Part 2
Baby dreams red
William walked through the streets in a catatonic state, absently holding his right hand by the wrist, as if that particular bite mark was by far the most painful of his wounds. But then why was his forehead pulsating in that horrifyingly nauseous rhythm? Why was something warm trickling down the side of his face? Why was he limping? And why did he feel bruised all over his body? Why if that small bite mark was all that worried him?
He came to another crossroad between alleys with tall buildings and as he was completely lost he didn't even stop to think about what direction it would be wise for him to take. As he moved in another alley his eyes stopped on a trashcan and he suddenly flashed back to the moment when he had discovered Dana in the same alley with him. He remembered his attempt to help her and the girl's violent reply. He recalled taking the lid off the trashcan and hitting the girl with it over and over again while yelling terrible things he would have never dared to utter not even in his mind before. Then of course had come the girl's attack and the pain and the wildness he saw - read - in her eyes. She could have killed him easily, but had abandoned him after a good beating in the alley. He didn't understand why. After everything he had done, he felt he deserved to die.
As he stood there, lost in his misery, a hand grabbed him from behind. He was sure it was her, come to finish her job. But it wasn't her, it wasn't Dana, but another slayer that had come looking for him: Buffy.
"There you are," she smiled kindly. "I thought I lost you for a moment there."
"I'm standing right here," he mumbled.
"What happened?" Buffy asked when she saw the state he was in. "Did the demon..."
"No," he interrupted her, then hesitant added: "Muggers." He was suddenly very afraid that if she or any of the others found out what he had done they would be so disgusted by him that they would throw him out on the streets.
"That's New York for you. Next time don't get lost in a dark alley," she suggested as she turned back towards the way she had come.
"Where's the girl? Dawn. Where's Dawn?" he asked remembering she had carried the little girl in her arms. He was glad she hadn't been there when he had attacked that poor girl in the alley for no good reason.
"She's in the warehouse. I kinda only noticed you were gone when I got there," she said in an apologetic tone. "We should go."
"Yes, we should," he said still shook up.
"Can you walk by yourself?" she asked when she noticed he was limping.
"Yes," he tried to sound brave, but his body seemed to have suddenly realized the pain it was in and he collapsed on the ground.
"Put your arm around my neck," she said as she helped him up.
"I shouldn't..." he didn't think the gesture to be appropriate coming from a civilized young man. Men were suppose to be the ones who protected women and helped them when they were in pain, not the other way around. But this girl wasn't a regular woman. She was braver than anyone he had ever met. Stronger than any man, capable of moving mountains with one thought. He let her pull him back on his feet and let his hand slip around her shoulders to sustain himself.
Back in the alley where William had attacked the insane vampire slayer, without a reason - or so he thought - Dana was still huddled next to the trashcan, mumbling something. Billy stepped in the alley cautiously. Not even he could guess how she would react to his presence. She looked up when she heard him approaching. He applauded her:
"Good show. I knew you had the potential, but I've gotta say I'm impressed," he smirked. "I think you could actually be a far better weapon than men. Just a little violent impulse and - BAM! - you're ready to hack away," he paused for a moment. "What I don't understand is why," his voice suddenly got louder: "you didn't kill him? You could've ripped his heart out. Tore him apart. Limb by limb," he neared her and crouching down next to her whispered: "Piece by piece." He pulled away laughing when she lunged at him. "I thought we had this discussion once, Dana. And I don't like repeating myself. I can hurt you. Worse than any psychotic human ever will. Get up," she told her and Dana looked up at him. "Get up! Or do you want me to get those two nice policemen over here? I'm sure they'd just love to have a little target practice with you."
Dana stood up from the ground slowly.
"Good girl," Billy smiled. "Now, what are you going to do next time you see him?" he asked, but the girl didn't answer him. "You know, he might not look like much right now, but one day, he'll be the one hurting you. That's why you have to stop him, Dana."
"Head and heart. Keep cutting till you see dust," she murmured.
"That's right," he smiled. "Keep cutting," he stepped behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. The girl twitched nervously under his touch. "Now, sick 'em," he whispered in her ear.
"Well, it was about time you got back," Liam let out when Buffy, still holding on to William, entered the warehouse.
"What happened?" Willow asked concerned when she saw the state William was in.
"He ran into a few muggers," Buffy explained as she helped William sit down on a crate. "That's New York for you."
"A few muggers did that to you?" Liam smirked. "What kind of man are you? Did she rescue you?" he asked mockingly pointing towards Buffy.
"Shut up, ponytail, or you sleep on the streets tonight. See how cocky you feel after a night all by yourself out there," the slayer replied sharply.
"I'd be better off without the lot of you holding me back," Liam snapped back. "And don't ever tell me to shut up again."
"Or you'll what?" Buffy turned towards him. "Cause just in case you didn't notice it until now, I'm a freaking slayer and I can kick your ass all the way back to the 18th century if I want to. And I'm not just bragging," they stared at each other for a moment. "Look, we're in the same pot here. Whether we like it or not. If you want to get yourself killed, then go, act all macho and walk out. Alone, you'd probably get killed in a nanosecond, but together we might actually stand a chance."
"Fine," Liam gave in. He had only half-understood what the slayer had told him, but he had caught the message behind her words and though he didn't really like it, he had to except the truth: alone, he was lost.
"I should've broken into a pharmacy," Buffy said as she turned back towards William and analyzed his wounds.
"Where are we gonna sleep?" Willow asked looking around the warehouse. "We don't have blankets or anything."
"We can't risk going out again. Not today," Buffy said.
"What if only some of us go?" Wesley suggested.
"It's too dangerous," the slayer shook her head. "I can't go and you could run into that demon and no offense, but I think I'm the only one here that can hold her own against him."
"Modest, are we?" Liam scoffed.
"She's right," Wesley admitted. He possessed the skills to battle a demon, but he didn't have the strength and agility to defeat one.
"We'll just have to make the best of it," she said looking around the warehouse, not really convinced there was anything to make the best of.
"But you can't sleep here, on the ground," William seemed outraged by the thought.
"And you should be in a hospital," Buffy pointed out and Willow said in case he didn't understand:
"She means a doctor should see you."
"So you see we can't have everything we want," Buffy continued her words.
"And the girl?" William looked at Dawn who was yawning and rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"She'll have to deal with it like all of us," Buffy said and the boy looked over at the little girl with compassion.
"Why would anyone drag someone so young in such an ugly business?" William asked sighing.
"He said something about a key," Wesley remembered. "The key to chaos."
"He must've made a mistake. Look at her, she's just a poor child," William said gesturing towards the little girl.
"Power comes in many forms. Something doesn't have to look frightening to be powerful," Wesley pointed out. "Actually, in many cases they are intentionally harmless looking so that they don't attract attention."
"So she's a key, but how do you use it?" Buffy asked staring at the girl. "Does he have to kill her or does he have to convince her to do something?"
"Kill her," Wesley said with certainty in his voice.
"At least we can cross out the possibility of her turning on us. Are you sure the little girl look isn't just a cover for some big scary monster?" the slayer looked at the watcher- in-training.
"I can't be a 100% sure, but I don't think it's the case. Keys in human forms rarely realize they are keys, until it's too late," Wesley explained.
"Would you two just stop?" William asked enraged as he covered Dawn's ears so the girl couldn't hear their conversation. In truth, it didn't really matter if she heard it or not as she was incapable of comprehending many of the things - if not all - that were spoken between the teenagers. The demon had taken her before the spell that had created her human form had been complete. Because of this she was much younger than the monks had intended her to be and unaware of her own body and mortality. She was stuck somewhere between her human body and immortal form. "You're scaring her."
"We can't take any chances, William," Wesley told him. "But I don't think there's a reason to worry," he assured him.
"You think he'll come after us?" Willow suddenly asked. "When we're sleeping?"
"I don't know," Buffy answered honestly.
"Someone should stand guard," Liam interfered.
"I'm so glad you offered," Buffy said smiling.
"But I did not..." Liam began, but the slayer interrupted him:
"Are you going back on your word?"
"No, but I didn't...," Liam started again, but Buffy asked:
"So you'll do it?"
"You have a way with turning words around in people's mouths," Liam said frowning, but added, defeated: "I'll stand guard, but not all night."
"We'll take shifts. Me, you and Wesley," the slayer agreed.
"How come he gets to sleep?" Liam asked pointing towards William.
"He's hurt. He'll be lucky if he manages to sleep at all with all those wounds," Buffy said looking at William.
"I could stand guard too," Willow intervened.
"You're too young," Liam and Buffy said at the same time.
"I'm 13!" Willow protested. "It's not like you guys are much older!"
"I'm 15," Buffy said.
"18," Wesley crossed his arms over his chest.
"17," Liam said.
"I'm 17," William gave his age too.
"Okay, but she's only 2 years older than me," Willow said pointing towards Buffy.
"But she's a slayer," Wesley explained.
"You're being unfair," Willow pouted.
"C'mon you should consider yourself lucky you don't have to stand guard. You get to sleep and still be part of the brain storming sessions," Buffy comforted the redhead, but it didn't make her feel any better. If there was one thing Willow hated that was being patronized and treated like a little child.
"Am I the only one whose hungry?" Liam interfered in their conversation.
"You'll have to wait till morning," Buffy told him.
"Brilliant. Not only do I have to stand guard, but now I have to starve while doing it," Liam sighed.
"You'll starve and like it," Buffy snapped at him. Liam shot her a dirty look, but didn't protest any further, not wanting to get into another argument with her.
"Now, where do we sleep?" Wesley asked looking around the warehouse. Old crates, many of them broken, were scattered around. The floor was made of cement. "We can't sleep on the floor."
"Uh, we could pull the crates together. The ones that are still intact," Willow suggested. "They'll be like very hard one person military beds."
"We could line them up next to the wall, there in the corner," Buffy gestured towards a darker corner of the warehouse. "In case anyone comes in here. They won't be able to spot us right away."
Wesley, Buffy and Liam began pushing the heavy crates into the corner the slayer had pointed out. They put six crates on one side and four on the other.
"What could there be in these crates that makes them so damn heavy?" Liam asked catching his breath after they had put the very last crate in place.
"Most of them are empty," Wesley said. "The wood's heavy on its own."
"You don't think we'd be lucky enough to find pillows and covers in the full ones, do you?" Buffy addressed Wesley as the watcher-in-training struggled to open one of the crates.
"Not unless you consider expired mushrooms pillow material," Wesley said taking out of the crate a jar of disgusting looking mushrooms.
"Eeew," Buffy let out. "Try not to accidentally crap one open. I'd hate to have to live with the smell now that I have a visual stuck in my mind."
"Can we still eat them?" Liam asked not really understanding what Wesley had meant by expired or what the slayer had gone on about.
"Let me clear things up for you, ponytail, whatever you do, DO NOT eat those mushrooms," Buffy said turning towards him.
"They're spoiled," Willow thought he might understand that word better.
"Anything else? Something we might actually use?" Buffy asked as Wesley tried his luck with another crate.
"Plastic bags," the watcher-in- training said. "We might use them."
"Plastic's softer than wood," Willow lifted her shoulders.
"Plas-tic?" Liam asked curiously.
"It's...," Buffy couldn't really find a right definition, so instead she simply said: "Oh, here, just touch it," and handed him one of the plastic bags.
"It's...different," Liam said as he touched the plastic.
"William, don't you want to...," the slayer turned towards him, but stopped when she realized William had fallen asleep on the crate he was seated on with Dawn clinging onto him, asleep as well. "We'll have to move them. He can't sleep like that. His back's going to kill him in the morning."
"This feels very...morgue like," Willow said as she spread the plastic bags on the crates. Buffy took off the jacket she had been wearing and made a pillow out of it. She put it on the crate that William was going to be moved on. He was going to need it more than her, he was the one who was hurt after all.
"Morgue-like or not, it's better than bare wood," Buffy pointed out as she carefully took Dawn in her arms so Liam could move William.
"He's as light as a feather," Liam said as he took William in his arms and carried him to the other crates. He let him drop down on the plastic bags with a small thump. The Englishman stirred for a moment, but didn't wake up. He was too tired. Buffy wanted to put Dawn down on one of the other crates, but the child protested, running back to where William was sleeping.
"I guess we all know who she likes best," Buffy said observing the little girl as she snuck back into William's arms. The slayer yawned and stretched, not noticing Liam staring at her a bit too intently. She was wearing a top that, while she stretched, lifted well above her bellybutton. Wesley on the other hand noticed and took note of it. Liam looked away from the slayer and asked:
"What do I have to do? Simply stand around?" he was referring to his guard duties.
"That's basically it. Oh and you have to wake us up if you hear anything suspicious," Buffy said as she headed towards the crates on the left side where Willow had already sat herself down.
Wesley sat down, a crate or two ahead of the ones William and Dawn were sleeping on. He took off the jacket of his uniform - he hadn't changed clothes in the shop, even if he believed that a teenager in a British prep school uniform would probably attract attention. With a bit of regret, he folded the jacket into a pillow. Looking over at Willow who was obviously feeling very uncomfortable on the plastic bags, he said:
"Here, have this," and threw her the jacket. Barely catching it, Willow said:
"Thanks," and folding the jacket into a pillow again put her head down on it. It still didn't feel very comfortable, but it felt a lot better.
Putting his hands on his elbows and laying his head on his arms, Wesley closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantly. He even forgot to remove his glasses. The only one still awake, Liam began pacing around the warehouse, staring curiously at anything that seemed strange and new to him. He struggled for ten minutes to tie his snickers the right way and still got it wrong. But he didn't, for one second, spot the eye floating above them in a dark corner, observing all of his moves. After an hour the eye, retrieved - while Liam was busy analyzing the mushroom jars - out a broken window and back to its possessor, doctor Ronald Miltser who was standing in an alley behind the warehouse accompanied by the vampire James.
"Why don't we just attack them now and get it over with?" the vampire asked impatient.
"Patience is one of the key elements of revenge," the doctor said as his eye return to its socket. "I'm sure that for someone of your kind that's hard to understand."
"I have nothing to lose. I want to die, but I don't want to go down alone," James explained. "I want to take out the one woman he loved. Under his own eyes."
"As noble as that sounds, I don't know how much pleasure killing her in front of him will give you. They have yet to live their great love," Ronald pointed out.
"I don't care. I'll kill her and if he survives he'll know I did it," James said.
"How about a happier prospect?" Ronald suggested. "If you kill Angel, he'll never live to kill your beloved Elizabeth."
"You think that's really possible?" James' eyes suddenly lit up.
"Anything's possible," Ronald said smiling devilishly.
End Part 2
Baby dreams red
William walked through the streets in a catatonic state, absently holding his right hand by the wrist, as if that particular bite mark was by far the most painful of his wounds. But then why was his forehead pulsating in that horrifyingly nauseous rhythm? Why was something warm trickling down the side of his face? Why was he limping? And why did he feel bruised all over his body? Why if that small bite mark was all that worried him?
He came to another crossroad between alleys with tall buildings and as he was completely lost he didn't even stop to think about what direction it would be wise for him to take. As he moved in another alley his eyes stopped on a trashcan and he suddenly flashed back to the moment when he had discovered Dana in the same alley with him. He remembered his attempt to help her and the girl's violent reply. He recalled taking the lid off the trashcan and hitting the girl with it over and over again while yelling terrible things he would have never dared to utter not even in his mind before. Then of course had come the girl's attack and the pain and the wildness he saw - read - in her eyes. She could have killed him easily, but had abandoned him after a good beating in the alley. He didn't understand why. After everything he had done, he felt he deserved to die.
As he stood there, lost in his misery, a hand grabbed him from behind. He was sure it was her, come to finish her job. But it wasn't her, it wasn't Dana, but another slayer that had come looking for him: Buffy.
"There you are," she smiled kindly. "I thought I lost you for a moment there."
"I'm standing right here," he mumbled.
"What happened?" Buffy asked when she saw the state he was in. "Did the demon..."
"No," he interrupted her, then hesitant added: "Muggers." He was suddenly very afraid that if she or any of the others found out what he had done they would be so disgusted by him that they would throw him out on the streets.
"That's New York for you. Next time don't get lost in a dark alley," she suggested as she turned back towards the way she had come.
"Where's the girl? Dawn. Where's Dawn?" he asked remembering she had carried the little girl in her arms. He was glad she hadn't been there when he had attacked that poor girl in the alley for no good reason.
"She's in the warehouse. I kinda only noticed you were gone when I got there," she said in an apologetic tone. "We should go."
"Yes, we should," he said still shook up.
"Can you walk by yourself?" she asked when she noticed he was limping.
"Yes," he tried to sound brave, but his body seemed to have suddenly realized the pain it was in and he collapsed on the ground.
"Put your arm around my neck," she said as she helped him up.
"I shouldn't..." he didn't think the gesture to be appropriate coming from a civilized young man. Men were suppose to be the ones who protected women and helped them when they were in pain, not the other way around. But this girl wasn't a regular woman. She was braver than anyone he had ever met. Stronger than any man, capable of moving mountains with one thought. He let her pull him back on his feet and let his hand slip around her shoulders to sustain himself.
Back in the alley where William had attacked the insane vampire slayer, without a reason - or so he thought - Dana was still huddled next to the trashcan, mumbling something. Billy stepped in the alley cautiously. Not even he could guess how she would react to his presence. She looked up when she heard him approaching. He applauded her:
"Good show. I knew you had the potential, but I've gotta say I'm impressed," he smirked. "I think you could actually be a far better weapon than men. Just a little violent impulse and - BAM! - you're ready to hack away," he paused for a moment. "What I don't understand is why," his voice suddenly got louder: "you didn't kill him? You could've ripped his heart out. Tore him apart. Limb by limb," he neared her and crouching down next to her whispered: "Piece by piece." He pulled away laughing when she lunged at him. "I thought we had this discussion once, Dana. And I don't like repeating myself. I can hurt you. Worse than any psychotic human ever will. Get up," she told her and Dana looked up at him. "Get up! Or do you want me to get those two nice policemen over here? I'm sure they'd just love to have a little target practice with you."
Dana stood up from the ground slowly.
"Good girl," Billy smiled. "Now, what are you going to do next time you see him?" he asked, but the girl didn't answer him. "You know, he might not look like much right now, but one day, he'll be the one hurting you. That's why you have to stop him, Dana."
"Head and heart. Keep cutting till you see dust," she murmured.
"That's right," he smiled. "Keep cutting," he stepped behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. The girl twitched nervously under his touch. "Now, sick 'em," he whispered in her ear.
"Well, it was about time you got back," Liam let out when Buffy, still holding on to William, entered the warehouse.
"What happened?" Willow asked concerned when she saw the state William was in.
"He ran into a few muggers," Buffy explained as she helped William sit down on a crate. "That's New York for you."
"A few muggers did that to you?" Liam smirked. "What kind of man are you? Did she rescue you?" he asked mockingly pointing towards Buffy.
"Shut up, ponytail, or you sleep on the streets tonight. See how cocky you feel after a night all by yourself out there," the slayer replied sharply.
"I'd be better off without the lot of you holding me back," Liam snapped back. "And don't ever tell me to shut up again."
"Or you'll what?" Buffy turned towards him. "Cause just in case you didn't notice it until now, I'm a freaking slayer and I can kick your ass all the way back to the 18th century if I want to. And I'm not just bragging," they stared at each other for a moment. "Look, we're in the same pot here. Whether we like it or not. If you want to get yourself killed, then go, act all macho and walk out. Alone, you'd probably get killed in a nanosecond, but together we might actually stand a chance."
"Fine," Liam gave in. He had only half-understood what the slayer had told him, but he had caught the message behind her words and though he didn't really like it, he had to except the truth: alone, he was lost.
"I should've broken into a pharmacy," Buffy said as she turned back towards William and analyzed his wounds.
"Where are we gonna sleep?" Willow asked looking around the warehouse. "We don't have blankets or anything."
"We can't risk going out again. Not today," Buffy said.
"What if only some of us go?" Wesley suggested.
"It's too dangerous," the slayer shook her head. "I can't go and you could run into that demon and no offense, but I think I'm the only one here that can hold her own against him."
"Modest, are we?" Liam scoffed.
"She's right," Wesley admitted. He possessed the skills to battle a demon, but he didn't have the strength and agility to defeat one.
"We'll just have to make the best of it," she said looking around the warehouse, not really convinced there was anything to make the best of.
"But you can't sleep here, on the ground," William seemed outraged by the thought.
"And you should be in a hospital," Buffy pointed out and Willow said in case he didn't understand:
"She means a doctor should see you."
"So you see we can't have everything we want," Buffy continued her words.
"And the girl?" William looked at Dawn who was yawning and rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"She'll have to deal with it like all of us," Buffy said and the boy looked over at the little girl with compassion.
"Why would anyone drag someone so young in such an ugly business?" William asked sighing.
"He said something about a key," Wesley remembered. "The key to chaos."
"He must've made a mistake. Look at her, she's just a poor child," William said gesturing towards the little girl.
"Power comes in many forms. Something doesn't have to look frightening to be powerful," Wesley pointed out. "Actually, in many cases they are intentionally harmless looking so that they don't attract attention."
"So she's a key, but how do you use it?" Buffy asked staring at the girl. "Does he have to kill her or does he have to convince her to do something?"
"Kill her," Wesley said with certainty in his voice.
"At least we can cross out the possibility of her turning on us. Are you sure the little girl look isn't just a cover for some big scary monster?" the slayer looked at the watcher- in-training.
"I can't be a 100% sure, but I don't think it's the case. Keys in human forms rarely realize they are keys, until it's too late," Wesley explained.
"Would you two just stop?" William asked enraged as he covered Dawn's ears so the girl couldn't hear their conversation. In truth, it didn't really matter if she heard it or not as she was incapable of comprehending many of the things - if not all - that were spoken between the teenagers. The demon had taken her before the spell that had created her human form had been complete. Because of this she was much younger than the monks had intended her to be and unaware of her own body and mortality. She was stuck somewhere between her human body and immortal form. "You're scaring her."
"We can't take any chances, William," Wesley told him. "But I don't think there's a reason to worry," he assured him.
"You think he'll come after us?" Willow suddenly asked. "When we're sleeping?"
"I don't know," Buffy answered honestly.
"Someone should stand guard," Liam interfered.
"I'm so glad you offered," Buffy said smiling.
"But I did not..." Liam began, but the slayer interrupted him:
"Are you going back on your word?"
"No, but I didn't...," Liam started again, but Buffy asked:
"So you'll do it?"
"You have a way with turning words around in people's mouths," Liam said frowning, but added, defeated: "I'll stand guard, but not all night."
"We'll take shifts. Me, you and Wesley," the slayer agreed.
"How come he gets to sleep?" Liam asked pointing towards William.
"He's hurt. He'll be lucky if he manages to sleep at all with all those wounds," Buffy said looking at William.
"I could stand guard too," Willow intervened.
"You're too young," Liam and Buffy said at the same time.
"I'm 13!" Willow protested. "It's not like you guys are much older!"
"I'm 15," Buffy said.
"18," Wesley crossed his arms over his chest.
"17," Liam said.
"I'm 17," William gave his age too.
"Okay, but she's only 2 years older than me," Willow said pointing towards Buffy.
"But she's a slayer," Wesley explained.
"You're being unfair," Willow pouted.
"C'mon you should consider yourself lucky you don't have to stand guard. You get to sleep and still be part of the brain storming sessions," Buffy comforted the redhead, but it didn't make her feel any better. If there was one thing Willow hated that was being patronized and treated like a little child.
"Am I the only one whose hungry?" Liam interfered in their conversation.
"You'll have to wait till morning," Buffy told him.
"Brilliant. Not only do I have to stand guard, but now I have to starve while doing it," Liam sighed.
"You'll starve and like it," Buffy snapped at him. Liam shot her a dirty look, but didn't protest any further, not wanting to get into another argument with her.
"Now, where do we sleep?" Wesley asked looking around the warehouse. Old crates, many of them broken, were scattered around. The floor was made of cement. "We can't sleep on the floor."
"Uh, we could pull the crates together. The ones that are still intact," Willow suggested. "They'll be like very hard one person military beds."
"We could line them up next to the wall, there in the corner," Buffy gestured towards a darker corner of the warehouse. "In case anyone comes in here. They won't be able to spot us right away."
Wesley, Buffy and Liam began pushing the heavy crates into the corner the slayer had pointed out. They put six crates on one side and four on the other.
"What could there be in these crates that makes them so damn heavy?" Liam asked catching his breath after they had put the very last crate in place.
"Most of them are empty," Wesley said. "The wood's heavy on its own."
"You don't think we'd be lucky enough to find pillows and covers in the full ones, do you?" Buffy addressed Wesley as the watcher-in-training struggled to open one of the crates.
"Not unless you consider expired mushrooms pillow material," Wesley said taking out of the crate a jar of disgusting looking mushrooms.
"Eeew," Buffy let out. "Try not to accidentally crap one open. I'd hate to have to live with the smell now that I have a visual stuck in my mind."
"Can we still eat them?" Liam asked not really understanding what Wesley had meant by expired or what the slayer had gone on about.
"Let me clear things up for you, ponytail, whatever you do, DO NOT eat those mushrooms," Buffy said turning towards him.
"They're spoiled," Willow thought he might understand that word better.
"Anything else? Something we might actually use?" Buffy asked as Wesley tried his luck with another crate.
"Plastic bags," the watcher-in- training said. "We might use them."
"Plastic's softer than wood," Willow lifted her shoulders.
"Plas-tic?" Liam asked curiously.
"It's...," Buffy couldn't really find a right definition, so instead she simply said: "Oh, here, just touch it," and handed him one of the plastic bags.
"It's...different," Liam said as he touched the plastic.
"William, don't you want to...," the slayer turned towards him, but stopped when she realized William had fallen asleep on the crate he was seated on with Dawn clinging onto him, asleep as well. "We'll have to move them. He can't sleep like that. His back's going to kill him in the morning."
"This feels very...morgue like," Willow said as she spread the plastic bags on the crates. Buffy took off the jacket she had been wearing and made a pillow out of it. She put it on the crate that William was going to be moved on. He was going to need it more than her, he was the one who was hurt after all.
"Morgue-like or not, it's better than bare wood," Buffy pointed out as she carefully took Dawn in her arms so Liam could move William.
"He's as light as a feather," Liam said as he took William in his arms and carried him to the other crates. He let him drop down on the plastic bags with a small thump. The Englishman stirred for a moment, but didn't wake up. He was too tired. Buffy wanted to put Dawn down on one of the other crates, but the child protested, running back to where William was sleeping.
"I guess we all know who she likes best," Buffy said observing the little girl as she snuck back into William's arms. The slayer yawned and stretched, not noticing Liam staring at her a bit too intently. She was wearing a top that, while she stretched, lifted well above her bellybutton. Wesley on the other hand noticed and took note of it. Liam looked away from the slayer and asked:
"What do I have to do? Simply stand around?" he was referring to his guard duties.
"That's basically it. Oh and you have to wake us up if you hear anything suspicious," Buffy said as she headed towards the crates on the left side where Willow had already sat herself down.
Wesley sat down, a crate or two ahead of the ones William and Dawn were sleeping on. He took off the jacket of his uniform - he hadn't changed clothes in the shop, even if he believed that a teenager in a British prep school uniform would probably attract attention. With a bit of regret, he folded the jacket into a pillow. Looking over at Willow who was obviously feeling very uncomfortable on the plastic bags, he said:
"Here, have this," and threw her the jacket. Barely catching it, Willow said:
"Thanks," and folding the jacket into a pillow again put her head down on it. It still didn't feel very comfortable, but it felt a lot better.
Putting his hands on his elbows and laying his head on his arms, Wesley closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantly. He even forgot to remove his glasses. The only one still awake, Liam began pacing around the warehouse, staring curiously at anything that seemed strange and new to him. He struggled for ten minutes to tie his snickers the right way and still got it wrong. But he didn't, for one second, spot the eye floating above them in a dark corner, observing all of his moves. After an hour the eye, retrieved - while Liam was busy analyzing the mushroom jars - out a broken window and back to its possessor, doctor Ronald Miltser who was standing in an alley behind the warehouse accompanied by the vampire James.
"Why don't we just attack them now and get it over with?" the vampire asked impatient.
"Patience is one of the key elements of revenge," the doctor said as his eye return to its socket. "I'm sure that for someone of your kind that's hard to understand."
"I have nothing to lose. I want to die, but I don't want to go down alone," James explained. "I want to take out the one woman he loved. Under his own eyes."
"As noble as that sounds, I don't know how much pleasure killing her in front of him will give you. They have yet to live their great love," Ronald pointed out.
"I don't care. I'll kill her and if he survives he'll know I did it," James said.
"How about a happier prospect?" Ronald suggested. "If you kill Angel, he'll never live to kill your beloved Elizabeth."
"You think that's really possible?" James' eyes suddenly lit up.
"Anything's possible," Ronald said smiling devilishly.
End Part 2
