy who had managed, with what little strength she had left, to bring the statue down from its dais. He lashed out and focused his vengeance upon the Scooby's who, without Buffy, were slim in ways of defense. In truth, Willow was their only defense because only she had the use of magic and could manipulate various spells and curses to ward Angelus and keep his destruction at bay.
It had been Willow's strength that drew Angelus to her and it had been her weakness that drew Willow to him.
"What's the emergency this time?" Giles asked casually walking into his apartment, followed by Wesley.
"Just a demon," Cordelia answered.
"Taken a bit of siesta, is he?"
"Apparently so," Willow sighed, closing her book and standing to her feet. "But I don't like it."
The others exchanged glances. They knew by then to listen when Willow voiced her concerns regarding Angelus. Her instincts had never once failed them and they had learned to pay heed to them, even when they seemed far fetched. No one really understood Willow's intimate knowledge of Angelus' mind or how, exactly, she knew what he was planning before he even acted. But she did and, honestly, it scared her friends – especially Spike who loved Willow.
"What is it, Wills?" Laurel asked. "Have another one of your Angelus vibes?"
Willow smiled. "Something like that."
"So, spill," Xander urged.
"It just doesn't feel right," Willow said. "To hit us with a mind-switching spell which, we can all agree, is simple even for Angelus, then switch straight to an even lower rank by brining in a not-so-incredible demon? It's not his style. Angelus likes show and flash; he likes to get his point known and then push it beyond the limits. Angelus cuts and then rubs the wound with salt." Willow paused, letting her eyes fall across each of her friends. "He's planning something, something big. I feel it in the pricking of an icy chill along my spine and in the weight of my heart. Angelus has taken a step back but he's going to lunge forward and I'm afraid that we may not be able to stop him."
Silence. No one had even the slightest idea how to respond. Willow had, in the vaguest sense, just prophesized their failure and, in effect, the destruction of existence. How does one respond to that?
"What do we do?"
Willow shrugged and shook her head. "I couldn't even fathom a guess. I have no earthy idea what he's planning, only that it'll be like nothing we've ever faced before."
Laurel jumped to her feet. "We attack first."
"How?" Xander asked. "We don't know where to find him, never have. We only know when he acts. Angelus always plays the first move."
"Then it's time we take the initiative," the young Slayer announced.
All eyes turned to her but it was Giles that asked, "What did you have in mind?"
"We use the only weapon we have," Laurel set her eyes upon Willow, "as bait and draw him to us."
