“So much for that security blanket of familiarity, huh Will?” Xander commented as Anya and Giles approached their table.
“Oh. Giles. With Anya. Bronzing it. Nope, that’s not weird and disturbing at all,” Willow said with a raise of her eyebrows right before the pair made it over to them.
“Hello, everyone,” Giles said with a slight smile, mildly embarrassed at the ex-demon on his arm.
“Yuh huh. I’m just finding it wiggy that not only are you here, you’re here with—well, the ex demon who I went to prom with that one time,” Xander said with a quirking of his lips.
“No need to be upset about that—old news. Besides, Giles has the maturity and sexual prowess that I–”
“Yes. Well,” Giles cut in before Anya could finish. “Anyone want a latte or something? On me.”
“I’d like a cold beverage. A beer.” Anya looked up at him with a smile, to which he responded to in kind, with a blush as a bonus.
“Did Giles just give a girly blush?” Xander asked.
“Oh yeah. Definite blussage there,” Oz commented.
“I’m waiting for a girlish giggle any second now,” Willow added with a grin.
“Have any of you seen Buffy?” Giles asked, wanting to change the subject to not him.
Willow shrugged, glancing at Oz as his eyes suddenly became glued to the stage. “Probably still patrolling.”
*~*~*~*~*
“Okay. Get on my shoulders.”
“What?”
Spike rolled his eyes in exasperation before responding. “Look, if you get on my shoulders, you’ll be tall enough to reach the ceiling. And once you’re up there, you can test for weak spots—see if there’s a way to climb the hell out of here.”
“Oh. All right.”
Spike kneeled down so that Buffy could get on easily. Once she was properly situated on his leather clad shoulders, he stood slowly. He tried to look up to see what she was doing, purposely ignoring her warmth that was seeping into the back of his neck, and the softness of her behind his head.
“Any luck?” he asked.
“Move left. A bit more…There we go.”
Spike slightly startled at the hollow sound of the first hollow bang Buffy made with her fists against the metal ceiling. As her pounding continued, he kept a wary eye out at the glass wall of their cell. The demons across from him stood close to their own glass walls, watching with eager curiosity.
Though Buffy’s knuckles were becoming raw, she kept beating on the panel, hope burgeoning as it started to give.
“Spike—hold me steady.” She tried to ignore the slight flush she felt when Spike’s hands moved from the front of her legs to the tops of her thighs, his fingers gripping their insides. She faltered in her rhythmic banging.
“It’s innocent. Just move the bloody panel.”
Though the sharpness of the metal panel cut her fingers, she grit her teeth, pulling it downward. She sighed with relief when it fell out, clattering to the floor.
“Success,” she said, looking up the darkened tunnel that was now exposed.
“What’s it look like up there?” Spike asked, tilting his head upward again.
Buffy frowned as she felt the walls.
“Not good. It’s all…smooth. Nothing to grip. Not to mention narrow.”
“Look, I’ll take anything right now, as long as we can—”
“Oh. Spike, get me down.”
“What? What’s wrong?” he questioned, kneeling down all the while. Once she was clear, he stood up, looking at her. “What?” he asked again, looking at a now worried Buffy.
“Look,” she said softly, slowly backing up. A heavy, white smoke was slowly coming out of the gap where the panel used to be. It wouldn’t be long before it filled their small cell.
“Oh…balls. Slayer, go to the other side of the room, and lay down on the ground. Got it?” She nodded, doing as he told her.
“What will you do?” she asked, watching him as she lay on her stomach.
Spike shifted to game face, picking up the jagged, metal panel. He stood at the door, waiting to pounce on whoever came through. Then he cocked his head, thinking, and then headed over by Buffy, lying down on his stomach next to her.
“My guess is,” he whispered, “that they don’t know who they’re dealing with. Chances are, they’re waiting for us to be knocked unconscious from this gas, yeah? Lucky for us, I don’t have to breathe. Soon as they come through that door…” he trailed off, body tense in anticipation. Buffy’s breaths became shallow as the smoke neared.
“Spike?”
“Yeah?”
“You won’t leave me behind, will you?”
Spike turned his head to look at her.
“We’re busting out together, right? And when we do, I’m thinking you owe me however I see fit. And hey, if anyone takes you out, it bloody well’s gonna be me, Summers.”
“Is it weird that I find that comforting?” Spike smirked at that.
Buffy sighed, reassured. And though she tried to keep eye contact with him, her eyes simply couldn’t manage.
“Bugger,” Spike muttered, shutting his eyes once Buffy passed out. He laid his head down, ear to the ground, listening.
Waiting.
And then he heard it—the swoosh noise of the door being opened. At the sound of the first footfall into their cell, Spike leapt up onto his feet, rushing to the door. He threw the metal piece of ceiling like a boomerang, catching one of the soldiers in the neck. Spike smiled at the blood. But the other men in fatigues and gas masks were at the ready, blasting Spike with an electrical current. Spike growled, intermingled with a groan as he collapsed to the floor mid step.
An older woman in a white lab coat came in then, staring above him with a smile on her face.
“We’ve got plans for you.”
It was then that he felt the sharp point of a needle pierce the flesh of his neck. It took only seconds for black to dance around his vision, before obliterating it completely.
*~*~*~*~*
Xander swung the door open to Giles’ flat with his head down, looking down at the pink box of donuts he was attempting to balance in his free hand.
“Giles? It’s time to get into research—”
He paused at the sight in front of him—Anya, in nothing but an over sized button down, was straddling Giles, who was dressed in a robe, his hands resting on her hips.
“Oh god,” Xander muttered, backing out of the door.
“No, it’s all right. It’s not what you think,” Giles said quickly, lifting Anya up, moving her over. Xander paused at that, but kept his head down.
“You sure?”
“Yes. Now, if you’d walked in twenty minutes ago—”
“So, Xander. What brings you here this morning?” Giles asked lightly, standing up. Anya rolled her eyes behind him.
“It’s afternoon, actually. Early afternoon, but still,” Xander said, hesitantly entering the apartment again. Keeping his eyes firmly away from the couch, he headed to the counter, placing the box of pastries there. “There’s trouble. With a capital T, which rhymes with Z, which…um, is the second letter in Oz’s name.”
“Oz?”
“Yeah. Got a call from Willow. Apparently, he skipped town with a nice were-woman, who was also in a band like him. Seems they had a lot in common, and decided to make a go of it. Okay, not exactly, but I got the Cliff’s Notes version.”
“Oh dear…And Willow?”
“Actually, that ‘T’ also rhymes with B—”
“Xander, please get to the point,” Giles admonished, opening the box, picking up a jelly filled doughnut.
“Buffy, Giles.” Giles’ head snapped up at that. “Willow, with all of her Oz drama, kind of hadn’t noticed that Buffy’s been missing the past few days.”
“What? Missing? Are you sure?”
“Will says her bed’s been made, and she hasn’t been to class…things have just been so hectic with Willow, she hasn’t had time to really think. I mean, have you talked to Buff?”
“No, but I haven’t been looking for her either. Have you talked to Joyce?”
“Yeah—she hasn’t heard much from Buffy since the first week of school. But the people who should be seeing her regularly? Will and their teachers? Haven’t seen her. So, I got some donuts and popped on over here for research or…something.”
“I see,” Giles said softly. “And Willow?”
“She’s…licking her wounds right now, but she’ll be over soon. Or so she said.” Xander’s eyes inadvertently darted over toward Anya, who was now standing up, watching the two of them, coltish legs exposed…
“But yeah—this is serious business. She should really be here. Now. I think I’ll go get her.”
“Is that really necessary? I can just call—”
As Giles looked down to pick up his phone, he heard his front door slam shut.
“I make him uncomfortable,” Anya said. Giles sighed, dialing the dorm number.
“We make him uncomfortable.” He frowned as the phone continued to ring with no answer. He put the phone back in its cradle, and then looked up at her. He gave her a smile, walked over to her, and then pulled her into a warm embrace, holding her eyes as he stared down at her.
“But I suppose he’ll just have to get used to the idea. After all, I did.”
*~*~*~*~*
“Can you believe it?” Riley asked, voice low as he watched the civilians milling about The Espresso Pump and on the street with a wary eye. “If vampires weren’t bad enough, being able to blend in with humans, now we have day walking…demon things like Summers. I mean, who knows who else—what else—is out there? Walking around like they’re normal like us…”
“Sure, she’s a freak of nature. But maybe she’s a protector of some kind? I mean, she was fighting the vampire at first,” Forrest thought aloud.
“Come on—someone with inhuman strength like that, conspiring with other hostiles? Nah, I hate to say it, but…”
“Well, her mother’s medical records came back clean. Hers too—this super strength thing must have been something that happened to her later on in life.”
“And her friends?” Riley asked, furtively looking around. Forrest smiled at him.
“Dude, calm down. And friends? The only one that we know of is her roommate—Rosen…” Forrest trailed off as he spotted the red head walking down the sidewalk, heading towards the Pump. She scrubbed at her face as she turned abruptly, heading for the curb. She wasn’t paying attention to anything around her.
“Hey!” Forrest called out to her, getting up from his seat as he headed out the doorway towards her. Willow kept moving, still wiping her face, seemingly not have heard him. Forrest dashed after her as she started walking in the parking lane of the street, not paying attention to traffic. Just as a car blared its horn, screeching on breaks, Forrest yanked her back towards the curb by the hem of her shirt. Willow collapsed against him with a sob.
“Uh, Willow, right?” he asked, turning her around, and then held her gently by her shoulders. She nodded, tears streaming down her face.
“You really have to pay attention when crossing the street. Look both ways?” Willow looked down, not answering him. “Is there some place I can take you? You know, until you um…feel better. I’m thinking you shouldn’t be alone right now. At least where there are large, deadly vehicles around, what with you being Ms. Unobservant at the moment.”
Willow nodded. “Yeah. I was…I need to get a friend’s place.”
Forrest put his hand gently on her back, allowing her to lead the way. He looked over his shoulder, and got a slight nod from Riley.
Reconnaissance had never been so easy.