Notes: Again, thank you and thank you for all of the reviews. Sorry for the sort of cliffhanger in the last chapter. I'd tell you that it won't happen again, but that would be a lie.
Chapter 4: The Praxidikae
Anya had not been happy to see Willow at her door. She nearly slammed it on her, would have if Willow hadn't been quick enough to wedge her foot in first.
"Go away," Anya called still trying to push the door shut between them.
"It's not like I want to be here."
"Then why are you here?" Anya said pulling the door full open.
"I need information."
Anya looked unmoved.
"For Xander."
That seemed to do the trick. Anya's features visual softened and she stepped back to let Willow inside.
"I need you to tell me about the Furies."
"So go google it," Anya said with a dry laugh, "you don't need me for that."
Willow just rolled her eyes.
"I need to know more then that. I need specifics. I need to know if they were vengeance demons."
"Oh," Anya said taking a seat, but not offering one to Willow.
"Yeah, oh." Willow said sitting anyway.
"Okay. They aren't vengeance demons. They're older then that. Much older."
"Do they curse people like vengeance demons?"
"Not exactly."
"So what exactly?"
Willow was never sure if Anya was just natural evasive or just couldn't form detailed explanations. Maybe it was just another annoying hang-up from her demon life.
"It's hard to explain."
"Anya, try."
"I am trying," she said exasperated.
Anya began to pace as she spoke.
"The Furies are stronger then vengeance demons. They are the Praxidikae. The Vengeful Ones. But they're more then that too. And they're not called on by people, they're just not. Normally just by gods."
"But they punish people."
"Yes. They do. That's what's so odd. They usually only punish murderers. Xander…"
Willow let her trail off. Clearly she hadn't been the only one going through that thought process. Anya was obviously still concerned enough to have been thinking about it. It didn't make Willow dislike what she'd done any less, but it did make her think a bit better of her then before.
"That's what I thought," Willow added, "Everything I've read says they only punish murders and traitors. Xander's neither of those things."
Anya nodded her agreement and sat back down again.
"How do you think she got them to do it?" Willow asked.
"No way she could of that I can see."
The two women sat there in silence.
"So, what are you all doing for him? Is he still alright?"
Anya had been careful not to say his name again. She didn't think she could at this time.
"We're looking into it still. So far he's fine."
Willow decided against telling her how bad off Xander really was. Anya had clearly shown she didn't want to be fully apart of this by walking out that night, but it would just be cruel to fill her in on the details.
"Sorry I couldn't help."
Anya really meant it and Willow knew that.
"Thanks anyway," Willow said with a small smile as she got up to leave.
"Willow," Anya called before she got completely out the door, "it'll start with nightmares."
"What?"
"The Furies. They
always plague the dreams first. That's
when you'll be able to tell when he's starting to get bad off."
Willow stopped cold.
"Is he having them already?" Anya asked, her voice sounded scared.
Willow nodded but barely. She was too busy thinking that Giles might have been wrong.
****
Awhile before the phone rang Buffy felt something was wrong.
It was a sense of foreboding that washed over her. It was the type of feeling that made you want to call all of your loved ones just so you could verify their continued existence., but she knew the only person she had to call was Xander.
Xander was the only one she knew of in any danger.
Just as she had decided herself on heading directly back to Giles apartment the phone rang.
The look on Giles' face said it all. Buffy's fears were proved in that moment.
"What is it?" she said the instant he hung up.
Giles just seemed to be staring off into nothing.
"It's Xander, right?"
"Yes, it is."
"Giles, speak!"
"He's gone."
****
Tara hung up the phone.
She wasn't entirely sure what she had said to Giles. She was sure that nearly half of it hadn't made sense. Tara felt unglued.
Xander had been here.
Tara had heard him. Here. In this room.
It gave her the chills. She noticed the sudden cramped ness of the room. It was stifling in here. And the smell. She suddenly placed it. This room was death.
She couldn't stay here.
Tara got up and without looking back went to the hallway. That wasn't good enough to escape the place so she shut the door behind her but it still wasn't enough.
'Maybe I'm the one going insane,' she thought.
She'd remembered reading somewhere that if you could ask yourself that question then the answer was no but she was seriously having doubts about that.
Tara found herself pacing the hallway and inexplicably stopping in front of the door every few steps.
She decided to wait for them outside. If they asked, she'd be honest. She'd have to be; there was no way to hide it.
Tara was petrified.
****
Giles had probably never driven an automobile so fast before in his life. Well, certainly not the one he currently owned. He was amazed that they hadn't gotten pulled over.
Buffy didn't seem to mind. In fact, Buffy kept urging him to go faster.
When they arrived Tara was outside waiting in the courtyard. She looked shaken and was still holding the phone.
"Tara," Giles began, "are you alright?"
Buffy didn't even break stride, just kept heading towards the apartment.
"I…I…I…"
It was all she could get out. She finally gave up and nodded. Giles wrapped a protective arm around her and ushered her back inside. Buffy hadn't waited on them and was already in Xander's room.
"What happened?" he asked stopping in the living room and helping her to sit.
"I heard Xander," she started slowly, "I went to check on him and he was gone."
Giles looked towards the hallway. He assumed Buffy would be back by now, having first checked for herself.
"What else dear?"
"Tara?"
Willow's voice had startled them both.
Seeing her caused Tara to loose all sense of control she had. She couldn't hold it in any longer and started to cry.
"What happened?" Willow asked Giles as she took Tara into her arms.
"I'm not sure yet," he answered.
"Willow…" Tara began but was cut off by a call from the back room.
"Giles!" Buffy yelled, "I need help."
Giles exchanged a quick look with Tara who, if possible, looked even more frightened then before.
"What…"
Willow didn't have time to ask, Giles had already left.
"Baby, what's going on?" she asked Tara instead.
All Tara could do to respond was shake her head.
****
As Giles made it into the room he saw Buffy kneeling in the corner.
"Don't turn on the light," she said without facing him.
He made his way across the room; the only light on was the bedside lamp. He could see the bedspread turned up just as Tara had left it. He could even make out the blood. Giles knew why she'd been so worked up. It wasn't so much the disappearance as it was the room. It felt off. The room felt like a tomb.
As he continued into the room he saw that there was something in the corner. Something Buffy was near. Huddled. The closer Giles got the more he recognized it to be Xander.
Buffy was sitting beside him, carefully avoiding touching him in any way.
Giles never thought Xander looked more like a boy then he had now. He sat rocking slowly with his head in his hands. He was muttering something no one could hear and his eyes were shut tightly. Worse still, his sleeves and pant legs were nearly ripped to shreds and bleeding. Nothing looked too deep, but he was bleeding from various scratches on his arms, legs and face.
"What…where was he?" Giles asked confused, kneeling down just behind Buffy. "Tara said he was gone."
Buffy finally looked over at him for a moment. Her face was cold and accusing.
"He was there."