Chapter Three
The gang had all gathered at Giles' for some late night research, as they usually did. Buffy was on the chair across for the couch; a place were she had so many bad memories of Spike kissage. Xander and Anya were on the couch, Anya leaning against Xander; her back against his side while his left arm was draped around her, his forearm resting around her abdomen. Giles was at his desk, his book almost completely finished.
The whole room was completely silent till they heard a knock at the door. Getting up, Giles went to answer the door and swung it open to an unlikely person.
"Riley." Giles stated, his gaze shifting around the man in front of him, checking for any other company.
"Mr. Giles, sir. Is Buffy..." He spotted her inside and stepped past Giles to get inside the doorway. "Buffy. We need to talk." Buffy stood, taking the book in her hand and setting it on the chair.
"No, we really don't. I told you. I don't want t see you till I'm ready. You slept with Faith."
"I slept with you." He took a step closer.
"You slept with her. Angel would have been able to tell but you didn't see the difference."
"Who's Angel?" Buffy opened her mouth in utter disbelief that she had actually said that. Giles moved away, not getting into this conversation as Xander and Anya slumped in there seats away from view.
"Angel's--" Buffy's confession was interrupted by Willow barging into the room through the still open door. She moved past Riley to Buffy.
"Buffy! That thing, the thing that Tara felt. It attacked us!" She was struggling for breath as she told her friend.
"What happened, are you guys okay?"
"It, he, attacked her before I got there, I tried to help her but he -- oh goddess, Buffy. He attacked me when I got there too."
"How did you get away?" Buffy said, trying to calm the red headed witch down.
"He was using a stone. A fanthom just it was powerful. I pushed him away with my powers while he was using it. He went flying and then I threw him out the door, closing it. But he didn't come back."
"When did your powers get so advanced? Before you couldn't even get a pencil to move right, now you're able to use it to throw people?"
"I'm just as surprised as you are. The biggest thing I've ever moved was the soda pop machine in the laundry room but that was with Tara's help."
"What happened to Tara?" Giles interjected.
"She's still back at her place. Dead, Giles, she's dead. This guy killed her and he wasn't even that close to her." She leaned over catching her breath again and Buffy took Willow's hand.
"I'll take her to Tara's, see what we can find that could lead us to this guy. Wait, this is a guy?"
"Human." Willow nodded as she confirmed. "And a very powerful witch."
"You guys stay here and keep researching, there's less likely going to be anything on this but you might find some resent deaths that could give some clue as to what this guy is after." Giles, Xander and Anya nodded.
"I'm going with you." Riley stated, following behind.
"No. You're staying out of this. You'll just want to take him back to the lab to experiment on and if this guy is human, he's not going to the lab but instead to a prison." She looked at the bruise forming on Willow's cheek and turned back to Riley. "If he makes it there."
With that, Willow and Buffy left, Willow leading the way.
Willow walked into the room and turned away. Buffy started to walk round, checking the area. She went over to Tara and checked her out, seeing how she might have died. She couldn't see a mark on her that would cause her to have died.
"I don't get it. She doesn't have any injury that would kill her."
"Maybe it's a power like Willow has." Both Willow and Buffy turned to see Riley in the door way.
"I thought I told you to stay gone."
"You did, but I never have been good at listening. Ask Forest." He cracked a smile. "Strictly slayer business, no Initiative. I just want to help." Buffy ruled her eyes knowing this wasn't going to be an argument she was going to win.
"Fine, then help me look for some clue." They both started to look around as Willow stayed to the side, still shook up.
"What's this?" Riley asked, spotting a wallet on the ground next to the wall.
"He must have lost it when I threw him to the wall." Willow said, walking over to Riley as Buffy joined them and Riley opened it. Inside were multiple ID cards and credit cards. "Walter Lorence"
"Jonathon Stright" Willow read one.
"Tohmas Christopher" Buffy read another.
"Michael Hayes." Riley read another.
"Charley Round." Buffy read the next in the pile.
"Here's the most resent picture.' Willow pulled one from the group. "Mark Loid." she read in a voice just above a whisper.
"I'm guessing he doesn't like people to know him." Buffy said, taking the ID from Willow. "So this is the guy? He doesn't look too scary, in a bulky sort of way."
"Well, a lot of things you have fought looked not so scary but, well, were."
"True."
"So what now? I mean, he found Tara and look what happened. And he said he hoped I was as easy as she was. Should I expect him some time soon?" Willow looked at Buffy worried and searching for an answer.
"I hope he shows, I really do. Cause you're gonna be safe Wills. I won't let him hurt you. Promise."
The gang had all gathered at Giles' for some late night research, as they usually did. Buffy was on the chair across for the couch; a place were she had so many bad memories of Spike kissage. Xander and Anya were on the couch, Anya leaning against Xander; her back against his side while his left arm was draped around her, his forearm resting around her abdomen. Giles was at his desk, his book almost completely finished.
The whole room was completely silent till they heard a knock at the door. Getting up, Giles went to answer the door and swung it open to an unlikely person.
"Riley." Giles stated, his gaze shifting around the man in front of him, checking for any other company.
"Mr. Giles, sir. Is Buffy..." He spotted her inside and stepped past Giles to get inside the doorway. "Buffy. We need to talk." Buffy stood, taking the book in her hand and setting it on the chair.
"No, we really don't. I told you. I don't want t see you till I'm ready. You slept with Faith."
"I slept with you." He took a step closer.
"You slept with her. Angel would have been able to tell but you didn't see the difference."
"Who's Angel?" Buffy opened her mouth in utter disbelief that she had actually said that. Giles moved away, not getting into this conversation as Xander and Anya slumped in there seats away from view.
"Angel's--" Buffy's confession was interrupted by Willow barging into the room through the still open door. She moved past Riley to Buffy.
"Buffy! That thing, the thing that Tara felt. It attacked us!" She was struggling for breath as she told her friend.
"What happened, are you guys okay?"
"It, he, attacked her before I got there, I tried to help her but he -- oh goddess, Buffy. He attacked me when I got there too."
"How did you get away?" Buffy said, trying to calm the red headed witch down.
"He was using a stone. A fanthom just it was powerful. I pushed him away with my powers while he was using it. He went flying and then I threw him out the door, closing it. But he didn't come back."
"When did your powers get so advanced? Before you couldn't even get a pencil to move right, now you're able to use it to throw people?"
"I'm just as surprised as you are. The biggest thing I've ever moved was the soda pop machine in the laundry room but that was with Tara's help."
"What happened to Tara?" Giles interjected.
"She's still back at her place. Dead, Giles, she's dead. This guy killed her and he wasn't even that close to her." She leaned over catching her breath again and Buffy took Willow's hand.
"I'll take her to Tara's, see what we can find that could lead us to this guy. Wait, this is a guy?"
"Human." Willow nodded as she confirmed. "And a very powerful witch."
"You guys stay here and keep researching, there's less likely going to be anything on this but you might find some resent deaths that could give some clue as to what this guy is after." Giles, Xander and Anya nodded.
"I'm going with you." Riley stated, following behind.
"No. You're staying out of this. You'll just want to take him back to the lab to experiment on and if this guy is human, he's not going to the lab but instead to a prison." She looked at the bruise forming on Willow's cheek and turned back to Riley. "If he makes it there."
With that, Willow and Buffy left, Willow leading the way.
Willow walked into the room and turned away. Buffy started to walk round, checking the area. She went over to Tara and checked her out, seeing how she might have died. She couldn't see a mark on her that would cause her to have died.
"I don't get it. She doesn't have any injury that would kill her."
"Maybe it's a power like Willow has." Both Willow and Buffy turned to see Riley in the door way.
"I thought I told you to stay gone."
"You did, but I never have been good at listening. Ask Forest." He cracked a smile. "Strictly slayer business, no Initiative. I just want to help." Buffy ruled her eyes knowing this wasn't going to be an argument she was going to win.
"Fine, then help me look for some clue." They both started to look around as Willow stayed to the side, still shook up.
"What's this?" Riley asked, spotting a wallet on the ground next to the wall.
"He must have lost it when I threw him to the wall." Willow said, walking over to Riley as Buffy joined them and Riley opened it. Inside were multiple ID cards and credit cards. "Walter Lorence"
"Jonathon Stright" Willow read one.
"Tohmas Christopher" Buffy read another.
"Michael Hayes." Riley read another.
"Charley Round." Buffy read the next in the pile.
"Here's the most resent picture.' Willow pulled one from the group. "Mark Loid." she read in a voice just above a whisper.
"I'm guessing he doesn't like people to know him." Buffy said, taking the ID from Willow. "So this is the guy? He doesn't look too scary, in a bulky sort of way."
"Well, a lot of things you have fought looked not so scary but, well, were."
"True."
"So what now? I mean, he found Tara and look what happened. And he said he hoped I was as easy as she was. Should I expect him some time soon?" Willow looked at Buffy worried and searching for an answer.
"I hope he shows, I really do. Cause you're gonna be safe Wills. I won't let him hurt you. Promise."