Chapter Five

Angelus walked into the mansion he and Faith discovered for a hideout. He was soaked from the rain but that didn't remove the smile from his face. "Honey I'm home," he called. Faith walked out from around the marble corner. Her arms and collarbone had various blood splatters on them.

"I've been playing with my new toy," Faith said with a smirk.

"And I've been busy getting my plan underway." He placed a tape recorder in her hand and walked away. "How ya doin' buddy?" Angelus's jolly voice made Xander cringe. "Ya look great."

"What the Hell is this?"

Angelus shut the curtain and faced the rogue Slayer. "That would be a tape recorder," he said slowly.

"I know what it is but what's it for? What're ya gonna sing blondie a love song?"

"Actually, the boy is." Angelus snatched the recorder from her hand.

"Not following."

"Well, that's because you're an idiot Faith."

"You better watch your mouth GQ."

"Or what? You'll stake me?" He started to laugh. "I'd snap your neck in two before you wound up for a punch." He walked past her and looked down at the contraption. "I am going to record the sweet sound of her dear friend being tortured." Angelus whipped around to face her as he said, "Then, and this is the best part, I'm going to find a little girl. I'm thinking an embodiment of Miss California 2000 herself, and then leave this message in her dead little hands."

A smile flowed across her face. "I like it."

Buffy made her way down the street, feeling more secluded than she'd ever felt. All she heard was the sound of the rain banging against the pavement as she went up the steps to her house. "Xander?" Buffy called as she thrust the mahogany door open. "Xander?" she called in desperation. There was no answer. Buffy made her way to the phone and dialed Giles' house. "Giles, it's me. Has Xander shown up yet?… okay." Buffy lost all faith that she would find him unharmed. "I'll do one more sweep as I make my way back… Bye." She hung up the receiver and trudged out of her home.

Buffy looked down the streets she felt she searched a hundred times and found the same exact result. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. No matter how you put it, it meant the same thing; she had no idea where Xander was or where else she could look. But suddenly a thought erupted in Buffy's head. "Cordelia," she spoke to herself. At full slayer speed she ran to Cordelia's house. She kept telling herself 'Xander will be there. Xander will be there.'

Cordelia rose from the comfy, olive green couch and placed her TeenTrend magazine on the dark wood coffee table. "I'm coming," she said in frustration. The doorbell was ringing like crazy. "I said I'm coming!" She placed her hand on the brass handle and opened the door. "Buffy? ADD much?"

"Is Xander here?"

Cordelia was taken back. "No I took him home. Why?"

"Because he's missing," Buffy informed her.

Cordelia's eyes widened in fear and her eyes slightly glassed over. "What do you mean missing?"

"I mean missing. Gone. Unfound. Lacking in the present and accounted for department."

"I don't-"

"We gotta get to Giles', I'll fill you in on the way. Can you drive?"

"Yeah, of course." Cordelia snatched her plaid purse off the hall table and pushed past Buffy. They got in her red Convertible and sped out of the driveway.

They hustled down the stairs to Giles' house, Cordelia still trying to grasp what she was just told. "Why would a Slayer and vampire take my boyfriend."

"Because he's my best friend."

"So he should be punished for that?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and unfastened the wooden door. Giles, Joyce and Spike were staring down at Giles' steps. "What's going on?" she asked, hoping it wasn't a body part that previously was attached to Xander.

"Buffy," Joyce exhaled her worried mom voice. She hugged her daughter tightly to take in the fact that she was really there. "I was so worried."

Buffy embraced her mom and said, "I'm fine. What's-" Her question was interrupted by Giles' movement which revealed a little girl's body. She had on a light blue raincoat, with an inch of her pink dress showing at the bottom and her blonde hair was in pigtails. When Joyce let her go Buffy slowly approached the body. Her jaw started to quiver as her eyes began to sting from her tears. Sure enough there were two puncture wounds in her neck. "How could he do this? She's just a little kid?"

"There's more," Giles said. Buffy faced him, knowing that the 'more' couldn't be anything good. "She was holding this." Giles handed her a black tape recorder.

Hesitantly Buffy took it and hit play. It was Xander screaming out in pain. "Xander!" Cordelia exclaimed, as if she could stop them.

Buffy inhaled deeply and stopped the tape. "Where'd you find her?"

"I wanted to go out for some fresh air and when I opened the door she just fell in," Joyce said, obviously still shook up.

Buffy ignored the fact that her mother intended to leave the house when they were all told not to and asked, "Where's Willow?"

"Oz is with her in the bathroom," Giles informed.

"Willow?" Buffy asked as she knocked on the door. Oz revealed himself as it opened and he left without saying a word. The young wicca was leaning against the tub with her knees pulled into her chest. "Willow." She fell to her knees and brushed her friend's red hair from her face.

"What are they gonna do to him Buffy?"

She took a shallow breath and answered, "I don't know." Buffy rubbed Willow's back in attempt to comfort her but I think it just made her realize what a serious situation this was.

Suddenly, the witch's head perked up. "We could do a locator spell. I can perform the spell and then we could find where Xander is and save him. All I need are the ingredients."

"Consider it done. Just make a list of what we'll need and I'll hit up the Magic Shop." Willow sprang into action as Buffy rose from the floor and brushed herself off.

Spike moved out of the way as Willow rushed out of the bathroom. "Speedy Gonzales." He turned to Buffy who seemed so flustered with emotion that she didn't know which to show. Spike walked over to her and gave her a hug. Buffy breathed in his wonderful smell as her cheek rested against his chest. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to stay here."

There was a brief pause before she answered, "I know."

He pulled her back and looked her in the eyes. "I was worried."

"I know."

The vampire's hands fell to his side. "Can you say something other than I know?"

"Sorry," Buffy replied. Spike shook his head in response to how inconsiderate he was acting and rested his lips on her forehead. "You missed." They smiled at each other before they kissed. When they parted Buffy smiled. "I love you."

"I love you." Spike gave her another kiss.

"I gotta go."

"Oh, sorry. I'll just wait out here."

"Not to the bathroom ya dork." She grazed past him and to the living room. "Got the list?"

"Here you go," Willow replied as she handed her the white sticky note.

"Giles you have sticky notes? When did you join the twenty first century?" Buffy questioned.

"Haha, very funny."

"I thought so. Okay, I'll be back."

"Wait a minute you're not going back out there," Spike intervened.

"I need to get the supplies for the locator spell."

"Last I checked there's one nasty vamp and a psycho bird out there lookin' to kill you."

"Spike, I have to hurry."

"No, Buffy, I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"This isn't a discussion."

"You're right. I'm going with you."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am Buffy. I can't just wait here for you when you may not come back."

"I'm coming back."

"You don't know that!" Spike screamed. "You were telling me earlier not to comfort you because it was possible you could die. Now you're acting like that realization never occurred."

Everyone was looking at them, including Buffy's mother who looked way beyond the scared stage. Buffy grabbed Spike and took him outside. "My best friend is hauled up somewhere with a murderous Slayer and a vampire who killed his own family. I'm not exactly worried about myself right now."

"But I am. You may be ready to throw yourself into any dangerous situation but I'm not ready to let you. Nothing you've faced even compares to these two. Separate you may be able to take them but not if they're working together. And I can't lose you." Spike's eyes were beginning to tear up.

Buffy rested her hand on his left cheek and Spike put his right hand over hers. "Spike, I need you to stay here and protect them. I know you want to come and I even want you to but my mother is in there. I need to know she's safe. Can you do that for me?" Spike started leisurely shaking his head. "Yes you can. I wouldn't ask if you couldn't."

"Buffy-" Spike was interrupted by Buffy's lips pushing against his.

"I promise, I'll be back."

"Wait a minute," Cordelia interrupted. "I'm coming with you."

"What?" Spike and Buffy said simultaneously.

"I have a car, which is faster than running, and two sets of hands are better than one."

"Cordelia, I don't-"

"My boyfriend has been kidnapped and I am not waiting around a tacky green home that smells like some sort of animal feet because you want to be independent."

Buffy and Spike's mouthed were partly open from shock. "Okay." Buffy gave Spike one more kiss before she followed Cordelia up the steps.