I grabbed the crucifix that Buffy had given me for my birthday, and
     several of the stakes that I Xander and I had carved for her, but
     hadn't given her yet. Holy water wouldn't be a bad thing either, so
     I grabbed the small jar I had kept for a while, just in case we
     needed some in a hurry. I wasn't sure how effective any of these
     things would be against Dalton--since he wasn't really a
     vampire--but figured it was better than going in empty handed.

     I was ready to go when I spotted the picture of Xander that I kept
     on my nightstand. I paused to pick it up and stare at his smiling
     face for a few moments. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine that
     he was really standing in front of me, grinning because he'd pulled
     off yet another prank. I felt sick as I thought about all the blood he
     had left behind. I'm sorry I failed you, I told him silently. I traced
     his image with my finger and felt tears trying to well up in my eyes.
     I squelched them and set the picture back down. I didn't have time
     to waste; my Xander needed me.

     I hurried back downstairs, stopping only to leave a short note to
     my parents informing them that Xander and I were going to go out
     for breakfast and were planning to go out hiking for the day. I felt
     bad about lying, but I didn't want them to worry about me. I
     considered calling and leaving a message on Xander's answering
     machine telling his mom the same thing, but decided against it.
     She might actually answer the phone and then I'd have to come
     up with a reason why Xander hadn't called her himself. I also
     figured that if she was looking for him the first place she would call
     was here, and my parents could give her the message. I set the
     note on the kitchen table and headed out.

     As I neared the quarry, I began to have second thoughts. Maybe I
     should have waited for Buffy. She really was more adept at
     dealing with demons and stuff. On the other hand, there was no
     telling when she would show up. She probably had to at least stop
     home to give her mother the illusion that she had been there all
     night. Then, there was no telling when she would be able to give
     her mom the slip. Xander might not have that long to wait. I was
     doing the right thing...I was sure--well, kinda sure, anyway--of it!

     I'm not sure what exactly I expected to see when I reached the
     quarry, but it certainly isn't what I saw. Dalton sure didn't seem
     terribly worried about remaining inconspicuous. He hadn't set up a
     hideout, he had built a whole damn villa! I wondered if it was a
     replica of the one where he had taken Lissette...me? I wished I
     had the ability to remember my past lives. Maybe that would give
     me some insight on how to fight him. Instead, I had only the
     knowledge that I had learned from the passage in the "Demon
     Legends and Lore" book. God, they probably had Xander chained
     up in the torture chamber. I had to hurry and find him before they
     hurt him...hurt him any worse than they already have, I corrected
     myself, the image of blood dripping from the book filling my mind.

     I walked around the perimeter of the large house scouting out a
     way to get inside. I knew that there was no way I would be able to
     just walk through the front door. They were probably waiting for
     me. The best option seemed to be if I was to climb up the trellis
     and use one of the upper-level windows. They wouldn't expect
     that. I was drawn to one particular window, though I wasn't sure
     why it attracted my attention. Instinct just told me that one was the
     one I should use.

     I cautiously climbed up the trellis, praying that my actions were
     going unnoticed. I would be in a lot of trouble if anyone was near
     that window--I could hear the lattice scraping against the building
     as I climbed. I only hoped that no one was close enough to the
     wall to hear it. Fortunately, no one seemed to be coming to check
     out the noise and I reached the window undetected.

     Getting the window open was another matter. I was in kind of an
     awkward position to try to open the window. There was no solid
     ground beneath my feet, and windows weren't meant to be
     opened from the outside. I couldn't get any sort of grasp on it to
     force it up. I fleetingly considered breaking the window, but
     realized that would definitely arouse their attention. But maybe I
     could pry it open. I selected one of the stakes and shoved the
     pointed end into the slight crack at the base of the window.

     I wedged the stake into the crack, forcing it to open wider. At last I
     managed to get it large enough to slip my fingers through. I
     dropped the stake and quickly pushed the window the rest of the
     way open. It wasn't easy maneuvering myself so that I could get
     through the hole, but I was determined to get into the room, so I
     swallowed my pride and flung myself through the window, diving
     to the floor in a very ungraceful movement. Well, at least I was
     inside.

     "Will!" a voice called, startling me. Oh, God, what did I get myself
     into? I whirled to look at the source of the voice. To my relief,
     Xander was standing there staring at me. He was clutching a large
     iron candlestick holder as if it was a baseball bat. It was a good
     thing he had realized who I was before striking me with it. I
     realized how bad this could have turned out. What if it hadn't been
     Xander on the other side of the window? It could have been a
     demon waiting for me...I could have been killed! But it was
     Xander, not a demon, I reminded myself, relaxing somewhat. A
     nearly naked Xander, at that. I could feel my cheeks turning red as
     I stared at him. "Xander! Are you okay?" I blurted, trying to cover
     up my embarrassment.

     "I'm fine," he answered, sounding worried. "But you've got to get
     out of here!" He set down the candle holder and extended his
     hand to me.

     "I know. But we've got to get you out of here, too," I replied, firmly.
     I took hold of his hand and started to rise to my feet. As I rose, I
     caught sight of a metal band on Xander's wrist. Not just a band, I
     realized. A chain. "Oh, geez..." My sight followed the length of the
     chain back to the bedpost. It looked like a very thick and sturdy
     post. There would be no breaking it. "This is bad." I gazed back at
     Xander's face. His dark eyes were filled with concern.

     "I know, but there isn't time for you to worry about me. Get out of
     here now, before you get caught!" he ordered sharply. How could
     he possibly think that I would leave him there? He sighed slightly
     and his expression softened. "Will, I don't want you to get hurt."

     "I'm not leaving you here," I insisted. I'll find a way to get you out
     of this, I promise. Maybe I could somehow pick the lock? I
     grasped his cuffed hand and pulled it closer, examining it. I didn't
     really know much about picking locks, but I did know how they
     worked. If I could find something to jimmy it with...

     "Will, just go! Tell Buffy where I am; send her back for me. I just
     don't want you getting hurt because of me."

     "And I don't want you getting hurt because of me!" I replied. I didn't
     think I would be able to live with myself if Dalton killed Xander
     because of me. I had to find a way to get him loose. I needed
     something small enough to fit into the keyhole. "I need a pin of
     some sort."

     "How about a fork?" Xander suggested after a few moments.

     A fork? Not ideal, but if that was the only thing available..."That
     should do, I guess."

     "There's one over there," he informed me, pointing toward the
     other end of the room. I glanced around the room, trying to find the
     silverware. It was the first look I'd really gotten of the room. It was
     gorgeous! The furniture was all ornately carved out of lustrous
     wood, and the room had been decorated with roses and candles.
     It was hardly torture chamber material! I felt a wave of relief that
     Xander hadn't been tortured during his captivity. In fact, come to
     think of it, there wasn't a mark on him. Then whose blood was all
     over the library? I didn't have time to dwell on the answer,
     because I spotted the fork on the floor near the open chamber
     door. I quickly retrieved it. All but one of the prongs had been
     bent. Xander had obviously already attempted to pick it himself.
     Well, it still didn't hurt to try.

     As I worked on the lock, I could feel Xander's eyes on me. "You've
     done this before?" he asked, his voice full of awe. I could feel
     myself blushing again.

     "Well, no, but if I can jiggle this thing just right, it should open," I
     informed him, trying to convince myself that I could do this. "The
     little tumblers inside will think this is a key..." I was getting
     frustrated. No matter which way I poked the mechanism, the
     tumblers didn't budge. It was almost as if they were held in place
     by magic...perhaps they were! We were dealing with a demon
     after all. I didn't know how much magical ability he would have, but
     maybe--

     Xander pulled his hand away. I gazed up at his face again, a
     sinking feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. He was ready to
     give up. "Will, it's not going to work. You tried." I'm sure he was
     trying to be assuring, but he only made me feel worse. "But you're
     pushing your luck staying here. You have to go." He smiled trying
     to look brave. "It's okay. I meant it when I said I would rather d--"
     NO!

     "Stop it right there!" I cut him off. I didn't want to hear him offering
     his life for mine. There was no way I would let him do it! Didn't he
     understand that if he was to die, he might as well kill me as well?
     Damn Dalton for using him like this! The demon certainly knew
     how to get to me.

     "Will, I--" He was about to do it again. I didn't want to hear it!

     "Don't you think that's how I feel about you?" I blurted, silencing
     him again. "Do you actually think I could sit by and let
     some...some...whatever he is kill you because of me? I could
     never live with myself if..." I felt tears welling up in my eyes again. I
     turned so that he couldn't see me crying. I needed him to
     understand, needed him to know how much he meant to me. Of
     course, he was so dense he probably never would realize what a
     hold he had on my heart. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying
     to keep control of my emotions.

     "Oh, Will...I...I didn't think..."

     You never think! I wanted to scream at him. Then he was behind
     me, pulling me to him, his arms encircling me. I wasn't mad at
     him...I was just frustrated. He tightened his hold on me, and I
     could feel his breath on the back of my neck. My frustration melted
     away. I needed this...I needed to feel the comfort of his closeness.
     I turned into his embrace and wrapped my arms around him,
     returning his gesture.

     My pulse quickened as I pressed against him. The feel of his bare
     skin against me was almost overwhelming. I had always felt tingly
     whenever he had touched me, but this time the feeling was so
     intense that I could barely even stand on my own...in fact, if
     Xander had let go of me, I probably would have fallen. It felt so
     right to be there in his arms. Well, okay maybe not there, but I felt
     so secure in his hold that I had almost forgotten where we were.
     We had to get out. I pulled away before I lost my senses
     completely.

     "I'm going to get you out," I informed him. "Stay here..." Oh, that's
     really good, Willow..."I mean...uh...I'll be right back." I fought the
     urge to return to the security of his arms. It was up to me to get
     him out of this. I had gotten him into it, after all. I turned and
     headed for the door. I was going to need something that could
     break through a chain. Maybe I could find that torture chamber
     and find something useful there...

     "Where are you going?" Xander cried, sounding helpless. "Will,
     stop!"

     I glanced back at him. He looked like he was on the verge of
     panic. "I'm going to see if I can find something we can use to break
     the chain." A second idea popped into my head. Maybe it would
     be easier..."Or something to saw through the post."

     "Will, don't go out there--they're probably waiting for you! Go back
     and get Buffy...or Giles..."

     I ignored him--if I went back for the others, there was no telling
     what would happen to him in the meantime. Doing it myself would
     be much faster. I peered out into the hallway to make sure that the
     coast was clear. Seeing no one, I slipped from the room and stole
     down the deserted corridor.

     As I reached the end of the hall, I grew nervous again. I felt as
     though someone was watching me. Looking around, though, I saw
     no one. I was just being paranoid. I peeked around the corner.
     There was a flight of stairs leading down to the main floor. There
     didn't appear to be anyone standing guard.

     I carefully made my way downstairs, constantly on the lookout for
     anything that moved. I made it to the ground floor without incident,
     but no sooner had I gotten to the bottom of the stairs, I heard
     someone approaching. I had to find some place to hide and quick!
     I scanned my surroundings frantically. There was no place I could
     go...except through the tiny door that was almost hidden in the
     side of the staircase. Maybe it was a closet? I didn't have time to
     find an alternate escape route. I yanked the door open, crawled
     through, and pulled the door shut behind me, leaving me in pitch
     blackness.

     If it was a closet, it certainly was a deep one. I reached out trying
     to find the wall, but it didn't seem to be there. I crawled farther, but
     there didn't seem to be an end to the room. My mind raced. Hadn't
     the passage in the book mentioned that the torture chamber was
     through a tiny door? Maybe this really was a replica of Dalton and
     Lissette's villa...which meant that what I had assumed to be a
     closet was actually a corridor, at the end of which I would possibly
     find something that I could use to free Xander. I slowly rose to my
     feet and tentatively made my way down the hall, my heart
     pounding with each step I took.

     I was only about halfway down the hall when light suddenly filled
     the corridor from the doorway behind me. I whirled around and
     saw the large man who had attacked Xander and I on our way
     home from the Bronze. He was peering through the tiny opening.
     Our eyes connected for just a moment.

     He grinned at me and began to crawl through the tiny door. Oh,
     God, what had I done? I had played straight into their hands...I
     was trapped. Unless, perhaps there was a way out through the
     chamber. I turned and raced down the corridor. I could hear the
     man behind me, but he had been slowed by the confines of the
     doorway. I rounded the bend in the passage and found myself in
     the torture chamber.

     It was just as the book had described. I felt nauseous as I
     observed the carcasses on the floor, the bloodstained weapons
     that lined the walls. I felt faint, but I made myself keep looking
     around. There had to be a way out...unfortunately, if there was, it
     wasn't an obvious way.

     I could hear the brute of a man approaching and knew that I had
     to find a way to get out past him. Maybe I could hide and sneak
     out past him as he's looking for me? But where was there to hide?
     Nowhere...the chamber was pretty much a wide open room. I
     would be a sitting duck. I was going to have to surrender or fight
     him. I can't let Xander down. I grabbed one of the clubs from the
     wall and stood near the entryway, just out of sight. My best
     chance was a surprise attack. If I was lucky I'd knock him out
     before he knew what hit him. My heart was pounding so loud I
     swore that it would give me away. I raised the club over my head
     and, holding my breath, waited for Dalton's goon to poke his head
     into the room.

     As soon as the thug entered the room, I brought the club down on
     him as hard and as fast as I could. To my astonishment, the club
     broke in two. For a moment I stared at the pieces, transfixed. If the
     blow had done that much damage to the club, how much had it
     done to the man...?

     Apparently absolutely none. He roared with fury and turned on
     me. Oh, God, I'm about to die...I scrambled to get away, but my
     moment of hesitation cost me dearly. The man grabbed me and
     hurled me against the wall. I fell to the floor in a daze. Before I
     could clear my head enough to react, he grabbed me again,
     slamming my head against the ground. My vision began to cloud
     over and I could feel myself losing consciousness. In the moments
     before everything went black, my mind focused on only one
     thought...Xander, forgive me.