When Faith’s body hit the ground she rolled, taking Spike out with her and they tumbled across the rocky floor coming perilously close to the edge. From below the Scoobies watched in horror as their bodies rolled together, Willow gasping as Faith’s upper body tilted precariously before she righted herself.

Without waiting Buffy and Angel both sprang into action. Angel pushed off with his feet, bringing his lower body up and around to kick his captors in the face and freeing his arms in the process. Sparing Buffy a glance they immediately went to work on the remaining members of the Fevticat Order.

“Faith!” Buffy shouted as the other Slayer grinned at Spike. “Watch your step,” she warned.

Faith dared to glance down and noticed she was inching close the edge again as she and Spike danced around each other. “Thanks,” she nodded. “Sorry I’m late, by the way. You didn’t tell me there were two entrances up there.”

Buffy’s face registered surprise. “I didn’t know!”

Faith shrugged and ducked a wild swing from Spike’s left arm. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Angel was half-listening to their conversation, half-concentrating on kicking the crap out of a vampire. “You knew?” he shouted to Buffy. “You knew she would show up?”

Buffy ducked the kick of a vampire and produced a stake from her waistband, letting it fly. When it made contact she headed for Lilah. “I knew,” she told the woman. “Just like I know you’re not raising this demon.”

Lilah paled considerably. “She’s not supposed to be here. We…you two aren’t even speaking.”

“Faith!” Buffy called over the din as the Scooby gang made their way up to the landing. “Tell this nice lady that you and I are…how would you put it?” She smirked. “Five-by-five.”

Faith was busy with Spike, but not so busy to appreciate having pulled one on the lawyer and the others. “Buffy and I are like sisters,” she said, delivering a spinning kick that sent Spike flying across the way and crashing into a wall. Rocks skittered down from the impact, pelting him in the face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We watched you!” Lilah snapped. “No one’s that good an actor. You two have barely spoken since you broke the jailbird out of cell block D.”

“I was in C,” Faith called over her shoulder, hauling Spike up to deliver a one-two punch that bloodied his mouth. “D’s for lunatics.”

“You should know,” Buffy continued. “Not all communication is verbal.”

She glanced in Faith’s direction. Nice spin-kick, she thought, and Faith grinned.

“I’ve been working on it,” she acknowledged out loud.

Would it be murder if I threw her over the side? Buffy thought next.

Angel was standing on the sidelines now, watching with keen interest and angry eyes. Faith picked Spike up by the collar and shoved him into Angel’s arms, then sauntered over to Buffy. “Yeah, it would be, Buff. Trust me. I know about these things.”

Lilah watched the one-sided exchange. “What the hell are you two doing?”

Buffy smiled. “Will? Want to show her?”

Willow nodded and moved to stand in front of Lilah. Just a little spell so you can communicate without, you know, blabbing on forever so your enemies can overhear every single word you say. She thought smugly and Lilah’s eyes widened.

That was something she hadn’t even considered.

“You knew,” Angel realized. “You and Faith, this whole time. You planned this.”

Buffy nodded sharply in his direction.

“You should have told me,” he growled.

Buffy’s eyes pierced his. “Do you really want to start in on me about keeping secrets?” His silence was his answer and she turned back to Lilah, gripping the lawyer’s arms tighter. “Looks like you’re wrong about a few things.”

Just wait, Lilah vowed silently. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that not even you know about. “The game’s not over yet,” she told the Slayer bravely.

Buffy jerked a shoulder, uncaring. “Maybe. But round one goes to us.” She pulled Lilah in the direction of the pathway to the bottom and began the careful descent, the others following behind her. No one noticed the new, fresh group of soldiers waiting until it was too late.

“Ambush!” Gunn shouted, slipping halfway down the path, blooding his head.

“Charles!” Fred cried, rushing to his side and kneeling to try and stop the bleeding.

Angel, with Spike in tow, jumped the remaining twenty feet to the ground, the elder shoving the blonde vampire out of the way. In the condition Spike appeared, he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Connor!” Buffy shouted suddenly, pointing across the way to where a demon was stalking Dawn and had her practically pressed against a wall with no way out. Connor’s eyes narrowed and he leaped across over several boulders, jumping onto the back of the demon and rolling out of Dawn’s way. Dawn, rather than run to safety, picked up a rock and began beating the demon over the head while Connor regrouped.

The others were engaged in battle and Buffy had no choice but to shove Lilah behind her and do what she could to stay alive. Stumbling at the violent push, Lilah grinned to herself and pulled the cell phone from her pocket. Punching in the numbers she ducked behind a rock, shielding herself from the violence.

“It’s a go,” was all said into the phone before hanging up and watching the fight with interest.

Within moments of her call the cavern was flooded with foot soldiers and Buffy realized, too late, that this was yet another trap. One she hadn’t counted on.

“When you let it be known that the big bad’s about to start hiring,” Spike told her from behind, “people start turning in their résumé’s early.”

“These…all these demons? They’re here to work in your army?” she gasped, glancing around wildly as he backed her up step by step.

“Not just my army. Gy-ra’ll have something to do with it too, I’d expect. Once we raise him, which should be happening any moment now.” His eyes moved upward to the cliff they’d been chanting on only minutes before. “The bird’ll see to that I’d expect. But right now, you and me are gonna have a tussle.”

“Spike, we don’t have to do this. We don’t. You can be different,” Buffy told him. “You can change. You just have to want to.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “And I’ve thought about it. Don’t wanna.” With that he moved in for attack.

“Can three play, or is three a crowd?” Faith asked, stepping in. “I can’t ever remember how that goes.”

“Not you again,” Spike sighed, and squared off against two Slayers. “You know, you show up at the most inconvenient of times. I was just telling Buffy here how in a minute Gy-ra’s going to rise and none of this is going to mean a damn thing. In a few bleedin’ minutes,” he continued, “you’re going to see the power I have. The power I deserve. It’s my reward for all the years of crap I’ve put up with at your expense. You, luv,” he said to Faith, “you’re basically wrong place at the wrong time. But I have to admit…adding two to my Slayer kill-count gets me all tingly inside.”

Neither girl said anything and Spike gave them a pitying smile. “Didn’t have to be this way, Summers. Could have ended with us walking in the moonlight, hand in hand and all that bunk.”

“No, Spike,” she corrected him. “It couldn’t.”

“We’ll never know.”

Faith glanced at Buffy as they continued to back up a step at a time against Spike’s advance. “You’re right, he does talk too much.”

Buffy shrugged. “Told ya.”

Rather than anger him, this only caused Spike to laugh. “I may talk too much, pets, but not without a reason.” From behind the Slayers, who, without realizing it, had been backed into an inner cavern, appeared no less than twenty large, disgusting demons, each with razor-sharp claws where hands should have been. And behind them, stood Lilah. With a gun.

“I hate guns, I really do,” she told them smugly. “I even voted against the concealed weapons law on the last ballot. But… When you’ve got nothing left and you’re against two Slayers, sometimes you just have to make exceptions.” Approaching the girls she looked down at them with contempt. “Nighty-night.” With that she brought the gun down on Faith’s head. The Slayer’s eyes rounded with shock before she slumped to the ground, blood trickling from the wound.

“Wow,” Lilah said with surprise. “I wasn’t sure that would be enough. Guess she’s still weak in the noggin from that nasty spill you gave her. Threw her off a building is that it? She landed on a truck? Lucky break, I guess, when you think about it.”

Buffy glared at Lilah and Spike, standing side-by-side now with smiles all around, and didn’t bother to correct her about pushing Faith off that building. “You’re not going to shoot us? You’re just going to knock us unconscious? When we wake up we’ll still kick your asses.”

Lilah nodded. “And I imagine that would be true. But do we look that stupid?”

“I don’t feel stupid,” Spike smirked.

“But I bet she’s feeling sleepy,” Lilah added. With her words Spike took Buffy and smashed her head against a jagged rock. The Slayer didn’t even have time to cry out before joining Faith on the ground.

Lilah wasted no time. “Take them,” she ordered and the demons picked up the unconscious women, moving further into the caverns.

“We finish now, yeah?” Spike asked, glancing around nervously. He wanted to get out of here, and away from Angel and the Scoobies before they figured out what was wrong.

“We do,” Lilah told him. “But not tonight. And not with you.” The gun clicked then, loading a round into the chamber, and Spike turned with trepidation to find Lilah aiming the weapon at him with expertise.

“What’s going on?” he asked with a snarl.

“Sorry, Spike. Our time together has come to an end.”

“What are you gabbin’ about?”

“We’ve discussed it, the firm, that is, and we just don’t think our relationship with you is going to work out after all. Consider this an end to our agreement.” She let a shot off that hit him in the shoulder.

He howled, stumbling back and holding onto his wounded arm. “That…won’t kill me,” he gasped with an insane giggle.

“No, you’re right,” she nodded, letting off another shot, then another, each one sending him rocketing backward. How he managed to stay on his feet she’d never know. “But I’d imagine Angel will do that job when he finds out you got his girlfriend kidnapped.” She let loose with the last three rounds, and Spike finally fell, barely holding on to consciousness and moaning in extreme pain.

The gunshots would have certainly alerted everyone in the outer chamber and Lilah grinned to herself as she headed up and out of the cavern. And then they’ll realize that I’ve always had the upper hand. Congratulating herself she spared one last glance in Spike’s direction and headed deeper into the catacombs to the exit she knew was just around the corner.

*~*~*

The loud blast brought Angel’s head up and allowed the demon he was fighting to get in a good punch that sent him stumbling backward.

“What the hell was that?” Xander shouted.

“Gun fire!” Gunn shouted back, having heard that sound one too many times in his day. But never from inside an echoing cave. Made his ears hurt.

“Since when do vampire’s carry guns?” Anya asked as she avoided tripping over a rock to help Xander.

Dawn glanced around wildly. “Where’s Buffy? Guys? HEY GUYS!” she shrieked. “Where’s Buffy?! Where’s Buffy?”

The panic in her voice was unmistakable but there was nothing much they could do at the moment as the demons continued to flood inside the cavern. Connor, as it was, was fighting off two at a time while Dawn whirled around looking for her sister.

“Buffy!” She shouted. “Buffy!”

There was no answer and Angel’s heart began to sink. Second later more gunshots sounded and he growled, finished dancing around with the demon attacking him. He finished him off quickly, pushing and shoving the others out of his way in his panic to find Buffy.

“There are too many demons!” Regina shouted as she and Cordelia and Fred helped each other to dust a vampire.

“Willow!” Xander cried out over the din.

The witch was already on it. Having tucked herself away from the fight as best she could she closed her eyes and began to chant, channeling her energy. Anya headed in her direction and took Willow’s hand in hers, clasping them together to give the witch more energy. “Hurry,” Anya whispered fervently.

Willow gave her an annoyed sideways glance and continued chanting as Giles and Wesley moved in front of the girls to offer some protection.

“Bring the light, bring the fire, into my eyes give me the power,” Willow demanded and Anya swallowed as the witch’s eyes turned black with the energy. She closed them once, then reopened them and this time they were flame-red.

“Holy crap,” Anya whispered and dropped Willow’s hand, stumbling backward away from the girl.

“Get down!” Willow ordered, rising off her feet and floating in the air. “Everyone!”

“Oh my God…” Fred gasped as she ducked down as ordered.

Willow’s hand came out, pointing in the direction of a demon directly over the slight Texan, about to strike. From her fingers burst power and as it hit the demon he burst into flames, screaming at the agony of it. She repeated the gesture and saved Dawn from a vampire before turning again to stop yet another enemy from taking out Cordelia. One by one the witch used her energy to stop the onslaught of demons until they were gone.

“Willow…Willow!” Xander cried, approaching her moments later. The girl’s eyes whipped to his and he stepped back a bit at the grimace on her face, ducking in case she fired. Instead of firing she dropped to the ground, exhausted.

No one spoke for a moment. They gathered around the small girl, practically unconscious from the exertion, and Xander took off his jacket, placing it under her head. “She needs to go home and rest,” he told them unnecessarily.

“I’ll say. Quite the light show,” Lorne tried to joke and Willow’s eyes opened. “But next time you want to steal my looks, I’d stay away from the colored contact, precious. Not with your coloring.”

Willow’s lips formed a small smile and then she was out.

“Where’s Buffy?” Angel wanted to know.

“And…Faith, for that matter,” Wesley added and the group began looking around.

“The gun shots…they could have come from anywhere in here,” Fred said nervously. “The echo would throw us off.”

Angel sniffed the air. “There’s blood in the air,” he noted savagely. “It’s not human. It’s not Buffy’s.” How he knew that wasn’t up for discussion. “I can’t smell her. I can’t… She’s not here…” His words were coming almost desperately now and Gunn laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey man, we’ll find her. Chill out.”

“We’ll find them,” Cordelia told him, swallowing her pride.

He sniffed again. “I can only get a faint trace of her scent,” he said absently, eyes darting around. He spun on his heel. “It’s coming from over here. Faith, too. Just barely.”

Without wasting time he jumped over the rocks with catlike grace. “There’s another cavern back here,” he called, his voice sounding throughout the caves.” Angel’s feet pounded the rocks as he stormed inside, looking everyone at once to find Buffy. The smell of blood was strong in here, but it relieved him to know it wasn’t human. It was…

A moan came from somewhere and he looked to his left. Seeing black fabric he headed that way. It was Spike. The blood in the air was Spike.

“Where is she?!” Angel shouted, grabbing the wounded vampire by the collar and shaking him violently. Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted. “Where’s Buffy? Where’d they take her? Where’s Faith?” he demanded, banging Spike’s head against the ground in his fury.

Spike groaned again, lifting a finger and pointing to somewhere behind Angel’s left shoulder. He smiled a sickly, bloody grin before passing out once more.

Gunn, Connor, Dawn and Wesley stumbled to the spot Angel sat, clutching Spike’s collar. “Where is she?” Dawn cried, tears in her eyes. “Where’s my sister? Angel, where is she?”

Angel threw an angry glance back at Dawn. “I don’t know.”

“They shot him and left him here?” Gunn asked, shaking his head. “Man, that woman is cold.”

Wesley didn’t speak, or acknowledge that Gunn was perhaps more right than he knew. “Angel,” he said instead, gently leaning down next to the vampire. “What did he tell you?”

Angel threw Spike down to the ground and stood, turning in the direction Spike had pointed. “He said Buffy and Faith went up there.”

“I’m guessing not willingly,” Connor noted, putting an arm around Dawn.

“The blood I smell is all Spike’s, except for a bit that I can’t identify.” He didn’t mention that now inside this inner cavern he had caught of whiff of Buffy’s blood. Dawn didn’t need to hear that and he didn’t honestly care to think about it. “That’s probably Faith’s.”

“So they took the Slayers and left their all-powerful prophecy vamp?” Gunn wanted to know. “How did they take down two Slayers?”

“And why did they leave Spike?” Wesley mused. “He’s the key to releasing the Gy-ra and starting this apocalypse.”

Angel closed his eyes against the rage that was bubbling inside him. When he opened them again he noted that his friends were looking at him with a bit of fear. Good. That was just fine with him. Because until he got Buffy back, he had no plans to be nice, to make friends, or to enjoy a second of the time they were apart. “Restrain him,” he pointed at Spike. “Get the others. I want them back, now.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight
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