Wanted: A Werewolf and A Superman
Red Moon Series, Book 3
Frau Hunter Ash
carrkjar@yahoo.com
carrkjar@pacbell.net
www.hunterash.com
Part 6
Summary: The gang have found Willow in LA and both groups head back
to Sunnydale to take on the threat of Adam.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Come on, Baby,” a voice cooed in Willow’s ear. “Let’s go home.”
Willow mumbled and curled around the arms holding her, welcoming the
warmth and the love radiating from them. Someone was brushing the hair
from her face and the touch was gentle and loving.
That wasn’t Carson, Willow decided and opened her eyes slowly, almost
afraid that she was dreaming or hallucinating.
Scared blue eyes greeted her as Buffy smiled tentatively and Willow knew
immediately the arms holding her were Tara’s.
Willow broke down into tears and pulled Buffy to her as Tara tightened
her hold on the witch.
“Shhh,” Tara whispered, “Its okay, Willow.”
“We’re going home, Wills,” Buffy added.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Willow whimpered.
“Shhh, no more tears,” Buffy said. “Let’s get you dressed and in the
car, we can sleep on the way home.”
“Clothes?” Willow muttered. “Oh Goddess! The moon! I changed! Angel!”
The hacker sat up suddenly, looking around at the strange surroundings.
Buffy and Tara both sat up and wrapped their arms around Willow.
“I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” Willow demanded and began frowning when
she saw Carson asleep on the sofa.
“No, Angel knew what to do,” Buffy explained. “What happened, how did
you get hurt?”
“I was attacked by two vampires at the office where I work,” Willow said
as Buffy handed her one of Angel’s t-shirts and black jeans. “They hit
me on the head but I managed to take them out with a stake.”
Willow frowned at the long legs of the pants and bent over to roll them up.
“I don’t know what happened after that. I guess I passed out. When I
woke up it was almost dark and I could feel the change coming. I knew
Angel’s was closer than my place. I guess I made it,” Willow explained,
rubbing her head.
“Yeah, you did,” Tara agreed and frowned. She reached over from behind
Willow and held up Willow’s left arm, her face questioning. Buffy also
frowned.
“Wills? Your hand?” Buffy asked and Willow began blushing again.
“I healed it last month,” Willow said softly.
“Healed it? How?” Tara asked.
“With magick, how else?” Willow asked impatiently.
“Willow?” Tara asked softly.
“Let’s get her home,” Buffy suggested as Willow wrapped her arms
around her knees.
In an hour, they had Willow bundled in the back seat of the Summers' car
and Angel had made plans to follow to Sunnydale with Carson and Willow’s
things that evening.
Tara sat in the back with Willow’s head on her shoulder as the redhead
lightly napped, her fingers entwined with Tara’s.
Buffy, sitting next to her Mom in the front seat leaned over the back
of the seat and gently stroked Willow’s hair from her face as Tara smiled.
“We've got her back again,” Tara said softly.
“Yeah, let’s hope for good this time. I don’t think I can take many
more of these damned separations and rescues,” Buffy admitted.
“She still won’t let her shields down,” Tara whispered.
“I know,” Buffy said softly.
“It may take longer than Agent Scully and Mulder thought,” Tara commented
as Willow twitched in her sleep.
“For all of us,” Buffy commented.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Xander wrapped Willow in a tight hug the moment she stepped out of
the car and Anya looked on from the front door with a smile.
“Don’t ever do that again, Willow!” Xander growled in her ear.
“I’m sorry, Xan,” she whispered and hugged him back. The redhead smiled
a small smile at Anya and followed the former vengeance demon inside
where Giles waited.
Buffy and the others held back outside for a few moments, with Tara
glancing in the door and watching Willow kneeling in front of Giles’
wheelchair as the Watcher and friend comforted each other.
“Willow,” Giles said softly.
“I’m sorry, Giles,” Willow said softly. “I couldn’t take knowing I
killed someone.’
“I know the evidence is that the werewolf you became may have killed
one of those teenagers but I’m still puzzled about the deaths,” Giles
commented. “There’s something I’d like to try, if you’ll trust me.”
“Giles, I know the only way to get through this is with my friends,”
Willow nodded. “Oz went off alone and found he couldn’t do it without
friends. He just picked the wrong friends.”
“Yes,” Giles agreed. “I’m glad you’re back.”
The rest of the gang entered the living room and Willow settled into an
easy chair. Both Giles and Joyce glanced at each other, catching
the puzzled and slightly hurt looks Buffy and Tara had when they sat
down on the sofa.
“Okay, Wills,” Xander said. “What up? Why did you run away like that?”
“I…I woke up in the sewers…” Willow began. Joyce got up from beside
Giles’ wheelchair and headed to the kitchen to make tea and coffee.
“I was like not clothed and bloody.”
Willow’s voice dropped along with her head as she remembered the full
moon the previous month before.
“If you say anything, Xander, I’ll have to hurt you,” Buffy threatened,
knowing Xander’s typical mind and fantasies of Willow being naked.
“I’m not saying a word, nope, not a word,” Xander promised with a smirk.
“Carson found me and was about to snack on me,” Willow continued.
“Carson?” Giles questioned.
“A local vampire,” Tara threw in.
“He was a nice guy, been around long enough that some of the monster
wore off, as he put it. He took me to his crypt and got me some food
and clothes,” Willow explained.
“Why didn’t you let us find you?” Buffy asked, keeping her voice calm.
“I…I was scared,” Willow admitted. “I…the blood and then a vampire.
I…I didn’t know what had h-happened. I…I was so afraid I had hurt Tara.”
Buffy and Tara were up and then kneeling beside Willow, both holding her.
“Then you called but I saw the bodies in your thoughts, Buffy,” Willow
said softly. “I…I was so confused and just wanted to sleep.”
“I know that one,” Xander smiled, trying to lighten things up.
“We looked for you, how did we miss you at the crypt?” Tara asked.
“You didn’t, sorta,” Willow gave them both a shy half smile. “I was
there and so was Carson.”
“Wills, you weren’t there,” Buffy protested.
“We were, I did a spell and we were invisible,” Willow smiled at
the surprised looks on everyone’s face. “I…I heard you mention
the Initiative…I panicked and we..me and Carson…we left town.”
“Willow, when did you heal your hand?”
“That morning,” Willow admitted. “Something snapped inside, not a
scary snap but a kinda weird feeling. When I…I figured out I was
covered in blood, something clicked and I just did it.”
“And the invisible thing?” Xander asked.
“I remembered that horror movie Sleepwalkers and how the cat people
could go ‘dim,’ and tried it on us,” Willow explained.
“What else have you been able to do?” Tara asked softly.
“A lot of things except cure myself,” Willow snapped and surprised
everyone by dashing up the stairs.
“Whoa!” Xander muttered. “Looks like the heart is healed, too.”
“Agent Scully warned things would be a little unstable,” Joyce commented
as she brought in a tray of coffee and tea for everyone.
“Yeah, should we go up to her?” Tara muttered.
“No, give her a little time,” Buffy suggested.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Willow came back downstairs after an hour, her eyes red and swollen
but she attempted a smile for everyone.
“What’s the plans for tonight?” she asked, sitting down on the sofa
between Buffy and Tara.
“I’m taking a night off from slaying, Tara and I are going to watch
over you,” Buffy explained. “We fixed the cell door.”
“What happened that night?” Willow asked.
“We got hit with an earthquake,” Buffy explained. “The cell door fell
on Tara and you escaped.”
“I…the werewolf didn’t hurt you?” Willow whispered, holding Tara’s hand.
“No, I sent loving emotions through our connection and the wolf just
sniffed me and ran out,” Tara explained.
“Then why did I…why did the…wolf…later?”
“I’m not sure but I’d like to try something,” Giles said.
“You mentioned that,” Willow said, her face puzzled. “What?”
“I want to try and hypnotize you and see if we can find out what
happened that night,” Giles suggested.
“Why?” Willow asked, her voice bitter. “We know I killed someone,
you want me to raise those memories? You want me to remember that?”
“Willow,” Giles said softly.
“What?” Willow snapped. “I don’t want to remember that!”
Buffy wrapped an arm around Willow’s shoulder and glared at Giles.
“I know,” Giles said softly. “I understand that but there’s something
that’s been bothering me about the killings.”
“What? That I killed two people?” Willow whispered, trying not to
break into tears.
“That’s just it, you didn’t,” Giles explained. “The girl was killed
by something or someone else.”
“And the male?”
“Well,” Giles hesitated.
“Right,” Willow muttered.
“Willow, please, trust me?” Giles asked.
“Okay,” Willow said wearily.
“I’d like Buffy and Tara in on this as well,” Giles said. “I have an
idea and we have about four hours before sunset.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“So, the Slayer returns with the runaway witch,” Adam commented as
the demon scurried back down the sewer tunnel.
Riley glanced over at the tall cyborg hybrid.
“Who, Willow?” he asked, still struggling against the control Adam
had over him.
“Yes, my spies tell me that they have returned today with the red-haired
witch with them,” Adam explained. “This could be trouble.”
“Why?” Riley asked. “Last time I saw her, Willow was a basket case.”
“Her presence can only make the Slayer stronger. I miscalculated the
injuries to the Watcher,” Adam admitted.
“What will you do now?”
“Move on with my original plan,” Adam said firmly. “The Slayer and her
group will be dealt with when we take over the town.”
“When is that?” Riley asked.
“A week, then Sunnydale will be ours and we’ll start creating more,”
Adam said.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Willow’s head dropped forward and Joyce watched closely as Tara and Buffy
closed their eyes at the same time.
“Tara, can you connect with her?” Giles asked softly.
The blonde witch nodded and Buffy could feel Tara reaching out, drawing
her in and she dropped her own shield and followed Tara’s lead to Willow.
The steel walls the red-haired witch had set up melted away and she
let them in.
“Buffy, can you see?” Giles asked.
Buffy nodded.
“Willow, go back to that night, go back,” Giles said softly. “Watch
through the wolf’s eyes. Can you see, Buffy?”
“Yes,” Buffy answered slowly. “The earth is moving, it is strange.
The door! It’s down…the human is hurt. She’s human and afraid. I growl
and show my fangs but she doesn’t run. Something is special about her.”
Joyce watched Giles taking quick notes as the three girls held hands
at her table.
“Why doesn’t the wolf attack her?”
“This human is mine,” Buffy answers for the wolf.
“Move forward, Willow-wolf,” Giles instructs. “You’re in the woods and
you see or hear someone.”
“Wolf, I smell a wolf,” Buffy answers for the wolf through her connection
with Tara and Willow. “I see them…the girl is screaming and the wolf is
holding her up high…he’s barking…laughter…he’s enjoying her terror.
Not right…bad…gotta stop him.”
“Oh God,” Giles muttered.
“I growl and he hears me…I growl again…warning him,” Buffy/wolf continues.
“He turns…No!”
Both Giles and Joyce jumped at Buffy’s scream.
“What is happening?” Giles demands.
“He’s ripped her throat out!” Buffy whimpered. “I’m attacking him… claws…
hurts. I look up and he’s gone back to the girl…he’s mauling her…No! I gotta
stop him…he doesn’t belong.”
“What do you mean?” Giles asked softly.
“He’s not right…he doesn’t belong to the earth…he doesn’t belong to
the forest,” Buffy/wolf answered. “I…have to stop him. I attack him
again…with strength. So much fur, so much anger…the blood…so much.”
“Willow, move forward,” Giles instructed. “You’re leaving the forest.”
“Noises…hurt…like screams…dark, like a cave…I climb down…something’s
coming…it hurts!”
Joyce gripped Giles’ hand tightly as Buffy screamed and her eyes
snapped open.
Tara blinked and Willow whimpered.
“Willow, when I reach the number zero, I want you to wake up and
remember what you saw,” Giles instructed. “Three, two, one, zero.”
Willow raised her head and blinked. Then the memories hit and her
eyes widened.
“I attacked a werewolf!” she cried.
“She was trying to protect the girl!” Buffy exclaimed and grabbed Willow
up in a hug of delight.
“Yes, so it seems,” Giles said, smiling at the girls and his fiancé.
“This is most unusual.”
“Maybe it’s not so unusual,” Tara suggested. “Maybe that’s why we
don’t know about many werewolves, they stay away from humans and
protect the forest.”
“That would make sense,” Joyce commented.
“It would also make sense as to why vampires and werewolves hate each
other on a primal level,” Giles pondered. “A vampire is a dead creature
that has been animated, whereas a werewolf might be connected with
nature. Perhaps as part of a different branch of the evolutionary
process.”
“Then how do you explain Willow taking the lycanthropy by using magick,
taking it as a curse?” Tara asked.
“I don’t know, there’s so much to explore with this and I’m afraid we
don’t have time right now,” Giles said as he looked at his watch.
“Well, we know the werewolf won’t hurt us,” Tara protested.
“No, we don’t know that,” Giles said. “We don’t know what would
set the wolf off. The wolf knew you were special but was confused
and unsure how to react to you. What if Xander came bounding in
without knocking, would the wolf consider that an attack?”
“Or what if Spike or Carson dropped in,” Buffy pointed out.
“I’d feel much better being locked up,” Willow said softly, looking
into Tara’s blue eyes. “I know I’d never hurt you or Buffy but I
might hurt a stranger. It’s okay.”
“Let’s get going, gang,” Buffy suggested.
“Right, another night of the full moon,” Willow muttered and turned
in Buffy’s arms to Giles. “Thank you, Giles, this helps a lot.”
“Well, we know you didn’t kill someone innocent, not even as a
werewolf,” Giles pointed out.
“I still tasted blood, human blood,” Willow countered.
“Well, let’s discuss that later, shall we?” he suggested.
Willow frowned at the sight of the man she thought of as a father
in a wheelchair.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Anya answered the door and looked at Angel cautiously.
“May we come in?” the vampire asked.
Anya turned and glanced at Giles as Joyce wheeled him to the door.
The former Watcher and vampire looked at each other for a moment
and he nodded at Joyce.
“Willow and Buffy vouch for you, Mr. Carson,” Joyce commented.
“You are invited and welcome in our home.”
“That means a lot to me, Mrs. Summers,” Carson, standing beside
Angel, said respectfully. “Willow is an amazing young woman.”
Anya stepped aside to let Angel, Carson, Cordelia and Wesley enter.
“Is Willow okay?” Carson asked immediately.
“She’s a little scattered but okay,” Xander answered. “Who are you?”
“I’m Carson, I’m the one that found Willow the morning after her
kill,” the vampire explained.
“Terrific, another dead boy,” Xander complained.
“That would be me,” Carson agreed, grinning cheerfully.
“That is Xander, Anya, I’m Giles and this is Joyce,” Giles said,
introducing everyone to the vampire.
“Pleased to meet Willow’s family, she’s been worried about all
of you,” Carson commented.
“That’s why she called frequently,” Xander muttered.
“That’s why she stayed away after killing someone,” Carson snapped,
his brown eyes flaring.
“Well, we do have news about that,” Giles announced and proceeded
to tell them about the hypnotism session earlier and what they
discovered.
Carson, Angel and Wesley looked stunned; Cordelia looked slightly
bored and tried to ignore Anya glaring at her.
“My God,” Wesley exclaimed. “A non-violent werewolf?”
“I’m not sure I would go that far,” Giles frowned. “Just that she
seemed more connected to the true nature of a wolf rather than the
werewolf demon inhabiting the body.”
“This is fantastic!” Wesley muttered.
“I quite agree,” Giles smiled.
“Where’s Brad?” Xander asked.
“On his way,” Joyce explained. “He’s coming over to help us decide
what to do about Adam and his demons.”
“What do you think Adam’s plans are?” Angel asked.
“Probably the typical thing,” Xander quipped. “Take over Sunnydale,
California and then next world domination.”
“Actually, Xander is on the right track,” Giles said reluctantly.
“We think that Adam is planning on taking over Sunnydale to prove
his superiority to the government and force them to create more of
him. I believe he is intent on creating more on his own and then
getting rid of the demons and vampires he’s working with right now.”
“See, Sunnydale again,” Xander grinned.
“Not that would be like a bad thing,” Anya muttered. “What?” she
demanded when everyone glared at her.
“We’re on the good side, Anya,” Xander reminded the former
vengeance demon.
“Oh right, sorry,” Anya shrugged.
Carson looked at her strangely and Cordelia returned Anya’s
hostile look.
“Any ideas?” Angel asked.
“Well, yes,” Giles said slowly. “I propose an all out attack.”
“How many demons do you think he has gathered?” Carson asked.
“Spike estimates that he’s gathered…well, he thinks the number
is around 100,” Giles muttered.
“What?” Angel demanded and Carson looked stunned.
“Only a 100?” Xander squeaked, his face stunned at the number.
“Aren’t demons usually like very hard to kill?”
“Yes,” Giles nodded.
“What are you planning, a small nuclear device?” Joyce asked.
“Well, I was considering asking for some help,” Giles said slowly.
“From who? Agent Mulder?” Xander questioned.
“Agent?” Angel asked.
“Willow made friends online with someone who turned out to be
an FBI agent,” Anya explained.
“She get busted for her hacking?” Angel asked.
“No, he’s the one that gave her the spell to cure Buffy and curse
herself instead,” Anya continued.
“An FBI agent into the occult?” Carson asked.
“He investigates strange cases,” Joyce added.
“Focus?” Giles suggested. “I was thinking another government agency.”
“Who would help us? The Marines?” Xander asked.
“The Initiative,” Giles muttered.
“Have you lost your mind?” Xander yelled.
“It’s rather simple,” Giles argued. “We have a common enemy, their
job is to fight demons, so is ours. Maybe we should work together
this time.”
“We destroyed their computer base and their center here in Sunnydale,
they won’t even talk to us,” Xander protested.
“Not to mention that Willow will totally freak if you bring the
Initiative in,” Carson warned. “That’s the reason she was willing
to split town.”
“You know,” Angel growled. “You still haven’t explained why you took
her in and left town with her.”
“Angel, back off,” Carson warned. “We slept in the same bed, we did
not have sex! I was helping a stray not fall into the darkness.”
“Wait a minute!” Xander snapped. “You’re a vampire, no soul, no humanity
left. Why should you care if Willow turned to the darkside or not?”
“Why the hell are all of you giving me the third degree because I helped
Willow?” Carson demanded. “Would you be happier if I had drained her
when I found her naked, confused and all bloody?”
“It’s just confusing,” Giles said. “Having Angel go bad on us once was
very difficult and it’s hard to trust anyone vampire.”
“You trust Spike,” Carson growled.
“He’s neutered, you’re not,” Xander pointed out.
“I haven’t killed anyone with my fangs in hundreds of years and I haven’t
turned anyone,” Carson said slowly. “Angel, tell them, damnit.”
“Carson was originally Father Karnstein about a 100 years before I was
born,” Angel began. “I heard about him in the vampire community after
I was turned. He was like all the others for about 50 years and then
the blood sickened him.”
“Call it a psych reflex,” Carson shrugged. “I was a priest and my priest
side caught up with the demon and won. I do drink human blood from willing
people, usually those who think it's part of a kinky sex thing and I drink
from mammals. I found if I drink enough to kill someone, I get very sick.”
“That’s as bad as a chip in Spike’s head,” Xander complained. “A vampire
who psychs himself into being sick? How weird is that?”
“Very weird,” Carson admitted. “Why did I help Willow? Tell them, Angel.”
“I was Angelus at the time,” Angel began explaining again, his eyes
dropping to the carpet. “Carson had met a werewolf, a young girl.
She was lonely, confused and fighting against her own demons. Carson
was trying to show her how to control the wolf and keep her safely locked
away on full moons. I decided to mess with him, I couldn’t stand his
morality and the fact he wasn’t living true to his nature.”
“Angel, if this is too hard, I’m not sure we need to hear about it now,”
Giles suggested.
“No, Carson is right,” Angel said. “You need to be able to trust him.
I took her from him and let the wolf loose, then I worked on the human
mind until she was totally corrupt and enjoyed the kill.”
“Like Oz,” Joyce muttered.
“Yes, from what you tell me,” Angel nodded. “When she went back to
Carson she tried to kill him and he was forced to kill her. She could
have been Willow’s twin.”
“Twin?” Giles asked softly.
“Yes, she was Irish with fiery red hair, soft green eyes, intelligent,
and charming,” Angel said, describing the girl from long ago.
“And you found a red-haired female werewolf, naked in the sewer tunnels
and had to help her?” Giles questioned Carson.
“Something like that,” Carson shrugged. “I was determined to keep her
from the darkside and protect her. I failed Siobhan; I wasn’t going
to fail Willow.”
“Well, that brings us back to the Initiative and what we’re going to
do about Adam,” Giles said, bringing the focus back.
“I still say they won’t even talk to us,” Xander complained. “And I am
not going to be the one to approach Willow with this one, Giles! Damnit,
we just got her back. How can she trust she’s safe with us if we bring
the Initiative into this?”
“I don’t see how we can fight Adam and his demons, especially if we let
him pick the time and place,” Giles countered. “With the Initiative
commandos, we might stand a chance, especially with their advanced weapons.”
“She’s still gonna wig,” Xander said in a sullen voice and Anya held
his hand tightly.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Buffy leaned back into Tara’s arms as they sat on a sleeping bag against
one of the walls of the crypt, watching the werewolf pace restlessly
in the cell. After a half hour, she settled down on a similar sleeping
bag in the cell and curled up, dozing.
“Do you sense something different?” Tara asked softly, not wanting to
disturb the creature.
“Yeah, the wolf isn’t as angry as it was before and Willow is distant,”
Buffy grumbled.
“Scully and Mulder warned that things could be a little rough after
what she went through with the Initiative and I have a f-feeling that
she didn’t deal with it while she w-was gone,” Tara pointed out.
“No, she probably tried to bury it,” Buffy agreed, her arms wrapped
around Tara’s arms which were placed comfortably around the Slayer’s
ribs. “I tried that once, after I killed Angel and sent him to Hell.”
“Willow told me about that,” Tara commented. “They didn’t know at
the time that her spell worked and his soul had returned.”
“Yeah, at the last minute and too late, I didn’t have a choice but
that didn’t make me feel better about killing him,” Buffy growled.
“He had his soul back, no memory of what he had done; he was in my
arms and trusted me totally. I drove a sword through his heart.
I ran away the next day.”
“Did it help?” Tara asked softly.
“No and yes,” Buffy answered, watching the red fur on the werewolf
ripple as the creature changed positions. “It gave me time to get
my head together and in the end it just showed I couldn’t escape
being the Slayer. No, it hurt my family and friends very much
that I didn’t turn to them.”
“Is that why we’re so mad at Willow?” Tara questioned and felt
Buffy jerk in her arms.
“Mad? No, I’m just glad she’s back!” Buffy protested.
“And?” Tara prodded.
Buffy was quiet for a few moments.
“Yeah, I’m upset she didn’t come to us, especially US,” Buffy admitted.
“I’m upset she went running off to LA with some strange vampire. She
didn’t even try and get help from Angel, she totally shut us out.”
“And she still hasn’t let us in,” Tara pointed out. “I-I don’t know
why either.”
“Scully said there would be after affects from the kidnapping and torture
but could it be deeper than that? We didn’t even have a chance to talk
about what they did to her before she disappeared again,” Buffy complained.
“I-I sense s-something has changed and there’s a wall that I-I couldn’t
get around during that hypnotism s-session,” Tara added.
“I know, I saw and felt it,” Buffy nodded. “How could that be with our
connection?”
“Its s-something that she’s built up against herself,” Tara said.
“Something that s-she doesn’t want to see about herself.”
“What could be worse than the werewolf memories?”
“I don’t know, that’s what has m-me s-scared,” Tara admitted and felt
Buffy’s hold on her arms tighten.
“Could it be the magick thing?” Buffy asked with a frown.
“I don’t know, s-she called on dark forces to take the c-curse from you,”
Tara said thoughtfully. “That opens a d-door, you have to b-be careful
what c-comes in.”
“Willow is not evil,” Buffy muttered.
“No, but she may have invited e-evil in,” Tara countered.
“Then we’ll uninvite it with her,” Buffy said firmly.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Willow blinked and snuggled closer into the arms that were holding
her and mumbled something as her senses took in the scent that was
uniquely Buffy. As she began to wake up, Willow realized that Buffy
was holding her and she was nuzzling the Slayer’s neck.
“Morning,” Buffy said softly as Willow opened her eyes.
The redhead sat up slowly, looking down at the t-shirt she was wearing.
It wasn’t the same one she had on before the moon rose in the sky.
“We got you into that after you changed,” Buffy explained. “Didn’t want
you catching a cold.”
“Thanks,” Willow said calmly and pretended she didn’t see the concern
in Buffy’s eyes and in her body language as the Slayer sat up beside her.
“What’s the plans for today and where’s Tara?”
“Well, besides deciding our futures?” Buffy quipped. “Tara is getting
us breakfast and then we need to see Giles and find out what they planned
about how to handle Adam and the demons he’s been gathering.”
“Adam?” Willow questioned.
“Oh boy, forgot,” Buffy moaned. “Willow has been out of the loop.
Let me explain.”
Buffy gave a shortened version of what had been happening in Sunnydale
since Willow left.
“That’s why the vampires were after me,” Willow said thoughtfully,
“they said there was a bounty on me from the demons in Sunnydale.
I didn’t take time to find out more.”
“Good thing, you got whacked pretty good,” Buffy said, praising Willow.
“You said Riley is siding with the cyborg thing?” Willow asked.
“I don’t know,” Buffy growled, wrapping an arm around Willow’s
shoulder and frowned. Willow didn’t shake the arm off but she
didn’t move closer to Buffy either. “When I saw him he was staring
blank, like nothing there, no one home type thing.”
“Could he have a chip?” Willow asked.
“You mean like Spike?”
“Yeah, behavior modification through hooking a chip into the neuro
net of the mind,” Willow said, lost in thought. “Adam is partly cyborg,
meaning they’ve figured out how to tie in the circuits to the brain so
he can access the computer parts of himself.”
“Uh, Wills?” Buffy smiled. “English?”
“We know that Walsh was feeding her soldiers uppers and chemical enhancements,
right?” Willow questioned and Buffy nodded. “We now know that Professor
Walsh apparently worked it out so that the mind and computer can merge
and function in a body. We also know that they perfected a chip that
can control behavior, like the chip in Spike.”
“You sound like Walsh,” Buffy complained and Willow glared for a moment
before returning to her thought.
“Riley is probably under the influence of a chip and being controlled by
Adam,” she muttered.
“You mean Riley isn’t just dumber than advertised?” Buffy smirked.
“No, he probably is,” Willow agreed with a glint in her eyes and Buffy
grinned, glad to see any sign of her old Wills. “But that might explain
his behavior.”
“How does that help us?” Buffy asked.
“I might be able to hack into his chip with the right equipment,
transmitter and my… uh… some magick skills,” Willow suggested.
“And that helps us, how?” Buffy repeated.
“Ever turn someone’s weapon against them in a battle?” Willow grinned
and Buffy smiled, catching on.
TBC
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