Title: Secrets Don't Make Friends (The Dark Knight Arrives)
Author: DivaDelilah (divadelilah@aol.com)
Description: Set in late Season 4, after Faith has body switched and is in prison.
Adam isn't in play, Spike is working with the Scoobies reluctantly.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the moldy stuff in my fridge. Joss, Mutant
Enemy, and Fox own all…I'm just daydreaming.
Distribution: Fanfiction.net, assorted lists, and anything I okay. (like you'd
want it!)
Feedback: Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!
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The gang had been looking for Buffy and Spike for hours. They had split into
teams, searching the mansion, the Bronze, the campus, the coffee shop, Lowell
House, the dorms, the cemeteries, Buffy's house and even Spike's crypt. So far
they had come up with nothing.
Giles was about to tear his hair out, Willow was babbling nonsensically, and
Anya was complaining loudly about how this would affect her sex life if Buffy
was dead somewhere. Something had to be done. Finally, Xander spoke up.
"I hate to be the one to suggest this. In fact, it makes me wanna puke,
but… Maybe we should call Deadboy and see if he can come and find them.
He knows them both the best. He might even be able to feel if they are trouble,"
he muttered, kicking a dirt clod against a tombstone.
"Excellent idea, Xander. We'll head back to my flat and call him. Hopefully,
this will lead to something more productive than our recent search.," Giles
said tiredly. He hated having to do this, but if what Anya had related to him
was true, they needed every reinforcement they could find in Sunnydale. Their
Slayer's life might depend on it.
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Angel arrived with Cordelia and Wesley in tow an hour later, the latter two
looking extremely worse for the wear. "That is it, mister. The absolute
last time you drive anywhere!" Cordelia shouted.
"Ah, yes, it's good to be home," Angel sighed heavily, winking at
Xander.
"Quite. Angel, the situation is still as I explained on the phone. They
are still missing, and I'm not sure what to think. Do you have any sort of connection
to Buffy that you could track her?" Giles asked anxiously.
Angel closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "I know where she is."
"Really? That is amazing, Angel, you really must tell me how you…"
"He knows because he gave her the place, you ninny," Cordelia replied
impatiently. "It's his old apartment. He gave her a safe house." She
tapped her foot, waiting for everyone to catch up. My God, were they always
this daft? she thought.
"Yes, I did. And what I'm wondering is: why she didn't tell any of you,
and why on Earth you people trust Spike in anything?"
"Well, see, Deadboy, there's this thing called the Initiative, and they
did this electro mojo on Spikey…" Xander began as they walked to car,
all piling in to go find Buffy and his wayward Childe.
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Pulling up in front of the door, Angel stopped the car, and turned to the Watcher.
"So to sum all this up… You think you screwed up some spell to read
Buffy's mind to see if she was under a spell to fall in love with Spike, again,
but it backfired and you think someone else close to Buffy got in. You don't
know who, since it was none of us, and this only works if the next slayer has
been called or the current slayer is close to death. Do I have it straight now?"
Giles nodded, noting that Wesley was looking at him like he'd just flashed
the entire neighborhood. "And no, I didn't bloody condone any of this,
except the most recent spell. As you can see, they all do what they ruddy well
please anyway."
For the first time, the people outside of Angel's employ heard him laugh. "Giles,
I wasn't accusing-" suddenly his head whipped to the building in front
of them. He jumped out of the car and began stalking toward the building angrily.
"Give me a stake," he said, his voice turning flat and deadly. Xander
tossed one out of the car at Angel's retreating form, and gasped when Angel
caught it, one handed without looking.
"That is a man with a mission, my friends," Xander whispered.
Tara shivered against Willow, feeling the hatred in Angel from afar. "I-I
don't think this is going to end w-well," she stammered.
Giles stared at her until Cordelia poked him. "Yes, well, let's go see
if we can be of any assistance."
Wesley snorted in a most un Watcher-like way as they all climbed out of the
convertible somberly. Angel was flinging open the door as they approached and
a feral growl shook even Cordelia down to her bones.
"Oh, shit, " she said, glancing at Wesley. When everyone looked at
her, she explained. "The last time Angel made that sound, we cleaned up
pieces of demon for two days, not to mention how long the carpets stunk."
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