“We need some sort of diversion to buy us some time to get in relatively unnoticed,” Oz stated as they all looked at the blueprints Willow had managed to acquire from the internet that were now splayed out across the Joyce’s dining room table. “If we enter through this entrance, we could back my van practically right up to the door. That would allow Spike to be able to get in without worrying about any sunlight.”
“What type of diversion is going to work? Anything that we do would be a dead giveaway, as they know each of us—including Spike, who we need to help locate Buffy once we’re inside,” Xander frowned and worried his bottom lip pensively. “I guess I could rig an explosive up somewhere outside of the building and set it on a timer.”
Joyce’s eyes went incredibly wide. “Y-you know how to do that?”
“Long story. The short version is we all got turned into our costumes last Halloween. I dressed up as a soldier so I turned into a soldier. When the spell wore off the knowledge kind of stayed,” he explained quickly.
“Oh,” Joyce nodded her head absently. What else was she meant to say to that? Her daughter’s life was far too complicated. To think that all of this time, Joyce thought Buffy had been a trouble maker. Joyce didn’t know how Buffy was able to keep up with her slaying duties and still be able to find time to sleep and study—not that she truly believed her daughter did much of the latter.
“I’m afraid that any kind of diversion like that will be seen for what it is. We need something more subtle, something that won’t be immediately connected with us,” Giles said, ignoring the slight digression the conversation had taken.
“What about an insane, bloodthirsty, enraged and vengeful vampire?” All head turned to look at Spike who, unlike the others, wasn’t crowded around the map, but splayed out on the couch behind them all.
“So you’re volunteering then?” Xander sneered.
“No, I was referring to Drusilla. You’d know what I mean, right Watcher?” The bitter tone in his voice came through cold and flinty but the challenge was undeniable as he nodded in Giles’ direction.
All heads swivelled to stare at the Watcher in question.
“Indeed,” was Giles’ only response.
“What does he mean?” Willow asked curiously.
“Seems we had another little visit from Angelus last night and Rupes here decided that he would play judge, jury and executioner and dust him. That about it, mate?” The glare Giles tossed Spike’s way would have seriously frightened a lesser man. After over a century of murder, mayhem and violence, a simple glare did little to rattle Spike’s nerves.
“You dusted him?” The redhead asked incredulously. “But we hadn’t decided if that was what we were going to do! What gave you the right to end his life like that?”
“That’s what I want to know, Red,” Spike added with a smirk as he watched the normally quiet and nervous redhead slowly start to boil with anger.
“I did what I believed was the right thing to do. I am a Watcher and in this instance I believe my judgment to be the better call. He was a hazard to our attempts at getting Buffy back, to our lives, and to the countless innocents we have already allowed him to murder since he became soulless,” Giles shot back angrily with more than a little authority in his voice.
Spike’s smug smile dropped as he watched Willow back down again and rolled his eyes. Did all these people cower away the moment a little authority was asserted?
“If that’s true then why are you still here?” Xander shot in Spike’s direction. “Would have thought you’d be off crawling on your knees at your insane ho-bag sire’s feet.”
“This became more than just about Angelus a long time ago, mate, and you know it,” Spike’s retort was spoken in a calm and level voice that did more to get his point across that if he had yelled at them angrily.
“Enough!” Joyce’s interjection was enough to silence them. “I have no idea how any of you get any work done the way you bicker with each other! Can we get back to the task at hand please? You know, saving Buffy?” They all looked away guiltily under her reprimanding gaze. “Spike, you were saying?”
“What? Oh, right. Well, I’m assuming that Dru doesn’t know that it was the Watcher here who offed her ‘daddy dearest’ yet. So, why not tweak the story a little and send her straight into the nest thinking that it was the Council? That will keep them busy for hours,” he couldn’t help the small chuckle as he finished that thought. He could remember vividly what it had been like a few years ago when they had felt the death of Darla through their family ties; what mayhem she had caused then. It had gone on for days. Of course, in the end they had been chased out of the city by an angry mob that had almost seen the death of his sire.
What Drusilla felt for Angelus was infinitely stronger; Spike sincerely doubted that anyone in that building would be left alive. Though he doubted she would make it out either…and the idea of that happening didn’t bother him the way he thought it should.
“Well yes, that would certainly work,” Giles agreed reluctantly.
“Yeah, and it would also be signing the death warrants of every man and woman in that place,” Cordy spoke up for the first time. “Let’s face it, I don’t want that over my head and I doubt Buffy would either.”
“So what do we do then?”
“That’s it then?” Xander asked as he sunk back into his seat as the last details of the plan were ironed out.
“That’s it. I can’t think of anything else that might be a problem as long as you and Willow have no obstacles then we should be fine,” Giles said as he tossed the pen with which he had been writing onto the table and let his head fall against that back of his seat.
He removed his glasses and ran over-worked fingers over his eyes to help ease their tiredness that was making his eyesight blur. This whole plan hinged on Willow and Xander being able to get their jobs done so that the personnel Hank and Travers had would be adequately distracted when they went in.
“We should do it tonight. The longer we wait, the more likely we are to run into problems, and we won’t have enough time to fix them and get the ritual done as well,” Joyce’s remarks broke the silence that had settled over the group.
“T-tonight?” Willow’s nerves made her voice shake, causing her to stutter. She wasn’t used to being the key player. She didn’t like knowing that their success all depended on her—that whether Buffy knew it or not, she was counting on Willow to get her out.
Joyce nodded her head eagerly. “The sooner we get her away from them the more smoothly things should run. We have to allow time for error.”
Willow nodded her head nervously in understanding. “O-oh, okay then.”
Giles sat upright, and again began polishing his glasses on the edge of his shirt. “Joyce is right, this can only work once. If we mess it up we won’t have another chance at getting Buffy out again before the ritual has begun,” his voice was solemn but firm with determination. “That leaves us with a little over four hours to prepare anything that we will need. Does anyone have any questions?”
The room was silent as each of the occupants looked around at each other, waiting for someone to speak up with a reason why this was a bad idea. No one raised their voice to answer though. The plan that had taken nearly all day to devise would be carried out.
“Alright then, Joyce. You’re up first…”