All The White Circles (Part 9)
Jennifer
Part Nine: Buffy
The gang gathers at Giles' apartment yet again. Giles is aware there is a problem but Cordelia didn't tell him what. God, this sucks. First Riley. Now Angel.
"So what's the deal?" Xander pulls a chair around Giles' coffee table and takes a seat. "G-Man said it was an emergency. Fill us in."
I look to Giles for reassurance and then move into the sitting room. Spike is sprawled out on the couch, as usual, so I pick up his feet and drop them onto the floor. I then sit down and look to every one of my friends. "Angel is missing."
"What?" Spike perks up almost immediately. I know he's insanely jealous of the relationship Drusilla and Angelus had and the mere idea that Angel is unaccounted for scares the hell out of him.
"Cordelia called in. He never showed up in LA. He left here over a week ago. Ten days maybe. He should have checked in. Even if he wasn't going right back, he would have told her. With Doyle gone, he wouldn't leave her alone. No matter what went on here."
Willow and Xander both looked at me questioningly. "What did go on there Buffster?" Xander then asked.
"It's not really important. What's important-"
"Buffy," Willow cut me off. "If something happened with Angel,"
"Nothing happened. No, not like that. I just told him that I was giving this thing with Riley a shot. That I'm really moving on. I can't wait anymore."
"Well, this is a good thing."
"It's a hard thing Will. Because no matter what I may have with Riley, Angel is there. He's always going to be there."
"So what does that mean?"
"I don't know. I was with Riley when I called Cordy."
"How is she?" Xander asked.
"She's fine I guess. Busy as a beaver."
"So what do you think is going on?" Giles asked and as is customary with him, removed his glasses to give them a shiny clean.
"I don't know. But he wouldn't just disappear."
"And the ole Slayer sense?" Xander asked.
I shrug. "I'm not sure. I think I'm sort of tapped out from Riley."
"Do you think it's Dru?" Spike asks then.
I look at him. "I don't know. I don't think so. What did you do with her?"
"I put her in a cab out of town. Gave her an address to an old friend."
I sigh. "I don't know what to think. I mean Angel can take care of himself. You seemed to be the only one who could ever really get a hand on him."
Spike grins. "I learned from him."
"Do you think it maybe it could be linked to what happened to Spike?" Willow asked.
"I don't know. Since we don't know what happened to him, we can't really say."
"You know Slayer. Red may be onto to something here. I mean, where they had me. There were others. Vampires, I mean."
"I was making my getaway with another vampire. There were people in white coats. And..."
"Like a hospital Spike?" I ask.
"No, not at all. All kinds of high tech security."
"The military facility here, Xander. Does it have laboratories?"
"I don't know." Xander says. "I didn't exactly get a guided tour."
"This was underground Slayer." Spike adds. "When I got out, I climbed out."
"This doesn't make any sense. There is something going on right under our noses and we can't even figure out what it could be."
"Like some kind of covert operation," Xander grins childishly.
"Like the X-Files," Willow giggles along with him.
I get a sinking feeling in my chest then. "Like a government mission. Classified. Oh my God."
"What?" Five voices speak at once.
"It may not have to do with Angel but Spike I think... No, it can't be." I stand and my breath comes faster.
"Buffy," Giles says. "What?"
"I'm not sure. I've got to get outta here for a while. Look, you guys keep brainstorming. Leave nothing uncovered. X-Files included. I'll be back in a bit." I head for the door.
"But Buffy," Giles follows me.
"I'm not sure yet Giles. I just have take care of something. And maybe it's not Angel but I think it will help us get the old Spike back."
"Oh thank God. He's really starting to agitate me."
I try to smile but find I can't. I leave Giles' apartment and make my way back to Lowell House.
It's dark when I get there. Half the house is out partying and the other probably sleeping. I don't pound on the door tonight. But I knock sternly. One of the undergrads answers the door and lets me right in. They know me now. He tells me Riley is upstairs and that's where I go.
There's light coming through the bottom crack of the door so I assume he's not asleep. I knock softly and then wait. He answers the door yawning and wiping the sleep from his eyes. He's wearing nothing more than a pair of gray boxer briefs underwear and a white t-shirt. God, but he's so utterly adorable. But I force those thoughts from my head, even though the sight of him is enough to make me go gooey. I put my game face on and say, "Riley, we need to talk."
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