Chapter 8

 Armed and ready for battle, the watcher and the slayerettes cautiously stepped into the club, making sure that there were no surprises waiting for them inside. Once they were sure it was safe, they allowed themselves to relax and to really look at the place.

The fetid smell of the room was overwhelming. It was obvious that no human being had set foot in the place in months. There were spider webs in every corner and a thick layer of dust on every surface.

"Ewww!" said Cordelia, trying to sound superficial in an effort to hide how truly scared she was. "The Council’s expense account is going to be totally depleted after my dry cleaning bill is paid."

"You can leave whenever you want," said Willow in anger. "No one is stopping you."

 Xander moved closer to Cordelia and took her hand, offering some comfort. He hadn’t missed the shiver that had cursed through her body and the terror in her eyes.

 "So we are in the club, now what?" asked Xander as he turned to look at Giles. "What is the next part of your plan?"

"Well, the Council members should have taken their position outside the club by now," said Giles as he pushed his glasses up. "They are strategically positioned so that they are close enough for the spell to work, but not so close that Angel’s boys can get to them and stop the ritual. Once Angel and Buffy are inside, Oz will use the cell phone to signal the Council to start casting the spell."

"Mr. Giles, what if they don’t show up," asked Oz.

"Angel won’t put Buffy’s life in danger," said Giles, hoping that he was telling the truth. "The demon’s obsession with her runs too deep. He wants her by his side and he will do whatever it takes to keep them together."

"Well, if ‘whatever it takes’ includes backup, I’m ready," said Willow as she pulled a Supersoaker out of her backpack. She looked like a marine, holding her water gun as if she were holding an M-16 rifle.

Giles stared for a moment, truly surprised at Willow’s readiness for battle. "I don’t think we have to worry about that," he said when he was finally able to speak. "Vampires are not exactly known for their loyalty to their leaders. We are too close to dawn for them to risk their lives by getting caught in the daylight."

"What else?" asked Xander, caught up in the excitement. "Do we draw a pentagram, light black candles or burn some incense?"

"No, we’ll leave the spell casting to the council," said Giles, trying not to laugh at the teen’s idiotic ideas. "We just sit tight and wait."

"Oh well, I guess I’ll make myself comfortable," said Xander as he got his snacks out of his backpack and offered to share with the group. "Twinkies anyone?"

"You have got to be kidding," said Cordelia. "I wouldn’t touch the stuff with a ten-foot pole. Just imagine what it could do to my figure."

"I’ll take one," said Oz.

Giles rolled his eyes and turned to look toward where Kendra had been standing. He could tell by her body language that she was perfectly aware of what the consequences could be.

"Kendra are you ready for this?" he asked.

She remained silent for a moment. Was she ready to fight a friend? Could she really put her feelings for Buffy aside and stake the demon if it were necessary?

"She is my friend, my only friend sir," she finally responded. "I know she would try to help me if our positions were reversed, but I’m afraid of what I might have to do if the spell doesn’t work or if she attacks one her friends. How do you kill a friend?"

Now it was Giles’ turn to think. He was so used to defining things either as good or evil, but he couldn’t do that in this case. How do you choose between friendship and duty?

"I don’t know," he said. "I just hope it doesn’t come to that."