Issues

Disclaimer: Mr Joss Whedon owns all, damn him!

Distribution: ask and you shall recieve

Review: dying...need...reviews...to...survive!

Oz opened the door to his apartment and closed it behind him. He settled his things near door before he headed for bed only to be greeted by a view of Willow sleeping in his bed with books of knowledge cocooned around her safely. He smiled at that as he put the books in a pile and took the remaining one in Willow's hand, only to have woken her up.

"Hey" she smiled sleepily.

"Hey" he smiled back.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked, she knew when Oz was upset or happy despite he looked calm across the surface.

"We got some serious hellmouth issues" Oz said.

"About?" Willow asked as she sat up straight.

"I'll tell you in the morning" Oz said.

"No, bad" Willow said eyes a little wider than they should be "I'll be thinking of what your going to be saying in the mooring and if it's to do with the hellmouth then it would be even badder and I won't be concentrating in my lessons and what if the teacher suddenly became mean and asked something and I wouldn't know because I would be wondering what it-"

Oz cut her off with a slow kiss then said when it broke "Willow its okay, just that the Magic Box was attacked by some vampires"

"Is everyone alright?" Willow asked "Are you okay?"

"Everyone's fine, even me" Oz said "Wolfy healing abilities always come handy"

"Thank you wolfy stuff" Willow said with relief, and then kissed every inch of his face very happy he was alive "I had a bad dream"

"What was it about?" Oz asked as she settled back into his arms.

"I was walking in the graveyard, I saw your tombstone. I thought it was you that were coming out of the ground, like a vampire but it were Tara" Willow said shakily.

"What happened?" Oz asked, giving her a comforting squeeze.

"She told me I killed her" Willow said sadly.

"Willow, it was Adam remember" Oz said

"I know, but I can't but wonder if that was me she wouldn't be angry" Willow said.

"Why would you think she was angry at you?" Oz asked concern with his girlfriend.

"Because she was really mean to me" Willow said.

Buffy watched Angelus paced up and down in her living room. Her mother left for a gallery trip so they were alone. Very alone indeed. But what Buffy wanted to do was to indulge in smoochies with maybe-boyfriend but he wouldn't co-operate with her. Duty came first blah blah blah blah! Screw duty she wanted smoochies now.

"We could go check the underground but that could stir up some trouble" Angelus was saying, not realising the blonde wasn't paying much attention as she was concocting a plan in her head "Or we could go to a local snitch, what do you think?" Angelus stopped in mid-stride and turned towards her "Buffy?"

"Huh?" Buffy said.

"What did I just say?" Angelus asked suspiciously.

"Something about a stitch?" Buffy answered hopefully.

Angelus blinked at her "Buffy, this is serious you have to pay attention to this"

"Maybe if you sit down and talk to me face to face then I won't have a listening problem" Buffy said, please? Pretty please? No biting I promise well maybe a little...

"No" Angelus said.

"No?" Buffy said.

"No" Angelus repeated "Just because I'm planning ahead doesn't mean you could seduce me"

"Who said I was seducing? See seducing free" Buffy said giving the most adoring innocent puppy-eyes ever oh crap, how can he be one step ahead of me?

"Really" Angelus said, the most I-don't-buy-it look ever, God he could rival Giles's.

"Oh come on Angelus, why can't you sit down? Afraid you might go through the couch?" Buffy teased.

"No but-"

"Then sit down next to me" Buffy said, patting on the spot next to her.

"Fine, but no funny business" Angelus said, although he didn't mind indulging in the pleasure called Buffy, business was business. The fun would have to come later.

"Promise" Buffy said, sneakily crossing her fingers behind her back.

Angelus sat down next to her, well not next to her more along the lines of far corner of the couch from keeping a touching free zone between them. It annoyed Angelus that business always came first and it pissed Buffy off even more that he wouldn't touch her just for the sake to keeping there heads together, theologically speaking of course. He looked relaxed and content as he looked at her while she kept her emotions from showing, they both knew the temptation was there, question was who's going to let go first. The angel? Or the slayer?

"As I was saying we could check the underground or you local snitch if you have any around here" Angelus said casually trying not to show his sudden interest with her bare legs.

"We could" Buffy said "But Willy's dead, got eaten"

"Ouch" Angelus said sympathetically.

"Not really considering he was swallowed whole" Buffy said "So no ouch"

Angelus blinked at that before he simply stated "Hellmouths always makes things a lot difficult than they should"

"Hellmouths?" Buffy said, surprised there was more than one.

"Yeah there's more of them Buffy" Angelus said "They ironically make a giant symbol of hell if you point them out, yours happens to be smack dab in the middle of it"

"So mines the big bad at of all of them?" Buffy asked.

"Yep" Angelus replied.

"Go us" Buffy said sarcastically.

"So what shall we do?" Angelus said getting back on track.

Buffy took one look at him and knew he was off, guard the second she saw his shoulders seem to slump she jumped him and kissed him, letting him know exactly what they should do.

Cordelia looked over her drink to the two angels who were arguing in some kind of language she couldn't understand. But it didn't matter, if they were talking to each other no matter what language it was it would still be gibberish to her. They were suppose to be talking to her, because A) she was the important psychic and B) it was the law! Bored out of her mind she suggested that they could go to a bar and get some drinks, hoping the alcohol would obliterate her headache. Not like she was a drinker or anything but she remembered the Giles always poured himself a brandy whenever someone hit his head or something hit his head, so she figured this stuff must work.

Sighing she looked down into her drink and her reflection peered back at up her. Yep this was another fabulous night in Sunnydale, taking a sip she couldn't help but remember what Gunn said to Doyle.

"Doyle don't!" Gunn said.

"What do you mean don't? My job's done" Doyle said

Cordelia looked over to Doyle who was still busy talking in Lord knows what to Gunn. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as the pair was obliviously to her look. She may not be smart as her friends but it didn't stop her from being observant, hell she was the one that pointed out about the hellhound and the former wear before the prom!

My job's done Cordelia repeated through her thoughts My job's done. He was going to leave me as soon as I got my visions, why is it I always fall for the wrong guys? She saddened at the thought.

"Is there somethin wrong Cordy?" Doyle asked as soon as he felt her emotions saddened.

"FINALLY!" Cordelia exclaimed "I thought you forgot about me!" she wasn't going to say anything to him, just yet.

"Wouldn't have dreamed of it lass, c'mon I think there's a song out there waiting for us to dance to it" He winked as he pulled her up to her feet.

"Have fun love birds" Gunn cheered as he watched them make a beeline to the dance floor.

Glorifica looked around apprehensively through the window of her mansion while Spike inhaled his cigarette lightly, relaxing happily on the comfy couch.

"He should have been back by now" she whispered.

"Who?" Spike asked, flicking away the ashes on his bud.

"My baby" Glorifica moaning unhappily.

"Your boyfriend?" Spike asked.

"No, my pet, my little serpent. Sebok" Glorifica said "He'd always come back at this time. Never wanders too far. What is taking him so long?"

"Oh, how touché" Spike said sarcastically, the reason why he was not beaten to a bloody pulp at that moment was that they needed each other and so they didn't want cause huge problems.

"I'll pretend to ignore that" Glorifica said she turned to one her minions "Go find him" she ordered before she turned back to the window "NOW" she growled in a very demonic tone and at that the minion scurried off instantly.

"Losing patience are we?" Spike tactfully said.

"I've been patient for so long" Glorifica said then turned towards him "I don't think I've got any left"

"Well you're going to have to if I had read this profile on the hellmouth guardian, aka the slayer, properly" Spike said.

"You keep profiles on people?" Glorifica asked as she walked up to in interest.

"Yeah, that's how we know she's the slayer to bring fourth the prophecy" Spike said he takes another long drag of his cigarette.

"So why don't you just kill her?" Glorifica asked as she rolled her eyes at him "It's simple just squish her like a bug and the job is done"

"Rules, there can't be any intervention from either side" Spike said as she sat down next to him "we have to use subtlety like for instance I force a kid take drugs that would be direct involvement but I do something a long the lines just giving him the drugs it's up to the kid whether to take it or not, with hints of persuasion it would be subtlety"

"That's boring" Glorifica said "You have all that power and you can't do shit"

"Comes with the territory but sometimes rules are bended" Spike said softly "To the point were each sides meet, twist and turn and never breaks. Possessing is one of the things and it's really fun"

"How?" Glorifica said "all you do is posses someone and that's about it"

"Yeah but we can we can inflict pain into our victims" he leans and whispers softly in a seductive manner to her ear "and pleasure too"

"What kind of pleasure?" Glorifica said, trying to ignore the suggestion.

He gently touch her skin, his eyes flashed gold and she her breath hitched as she closed her eyes in the sudden jolt of bliss.

"That's fun" Glorifica said with an evil smile opening her eyes at him "But not in our agreement, business it shall always remain" she gets up and walks back to the window with Spikes eyes trailing her the whole time.

Angelus POV

I watch you sleep as you are cradled in my arms. In your bed.

You have really got to stop with the double act, I can't resist you when we kiss. It's unbearable and you know you're my weakness. You know I'm desperately want to enter your dreams and show you what you mean to me. You turn a little, snuggling deeper into my embrace. I can barely keep control over myself and you are causing a problem. Breaking my control, my boundaries till there's nothing left but you to fill it.

Angels are not suppose to get that close, it hurts even more when we say goodbye and the fact you're a slayer. Bigger problem, champions and angels aren't suppose to mix. At all and here I am watching you sleep as that dream of yours brings you happiness with that smile across your face. I can only hope but wonder if that is me you're dreaming about.

I want you but I can't have you.

I need you but it's unacceptable.

Your forbidden fruit.

I don't think I could take this anymore but this brings me to a dilemma. Could I say goodbye to you? Leave you? I don't think I could. You still mourn for Riley but yet you not really focus on that with me around. Maybe I should leave but that would hurt you even more.

What should I do?

Anya arrived early to work at the Magic Box. It was going to busy that day, Friday's are always a busy day next to Saturday and Sunday. Busy shop meant customers with money, hopefully lots of it to exchange goods and such.

She opened the door to find how busy she was going to be.

"Giles!" Anya shouted, waking the watcher from his sleep making his head popped up from the stacks of books that hidden him from view "Look at this mess, what happened?"

"Ah Anya, I need you to make a list of what is missing we had a vampire raid last night" Giles said.

"You didn't get you head knocked about again, did you?" Anya asked before she began to stack the magical items into there proper places.

"No" Giles said as he squinted away the sleep.

"I need a pen and paper Giles" Anya said as she grabbed his notepad

"I need that!" Giles protested but Anya took no notice of him as she took the notes off till there was a blank page, grabbed his pen and began to write what was missing "You already know what's missing?"

"Well of course I know" Anya said irritatedly then goes back to the shelf's and went back to her job "Why would I take your work items away from you?"

"So what's missing?" Giles asked.

"So far talic root and amo eyes" Anya said "Won't work together of course but if you add garlic and honey you can make a great soup with it, of course it would be poisonous for the human body"

"Thank you Anya" Giles drawled.

Giles went back to his books while Anya carried on working, making a few notes on what s missing as she placed things in there original place.

"So what you researching on?" Anya asked, normally so wouldn't ask such a thing but Xander always encouraged to make small talk with his friends.

"A crest that are on these knifes" Giles said "I haven't found anything so far"

"What kind of crest?" Anya asked keeping up with small talk.

"A red eye with three white pentagrams inside the pupil" Giles said tiredly.

"Those books won't find you anything on a hellgod" Anya said like everyone knew about them.

"You know it's a hellgod?" Giles said starting to get excited of the fact she knew something.

"Well yeah eyes and pentagrams usually mean hellgod but it could be a coincidental that this person shares the same crest" Anya said

"Do you know who it could be?" Giles asked getting up from his chair taking the dagger with him and presented it to Anya.

"Not a clue" Anya said watching him deflate "But don't worry we can always find out" patting him on the shoulder.

"By what other means?" Giles sighed.

"You could ask the Watcher Council" Anya said "Everyone knows they have records of events and stuff dating thousands of years ago"

"I know Anya but I'm leaving them to the last resort" Giles said "I don't think Buffy would be appreciative it if she found out I called them without her knowing"

"Suit yourself" Anya said with a shrug as she finished placing everything away and jotted down the last missing "So we have a tracking spell or a frog spell"

"It would most likely to be a tracking spell" Giles said "Probably for some magical object of some kind"

"Amulet" Anya corrected him "Or a talisman, you would rarely use shael root for anything else except for frogs"

"Right so tracking spell for an amulet" Giles said.

"Guess you have to go back to those dusty old books huh" Anya said.

"Indeed" Giles agreed as he turned back to his books.

As soon as the bell went Willow immediately packed away her stuff, she had to ask the teacher about the last weeks assignment it wasn't suppose to be given in till Wednesday but she always wanted to be at the top of her game. Ask questions on how to present it and such but before she could someone else got to him first making her scrawl disapprovingly.

Hey I got there first! Willow scolded in her thoughts Meaney!

As the lecturer was talking to the student in front of her Willow let her eyes wonder around the place. It was empty now save for her, the student and the lecturer. The place reminded her of a theatre with the red chairs circled around the lecturer desk like a stage to be performed. She turned with her eyes as she made a clear mental note of it that maybe it was a theatre in disguise. She suddenly froze when she saw someone at the door who staring back at her. She didn't notice the student had finished and walked passed her. The person at the door looked angry at her, turned and left.

"Is there problem Willow?" the lecturer asked as he packed away "Willow?" he asked a little louder and she turned to face him, shocked at how pale she was "Dear lord are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost"

Tara

TBC...

I know what I said about the five reviews rule but I couldn't resist to put this down. So shall I continue or not