Spike carried Faith while Dawn helped Kennedy hobble back to the house on Revello Drive. The Potentials were strangely quiet; the only sound was an occasional sniffle or moan. The bleached-blonde vampire's scarred eyebrow rose when he had first picked the unconscious Slayer up in his arms. She smelled like Red's girl, and not the type of odor you get from sparring. No, Slayer Number Two smelled like booze, sex, sweat, and Kennedy. Ooh, someone's been naughty. Wonder what the Wicca's gonna do? Will she kick this Slayer out too? He plastered an evil grin on his face then kicked open the door.
He knew that the First hadn't left with Buffy, and had worked hard to try to figure out its plan, but his own need to find redemption in the eyes of the woman he himself had wronged left him open to the First's subtle manipulations. Spike shared no love loss for Giles after his involvement with Robin Woods' murder attempt, and to say that he and Xander had never gotten along was putting it lightly. It was his continued harsh feelings toward Willow that should have set off a warning in his head.
Spike had always had a soft spot in his heart for the little witch, ever since he kidnapped her back in high school in his efforts to win back Dru with a love spell. He couldn't keep a good mad going at Red, even when he felt that he had just cause. She was too much a part of his history. Truth be told, he had felt a sort of kinship with Faith when she had first arrived, understanding how it felt being on the outside looking in at the others. He had lived it for decades forever standing in Angelus' shadow.
Those feelings had gone out the window when they had kicked Buffy out of the house and elected Faith as their leader. His anger at what they had done targeted Faith as the instigator. Remembering the stories about how she had always wanted what Buffy had, he placed the blame firmly on her shoulders and treated her as the enemy. Unfortunately, the First was pushing all the right buttons for the Hellmouth-bound occupants, and they weren't going to get free for some time to come.
"Hey Red, break out the potions, Wonder Woman misplaced her magic bracelets."
Giles and Willow rushed in from the kitchen, with Anya and Andrew right behind them. "What happened?" Giles moved to clear things off the sofa, clearing a place for Spike to lay Faith down.
"Ask them." Spike pointed to the battered Potentials stumbling into the house.
"Faith was supposed to take you girls patrolling with her." Giles gave the Potentials a stern glare. He hadn't noticed yet that they were fewer in number than what they had started with.
"We went to a cemetery, but after Faith killed a vampire she said that we were done for the night."
"One, she stopped after one vampire?" He pulled his glasses off to look from the Potential, whose head was bobbing up and down in confirmation, to the unconscious Slayer on the couch. "How long has this been going on?"
"A month after Buffy left," Vi answered, refusing to look Giles in the face while she talked.
"You mean to tell me that you girls have left this house every night in the guise of going out to…"
Spike reached his boiling point and did what he always did - he blew. "Snap out of it, Watcher, the mini-mes have been ripping up the town, following the example set by the Leather Lolita, you wankers elected to be you new leader."
"How did you get involved in this? Good Heavens, you and Faith aren't…" Giles practically popped the lenses right out of his glasses; he was rubbing them so hard at this point.
Spike took out a cigarette, lit it, and blew out a stream of acrid smoke. He pushed his body off the wall he was leaning against to swagger over to the still unconscious Slayer. Vamping out, Spike leaned over, sniffing the air, and closed his eyes as if he was savoring her scent. His eyes snapped open, pinning Giles with twin amber eyes that burned him with their fire.
"I'd sooner drink from a Chaos demon than touch that bird. Sides," he gave Willow a smirk worthy of Angelus, "I think that she likes 'em young, brunette, and with a touch of darkness, like her own. Sound like anyone you recognize, Red?" Willow paled. She looked from her lover, to Faith, to Spike. He laughed at the anguish on her face. "My work's done here kiddos. I need to patrol, since none of you are bloody well going to do it. Ya coming, Niblet?"
Giles turned to see Dawn hike a crossbow up on her shoulder and start to follow Spike. "Dawn, what do you think you're doing?" He moved to try and stop her.
"I'm helping Spike patrol. The same way I've helped him every night for the last two months." She avoided Giles' arm and walked out the front door.
"What is happening here? Everything we thought we knew, we don't. Everything is upside down." Giles began pacing, only to stop when he heard Faith moan.
Buffy popped into the room, a huge grin spread across her face. "Giles, give me a hug. Ooh, look the little girls all fell down." Her lips fell into a pout.
Giles and Willow looked at each other in shock. Anya, who, until this moment, had been uncharacteristically quiet, put her hands on her hips and glared at the two in charge. "This is all your fault. You let Buffy leave and now we are going to die. I don't want to die. This body has years of orgasms left in it, and I haven't even reached my sexual peak yet."
"Oops, that's right, I'm not allowed here am I? You wanted someone else, someone who wouldn't get you hurt or killed. How's that working out for you?" The First's laughter surrounded them as it vanished.
Willow sat down on the bottom step. Her eyes traveled over the bleeding, bruised, and broken bodies. "We need Buffy," she calmly stated.
Xander walked in carrying take out. "I bring warm goodies to help young bodies grow up big and strong." The goofy grin on his face slipped away to be replaced with concern. "What happened?"
"The First is back, and we're screwed," Rona provided.
"No we're not." Willow stood up. "We're going to fix this. We sent Buffy away and now we're going to get her back."
"Uh, Willow, just how do you plan to do that? Deadboy's been trying to find her since she left, with no luck, I might add."
Willow's expression locked into its resolve-face. "I'm going to help Angel focus on his link to Buffy. She always told me they're connected. Well, I'm betting our lives on it."
She marched up the stairs to throw some clothes into a bag. Xander and Giles knew they couldn't talk her out of it, so they loaded up the girls and prepared to drive them to the hospital. Willow marched back down the stairs a few moments later. She felt torn when Kennedy pleaded with her to come to the hospital with her, but couldn't get the picture of her and Faith out of head. Leaning down, she gave the younger girl a soft kiss on the cheek. Telling her to take care of herself, and that they'd talk when she got back, Willow headed for the door.
A plan had started forming in Willow's mind, of a way to find where Buffy had gone, as she drove toward LA and Angel. She realized she was about to ask the souled vampire to expose his personal feelings for everyone to witness, but at this moment, she honestly didn't care. The spell she planned to use brought back ghosts from her past.
A sweet face floated in front of her - Tara. They had performed the spell at the last Solstice Festival they attended. Willow remembered how she was nervous going sky-clad in front of the coven. Tara, sweet, shy, Tara wasn't shy at all. She discarded her dress and proudly lifted her arms to the sky chanting the incantation. The spell brought your innermost feelings forward, and produced a visible bond with the person or persons you felt the strongest emotions for, past and present. It could be illuminating or upsetting, depending on what the results showed. She only hoped that Angel and Cordelia's relationship could survive the search for Buffy.
Cordelia couldn't stop the eerie feeling that she'd ever since Angel woke up after that bad dream. She felt like her life, the life she worked so hard to create for herself and with Angel was in danger of ending. Goose bumps broke out on her arms as she brushed a hand over the soft, smooth skin while she tried to tell herself that she was being foolish, when the front door opened. Her heart clutched in her chest, when none other then Willow Rosenberg walked back into her life, bringing Sunnydale, and thus Buffy Summers even more into the forefront of her thoughts.
"I need to speak to Angel, it's important," Willow said, before stepping all the way into the lobby.
"Angel isn't here right now, but he should be back in a little while. What do you need? Maybe I can help," Cordelia smiled softly, trying to appear friendly.
"No, I'll just wait for him." She put her bag down beside the couch and sat down. Willow looked around the lobby, never having taken the time on her previous trip to admire the old hotel. The last time she was here was to tell Angel that Buffy was dead. Now she was here to get him to help her find out if she was still alive. Life was ironic that way.
"How are things in Sunnydale?"
Willow jumped, startled out of her musings. "Oh, they're starting to heat up again. They were slow for a while after Buffy left, but I guess they're worse than they ever were. That's part of what I need to talk to Angel about."
Cordelia's eyes narrowed at the way Willow talked. There was something the red headed witch didn't want her to know. Cordelia was determined to learn why Willow was so twitchy around her. Sure, they weren't the best of buddies, and never would be, but they were adults and had behaved like it on the occasions they had met or talked on the phone. No, something was definitely up.
Angel walked in and went over to greet his girlfriend with a soft hello and a kiss. She accepted both gladly, for their own sake, but a part of her also needed Willow to see that Angel wanted and cared for her - Cordelia Chase. She brought Willow to his attention and carefully watched the interaction between them.
"Willow, are you okay? Have you heard from Buffy?" He searched the face of the woman he still considered a close friend.
Her shoulders sank after hearing his words. "I'm okay Angel. No one has heard from her, not even Dawn. That's why I'm here. The First is back, and we need Buffy to help us fight it. We were wrong to throw her out, but we have to find her before we can apologize. I need your help to find her, and since I know that you two share a connection, well, I know a spell that uses that connection to kinda amplify your feelings, and point them toward the person your have them for…"
"She's pretty bullheaded when she gets an idea in her head, and it's almost impossible to talk her out of it." He shook his head, getting a faraway look as he remembered trying to talk her out of going after the Judge, and how they almost got caught. The following event changed their lives forever. His faraway look didn't go unnoticed by either woman. He cleared his throat and said, "That doesn't mean she deserved to get thrown out of her own home." He thought about how lonely Buffy must have felt to have her best friend turn against her.
"Uh, well, yes. But, everyone voted, even Dawn, and it was her house too. Angel, Buffy was out of control. She wouldn't listen to anyone, and Xander ended up loosing an eye. She wanted to go right back in and fight them again. We just wanted her to listen to us." Willow pleaded with Angel to agree with her decision even now, when she had started to doubt it in hindsight.
"I know she can be stubborn when she gets an idea in her head, but I still can't accept that she deserved to be thrown out of her own home." He shook his head, thinking of how lonely Buffy must have felt when her best friend turn against her.
Cordelia looked between the two, and wanted to throw her hands up in disgust. Man, do they want her back or justification for what they did? Sheesh! No wonder she left. How could Buffy figure out what to do, if her team keeps going back and forth? Either they were wrong, or they weren't. And what the heck is up with Angel? He's acting like someone kicked his puppy one minute, and the next like he's the one kicking it?
"Don't you agree, Cordy?" Angel waited for her to concur with him.
"What? I must've zoned out, while you were wavering between owing Buffy an apology, begging her to come back, or standing her before a firing squad for crimes against the state," she declared.
They stood there, stunned, not sure how to respond or answer after a statement like that. "What do you need to do the spell, Willow?" Angel hoped to ease some of the tension in the room.
"I have everything, except you and somewhere to perform it. Are you sure you want to do this? It's an intrusive spell, and the effects can be…"
"What Willow's trying to tell you, and butchering the job, I might add, is that the spell reveals how you feel, really feel. Are you ready for that?" Cordelia's voice held a note that Angel wasn't sure he'd ever heard. It lacked confidence. Cordelia Chase, Queen C of Sunnydale High, sounded scared.
Angel moved quickly to take her in his arms. "I'm sure, Cordelia. The spell will help us find Buffy."
They weren't the words that Cordelia needed to hear; in fact, the words seemed to cause her pain. Was it the pain of her heart breaking?
Travis grinned at the lovebirds. They tried to avoid each other, but seemed to turn up wherever the other was working, as if some internal magnet pulled them together. They shared smiles, glances, and touches when they thought no one was watching. But, Travis was always watching.
"When did you two become a couple? What happened at that cemetery?" He waggled his eyebrows at them. "Did Buffy get scared? Did Sir Beck have to sweep in and protect her?"
The new lovers caught each other's eye and burst out laughing.
"What? What did I say that's so funny?" Travis crossed his arms, puffing his chest out indignantly.
"Nothing Travis, just an inside joke," Buffy sweetly patted his arm, before going to seat the next customer.
The young man wasn't happy to leave well enough alone. He wanted to hear the juicy details. A mischievous smile spread across his face as he inched closer to his best friend to ask in a conspirator whisper. "So, Beck, buddy, tell ole Trav all about it. Is she a sweet ride?"
Beck slowly turned around, his smile melting away like ice cream on a hot July day. A long arm reached over to seize Travis in one smooth move.
Travis knew he had screwed up the instant the words left his lips. His Pops was constantly telling him he talked too much, and today he would have to agree. He wondered if Beck could inherit his half of the restaurant if he was the person responsible for his murder.
A small hand wrapped around the huge bicep, appearing child-like in comparison. Buffy's blonde head was scarcely visible above the elbow crook from the arm holding a wriggling body above the ground. Her soft voice floated over to Travis, who thanked his lucky stars for the blonde angel that had come to his rescue.
"Don't bang him up too much honey, or there won't be anything for me to play with."
"Huh?" Travis' dirty blonde hair would have shot straight up, if the gel on it hadn't already taken care of that. "Buffy, Buff, my girl, my jolle ami, you know I was just talking right? I didn't mean anything by it. If he doesn't treating you right, I'll get several close friends, who'll get several close friends, and we'll kick his ass." Travis gave Buffy his most charming smile while his hands clenched together in a pleading motion.
She couldn't help but laugh. "Put him down, babe, he was just being Travis."
Buffy rose on her tiptoes, and drew Beck down to her waiting lips. His large frame immediately folded over to accommodate the small one beside him. Soft lips touched his cheek in a kiss as gentle as a butterfly.
He took in the woman before him. The red silk dress she wore brought out the golden highlights in her hair and gave her skin a soft glow.
"You look beautiful today, like always," he said smoothly, in a soft, deep voice.
"Oh, I'm outta here," Travis grumbled, heading for the kitchen. He hoped he hadn't blown it with his big mouth and decided to put something in it just to keep on the safe side.
The two lovebirds ignored him, lost in each other for the moment. Remembering their surroundings, they pulled apart, even as their gazes lingered before they had to turn away to resume their jobs. Beck went to find Travis. Buffy heard him telling the smart ass not to eat up the profits and get back to work. She greeted the customers with a blinding smile. It had several gentlemen wondering if she'd consider giving out her number much to upset of their current dinner partners.
Customers started to repeat their business at the restaurant. Word was getting around that LBB was the place to eat. Everyday they faced a different adventure or problem to undertake, which they took on with equal excitement, and weren't disappointed with the result.
A soft smile graced Momma's lips as she lit the candles. The time had come for her little bird to fly free. Evil was coming, and it was coming for the little one. She felt it her bones. Her boy would protect her; he wasn't afraid anymore. They'd know what to do when the time came, even the funny little one. There was a part for everyone, including her. She shook her head; she was getting too old for this foolery. A breeze blew through her house, coming from an unknown source.
"I know what needs doing, Grandmamma. Don't need you pushing me along likes a youngin' in knickers. Now, you leave me alone so I can go about seeing it's done right. Not leaving my girl's future to those puffed up fools. They been messing with her all these years ain't got it right yet."
She lit several more candles, poured scented oils, herbs, and incense into a bowl. Her bracelets clicked together, creating a jaunty music as she worked.
Buffy laughed over her shoulder as she answered the door. The laughter immediately left her face when she saw who stood there. "What are you doing here?" She backed away, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Buffy! Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute!" she shouted back over her shoulder, before pulling the door as far shut behind her as she could without stepping out. Turning back to the uninvited visitor in the hall, in a low hard whisper, she said, "Spit it out."
"You aren't even going to invite me inside, Buffy? Or is this his house?"
"I don't think that's any of your business, Angel. Why are you here, and what do you want?"
Angel couldn't believe how she was acting toward him. This was Buffy; she never treated him this way. What's going on? What's happened to her? Did that man, whoever he is, have something to do with it?
"I've been looking for you for months, worried out my mind that something had happened to you."
His voice took on that soft quality he always used when he talked to her. His eyes softened as he gave her one of his best 'Angel' looks, appearing every bit 'the one with the Angelic Face' his name implied.
Buffy rolled her eyes, wondering why she had acted so stupid for so long. I know that everyone's first love is special and are hard to forget but, come on, do I have 'I'll believe anything' written on my forehead? It pisses me off when I remember what a fool I was when it came to him. He walked away and moved on with his life - quite happily, from what I hear. But, not me - oh no, not Buffy Summer - I'm too stubborn. I held onto words like 'forever' and 'always' - his words. His lips formed them so easily, and I believed them every time.
"I'm fine, so you can turn around and leave," she told him. The whisper had left her voice as her words came out strong and clear.
Buffy remembered their last meeting, and had nothing else to say to him. He'd said everything for the both of them the last time they'd met. It didn't matter anymore. Angel was right after all, they didn't belong to each other. He just went about it the wrong way. She wasn't his girl, not anymore; perhaps, she never was. Buffy wasn't going to waste her time explaining her life to Angel. He'd never thought enough of her to tell her about his own.
She couldn't believe the Scoobies had dragged him into this. It was too much to hope that one of them would come here to talk to her, offering some type of an apology.
Angel was starting to get angry at her attitude. She looked at him with the quiet impatience, much the same way one did those door-to-door sales people. How dare she treat me this way! I've spent months searching for her. I've done nothing to make her angry. Why is she taking her anger at her friends out on me? If she'll just talk to me, I know I can convince her to return to Sunnydale. Maybe I'm reminding her of when the others kicked her out of her house. That has to be it. What other reason could there be?
The door opened wider when a pair of large arms wrapped around Buffy's slim waist, and a closely cropped, dark-haired head bent forward to whisper in her ear. She beamed up at the man, who stole a kiss from her already kiss-swollen lips.
Dark brown eyes flashed amber for a moment as jealousy took over. Angel quickly got a grip on his emotions. He looked over Buffy's new love interest, taking in the tall, strong body, and the intelligence that burned brightly behind dark eyes.
"Beck, this is Angel. He's here to tell me some tragic story about my old hometown. How no one else can help them but me."
Beck looked at the man who clearly shared part of Buffy's past. He could tell she barely had her emotions under control. "Do you want to listen what he has to say?"
"Nope, can't say that I do."
Her response shocked Angel as he stared at her in wide-eyed wonder. "Buffy, please, this is important! It's your duty, your destiny, your very life we're talking about here," he pleaded with her to listen to him.
Her eyes narrowed at those words before she gave him her patented Buffy Summers mega-watt smile - the kind she gave the Scoobies to help them believe everything would be all right.
"Angel," her voice softened, as it used to when she spoke to him.
"Yes, Ioniin."
"Go to Hell!"
Buffy gave him an even bigger smile, before slamming the door in his face. She looked at her new lover, the man she wanted a future with, standing there, patiently waiting for her to decide how she wanted to handle this awkward situation. He stood there, watching her with those beautiful, dark coal eyes that made her want to melt, and Buffy knew she needed to explain a few things.
"I guess you want to know what that's all about."
"No." Beck picked her up, and headed for the bedroom.
"No? You aren't even curious about a strange man who turns up and wants me to leave with him?"
Her voice squeaked when he threw her onto the bed, following her down moments later. His fingers immediately went to her hair, combing through the fine golden strands. Buffy closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his strong fingertips on her scalp.
"Don't need to know about your past, remember?" They smiled at each other, remembering their first night together. "Just need to know if you still have feelings for him."
His voice thickened when he asked the question, as if the words were hard to say, and they were. She pulled him close, laying his head upon her breast. Buffy rubbed his scalp; the short hairs tickled her palm as she started to talk.
"I know you said you didn't care about my past. But, I need to tell you a few things..."
Angel slid down the wall outside Beck's apartment. He still couldn't believe Buffy's face when she'd first opened the door and saw him. She hadn't looked at him the way she always did before. What happened since the last time they saw each other? Where was the Buffy Summers he knew? The broken, fragile creature he had last seen, who promised she was still his girl.
Those words brought memories to mind, he had tried to keep from thinking about since leaving LA. Truth was, he couldn't leave LA fast enough after Willow completed the spell. It successfully provided Buffy's location. Angel snorted, it was what else it provided that landed him in hot water - his emotional history for everyone to see. Willow had told him the spell would show his past and present feelings. He had only heard the part about it leading him to Buffy's whereabouts. Cordelia wouldn't speak to him. Willow thought him the ultimate jerk, and his AI team agreed with her.
He closed his eyes, picturing it again in his head. Sitting inside a circle of sand and candles while Willow chanted. Smoke hit him, which he pulled into long unused lungs, falling backward, landing on the smooth marble floor. A soft cloud grew above him. It showed his heart line throughout his life, an emotional kaleidoscope representing his relationships with Darla, Buffy, and Cordelia. The idea was to show the pathways where Angel's emotions forked off, and follow the one leading to Buffy. Easy, right? Was anything regarding Buffy, or Angel ever easy? No. A faded pathway led away from LA, showing Buffy Summers' current location. The problem came from it not appearing as faded as expected. It wasn't as bright as Cordelia's thread, which still didn't appease the irate seer.
Angel admitted feeling as surprised as everyone else, except perhaps his lover. He had fully committed his life to Cordy when he walked away from Buffy that last time. Yes, leaving her had almost been as hard as when he had left her the first time - she was still so broken, so fragile. Their lives simply didn't belong to them. They served the greater good and, if he was honest with himself, which happened on a rare occasion, he admitted that what he had with Buffy was too painful, too raw for him to handle again. The love he shared with Cordelia was different. They grew together as friends first before they came together as lovers. It gave him a sense of warmth and safety that the raw passion he felt with Buffy never had.
Cordelia Chase was not a happy woman. She believed Angel when he'd told her he no longer had feelings for Buffy. She had proof, he had lied to her, and himself. He spent a week pleading with her to speak to him. He finally gave up when he knew that he couldn't put of the search for Buffy any longer. Buffy belonged in Sunnydale, the same way he belonged in LA.
He leaned against the wall, determined to wait for morning to arrive. Hopefully, the morning would see her in a better mood, at least enough to invite him in so they could sit down and talk reasonably.
Momma smiled as she climbed the steps to the apartment above the restaurant. The young lovebirds faced some tough decisions. She was about to help them with some they believed they had already made. Momma clucked her teeth. Children these days, always so quick to make up their minds.
Her eyes narrowed into dark slits when she saw what was leaning against the door. She quietly drew out red sand from a bottle in her purse. Her voice took on a booming quality as she started chanting. The words growing louder as each syllable fell from her lips.
"Be gone evil creature; walk with de living no more. Go back to de dead where you belong."
She threw the sand in Angel's face. Surprise came over her when he didn't dissolve into dust. Her eyes held a knowing light when she realized which vampire had decided to take up residence outside her charges' door. Momma understood from Buffy that this vampire had his soul, and was working toward his redemption by helping people in LA. The Powers gave him a seer gifted with visions that told him who needed his help. She shook her head as she stared at the dark vampire. Darkness hung heavily around this creature, whispering in his ear. It pushed him along a path that strayed far from the one he strived to walk. She knew he wouldn't believe her, and didn't bother to try. It was how the darkness worked best. She'd warn her girl and prepare for worse. And so it begins.
"Hey, what're you doing? Buffy, there's a crazy lady out here throwing sand at me!" Angel shouted, crawling backward, trying to get into the apartment through the cracks.
The door burst opened and the invisible force held him up, keeping him from falling inside. Buffy stood there prepared for battle, searching the hallway for danger. Taking in the situation, she started laughing uncontrollably. There was Angel, a large foreboding vampire, scampering away from an elderly woman as if she was about to slay him. Buffy choked down another giggle as she ignored the vampire at her feet. Her face lit up with joy at seeing Momma. She had missed spending time with the older woman, since she and Beck had officially become a couple.
"Momma, you're out early! Come on in and I'll have Beck whip up some of his famous crepes."
Buffy wrapped an arm around the withered shoulders. Momma stepped over Angel's legs. She gave the souled vampire a kick for good measure on her way through the door.
"Oww! What was that for?" Angel turned around to complain about his rough treatment, only to have the door slammed in his face once more. "That's great, that's just great. Go get Buffy, Angel; she needs you. We need her, she's the only one that can save us, and you're the only one she'll listen to," he complained under his breath. Scooting over to lean against the wall near the door, he wondered how long he'd have to wait for Buffy to talk to him. He let out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. He thought she'd outgrown her childish behavior.