Everyone was in their own little worlds right now. Those moments that relate to when you're waiting for the world to end. The world may not be ending but when Buffy's the only hope and she's gone it kind of makes you feel like that. Spike joined the card game with Rona and Gunn. Oz, Willow and Xander were getting all nostalgic. Faith was training with a few of the girls including Kennedy. Kennedy kept glancing at Willow but tried to retain her herself from going over. So far they ahd been reasonable to each other, meaning they stayed out of each other's way. Maybe she won't ever have to talk to her. She had to admit Willow and Oz did have a certain connection that made them look...happy with each other. No one really cared when Angel walked into the room extremely anxious. It as obvious he had just gotten out fo the shower meaning he probably went for a work out himself. He look straight at Spike who shook his head meaning Buffy wasn't back yet.
It had been almost an hour past sunset when everyone started to get worried. Every once in a while people would glance at Willow and Spike in case they knew she was coming or something. Spike finally stood up in the center of the somewhat silent room and spoke, "So what do we do? We all know she should be back by now."
Angel who was sitting next to Cordelia just talking sighed, "You should know when she's coming Spike. Right? You two have this thing where you always know."
Spike glared at him but didn't have a chance to say anything because Buffy walked through the door. She looked right at Spike and Angel, "Calm down guys. You'd know if I was in trouble."
Angel stood up, "So what do you got?"
Spike continued to glare and shake his head at Angel as he asked his question next, "How you feeling? You look like you opened a few cuts."
Buffy smiled, "Oh I'm fine. Picked a bar fight."
Spike shook his head, "You what?"
Buffy nodded, "I walked into a bar, had a few drinks and then I called everyone dramatic drunks. This girl hit me and then I hit her then a few guys jumped in. It was great until the bartendar wouldn't serve me anymore."
Willow shook her head, "Are you drunk?"
Buffy shook her head, "No. I only had a few. I'm still completely sick from the first time."
Spike smiled, "So, you won?"
Buffy shrugged, "I don't know. They kind of all threw me out at once. Then I was walking back and out of no where this vampire hits on me. He started asking me back to his place. I tell him I'm not a vampire and then he starts pointing out my bandages and my neck. He opened one of the bite marks though."
Angel was already outraged, "He just bit you. Out of no where? Seriously what happened to vampires. It's so cliche now."
Spike smiled and Buffy answered, "He didn't bite me. He banged my wrist against his knee."
Spike reached under the table where he was sititng and took out the first aid kit which was still there from before. "Sit down. Let's get you bandaged up."
Buffy glared at Angel when she spoke, "No I'm okay. I think you're all wondering what I've got, right Angel."
Angel looked down awkwardly and SPike sighed, "Just sit down and explain while we stop you from bleeding to death."
Buffy nodded and took off her jacket only to reveal more bruises and opened cuts. Angel shook his head, "Are you sure this was a bar?"
Buffy shrugged and walked towards Spike. When she sat down she smiled, "Demon bar of course."
When she sat down Spike shook his head, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Buffy smiled, "At least i found our answers."
Angel stared at her like the world depended on her answer, "What are they?"
Buffy sighed and went into serious explanation mode, "Took me a while to realize that this is all about me. Yep, the world hates me. The scythe, Dawn and..."
Angel shook his head, "How does Conner relate to you at all?"
Buffy smiled with a small tear in the side of her eye and looked up into Angel's eyes, "Evil people know I wouldn't let anything happen to him because of you. They're going to make me choose between Dawnie, Conner or me."
Angel shook his head and gasps went around the room. Spike finished her wrist slowly before he spoke, "So what are you going to do?"
Buffy shrugged, "I don't know. I figure I wing it. The way I see it, we've got nothing left to lose."
Willow didn't understand though, "Why would Amy take the scythe though?"
Buffy actually knew the answer, "They knew we had a plan to block their reversal spell. The way I figure it they already know I'm going to throw myself in for Dawn and Conner so without me, without the army of slayers and only Faith as a slayer to lead we'd be pretty weak. It's the perfect plan."
Willow shook her head, "But you can't buffy. I mean there's got to be some other way."
Buffy actually looked into Angel's eyes who was staring right back at her, "I don't have a choice Willow. Nothing's going to happen to them."
Angel finally reacted, "We don't even know if that's what is really going to happen."
A noise came from the door. Turns out Hamilton had been listening to the whole theory and was now smiling, "Sorry Angel but she's right. Conner and Dawn are safe and sound, locked in a cage but it won't be like that for long. See Dawn got a little edgy and I had to incapasitate her. She might be bleeding..."
Buffy stood and she spoke with a voice filled with anger, "She better be alive you heartless son of a bitch."
Hamilton smiled, "She is, for now. We just kind of need you to come by, say hi and give us your soul."
Buffy looked around the room at the shock-stricken faces, "When?"
Hamilton smiled, "I'll give you the address. Anytime before the next two days are over will be fine. Someone will be at the cage of your little friends and you sign something saying your soul is ours. They get to go free when you're in the cage."
Buffy shook her head, "How am I suppossed to know they're safe after i sign the sheet?"
Hamilton smiled, "Well I figure you can bring someone. Say your goodbyes, and the little children can go home with them."
Buffy nodded, "How come I don't have to go tonight?"
Hamilton smiled and started to write the address on a little post-it. "Because slayer, we find it intriguing when you try and find a plan that won't succeed." During her silence he put the post-it on the wall and smiled, "We look forward to seeing you soon Buffy. I think you'll enjoy working for us. Just ask your friends here. It's not all bad. I mean..."
Angel had a look on his face that could of killed alone, "Leave... NOW!"
Hamilton smiled and slowly walked out the door. All the slayers surrounded the railing of the second level and stared at buffy in sadness. Willow was leaning on Oz hoping not to cry. Spike didn't even know what to feel along with Angel who stood staring into the teary eyes of Buffy herself.
Xander was the first one to actually speak, "So how are we going to stop it? I mean she could like, fake her signature."
Angel looked down, "Contracts are signed with blood."
Xander nodded, "Okay, well then..."
Buffy smiled at Xander. "Thanks anyway." The silence was pretty much killing her so she walked to the stairs, "I'm going to go to my room for a while. Somebody should start the farewell party."
No one answered as they watched her grab the post-it and walk up the stairs. The last thing they heard was the door slam. The only person you could hear fully crying was Andrew. He sat at the bottom of the stairs, not caring people were looking at him. The silence was starting to become defening so someone had to speak.
You could tell when Willow spoke she was holding back tears, "We have to find some other way. I can't watch her dissappear again. Her soul will be missing. Do you guys have any idea how scared she is of being evil?"
Faith nodded, "Should be easy to find a way out of this. We always find a way out of things."
Xander nodded, "Exactly." He stared up at the girls, "So you guys go do your training thing and us main group will talk out what our plans are."
One by one the girls walked down the stairs to the training room. Rona and Kennedy even got upa nd left not able to stay in the room any longer. Willow walked over to the crying Andrew, "Hey Andrew. We kind of need you not to cry now okay. We'll figure it out but you got to help train those girls, just in case okay?"
Andrew stood up wiping his tears, "What do you do when all hope is gone Willow?"
With that last statement he followed the girls to the training room. Faith, Angel, Spike, Cordelia, Willow, Wesley, Oz, Illyria, Xander and Gunn were left in the lobby. It surprised everyone when Illyria spoke, "My powers are fading but I should be able to break this cage."
Gunn shook his head, "They'd have it magically protected. Wolfram and Hart knows how to keep things un-reachable."
Willow nodded, "Yes, but I'm very powerful. Maybe, since we have the address we could do the whole storm the bastille thing."
Cordelia shook her head, "That's the first thing they'd be expecting."
Spike sighed and stood up from the couch, "Say she does this. Niblet and Conner are all safe, maybe there's a way we can save her afterwards."
Willow nodded, "Yeah! Hamilton said something about a soul. Maybe I could do the old fashioned re-souling spell. I would have to re-write some of it for Buffy but it would work out."
Gunn shook his head, "When W&H has something signed over to them, they keep it. It's locked away. Almost impossible to get back."
Willow shook her head, "That can't be. I mean when a soul is released it goes to the ether."
Angel finally spoke, "Unless they contain it, like we did with mine."
Willow nodded, "So then maybe we could steal it."
Gunn shook his head, "Probably have alarms for us. Second we enter we die sort of thing."
Xander sighed and looked at the ground, "We can't just stand here and watch her dissappear."
Angel couldn't stop staring at the stairs along with Spike. When Spike started walking towards them and stopped Angel knew what was going on. "We're going to talk to buffy."
Everyone nodded but Cordelia watched with her intense eyes as Angel followed Spike up the stairs. Willow finally turned to face Oz who already had sorry eyes staring into hers. Willow finally embraced him and soon there wasn't a point where she would let go. Xander couldn't bear to watch Willow this sad as he still believed Buffy could get out of this so he turned around. When he did turn around he saw Faith with actual watery eyes. Seeing Faith in any weakened state was cause for alarm so he couldn't help walking up to her and soon those two were embracing too. The rest of the room was silent as ideas ran through their heads and sadness because of loss of hope swarmed them!