Part 25
Graham pulled Willow's hand up to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles. "You ready for this?"
Willow dragged her eyes away from the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign and glanced over at Graham. So many lives depended on this mission's success. It wasn't just the save the world it's an apocalypse, this was a take down the ultimate evil and save the world.
"I'm ready. I had one of the best teachers train me for this." Willow gave Graham a reassuring smile. Well, as reassuring as she could manage.
"Riley and Sam have taken their positions with Buffy. We're in the final stages of the mission, which is the critical part of any operation. There are a lot of unknown factors that Riley, Sam and their team will help defuse, but ultimately it's up to us and the others in deep undercover."
"Thanks, honey. That makes me feel so much better."
Graham smiled over at Willow, "just being a helpful teacher."
Willow returned Graham's smile. She actually did feel better, he had reminded her that there were agents in position. The agents were undercover and in the open, to assist them in defeating the First.
"Home, sweet home courtesy of the Agency." Graham said as he pulled into the driveway of a small house.
Willow turned surprised eyes to Graham, "the Agency owns a house in Sunnydale?"
"This one and many more like it all over the world. It's much easier to blend in when you own a home in the neighborhood. People are suspicious about strangers roaming their territory but a new neighbor doesn't cause a stir."
Graham opened the door for Willow and almost ran into her when she stopped abruptly.
"Spike! How did you get in here? Did Buffy send her lapdog to greet the Prodigal?" Willow narrowed her eyes at Spike and raised her hands in case she needed to do a quick defensive spell. How the hell had he gotten into their home without an invite? Was the home owned by one of the many friendly demons at the Agency? If so, she'd have to have a talk with her superior. You'd think they would have known that vampires could enter the home of a demon without an invitation.
The First morphed into Jesse. "Is that better? So many forms to choose from I couldn't decide which one to take to welcome you back to Sunnydale."
Willow recovered quickly and smirked at 'Jesse'. "I was surprised to see Spike. I expected a direct confrontation with Buffy not her faithful companion, the neutered Spike."
Graham slid his arm around Willow's waist as he came to stand beside her. "The time table for the operation been moved up?" He nor Willow had expected to meet with the First so soon on their arrival. Graham wondered what had happened to make the First alter his plans.
'Jesse' turned to Graham with a smile, "I like that about you, Hunter. Always so eager to get started and the first to cut to the bottom line. Yes, the plans have moved forward slightly. The Slayer's been distracted sooner than planned."
Willow raised an eyebrow, "Buffy's not easily distracted. She may appear a scatterbrain, but believe me she's very focused."
The First morphed into Buffy and smiled warmly at Willow. "But, she's been distracted before hasn't she, Red Death? Her heart always gets in the way. It seems she has a weakness for vampires and it's easily exploited. Frankly, I'm surprised others haven't used it."
Willow inwardly winced on Buffy's behalf on the truth of those words. "Actually, Angelus exploited that particular flaw. It allowed Druscilla to kill Kendra and capture Giles."
'Buffy' beamed. "Angelus. Now he knew how to exploit and mentally torture. A true artisan. Too bad he returned back to Angel, though." The First smiled at Willow, "not that I blame you, of course. That's all in the past." Maggie Walsh now materialized and turned her attention to Graham. "Hunter, you'll be happy to know old friends of yours have also arrived in Sunnydale, Riley and his wife." She cocked her head to the side as she contemplated him. "UC Sunnydale having a reunion?"
Graham smirked, but tightened his arm around Willow's waist. "The agency that Riley works for keeps sending him to go against me. So far, I've maintained a perfect record of ten and zero. You'd think that they'd give up sooner or later. It's always fun to match wits with Riley and Sam."
"Well, you should have plenty of opportunities to try… at least until we open the Hellmouth."
Sam looked around the group gathered around Buffy's living room. Their faces were anxious yet determined. They may have faced a lot of apocalypses and demons, but this was so far beyond that.
This fight was something she wasn't sure of the outcome. There were contingency plans in place in case the battle wasn't going in their favor. Plans, she was sure that she wasn't aware of and probably didn't want to know. Taking out the First and having agents on the inside, positioned to be with the next demon that would take the First's place, was too important to the Agency no to have something planned.
Her eyes met Riley's and he gave a small nod that they were ready to begin. Sam cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her.
"Buffy, I know that this is your operation and Riley and I have no intention of taking over. I want that clear from the start. We're here to lend a hand and that's it."
Buffy smiled her thanks at Sam, but she knew the government would have something planned. She'd keep her eyes open, but she couldn't afford to let her guard down. Not with anyone. "I won't get in your way if you don't get in mine. I know you guys have something planned, maybe not you but definitely your bosses. As long as it doesn't interfere with mine we're okay."
"Fair enough. We received intel this morning that Willow and Graham have arrived in Sunnydale already. We've also learned that your target, the First Evil, has been using Spike."
Giles, Buffy and Spike jumped up and began protesting Sam's announcement.
"I would bloody well know if I were being manipulated. You don't think my demon would rebel against anyone trying to control it?"
Riley crossed his arms over his chest and didn't change his facial expression as he listened to Spike protest. "There haven't been any blanks in your memories? You've not been someplace and not remembered how you got there?"
"Of course he hasn't. He's been with me… us." Buffy glared at Riley. "I don't care what you've found out, it wasn't Spike. Maybe it was the First pretending to be Spike like it was Jenny for Giles."
"Except the First can't touch anything and we found victims." Sam turned to Giles, "when you were visited did he try to touch you or anything in the store?"
Giles thought back over 'Jenny's' visit trying to recall any instance that the First touched anything. He'd been so shocked to see Jenny at first, but now his mind played over everything. "She reached out to touch me, but I jerked my head back before she could."
"Wait! How do you know the victims were Spike's?" Buffy asked.
Spike had been silent since Riley's question. There HAD been gaps in his memory, but he had thought it had been the chip's misfiring. Had the First been using him? He had awakened a few times with the taste of human blood in his mouth. Spike had thought it was just a dream, now he wasn't so sure.
"The victims that rose described their sire as Spike." Riley smirked over to the blonde vampire.
"What? You can't really believe that they'd tell you the truth!" Buffy yelled and began to pace.
A small smile tilted Riley's lips, "It's amazing what torture does to ensure that your victims tell the truth. Besides we've received confirmation from an outside source. There was a camera on the light post in the mall's parking lot that captured Spike in action. He's talking to a woman, they leave to go into the shadows and a short time later he reappears alone. The woman's drained body was found a short time later."
"That doesn't prove anything. Anything could have happened." Buffy stubbornly refused to believe Riley. She had known he always hated Spike but she didn't think he'd stoop this low.
Spike walked over to Buffy and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Buffy, stop. There WERE times that I can't remember. If the First is using me we have to find out why. Why me?"