Chapter 3

A few weeks past since the gang returned to from their vacation, and things went back to normal research and patrolling.

"Hey guys my parents are in town and I need to go over and let them know I am still alive." Willow said rolling her eyes, "I'll meet you at Giles's."

"Sure Wills, be careful on your way over." Buffy replied.

"I will." Willow promised and left to see her parents. When she got home she saw the front door open. She grabbed her stake from her coat pocket in case her parents accidentally invited a vampire in and walked in.

"Mom? Dad?" Willow called. She heard a weak cry and headed upstairs into her parents room.

What she saw almost made her vomit. The guy from the woods was eating her mom. She saw her dad already dead. Willow grabbed a coat stand and hit him with it knocking him off of her mom. The guy looked at her and jumped knocking her to the floor, and she swung it again knocking him unconscious. She jumped up to check on her mom, but it was too late she was already dead.

"No." Willow whispered and ran out of the room and down the stairs and out the door, tears streaming down her face. She looked down and saw a bite mark on her arm. She saw Giles's place up ahead and ran faster and barged in. everyone looked up when she entered.

"He's here." Willow cried.

"Who's here?" Giles asked standing.

"T-the guy from the woods," Willow stuttered.

"Willow he wasn't real." Xander reminded looking at his best friend.

"Tell that to my parents!" Willow screamed.

"What?" Angel asked walking to stand beside her

.

"I got there and the… the door was open. I… I thought maybe they invited a vampire in because they never leave it open. I grabbed my stake and… and walked in and called for them. I… I heard a muffled cry, so I went upstairs to their room. Da... Dad was already dead, and I grabbed the coat rack and hit him with it knocking him away from my mom. He jumped up and bit me. See?" Willow held up her arm. "There both dead."

"Willow where is he?" Buffy asked trying to remain calm.

"I knocked him out. Then I ran." Willow replied shakily. Angel wrapped his arms around her.

"Uh… ok I am going to take Spike with me and we're going to go and check it out. You guys stay here." Buffy instructed.

Willow sat on Angel's lap crying. He rocked her back and forth rubbing circles on her back.

Spike and Buffy walked in half an hour later and Willow lifted her head.

"Well? Was he there?" Willow asked.

Spike and Buffy exchanged glances.

"No one was there." Buffy finally replied.

"What do you mean no one was there?" Willow asked looking at the two blondes.

"No one your parents weren't even there and not the guy from the woods. There was no sign that anyone had been there." Spike said.

"That's not possible I saw him he bit me!" Willow repeated herself.

"I don't know we checked all over and nothing was out of the ordinary." Buffy replied looking at the redhead.

"No!" Willow yelled.

"Willow." Angel said calmly.

"No he was there, he killed them." Willow said jumping off of Angel's lap and running out the door. Everyone ran behind her. Her whole body was shaking she didn't know what was going on, but he had been there. He killed her parents. She ran into her house and up to her parents' room. They were right there was no sign that anyone had been there. She dropped to her knees.

"Willow." Angel said kneeling beside her.

"I saw him." Willow whispered.

"We believe you." Cordelia said.

"What… what did he do with them?" Willow asked tears falling.

"I don't know." Xander answered.

"Why them?" Willow asked looking at her friends.

Angel picked her up and carried her out of the house. Once everyone was outside Giles spoke, "I think it would be best if none of you are alone at anytime. It seems he has followed you back. I don't know if it will be safe in just groups of two."

"Wherever we are staying you are coming with us. He'll get you, he got them." Willow sniffled.

"We can stay at my place. My parents are out of the country." Cordelia volunteered.

"Alright we will go and get what we need from our places. Buffy why don't you and Cordelia go and pack some clothes and the essentials for Willow?" Giles suggested.

"We'll be right back." Buffy replied as the two girls went back into the house.

"It's going to be alright Red. We will find this wanker and kill him." Spike promised.

"Why'd he follow us back here?" Xander asked.

"I don't know." Angel answered holding his girlfriend.

"Ok we got some clothes for you. Did you forget your black sweater at the cabin?" Buffy asked.

"No it's in my closet." Willow replied.

"It wasn't there. Everything was there but that." Cordelia said holding the bag.

"Maybe Amy came over and borrowed it." Willow answered taking her bag.

They were all at Cordelia's none of them were able to sleep. So they were sitting in the living room watching movies. Willow was curled up against Angel. All of a sudden they heard a noise from upstairs and all jumped.

"Ok not the only one that heard that." Xander commented.

"Let's go." Buffy said standing and walking to the stairs. They all walked up quietly and checked every room not finding anything. Angel and Willow's room was the last one they checked opening the door they saw the man from the woods sniffing Willow's clothes.

Angel let out a growl and the man looked up then jumped out the window. Buffy and Spike took off down the stairs and outside to catch him.

"What the hell was he doing?" Cordelia asked looking at the group.

"He was sniffing Willow's clothes. Why was he sniffing her clothes?" Xander asked.

"I… I don't know." Giles stumbled.

"He was getting her scent." Angel replied.

"What?" Willow asked looking at the vampire.

"I think he is trying to get your scent to track you." Angel replied.

"What? I… I thought he was human. He looked human didn't he? How…how and why is he trying to get my scent?" Willow asked nervously.

"I don't know we I think we need to do research because there is no way he was human." Angel answered.

"He's gone we didn't even see him." Buffy said walking into the room with Spike.

"Bloody git vanished." Spike grumbled.

"We should head to my place so we can check out my books." Giles recommended.

They walked out of Cordelia's house and headed to Giles's. Angel had his arm protectively around Willow. He didn't know what that thing was or why it was trying to get Willow, but he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

The next two days were spent researching. They weren't having any luck finding anything on this demon. Willow was growing frustrated.

"I uh think I found something." Xander piped up.

"What?" Giles asked setting his book down.

"Um… it's a demon but can take form as a human. It feeds off of humans but only the ones that it has seen that were alone. They won't stop until they have uh…" Xander swallowed hard, "devoured its claim. They will eat whatever is connected to the claim."

They all sat their in silence letting the information sink in.

"So it won't stop until it has you know Willow?" Cordy asked nervously.

"Y-yeah," Xander replied looking at his best friend worry filled his eyes.

"Well we will just go out and kill it." Buffy stated.

"We can't." Spike said.

"Why?" Giles asked.

"The bloody thing vanishes. We looked for hours the night at the cabin. We couldn't find any trace of him." Spike answered.

"So we lure it out." Willow said.

"No." Angel replied shaking his head.

"This thing killed my parents I want it dead." Willow said looking at him.

"It's dangerous." Angel replied caressing her cheek, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing will you will all be close." Willow responded looking at the group.

"How do we kill this thing anyway?" Buffy questioned.

"It doesn't say. I don't think anyone has ever been able to." Xander answered looking at the book.

"That's great." Cordelia said sarcastically.

"Come on guys. I am sure no one has ever had two vampires and a slayer trying to stop this thing." Willow reasoned.

"Willow something may go wrong. You may end up dying." Giles said taking his glasses off and cleaning them.

"Guys we all know we need to do this. I don't think we all want to be with each other 24/7 for the rest of our lives." Willow replied.

"I want to be with you 24/7." Angel said kissing her neck. He was scared something was going to happen to mess up the plan. He couldn't lose her.

Willow kissed his lips softly, "It's going to be alright I promise. Tomorrow night we finish this. We owe my parents that much."

"Alright Wills, but we are going to be close, and I mean really close." Buffy informed.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Willow smiled at the slayer.

"Why don't we all get some sleep? We have a long night ahead of us tomorrow." Giles proposed.

"Sounds like a good idea." Spike nodded.

They all made up beds on the floor none of them really wanting to go back outside.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Angel whispered to the redhead.

"I have to." Willow answered looking into his eyes.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Angel declared.

"I know you're not." Willow said kissing him and snuggling against him.