Chapter Eight

'I never had any time

And I never had any call

But I went out of my way just to hurt you,

The one I shouldn't hurt at all

I thought I was being cool

Yeah, I thought I was being strong

But it's always the same old story

You never know what you've got 'til it's gone

If I ever catch up with you

I'm gonna love you for the rest of your life

All I need is a miracle, all I need is you…'

Mike and the Mechanics, 'All I Need Is A Miracle'

Xander finally got the bleeding on Willow's forehead tended to. It would probably scar, he concluded sadly, marring her perfect skin. But what really worried him was her shivering. Sure, it was getting cold in the dank hole of a cell, but Xander couldn't tell if her reaction was from the chill in the air or from her going into shock. Regardless, he pulled her petite form into his arms, rubbing warmth back into her upper arms.

Willow closed her eyes and sighed. She was so cold that she felt her fingers and toes going numb. When she felt his arms wrap protectively around her torso, she felt a moment of happiness. She allowed herself to luxuriate in his body heat, before the guilt set in. This wasn't right, she knew that. He didn't love her. But that was okay, she realized. She didn't love him, either. Cordelia loved him. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would not have believed it. But as she considered Cordelia's feelings over the years, it actually explained quite a bit. She sat up, divesting herself of his arms and looked at him. "Xander, we can't."

"Can't what?" Xander replied, confused.

"You know what I'm talking about. Back at my house. We can't. Ever. I'm with someone now."

She felt more than saw the frown form even in the dim lighting, then she felt his reluctant nod. "You really love him, don't you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know about being in love, Xander. We've only known each other for a few days. But I do care about him, and I think maybe… I could love him. Someday." Then she looked at her surroundings. "If we ever get out of here."

Xander felt a sting in his heart. She loved him. She wouldn't admit to him, but he knew his Wills. This was her attempt at trying to let him down easy. After all this time, he never would have guessed it would be her letting him down. As much as it hurt, and it hurt a lot more than he would have ever guessed, he would not stand in the way of her happiness. "Willow," he pulled her close. "I promise you, we will get out of here."

Despite Cordelia's warning, Angel and Brian sniped at each other quietly, each comment getting nastier and more personal. First the comments started with Angel asking mock-innocently if the sword and the sportscar were compensation for other deficiencies. Cordelia and Giles were certain Brian was going to decapitate the souled vampire for it. Instead, Brian sized Angel up and kindly let him know that he was flattered for the attention, but he liked women. Later after Angel asked Giles why Buffy wasn't there, and under his breath Brian called Angel a pedophile and Cordelia and Giles had to step in between the two.

"He started it, Giles." Angel remarked, turning his head away from the thick wooden cross pressed near his face.

"Frankly, I don't care, Angel. Willow and Xander are being held here against their will, and all the two of you seem to be able to do is argue amongst yourself like little children!" Giles let out an exasperated sigh, and pinched at the bridge of his nose, hoping to massage away some of the tension that was building. "Brian, quite frankly, I don't understand this attitude. I have told you already he is on our side. I trust this man. Why can't you?"

He sheathed his katana over his shoulder, and placed his arms across his chest defensively. "The Frog and the Scorpion, Giles."

Angel rolled his eyes and turned away, continuing to lead the small group further into the Master's lair. Giles sighed again, pocketing the cross, and following the vampire down a rocky slope and placing a hand out to steady his descent. Brian started to follow, but a hand on his shoulder stayed him.

"The Frog and the Scorpion?" Cordelia asked.

Brian nodded and offered her a hand as she stepped onto the loose stones. "It's an old fable. One day, a scorpion looked around the mountain where he lived and decided he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and the hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river."

Once Cordelia had reached the bottom, Brian hopped down the gravel, riding it like a wave. He jumped at the end, then stood and brushed at the dust on his pants. "So, anyhow, the river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He looked but couldn't find a way across. He checked upriver, then he checked downriver, all the while thinking he may have to turn back.

"Suddenly, he saw a frog sunning itself in the tall grass by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided he would ask the frog for help to cross the river.

"'Hello, Mr. Frog!' The scorpion called out across the water. 'Would you be so kind as to give me a ride across the river?'" Angel took a look back and glared at the younger man. Brian returned the look with equal vigor, and continued on, ignoring their guide. "'Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you won't try to kill me?' The frog replied hesitantly.

"'Because,' the scorpion replied. 'If I try to kill you, then I would die, too. For you see, I cannot swim.'

"Now this seemed to make a bit of sense to the frog, but he still had his reservations. 'What about when I get close to the shore, you could kill me then.'"

"The scorpion agreed. 'I could, but then I wouldn't be able to get across the river.'"

"Alright then, how do I know you wouldn't wait until we're across, and then kill me." Brian gave a caustic look to Angel's back, then continued. "'But you see,' the scorpion replied. 'I would be so grateful for what you did, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death.'"

"So the little frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river, carrying him on his little froggie back. He swam easily across the swiftly moving river and settled near the mud of the bank to let his new friend, the scorpion, catch a ride on his back."

"Halfway across the river, the naïve little froggie felt a sharp sting in his back. He looked back and saw the scorpion removing its stinger from his back. 'You fool,' the frog cried out as he could no longer swim. 'What have you done? Now we'll both be killed! Why on earth would you do that?!'"

"The scorpion did a happy little dance on the back of the drowning frog, even as the water rushed up to claim him. The scorpion shrugged. 'I could not help it. It is in my nature.'" Brian finished. "And I don't trust Angel, Cordelia. He is a vampire. Soul or not, at the end of the day, he's still a vampire. And it's in his nature to kill."

Cordelia nodded, not certain if she agreed with Brian's fable, but agreed that Angel couldn't be completely trusted.

The four came around a corner that led to a four-way intersection, with two vampires standing guard at a naturally arched hallway. Angel sent up a hand to stop their advance. They looked around. There was little chance they could rush the vampires without making too much noise, or risk them alerting any reinforcements. It was too far. A drip of water his Giles in the shoulder, and Brian looked up to track the source of the water.

A series of pipes lined the roof of the tunnel, and a plan began to form in his mind. He stretched once and leapt high into the air, grasping at the pipes with both hands. He smiled when they held his weight easily.

"What are you doing?" Cordelia and Giles asked simultaneously. Angel looked up in surprise to see Brian hanging off the water pipes, his legs wrapped securely across the pipes leaving his arms free.

Brian immediately held up a finger to his lips to quiet them. Then he pointed to the two guards, both armed with handguns. Giles noticed them and his eyebrows raised a fraction: vampires weren't well known for using guns when they could get their hands dirty. But then again, it wasn't quite unheard of.

The Herald rocked on the pipes to test their strength. They held easily, and made no noise while he rocked them. Perfect. Brian began a slow upside-down crawl across the roof of the sewer tunnel.

Cordelia frantically pulled on Giles' arm. "Giles! What does he think he's doing?" She whispered as loud as she dared.

Giles turned and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, then shrugged and turned back to watch Brian's unsteady progress across the pipes.

Brian reached the halfway point, and looked behind him, throwing the group a jaunty wave. Cordelia rolled her eyes and smiled, wishing they could just get to Xander and Willow. This waiting was causing her skin to itch and burn. She absently began to scratch at an exposed portion of her forearm, creating a red streak across her tanned skin.

Brian got within ten feet, and felt a sense of relief that the vampires had not noticed his climbing. Eight feet, and his foot caught on a pipe coupling, pulling at the old and water damaged concrete foundation. Cursing to himself, he reached back to try to dislodge his shoe, only to have his support hand slip off the slick dust-covered pipe. He fell head-first towards the hard ground, only to be stopped by his foot still firmly wedged into the space between the ceiling and the water pipe, dangling about three and a half feet from the cement floor.

The group gasped collectively as Brian began his headlong dive to the ground. "Bloody hell," Giles muttered. "This boy is going to be the death of me." Then they all rushed the guards.

Now that got the vampires' attention. The surprised vampires turned to see a young man hanging upside down by his foot. They looked once at each other then back at the boy, then smiled. The closest one strolled casually up to the prone figure. "Well, well, well. Lookie what we got here."

Brian sighed, still struggling to release himself from his prison. "Oh, not that line again. What, can't you people come up with some better lines?" He reached behind his shoulder as the vampire leaned in, his clawed hands aiming for his throat. He retrieved his katana from its sheath, sat up and slashed at the pipe, instantly releasing his foot and sending him sprawling to the floor in a torrent of water. The guard stopped short as the boy fell hard to the floor.

Brian felt something give in his left shoulder as it hit the ground hard. He cried out in pain, and saw blinding stars dance in his field of vision. 'Stupid. Stupid! STUPID!' Brian berated himself. 'You thought you'd get clever and try and do this by yourself.' Grunting, he hefted his sword with his right arm and slashed out blindly, taking off the guard's right arm at the shoulder. The vampire roared in sheer agony, his head heaving back and howling out his rage.

"So much for the element of surprise." Angel groused, catching the wounded vamp in the chest with his wooden stake, then catching the second vamp with a back kick that sent it tumbling to the floor. The vampire rolled out of the fall, and ran back at Angel. Angel sidestepped him, and caught his opponent with a knee to the midsection, followed by a stake in the back that pierced his heart.

Giles helped the fallen Herald to his feet, careful to avoid his wounded shoulder. "Brian," The Watcher sent a reproachful look down to the younger man. "Just what did you think you would accomplish with that foolhardy stunt?" He began to examine Brian's wounded shoulder, immediately noticing it was separated.

Brian hung his head. "Sorry, sir. I was just…"

"Trying to show off? Perhaps show up Angel just a bit?" Giles inquired gently. "I understand your reluctance to trust the man…"

"Vampire." Brian bit out painfully.

"Right, vampire." Giles agreed. "The point is…"

"No, Giles. Vampire!" Brian pointed over Giles' shoulder with his healthy arm.

The Englishman turned in time to see a large vampire hurtling itself towards the two. Angel was too far away to help, he had been checking the entrance to the cavern for reinforcements.

A burning sensation caught Giles across his shoulder and he flinched and grasped at the wound. He looked back up in time to see his attacker collapsing into a pile of fine gray residue, a crossbow bolt embedded into its chest.

"Hey, I got him!" Cordelia crowed, loading another bolt into her crossbow. "Are you two alright?" Brian and Giles nodded, and smiled their thanks.

"Nice shot." Giles remarked, rubbing at the thin red line across the skin of his shoulder where the bolt had grazed him.

Cordelia paled. "Oh! Oh, God! Did I do that? I'm so sorry, Giles."

"Quite alright, Cordelia." Giles comforted her as he daubed at the scratch with a handkerchief. "All things considered, this is nothing. Aside from the blinding pain, it's just a flesh wound." He turned back to Brian, who was still wincing from the separated shoulder. "Brian, hold steady."

He braced the Herald against the wall and without any preamble, snapped Brian's arm back into its socket. Brian screamed, and felt his knees buckle. Cordelia and Giles caught him and held him steady while he rode out the blinding pain.

James looked up from his computer terminal, as the scream echoed through the halls. "They're coming."

Jessica paused from her typing, reveling in the pain. "Shall I inform the Master?"

He shook his head, and motioned for her to continue her work. "That's alright. I'll do it."

The scream Willow woke from her fitful sleep in Xander's arms. She dreamt Brian was coming for them. Was that what she heard? She twisted her way out of Xander's grasp, listening for anything else to give her any sign. But all she could hear was Xander's rhythmic breathing and his occasional mumble about Cordelia. She grinned, a day ago that might have bothered her. Now, she knew what her heart wanted. It wanted Brian, and it wanted Xander to be happy. If that meant Cordelia, well, she could learn to live with it.

Brian fought at the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. His arm felt like it was on fire, and stars danced across his field of vision. He took several deep breaths before steadying himself enough that he felt he could continue. Cordelia hovered over him, her hand tracing comforting patterns on the bicep of his good arm.

"Are you sure you're okay? That had to hurt." She commented idly.

Brian looked up at her, a wry smile spoiled by the grimace of pain. "You think?"

Cordelia laughed. "Brian, what were you doing back then? You know you should have been killed. If not from the fall, then from the vampires. You were lucky Angel was there to protect you."

He blew out an agitated breath. "Don't remind me." He turned to face her, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. Cordelia flushed at the touch, and lowered her head. "I was… trying to impress you." Cordelia smiled, and he lowered his head in embarrassment. "I was hoping to prove to you that we didn't need him." Brian jerked his head in the vampire's general direction, his distaste for Angel evident.

Cordelia sighed. On some level, she agreed with Brian. That in the end, Angel was a vampire and could not be trusted. But in the here and now, they had not choice but to follow his lead. "Yeah, and look where that got you. Do you really hate him that much?"

Brian held her gaze for a moment, then turned away. "I don't hate him, really. I just don't trust him. Honestly, Cordy, are you willing to put your life and Xander's in his hands?"

She frowned, considering the implications. "Do we have a choice, really? Either we follow his lead, or we try to find a way in by ourselves. Personally, I'd rather have a guy that knows where he's going and can watch our backs, than try to sneak in ourselves. Besides, Giles trusts him."

Brian agreed. If Giles trusted Angel, then he should at least give him a chance. "Yeah, but if he tries anything funny with Willow, he ends up in a jar on my mantelpiece." Brian concluded darkly, earning a shiver from Cordelia. She could tell he meant every word.

She nodded and fell into step with him, as Angel and Giles led them into the real mouth of Hell. And Cordelia questioned her decision with every step. Should she trust Angel? She hoped so, but she had the cold, sickening feeling in her stomach telling her she may not get out of this alive.