A/N: Hi guys. Yay purplepebble likes me again:-) Ok so Giles book was returned and everyone still grouchy with each other. And still no sign of the lovely Daniel! can they come up with anything?

Chapter 6

Buffy kicked the rusty radiator in the library. It was a strangely cold morning, even for winter in California. Christmas wasn't far away and if Buffy didn't know better she'd swear the chill in the air could signify a white Christmas.

"So what's the plan?" Buffy asked as Giles paced the library, his nose buried in the book he's taken with him the night before.

"You really think Oz left that on your doorstep because it has claw marks? Not to point out the obvious but there are plenty more nasties in the Dale that is Sunny that have claws." Xander said grumpily.

"But how many knew where that book came from?" Willow pointed out, ever so slightly annoyed that her friend wasn't even trying to look on the positive side.

"Uh….. how bout Mr Fang?"

"He doesn't have claws, Xander." Buffy said, weary of this argument already.

"It could be Oz, I mean I felt like he was there last night and if he brought the book back it's a good sign right? I mean it means he's not imprisoned, doesn't it?"

The others hesitated before agreeing. They all had their doubts about what had happened last night, if it was Oz then he may well be free or he could have been forced to take the book back. On the other hand it may have been another being entirely.

"What we do know is that this book is important and someone wanted us to know and use it. But it will have to wait until sundown." Giles said

"Sundown?" Buffy, Xander and Willow chorused.

"Yes," Giles said taken aback by their reaction. "Werewolves predictably show themselves at night time and any magiks we use will be more powerful at night."

"But aren't we just gona smash and grab? Wouldn't it be better to catch them unawares?" Buffy was confused. She thought they were just going to save Oz then deal with whatever state he was in.

"Unfortunately we are no better off knowledge wise. I need more time to research a way to reverse the spell if, indeed it is a spell."

"If Angel says Oz is out there I wana believe him, I mean we haven't found anything that says he's gone bad have we?" Willow said hopefully.

"I'd say he was suspicious by his absence. He hasn't exactly been helpful since he grabbed me has he?" Xander pointed out coldly.

"Lets not start bickering again. Willow is right; we haven't found anything that could lead us to believe Angel has been anything less than honest."

"Except he's a vampire." Xander muttered.

"However…" Giles cut in before Buffy could have her say. "However we have no other leads and we must act quickly."

"So what do we do until sundown?" Buffy asked.

"Well it's a fairly radical suggestion but I suggest you go to classes. This is still a school is it not? And unless I'm completely behind the times I believe when you go to class you learn useful information." There was a coating of sarcasm in his voice that Buffy rarely heard any more.

"Giles, you are completely behind the times. We go to class to gossip." Buffy teased as she headed for the door.

"I just go to listen and possibly grab some shut eye." Xander said jogging after the girls as they left the library.

"Unfortunately I'm inclined to believe them." Giles sighed to the empty room.

XxXxX

Angel glared at the front door of his mansion again. It was still daylight and he had much to do before tonight's event. He thought about Buffy for a moment and how easily he could get to the school without a drop of sunshine hitting him. He wanted to see her, just see her face. He knew he could get tonight perfect if he saw her. But that damned boy was too suspicious for his own good. If he saw Angel, he'd alert her and Giles and Angel would have some explaining to do. Sure he could tell a few lies, but where would be the fun in that!

Pacing up and down he thought of what had to be done and how hard it would be not to join in and enjoy the moment. But, as he'd told himself again and again, she cannot know he's there. She can't see his hand too soon, if at all.

Tonight must run its course he told himself. What must be must be. And you guys better be up to the job. There is no room for mistakes; the group must be eliminated for things to be the way they were, the way I like them.

XxXxX

Giles threw his glasses down on the table.

"Dammit!" He'd found nothing promising to help them. The best they could hope for would be to snatch Oz and hold him until they could find a cure, if there was one.

"So Giles, what's the skinny?" Buffy flounced into the library.

"What?" He said not raising his eyes.

"The skinny. The 'sitch, you know?"

"Oh. Well…. we wait 'til sundown and then we go hunting." He said evasively.

"Ok then what?" Buffy was confused by Giles' attitude.

"We grab Oz and run."

"That's it?"

"I can't magic solutions out of thin air Buffy." He snapped.

"Giles chill."

"Buffy, I have no idea how to cure Oz. I've searched all my resources and there is nothing. Best I can do is slow down the other wolves so we can get Oz away from them."

"Hey hunting fans." Xander breezed in the door. "Whoa, I know I'm not always funny but I didn't think I was that bad." He referred to the atmosphere.

"It's ok Xander. Giles has just told me that he's found absolutely nothing helpful." Buffy's tone was snippy.

"Hey Buff, I'm sure he'd tried and we can all help to find what we're looking for." Xander suggested nervously.

"Oh no. Apparently there is nothing we can do to save Oz. Apparently in this whole vast collection of musty old books there is nothing remotely useful." She folded her arms across her chest.

"Easy Buff. It cant be easy being a watcher and I usually can never make any sense of these books." Xander soothed.

"But it's his job. It's what he does. He makes sense of the world and we fight the evil that he's…. made sense of. We are completely lost on this and Giles is just giving up."

"Giving up? Who said anything about giving up? I'm merely saying that we have no cure at the moment. Our priority is to capture Oz. Giving up is not an option Buffy and I'm frankly, surprised and hurt you think that little of me. But I will not give up on Oz. Willow would never forgive me and as it happens I actually like the lad and his help is greatly missed of late." Giles responded, his tone as snippy as it could possibly be. Buffy felt like she was being told off even though the watcher's voice did not rise.

Buffy was about to respond but was cut off by Xander.

"Ok so when we've got Oz, how are we getting in home?" Xander's tone had an edge of nervousness, "hey, Willow. How was class? Did I miss anything important?"

"Professor Davidson is about to have a nervous breakdown." She said her tone wary, "what's going on?" She looked from the slayer to the watcher and back at Xander.

"Nothing, Willow. Everything's fine. We were discussing how we were going to get Oz home. I mean he's little but he packs a punch." Xander rubbed his jaw remembering for the umpteenth time Oz's right hook when that love spell went wrong.

"We aren't going to have time to cure him before we bring him back." Giles stumbled as he lied through his teeth, feeling like hell as he did.

"We could use Oz's van." Willow's voice was quiet and still a little suspicious.

"Great, no time like the present! Let's go!" Buffy declared, bouncing on her heels.

"Ok." Willow followed her friends out. She knew the atmosphere was tense between them, especially between Xander and Buffy but there was something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. Her brain wasn't ready to cope with another trauma. She just wanted to get Oz back home, even if he still didn't want to talk to her.

XxXxX

He sighed with relief as he pulled on his long black duster. Finally night had fallen and he was free. Something made him stop in the doorway. He needed some power behind him, a bit more strength. Tonight was going to be a tough fight. He knew they wouldn't give up without a strong fight and they would be determined to win, to not lose him.

Angel walked back to his fireplace and opened a small wooden box. The silver glinted in the moonlight that dappled through the dead branches that masked the large windows from the outside. Closing his hand into a fist around the metal he took a deep breath.

Show time he thought as he headed out to take his place in tonight's events.

XxXxX

He watched as the group headed towards the beaten up van.

What are you up to?

Giles reached into his inside jacket pocket, pulled out two small metal sticks and started to pick the lock.

"Uh, Giles? Oz never locks his van." Willow said quietly, pulling on the door handle.

"Oh, that's very… um…. Trusting of him." Giles uttered.

"Well, who would wana steal this?" Buffy said rubbing at a patch of rust on the door.

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"And he doesn't keep the band's equipment in it. It'd be like stealing your car." Buffy said a wry smile creeping into her voice.

Giles looked at her. "My car is a classic."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him. "A classic rust bucket." She teased.

"Can we hurry up. People know Oz round here and I swear the neighbour across the road is twitching her curtains at us." Xander whined as he shivered in the cold.

"I suppose we do look a little suspicious." Giles agreed.

"You think?" Xander said rubbing his hands together.

The watcher climbed into the cab began to fish around under the steering column for the ignition wires.

"Um Giles?" Willow reached up to pull down the sun-visor. Keys jangled above his head, hanging from a hook that Oz had installed specially.

"Does Oz have no sense of security?" Giles grumbled as he fiddled with the keys.

"In Sunnydale? Who needs burglar alarms with all the nasties running around?" Xander said glumly.

"It's like having a really unfriendly neighbourhood watch. Only deadly and, well… dead." Willow shrugged.

"Gotta admit, they've got a point!" Buffy said climbing into the van as it spluttered into life. "Uh, Will? Should I ask?" Buffy cheekily held up a set of chains that had tripped her up on the van floor.

Willow just looked at her friend then turned away to look out the passenger window. Xander shifted uncomfortably in his seat between the witch and the watcher, partly because this was the closest he'd been to Willow since their kidnap and because he knew that Willow probably had no idea that there was no plan after trapping her wolf.

XxXxX

They're close. I can smell them. Soon it will all be over, soon I'll be free.

The rumble of the van drew nearer, although is was still a distance away but with his enhanced hearing the vehicle sounded just feet away. Scurrying into the cover of the surrounding undergrowth, he looked around to see the rest of the gang hidden in the shadows.

Let's get this done!

XxXxX

The Slayer and her friends climbed from Oz's van.

"Man Giles. You really do drive like an old woman. A scary, speed freak of an old woman, but definitely old woman." Xander joked trying to hide his nerves about what was about to play out.

"Maybe we should concentrate on what we're here to do." Buffy suggested when she saw the watcher's face tighten, clearly not in the mood to have Xander making useless comments and jokes.

"Where are we looking first?" Willow piped up, feeling a more than a little eager to find Oz but terrified also at what they might find.

"I guess we search for that cave Angel said about. If he did see the pack there then they are probably using it as a lair-sort-of-thing, right?" Buffy looked to Giles for confirmation.

"Yes, quite probably. They don't appear to be afraid of much. They've been lurking around town without much hesitation when it comes to crossing other beings paths." Giles tried to hide his surprise at the Slayer's observation, especially considering how Angel clouded her thoughts recently.

The four slowly and as quietly as they could, moved towards the edge of the valley. Caves had been hollowed out from the cliffs edge over the centuries be it by weather or animals, some were man made but they were all deep, dark and hid many secrets. Buffy wasn't sure if she wanted to find Oz in one of the holes or in the open but the choice wasn't hers.

"Come on Ozzy-boy, where are you?" Xander moaned.

A rustle came form the bushes.

"You had to ask!" Buffy hissed as they bunched together.

There was a Howl from behind them. The gang spun to see where it had come from.

"Well we did wana find him, right?" Willow pointed out, trying to keep the quiver of fear from her voice.

"I think it's a case of they've found us." Giles said turning back to see a wolf in front of them. "Look where we are. We've been brought here by design. We've been driven into the open without realising. Fascinating." Giles said looking around him. They had wandered into a clearing not far from the caves.

XxXxX

A/N: huh, lets see em get out of this one! Is Oz savable? until next time

"catch ya on the flip floop"