Chapter 2, It’s Really Me
Brian, Spike’s head minion, and Lawson looked up from their card game when Harmony marched into the living room. Brian rolled his eyes before he went back to his cards. He thought the blond vampiress was cute, but she was too much of a flake for his tastes.
Lawson on the other hand found himself reminded of his beloved airhead sister whenever he talked to Harmony. “Where are you off to, Harm?” he asked.
Harmony was glad someone showed interest in her, and she replied, “I’m off to see Mr. Bogarty at the magic shop. He ordered me a magical unicorn. It came in today.”
“That ass Finn is out there with wooden bullets,” Lawson said. “You shouldn’t go out. You can’t defend yourself against him.”
Brian looked up at the mention of the ex-soldier. He’d forgotten about the idiot human. “Spike told us to stay put.”
“Daddy paid good money for that unicorn. He will be mad if Mr. Bogarty sells it to someone else because I didn’t pick it up.” Harmony pouted.
Brian rolled his eyes again. “You can’t go out there alone.”
Harmony continued to pout until an awesome idea crossed her mind. “I know,” she pouted. “You guys go with me!”
“I don’t think so, Harm.” Lawson shook his head.
“Well, I’m going, and you can’t stop me.” Harmony picked up her pink fur jacket. She turned to leave the room.
Lawson threw his cards down. There was no way he was going to let the ditzy blond walk to the magic shop. He rose to his feet, and he said, “I’ll drive you.”
Brian heaved a sigh. “The more the merrier I guess.” He too threw down his cards and rose to his feet. If Lawson was leaving, their card game was over anyway. Going along would be less boring then sitting at the mansion and staring at the walls.
Harmony smiled to herself. Now if she could just get Brian to look at her as more than an airhead she’d be in seventh heaven.
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“The Slayer has the Key,” Doc Two announced to his companion. “All we need is some leverage to make her give it to us.”
“Too bad you can’t remember its form,” Doc One’s voice was filled with sarcasm. He wasn’t at all pleased when another member of his clan showed up in Sunnydale. He stepped over the dead body of the magic shop owner. “Just keep looking for that clue.”
Doc Two glared at Doc One. “Yes, it is too bad, brother. Otherwise we could take control of the Key now and win much favor with Glorificus. If we fail here, in this dimension, our brethren are sure to fail elsewhere.”
Doc One pulled the store’s lockbox off of the shelf below the cash register. He easily pried it open. “The Slayer’s sister and mother are the most vulnerable of her companions."
“That’ll only work if you can get one of them alone, and they are never alone. There is always someone hovering around them.” Doc Two pulled another book off the shelf. He glanced through it with disgust before depositing it onto a teetering pile of other books on the table.
Doc One tossed the lockbox aside. “It’s better than looking through all this junk. All we need to do is decide on a target.”
“Fine. Let’s grab the sister.” Doc Two watched the pile of books fall over.
“Sounds like a plan.” Doc One grabbed the two books that caught his interest during his search, and he tucked them under his arm.
The two Docs nodded in agreement. They went out the back of the store, just as the front door opened.
Harmony, accompanied by Lawson and Brian, skipped into the magic shop. “Mr. Bogarty?” she called out.
Lawson sniffed the air with caution. “Something’s wrong.”
“Mr. Bogarty?” Harmony went over to the counter. She let out a gasp of air when she saw the dead body behind the counter. She reached over to snatch up her unicorn. “Hide this in the car!”
“You do that, Harm.” Lawson moved to stand next to the young vampiress. “I’m going to have to call Spike and Buffy.”
Fifteen minutes later Spike and Buffy showed up with Tara and Dawn in tow. Spike sent Brian, Lawson, and Harmony back to the mansion while Tara called the police. Lawson gave Dawn a sly smirk when he left the store. In return the young woman blushed profusely before she turned to find her sister and Spike giving her a knowing look.
“I don’t want to see a dead body,” Dawn said to cover her embarrassment. Then, she wrinkled her nose. I’m going to stand outside.”
“It’s dark,” Buffy protested. “Stay inside, Dawn.”
“I’m not a child, and there’s plenty of light,” Dawn said in her defense. She left the shop to stand outside the bookstore next door where she studied the display in the window.
When Tara hung up the phone, she turned to Buffy. “The police will be here in a few minutes.” She gestured towards the front of the store. “I’ll go stand outside with Dawn.”
“Thanks, Tara,” Buffy said softly. She smiled at the soft-spoken witch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
“You’re gonna regret this,” Dawn informed her kidnappers. “My sister and her boyfriend are gonna kick your ass.” She had no idea who her lookalike captors were, but in her mind she called them One and Two.
“If the Slayer gives us the Key, nobody will be harmed,” One replied. “It’s entirely up to her.”
Two handed One a note. “Go deliver this. Then, keep an eye on her. Make sure she follows the instructions.”
One did as he was told all the while grumbling that it was his idea, and that he should be the one staying to confront the Slayer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Well, I had no idea the profit margins on a shop like this were so high, Giles voice drifted along the clan’s communication system.
Buffy glanced over at Spike who was looking at the inventory list. “What do you have there?”
“There’s a book missing.” Spike handed Buffy the list. “A Treatise on the Mythology and Methodology of the Vampire Slayer.”
Tara barreled back into the shop. “Dawn’s gone. She’s not anywhere on the street. I looked a block in both directions before I came back.”
“It’s Tuesday. I knew I should have left her at home,” Buffy muttered. Police sirens sounded in the distance. She rubbed her forehead. “Okay, Tara, you’re here with me. Spike, go out and see if you can catch her scent.”
“Sure thing, luv.” Spike slipped out of the front door just before the police car turned onto the street. He was able to make it look like he was just passing by to keep from bringing attention to himself. Sniffing the air, he was able to ascertain that Dawn stood in front of the bookstore next to the dark alley. Her scent disappeared into the darkness of the alleyway. She was grabbed by the alley, Spike sent back Buffy.
The police car screeched to a stop in front of the magic shop. One lone officer got out of the vehicle to go inside. After a few minutes an unmarked police car showed up. Another policeman went into the magic shop.
Anya and I will be there in a few minutes, Xander replied. He and his girlfriend rounded the corner to find Spike lounging against the wall. “Let’s see how far the trail leads then.”
Spike nodded, and the three Scoobies headed off down the dark alley. Dawn’s scent came to an abrupt end at the other side of the short passage. “Threw her in a car, I suspect,” Spike grumbled. He was about to head back the way he had come when a short man in a suit stepped out of the shadows. He handed Spike a folded piece of paper.
“Give this to the Slayer. Tell her to come alone.” Doc One melted back into the darkness before the vampire had a chance to speak. His species’ ability to blend in was right handy at that moment.
“What is it?” Xander asked.
Spike opened the letter, and he read the contents aloud even as he passed the information along to Buffy and the others. “It says ‘Slayer, Your sister won’t be harmed as long as you give us the Key. Come alone to a cave in the north woods about forty meters past the overpass construction site’.”
“Better not let Lawson know about this,” Anya said. “He’s got a crush on Dawn.”
“He does?” Xander the oblivious asked. “I thought she had a crush on me.”
I knew about hers, not his, Buffy replied in an absentminded manner. Her attention was split between Spike and the policeman questioning Tara. Every second that passed, she became antsier. She was ready to go find whoever took her little sister. Another part of her mind contemplated the identity of the Key.
“Why were you and Miss Summers in the store, Miss Maclay?” Detective Wilkins asked his witness.
“M-Mr. Bogarty ordered the b-best c-candles,” Tara told the detective.
“Bogarty lasted the longest at this shop,” Wilkins muttered. “We had high hopes for him down at the station. Wonder who won the betting pool?”
“Are we free to go yet?” Buffy asked. She worked hard to suppress her impatience. Some idiot kidnapped her sister, and she was eager to go kick some butt.
Wilkins gave a negligent wave of his hand. “Of course. There’s no way two sweet girls like you would have the strength to twist the victim’s head like that.” He repressed a shudder at the violence of the crime. Even for Sunnydale it was brutal.
Buffy hurried Tara out of the shop where they met up with Spike, Anya, and Xander.
We’re being watched, Anya told Buffy. Aloud, she asked, “What’s up with the policemen?”
Gotcha, Buffy replied. “The shop owner was killed.”
“Another one?” Xander raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see. The last one died around the time Spike here came to town crying about his lost love.” He pointed at the vampire. “I still owe you for the microscope upside the head, buster.”
If the Key is who I think it is, we can’t let them know they have it already, Buffy growled to the clan. I have a plan. Just go with what I say.
The others quickly agreed.
“Xander, why don’t you and Anya take Tara home?” Buffy grabbed Spike’s arm. “I’ll take the Key here to exchange for Dawnie.”
From his hiding spot Doc One wondered what was going on. A vampire couldn’t be the Key. He was sure Doc Two would have said something if that had been the case. The Key’s host needed to be a pure host.
Buffy looked up at Spike. “I’m sorry. Dawnie’s the most important person in my life right behind my mother. I can’t lose her.”
Spike managed to look sad. “I understand.” Silently, he said, Good plan, pet.
“Bye, guys.” Buffy waved at the Scoobies.
They went their separate ways. Doc One followed the Slayer and the vampire until he was stopped by two of Glory’s minions. He missed the showdown between his brother and the Slayer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Doc Two looked up when the Slayer entered the cave followed by the vampire. “I told you to come alone,” he growled.
“You told me to bring the Key.” Buffy tilted her head, and she tried to look as innocent as possible. “So, I brought it.”
“That’s a vampire, stupid.” Doc Two shook his head. “There is no way he’s the Key. Key has to be pure.”
“Aw shucks.” Buffy snapped her fingers. “Here I thought I could fool you. Problem is I don’t have your Key. Sorry, Charlie.”
“You have the Key.” Doc Two pulled out a weapon, and he pointed it at Dawn. “You’re going to give it to me, or I’ll kill your sister.”
“Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.” Buffy raised her hands in the air while she shifted into Sultana face. Her glowing eyes flared with anger.
Behind her Spike shifted into his own game face, his blue eyes flaring bright before they turned demon-yellow. He moved forward to put his hands on Buffy’s hips to lend her his support. Brightness blazed through the cave making Dawn close her eyes. Like Doc Two’s counterpart, she too missed what happened to her kidnapper.
“No, it can’t be!” Doc Two screamed. “Sultanas don’t exist.” He threw his arms up in front of his face when the brightness grew in intensity. The combined power of the Sultana and her chosen mate caused the evil demon to wink out of existence.
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Buffy leaned against the counter. “Giles, are you sure about this?”
Giles stood up from behind the magic shop counter. “Why shouldn’t I be?”
“Well, aside from the fact that most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer…” She broke off when Giles gave her a surprised look. “Spike made me watch it. Have you ever run a store before?”
“I was a librarian for years. Before that I was the curator at the British museum.” Giles shrugged. “How hard can it be? Only difference is people pay for things they don’t have to return.”
Buffy looked around the shop again. “Well, I guess it’ll keep you off the streets and out of trouble, eh, Ripper?”
Giles blushed. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“Not really.” Buffy grinned. “I wonder if Reggie knows about Ripper and Joycie.”
Giles let out a groan.
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