Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. I'm just doing this for fun, and hopefully entertainment

Reviews: Welcomed and appreciated

Thanks for all the kind responses to this story.

And je t'aime angel, thanks for the encouragement.

The scene had been a chaotic nightmare from the beginning. Giles and Buffy had been looking through several books, trying to see if they could come up with anything else that might work in their favor should Angel fail in killing Darla. Buffy could hardly see straight, worrying about Willow and her lover, but she knew she had to do something and looking in books seemed to be the only thing left to her.

Xander was holding onto Cordelia's hand as if it were his life-line. He was scared, but Cordy just kept cooing to him, telling him it would work out somehow. "You've seen the way Spike looks at her. Major crushage. If for no other reason, he'll try to impress her enough to get into her pants. He's not the noble type like Oz, he'll do anything to get her back, crush, kill, destroy. Anything." Oddly enough, Xander took comfort in this and looked up at Cordelia as if she had had just spouted wings and a halo. Buffy couldn't seem to muster any upset at that situation. The prom queen really seemed to be concerned and Buffy herself was feeling too much guilt to try and comfort her other best friend.

She turned back towards Giles. "How did I mess this up so badly Giles?"

He looked at his slayer with sympathy. "You didn't Buffy. No one could have guessed Darla would attempt to get to you and Angel through Willow. And certainly not in broad daylight." He turned to look at the other two teenagers, "I'm sure Cordelia's correct in her assumption of Spike. He'll do all that is possible to save Willow and I am confident he will succeed." Giles looked to Buffy. "Where did you put the sword?"

"Just where you told me to, at Angel's. Did you forget?"

"No…no. Just a little nervous." He trailed off. Giles was genuinely frightened for Willow and for his slayer. If anything should happen to her best friend, Buffy would fall apart. She was already having trouble concentrating. It seemed Darla's plan to pull Buffy off her game was starting to have its desired effect.

"Perhaps the three of you should go to Angel's. I'll wait here in case he should return here first."

"Um, yeah right, Giles. The whole point of my being here is to make sure you're safe. I am not leaving you anywhere alone." Buffy looked over at the desolate Xander who now had his head on Cordelia's breast while she rubbed her hand over his forehead. If she weren't so aware of the seriousness of the situation, she would so have something to say about that little scene. "Maybe you two should head out?"

Xander lifted his head. "We are not going anywhere until Willow comes back." He then returned his head to the comfortable spot.

Buffy turned her head towards a noise in the upper stacks, just in time to see a vampire come out of nowhere, making a b-line Xander and Cordelia.

"Out of the way!" She hurled herself at the demon as she grabbed a letter opener Giles had left on the counter. As she fell upon the intruder she plunged into its chest turning it into dust.

Just at that moment, proverbial hell broke loose. The library doors flew open, allowing about a dozen vampires to enter. Six or seven were already up on the stacks, waiting, licking their lips. Buffy tried to asses the situation. She could easily take care of the ones who just came in, of that she was sure. But the ones up above, well…she couldn't be two places at once.

As if reading her mind, Giles threw her a sword. "I'm on the ones upstairs."

The fight seemed to take on biblical proportions in both Buffy and Giles' eyes. And the worry about Xander and Cordelia was never far from their minds. Buffy heard a loud crash and turned in time to see the bookcases tumbling over and fall on both Xander and Cordy. She made a move to go to them but was stopped by what seemed like dozens of new members of the Darla and Dru fan club. Giles looked at his slayer, knowing they couldn't fight them off much longer, praying that Angel or Kendra and Spike would show up soon, knowing they wouldn't. His heart ached with his inability to protect all these children from the reality of Sunnydale. He felt the bile of all his rage and regret well up and fill his mouth as he sliced the head off one more vampire.

Just as both the warriors felt their strength begin to ebb, the library doors swung open and Drusilla floated in followed by more fledglings. The thought crossed Buffy's mind that Dru and Darla had been so busy turning most of Sunnydale, how in the hell did they have time to worry about awaking Acathla?

Drusilla clapped her hands, "Enough!" The fighting stopped. Giles and Buffy looked around at the damage that had been done. Dust covered everything. They looked at each other and with a silent agreement,didn't even glance in the direction of where Xander and Cordelia should be, hoping once they were gone the two would be able to make it out, if they were still alive.

Unable to put up much more of a fight, Buffy and Giles were easy prey for the group that swarmed around them. Drusilla walked up to them, a crazy smile never leaving her face. "No worries lovies, we're here to take you to mummy. She would be most cross if we damaged you before she had a chance to talk to you. Besides,she always gets first taste."

Buffy and Giles were tied and blind-folded, Buffy biding her time. She had to go with Giles and she didn't want to take a chance on dying before she had a chance to kill Darla. And she would kill her, of that she was sure. "Lead away, acid-queen."

The chaos that greeted Angelus as he ran into the library was an anticipated shock. Dust everywhere. Books and papers strewn about. Furniture and book shelves, broken and toppled. Hearing a soft moan, Angel turned toward the small staircase. He waited, listening. Then, he heard it again.Sprinting up the stairs, he carefully but quickly moved aside bookshelves and books until he came to Xander, his body covering Cordelia in an attempt to protect her.

Cordelia's eyes groggily opened. "It's about time," she croaked. "Get him off me, but be gentle."

Angel carefully lifted Xander, who began to stir at the movement. He looked up at Angel, "Cordelia?" He could see the fear in the boy's eyes.

"Right here, I'm okay." She winced as she put weight on her twisted ankle, "Well, basically."

"Angel, I'm sorry. They must've taken Buffy and Giles. There were so many of them. Buffy got at least a dozen and Giles, well, he fought too. But they just kept coming. She…she pushed us up here and then one ofthe vampirespushed the shelves over…" He hung his head. "We were just useless."

"It was a trap, boy. Darla lured me out to keep me occupied while all her reinforcements came here, for Buffy and Giles." Angel threw a book across the room in frustration.

All three heads turned as the doors burst opened, letting in Spike, Kendra and Jenny. Spike, catching the book before it took his head off laughed. "Nice aim Peaches."

Jenny ran ahead. "Oh my god! Where's Rupert and Buffy?"

"Dru took them." Angel looked over at Spike, "Willow?"

"She and Oz are at your place. We came to get the Orb of Thesulah." He looked over at Xander. "The gypsy's gonna replace Willow's soul."

Xander closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears before they began. Cordelia, however, didn't feel the need. She burst into sobs. "No! No! She's dead?" She threw herself into Xander's arms, causing him to wince but he held on tight, trying to calm her.

"She's not dead, baby, not exactly. She's…undead?" He looked at Spike for confirmation.

"Darla turned her. I didn't think she would, but…here we are." He shrugged, not sure what else to say.

Angelus eyed Jenny. "Can you do it? Can you restore her soul?"

"I have the curse, I translated it in case we needed it for you. But we need the Orb on Giles' desk."

Spike had to smirk. "Leave it to Rupert, old boy, to use it as a paper-weight."

"Don't curse her gypsy, not if she can't ever really be happy. If she loses her soulbecause of happiness you might as well kill her now." There was almost a threat to his voice.

"I left it out. When I translated it I altered it without the elders' permission."

"Okay, fine." Angel's mind was on over load. "Can you get another orb?"

"Oh my god." Jenny hadn't fully considered the implications. "Buffy and Rupert. Maybe, at the Magic Box."

Angelus took a very deep, unneeded breath and took in Xander and Cordelia's condition. "Do you need a hospital?"

"No. We're fine." Xander answered for the both of them, Cordelia nodding her agreement.

"Let's go then."

Spike and Kendra sat up front as Angel drove them all to Crawford Street. The three in the back were lost in there thoughts.

"So, you tink da tree of us can handle dis?" Kendra spoke softly, not wanting to upset the others.

Without turning his head Angelus spoke. "You won't be coming with us. Xander will. He can get Giles out while we free Buffy. Once we do that, we can take care of the rest." Histone told Spike he would take arguments from no one, not even the slayer.

Kendra on the other hand didn't care. "I'm da slayer. I take no orders from you!"

Spike saw Angel's hand tighten on the steering wheel. "Kendra, love, Jenny's gonna need you. If she can't restore Willow's soul you're goin' to have to take care of her. And you'll have to do it before we get back. Once Buffy and Xander are here, they won't let it happen and we can't leave Willow like that."

She looked at Angel's motionless face. She hated it when men were right. "Fine, but once it's done, one way or the other, I'm with you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way love."

Jenny and Cordelia were getting things set up as Willow struggled to get free of the binding around her wrists and ankles. "Once I'm free you are all going to be so sorry. I will chew you up and spit you out!"

"Blah, blah, blah. Hello, locked in a magical cage." Cordelia did not like the total bitch Willow had become as a vampire. This had better work or she'd be the one to plunge the stake though her heart. Oz, in were-wolf mode, must've sensed that all was not quite right. He cowered in the corner, not coming near any of them.

Spike leaned against the wall smoking a cigarette, his fifth in the last half hour, and looked at this motley crew. He could tell Xander couldn't deal with his best friend gone, replace by the bitch from hell. And bitch she was, a bit of a turn on that. If things were different…well, they weren't and the restoration spell was soon to be under way.

"Better go find the great poof if we're gonna save the world." He threw his cigarette to the floor and headed for the stairs. "Xander, let's hit it."

Cordelia ran to Xander. "Please be careful. Just get Giles and get out, do not try to be a hero." She put her hand on Spike's arm. "Please bring them all back."

"No worries love. That's the plan." Spike patted her hand, not sure what else to do to comfort her.

Willow rolled her eyes. "That's so precious it makes me want to puke. The two of you are such losers. I can't believe Willow had a crush on you," she looked at Xander. "And then you." She cast a scathing look at Spike.

"Shut it bitch." Cordelia crossed her arms and lifted a brow at the vampire. "One way or the other, you will not be here long, so I'dstart thinking about which tacky, fuzzy sweater you want us to pick up for Willow. Our Willow."

Xander smiled at her. "That's my girl."

Angel had gone up to their bedroom to get the sword. That's how he thought of the room. It was theirs, his and Buffy's. He picked up her pillow and filled up on her scent. He would get her back. He hadn't waited so many centuries to find his soul mate only to lose her to those psychopath bitches. He went into the closet to retrieve the weapon and when he came out, there was the demon, waiting for him.

Not surprised, Angel went to him. "What did you mean, the sword isn't enough?"

Whistler picked up a camisole Buffy had left on the bed. "Pretty color. I like colors." He held it up to his nose. "Smells like lemons and coconuts, like Buffy."

"Tell me how to use it."

"Darla's the key. Her blood will open the door to Hell. Acathla opens his big mouth, creates the vortex. Then only her blood will close it. One blow will send them both back to Hell. But I strongly suggest you kill Darla first, before it all goes down. Get there quick kid, the sooner you take care of those crazy ladies, the easier it'll be on you. On everyone."

"Don't worry about me. I have no compunction regarding the death of the girls. They've been around too long as it is." Angel picked up the sword. "If they've done anything to Buffy, I'll follow them to hell to make them pay."

"You won't have to, if you make it in time. But if you don't, remember what I told you Angel. You'll have to make the hard decisions, not the popular ones. You have to be ready to hand it off to your support, no egos, no vengeance." Whistler looked at Angel. "I'm not really supposed to be here, the powers are bound to be pist, but…whatever. She'll never stop loving you, yours is a love for all eternity. It's the kind that becomes mythology."

Angel shook his head and turned to give the little man a snide remark, but when he did, the demon had left.

"Who you talking to old man?" Spike was at the door, waiting.

"Little demons who say nothing useful. Let's get the hell out of here and get my woman."

"And her watcher." Xander chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah. And her watcher."