Willow finally couldn't stand it anymore. After a week of waiting for Buffy to return, she started to search for her. She found Riley's unit but there was no new members added. She began the tedious job of trying to find Buffy. With no known city to look in, she had to write and extensive hacking job to look in all major cities. Tara tried to get her to leave Buffy alone but Willow was determined to get Buffy back. She would even be happy to have Spike back, as long as Dawnie was with him.
True to his word, the blonde vampire followed his niblet when she moved to Spain with her father. He was enjoying watching Dawn blossom away from the Hellmouth. Spike drank Sangria and danced the tango with the local senoritas. He reveled in being admired by women who took him at face value and his past didn't seem to matter here. He finally found where he could just be Spike - no Dru, no Angel or Angelus, just him. Hank accepted his place in Dawn's life and allowed him to live in the pool house. It was a perfect situation for two people who cared deeply for each other and remembered their love for the one that was gone.
Almost two weeks and still no hits on her program, so once again Willow ignored Buffy's words and called Giles. Tara, Anya and even Xander were already mad at her; she figured she had nothing to lose. How wrong she was about to find out she was?
Giles was on his way from England after meeting with some people trying to gather information. He looked at the spell Willow reluctantly faxed him. He only hoped he was in time. Rushing from the airport barely missing a pedestrian he screeched to a halt in front of the Magic Box. Slamming the car door, several large steps later he was through the door and back into his life.
Anya was helping a customer, Willow and Xander were discussing something in whispers and Tara sat quietly to the side. Looking closer, he noticed the two childhood friends were fighting. Anya saw Giles standing there. "Giles, look everybody, its Giles. You can't have the shop back, we signed papers and everything."
Giles ignored her as he walked towards Willow. Seeing him, she ran to him throwing her arms around his waist. He hugged her back as a tear slid down his face.
"G-Man, what..."
Giles shook his head, his eyes told Xander to be quiet. Closing his eyes, uttering a soft chant under his breath. A circle formed around them.
Willow's eyes grew wide. "Giles, what are you doing?" She squirmed trying to get free but couldn't move.
"I bind you, Willow, from doing magic, and any harm to anyone."
"No! Stop you can't. Tara, help me," she screamed.
"I bind you, Willow, from doing magic, and any harm to anyone."
"Giles, please, please, don't do this. I don't understand."
"I bind you, Willow, from doing magic and any harm to anyone." Willow sobbed brokenly as the others watched helplessly. "By the power of three times three, so let it be."
The light that held them was released while the others watched; a cloud moved from Willow, then disappeared. Tara and Xander rushed forward to catch Willow and steady Giles.
Once the older man was seated, Xander glared at him. "What the hell did you do to her?"
Willow was sobbing and muttering incoherently then she started rocking back and forth. With a heavy sigh, Giles explained. "What you did, all of you but most especially, Willow, was horrendous. There was a reason the urn of Osiris was so hard to find. To everyone's knowledge, they were all destroyed, long ago. Osiris is the God of the Dead. He can be benevolent or vengeful. Mostly any magic associated with him is found in tomes regarding black magic. The ritual you performed called for the blood of an innocent. Willow used her magic to call a newborn animal, probably a fawn, based on the amount of blood needed. She sacrificed the fawn draining its blood."
Anya marched over to Willow, a look of pure vengeance in her eyes. Her look scared Xander to his very toes. He grabbed her when she was almost on top of Willow. "An, honey, what are you doing?"
She glared at him while she struggled to free herself. "I am going to beat the witchy shit out of her. Then I am going to find a big stick to break her bones then.."
Xander put a hand over her mouth as she continued to list the things she was going to do to Willow. She bit his hand then stomped on his foot. "You decide, decide right this minute, Xander Harris. It is either her or me. I will have nothing else to do with her." Looking between the two most important people in his life. Anya turned and walked out of the shop without a word.
Xander looked at Giles. "Could you please finish, so I can understand what, the hell, just happened?"
"Sit down, Xander, this isn't pretty. As I was saying, she used the blood of an innocent for the spell. The reason that particular spell is never used and the urns were destroyed is twofold. First, the person you resurrect will return corrupted, not themselves any longer. Once it is discovered, they have to be destroyed causing them truly to go to hell. Second, if the person is all right, then the main caster is corrupted. They will eventually go dark, their magic used for terrible destruction, eventually killing everyone associated with the spell, including the one they resurrected. I bound Willow with the hope that I was in time before too much damage had been done to her."
Xander walked over to Willow looking at her as if he didn't know her. "Did you know?" He barked out causing her to jump. Letting everyone know she heard him. "Tell me, damn you, did you know?"
"Xander, she wouldn't have done the spell if she had known." Tara answered for her lover.
"Stay out of it, Tara. We have experience with Willow's magic. Take my word for it, she would have done it anyway. Not because she thought, Buffy was in some hell dimension. She told the truth the night Buffy returned. It was because she wanted everything to be the same as it was. Buffy was right, you are a selfish bitch. I have to go to find my fiancée and let her know I would never choose someone like you over her."
Willow's whole body shook as if his words were actual blows. "Xander, please, don't leave me too." She begged her childhood friend.
"Don't speak to me. As far as I'm concerned, you are dead to me." He stormed out of the shop slamming the door as hard the glass shattered.
"I'm afraid this isn't over yet, Willow. The coven that gave me the spell to bind you, well they are a Tribunal. They are the watch keepers over all such acts. I am here to take you back to stand trial."
Tara tried to see what he wasn't telling them. "I'm going with her, Mr. Giles."
"I'm afraid you can't, Tara. If she is found guilty of negligence, then her memory will be wiped clean of anything to do with the supernatural. Willow will have to live with the coven for a set number of years until they decide on a place for her to settle and resume her life without magic."
"What aren't you saying?" Tara demanded to know, realizing she was going to lose Willow. They were going to do to Willow what Glory had done to her.
"If they determine that she knew all of the repercussions of the spell and willingly proceeded." Giles sighed heavily. "Willow could be sentenced to death. I'm sorry, the only reason they allowed me to perform this task, was because of my feelings for Willow."
"I don't care anymore, Giles. Everything is gone, nothing is the same, nothing." Willow chanted softly.
Giles was afraid he was too late to stop the deterioration of Willow's psyche. He still didn't understand how the loving, compassionate girl he knew in high school would do something like this.
"Mr. Giles, please can't you see she isn't well. You can't take her to be judged like this."
"I'm afraid I have no choice." Kissing Tara's cheek, he picked up Willow then disappeared in a flash of light.
"Oh, Willow, what have you done? What have you done to all of us?" Tara crumpled to her knees and sobbed.
Switzerland was beautiful. Buffy took a deep breath, then smiled at Xander who she had teased the entire flight. She licked her fingers, brushed them over him or climbed across his lap to go to the bathroom. She knew he would pay her back, frankly, she couldn't wait.
They were taken to a spectacular hotel where the concierge made a big show of Xander's arrival. People turned to see what was going on, only to see Xander in a big suede coat and Buffy wrapped in a black full-length fur. The dark expensive coat combined with her golden good looks got just as much notice as Xander's name did.
"This way, Mr. X, we have your suite all ready for you and madam. Follow me, please. It is right this way." They walked behind him and their luggage followed.
"So, babe, you going to be up for some snowboarding? I'll show you how, just leave yourself in my hands." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Please, the sooner the better." He whispered in her ear.
She gave him a smile that was neither a yes or a no. Walking into the large suite, Buffy's eyes sparkled when she saw huge bed. It had an eiderdown on it that looked thick enough to sink up to your knees, if you stood on it. The bed was flanked by two large windows that led out to a balcony. There was a small sitting area in front of a fireplace. She stepped further in and saw a very nice bathroom, especially for a European hotel. There was no bath but it had a multi-head shower and one wall held a built in bench.
The phone rang causing Xander and Buffy to both stare at it. Xander went to answer it while Buffy tipped the bellhop. She quietly unpacked her new clothes. They were a real shock when she saw them. They were all the top designer's labels, dresses for evening, leather pants, and sweaters. Everything was something she would have chosen for herself, if she ever had the money.
"We would be happy to have dinner with you, Mr. Cristoff. It's very nice of you to ask us. What time should we meet you? Seven would be fine, see you then." Xander hung up the phone watching her put her clothes away. He couldn't help it; he liked the idea of her things being mixed with his in the closet and dresser.
"So, we meet Mr. Big Stuff tonight at seven. What time is it now?"
Looking at his watch, Xander saw that they had about two hours. "Close to five. I guess we better put on our fancy duds, huh?"
"Why don't you take out what you are going to wear and we can have them pressed. They should be able to get them done quickly. You can jump in the shower first, then while I take mine, you can answer the door when they return."
It wasn't what he had planned but he did see she had a point. After sending his clothes off, he made his way into the shower. Turning the water on full blast the glass soon steamed over. Scrubbing his face, he went completely still when he felt a small hand wrap around him. Her pebble hard nipples rubbed across his skin.
"I thought we should save water for the environment, you know. We all have to do our part."
Rinsing his face, his arms went behind him to cup her firm rear. "Oh, yeah, I am definitely into saving the environment."
Her hands easily slid up and down until he was fully erect. Grabbing one hand to pull her around to his front, she leaned her head back under the spray. He liked her like this, her bare skin, no makeup, wet from the water and hopefully from him. Pulling her face up to his, her mouth opened for his kiss. Her hands played over his body, taking him in her hand, Buffy guided him to her center as her legs wrapped around his waist. Xander broke the kiss to look at her face.
"Are you sure? I don't think I'll be able to stop once I'm inside you." Her answer was to push down on his shoulders sheathing him inside her. "Damn, woman, you are going to kill me."
He thrust up into her further until he touched her womb. Capturing her mouth once more, he held her up so he could move in and out of her. Buffy had never felt so filed, so complete as she felt right, now. She wasn't sure what had made her mind up about finally being with him but it all just sort of clicked into place. It was almost as if something that held her bound was no longer there. Pushing up once again, Buffy slammed back down on him. She clutched him with her thighs.
"I think I remember some promises someone made about what they would do to me." Buffy smiled at him, her little pink tongue came out to lick the water from his lips.
With a growl, he attacked her neck as she laughed. Xander pushed her body against the wall, hiking her legs higher. Buffy latched on to his neck, nibbling and sucking on his skin. Pulling out until only the very tip remained with short shallow thrusts, only the head moved in and out of her. Buffy leaned her head back watching his face. His lids were half closed when he looked up at her, he thrust back in all the way this time.
"Yes, Xan, like that, more, more," Buffy moaned. Her hand touched his face.
Moving in with a slap of their bodies, he would pull out as far as possible then slam into her. "More, Xan, faster."
Her walls clutched at him. He felt like he was held in velvet vice, as he felt her flutter around him then squeeze him tight. His control broke and his hips pistoned in and of her. Their moans and the slap of flesh on flesh were the only sounds except for the running water. Buffy found her release as her body flooded surrounding him with her wet warmth he quickly followed.
Buffy walked out of the bathroom dressed in a red dress that V'd deeply, stopping an inch below her breasts. It was made of red lace with a skin colored material underneath giving the illusion she was nude. She nearly was, since the dress had no back, stopping just at the curve of her rear. It flowed to the floor but had a slit up the left side to mid-thigh. All Buffy wore under it was a butterfly thong. Her hair was up in a French twist with curls hanging in wisp around her neck. Her eyes were smoky with dark makeup making their color deepen to a deep emerald.
Xander stood waiting in a tailor-made suit. It fit his large upper-body, like a glove, showing off his trim waist and stomach. The suit was a dark grey that was almost black, his shirt was a lighter shade of grey and his tie was even lighter. To say the least this man could wear clothes whether it was jeans or a tux.
He stood up when Buffy walked out, then walked over to her without saying a word. Truth of the matter, he wasn't sure he could speak. The large pattern of the lace was strategically place to hit her breasts and crotch. It added to the illusion that she was nude wrapped in lace. Xander wanted to touch those places even more. He felt like a bull seeing red, the thought made him smile. Oh, yeah, I want to sink my horn into her, all right. How, the hell, am I suppose to sit through dinner with her looking like that?
Xander kept staring while Buffy watched, then she looked down at her dress. "Is there something wrong with the dress? You don't like it?"
He groaned then stepped closer to take her hand placing it on his already hard cock. "Answer your question, babe? We better get going before I throw you on that bed and have my wicked way with you."
Buffy laughed. "We can't have that, it would wrinkle my dress." She moved towards the door and he saw the back of the dress and the flash of her leg when she walked.
"Buffy, are you even wearing anything under that dress. Please, tell me that you are."
She gave him an enigmatic smile while she walked out the door. Xander moved quickly to follow her and found her waiting in the hall. "You look nice, Xan. I like you like this. It's fun getting to play dress up, huh."
He put a hand on the base of her spine to escort her to the elevator. "Me, I like the undressing, more." Xander grinned at her as his hand splayed out to caress a cheek. He realizes there was bare skin beneath the material. "Oh man, this is going to be a long night."
They stepped into the elevator where Buffy moved into the corner pulling Xander with her. Their bodies flush, he could feel every inch of her under her dress. "But, Xan, just think of the anticipation of it all. We can think of all the things we want to do to each other in that big bed when we get back to our room."
His hands wrapped around her, touching her bare skin as her held her close. His fingers slipped into the dress only to meet more bare skin. Buffy kissed him hungrily. What was it about this man that made her body come alive? Made her feel like a woman, a real woman, an equal. She enjoyed the games they played, the teasing, the touching all meant to arouse with the knowledge of fulfillment later.
They walked into the lobby to see a man in his mid-forties. He waved at them then walked over; he was tanned from the sun, slightly balding with bright blue eyes and sun-bleached hair. "Good evening, I'm so happy you agreed to join me and Katrina for dinner. I am, of course, Hans Cristoff. I would know X anywhere. I am a big fan. Who is your lovely companion?"
Xander shook hands while he wrapped an arm around Buffy's waist. "This is Buffy Summers, my girlfriend. She is new to extreme sports but quick to pick things up."
Hans took Buffy's hand and kissed it. "To have on so beautiful who also enjoys your lifestyle, you are a lucky man, Mr. Cage. May I call you by your first names?" They both nodded their heads. "Please, follow me. I have arranged a more intimate." His eyes swept over Buffy's face and body as he led them towards the dining room.
They entered a small room laid out for four. The walls were paneled with a dark wood and there was a roaring fire in a small fireplace. Sitting at the table was a beautiful blonde in her mid-thirties. She was tall, with short hair, large blue eyes, high cheekbones, her skin was smooth but carried the dark tan of her lover's from skiing. When she stood to greet them, Buffy saw she needn't have worried about her dress being too revealing. Katrina's body was lush with large breast, supple hips that lead to long toned legs. She wore a dress made up of silver strips of cloth, which barely covered her assets. White mesh held the strips together and the dress stopped mere inches below her crotch.
Buffy bet herself a hundred dollars Cristoff kept his hand under the table, the entire time. They sat down after the introductions, a waiter poured champagne. She sipped hers slowly while she watched the woman across from her. Something about her set off Buffy's alarms. She listened to Cristoff gush over Xander and his videos. Katrina sat quietly and listened then perked up when she heard Xander explain about the video and the hunt for locations. Buffy watched, it wasn't the video that excited her, it was the location.
She turned to Hans with a bright smile. "Hans, do you come here often? The hotel is really beautiful."
He smiled, his chest puffing out at the attention from such a beautiful woman. Buffy watched Katrina from her peripheral vision, the woman frowned at their interaction. She moved her lover's hand under the table. Buffy watched the muscles move subtly in his arms as his fingers moved inside the other woman.
"Um, oh, we live here, in a chalet not far away. It is my family's home and has been in the Cristoff family for generations." His eyes swept over his mistresses face; he gave her a slow smile.
"Buffy, what is it that you do? Or do you just follow Xander about?" Katrina's voice was friendly but Buffy heard the edge in it.
"No, I go to college. I'm just taking a little time off right, now."
"What are you studying?" It came out as a demand.
"I'm not sure yet, but I like psychology. So, maybe something in that field." Buffy gave an elegant shrug.
Before Katrina could continue her interrogation, the appetizers were served. Dinner was much friendlier after that most of the conversation centered on Xander's videos. Buffy had seen a few, so she understood why everyone was so pumped up about them. Xander had been teaching her to sky dive. She was supposed to solo before they got this mission. Buffy was glad she already knew how to snow ski or this trip would suck. Dinner was finally over and they arranged to meet Hans and Katrina tomorrow on the slopes.
When they made it to their room, Buffy moved quickly to her satellite phone. She punched Gibbons number and waited for him to answer. Xander took off his coat and ties while he watched her pace the floor.
"What!" A sleepy voice answered.
"Wake you, lazy ass, it's time to earn your pay."
Gibbons woke immediately after hearing Buffy's voice. "Summers, what's up?"
Buffy grinned at seeing her boss all ruffled from sleep. "I think your Intel is wrong about who is in charge here. Have them dig deep into the mistress, you can say she sets off my alarms. That woman is no man's arm piece. From what I saw, she is the one pulling the strings, not him." Buffy looked over her shoulder at Xander. "What was your take?"
He moved up behind her leaning his chin on her shoulder. "Gotta say, I think Buffy might be right. Cristoff is the one being kept, is my guess. He said something about his chalet being in his family for generations. A deeper look into that would be a good idea."
Gibbons nodded. "Good work, keep me posted."
Xander's hand cupped Buffy's rear, she pushed back against him. "Do I get to see what you have one under that dress, now?" He nipped her earlobe.
"Go lie on the bed." She ordered.
Throwing his unbuttoned shirt on a chair, he moved to lie on, then turned back bed wearing only his pants. Buffy kept her back to him. One hand moved the tiny zipper down to show the dimples and edges of smooth cheeks, the other moved up to release the snap that held the dress up. Buffy let it fall to her feet. His eyes wandered over her backside and saw the tiny strap that intersected her cheeks then split to wrap around her hips. She left on the 4-inch red stilettos then turned towards him. Hunger lit his eyes as she stood there dressed in only the tiniest scrap of lace shaped like a butterfly and those heels.
She slowly walked forward until she stood by the bed. "Close your eyes." Xander did as she asked. Buffy took his hand guiding it inside the tiny thong. Incoherent rumbles could be heard low in his chest finally making their way to his throat. He felt only smooth bare skin, skin like silk. As his fingers moved further down, he felt her liquid heat.
"Do you know what they were doing at the table? I wanted to part my legs and push your fingers into me. All I thought about was getting back here, so, I could feel them slide inside me. To feel you slide in my juices, to rub my clit until I scream. Then slide inside me until we both do."
He tore the lace off and his eyes opened to look at her. There she was, all her treasures on display for him to plunder. Pulling her onto the bed while his tongue entered her mouth his fingers entered her dripping pussy. He stroked her slowly, learning the feel of her this way. Moving to the outermost edges then down, around and up again. He rubbed her clit between his thumb and forefinger.
"Mmm," Buffy moaned. His fingers rubbed faster as she panted. "Yes, yes, more." Her hips rose to meet his fingers, to move with him. "Aah," she screamed.
Xander moved down to drink in the honey her body provided. Sucking and nibbling on her already swollen bud caused her to shiver. "Mmm, I think you have too many clothes on, Xan. Get naked and get inside me."
"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled while he pulled his pants off. Moving back on the bed, he positioned himself between her thighs until he was exactly where he had wanted to be since she walked out in that dress.
They spent the rest of the night making love. Finally, falling asleep still connected and curled in each other's arms.
It was strangely quiet in LA; it was making the AI team nervous. Wesley searched his books for any prophecies, but so far no luck. Lorne and Angel tried to get information from their contacts but weren't doing any better. They still patrolled, staking vamps every night, and an occasional demon. The numbers weren't anywhere near their normal number of kills.
Cordelia was enjoying the time without any visions or demon blood on her clothes. She finally got Angel back in her bed after almost a month. Cordy wasn't sure what changed but last night he climbed back in their bed. He didn't touch her but it was a step in the right direction. She smiled to herself. Wait until he sees what I have in-store for you tonight, Angel.
There was small bag from a lingerie shop right next to a shoebox. She went shopping then to the beauty parlor with Angel's seduction, especially in mind. Her hair was now cut even shorter and bleached blonde. According to the salon, it was all the rage. She splurged for a full day - hair, nails, the works. Angel was going to return to her arms and stay there. She went looking for her absent lover but wasn't having much luck.
"Fred, have you seen Angel?"
The shy girl had only been down from her room for a little over a month, now. She was slowly coming out of her shell. "No, Cordy, I haven't but maybe Gunn or Wesley has. You did something to you hair." Fred looked at the once dark hair, which was now a strangely glowing yellow from the hotel's lighting.
Cordy smiled and fluffed her short hair. "Yes, isn't it great? It's the latest fashion." She continued her search while Fred continued looking at her hair.
"On Pylea that is how all the prostitutes wear their hair. I wonder if here they use oxen urine to make it that color." Fred muttered softly then went back to searching the Internet trying to learn everything she had missed in the last five years.
While she was running a search, Fred noticed a strange symbol encrypted in the lower corner of the LA Times' website. Clicking on the link nothing happened but her mind started to whirl with probabilities. A few keystrokes later, she found herself inside a hacked search program. Paging through the code, a named jumped out at her - Buffy Summers. Fred frowned. Why would someone hack a system to search cities for a dead girl? She found the hacker's ISP port and followed it through to an address. Moving back to the Internet, she did a cross-reference search for the location's address. It was a place called the Magic Box in Sunnydale.
Fred started typing once more and found the owner's of the shop were Anya Jenkins and Rupert Giles. Wesley had mentioned the last name before, so she went with that one. Mr. Giles was living in England. Whoever was searching for Buffy, it wasn't him. Next, she did an extensive search on Buffy. Fred was stopped cold when she couldn't find a death certificate. All of her information was current and showed her alive with a new passport, created only two days ago. She pulled up the information with the latest driver's license on record. They were the same person; the only difference was the girl in the passport photo had longer hair.
She didn't know who to talk to. According to Cordy, this Buffy was a terrible person. Her death devastated Angel, so, how could she be alive. Fred decided to ask Wesley about her, remembering that Cordy complained about Buffy firing Wesley as her Watcher. Making her way towards his office, she knocked on his door.
"Come in," his cultured voice, called out.
"Um, Wesley, can I talk to you about something? If you are too busy, I understand. You are I can see that, of course you are, I mean, you are the boss and everything. So, that was a dumb question, huh?" Fred went to back out of the door still muttering to herself.
"Winifred, please, come in, of course I have time to answer your questions." Wesley liked the shy, brilliant woman. He didn't think she even realized how attractive her frail beauty was to him and others.
"Well, I was searching the Internet to come up to speed and found someone searching for Buffy. Wesley, I think she's alive. There is a new passport and it's her picture. I just don't know what to do. Could you tell me about her? Cordy says she was an awful girl who always hurt Angel and even fired you."
"I'm afraid Cordelia has always been jealous of Buffy. Buffy made friends easily and the people who surrounded her would willingly die for her. Much to my embarrassment, I didn't appreciate the opportunity I had to be her friend. I will say if she were ever to ask me for anything, I would happily give it. You see, Winifred, Buffy Summers is what a true champion is, I'm afraid Angel and any of the rest of us pale in comparison." He watched her absorb what he said.
"Wow, then I should tell Angel that she is alive, right?"
Wesley sadly shook his head. "No, not until we are sure. I'm not sure he could handle the disappointment. He loved her very much. I daresay, if his soul were bound, he never would have left her side."
Fred's brow wrinkled in confusion. "But, what about him and Cordy? Wesley, if he loved Buffy then why didn't he look for a way to bind his soul, so he could be with her?"
"Winifred, as much as Angel is my friend and I appreciate all that I have learned working with him. He isn't a strong person when confronted. His first instinct to take the easy way out. For a woman like Buffy that would be unimaginable. I think he was too afraid if they were ever together for real, she would see through him. That he would lose her, so rather than try to be a man, he ran from the situation."
Fred nodded understanding what Wesley said but she felt torn not telling Angel immediately. He was her friend, her rescuer. "How will we find out?"
"I will call, Mr. Giles. If anyone will know if it is true, he will."
"You will need to call London, then, that is where he is. Hold on I will get you the information." Jumping up, she rushed from his office. Wesley smiled at her enthusiasm.