"What do you mean, he's missing?" Buffy's petulant tone rang through the briefing room and everyone turned to look at her. "You don't know where he is? OK. Let me speak to Cordelia then……. She's missing too?"
She covered the speaker of the receiver she was holding and turned to look at her friends who were looking anxiously back at her and shrugged.
"It's some girl answered the phone. She said Angel and Cordelia are missing. She wants to speak to you Willow."
Willow came over and took the receiver from Buffy's hand and began a rapid fire conversation.
"Hey Fred….yeah……no……fine…….both of them……same night…….weird……How about Wes? OK maybe not then…..we're good…..nope, nothing really you two can do……call if they turn up OK…..sure. Bye."
She turned to the others.
"You heard. Angel and Cordelia are missing. Both vanished on the same night. They've looked everywhere for them but can't find any trace except for Angel's car on top of a cliff and Cordy's car on the side of the highway. Wes isn't around much so we can't get hold of him."
"He's not dead" Spike's languid tone cut through the silence. "I'd know. He's not dead."
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that" Xander said, mild disgust in his voice and Spike grinned.
"Dru was my sire, Angelus was hers. There's a link. We're all members of the same happy family."
"You can feel each other?" Daniel asked with interest. He was fascinated by the vampire and, at any opportunity, was asking him questions about his lineage.
"Sort of." Spike looked pleadingly at Buffy. "I'm dying for a smoke."
Buffy exchanged a look with O'Neill who checked the time, realised it was after 8pm and asked Daniel to accompany Spike to the surface.
"Is there a problem?" Hammond asked.
"Not really" Buffy said. "I just would have preferred Angel to be here. He might have been slightly better at carrying off the whole "lord of the system" business. I hope he's OK."
"I'm sure wherever he and Cordelia are, they're fine." Giles said reassuringly. "There is, of course, someone else who might be of some help."
"No way, Giles" Buffy's tone was firm.
"She's learning her lesson. We could do with someone strong."
"Strong but stupid. She's a loose cannon, we can't take the chance."
Giles gazed at his Slayer. As always, her reaction to Faith was predictable. Not unwarranted – Faith had gone off the rails pretty drastically and to some extent, Giles had always blamed himself for that. Wes wouldn't have known any better, the Council were blind and foolish for even thinking he would be able to control the girl. But him? He should have been able to handle it. But he had growing respect for Faith. She had handed herself in to the police in LA, facing up to her crimes and learning some responsibility for the power that she carried, and some respect for other people. But Buffy wouldn't hear of it. They had managed without Faith before, they could do it again. Giles was also privately of the opinion that Buffy felt threatened by Faith, her confidence, her blatant sexuality and ease with her abilities. Buffy was very lucky in comparison to Faith, a relatively stable family life, a mother who loved her and now a sister. That plus a Watcher and friends who willingly fought side by side with her was something Faith had been denied. She had tried so hard to fit in but Buffy, dubious of another's power, had never accepted her, not really. Faith was a survivor, she had to be. Buffy had her friends and family to turn to – even if she didn't turn to them, it didn't mean they weren't there and didn't love her.
Watcher and Slayer gazed at each other for a long moment and then Giles nodded, once.
"Not for the moment then," he said. She opened her mouth to protest but he held up a quelling hand and she shut it again. "If something happens to you, we will need her."
"That's reassuring" mumbled Anya. "Little Miss Likes To Kill as part of our rescue team."
The SG team had stayed back watching the interaction of Buffy and Giles. It was plain to see that Giles loved Buffy deeply with the love of a father, pride written on his face as she set out her plan, hurt when she would not allow him to fight beside her and discipline when he made his own plans.
"We can manage without Angel and Cordelia" Giles said finally. "I'll call Faith in only if something happens. Not before."
"OK."
The decision made, Hammond turned to Jacob and he began to go through the finer points of being a Gou'ld slave.
Up on the surface, Spike inhaled the cigarette smoke deeply, tasting the bitterness on his tongue. Daniel watched.
"I know what you're going to ask" Spike said, "You're going to ask, how does he do that when he's dead."
"It was one question. Yes." Daniel made himself comfortable on the grass next to Spike.
"I don't know" Spike said, grinning. "I just can. Very useful."
"You said that you would know if Angel was dead. Who is this Angel guy?"
Spike gave Daniel an assessing look and took another drag of his cigarette. "You're asking the wrong person, mate. I'm no fan of Angel's and vice versa. Personally, I'm glad he's dropped off the face of the earth."
Daniel blinked. "But he's your ….sire?" he fumbled for the right word.
Spike shook his head. "He's my sire's sire. And my sire's lover and general obsession."
"Your sire?" Daniel was confused.
"Drusilla. Beautiful girl. Angelus drove her insane just before he turned her." Spike stubbed the cigarette out on the ground and stared thoughtfully at the stars. "She adored him and he used her. She found me, confused and lost in London and turned me. She wanted companionship I think. Someone who would love her the way she loved Angelus. But she didn't love me. Not really."
"Very complicated."
"You have no idea. You think your little undercurrents running round this base are tough? They're nothing. Your Colonel and Major? You should tell them to sort it out and get together to make the most of the time they have before they lose each other for good. Nothing like living for the moment. That's what this lot have learned. To live for now. You talk of fighting and saving the world. You don't realise that the little girl down there has been doing it since she was 15. You don't understand how easy it is for life to be suddenly snuffed out. For people to be there one moment and gone the next."
Spike stared soberly at Daniel. He remembered Tara, the sorrow on Buffy's face when she told him what had happened. The horror that had sank into his heart at the thought he would never see her gentle smile. Something about her had crept into his mind and he had liked her. She had been kind to him and he had protected her, the way he might have protected Drusilla once.
"I don't understand." Daniel said honestly. "What makes you different from the vampires here on Earth, or the ones on the planet?"
"I have a soul. So does Angel. It sets us apart. Makes us almost human." Spike smiled bitterly, lighting another cigarette. "Makes us remember."
"Remember?"
"Everything. Imagine not having a conscience. Not caring if people lived or died but preferring it if they died. Imagine evil. Evil with this face."
Spike turned to Daniel and looked at him seriously. "Nothing I will ever see can compare to what I have seen and done. You allow me to sit here, oblivious to the crimes I've committed, the things I've done."
"You have a soul now" Daniel said and Spike snorted derisively.
"You sound like her. It doesn't make an difference. I am still the person who did those things."
"Why are you doing this then? What are you helping us for?"
Spike shrugged and pinched out his cigarette. "Redemption?"
She covered the speaker of the receiver she was holding and turned to look at her friends who were looking anxiously back at her and shrugged.
"It's some girl answered the phone. She said Angel and Cordelia are missing. She wants to speak to you Willow."
Willow came over and took the receiver from Buffy's hand and began a rapid fire conversation.
"Hey Fred….yeah……no……fine…….both of them……same night…….weird……How about Wes? OK maybe not then…..we're good…..nope, nothing really you two can do……call if they turn up OK…..sure. Bye."
She turned to the others.
"You heard. Angel and Cordelia are missing. Both vanished on the same night. They've looked everywhere for them but can't find any trace except for Angel's car on top of a cliff and Cordy's car on the side of the highway. Wes isn't around much so we can't get hold of him."
"He's not dead" Spike's languid tone cut through the silence. "I'd know. He's not dead."
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that" Xander said, mild disgust in his voice and Spike grinned.
"Dru was my sire, Angelus was hers. There's a link. We're all members of the same happy family."
"You can feel each other?" Daniel asked with interest. He was fascinated by the vampire and, at any opportunity, was asking him questions about his lineage.
"Sort of." Spike looked pleadingly at Buffy. "I'm dying for a smoke."
Buffy exchanged a look with O'Neill who checked the time, realised it was after 8pm and asked Daniel to accompany Spike to the surface.
"Is there a problem?" Hammond asked.
"Not really" Buffy said. "I just would have preferred Angel to be here. He might have been slightly better at carrying off the whole "lord of the system" business. I hope he's OK."
"I'm sure wherever he and Cordelia are, they're fine." Giles said reassuringly. "There is, of course, someone else who might be of some help."
"No way, Giles" Buffy's tone was firm.
"She's learning her lesson. We could do with someone strong."
"Strong but stupid. She's a loose cannon, we can't take the chance."
Giles gazed at his Slayer. As always, her reaction to Faith was predictable. Not unwarranted – Faith had gone off the rails pretty drastically and to some extent, Giles had always blamed himself for that. Wes wouldn't have known any better, the Council were blind and foolish for even thinking he would be able to control the girl. But him? He should have been able to handle it. But he had growing respect for Faith. She had handed herself in to the police in LA, facing up to her crimes and learning some responsibility for the power that she carried, and some respect for other people. But Buffy wouldn't hear of it. They had managed without Faith before, they could do it again. Giles was also privately of the opinion that Buffy felt threatened by Faith, her confidence, her blatant sexuality and ease with her abilities. Buffy was very lucky in comparison to Faith, a relatively stable family life, a mother who loved her and now a sister. That plus a Watcher and friends who willingly fought side by side with her was something Faith had been denied. She had tried so hard to fit in but Buffy, dubious of another's power, had never accepted her, not really. Faith was a survivor, she had to be. Buffy had her friends and family to turn to – even if she didn't turn to them, it didn't mean they weren't there and didn't love her.
Watcher and Slayer gazed at each other for a long moment and then Giles nodded, once.
"Not for the moment then," he said. She opened her mouth to protest but he held up a quelling hand and she shut it again. "If something happens to you, we will need her."
"That's reassuring" mumbled Anya. "Little Miss Likes To Kill as part of our rescue team."
The SG team had stayed back watching the interaction of Buffy and Giles. It was plain to see that Giles loved Buffy deeply with the love of a father, pride written on his face as she set out her plan, hurt when she would not allow him to fight beside her and discipline when he made his own plans.
"We can manage without Angel and Cordelia" Giles said finally. "I'll call Faith in only if something happens. Not before."
"OK."
The decision made, Hammond turned to Jacob and he began to go through the finer points of being a Gou'ld slave.
Up on the surface, Spike inhaled the cigarette smoke deeply, tasting the bitterness on his tongue. Daniel watched.
"I know what you're going to ask" Spike said, "You're going to ask, how does he do that when he's dead."
"It was one question. Yes." Daniel made himself comfortable on the grass next to Spike.
"I don't know" Spike said, grinning. "I just can. Very useful."
"You said that you would know if Angel was dead. Who is this Angel guy?"
Spike gave Daniel an assessing look and took another drag of his cigarette. "You're asking the wrong person, mate. I'm no fan of Angel's and vice versa. Personally, I'm glad he's dropped off the face of the earth."
Daniel blinked. "But he's your ….sire?" he fumbled for the right word.
Spike shook his head. "He's my sire's sire. And my sire's lover and general obsession."
"Your sire?" Daniel was confused.
"Drusilla. Beautiful girl. Angelus drove her insane just before he turned her." Spike stubbed the cigarette out on the ground and stared thoughtfully at the stars. "She adored him and he used her. She found me, confused and lost in London and turned me. She wanted companionship I think. Someone who would love her the way she loved Angelus. But she didn't love me. Not really."
"Very complicated."
"You have no idea. You think your little undercurrents running round this base are tough? They're nothing. Your Colonel and Major? You should tell them to sort it out and get together to make the most of the time they have before they lose each other for good. Nothing like living for the moment. That's what this lot have learned. To live for now. You talk of fighting and saving the world. You don't realise that the little girl down there has been doing it since she was 15. You don't understand how easy it is for life to be suddenly snuffed out. For people to be there one moment and gone the next."
Spike stared soberly at Daniel. He remembered Tara, the sorrow on Buffy's face when she told him what had happened. The horror that had sank into his heart at the thought he would never see her gentle smile. Something about her had crept into his mind and he had liked her. She had been kind to him and he had protected her, the way he might have protected Drusilla once.
"I don't understand." Daniel said honestly. "What makes you different from the vampires here on Earth, or the ones on the planet?"
"I have a soul. So does Angel. It sets us apart. Makes us almost human." Spike smiled bitterly, lighting another cigarette. "Makes us remember."
"Remember?"
"Everything. Imagine not having a conscience. Not caring if people lived or died but preferring it if they died. Imagine evil. Evil with this face."
Spike turned to Daniel and looked at him seriously. "Nothing I will ever see can compare to what I have seen and done. You allow me to sit here, oblivious to the crimes I've committed, the things I've done."
"You have a soul now" Daniel said and Spike snorted derisively.
"You sound like her. It doesn't make an difference. I am still the person who did those things."
"Why are you doing this then? What are you helping us for?"
Spike shrugged and pinched out his cigarette. "Redemption?"