"Ok, so I got nothing much from the cops, they haven't caught anybody yet, and they had no more information than what's been on the news. So I watched the news and that was less helpful than the cops. When did people stop giving a damn around here?"

"Did they ever give a damn?"

"Good point," Xander had gone to help Giles research at the shop because his inquiries had come to a dead end very quickly, "all I know is that they broke into that storage building a couple of blocks away, the one with the big sign on the front, nothing was missing but according to eye witness reports they came from the direction of the Magic Box. I think they have our key Giles."

"I think you might be right."

"Did you find something?"

"Nothing particularly nice, our Boubasa didn't care for witches at all, he thought burning or drowning, or even stoning – torture basically, was too good for them."

"Sounds like a nice guy."

"Well, he was eventually stopped and locked away for his crimes by the town's people in Salem."

"How come we don't hear of this guy when we do history at school? You never learn the important stuff, enchanted keys and renegade witch hunters."

"Well none of this was documented officially, what happened to him was kept from everybody, recorded only by the court who kept everything sealed from the public."

"Did he meet an excruciating painful death?"

"He disappeared."

"What?"

"He was sentenced to death, but before they got to him he disappeared from one of his own locked chambers, the key had been given to a local judge to keep safe, they found a blank piece of parchment in his chamber and when it was placed with the key words appeared on claiming that he had exchanged his soul with the devil so he could bring down witches for all eternity."

"Why would someone who hated witches make a deal with the devil?"

"I suppose he thought that if he could live for eternity he would never have to worry about where his soul ended up."

"That's messed up."

"Quite. It would seem that he claimed his soul had been placed in the key, that he would forever live inside it taking witches souls with him."

"But you said that the key wasn't mystical? That no one has been able to do anything with it or gain anything from it?"

"And that's true, I said the key was enchanted and it is, I don't think it can do anything unless Boubasa himself orchestrates it himself. The key lies dormant until he wants to awaken."

"So if someone bought it at a yard sale to hang on the wall as an old yet stylish seventeenth century key, it would just hang there?" Giles nodded his head, "how about if someone used it to stir a potion?"

"I don't think it would do anything."

"Interesting. So – when this Boubasa wants to take a witches soul, what exactly does the key do and how can we find out if he's responsible for Willow?"

"That I don't know. But hopefully when Buffy reports back she'll have some news from the demon communities about what all this might be about, or indeed if it's leading to anything bigger."

"My best friend's lying unconscious in hospital, this is as big as it can get."

When Tara got back to the hospital she was surprised to see Anya sitting on the edge of Willow's bed talking to her. She stepped into the room and Anya turned upon hearing her enter.

"Oh Tara, hi, we were just talking."

"We?"

"Well, I was talking to Willow, she's a real good listener," they looked at each other and then Tara moved closer to Willow and put down the things she was carrying.

"Where did Xander go?"

"To talk to the cops about what happened this morning, and Giles is doing research and Buffy went to kick some demon ass for information, don't worry we'll figure out who did this," Anya patted Tara's arm and both remained silent.

"I d-don't understand, what does any of this have to do with, W-Willow?"

"Oh, there's a key that I warned Giles about that could be the reason Willow was involved in an accident, it could be something mystical."

"M-mystical?" Anya nodded her head smiling, she thought she was helping but Tara was confused and didn't understand what was going on.

"Dawn?" Anya walked towards Dawn and Tara turned to see her just as Joyce appeared behind.

"Hi girls, we wanted to see how Willow was doing, Tara I hope you don't mind us visiting?"

"N-not at all, please," Joyce and Dawn stepped inside and both hugged Tara. Anya felt a little crowded to left to get coffees, Joyce offered to help and left Dawn to sit with Tara.

"Can she hear me?"

"I'm sure she can Dawny, she'll be h-happy to know you're here," Dawn looked at Willow lying in the bed and Tara put her arm around her, "she's gonna be f-fine Dawn. Just fine."