“Gin.”
Katrina looked up over her hand of cards and blinked. “What?”
“Gin.”
“Again?” she sighed. “I swear you’re cheating.”
Spike grinned and leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigarette just to irritate her. She coughed her annoyance and threw down her cards. “Want to try poker?” he asked her lazily.
“No,” she pouted prettily and sat back against the cushions of the couch. “I’m not playing any more cards. Thank God we weren’t playing for money, I’d have lost my shirt to you.”
He inhaled deeply and tapped the cigarette on the ashtray before him, resting both arms on his knees as he leaned in to the coffee table. Glancing up at her he gave her body a suggestive sweep of the eyes. “Could lose your shirt to me playing poker, you know.”
She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow as the door to the apartment opened once again and Lilah stepped through. “Thank God,” Katrina murmured, rising to her feet and turning to face her employer.
Lilah eyed the cards on the table and let out a soft snort. “My, how the mighty have fallen. You know, someday, when you’re all-powerful and orchestrating the mass extermination of the human race? I’m going to remember this image with a smile.”
“If you had a telly in this place it wouldn’t have been a problem,” Spike pointed out. “So far, I’m not impressed with your whole operation…unless your plan was to keep me mind-numbingly bored until the apocalypse occurs. If that’s the case, aces for you.”
Lilah tossed her coat over the back of a chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Then let’s get out of here.”
He blinked. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Where to?”
She titled her head to the side condescendingly. “Arrangements have been made, in your favor…no time like the present to get started making you the most formidable vampire in the city.”
“I thought it was ‘in the world.’”
She smirked. “It will be.”
Katrina stood and retrieved her coat, slipping it on and patting down a few stray hairs. “I’ll see you in the morning, with everything you’ve requested at the ready.”
Lilah nodded and bid her goodnight as her assistant slipped out the front door. Her eyes fell on Spike and she raised her eyebrows in question. “Want to take a ride, see a man about a chip?”
*~*~*
Buffy hung up the phone, giving it a good, strong glare before running a tired hand through her hair. Leaning on the counter of the office she put her head down, face first, on top of her crossed arms and wondered exactly how much her back would kill her if she slept this way.
“No luck?” Angel asked her softly, coming up behind her and causing her to jump. “Sorry,” he apologized with a chuckle.
“It’s okay,” she smiled gently and stretched. “Just didn’t know you were there. And no…no luck. Giles isn’t answering his any of the numbers he left me.”
“I’m sure he’ll contact you when he can. If what you say is true, about the girls you see in your dreams, the Watcher’s could be in just as much trouble.”
His words did little to encourage her. “Exactly. He’s still my Watcher. He’s just not here watching me,” she finished with a frown.
Angel sighed good-naturedly. “I just meant…he’s probably lying low, making sure it’s safe before he makes another move. My memory may be a bit on the fuzzy side, but I do remember that Giles is a bit on the cautious side.”
“That hasn’t changed,” she assured him and walked around the counter to get herself a cup of coffee. Taking a sip she made such a face that he chuckled as she poured it out and began to brew a new pot. “Have you found anything new?” she asked as she measured out the grounds and dumped them into the Mr. Coffee.
He shook his head. “Nothing concrete. Wes had to go…he’s got a girlfriend or something to see to…said something about keeping tabs on her and vice-versa…I didn’t really get it…” he trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before shaking it off and returning to the present. “He’s working on something right now. Something about a demon rising up…but I think that’s pretty old hat these days so it’s probably nothing.”
“Same story, different day,” she remarked, and hit the “Start” button on the machine. Turning to face him again she leaned against the coffee stand. “Willow’s just waiting on Lorne with that last ingredient, and we can correct that memory of yours.”
He nodded. “That’ll be good. He called…his normal supplier is working on it, giving us a discount because it’s been such a hassle.”
“Finagling a deal even when under pressure,” she noted. “That’s how you run a business, I guess.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, stifling a yawn, as he watched her from across the room. “You’re tired.”
She looked up at him. “What gave it away? Me catching flies over here or the bags under my eyes big enough to put my wallet in?”
He chuckled. “Why don’t you get some rest? Cat-nap?”
“Can’t…got too much to do.”
“You’re no good without sleep…I remember that too.”
She grinned and looked at him with mock-annoyance. “Are you implying that I get cranky?”
Angel held up his hands in defense. “Hey, even tired you’re still dangerous. I’m just concerned. You haven’t gotten any sleep since you’ve been here, and I’d imagine not much in the last day or two.”
“You’d be right about that,” she conceded. “I could use a few Z’s. I just…can’t. Everyone else is tired, too. Sleep will have to come later.”
“So take off for a half hour. I’ll cover for you. Tell them you’re training, trying to clear your head.”
The idea was tempting and he could tell by the look in her eye he was winning her over. “Well…just a half hour?”
He nodded then ticked his head toward the stairs. “Get out of here. Your secret’s safe with me.”
She nodded guiltily and walked toward him, placing her hand on his arm and squeezing. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “It’s nice…having someone look out for me for a change.”
The moment she touched him a familiar tingle ran up both their spines until he gave her a close-lipped smile and she broke contact, heading out of the office and across the lobby to the stairs. Angel sighed and leaned back against the counter again, eyes closed and chin down.
“This isn’t good,” Cordelia observed, striding into the office and pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“What?” he asked “You found something?”
She gave him an annoyed, knowing look as she took a sip and made a face at the quality of the brew. “You and Buffy. It’s not good. Neither is this coffee.”
Confusion swept his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied.
“Yes, you do,” she countered, no-nonsense. “I don’t care what year it is. You’re still back there, one year after you left her and Sunnydale, and it’s all pain and heartbreak and angst again, isn’t it? I knew it wasn’t a good idea for her to come here, even before I saw those my-hair-dresser-has-a-personal-vendetta-against-me bangs she’s sporting. If they’re in style now, I’m truly hoping not to get my memory back.”
“Cordelia…” he half-sighed, half-grunted.
“Look, all I’m saying is…remember that it’s not three years ago. And from what I’ve gotten out of Willow and Xander…and my most talkative friend Dawn, you and Buffy aren’t so much the buddy-buddy anymore. Did you know that?” she added more gently. “Angel…they said it’s been over a year since any of us have even talked to each other…including you and Buffy. And they wouldn’t say who with, but I get the impression she was…or is…in some kind of relationship. With a guy.”
“I’m not thinking anything,” he protested.
“I think you are,” she told him knowingly. “Why would it be any different then the last times you guys got thrown together? I know about the Day, Angel…remember? I know what it’s been like for you, trying to get past that, to forget it happened. I know what it did to you when you guys fought over Faith. It sent you back to Sunnydale to apologize…and beat up her boyfriend,” she sneered “If that’s not classic I’m-not-over-you jealousy, I don’t know what is. It’s not entirely your fault,” she told him, and he glared at her. “It’s the spell. It’s making you feel all this. When it’s over you’ll go back to normal. Whatever that is. I’m guessing if you haven’t talked in a year, and you’ve got a kid with another woman…” she let the implication hang.
There was silence in the office as the two friends faced each other before, unknowingly, Cordelia mimicked Buffy’s motions of a few minutes earlier and crossed to him, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing. Unlike with the Slayer, there was no familiar tingle to accompany the action. “Angel…I just don’t want you to get hurt. We’re all doing it…remembering how we felt a few years ago…For me…” she looked away, chewing on her lip. “It’s like Doyle just left…so I know what you’re going through. Just try to remember it’s not real, okay? Things are different now. We’ve moved on.”
With a look that might have been contempt, or Cordelia’s attempt at sympathy, she exited the room leaving him alone.
Moved on…
Yeah.
*~*~*
The phone rang once and stopped before ringing twice more and stopping again. The third time it rang a hand reached over for it casually and lifted the receiver off it’s cradle.
“Yes?” a deep male voice answered.
“Two visitors today, and a phone call,” came the reply. The caller did not identify themselves. They didn’t need to.
“Indeed.”
“The Slayer…the other, and a male. And the call came from…”
“The Council.”
“Yes.”
“As I expected. This is…unfortunate, but not a surprise.” He frowned and stared into the roaring fire before him. “And our two detectives? What are they up to?”
“Gone, sir,” the caller gulped with a trace of nervousness. “We’ve got men on it.”
He sighed. “No matter. I know where they’re headed. It will be too late by the time they arrive to make a difference in our plan.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the girl?”
“The other Slayer?”
He sighed impatiently. “Yes.”
“Right where you wanted her. Heard from Phillips over there myself, just today. It was easier than expected, according to him…she’s incapacitated in the medical wing, completely cut off from outsiders.”
“Excellent. It will be carried out in the next twenty-four hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
He hung up the phone with only mild satisfaction and watched the orange flames flicker over the logs. Twenty-four hours…and then on to the last, and biggest, obstacle. She would require the use of more…aggressive forces.
*~*~*
Faith watched the nameless, voiceless girl head down the alley after a single vampire and she fought to scream out to her, to warn her of the danger that lie that direction. Don’t you get it by now? They’re coming for you! They’re there…in the dark…hiding. They’re going to kill you! her mind shrieked but the girl moved noiselessly further into the dark, avoiding trashcans and newspapers that littered the pavement.
At the end of the alley was a sharp right turn that went on maybe another ten feet, then dropped again. The girl produced a stake from her back pocket and held it up, approaching the drop-off. Faith watched her hand trembled as she lifted it with inexperience.
“No…please,” she whimpered, tossing in her sleep. “Don’t make me watch this.”
The girl peered over the edge and found nothing. With little hesitation she leapt to the lower level, landing roughly but managing to keep hold of the stake. The area here was large and Faith realized it was under a highway…above them cars roared by, the occasional horn honked and the lights flickered eerily around them, bouncing off the concrete walls and girders.
“They’re hiding in the shadows,” Faith thought, then realized she’d heard the words spoken out loud. Narrowing her eyes she swept them over the scene in front of her, when to her left she saw movement.
Turning her head slightly, she noticed Buffy at her side.
“We have to help her,” Buffy whispered.
Faith nodded. “I can’t. She can’t hear me.”
“Me either. I tried. Then I saw you, from across, from over there.” Buffy lifted an arm and pointed to somewhere to their right.
Faith felt the panic bubbling in her throat. “What’s going on? B…I saw you. Dead. They killed you. Whatever’s about to get her…it killed you.”
Buffy glanced at her and shook her head. “I saw you, too.”
“It’s not like before…I’m not in a coma, here with a message for you. I don’t know what’s happening.”
“Are you alive?” Buffy asked suddenly.
Faith’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What?”
“You must be, if you’re here. I’m alive, too, Faith.”
“What is this?”
Buffy exhaled, her nostrils flaring as she thought, her eyes never leaving the girl in the middle of the courtyard. “They were warning us…that it’s coming. It’s going to try for us next.”
“What is?”
Buffy ignored her. “There they are.”
Faith followed Buffy’s eyes and saw that the darkness was now moving…figures in black robes stepped out, surrounding the girl. Faith grabbed Buffy’s arm. “We have to help her.”
Buffy shook her head sadly. “I don’t think we can. It’s too late for her.”
Looking back at the courtyard, Faith saw that it was true. Where the demons had been just moments before was empty, save for the body lying in the moonlight…the dark black of blood spreading over the concrete.
Faith glanced back at Buffy, but she was gone. In her place was a demon in black robes. Before Faith could think he raised a knife and plunged it into her—
Faith shouted in her sleep, eyes bolting open. For a full minute, then another, she fought blind panic and tried to slow her breathing. She was in the hospital room. And she wasn’t safe.
*~*~*
“Buffy! Buffy!” Angel growled, crossing the room with vampire speed and grabbing the hysterical arms of the tiny blonde thrashing in her bed. He held her fast as she lashed out, eyes wide open and filled with tears.
“Help her! Help her!” she screamed, salty streaks making their way down her face.
“Buffy! It’s a dream!” he growled, struggling to control her before she hurt one of them, or both.
Buffy’s eyes seemed to clear for a moment and slowly she calmed. “It’s a dream,” he assured her. “All a dream.”
Her breathing came in short pants and choked sobs that eventually slowed as she stared at him dumbly. Finally she moved a hand to her cheek and touched it gingerly, holding it out to see it damp with tears. “It’s not…it’s not a dream. Faith…tonight, tomorrow... Faith’s going to die. Angel, we have to help her.”
He studied her with wide eyes and instantly believed her. Nodding he took her hands in his. “We will. I promise. We won’t let anything happen to her.”
Fresh tears skated their way down her face, dripping onto his sleeve, and he lifted a finger, gently wiping them from her cheek. Her eyes never left his as he caressed her face and suddenly she threw herself into his arms with a forceful hug. It took him by surprise and he hesitated only a moment before wrapping strong arms around her back, engulfing her. His own eyes closed at the pleasure of having her so near again and he ignored the voice of Cordelia in the back of his mind, nagging sense into him.
“It’s okay…shh…Buffy, it’s okay. We’ll save her,” he murmured.
She nodded into his shoulder, pushing the knot of fear down into her stomach. “I can’t…I can’t…”
“Shh…” He rocked her for a minute, then another before pushing her back gently and tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Without thinking he pressed his lips to her forehead, then stiffened when he realized what he was doing and pulled back. Buffy stared at him before looking away uncomfortably.
Angel moved away from her, then cursed himself at how obvious that had looked. “I was coming to wake you up. It’s been an hour and… Tell me what happened,” he tried again when he dared to speak.
Suddenly the sound of footsteps pounded in the hall outside and the door flung open. Dawn, Willow, Xander and Gunn burst through with an assortment of weapons.
“Buffy…are you…what happened?” Dawn cried, running to her sister and throwing her arms around her. “We heard screaming.”
“I’m fine,” Buffy assured her sister. She unwrapped herself from Dawn’s embrace and looked each of her friends in the eye. “Really…I just had another dream.” Buffy took a few deep breaths, wiping at her face again, and told them the details of her dream. “Faith was…contacting me, Angel,” she told him. “It’s happened before…not for a long time, but…”
“I remember,” he said quietly. “I believe you, Buffy. This just means we’re going to have to move up our plans.”
“And try something super stealthy, not to mention stupid,” Xander added. Buffy looked up at him sharply. “Hey, I’m on board here. I’m just saying… You’re talking about breaking Faith out of federal prison. Something not easily done, as much as Hollywood would have us believe.”
“We can do it,” Buffy told him firmly. “We have to. I can’t just sit back and let her die.”
“And we won’t,” Angel agreed. “We’ll stop working on the memory spell and on locating Spike until this is done…we don’t have much time, the sun’s almost down.”
“We have to plan how to break her out of jail in less than twenty four hours?” Gunn asked skeptically. “Like the pressure, do you?”
“We don’t have any choice,” Buffy told him and shakily moved to stand up. Angel offered her his hand and she took it gratefully, pulling herself up until she stood next to him, flanked on her right by Dawn. “We have to help her.”
“We’ll do it, Buffy,” Willow nodded encouragingly. “I know we will.”
“I just hope we’re time,” the Slayer told the group and led them out into the hall.
