It's kind of funny how long weekends never eventuate.

Now I had planned to finish this story a long time ago. Unfortunately between starting work and then when I moved, the second half of this story apparently did not like my new location and went elsewhere. Hopefully there is not too much of a jarring difference in writing style between this and the first half, but I have had to try and recollect the theme and strings of thought I had going.

Anyhow hope you enjoy and sorry for the long wait.


Chapter 11

"Of all the bloody..." Giles stumbled to standing, throwing fallen books off of him and swiping at the blood running down his face with his handkerchief usually used for his glasses.

"Buffy..." Giles started to enquire as to her well being, when a distraught Willow interrupted him as she tried to talk to Buffy in between gasping sobs.

"He wasn't going kill him Buffy...Not kill, just maim, so we could give him his soul back...He just wanted to knock him out." Willow then promptly stuck her head into Oz's shoulder letting him hold her tightly as she continued to cry.

Unable to comprehend what she was talking about, Giles looked to Buffy, whom was sat on the floor in front of him, with Cordelia and... "Dear God." He said the words aloud as he thought them. On the floor in between the two girls lay a very dead Xander, blood covering his chest. The two girls still looked to be in shock and Willow was on the verge of incoherence, Oz looked to be his best option for an explanation, though he knew all he needed to know really. Angelus, if they did not have enough troubles as it was.

"Is, is anyone else hurt?"

The only reply to his query was silence, a slight shake of the head from Cordelia, when he looked at Oz, he received a sad look before Oz finally replied. "My leg is broken, but they all seem to be okay...physically."

Not wanting to have deal with his own grief, Giles decided taking charge of the situation and getting them all out of the house before anyone else was killed was his best option. The Hell's Gate Key be damned.

Walking past the scene on the floor, Giles walked to the couch, picked up the discarded blanket and proceeded to rip a few strips off, before walking back to where Buffy and Cordelia were sat. He picked up the long piece of wood from next to Xander and then placed the rest of the blanket over the body. Cordelia looked up at him with red rimmed eyes, she seemed to be waiting for him to say something, he just did not know what. Buffy did not move or even register his presence so he moved off to go help Oz, picking up another piece of table along the way.


"Willow, I'm going to need you to move so I can reset Oz's leg." Willow did not even seem to register the request.

Oz started to whisper something to her, the words of which Giles could not hear, but he saw Willow shake her head against his shoulder.

"Willow it is imperative that I set his leg, so we can leave here." This time he got a response, but it was her shaking her head again.

Giles was relieved when he saw Cordelia move next to Willow, hoping she may have more luck.

"Willow." The voice was soft and full of hurt, but Cordelia placed her hand on Willow's shoulder, "Come on, let Giles fix Oz up for you."

Willow turned and looked into Cordelia's face, seeing the matching sorrow reflected in her features, she let Oz go and hugged Cordelia, letting the taller girl move her away.

"I am going to reset the leg and then try bracing it with these..." Giles held up the two pieces of wood before continuing. "This will probably hurt significantly but I am afraid it is necessary."

Oz merely nodded in understanding as Giles moved into position. Giles felt along the leg trying to find the break and causing Oz to grimace in pain. Without warning Giles snapped the bone onto place, causing Oz to shout out in pain.


Oz's cry of pain broke Buffy out of her stupor and she shot to her feet almost instantaneously. Her features showed confusion as she took in her surroundings, the memories of recent events returning to her all to quickly. "Angel..." she remarked remorsefully before her features twisted in anger. Turning to chase after the vampire she was stopped in her tracks by Giles' voice.

"Buffy!"

"Giles I need..." Buffy protested, turning back to look at him and the rest of the group.

"Later Buffy, we need to leave now, and we need you with us." Giles explained softly, directing her attention to Willow and Cordelia.

Buffy looked at her friends, any thoughts about going after Angel instantly gone instead she quickly moved to comfort her friends. Cordelia moved aside to let Buffy hug Willow, "Willow, I'm so sorry."

As Willow started to stifle her crying, Buffy turned back to her watcher, "What now Giles?"

Giles was lifting Oz to his feet with Cordelia's assistance, "We leave Buffy."

"But what about..."

"Key be damned, it can be destroyed another day." Giles replied coarsely, leaving Oz in Cordelia's capable hands as he moved away to start collecting whatever they needed to take with them.

"Why didn't the council just destroy it fifty years ago?" Oz queried, his tone indicating he had been pondering the question for a while.

Giles stopped his efforts, before quietly explaining. "There was much dispute within the council over that very question, quite a few believed the hell's gate key should have been destroyed but the majority ruled that it should be stored and protected in case of future need..." He stopped thoughtful for a second before continuing, "I'm afraid I may have been as gullible in my attempt to destroy the thing as all those other watcher's were determined to retrieve and keep safe the damned artefact."

"Pity you couldn't have figured that out an hour ago." Cordelia remarked, but any venom in the remark was tempered by the sadness in her features.

Buffy and a now mostly composed Willow moved next to Oz and Cordelia, allowing Cordelia to move away and Buffy and Willow take the task of helping Oz, their equal heights making the job easier. "So we just head for the front door." Buffy queried her watcher who seemed finished in his scavenging task.

"That would seem the best plan."

"What about Xander?" Willow queried hoarsely.

"I'm afraid we have no choice but to leave him, there is no way..." Giles stopped not eager to say what needed to be said.

Willow nodded in understanding, "I just need a second."

Making sure Buffy had full support of Oz, Willow quickly moved to the body of her friend, kneeling next to him and pulling the blanket back. Ignoring the unstaring eyes she whispered something in his ear before kissing him on the forehead and then quickly moving back to Buffy and Oz.

Cordelia stood to the side lost in thought as the others prepared to make a move for the way out.


Angelus was striding through the corridor determined to find the exit such that he could regroup and prepare to terrorise the slayer and her lackeys another day, unfortunately the house was not cooperating. Encountering another dead end the vampire started to growl in frustration as he turned around, only to discover the corridor had closed in behind him. This time he growled in anger, kicking open a door in the wall of the corridor that now represented his only exit, the force shattering the door. Entering the room the light from the hall faintly lit the room showing another door on the other side of the room.

Anger now driving the vampire's determination, he basically stomped across the room only to stop when a voice resounded through the room.

"Angel..." The comment instantly receiving a growl, "Oh my apologies Angelus..." There was a momentary pause before the voice continued, "Ah the Scourge of Europe."

The vampire gave an annoyed grin, not happy to be stopped in his task. "So you've heard of me, one evil to another, my exploits precede me."

"Not really, there's some books in the library about the top 1000 evilest creatures as voted by the Watcher's Council...You came 998." The sprit replied with laconic contempt.

The vampire laughed, thinking the spirit lucky it was incorporeal, "It's only a pity I can't demonstrate my craft first hand on you...As fun as this is not, I have terror to instill and quite frankly you bore me, so how about you let me leave."

Seemingly ignoring the insult, the sprit replied. "But don't you want to hear what I have to offer you."

"Unless it's the slayer hog tied and terrified at my feet, I don't think you could offer anything I want." The vampire replied with contempt of his own.

"So am I to assume you are not interested in having your soul made permanent." The sprit queried innocently as if it could not know the answer.

Angelus stuttered in disbelieving laughter, before remarking, "Hmm, No! No wonder you are dead, you're insane and stupid."

The vampire started to walk off, heading for the other door, stopping only momentarily at the spirit's final comment.

"Your reign will not last long tonight Angelus." The last word a vicious snarl.

TBC...