AN: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone for the reviews!
Part 17
Slowly, the helicopter carrying Angel, Faith, Kate and Oz descended onto a field just outside of Sunnydale, California. On a road nearby waited several cars from the Sunnydale police department, having been notified of the situation. Several officers that Angel had worked with while in Sunnydale were still with the department and he was glad to have their help. He had no idea what they would face once they arrived at the mansion on Crawford Street.
Once the helicopter was stationary on ground, the group climbed out and ran at a slight crouch toward the waitingcars. Angel recognized the lead man of the Sunnydale officers as Lindsay McDonald. Of all the officers on the Sunnydale PD, he was the one Angel had gotten to know the best in his short time as part of the department. Reaching Lindsay, Angel held out his hand and shook Lindsay's.
"Thanks for helping out," Angel said to the man.
"No problem. Plus its our jurisdiction anyway," he gave a cocky grin. "And I owe you for saving my ass during that B&E when that drunk lunatic was about to blow my face off."
Angel rolled his eyes and moved on to introducing the others with him. They quickly focused on the situation at hand as Angel gave the Sunnydale cops the rest of the details he hadn't been able to give on the phone while in the helicopter. Those new to the case listened intently, knowing the situation was serious.
"Are you sure this Willow is the one who has Buffy?" Lindsay questioned.
"No." Angel sighed in frustration. "We're pretty sure she's the one, and right now, it's all we've got."
"Right." Lindsay nodded. "Suggestions on how you think we should handle this?"
"Recon first," posed Faith, jumping into the conversation. "We need to be sure Buffy is there before we go in with guns blazing."
"Agreed. And we have to be careful. Whoever has been after Buffy – possibly Willow – is unstable. She's already shot me, so we have to handle this very carefully," added Angel, giving his shoulder a rub. He'd never admit the pain he was in. That hardly mattered right now. He'd worry about it later.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Faith asked, noticing how Angel held his injured shoulder.
"I'm fine," Angel waved off her concern.
"Okay," cut in Lindsay before the other two started arguing. "We go in quietly and stake out the place, look for any signs of Buffy and/or Willow. Once we have a fix on the place, then we'll decide what to do from there."
"How far is it from here?" Faith inquired, jerking her head toward a map she saw on the hood of one of the cars nearby.
Lindsay gestured them all over to the map and pointed out their destination. "It's about ten minutes from here. The only access is from the street out front. We'll have to park out of sight and approach on foot."
"A few from each side?" Angel wanted to know.
"Yeah. There are a lot of trees and shrubs. Plus the place is overrun with weeds and crap so it shouldn't be hard to keep hidden." He held out his hands to another officer and took the small devices handed to him. "Walkie Talkies to keep in contact."
Each member of the group took one and listened to Lindsay's short explanation on how to use them and what frequency to tune into. With everything set up, the officers piled into their cars while those from LA climbed into the back of a van Lindsay directed them too.
Now that they were on the road and had a moment of calm - and didn't have to deal with the noise of the helicopter - Angel shifted his body to gaze at Oz. The young man had been quiet almost the entire time since leaving LA. Angel supposed he could understand that. Oz obviously cared a great deal about Willow, or had at one time, and was having a difficult time accepting all this. If he was in the other man's shoes, he'd be silent as well. There was something he wanted to know, though.
"Why did you and Willow break up?" he questioned Oz.
Oz flinched at the question, but knew he would have to answer. He was pretty sure Willow was the one responsible for kidnapping Buffy. He'd seen the way her eyes were a few days before. They'd been wild and full of rage. As much as he hated knowing what she had likely done, he had toface the truth. And in doing so, he had to make sure Angel and everyone else knew all the facts. Every detail mattered.
With a sad sigh, he explained. "I found out that she was using. Crystal meth," he furthered.
"Is that how she and Buffy knew each other? They were part of the same scene in Sunnydale?" Angel said, trying to put all the pieces together. Oz looked at him sharply, seeming to be surprised. "I know about Buffy's past; what she was involved in," he added.
Accepting the answer, Oz shook his head to Angel's question. "No, Buffy and Willow weren't even really friends. Willow was...she was...always so sweet," he mumbled, drifting back into the past. "Everyone called her a geek. She was just focused on her school work."
He sighed again, a look of defeat on his face. "That was the problem in the end. Her parents expected her to be perfect. They wanted her in the best classes, the hardest classes, and they wanted her getting straight A's in each one. If she didn't measure up, they acted like she'd committed a crime."
"So she turned to crystal meth," assumed Faith, understanding more now. "College students have been known to use it because it can keep you awake for days at a time, and it can sharpen your focus. Just the thing for someone under a lot of academic pressure."
"I have no idea how long she'd been using," continued Oz, feeling tired beyond his years and wondering how life had gotten so out of control. Once upon a time he'd had a great girlfriend and everything to look forward to. Now it was all gone, and getting worse by the minute. "I found out about a year ago. She knew I didn't like drugs. I've seen too many people get seriously messed up on them. So who knows how long she hid it from me. We got into a huge fight when I found out. Bottom line was that I told her that if she didn't give it up, that we were through."
"She didn't give up the meth, so you left," concluded Angel.
"Not right away. I kept trying to talk to her, but it didn't do any good. So in the end, I moved to LA with my band."
"How did you find out she was juicin'?" Faith asked.
"Her parents found out somehow. They always hated me and so when they found out their little girl was using drugs, they blamed it on me. I went over to pick up Willow one night, and they cornered me, saying I'd turned their baby into a druggie," he told the group, remembering how shocked he'd been when the Rosenbergs had told him Willow was using drugs.
"Man, that's rough," muttered Faith
"We're here," came Lindsay's voice suddenly.
The van pulled to a stop behind a line of police cars. They gathered together on the side of the road, planning who would go in which direction and emphasizing the need to keep their presence unknown until they'd assessed the situation. Lindsay questioned Oz's continued presence, considering he wasn't a cop. Angel knew it was possibly dangerous to have Oz come with them, but he knew they might need him to talk to Willow. He was the only one who knew her. So he stayed. Hopefully, in less than an hour, Buffy would be back with him and safe.
Through the high windows in the room, Buffy thought she could see the sky lightening. Was it near dawn? She had no idea. Buffy didn't even know what day it was. It felt like she'd been trapped in this room forever.
For the last half hour, she'd been alone. Willow had stormed out after Buffy had apologized to her. Buffy wondered if saying I'm sorry to her had been a mistake. There didn't seem to be any way to reason with her. The Willow she'd known as calm and quiet was gone completely. In her place was a vengeful woman missing a few marbles.
Though now that Buffy had most of the facts, she realized the change in Willow shouldn't be such a surprise. There was hate there for whatever part Buffy had played in – as Willow claimed – ruining her life, but there was likely more. From working at the Hyperion, Buffy was aware that the long-term effects of using crystal meth were ugly. If Willow was still using, that would definitely explain why she was so out of control and violent.
It still shocked Buffy that Willow had, at least at one time, been using drugs. Never would she have expected that. Then one weekend when Buffy had gone home to Sunnydale for a visit, she and Dawn decided to go to the Bronze to hang out. Buffy never expected while there that she'd catch sight of Willow with a guy who was a known dealer. From her days on the scene, she knew exactly what trash Pete peddled. Thankfully, they'd always been on good terms so she had been able to get him to tell her what Willow was buying.
Crystal meth. Buffy shook her head now just thinking about it. She'd been shocked to say that least about what she'd learned that night. And worried. If anyone knew what drugs and all that shit could do to a person, she did. She knew the danger Willow was in. So she'd tried to talk to the girl who had never really been a friend, but Willow hadn't wanted to hear a word of it. Still worried afterwards, Buffy had gone to her uncle, hoping he might know someone here in Sunnydale who shemight be able to talk to and who might be able to help Willow.
Apparently, that had been a mistake on her part. Giles had butted in himself and started a chain that Willow said had ruined her life. If Buffy had known then...well, she didn't know if she would change anything. Her intentions had been good. Willow was putting herself in danger. Should she have just looked away? Buffy didn't know anymore. Considering the position it had put her in – chained naked to a wall at Willow's mercy – maybe she should have kept her mouth shut.
Wincing, Buffy shifted her body as much as possible. Her arms were killing her and her two broken fingers were throbbing and when they weren't throbbing they were numb. The spot on her shoulder where the book had hit felt sore. Then there was her face. It felt stiff and swollen from the hit by Willow's hand, and the cut on her lip hurt every time she moved her mouth.
There wasn't any time to think about the numerous pains in her body because Buffy heard footsteps approaching the room. She lifted her tired head to stare at the doorway. Blowing out a weary breath, she wondered what she was in store for now. She'd been broken and bruised and photographed naked. That last part made her eyes narrow, but she pushed the anger down. She had to focus on the now.
Finally, Willow stepped into the doorway and Buffy's eyes widened at the sight of her. The cloak was gone, revealing Willow wearing a pair of black leather pants, clunky black boots, and a black leather corset top with lacy red flowing sleeves. This woman didn't in the least resemble the Willow who'd once worn plaid jumpers and Converse sneakers.
"How ya feelin', Buffy?" Willow purred in a mocking voice. "I bet you're real comfortable over there."
"Actually, I am. I should try being chained naked to a wall more often!" Buffy shot back, unable to stop the sarcastic comment. Wrong thing to say again, she realized as Willow stomped toward her. There wasn't even time to pull away before Willow pulled back her foot and kicked Buffy hard in the ribs on her left side.
Groaning, Buffy slouched over. She yanked at her arms, feeling an instinctive need to clutch her side, but her wrists were still bound. The stabbing pain brought more tears to her eyes. Buffy was pretty sure one or more of her ribs had been cracked by those ass-kicker boots Willow had on. She drew in several deeps breaths, wincing at the shards of pain in her side.
"Let's see," Willow said, poking at the bruise on Buffy's shoulder. "That was for butting your nose into my business in the first place."
Tracing a finger up Buffy's arm, she gripped the first finger she'd broken. "This one was for opening your big mouth to your uncle."
She yanked on the second broken finger. "That was for Giles telling my adviser."
She lightly slapped the purple spot on Buffy's face. "Hmm...that's for my adviser telling my parents."
She nudged the darkening spot on Buffy's ribs. "And this one is for my parents kicking me out of the house and disowning me."
For each poke and prod, Buffy fought to keep her face neutral despite that ever present pain. She only got herself into more trouble by reacting and mouthing off. If she kept quiet and indifferent, she'd likely be better off. Sooner or later, Willow would kill her, or someone would find them. Buffy hoped for the latter.
"That leaves...," Willow pondered for a minute, "me losing my scholarship and getting kicked out of school when my adviser went to the academic board. Then there's my parents telling Oz and him dumping me. Oh, and let's not forget how cuddly you and Oz seemed the other night."
"I guess you could count shooting your little boytoy, Angel, as part of your penance," she considered the possibility. "No, I don't think so. That leaves us with the already mentioned sins along with some others I'm sure I haven't thought of that you've yet to pay for."
Willow lifted her arm, resting her palm against the stone wall Buffy was tied to. Her other hand toyed for a minute with the chains that held Buffy before reaching down to wrap around the index finger of Buffy's right hand. "Why don't we get started now?"
"Hold up," Faith requested before the groups split up to survey the house and grounds. "If we're right about this, we already know Willow is not all there, but there's something else we need to consider."
"What?" Angel snapped, anxious to get moving. They needed to find Buffy. He needed to find Buffy.
"If Willow's still using meth, then we know she's probably been on it for over a year," she began. "The effects of overusing it can be nasty...hallucinations, paranoia, mood swings and wild, psychotic rages to name a few. Just keep in mind that if she's on the meth, there might not be any way to reason with her."
Everyone was silent for a minute until Oz spoke up. "Please don't hurt her unless you have to. I...I know what she's done is wrong...but she needs help."
Angel opened his mouth to say that he'd do anything necessary to make sure Buffy was brought out safe, but then he thought of all the things Buffy had told him about her past. She'd been on this path once herself, and had been given a second chance to do right. Yes, she'd never done anything seriously bad, but her situation wasn't all that different from Willow. Being a cop, he knew how badly drugs could mess a person up. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.
"We'll do what we can to not harm Willow," he finally said, "but the first priority is getting Buffy out of there."
"I understand," Oz conceded, defeat in his eyes.
"Okay, so," Faith began. "You guys will go off to the left. You two will-"
Her words were cut off by a shrill scream coming from inside the mansion.
Angel's head whipped around and his body grew numb. He knew in his heart that had been Buffy. Before any of them could even react, he took off at a sprint toward the mansion, his only goal to get to Buffy no matter what.
Being stoic flew out the window in the face of a third broken finger. Buffy couldn't have stopped the scream she let out. It just hurt too much, and it made the other two injured fingers hurt more. For the first time, Buffy was beginning to feel hopeless. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. Her whole body ached and throbbed.
Pleas for forgiveness and a reprieve were on the tip of Buffy's tongue when a loud crash sounded from somewhere in the house. Willow's hand froze in the process of grabbing Buffy's right pinkie. She quickly leaped away from Buffy and darted to the corner of the room where her table of supplies sat. Buffy felt a bone-deep fear at the black object Willow picked up.
"Buffy!" came a shout from not too far away.
Relief coursed through Buffy, but Willow's movement made Buffy realize the danger. "Angel! Don't-" It was too late, she realized as he dashed into the room. "Come in here," she finished in a mumble.
Angel stopped dead at the sight of Buffy chained to a wall and horror filled him. She was completely naked, he saw at once, but that realization flew out of his mind swiftly as he took in the state of her body. There was bruising on her side and shoulder. And her face. Dried blood clung to her chin and neck. He eyes raced over her, up her arms. Something seemed to be wrong with one of her hands if the swelling and redness were any indication.
He took a step toward her, only to be called to a halt.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a female voice from behind him.
Shit! Angel cursed in his head. How stupid could he be? He was a cop! He knew better than to go racing into an unknown situation! All he'd been able to think about, though, was Buffy's scream and that she was hurting somewhere inside the mansion. Logic had flown out the window the minute he'd heard her pain-filled scream. Now he was paying for it.
Turning his head slightly, Angel saw a petite woman dressed in black. With a gun in her right hand. Fuck. He was really screwed now.
"Well, well. It's your little boytoy, Buffy. Riding in to rescue you," Willow sang mockingly. "Too bad he won't succeed." She stepped out of the corner and closer to Angel. "Which one of you should I shoot first?"
The gun drifted back and forth between Angel and Buffy as Willow contemplated them. She seemed to come to a decision and slowly moved the gun back to Angel and aimed it at his heart.
"I think Mr. Big Shot Cop will be first," she smiled evilly. "Would you like to see Angel here die, Buffy?"
Blood drained out of Buffy's face at the thought. No! Angel couldn't die! Not like this, not because of her. She'd never be able to live with herself if Angel was killed because of her. He'd already been shot once by Willow at the gallery. She tried to think of something to say to redirect Willow's attention to her, but a new voice filled the room instead.
"Willow, put the gun down."
Willow's head whipped around and her mouth dropped open. "Oz?" she whispered.
"Please, Willow, put the gun down," he begged again, taking a hesitant step toward her.
The gun in Willow's hand drooped a bit, and Oz took another step toward her. Noticing his approach, Willow back away and re-aimed the gun at Angel. "Don't come any closer," she ordered, her tone shaky.
"You don't want to do this, Willow," he kept repeating her name, hoping it would get through to her.
"What do you know!" she demanded, waving the gun wildly. "She has to pay for what she did!"
"She has paid," he said quietly, flicking a glance at Buffy. He tried not to react at the damage Willow had done to her.
"Not enough!" yelled Willow, hatred flaming in her eyes.
Oz tried to think of something to distract her, to take her mind off Buffy. There had to be something he could say. "Remember that weekend freshmen year of college when we snuck away and went camping in the desert?" He took a very slow step toward Willow again. "We had a lot of fun, didn't we?"
"We made s'mores and you played your guitar," she mumbled softly, her eyes glazing.
"Yeah, and we saw a shooting star up in the sky," he continued, seeing that his words were working in taking her mind away from the room and the situation. "We stayed up until dawn and watched the sunrise. You said you'd never seen anything so beautiful."
"And you held me the whole time," she whispered, a few tears falling down her cheeks.
Taking his chances Oz took careful steps the rest of the way until he was standing next to Willow. She didn't even seem to notice how close he was now. He had to keep her distracted. They weren't out of the woods yet.
"That was the best weekend of my life," he told her soothingly as he raised his hand inch by inch. "We hiked through the canyon and found those Native American carvings." A few more inches and he would be able to reach the gun. All the while, Willow stared blankly off into space, tears still trailing from her eyes. "You were so excited about those. We used paper and a pencil to do rubbings of them."
Oz's hands reached the gun and he gently pulled it out of her hand. Willow gave no resistance. She was completely lost somewhere in her mind. In an instant, Angel was beside him, taking the gun and clicking on the safety before tucking it into the waistband of his pants.
"Willow?" Oz stated, touching her cheek lightly. Her blurry eyes moved slowly to his before she collapsed against him. They sank to the floor with Oz clutching Willow in his arms as she began sobbing heavily. All he could do was hold her while the emotional pain overwhelmed her.
Seeing that the immediate danger was past, Angel rushed to Buffy. He yanked on the chains holding her arms, trying to free her, but they held tight. Behind him, he could hear the others entering the room. Angel crouched down, shielding Buffy's vulnerable body from view.
"Someone get me a blanket!" he shouted to anyone listening. "And find the keys for the manacles!"
"Angel?" Buffy whispered, suddenly feeling dizzy. She blinked her eyes, trying to see clearly, but everything remained fuzzy.
"I'm here, baby. Don't worry, everything will be okay," he said softly, touching a hand lightly to her bruised face. He shuddered inside at the injuries he could see on her body.
"Angel, here."
Faith shoved a blanket at him which Angel promptly took and eased around Buffy's battered body. She whimpered at the jostling, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could tell she was barely holding on to consciousness. They needed to get her to a hospital quickly. It was possible she had serious internal injuries. The bruise on her ribs looked bad.
"I've got the keys," Kate wheezed, out of breath from having searched the room in a rush.
Yanking them out of Kate's hand, Angel rose and unlatched the manacles as quickly as possible. Buffy's arms fell limply downwards and she groaned as her right hand hit the concrete with a slap. Angel bit off a curse at being careless. Her hand was obviously hurt. He should have held on to her arms. Too late now.
He bent down and scooped up Buffy in his arms, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her. "Hospital, now!" he ordered loudly.
"Someone give me keys to a fucking car!" Faith shouted, looking at everyone in the room. Lindsay tossed her the set to the van. Angel was already out of the room as they landed in her hand. She walked to the doorway and turned back for a second. "Someone get her," she nodded at the still sobbing Willow on the floor with Oz, "to the psych ward. And don't let anyone call her parents," she added at the last minute, thinking of some of the things she'd been told about Willow's family.
After her last command, she sped out of the room. Angel was waiting just outside the mansion, not knowing what car they were taking. Faith didn't even stop to inform him which vehicle she'd gotten keys to. He would follow her.
Reaching the van, Faith climbed in the driver's side and waited for Angel to get into the passenger seat. He never let go of Buffy once. "I hope you know where the hospital is," she muttered, realizing she had no clue where she was.
"I do," Angel replied. "Hang a U-turn and head back toward town."
The engine of the van roared to life and Faith squealed away from the curb. Following Angel's orders, she wheeled the van around and then stepped on the gas. She hoped he kept it together long enough to get them to the hospital.
Beside her, Angel held Buffy in his arms loosely, rocking her body in a calming motion. She seemed to have finally lapsed into unconsciousness, but he could feel the pulse beating strongly in her neck. Buffy would be fine, he told himself. She had to be. He had to have gotten to her in time. He couldn't lose her now.
TBC!
