They had been researching for over four hours now and they hadn't found anything. Willow had looked over the police files three times already and the computer screen was beginning to go all fuzzy from looking at it for so long.
"I don't know about you two but this is really starting to grate my cheese." Xander said throwing the book he had been reading onto the table.
"Tell me about it, there were words in this book an hour ago now it's just squiggle." Dawn said placing the book on the table.
"Hey I think I found something." Willow said not lifting her eyes from the screen.
"Old news paper reports, the same thing happened fifth teen years ago a group of campers went missing their bodies were found less then a week later." Willow told them.
"Well that would explain why we don't remember anything we were what six, seven?" Xander asked.
"Whoa." Willow said suddenly.
"Good whoa or bad whoa?" Dawn asked.
"It happened fifth teen years before that, a man went missing while walking his dog they found his body in the woods three day's later." she read to them.
"Fifth teen years between the murders looks like we just found our pattern." Xander said.
At that moment Spike burst in through the front door holding a large gray blanket above his head in an attempt to protect himself from the sun's harmful rays. Closing the door behind him he hurried into the dining room where he found the others sat around the table exactly where he had left them earlier that afternoon.
"We've got trouble." Spike said looking at group "The slayers back yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, did you find something?" Dawn asked the vampire.
"There's something big going down in the woods happens every fifth..." Spike began
"Fifth teen years?" Willow said.
Then off of Spike's questioning look she explained.
"We found some old newspaper reports, people going missing in the wood's their bodies were found days later." Willow told him.
"The demon I spoke to said it happens every fifth teen years, didn't know how long its been going on." Spike told them.
"How long what had been going on?" Xander asked.
"Told me that it's another universes, there all the time we just don't see it is'all, every fifthteen years the barrier that separates it from our world disappears." Spike told them what he had learnt.
"And of course it has to be in Sunnydale." Xander said shaking his head.
"What do you mean disappears?" Dawn asked suddenly.
"It means the demons are free to come into this world and us into there's."
"Well that explains our missing people..." Willow began but was cut of by Spike.
"S 'not all I learnt the demons have battles, they fight each other, people, anyone who happens to slip in through the gateway. S'not that uncommon the bloody Romans did it there was even word of something similar going on in LA a couple years back two brothers running their own octavian matches." Spike informed them.
"Those people just walked in there, they had no idea..." Willow said understanding everything now.
"How long, how long till the barrier goes back up again?" Xander asked
"Not sure about that one mate, he said it was soon though." Spike said then a look of panic washed across his face.
"You said the slayers haven't bin back at all 'as anyone spoke with 'em?" Spike asked
"You don't think...?" Willow began as realization began to set in.
Xander suddenly reached for his cell phone that was on the table and began to punch in Buffy's number. Raising it to his ear he remained silent for a few seconds.
"There's no answer." He said.
Spike suddenly moved towards the living room walking to the weapons chest he opened in and pulled out a large battle axe.
"Sunset's in ten minutes then we're going after them." He said. Nobody argued.
Faith sat alone in the circle of rocks, after the guards had dragged Hope away the smaller demon had remained behind, he wore a black robe that had golden swirls around the sleeves and hood, he looked like something out of a really bad cartoon she had thought to herself. He had preformed some kind of a spell to move Buffy into the same circle as Kennedy after they had been arguing over what to do. He told them he didn't want a repeat of earlier.
Kennedy had woke less than fifth teen minute after Hope had been taken, she had been pissed off at first but had calmed down after realizing that Hope had probably saved her life. Faith just sat there throwing a small stone at the shield, it would bounce back and she would do the same again. After being in prison she was use to being confined to a small space.
"You don't think she..." Kennedy asked even though she didn't want to.
"She'll be fine. I get the feeling she's dealt with worse." Faith said hoping she was right.
A few minutes passed all of them remaining silent until Kennedy spoke.
"Head's up." she said pointing to two demons wearing matching armor who were heading their way dragging Hope behind them.
The demons approached Faith's circle stopping just in front of it. Picking Hope up they threw her into the barrier, so that she landed beside Faith who gently rolled her over so that she was lying on her back. They all gasped when they first saw her. The white top that she wore was now covered in blood and dirt. There were some large claw marks along the top of her left arm and across her chest just below her throat. A large cut ran down the side of her face and blood trickled slowly from her nose and mouth.
"Oh my God." Kennedy gasped when she saw the future slayer.
"What did you do?" Buffy yelled at them, with no answer she began to pound against the barrier. "What did you do?"
The larger of the two demons that had a nasty looking scar where his right eye should have been simply smirked at her before he and the other demon walked away.
Faith began to shake the injured slayer being careful not to cause anymore damage, they were all relieved when Hope's eyes fluttered open.
"Thank God." Buffy said.
"Remind me never to do that again." Hope said
"The demon?" Kennedy asked
"Dead, Kicked his ass." replied Hope.
"Look's like he kicked yours too." Faith said noting Hopes injuries.
"Little bit." Hope said sitting up with Faith's help.
"Any sign of a cavalry?" Hope asked the others.
"Nope, nada, zilch." the others replied one after the other.
"I hate the woods." Hope said before bowing her head and shaking it in defeat.