Faith didn't particularly care for the being alone thing, it gave her way too much time to think. It was funny, and not in a ha-ha kind of way.

Could it really end like this? She tried not to dwell on it, but she really had no choice. Not like there were any distractions around. They were going to kill her and there was cutting involved. Once upon a time a knife had been her weapon of choice so she supposed this was karma. She had tried to turn her life around, make a positive go of it and make the right choices for a change. She tried to stop the voices in her head, especially the voices that boomed from the past.

She hated this. It had taken her a long time to get the negative thoughts out of her head. It was a conscious thing. Robin had helped her through some of it, but now he was gone and she was on her own. She studied the empty room and knew that this was the most alone she had felt in a very long time.

XXXXX

Spike was not a happy vampire. He had listened to the 'plan' to save Faith. Fine as a plan goes; he just didn't like the waiting part. Just because the ritual was happening later didn't mean that Faith was okay now. That's the part that bothered him. Of course his inner battle didn't help matters either. He knew from experience what happens when you go rushing into a situation with no plan… someone could lose an eye. But still, a voice inside his head whispered, "Go now." The longer he waited, the louder it got. Now it was screaming, "GO!"

Spike went.

XXXXX

"Looks like we're on our own," Wesley said meeting up with Angel in his office. "Gunn isn't strong enough," he added averting Angel's eyes. "And Spike is missing."

"What?" Angel said. "What do you mean Spike is missing?"

"He's gone Angel. I suspect he went to save Faith."

"That stupid…" Angel sighed. "How long do we have?"

Wesley checked his watch. "I would say a solid two hours."

"Does that give us enough time?"

"It will have to."

XXXXX

Spike found it. Not that it was hard, thanks to the copy of Wesley's map he had made. He just wished he knew how many he was dealing with. To save her, he had to find her. To find her, he needed to be alive... in a matter of speaking.

Using all the vampire stealth he could muster, he snuck to the entrance of the old abandoned warehouse. Why did it always have to be a warehouse? Front door? Not going to happen.

Spike decided to sneak a quick peek around the place. There was a window around back. Luck was with him and the window had a ledge. Even better, the window was already broken.

He checked his weapons. He had considered bringing a crossbow but at the last minute he decided it would be far too bulky. He settled on stakes and a sword. He liked the sword. Angel wasn't the only one who could be all swordy.

He leapt up and landed on the ledge noiselessly. Glancing in the window, he was surprised to see how empty the warehouse actually was. It consisted of one big room with individual rooms all the way around. He counted twelve different doors. Bullocks! Faith could be in any one of them. He decided to wait and watch. Hopefully someone would do something that would give Faith's location away. He just hoped it was soon. He had less than two hours.

XXXXX

Wesley needed to make one stop by his office before Angel and he could leave. The two of them were the army that was going to save Faith. He laughed humorlessly. The Champion and the… What was he anyway? Watcher? Rogue Demon Hunter? Savior? He didn't know anymore.

"Why does your face look that way?" Illyria asked.

Wesley had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed her come in. "It means I'm worried."

"Why do humans worry?" she asked, stepping closer to Wesley and examining his face. "What is to be gained though this introspection?"

"Angel and I need to save somebody and I fear we are outnumbered. We may not make it." Wesley contributed.

"Not make it?" she stated matter-of-factly.

"We may not win, Illyria," Wesley sighed. "We are trying to save Faith; the enemy has captured her. Angel and I are going to try and save her. We have reason to believe that their numbers are great and there is a good chance that we may lose. If we lose, we will die."

"And so you are," she paused, trying out the word. "Worried?"

"Yes, Illyria, I am worried."

"Human emotions," she declared. "I don't understand. Fighting I understand. I will help you fight."

Their army had just grown to three.

XXXXX

Spike had counted ten vampires.

That was all then? He tried to recall what Wesley had said about the ritual. Spike had blocked much of it out after he had heard what could happen to Faith. First, they would need The Old One's bones. If he could get to those before finding Faith, there would be no ritual. That could be a plan.

What else?

There would be only one vampire that would actually conduct the ritual. He would be wearing a black, gold and red cloak. And of course he would have the bleedin' knife nearby. Technically he didn't need any other vamps to perform the ritual. So if he failed in finding The Old One's bones, he would need to make sure that the ritualistic vamp was taken out and taken out quick. What were the odds that he'd be roaming around wearing the cloak? Probably not good.

Spike grinned; maybe he'd just steal the soddin' knife.

XXXXX

Angel was waiting in the lobby for Wesley. He couldn't really blame Spike for waiting to go and get Faith. He was tempted on more than one occasion to just take off, but his instincts told him to wait. If they went in there half-assed, with no plan, there was a good chance that not all of them would make it out.

God, how many times had he said those exact same words? He knew what the odds were and he hoped that Spike had enough sense to stay alive until he and Wes could get there. Angel shook his head, clearing away his thoughts. He wouldn't know anything until they got there.

Where in the hell was Wesley?

As if on cue, Wesley arrived followed closely by Illyria, Angel raised his eyebrows in question. Before he could ask Wesley stated, "She's going to help us."

XXXXX

Spike figured it was now or never. He glanced around one more time. No one. He leapt through the window and landed on the warehouse floor with a small thud. He hadn't been able to pick up any clues about Faith's possible location, and the vamps he did see were roaming around not doing much of anything.

From where he stood, he could see the main entrance. There didn't seem to be a back entrance that he could locate immediately. He heard a door open to his left. Since there wasn't much available in the way of cover he ran to the right and hid in the shadows. He watched them as they headed towards a door on the other side of the room. He saw now that the door had a guard.

"Door. Guard. Faith." He hadn't seen that from his previous perch. At least now he knew where he needed to go.

The three vampires chatted to each other. This was taking forever. "Come on already," he muttered to himself. "Move on. Go."

Two of the vamps finally went in. That left only one guard visible. "That's more like it." Spike slowly began moving in the shadows.

Spike could tell the guard was bored. He yawned, shuffled his feet, looked at the floor, and he glanced up at the ceiling. All Spike needed to do was bide his time and catch him totally off guard. He readied his sword and waited for his opportunity. And then it came. The guard, obviously tired of standing, decided to grab a chair he had spotted a few feet away. He turned away from the door. It was exactly what Spike had been waiting for.

"Looks like you could use some rest?" Spike quipped, swinging his sword.

The guard was totally surprised and had no time to react. The sword found its mark and the vamp's dust drifted to the floor.

"One down," Spike said and he slowly opened the door… directly into a trap.

"Balls."

"You must be Spike." The garage vamp approached him and he wasn't alone. There were at least twenty followers with him.

"Am I wearing a bloody nametag?" Spike asked looking at his clothing.

"Of course not. I know all about you." Smiling coldly, he continued, "You have been our Faith's partner since she joined us in L.A. How could we not know about you?"

Spike didn't answer. He was too busy taking inventory of the room. Besides Chatty and his cohorts, there wasn't much. The room was empty and the only other thing he saw was the doorway in the back of the room. If he hadn't been interrupted, he would've kept going straight and walked right into the next room. Walked right into the room where Faith was being held. He knew it. He could feel it.

"We're just getting ready to begin, Spike. I guess it's okay if you witness our master's reawakening. You're kind of related to The Old One too, aren't you? It will be like a family reunion." He then motioned to the other vamps and they quickly relieved Spike of his stakes and his sword.

XXXXX

Faith heard the door open. She'd known the time had to be close. She felt as if she had been lying there for days. Even if she could've broken free, she didn't think she could walk. The inactivity was taking its toll on her muscles. Well, if they were going to start cutting, being numb might not be all that bad.

"Faith!" the garage vamp greeted her excitedly. "We have company."

She couldn't believe her eyes as Spike was dragged through the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, stunned.

"Saving you pet."

"Thinking you might need a new plan."

"Thinkin' you might be right