London 1880

October...

Will groaned as he slowly pulled himself up from the dark pit into which he'd descended the previous night. He didn't want to open his eyes, but there was a light shining on his face that made his closed eyelids appear to glow red, and he couldn't stand the sight. Wearily, he forced them open. He shut them almost instantly as they filled with blinding white light, and he groaned again, loudly, like an injured animal.

Muttering curses under his breath, he opened his eyes once more, blinking as he sat up and rubbed them with the heels of his hands. He sighed and leant his head back, feeling his spine stretch and click into pace as he raised his arms. Looking around, he recognized the room that had become so familiar to him. He was at the Watcher's estate. Placing his hands back on the mattress, he swung his legs out over the edge of the bed. When his bare feet touched the cold floor it suddenly hit him.

Last night…Oh God…

Feeling nauseous, Will bent over so that his arms rested on his knees, his head buried between his legs. Staring at the floor, he saw her face over and over again in that moment before she was no more than dust in the flickering firelight. Will couldn't breathe, the room made him claustrophobic. He couldn't sit here. He had to do something, had to move.

Shooting up off the bed, he began dressing hurriedly. The simple task was accomplished in seconds and he had a brief moment of panic wondering what he was supposed to do now. Remembering Charlie, Will made a decision to go and check on him. He closed the distance to the door in a few mere strides and was halfway down the hall to Charlie's room when he heard a voice behind him. It took him a second to realize the voice was calling his name. He turned to find Hobbs coming towards him.

"Will. You're up. Where are you going?"

"I wanted to check on Charlie," Will answered.

Hobbs squinted at his friend. Will knew he must look exhausted and Hobbs was probably wondering if he'd gotten any sleep at all. Of course, if Will hadn't slept he wouldn't have waited the night out in his room. He'd been awake barely a minute and had been unable to sit still. The numerous sleepless nights had finally caught up to him, but it would take a while before his exhaustion would fade.

"Well, he's probably still resting. He lost a lot of blood. The lad was lucky to have survived. He was only meant—" Hobbs stopped, realizing who he was talking to, but Will flinched, knowing what Hobbs had been about to say.

Charlie was only meant to live long enough to make it here as a message to Will. Letting people live wasn't known to be one of Angelus' traits. Apparently, Hobbs decided to change tactics.

"We can check on him if you like, make sure he is recovering satisfactorily."

"No, no, you're right. He'll be resting, he should rest," Will said, nodding to himself, running a hand through his hair.

They stood in silence and Hobbs smiled nervously.

"Are you hungry? We could head down and have breakfast with the others if you like," Hobbs suggested, trying to break the awkward moment.

"Oh. Yes, I suppose. Breakfast." Will's voice was monotonous when he spoke.

Hobbs twitched his fingers a little as he lead Will towards the stairs, making their way to the breakfast room. It was an anxious habit of his, which was why he was usually in possession of a whiskey glass, just so he was holding something.

Will wasn't the least bit hungry, but he hadn't eaten anything substantial in so long he knew he needed to make an effort. Will felt adrift at sea, simply following Hobbs' suggestions as if he had no alternative. Hobbs was never good with emotional support and Will knew Hobbs had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to handle the situation, hence the nervousness. Will wasn't certain he even wanted support. However, what a person wanted and what a person needed were often two very different things, and he knew his friends would never leave him to suffer alone.

***

He knew they had headed down to breakfast, but he didn't remember walking into the breakfast room or sitting down. It was as though he had closed his eyes for an instant and suddenly here they were. Will ran a hand through his hair and glared down at the food in front of him. He wondered what sort of a daze he must have been in, not to notice the constant glances and whispers of the men gathered at the table. News had obviously spread about what had happened. Even if they didn't know all the details, the curiosity must be overwhelming them, and they were probably guessing that he was an orphan now. They were right, he was.

He clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. He caught another of the men casting a curious glance in his direction, and quickly turned to glare at him. The man started and turned back to his plate immediately, refusing to look in Will's direction again even though Will was still boring a hole in the side of his head. It felt good; the rush of anger. It was a feeling. It diminished when his concentration was broken by Gray calling him. He shook his head of its fuzziness, feeling weariness take over again.

"What?" he asked.

"I was asking you if you wanted to head outside for a bit? Get some fresh air?" Gray repeated, patiently.

He must have seen the way Will was staring at the increasingly nervous Hunter. That or he'd noticed the pleading looks Hobbs was sending Gray that Will had caught out of the corner of his eye. What could Gray even do? Will wondered. Grief was personal, and it had to be dealt with gradually. You couldn't just force a person to cheer up and move on. Considering the circumstances, the process was going to take longer and be much more painful for Will to deal with. Still, he couldn't just take it out on the others and he knew that the way he felt at present, he was one more surreptitious glance away from snapping at them.

Will glanced down at his untouched eggs, bacon, and muffins. His eyes briefly skimmed his cooling cup of cocoa, what remained of the marshmallows floating in a sticky mess on top, before he sighed and rose to his feet. He was already heading for the doors as Gray rose from his spot to follow him. Ignoring the rest of the table, he walked out. Any bitterness at being pitied was gone now. He was too tired to deal with it.

Once outside, Will turned for the garden. Gray caught up to him and they walked in silence for a while. Gray had his hands in his pockets, chewing on his lip. He drew in a breath and turned to face Will, who instantly cut him off.

"The Hunters are going home soon, aren't they?"

The sudden question threw Gray for an instant.

"Uh, yes, some of them," he responded, slowly.

"The ones with families." Will nodded.

"Will—" Gray began.

"Don't. I'm not—Just don't."

"I can't possibly understand. I know that. But I know what it's like to lose someone. I'm not going to tell you what you should do or say meaningless things to try to comfort you, but talking does help. Not much, but a little, and a little is better than nothing. You're not alone, you know."

Will came to a halt, and Gray stopped also. Will placed his hands on his hips, staring at the ground, before raising tired eyes to Gray's.

"I can't talk about it, because I'm not even certain what's happening right now. I'm standing here with nothing. What am I supposed to do now? Can you tell me? There's no funeral to arrange. There are no Hunters anymore, and there won't be for a long time. I have nothing. All I have is memories that I don't want. I don't want to think about it. I can't think about it. The last thing I want to do is talk about it. So please, just let me be. I don't need you pitying me either."

Gray sighed. His defeated look told Will the other man was aware that he couldn't do anything to help. What was there to say? Will was lost. They all were. Without hunting, they didn't have much else, and now Will didn't have a family to go home to. It would be a while before he wanted to go back to that house again, if he ever could.

"I'm going inside," Will announced, turning.

"To do what?" Gray asked.

"I'll know when I'm doing it," Will called over his shoulder, as he walked away.

***

In the end, Will found himself looking over his journal. He wasn't sure why. His room had seemed like the only place to go. The journal was sitting there on the desk, so he had picked it up and begun to flip through the pages. It was one of the few items he'd requested to have brought to him from the house during his first few days here, while he was recovering from his injuries after the fire. He read through his notes, slowing down as he reached the last few entries. They were all about Angelus, and various plans he had contrived and dismissed for hunting the monster down. He knew none of them would work. If he had gone up against Angelus he would have died, but he hadn't cared. So what had changed? Did he really have nothing left to lose after all?

The words began to blur into meaningless black dots and streaks across the page and he snapped the book shut, tossing it back down onto the desk. He glanced at the clock. It was approaching one o' clock. Will wondered if time could possibly pass any slower as endless seconds ticked away. Was this what it was like to be immortal? Just watching every moment drag by while you were stuck with your own destructive thoughts? Is that why those monsters did what they did? Passing time?

Deciding he needed another distraction, Will got up and headed to Charlie's room. There was a chance the other man might be awake, and if not, he could at least check on him and see how he was doing. He had been near death the last time Will had seen him, and he felt responsible for his stable-hand's suffering. He'd saved him once, only to put his life in more danger by allowing him to work for him, and become a contact amongst other Hunters.

He entered Charlie's room quietly and made his way over to the bed. Charlie was pale, his breath raspy. His neck was bandaged, two small dots of red in the gauze showing where the fangs had torn his flesh. Will sank slowly into a nearby chair and watched Charlie's chest rise and fall, each wheezing breath making him wince at the painful sound.

"Master William?" a shaky voice asked, jerking Will out of his musings.

He looked up to find Charlie's eyes open, watching him.

"Charlie. You're awake. I didn't mean to disturb you," Will said apologetically.

Charlie shook his head. "You didn't, sir. I've been waking up every so often for a little while. It's nice to see someone here for a change."

"If you want to sleep, go right ahead. Don't let me stop you. I just wanted to see how you were."

"I'm alive. After that, I don't know. They're all gone, aren't they, sir?" Charlie asked, his questioning eyes staring into Will's.

"Yes."

"What happens now, sir? Do we…are you going back to the house?"

"I don't know, Charlie. I don't think so. Right now, I can't see myself going back there again, but I just don't know. You, on the other hand, shouldn't. When you recover, I want you to find somewhere safe, away from all this."

"Are you dismissing me, sir?" Charlie asked, attempting to sit up but failing.

"It's not like that. Well, in a way I suppose it is, but it's what's best for you. You almost died because of me. All those people are dead because they worked for me, and I don't want you in any more danger. You'll be safer somewhere else if you forget about Hunters and just find yourself a normal job."

"You saved my life, sir. If it wasn't for you, I'd have been dead a long time ago," Charlie argued, stubbornly.

"And you've served me well ever since. I put you in a dangerous position making you a contact and messenger for the Hunters. You've more than repaid your debt to me. Things are different now. Angelus has made me a target for his own twisted amusement. He's toying with me, challenging me, and in the process he's hurting everyone who has a connection to me. It's not safe for anyone to be around me anymore."

It was only after he'd said it out loud that he realized how true those words were. Anyone near him would be in danger now. Who knew if it would even be safe here at the estate any longer? Angelus was patient when it came to torturing his victims, but how long would he wait before he got bored and decided to attack Will again? How safe was the estate? Just because the staff knew the truth about demons and vampires didn't mean the place was protected. There was always a way for a beast who was determined enough. Plus, once they left the security of the estate, Hobbs and Gray would be in even more danger. They were the closest friends he had, and the closest thing to a family he had left.

"So then, what are you going to do, sir? I know you well enough to know you aren't just going to wait for him to kill you." Charlie's words pulled Will out of his thoughts.

"I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do, but you're right. I won't just sit and wait. You concentrate on healing. I'll let you get some rest now." Will stood up to leave.

"Whatever insane thing you do end up doing, please sir, make sure it works?" Charlie said, as Will reached for the handle.

Will looked back over his shoulder and smiled at the stable hand before walking out, shutting the door gently behind him.

***

Hobbs was just exiting the training room downstairs when someone began pounding on the front door. Curious and wary as to whom it could be considering the late hour, he watched as the door was opened by one of the servants to reveal the Council messenger, looking quite disheveled. The man stumbled inside, trying to catch his breath as the door was closed behind him.

"I must inform the remaining Hunters at once."

Hobbs stepped forward, feeling uneasy at the messenger's announcement.

"What is it? What's happened?" Hobbs asked.

The messenger turned to him, startled, but recovered quickly.

"It's terrible news. The Council sent me here to warn you all. The Hunters who returned home, they've all been killed. Their entire families were slaughtered by vampires. It's horrific. There's talk of a vicious animal prowling London. People are terrified to leave their homes."

"They all were…I have to tell the others, excuse me." Hobbs hurried up the stairs and down the corridor to Gray's room, leaving the messenger with the staff.

This can't be happening. It really is war, and we're the last Hunters left.

"Gray, open up, now!" Hobbs shouted, banging on the door loudly.

It swung open and he stumbled inside, past a shocked and confused Gray.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Gray asked, just about to shut the door when a hand slammed against the wood, stopping its progress.

They turned to see Will standing in the doorway, one hand on the door, the other against the doorframe. He had his glasses on still, suggesting he'd been reading in his room instead of preparing for bed, a typical habit of his. Hobbs wasn't sure he'd slept much since that first night he'd collapsed from physical and emotional exhaustion. He must have heard Hobbs pounding on the door.

Will entered the room, casting a quick concerned glance at Gray as he walked by him, and Gray shook his head, shutting the door. Hobbs paced up and down. Eventually, he turned to face his worried and confused friends, taking a deep breath.

"It's not going to end. We're lucky we've survived this long. It really is war. They're annihilating us, and they won't stop until every Hunter in London is dead."

"What do you mean? What happened?" Will demanded.

"The Hunters who went home, they were waiting for them—the vampires. They slaughtered their families too. The last Hunters alive in London are the ones in this house, and judging by the way things are going, we won't be safe here much longer."

Hobbs watched the two men absorb the information, a little stunned, then quickly realizing how precarious their situation was, they looked back up, ready to dive into more questioning. Hobbs silenced them with a raised hand.

"I don't know any more. The messenger downstairs told me what happened and I came straight here to tell you. Does it matter what the details were? It was a trap. They waited. They found out when the Hunters were returning home and killed them. We have to accept the fact that sooner or later they're going to come after us too. Either they'll wait until we leave, or they'll come for us here."

"The city is already theirs. They must know we wouldn't come after them. There's no way we could attack them in the state we're in, so why kill us off?" Gray had chosen not to look at Will as he spoke, both Hobbs and he knowing that the other man hadn't quite given up the hunt just yet.

"They're making sure word gets out that this city is theirs. It's another of their infamous acts that will go down in history. No Hunter will come here now, knowing they'll be targeted the way we've been. The Hunters of London won't be rebuilt for years, and most likely not until the Scourge of Europe has moved on. The Council will probably just stay out of their way," Will spoke up, falling into a nearby chair.

"Or maybe they'll finally see sense and send the Slayer here," Hobbs suggested.

"Maybe they will at that," was Will's only response.

"Well, what are we going to do? We can't stay here waiting for Angelus to get bored and attack us, and chances are if we leave, we'll be walking straight into another trap." Gray pointed out.

"Stay, go, doesn't really matter now, does it? Either way, Angelus wants us dead. Fight, don't fight, it doesn't seem to make much difference what we do. I hate to say it chaps, but we're dead men walking," Will said, letting his head drop back so he was staring at the ceiling.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gray exploded.

"What do you mean?" Will asked, tilting his head sideways so he could glance at Gray.

"You! You're sitting there as if you're resigned to your fate, and this entire time all you've done is work yourself to the bone coming up with a plan to get even with Angelus. Now what, you've finally realized that going up against him is suicide so you're just going to sit here and wait for him to come to you?"

"Make up your mind, Gray. You're upset because I want to take Angelus down then you're angry because I don't. It's very confusing." Will's voice held the same tired and uninterested tone it had since he first spoke.

"That's perfect, Will. Just give up. That's very helpful."

"What do you want me to say? You didn't want to fight before, and I'm just agreeing that there's nothing we can do, except give them what they want."

"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Hobbs asked, folding his arms, knowing full well what Will was saying.

"Me."

"You honestly think giving yourself up to Angelus will save anyone left here?" Gray asked in disbelief.

"No, but I think it could distract him long enough for you to do some hunting of your own."

"What?" Hobbs asked, losing track of what Will meant.

Will sighed and sat up straight again, giving both his friends a resolute and determined stare.

"Someone knows too much about us, and whoever it is must be someone either we or the Council trust a little too much. We never found out who was spreading that rumor about fledges that had us walking into traps. Whoever it was informed them of the meeting at the barn and that we survived. They also know where we are and what our movements are."

"So you're suggesting we find whoever it is that's working with the vampires and put a stop to them." Gray said.

"If their source of information is eliminated it might give the rest of you a chance to escape before they can come after you. To get to safety, somewhere where there's Hunters. Then you can start re-organizing and get a faction together that might be able to take the city back." Will confirmed.

"Wait, wait, wait, the rest of us? So Gray and I hunt down this traitor, and you walk straight into Angelus' lair?"

"He's eliminating Hunters, but he's also trying to lure me out. He wants to destroy everything that stands for good in this city and he seems to have a vendetta against me, judging from all those trials he's put me through." Will lowered his eyes, growing quiet. "What he's done. To Mo— " He broke off and raised his eyes again. "It stands to reason that he wants to make an example of me, to torture me before he kills me. He's taken everything I have, and he has us backed into a corner. Either I go to him, now, or he comes here and kills all of us. At least this way, you lot have a chance to survive and make sure this doesn't happen again."

"And what makes you think you'll even live long enough for us to make a move?" Hobbs snapped.

"I don't think even Angelus expects me to be stupid enough to come after him alone so soon after the latest attack. Even if he does, he's put too much effort into luring me out. He's made his move, and now it's up to me. I go out, fight my battle, and you get the hell out of here."

"And you die," Gray said, quietly.

"Most likely."

"Well, excuse me if I'm not too keen on that plan, Will," Hobbs argued, irritably.

"Hobbs, look at me. I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting, tired of hiding. We don't have a choice. This is the only way you even stand a chance. I'm not walking out there with my hands up. I intend to fight to my last breath, but we all know the odds aren't good, at least this way it'll be over."

And on my own terms, he thought, soberly.

"I can't believe we're actually discussing this." Gray muttered.

"Believe it."

"I'd rather we all went. Maybe we can kill him. If we get him alone, he's just one vampire, we might manage it," Hobbs put in, desperately trying to change Will's mind.

Will remained silent and any hope Hobbs had left in him died. That wouldn't work, they all knew it. Certainly, any of them could get lucky, as Will had on his first trip out with them, but it was doubtful, and they couldn't count on luck. Will had been planning revenge for months now. He'd obviously decided that it was time he acted on those plans. What else could they do?

"When?" Gray asked, resigned to Will's choice.

"As soon as possible. Let me know whenever you can be ready to leave. I've been training every day and I have plenty of weapons on hand. I'll head out and spread the word, not that I'll have to if that spy remains as efficient as he has been. I'll track down some of Angelus' minions, stake them and make sure he knows where I am. Then we can finish this once and for all."

"I don't like this." Hobbs muttered.

"None of us do." Gray added, irritated. "But Will's right. We don't have a choice."

***

They sat there in gloomy silence for a while, none of them speaking or looking at each other, before Gray let out a loud sigh and grabbed his jacket, heading for the door.

"Where are you off to?" Will asked.

"I'm going to find that messenger and get all the details he has then inform the others. They need to know. Leaving here isn't safe, and neither is staying, but if they leave now there's an even greater risk. I'll tell them what we're planning. They can help us hunt down the spy if they want."

Gray left the room quickly, walking down the corridor. He paused at the top of the stairs. This was it. He was really going to lose his friends. Even if they did have a chance to get far enough away to begin a search for the traitor, it was doubtful Angelus wouldn't have told his minions to go after them, and there was always Darla and Drusilla to consider. Things were safe for none of them, but one thing he was sure of was that Will would be the first to die. The frightened little Watcher trainee was long gone and soon, the Hunter prodigy would be too.