"I should have gone with her."
"Yeah? Well you can't now can you" Josh replied pouring himself a shot of bourbon. He took his now familiar seat behind his desk. "We are just going to have to wait it out like everyone else. We can monitor the situation here."
"I don't want to monitor the situation, Josh. I can help her and I want to do just that" Sam hissed hitting the arm of his chair.
"Well I for one want you safe" Josh whispered and then took a sip of the bourbon.
He carefully watched his friend wondering how the hell they got swept up into this whole mess. And why Sam? Why was Sam so insistent to be with this woman that they hardly knew? He had seen it, hell he had felt it himself. The veins mapping her body, her eyes black as coal…almost evil. He had felt it; the shock of electricity that had passed through his body. The only time he had ever felt something even remotely close to that jolt was when he was in Rosslyn and the bullet had entered his body. The force of the bullet had been on par with the force of the shock he received from touching her. But none of that explained this connection between Sam and Willow. They barely knew each other and Sam was ready to throw his life away to go fight with this woman.
"You can't you know" Josh stated leaning forward on his desk.
"Can't what?"
"Save her."
"What?"
"You can't save her. She's not one of your…projects, Sam."
"Project" he questioned his brow raised in disbelief. "None of my friends are or have they ever been projects Josh."
"Look, it wasn't the right word but you know full well know what I meant."
"I'm not looking to save her Josh."
"Yes, you are. You want to save her just like everyone else in your life. You tried to save me when I was dying, you tried to save Laurie from her job and the press, you tried to save your parents' marriage, you tried to save your own and your ex-wife. You can't save anyone, Sam. What is it about her anyway? You've known her what? A week…not even."
"I'm not trying to save anyone Josh and I know how long it's been" Sam sighed leaning back into the plush couch. "I can't explain it, there is just something there beyond the…the…magical. I know how stupid that sounds. How can I explain something I don't even believe in?"
"Let's forget the magic then; what is it about her?"
"Well for one, have you seen her?"
"Ok, I'll give you that she is an attractive woman but only if you swear to never tell my wife…my very pregnant wife. But you act as though it's much more than just physical attraction and yet you hardly know this girl."
"Not all of us take years to admit there is something there Josh, I'm not you."
"Point taken and might I add that the sarcasm was also acknowledged."
"When I was outside, that first night and I touched her, it was instant...it was as if this is what I have waited for, what was going to make my life meaningful. And not in a shaping the world kind of way, not in the way of work and the good we do here but my life." Sam searched Josh's' face to see if his friend understood. "You know that I have been out of it for a while now…ever since the divorce, I've been off my game; both with work and with my life. I was actually contemplating returning to the real world and leaving politics again. Things here have become so…hard…so damaging to myself and to my ideals that I was at my breaking point. When I laid hands on that girl, all of those feelings disappeared. Instantly," Sam snapped his fingers, "I knew that she was what I needed, what I wanted to make my life whole again. To give it meaning again…to give me meaning."
"Sounds like she has saved you" Josh whispered.
"Maybe" he replied, sighing heavily. "Maybe we are saving each other."
"We will be landing in twenty" Samantha Finn stated as she locked her seatbelt in place. "Riley, are you sure these guys are up to it? They look so defeated and Willow appears half dead. It's all still to fresh; their loss."
"They be fine; they have to be" Riley replied, his gaze traveling over the civilians on the cargo plane. Spike sat with his hands and jaw clenched, his grief hidden behind his tightly contained rage. Xander appeared white and withdrawn even as he held one of Willow's hand, the other laying on Faith's knee completely unnoticed. Unshed tears glistened in Faith eyes as she stared ahead, her face a mask that showed no emotion. Willow, as pale as Xander, sat in a trance state as she tried to rid herself of the residual effects of the dark magic. All were in a state of shock, privately knowing they couldn't break down until they saw the end of the mission. They had to destroy Dana and the only fumes they were running on came from their grief.
Riley took Samantha's hand in his own and squeezed it reassuringly before he activated his com to speak to his troops.
"I come bearing gifts, gifts of food and drink" Donna announced as she barged into Josh's office, her hands full of food from the mess. "I know that both of you haven't eaten since this morning and I will not let my men go hungry."
Josh rose to greet his wife and Sam smiled as he too came to his feet. He helped Donna unload the sandwiches and drinks before joining them both at the side table. He begrudging ate his sandwich knowing that Donna would badger him if he plead having no appetite. He watched the subtle glances between his two best friends, the soft touches of the arm or the knee. The looks that passed between them as Donna tried to keep their minds occupied while they waited anxiously to learn the outcome of the mission. He noticed how Josh's eyes brightened as he subconsciously placed a hand on Donna's growing belly. The excitement and joy were palpable to him and he finally found his words.
"You asked me earlier what it was about Willow that drew me to her" he stated, drawing their attention. "It's the same thing as what drew you to Donna. The gut reaction at the sight of her, the flutter in the chest when she says your name, the brightness of your smile when you touch your child; it's all that, that is what I feel when I'm with Willow. I can't explain the sudden reactions, I don't want too. All I know is that I feel the same way about Willow as you do about Donna."
"You love her" Josh simply stated.
"Of course he does" Donna replied as she sat back in her chair. "And it didn't take him five years to figure it out."
"I still don't understand how she black magiced Will" Xander stated as they prepared to start the finding spell. "How could she get control of her like that and funnel dark magic through her? What if she does it again while we are fighting?"
"Not to worry Whelp, we will keep her too busy to try. Mind you, if I get my hands on her, I'm going to tear her apart" Spike seethed as he buckled a sword holster on his hip. "When I get the chance, that bitch is mine."
"Forget it, Spike. This is going to be slayer against slayer" Faith replied as she stretched her arms over her head.
"Hang on a minute" Xander hissed under his breath. He spared a quick glance to Willow, Riley and his soldiers before turning his attention back to his friends. "We can't go all gang busters up in there. This is Dana's turf and she has already taken out three of us. Plus we have Riley and his commandos to worry about so let's stop with the ping-pong game of who is going to get the girl. We have to let the coven put the protection spells in place and we have to protect Willow, giving her time to get into Dana's head. That is how we are going to win. That is how we are going to avenge Buffy, Giles and Robin."
"Listen to me and listen good" Faith whispered, her chocolate eyes hard with hatred. "If I get the chance I'm going to take it and I'm not going to apologize for taking the bitch down."
"So that is how it is going to be once again, Faith? Have you learned nothing after all of these years? Are you just going to let your blind hatred ruin the one good shot we have to end this all?" Faith turned to face Willow as Willow neared the trio. "Do you really want to join Robin that bad? Because that is what you will be doing if you try to take Dana on your own. You will die. You will die and so will your child. Robin's child. The only bit of him you have left. Are you really willing to risk all of that, to risk him for your own revenge?"
"Him" she questioned quietly.
"Yes, Faith. Him. You are carrying a boy. What you have feared all this time, why you didn't tell Robin about the baby; you don't have to worry anymore. The baby is not a slayer."
"A boy?"
"Yes, a boy. A very strong and healthy boy."
"How? How do you know?"
"The coven showed me" Willow answered a smile gracing her face. "During the protection spell, one of them, a seer, felt the presence of a boy child. You are going to have a boy. But only if you allow all of us to work with you, as a team...as a family."
Faith quickly nodded her head and turned away from the group as a tear ran down her cheek.
"Do I have to give you the same speech" Willow asked as she turned to Spike.
"I'm not knocked up, Red" he replied, his voice thick with sarcasm.
"No but I need you to protect her and Xander. The coven can only do so much and I'm going to be busy with Dana. I'm still shakey from her last attack and with out..."
"Without what" Spike questioned when Willow stopped.
"Sam, without Sam she doesn't feel as strong" Xander answered.
