Part 14- Rest

"This is bad.. this is bad" Xander turned to Giles, "this *is* bad right?"

Giles cleared his throat, a look of extreme concentration on his face, "Not exactly- if Anya truly is this demon's new love then it means that he won't hurt her but if Anya does matter a lot to the Bakape then that means that it will be harder to get her back."

"That's not comforting me G-man!" Xander began to pace again.

"This is just one demon though- we can take him" Buffy said, determined.

"Are you sure Buffy? I mean would you actually want to take that risk? Look at Faith- she nearly kicked your butt the last time," Willow clamped her mouth shut as she realized she was bringing back bad memories, "I mean- she's a slayer- and a very strong one at that and the Bakape did all this" she waved her hand over all the injuries, "to her without a second thought."

"We have no other choice" Buffy spoke forcefully, "And like Xander said, we're wasting time."

The tension was thick in the room as no one was sure what was going to happen next. Finally Giles broke the silence, "It's nearing dawn. Why don't we all go home and get some rest- even if it is only a few hours. Be back here by sun down and we'll go and fight this thing. Buffy is right- we really don't have any other options. If we all get some rest, it will help us in the fight that is to come."

"Where are you staying Faith?" Willow asked as she got up.

"Not with us, Red" Spike stated, his voice daring anybody to make an objection.

"I understand- it's cool- I'll just get a motel or something"

"You can stay with me" Angel said calmly, finally speaking, the first time since the brunette slayer showed up.

"You sure you want that Deadboy? I mean she'll probably end up staking you in your sleep." Xander added as an after thought, "Not that I'd mind"

"Ok- all of you- out *now*" Giles started his way up the stairs, hoping that the rest of them would get the signal.

"What about Drusilla?" Buffy asked, still not budging from her spot.

The rest of them looked away, "Oh- no you don't! I'm not letting her stay in *my* house!!!!" the blonde slayer nearly screeched but already knowing there really wasn't much of a choice. Xander couldn't protect himself from her if she decided to go skitzo on him and the rest of the two couples had their own issues to get through. "Fine, whatever- but we're doing the de-invite spell as soon as she gets her ass out of my house"

Willow nodded as she realized that Buffy was talking to her. "So- leaving now?"

"Yeah, pet." Spike wrapped an arm around the petite redhead's waist tightly, as if afraid she would be taken away if he held on too loose.

"Nasty slayer, must I, little tree? I do not wish to stay with her." Drusilla pouted.

"I'm sorry Dru, but you're going to have to"

"Hey- this isn't exactly all peachy for me ya know?!" Buffy began to walk out the door. "Come on Drusilla, get your undead ass over here."

"Buffy- Drusilla- please- be nice." Willow begged, ~Goddess- I hope they don't kill each other~

"Whatever" Buffy grumbled as she started her walk home with Drusilla in tow.

"Goodnight dearies" Drusilla addressed the rest of the room as she walked out, following Buffy.

"Night Willster, Fang" Xander nodded towards Willow and Spike, "Deadboy- umm.. Faith"

"We'll be leaving now too" Willow dragged Spike along and left Faith and Angel to talk about.. whatever.

~^~**~^~ "Lying, hypocritical poof" Spike declared as soon as they were farther away from Giles's apartment.

"What are you talking about?" Willow asked confused as she leaned against him, she missed this- she missed *him* so much.

"He was on *my* case for not telling *him* things when he's been hiding all that." His look was a face of disgust as he said the next words, "still has horrible taste in women, he does- another slayer- does he ever learn?"

"Faith? Wait- you mean- as in Angel and Faith?"

Spike smiled slightly at her naivety. "Yeah luv, that's why the room was so full of tension when we left."

"I thought- oh- this all makes sense now." Willow giggled at her stupidity, "Poor Angel."

"Don't know why you feel bad for Peaches, luv. It's probably all his damn fault as it is."

"Spike, that's mean." She reprimanded but she couldn't help but let a small smile slip out.

"Evil, pet- did you happen to forget that?"

"Oh no, of course not" she pretended to shiver.

"You mocking me, Red?" He rose an eyebrow.

"No- what is this mocking you speak of?"

"Red.." he warned.

"Yes Spike" she looked up at him innocently.

"We're getting home, *now*" Spike began to quicken his steps and latched onto Willow's arm as he began to drag her back to the apartment.

"Spike!" she laughed, "Wait up!"

"You're taking too slow" he decided and scooped her up into his arms.

"Spike!" she squealed again, "I can walk you know. That's what legs are for."

"Pet, now is not the time to talk about your gorgeous body parts."

"You have a sick mind, you know that?" She kissed him gently, "But I love you anyway"

"I love you too, pet. And when we finally get home, I'm going to prove to you just exactly how much." He waggled his eyebrows and the redhead couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

~^~**~^~

Faith tried to stand up but it just hurt too much, she gripped the side of the table and bit her lip ~Get a hold of yourself~ She leaned her weight on her other foot and looked up to see Angel hovering over her, a worried look on his handsome face. She smiled slightly, "I know- We need to talk"

~^~**~^~

Part 15- Decisions

When Spike finally got back to the apartment, he nearly tripped over himself in anticipation. He dropped Willow onto the bed and she bounced a few times on it. A few giggles slipped out of her mouth and before she could make a comment he pounced on her mouth.. and the rest of her body for that matter.

She reluctantly pushed him away when she broke the kiss, `Need.. to.. breathe" Her chest heaved as she sucked in lungfuls of breath.

"Pesky human need" Spike muttered as he unbuttoned his shirt. When Willow's breathing returned to normal he attacked her mouth again with a hungry kiss. The redhead pushed the silk shirt off his shoulders and it fell to the floor, forgotten as the couple traveled further onto the bed, never breaking the kiss. The blonde demon moved his mouth over to her ear and began to nibble on her ear lobe as his fingers began to unbutton and unzip her jeans. Spike kissed his way down her neck until he reached her shirt. He frowned, then deciding to go with instinct, and ripped her shirt in half.

"I liked that shirt!" Spike merely shot her a sexy grin and threw the tattered material over the edge of the bed. He pulled off her jeans and threw that away as well. Willow's hands weren't idle as she fumbled with the zipper and button of his black jeans, mentally cursing Levi's. When she finally got them past his hip, the clever hacker used her feet to push them off of him and he kicked them off the bed.

Willow was eager to get him inside of her but Spike wasn't having any of it. He crawled on top of her and held both her hands together above her head with one hand.

"Spike" she whined, but seeing the look he had on his face she knew she was going to get nowhere that way. So in all fairness, she did the only thing that she could think of to distract him. Willow wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed the lower half of his body down, the head of his cock coming in contact with her clit. Using the moment of surprise she flipped them, with the help of Spike, proving he was no longer interested in foreplay. The redhead lifted herself above him, positioned him, then lowered herself onto him with a hiss.

"Oh gods, oh gods- Spike- oh" She moaned out in between thrusts, driving herself harder onto him each time.

Spike gripped her hips tightly and rolled them over so she was on her back. As he felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge he gritted out, "Come for me baby. Come on."

Willow's head fell backwards as she arched her body up, her orgasm ripping through her. The feel of her muscles contracting around him sent him over the edge and he grunted as his release was shot into her quaking womb. Spike remained inside her, their foreheads touching, as they both were still recovering from the intense coupling. Finally, he pulled out of her and both the pixie and the demon drifted off to sleep- wrapped in each other's arms.

~^~**~^~

Faith got as far as five steps from Giles's door before she let out a groan. She bit her lip as she realized what a mistake that was because the next second, Angel was all over her.

"You can't walk, Faith. You're having enough trouble standing." He reasoned trying to get through her stubbornness.

"I'm ok- I'll be fine. It's just gonna.. take me awhile- but I'll get there."

"At this rate by the time we make it to the suite it's going to be sunrise."

The pretty brunette cocked her head to the side, "Why did you rent out a suite?"

"I like having my own personal space" the older vampire defended. He shook his head when he saw the pained _expression covering her face, ~Screw it~ Angel lifted her up into his arms, "I'm only doing this because I don't want to be dust" She merely smiled back, appreciation shown in her eyes.

The rest of the walk was made in silence until they arrived at the hotel. It was the only high class hotel in Sunnydale and because the Hellmouth wasn't a very popular tourist location the guests were scarce. Angel walked in through the doors, Faith still in his arms- neither caring about the confused and amused looks that were shot at them by the hotel employees.

When they finally reached the room, Angel insisted on carrying her through the door and into the room, despite her many protests. After another half hour, both were finally settled in. Faith smoothed out the covers that were now wrapped around the lower half of her body as she was sitting up, leaning against the headboard. Across the room from her was Angel who was resting on a plush chair, his eyes unreadable. Both were waiting for the other to make a move. The brunette slayer looked up at the ceiling to gather her thoughts and finally, she spoke up.

"I really don't know where to start."

"Why did you attack them, even after.. everything" Angel silently hoped his vague question included enough details for her to understand what he was talking about.

"They're not my friends, Angel. Ever since the beginning of this whole thing I've been against Buffy and the rest of her precious Scooby Gang. The only reason why I'm helping them fight right now is because I need their help and because I want to kick some demon ass. But when this is over, I'm gone."

"Why do you do that? Why do you always leave just when things are starting to change for the better?"

"They won't change. I know they won't. Don't you remember all the shit that I've put every one of them through- and vice versa. I fucked B's boyfriend among other things, I used Xander like a sex toy, I kidnapped Red, and I helped an insane mayor on his plan to become a demon. I've already lost track how many times I've tried to kill them all. You don't just forget those kinds of things overnight, no matter how much you want to." Faith's tone was resolved.

"I was there Faith, I know what you did. I killed Willow's fish, I punched Xander- hard in the face, I killed Giles's only love and then proceeded to torture him for hours, and don't even get me started on all that I did to Buffy. We've all made our.. mistakes to put it very lightly but they can be forgiven. If they can forgive me for all that I put them through, then they can forgive you." Angel reasoned, still not willing to give up on her.

"How do you know I want them to forgive me? Maybe I like being the way I am."

"If you did, then you wouldn't be arguing with me- You wouldn't actually be listening to the words that are coming out of my mouth. Because inside, you know they're true. You still have a chance, Faith. And I'll be here for you if you need my help."

The brunette slayer looked down and began to wring her hands together. Her nervousness and worry getting the best of her, making her feel foolish. She looked up, her decision made, "I can't stay here- after this whole thing ends, I have to leave."

Angel's face dropped and he looked at her with a sad _expression until he heard her next words, "I was hoping that I could go to LA with you- fully for my own benefit of course."

The teasing tone in her last words brought a smile to his face, which was a rarity at that.

~^~**~^~

"Do I have to invite you in?" Buffy asked the pointless question in annoyance.

Drusilla stood on the porch, waiting for the words to be said. No words coming from her own mouth, as she decided against speaking with the nasty tart.

"I mean maybe it won't be that bad to sleep on the porch. Willow didn't exactly specify that you had to be indoors." The blonde slayer rambled on. "But if you turn into dust she won't be all that happy with me, and an unhappy Willow is not of the good." She let out a sigh and said reluctantly, "Come in Drusilla."

~^~**~^~

"Your home sings. It's singing to me" Drusilla commented as she stepped through the threshold, speaking as if it were completely normal to say that someone's house was singing.

"Really.. now?" Buffy began slowly, "I knew this was a mistake" she muttered before walking to the guest room, "Ok, follow me- guest room is here. Bathroom is there. Here are some blankets for the windows so you won't turn crispy in the morning."

Buffy left her standing there to go into her own room. After she finished changing, the slayer stepped back out into the hallway to head to the bathroom when she saw Drusilla still standing there, unmoving. "Do you plan to move anytime soon?"

"I'm a princess"

~I feel a headache coming on~ "That's *great* Drusilla. Now get your royal ass into bed or at least get out of my way!"

"Princesses don't do work. They are to be served."

"Is there a point to this?" Buffy asked as she massaged her forehead.

Drusilla held out the blankets and Buffy stared at her absently. When she finally got it she shook her head with a laugh, "Oh- no- I don't think so. I am *not* your freaking servant!" Seeing as to how the vampiress wasn't budging, Buffy gave up and snatched the blankets from her. After setting everything up Buffy went into her room and grabbed a night shirt and then threw it at Drusilla, "I don't think you're gonna wanna sleep in that so change."

She turned around and headed off to the bathroom, searching desperately for an Advil. When she got out she saw that Drusilla was indeed in the shirt but she wasn't in bed. "What is it now?"

"I want a story" her tone and words made her sound a lot like a 3-year-old.

"You have got to be kidding me" After a few more moments of just staring at each other Buffy threw up her hands and pushed Drusilla into the guestroom, ~I can't believe I'm actually going to do this!~ The blonde managed to get her into the bed and she had her hand on the light switch. "Ok- once upon a time there was this sl- umm.. warrior. This warrior was special because she was a woman. Except she had extremely bad luck because the powers that be liked to screw with her life every chance they could get. They seem to find amusement in her frustrations. So anyhow one day the ultimate challenge was set in front of the warrior when an annoying ass princess comes to stay with her, by force I might add. However because the warrior is such a giving and wonderful character they managed to make it through. Moral of the story- if you want to stay solid and not turn into dust particles by morning- don't piss me off." Buffy turned off the light and added with a sweet smile and fake enthusiasm, "Night!"

~^~**~^~

Part 16- Taken

Buffy woke to the sound of whimpering. Her eyes shot open and when her mind processed who it was she dropped her arms onto the covers deflatedly and let out a groan. "What now?" She moved into the hallway and knocked on the door to the guest room insistently, "Drusilla, are you ok?" ~Note to self- make Willow buy me those boots that I saw at DKNY- she owes me after this!~

The blonde slayer opened the door and turned on the light. She saw Drusilla curled up into a feral position, her whimpers getting louder. Buffy's caring instincts kicked in and she walked to the bed and wrapped her arms around the shivering vampiress. After a few minutes, Buffy finally let go- convinced that she was asleep. ~Ok- now.. let's just pretend that never happened~ But before she could make it to the door, a feminine voice spoke, "Dear girl- sweet and sour- like strawberries"

~Damn.. no such luck~ Buffy turned around and looked at the hazy eyes of the raven haired vampire, "I just came in to check up on you, why- is beyond me. But now that I know that you're ok- I'm gonna leave."

"No worries, dear strawberry- the wounds will close. Do not pour the salt though dearie, or old ones will re-open."

Deciding to ignore Drusilla's cryptic response, Buffy let out a small smile and closed the door.

~^~**~^~

"When are we going?" Xander asked, tapping his fingers impatiently against the table.

"After we all get our weapons." Buffy stated, then rolled her eyes when nobody got up, "As in now people"

While everyone moved to grab their preferred weapon, Willow and Buffy stood off to the side.

"You didn't kill her, I'm proud of you" The redhead said with a laugh.

"It was one of the toughest obstacles that I've ever had to go through- and I'm a Slayer." The blonde shuddered as she stuffed a knife into her boot, "cruel and unusual torture I tell you. She made me tell her a bedtime story!"

"Did you?"

Buffy held her head down in shame and muttered, "sorta"

Willow burst out into laughter but managed to control it when the blonde slapped her in the stomach, "It's *not* funny!"

"Yes, it is. I'm sorry- but the image of you telling a story to Dru is just.. too funny"

"Glad you're finding this so amusing" She retorted dryly before moving to join the others.

The redhead cleared her throat, "Sorry- sorry- I'm done. I promise"

"Uh huh" Buffy replied, not believing a word that Willow was saying.

"Is Faith coming with us?" Willow asked, blatantly ignoring the looks that Buffy was shooting at her.

The brunette nodded affirmatively, "I wanna kick some demon ass"

Giles looked around the room, "Is everyone ready then? Alright, let's go"

~^~**~^~

"Are we going for the sneaky approach or are we just gonna go in there.. and umm.. save her?" Willow asked, her grip tightening on the axe she was holding.

"We don't have time for sneakiness- enough of the waiting. We are going in there and saving her!" Xander said firmly.

"The odds are on our side if we use the element of surprise so I suppose Xander is correct in saying that we should just attack. He is correct- time is running out." Giles replied before quieting down as they were nearing the mansion.

"Here we are." Buffy looked around at the rest of the group, "Ready?" She nodded towards Willow and the witch acknowledged her by directing her powers toward the seemingly weak wooden door.

"It's guarded by magic- I can feel it." The redhead said and rubbed her hands together, gathering her powers. "Attenuo" A bolt of red swirling lights was thrown at the door and Willow could feel its magic wearing off, "Buffy, now!"

Buffy looked to Angel and the vampire immediately knew what she was thinking. Together they both ran at the door, ramming their sides into it and they fell through, landing onto the wooden pieces. The others quickly rushed in behind the two. While the vampire and slayer dusted themselves off they heard a voice call out, "I knew you were to come. Now it's time for some fun."

Suddenly, Xander turned to Angel, the young brunette's eyes unexpectedly losing the clarity they had only seconds before and began to attack the confused vampire. Before any of the others could make a move the demon appeared in front of them and smirked. The Bakape held out one hand and a blue ball was formed, levitating above the palm. He whipped his hand back and threw it towards Giles, Buffy, Spike, and Faith. 5 angry and muscular demons appeared after the blue smoke faded away.

"It's just an illusion!" Spike yelled over the fighting as he began to block and attack.

"Illusion, my ass!" Buffy kicked one of the demons in the stomach and it merely stumbled back a few inches.

"Fight it! Believe it's not real!" The bleached blonde demon suggested as he decapitated one with a swish of an axe. He turned away to help a struggling Giles but when he turned back he saw that the demon he beheaded only moments earlier, had grown a new head. "Oh- bloody hell."

~^~**~^~

"Xander- snap out of it! I really don't want to hurt you!" Angel twisted Xander's arm back, effectively stopping him without hurting him, "I can't believe I just said that" The older vampire was having a hard time controlling the squirming brunette and opted for an easier method, ~You leave me no choice~ he threw Xander's body against the wall. The young brunette's unmoving body slumped to the ground, "Sorry"

~^~**~^~

Willow held out both her hands, her mind struggling to keep up the dome of protection that was currently formed around her and Drusilla. ~Little tree- can you hear me?~ A confused look covered the pretty redhead's face as she tried to figure out if it was really Drusilla's voice in her head.

~Drusilla?~

~Yes, little one. Go look for the other- I will keep him at bay.~

~Are you sure you can handle it?~

~Go~

Without any more further urging Willow ran out of the circle and followed her instinct and ran up the stairs, searching for Anya.

~^~**~^~

~Shit! Shit!~ Faith was on the ground and the demon was closing in on her. She looked frantically to the others. Angel was struggling with Xander. Willow and Drusilla were using their magics to fight the Bakape. The rest of the group was having trouble with the unkillable demons. Her brown eyes looked into the empty and blank eyes of the demon, ~You're not real.. you're not real~ And for a moment, she actually believed it. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for it to strike but it never came. She opened her eyes again and saw that in place of the demon was a cloud of blue smoke. ~Holy shit- Blondie was right!~

Excited with the new found information she ran to the others and yelled out Spike's name to get his attention. He whipped around, knowing exactly who it was, and kicked her in her midsection. She stumbled backwards with an "oof" Her eyes flashed with anger, "Dumbass! It's me!"

"My mistake" he replied with fake sincerity.

~^~**~^~

~They're not real. They're not real. They're not real.~ Faith repeated the mantra over and over in her head and soon, one by one- each of the demons disappeared into blue clouds of smoke. Buffy had a confused look on her face but didn't have time to comment when she saw what was happening to Drusilla. It looked as if the energy and power was being slowly sucked out of her. Before the enraged slayer could make a move, Angel attacked him with a beastly growl. He pounced on the Bakape, sending it flying onto the ground with Angel right above him. The older vampire continued to punch the demon, harder and harder each time. "*Do* *not* *touch* *my* *childe*!"

The demon was weak from it all, the casting of the spells, the mind control- and he hadn't even begun to suck the energy from Drusilla. Understanding his fate he looked up at the pissed off vampire above him and with a smirk he placed his hand on Angel's unbeating heart, putting all his leftover energy into this one last task. There was an unnatural yellow glow appearing in Angel's eyes and in the palm of the Bakape demon. After it disappeared, the vampire twisted the Bakape's neck and the sickening crack echoed through the room that was now silent.

Drusilla's hazy eyes opened and suddenly she scampered back against Spike, whimpering. "Daddy's back"

~^~**~^~

Part 17- Gone

"What?!" Buffy screeched, her eyes desperately searching for a weapon ~Great! One evil demon down- another to go!~

"Shit!" Spike cursed and did the only sensible thing he could think of. He ran up to his sire who was still kneeling on the ground and kicked him hard in the back of the head. The older vampire's body slumped onto the ground, knocked unconscious.

"I found her!" Willow yelled from the top of the stairs, appearing with a limping Anya. The redhead had her arms wrapped around the ex-demon as they made their way down the stairs. She sensed the discomfort in the group and asked, "What happened?"

~^~**~^~

"It's all wrong! All wrong!" Drusilla was now in a sitting position, her back against the stone wall.

"Dru, luv? What's all wrong?" Spike's tone was soothing, at times like this only him and Angel could get her to calm down.

"It's gone. He took it away. All gone."

The blonde demon turned back to the rest of the group, "You guys go on ahead- I'll deal with her."

"What are we going to do about Angelus?" Willow asked, still holding onto Anya.

"Chain him up- only option we have left until you can do the spell." Buffy turned her head and finally noticed Xander's unmoving body. "Shit- Xander!"

"What? Xander- oh god- is he ok?" Anya asked frantically. Willow rubbed her back comfortingly, trying to calm her down.

"Xander! Xander!" Buffy continued to shake him until his eyes reopened and he asked shakily, "huh? What happened?"

"You were knocked unconscious. You ok?"

"Yea- I'm just a bit dizzy."

Buffy helped him up and he managed to regain balance, "Can you walk?" At his reassuring nod she let him go gently and moved to Angelus.

"There's no way I can move him. And I'm not risking the chance that he might wake up." The slayer said decidedly.

"I'll run to the van to get some chains." Faith offered and at Buffy's nod she was on her way.

"Spike- any luck with Drusilla?" the blonde slayer asked, turning her focus to the two vampires.

"She's really out of it. Something's worrying her." He answered without turning around.

With worried eyes Buffy turned to her Watcher, "What are we going to do Giles?"

"Stay calm, Buffy. We'll get through this. We always do."

~^~**~^~

The Orb of Thesulah began to glow as Willow continued to chant. Angelus started to laugh as he felt the power surge through him.

"Little one- stop trying. It's not going to work!"

The witch ignored his words and continued with the spell. Buffy looked worriedly to Giles, "Isn't it supposed to be working now?"

Suddenly, the power of possession left Willow and the redhead fell weakly onto the floor of the mansion. Spike hurried to her side and whispered words of comfort as he rocked her back and forth. He looked up and turned to Buffy, "It didn't work. Something doesn't feel right."

"How could it *not* work?" The Slayer looked at her Watcher confused, "It worked last time!"

"I don't know. This whole situation is quite odd as it is." Giles stated as he continued to think of what could have gone wrong.

"Giles, that's not helping me!" The blonde slayer began to pace hurriedly and then looked to Angelus who had a self satisfied smirk on his face. She brought her foot back and kicked him hard in the upper thigh section. "Next time I won't miss" she hissed out threateningly. "Now- tell me what you know."

~^~**~^~

"It's gone- all gone." Drusilla repeated again as she rocked back and forth on the chair. Xander unwrapped his arms around Anya and moved in front of Drusilla, kneeling in front of her. While the rest of the group remained at the mansion to deal with Angelus and cursing him with a soul again, Faith, Xander, Anya and Drusilla were sent back to Giles's apartment to try to calm the vampiress down.

"Why aren't you more afraid of her?" Anya asked as she joined Xander on the floor.

"I honestly don't know, especially considering how she's tried to kill me before.. a couple of times actually. But she comforted me when you were gone and it helped me get through it all; only fair for me to do the same for her when she needs it." The young brunette gave his girlfriend a loving hug before returning his focuses onto Drusilla.

"Well, it seems little ol' Xander is all growed up now" Faith quipped from her seat on the couch.

Before Xander could make a remark, Drusilla shot out of the chair and began to swirl in circles around Giles's living room, "It's all changing- the spark- it's moving."

~^~**~^~

"Nothing, absolutely *nothing* at *all*, *Buffy*" Angelus replied, the smirk still on his face.

A flash of annoyance passed onto Buffy's face and, fed up, she kicked him hard in the area where she had threatened before, but he never thought she would.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear," her tone took up one of promise and was icy, "Now tell me what you know, or else you won't like the results of what is going to happen to you."

Groaning slightly, Angelus regained control of his demon, disgusted at having to cooperate with a slayer. Yea, ok, not exactly the first thing he wanted to do when he just got back but, hell, he liked his cock right where it was- attached to his body. "You can't curse me again."

"Yea, we kinda figured that out dumbass. Give me a little something more!" The annoyance and weariness was obvious in Buffy's voice.

"I thought I was always what you wanted, *slayer*" He retorted, though knowing better. Honestly, he wasn't exactly in a position to taunt.

"Past tense, lover. Well, ex- get over it sweetcakes- I've moved on." Buffy's eyes turned hard again, "Now tell me what you know"

~^~**~^~

Xander, Anya, and Faith all stood back and watched Drusilla dance around in circles.

"She's been going at it for, like, 15 minutes. I'm surprised she hasn't passed out from all the spinning." Faith commented as she looked to Xander, "You plan to stop her anytime soon?"

"Well," Xander began unsurely, "Spike said that when she gets like this it's best to let her go through with it and that she should stop on her own."

"And you believe the bleached idiot?" The slayer asked skeptically.

"You got any better ideas?"

She paused for a moment, "Well, we could always restrain her."

"I'm always up for a little bondage fun but even I'm agreeing with Xander on this one. She's not doing anything to hurt us or herself so we should just leave her be." Anya suggested as she went into the kitchen, determined to go about their normal routine.

Drusilla stopped in mid-spin, "It's all changing. Everything's different. I feel it in the air. The moon, it whispers such wonderful things." She held a hand to her ear and leaned upwards, "pss.. pss.. pss.. Do you hear it?"

"Well, at least she stopped." Faith went back to reading her magazine.

The vampiress went on as if Faith never even spoke. "She will find the spark. The sweet strawberry will change it all." Drusilla looked around the room, deciding that none of them would help her in her mission. She sprinted out the door and in the direction towards where the others were.

~^~**~^~

"The soul, it's gone."

Buffy raised an eyebrow, "What in the *hell* are you talking about?"

Angelus opened his hands as he continued to explain, "When the demon died, it took it with him. And when I killed it, the soul went with the power of the demon. And now that the demon is dead, there's no way to get the soul back."

"I don't believe you"

"Well, slayer, tough luck because that's the truth."

"I-" Buffy stopped herself and turned around to face Giles, the distress clear on her face. She walked up to him and spoke in a hushed tone, "What do you think?"

Giles led her out of the room and when they were a safe distance away from their captive he spoke his opinion, "I think he speaks the truth, to a certain extent at least."

"What are you talking about, Giles? What did he mean by the soul went with the power of the demon?"

"The Bakape is a special breed of demon, highly powerful and very rare. When one is killed the power is divided among the rest of the living demons. The only exception to the rule is if you destroy the power source, in the form of a gem, on the demon's head before you exterminate it. If you recall, Angelus didn't do that before he killed it."

"So where did the soul go?"

"One of the remaining demons must have it."

"Well, how do we get it back?"

"You have to find the demon that has it."

~^~**~^~

Part 18- Prepare

"And how, exactly, do you propose we do that?" Buffy asked, her nerves on the edge from the events of the evening.

"Willow should be able to do a simple locator spell to locate the demon." Giles rubbed his forehead, "I'm not positive on the exact details, but after that we should be able to get Angel's soul back." He paused, "Perhaps a transition spell to put the soul into the proper body."

Before Buffy could reply, Drusilla suddenly burst through the door. "Drusilla! What are you doing here?" Buffy looked behind the vampiress, expecting the others to be joining her, "And where are the others?"

After a few more moments, Faith, Xander, and Anya ran through the door.

"Drusilla.. ran.. away.. crazy," Xander panted out, putting his hands on his knees.

"Drusilla ran away right after this crazy outburst of hers." Anya clarified, "Like now."

She pointed to the spinning vampiress who was yelling out, "I feel it all in my head. Calling." Drusilla stopped her spinning and walked gracefully over to Buffy, "Dear strawberry, you shall change it all."

"What the hell is she talking about?" Faith demanded.

~^~**~^~

"The soul is in one of the remaining demons?" Faith repeated, bewildered.

"Correct," Giles answered.

"As in Deadboy's soul?" Xander asked, trying to comprehend everything. At Giles's nod he asked, "Are you sure Will can do the spell? And speaking of which, where is she?"

"Somebody ask for me?" Willow asked as she walked into the room with Spike behind her. "I got the extra chains you wanted, Buffy." She walked over to the slayer and handed the restraints over to her.

"Will, umm.. you kinda missed a few things." Buffy started.

"Again? Why do I always leave the room when the important stuff is happening?" She asked to nobody in particular.

"Well, you see- we need you to do a spell, a couple actually."

Willow raised an eyebrow and leaned back into Spike's embrace, "Ok- explain."

~^~**~^~

Willow sat in the center of the circle with a candle placed in front of her. A map was positioned beyond the circle and, after making sure everything was in place, she lit the candle and began the spell. Tightly clutching the crystal in hand, she said the words. "Aperio," she sprinkled the herbs onto the map. "Detectum," she held the crystal over the map, "Invenio." The crystal moved on it's own accord over the map and pointed to the city of, "Venice, Italy," Willow said audibly.

"Venice?" Buffy repeated, then wondered aloud, "Why would a demon be in Venice?"

"Maybe it likes Italian culture?" Xander joked. At the dirty looks he got from most of the group he quieted down. "Yeah, ok- being quiet now."

Anya gave her boyfriend a comforting pat on the shoulder and said reassuringly, "I thought it was funny, sweetie."

"Actually, the spell I did tells us where the soul is, not the demon. When we actually get to Venice, I'll have to do a more complicated spell to find the demon."

Faith looked to Buffy, "We going to Venice then, B?"

"I guess"

~^~**~^~

Buffy stuffed the last shirt into her suitcase, zipped it up, and then sat her on her bed with a defeated sigh. It was decided that she, Faith, and Willow were to go to Venice, find the demon, kick the demon's ass if it wouldn't cooperate, then retrieve Angel's soul.

Originally, she didn't want to go, thinking Faith and Willow could handle it. After all- Faith was the one Angel loved now. But, Drusilla kept on insisting that her "dear strawberry" would be the one to change it all. The blonde slayer rolled her eyes at that thought and fell back onto her bed that bounced a few times after the action.

Sometimes all she wanted to do was just fade into the background and not be the center of attention. To just be able to live out her day in peace instead of being bombarded by all these life-threatening tasks. It got tiring after awhile, and she just wanted her rest. Getting up and dragging her suitcase to the door, she sighed and shook the wistful thoughts out of her mind. Now was not the time to dream about a hopeless future, now was the time to focus.

~^~**~^~

"Luv, do you have to leave?" Spike whined as he threw the shirt that Willow had previously put in the suitcase back into the closet.

"Yes, Spike, I do," she replied, folding up a pair of jeans and putting it into the suitcase. She turned around and grabbed a few more shirts, not noticing that Spike was throwing the jeans that she had just folded back into the closet, too.

"I don't see why the two half-wit slayers can't figure out the damn spell by themselves."

"Spike, they need me for the spell. You know I wouldn't be going unless I really had to." Her brow furrowed in confusion when she realized all her previously packed clothes were gone. "Ok," she put her hands on her hips, "What'd you do with my clothing?"

"Don't know *what* you're talking bout, pet" he replied innocently.

"Spike," she warned.

"Yes, pet?" he replied, his eyes wide with supposed innocence.

The redhead pounced onto him and pulled him up, inches away from her face by his collar, "Give me back my clothes."

"Make me," he countered challengingly.

Willow pretended to think about it then attacked his mouth. When she pulled back to breathe, she teased, "You asked for it."

Spike ignored her teasing tone and pulled her back down for another kiss, among other things.

~^~**~^~

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Xander asked.

Giles walked out of his kitchen with a raised eyebrow, "A bit late to be asking that, isn't it?" He paused, "I already sent them all home to pack. They'll be back here within the next half hour."

The brunette shook his head. "Ok, we've got Buffy and then we've got Faith," he used his hands to further express his point, "Are you not seeing my point here G-man?"

"Please don't call me that horrid name, and Buffy is mature enough to get along with her."

"And what makes you think Faith will play nice?"

"Angel."

~^~**~^~

Buffy dragged her suitcase into Giles' apartment with a groan, "How much is this costing me?"

"Nothing actually. Well, except for gas and hotel money," Giles said as he helped Willow with her bags.

"What do you mean nothing?" The blonde asked in confusion. She expected the trip to cost her at least $700. Airline tickets were getting pricey these days.

"Spike is going to drive you all to LA. I called one of my friends for a favor. He has a private plane that he's letting us borrow. He just happened to be going to Venice for a business trip and he didn't mind bringing along a few female passengers." Giles clarified.

"In other words, the old guy wants to gawk and stare at you for payment." Anya said with a smirk.

"Thank you, Anya, for that lovely imagery," Buffy said with a fake smile. She looked to Giles, "You guys can take care of Angelus?"

"We'll be fine Buffster. Deadboy is all nice and chained up in G- man's basement." Xander reassured, "Try to have fun, well.. as much fun as you can have."

Faith walked in through the door with a duffle bag and asked, "Ready? Blondie's already got the car all set up."

~^~**~^~

Part 19- Mixed Up

Buffy settled into her seat, shifting several times, trying to find a comfortable position. She hated flying. Ok, yes, it was better that they were on a private plane and *not* an overcrowded public one filled with creepy people that she didn't know. She closed her eyes as she felt the plane travel faster, almost ready to take off. Her hazel eyes shot open when she felt a gentle tapping on her forearm.

Willow was looking at her best friend with kind eyes. She fished through her purse for a few seconds and then took out a piece of gum and handed it to the blonde. Buffy gave her a weak smile and began to chew vigorously on the sweetened treat. After seeing that the Slayer had visibly relaxed when they were finally in the air, the redhead turned the other way to look out the window.

Her green eyes were directed towards the view of the outside but she wasn't processing any of the images. The redhead let out a sigh as she turned her head away and leaned on the side of the chair. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift off. No more thinking or worrying for today. All she wanted to do right now was just to rest and maybe gain some peace of mind.

~This sucks. I hate flying.~ The thought flashed through Faith's mind as she tapped her fingers against her thigh. It wasn't the whole jet lag issue that bothered her the most, not that it *didn't* bother her. It was the whole solitude and silence that drove her crazy. A whole day wasted on traveling and only her thoughts to keep her company. The slayer cringed and shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. So much had changed within a matter of days. She had no idea what was going to happen after everything was solved. Would everyone *really* forgive her as easily as Angel said? Or would she become the outcast, yet again? The pretty brunette shook away her plaguing thoughts and cleared her mind. As her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep, one last thought remained in her head. ~Whatever I have to deal with up ahead, I can get through it. I won't give up, especially not after I've gotten so far.~

~^~**~^~

Buffy groaned as she plopped onto the bed, her arms stretched out. "Have I mentioned before how much I *hate* flying?"

Willow let out a smile as she took out some of her clean clothes from her suitcase, "I call bathroom."

The blonde slayer held up a hand in protest, too tired to do any more. "Not fair," she whined.

The redhead gave her one of those `oh well, too bad' looks and closed the bathroom door.

Faith kicked off her boots and turned off the light. When they were immersed in the darkness, Buffy asked in an annoyed tone, "What do you think you're doing?" The blonde reached over and turned the light back on.

"Going to sleep," she replied and then reached to turn the light off again.

"Well, I'm still awake so if you really wanna sleep then turn the other way."

"Come on B, don't be a bitch. We've been on a plane for half a day and I just want to get some hours in before we go demon hunting."

Unaware of the caring and understanding look that was on her face, Buffy relented, "Alright, off with the light then."

~^~**~^~

"So, how long before we know this spell works?" Faith asked as she continued to set up the stuff needed for Willow's upcoming spell.

"Well, the locator spell I did before was a simple one and it gave me a vague location of where the soul was. The one I'm doing right now is a bit more complicated. It'll give me the exact location where the demon is."

"Wait, are you tracking the soul or the demon?"

"Both, it's complicated."

The brunette slayer nodded, then moved out of the way as Willow began to chant.

"Aperio Hodie
Aperio Conficio Meton
Comperio
Coarguo Fidelis Adsecula Autem
Develo"

A flash of light shot out of Willow's hands as she held them out in front of her. It hovered above the map of Venice, glowing but not moving.

"Will, why isn't it moving? Did the spell not work?" Buffy asked confused.

"I.. don't know," Willow replied studying the light as it floated in the air. "It worked because it's still there which means the soul is in Venice but for some reason it can't find the demon."

"That's odd."

Willow nodded briefly at Buffy, the look of confusion still on her face before she finally gave up and brought her palms together and said, "Desino."

After the spell had been ended, Willow sat back against the foot of the bed, still trying to figure out what could've gone wrong. She looked up when Faith began to speak.

"So, whatcha gonna do now?"

She paused for a moment before answering, "Call Giles."

~^~**~^~

"I'm telling you, Giles," the redhead paused and twisted the phone cord around her finger, "it didn't work. I did everything right and it didn't work. Well, it did but it didn't." She rolled her eyes at the response that she got, "I told you already. The ball of light just floated above the map signaling that the soul is in fact in the city but for some reason it didn't track down the demon." Willow let out an unbelieving laugh, "That's not possible! What? Giles, there's no way. It's a demon, you said it yourself. What?! There are spells that could do that? It can't be."

She plopped herself down onto the bed, "Yes, I do realize that it's the only plausible explanation but I just.. I don't know." She sighed, "Are you *sure*? Ok, ok- alright- I believe you. So how am I supposed to find the soul now? Ok, alright- wait, hold on, let me write that down." Willow grabbed a pen and a pad of paper off the night table and scribbled something down, "Alright, I got it. Ok, I'll try and find it then." She nodded, "Yes, Giles. I know. It's still kind of hard to believe though. I mean- the demon used to be human? I've never actually heard of that before. Yeah, ok, I got it. Alright, bye."

~^~**~^~

Part 20- Give & Take

"You're shitting me!" Buffy exclaimed as the words came out of Willow's mouth.

The redhead shook her head negatively, "I found it hard to believe too, but Giles seems concrete about this. I got this spell book that he asked me to get to track down this guy and I should be able to get it set up by tonight."

Faith looked at Willow skeptically, "I don't get it- how can a human be turned into a demon?"

Buffy snorted, "And I thought I had a bad memory- does the mayor come to mind?"

Willow intervened before the argument could progress, "Actually, it's a bit different from that."

The brunette shot Buffy a `what now' look.

"Giles is convinced that this demon man was a result of a spell."

The blonde slayer ran a hand through her hair, "Alright, so when do we get started on this spell so we can get this demon man thingy?"

"Well, I found another locator spell that works on humans and demons alike so it'll lead us right to him. Giles thinks that the best way to solve this problem is to strip the demon man thingy of everything that's on him that's a result of a spell. It'll get the soul back, but it will also remove the spell that was put on him previously."

"Meaning?" Faith did a go on gesture with her hands.

"Meaning that it'll turn him back into a human."

~^~**~^~

"B, will you please hurry your ass up?" Faith complained as she walked behind Willow, who was staring intensely at the glowing light that was leading them.

"What? It's not like we're going any faster as it is!"

Willow rolled her eyes and turned around to face the two Slayers, "Can it! If you guys want to fight then do it later. If you haven't noticed, we're kind of in the middle of something!"

"Shit, we got company!" Faith pointed her axe to the demon standing before them. The glowing light hovered above the demon and then shrunk to nothing.

"Ok, you guys know what to do. Keep him busy while I'm doing the power stripping spell."

Willow tried to clear her mind of her surroundings and focused her powers and energies on the task at hand.

"Abduco Aboleo Ducere
Admitto Ablegatio Conficio"

As the witch chanted the phrase, a red light began to swirl in a circular motion above her outspread hands. "Abeo"

The next few seconds were pure chaos. The two slayers, seeing the light headed toward the demon beforehand, ducked out of the way. The red light hit the demon straight in the chest and a crimson smoke began to cloud the area surrounding them. Seconds later, a flash of yellow light flew out of the demon and shot straight at Willow. Buffy reacted on instinct and dove in front of her best friend, the light hitting her instead. The blonde slayer screamed out in obvious pain and collapsed to the ground clutching at her chest.

Willow and Faith rushed to her side, momentarily forgetting about the demon.

"Oh Goddess, Buffy, are you ok?" the redhead asked frantically as she scooped the upper half of the blonde slayer's body up to rest on her thighs.

"Will, I feel him."

"Honey, it's ok. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Willow repeated over and over, not hearing Buffy's response.

"Red, I think she's trying to say something." Faith pointed out.

"What?" The redhead blinked back tears and looked down at Buffy's pale face.

"I feel him."

"Feel who?"

"Angel."

~^~**~^~

"Wha- how?" A look of realization crossed the redhead's face as she understood what Buffy meant. "The soul."

"So much," Buffy whispered out weakly. Her head rolled to side as the blonde slipped into unconsciousness.

"Oh Goddess!" Willow said worriedly, "Buffy, come back! Come back!" The tears were streaming down her face as the redhead clutched the blonde's body tightly. "Please!"

Faith rushed to Willow's side, giving her a comforting hug, "Calm down, Red. She's just unconscious. She's gonna be fine." The brunette slayer continued to soothe the redhead's nerves, whispering in her ear, "She's gonna be ok."

~^~**~^~

Eventually Willow calmed herself and managed to let go of her best friend's body, carefully moving it to the side before standing up on trembling feet with the help of Faith.

"Thank you," the redhead said quietly as she tried to regain her balance.

Faith merely nodded and then pointed towards the other unmoving body. "I think your spell worked."

The quivering witch gave the slayer a weak smile. Willow's eyes focused onto the still and naked body that was covered with slime.

She turned to Faith, "Good thing we decided to bring a blanket for the spell. Can you get it?"

Willow kneeled down and turned the body around. A shocked gasp spilled from her lips as she realized who it was.

"What is it, Red?" Faith asked as she handed Willow the blanket.

She hurriedly threw the blanket over the body and turned her dazed eyes to the questioning slayer. "I know him."

~^~**~^~

Part 21- Imagination

She was floating. Everything around her was light, perfect, everything she'd ever wanted. Buffy looked up and saw the clear blue sky above her with just a hint of white fluffy clouds. This is what life was supposed to be like, no worries. But she wasn't alone.

"Buffy?"

The blonde turned around at the calling of her name, "Angel?"

"You did it," He smiled at her and then looked up into the sun. It was the first time in so long that he finally could face the sunshine without turning into a crisp. So what if it's only in a dream. He took what he could get.

"What did I do?"

"You changed everything."

Buffy shook her head at the cryptic response, "You and Drusilla keep on saying that. What the hell did I change?"

"That bolt was meant for Willow but you risked your life for her."

"She's my best friend. Of course, I would do that."

"They want to reward you."

"They?" Buffy asked warily. ~What's with all the crypticness?~

Angel pointed to the sky above as if that was answer enough.

The blonde Slayer raised an eyebrow, "*How* would they reward me? I mean, aren't I just doing my `sacred duty'?"

Ignoring her sarcastic remark he continued on, "It's time for you to choose. You can stay here or you can leave."

"Leave? And go back to the real world?"

The dark haired vampire nodded affirmatively.

"What about you?"

"I'm leaving either way. I still have a long way to go before," Angel waved his hand around, signaling his surroundings, "this." He paused for a moment, "What are you going to do, Buffy?"

~^~**~^~

"Why isn't she waking up?" Willow asked for the sixth time in five minutes.

"Red, you need to calm yourself. Why don't you go into the bathroom and splash some cold water on your face?" Faith suggested, getting a bit worried about the blonde Slayer herself.

The redhead looked around their hotel room with a blank face. "I-I-I have to stay with here with her. I can't leave her."

The brunette walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard, "Listen to me! You need to snap out of this. Buffy is going to be *fine*."

"If anything happened to her," Willow burst out crying as images of what torment Buffy might be going through flashed through her mind. Faith held the weeping redhead as she cried, knowing that it was a good thing that the pent up tension was finally released.

~^~**~^~

"I need to think about this," Buffy said decidedly, "You can't just ask me to make this life altering decision without giving me a chance to put some thought into it."

Angel looked up at the sky smiling, "Alright, but think about it quick."

"Why are you smiling so much? In the few years that I've known you I don't think I've ever seen you smile as much as you have in the past 20 minutes, unless you count that whole Angelus time." Buffy shuddered and then looked up at Angel's amused face, "Yeah, ok, done rambling now."

"Things aren't always as bad as they seem."

"Stop with those damn cryptic responses!!"

"It's the truth."

"It's a confusing truth." Buffy pouted, still trying to figure out what Angel was getting at.

"This world is filled with masked truths but you have to see through them. Don't be fooled by the front that people give, there's always a side that is hidden below."

"Angel, you're not helping me here. In fact, I think I may be even more confused than when you began."

"The world isn't so bad, Buffy. Just give it a chance and let someone in."

"Give what a chance?"

"Love."

~^~**~^~

When Willow returned from the bathroom, she looked calmer and more resolute. "I'm sorry about that."

"No need to apologize, Red. I'm glad you got it out. I don't want you freaking out on me again."

She ran a hand through her red locks, "Yeah, we have enough to deal with."

"Speaking of which," Faith nodded towards the unmoving body of the man that Willow knew, "Who did you say that guy was again?"

Willow paused for a moment and then answered, "Ethan Rayne."

~^~**~^~

"What do you mean give love a chance?" She asked defensively, "I've given love a chance!"

"Buffy."

With that one word, Buffy dropped her defensive act and sighed, "I don't know. It's just.. hard."

"Understandable. Just the way life is."

"What did I tell you about those cryptic responses?"

A hint of a smile appeared on both faces as those words were said. Suddenly, it hit her, "You really do love her don't you?"

Angel was a bit thrown at the question but regained composure and answered, "Yeah, I really do."

"I didn't believe you. Well, I did but I didn't. Never mind." She paused, "She's good for you."

"How do you figure that?"

"She'll keep you on your toes. Maybe she'll even bring you out of cryptic mode."

The dark haired vampire let out a laugh, "You're never going to let that go are you?"

"No," She smiled, "Too much fun."

Angel stopped laughing and looked up at the sky again, "Time for you to make your choice."

~^~**~^~

Part 22- Selfish

Buffy looked down and sighed, "This is all too confusing." When she looked back up, Angel's chocolate eyes were staring intently at her, "Do you know what will happen if I go back?"

"If you stay, everything will be predictable and happy. Perfect, just like how you've always wanted it. If you go back, nothing is predictable. Everything will always be changing."

"Exactly what I hate," Buffy finished for him. She brought a hand up to rub her forehead, out of habit, rather then actually having a headache. After all, they were in her perfect land, headaches didn't exist.

"Well?"

"I can't make a decision like this in a couple of minutes, Angel. There's a lot to consider here."

Angel shrugged, "I'm sorry, Buffy, but you're gonna have to."

She looked up and said quietly, "Please let them forgive me for this."

~^~**~^~

Faith snapped her fingers, "Gotcha." She leaned her elbows on her knees, "So, what'd he do to get on the Scooby list of evil people?"

Willow let out a laugh, "A lot of things."

"Come on, Red. Enlighten me."

The redhead looked thoughtful for a moment, "He turned us into our costumes one time. That wasn't fun."

The brunette Slayer had a clueless look on her face when she asked, "What?"

"Buffy turned into this Victorian lady who was all helpless and kept on fainting." As the memory was brought forth, Willow mumbled under her breath, "That was a big pain in the ass."

"B, helpless? Fainting? And I missed this? Damn!"

"I turned into a ghost. It freaked me out like hell when I realized I could go through things." A big grin covered her face when the next words came out of her mouth, "I did scare the hell out of Giles though."

Faith raised an eyebrow, "And I'm sure that was payment enough."

Willow cleared her throat and shot a glare at her, "Anyhow," She turned her head and looked at Buffy again, "I'm worried about her. Should she really be unconscious for this long?"

"It's only been a couple hours. That bolt hit her pretty hard. I'm sure she's fine."

Defeated, Willow let out a sigh and said quietly, "Yeah."

~^~**~^~

"Are you sure?"

Buffy looked at him with nervous eyes, "Not when you say it like that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just want to make sure that you're 100% positive before you make this decision."

"I have to do this, Angel. And," She looked down for a moment before lifting her head up again with a more resolved gaze, "my original choice stands true."

~^~**~^~

The redhead was pacing around the room again. She was getting uncomfortable with two unconscious bodies in the medium sized hotel room. After running a certain thought through her head, she looked up decidedly and snatched the phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Giles."

"What for?"

"What for? What for? We have Ethan Rayne on one chair and we have Buffy on the other, both unconscious and you're asking me what for?" Willow asked incredulously.

"What good is it going to do? What can they possibly do for us an ocean away?"

"I don't know." The redhead sighed and sat on the bed, shoulders slumped, "I just know that I can't stay like this any longer. This is slowly driving me insane. I don't know if she's ok. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do when Ethan wakes up. I don't know anything."

"Red, stop beating yourself up over this. You don't have to know everything. We'll take care of this. Besides, you have me here to help you. It's all gonna be ok."

After a few moments, Willow finally spoke up, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Always manage to surprise me. One moment you're this insane psycho killer, no offence, and the next, you're comforting me and helping out the Scoobies. I thought you hated us."

"I'm a complicated person, Red. You should know that much by now."

Willow gave her a small smile but, before she could say anything more, a noise from one of the chairs distracted her.

"Looks like someone's finally awake."

Faith moved off the bed and stood in front of the person who's eyes were still hazy and a bit dazed from everything, "Bout time you woke up."

~^~**~^~

Part 23- Disconcerted

As Ethan’s eyes focused and became clear the first thing that he saw coming at him was a fist that was attached to a slim brunette. He yelled as the fist made contact with his nose and his head snapped back.

“What the bleeding hell?!”

“If you fuck *anything* up then you’re gonna *wish* that I was only giving you punches like the one I just gave you. Got it?” Faith barked out.

“Faith,” Willow said calmly from the bed. When the Slayer turned around, the redhead shook her head and she dropped the harsh act. Willow got up and walked towards Ethan who was still holding his injured nose. “You ok?”

“Fucking hell!” He groaned, “I think she broke my nose!”

“Quit whining,” Faith rolled her eyes, “I didn’t even hit you that damn hard.”

“Faith.” The redhead’s voice carried a warning tone, “Can you go get some ice? The bucket’s over there.”

“Can you handle him?” The brunette asked unsurely.

“I think I can deal with him for a few minutes.”

After Faith left, Willow got up from her kneeling position and grabbed the phone. “Hello Operator? I’d like to make an international call.”

~^~**~^~

When Faith returned, Willow was sitting on the edge of the bed, an irritated look on her pretty face. The brunette slayer ignored it, knowing that she was probably talking to Giles and obviously it wasn’t going particularly well. She looked at Ethan and saw how he was still holding his nose and was curled up in the chair. ~What a wimp! I can’t believe the Scoobies were actually scared of this guy.~

She opened a drawer and took out a plastic baggy and put a few ice cubes in it and then threw it at him. He caught it and immediately put it on his nose, hoping to relieve some of the pain.

After a few more minutes, Willow hung up the phone with a frustrated ‘ok’. Faith looked at her expectantly and the redhead began to explain.

“Well, he’s not happy.”

“Kind of figured that one out already, Red.”

Willow began to massage her forehead, “What I needed was not a lecture. What I *needed* was some helpful advice. You’d think it’d be simple but no, it wasn’t.”

“Anything helpful at all?”

“Nothing. Giles said that they’d be researching some more on the subject and that maybe they’d be able to find something, but he doubts it.” She let out a big sigh, “Not really making me feel any better.”

Faith looked at her apologetically.

“And I didn’t get to talk to Spike either!” The redhead whined.

~^~**~^~

“Watcher! Why’d you hang up the damn phone? I didn’t even get to talk to my Red!”

“Spike,” Giles warned, “*Not* now!”

“Something wrong?”

The Watcher shot a glare at Spike but, seeing that the blonde demon actually wanted to help, he relaxed a bit. “It’s a long story. Get some scotch.”

~^~**~^~

“Dear strawberry is all mixed up. The thoughts in her pretty little head are all twisted.” Drusilla suddenly looked very worried, “Bad, bad, bad, bad. Wrong road to take.”

“What is she going on about now?” Anya asked in annoyance. “Honey, I didn’t get my orgasms tonight because *she* had to stay over. I settled for cuddling and maybe a little groping but somehow she’s managed to ruin *that* too.”

Xander turned on the light and looked at the vampiress who was gliding across their room to look out the window. He rubbed his eyes, “Drusilla, what are you doing?”

“The stars won’t share any secrets. They won’t speak to me. All alone.”

“You’re not all alone, Drusilla. I’m in the room and so is Anya.”

“Yeah, so can you leave?” Anya clamped her mouth shut at the glare she received from Xander.

“Not me, dear boy, the strawberry.”

~^~**~^~

It was cold. And dark. Something was off. This wasn’t her perfect place. This was her own perfect version of hell. She had already run from three demons and she was positive it had only been a few hours. The blonde’s brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she running? She was the slayer, she was supposed to fight. A few demons shouldn’t have scared her like they did. Before any more thought could be put on the subject, she was distracted by a piercing scream that echoed through the silent darkness. All the signals in her body were telling her to run and hide but she couldn’t. Someone was hurt or was in the process of getting hurt. She had to save them. She was the Slayer, she had to. She knew that now, and for the first time, she finally accepted it.

~^~**~^~

“So, what’d Giles say?” Faith asked while keeping a close eye on their captive.

“He said to wait for Buffy to wake up and then get back to Sunnydale as soon as possible.”

“Typical.” Willow turned her worried eyes onto the still unconscious body of Buffy Summers, “She’s still not waking up.” She paused a few moments before adding, “I’m getting *really* worried, Faith.”

“I know.” The brunette ran a hand through her hair, “I am too, surprisingly enough.” She let out a sigh, “But we can’t do anything until she wakes up.”

~^~**~^~

Part 24- Faze

Buffy looked at the scene before her with nervous eyes. There was a girl around the age of 16 and she was being attacked by two vampires. ~2 vamps, that’s easy enough. Why are my feet not moving then?~ She didn’t get it. She wanted to help but she couldn’t. It was as if her body just refused to listen to her. ~I’m getting scared of vamps? What the hell?!~ She pushed the pestering unsure thoughts to the back of her mind and began to walk toward the victim and the attackers.

“Don’t you idiots ever learn? It’s not nice to gang up on poor little girls.” Buffy shot the girl a look that sent her running off in the opposite direction.

The vampires looked at the blonde with hungry eyes. The brunette vamp leered at her and asked, “And I suppose you’re not a little girl yourself?” “Well, you wouldn’t expect a little girl to do this,” Her fist shot out and hit the vampire straight in his face. She was about to finish her quip when she felt an extreme pain in her knuckles and her hand in general. She looked down confused and opened her fist. That was a mistake because as soon as she did the pain only managed to get worse. ~What the hell?~ She saw the other vampire come towards her and she reacted instinctively. She kneed him in the balls and pushed him off of her. Taking advantage of the moment, she ran off, her thoughts in a swirl of confusion.

~^~**~^~

Xander sat down on Giles’s couch with a frustrated groan. Drusilla’s ramblings and Anya’s constant whinings were getting to him. “Drusilla won’t stop talking about a strawberry and something about a wrong choice for some reason.” He shrugged, “Doesn’t really make much sense to me.”

“Oh, that’s a real shocker.” Spike said as he walked into the room with a mug of blood.

Giles shot Spike a warning glare and looked at Xander curiously, “Where are Anya and Drusilla?”

“Drusilla discovered some new things today, the TV. She’s been staring at the ‘pretty pictures’,” he used his hands to do air quotes, “for the past few hours. Anya went out to buy some groceries and she’s going to be coming here later when the sun sets with Drusilla.”

“Are you sure that’s wise? Having those two together, alone?” The watcher asked unsurely.

“They both know better than to hurt each other.” The brunette looked at Giles inquiringly, “You said something about some new info on the Buffster.”

“Oh yes,” Giles let out a sigh.

~^~**~^~

Ethan leaned back in his chair as the two girls began the interrogation.

“Do you still remember me?” Willow asked, deciding to start out with the easier questions.

“Yeah, you’re.. the smart one.”

Willow rolled her eyes, ~Oh yeah, that just does wonders for the ego.~ “I’m Willow. This is Faith. Not a good idea to piss either of us off.”

Ethan nodded, the confused look still on his face.

“Alright, mister, you have some major explaining to do. We’re not gonna get into details as of now, but we at least want the basics.”

“How’d you become a demon?” Faith asked, starting to get annoyed from all the small talk.

“I pissed the wrong bloke off and well, voila.”

“When’d it happen?”

“About half a year ago. I’m thankful that you did whatever you did to me by the way. I missed my human ways.”

“Right, now what the hell did you shoot at Buffy.”

“Shoot at her?”

“That bolt thingy.”

“I didn’t shoot anything at her.”

“Umm, yes, you did.” Faith moved forward with intentions that would leave the confused captive black and blue.

“All I know is that a few days before I met up with you three some type of power flowed through me and it was as if I had something else in me, controlling me. It’s gone now.”

“Controlling you?”

Ethan shrugged, “Hard to believe, I know. But then again, it’s also hard to believe I was turned into a bloody demon in the first place.”

Willow sat on the bed, a thoughtful look on her face.

“What do you think about this, Red?”

“I think I know what happened.”

A moan was heard from the previously unconscious body of Buffy. Three heads snapped in the direction of the blonde and Willow shot off the bed and was immediately by her side within a few seconds.

“Oh Goddess, Buffy? Are you ok?”

Hazel eyes met green and the still foggy brained blonde asked, “Willow? Is that you?”

Willow let out a happy sigh and hugged her friend furiously, “Goddess, Buffy, you’re finally awake. I was so worried. Are you ok? What happened? You scared me to death!”

“Buffy? What are you talking about?”

The redhead looked at the blonde confused, “What do you mean what am I talking about?”

“Willow, it’s me, Angel.”

~^~**~^~

Part 25- Warped

“What?”

The blonde shook her head slightly and ran a hand through her tresses, “Headache. Haven’t had one of those in awhile.” She paused for a moment, “I’m warm and I have a heartbeat.” Hazel eyes looked down, “And breasts!”

Willow looked gobsmacked, “What?”

“I’m *Buffy*?!”

“Yeah, Buffy, you *are* Buffy. Why are you saying that you’re Angel?”

“Because I *am*!!!”

Faith pushed the confused redhead aside gently and knelt down in front of the bewildered blonde. She looked into the other’s eyes and said softly, “It’s Angel.”

“How can you tell?” Willow asked, rubbing her forehead.

“Talent.” The brunette Slayer replied simply.

“How? What? Why?” The redhead let out a sigh, “I don’t get this.”

“That’s never of the good.”

Willow nodded slightly before moving over to the phone, “I think I’m going to call Giles again.”

“Wanker.” Ethan grumbled.

The redhead started a bit from the sudden comment, “Oh yeah. You. Be good.” She began to dial into the phone, “And Giles is not a wanker.”

~^~**~^~

“Do you remember anything?” Faith asked quietly.

“It’s all hazy right now. Everything’s so confusing. I remember something else, a force, that was inside me, like it was controlling me. It’s all bits and pieces.” Angel held a hand up to support his head, “I think something about a choice. Other then that, my mind’s a blank.”

The brunette Slayer nodded, understanding, “Don’t force it. It’ll come when it’s supposed to.” After a few more moments she asked with a quivering voice, “Is Buffy in there with you or are you alone?”

“Alone.”

Faith clasped her hands together, her eyes showing worry, “I see.”

Angel put a reassuring hand on hers, “We’ll fix this.”

~^~**~^~

Buffy pushed the door open to a seemingly abandoned house. It was odd, there was only the demons, vampires, the occasional victim and her.. and no one else. Closing the door with her back, she slid down the wooden barrier and sat with her forehead against her kneecaps. ~What is going on?~

Apparently, she had lost her Slayer power. It hurt to give a simple punch now and there was always that pesky voice inside her that kept on warning her about the dangers of protecting others. It was all too confusing and right now, the blonde wanted nothing more then to sleep and, maybe in the morning, she could figure everything out.

~^~**~^~

Before Giles could get into his explanation, the phone rang. The Watcher walked into the kitchen, leaving Xander alone with his thoughts, a box of donuts, and Spike. Fifteen minutes later, Giles returned to the living room, a surprised look on his face.

“Something wrong?”

“Yes, quite.”

“It’s not Red is it, Watcher?” Spike asked worriedly.

“No, it’s Buffy.” He paused for a moment, “And Angel.”

~^~**~^~

Drusilla snapped out of her fixation with the television screen and jumped up, holding a hand up against the side of her head. “Topsy turvy. What fun! Poor strawberry is in circles.” She looked up at the ceiling, “Dear stars? Why will you not speak to me? Princess has been kind and polite. She deserves a treat.” A small gleam of hope entered the vampiress’s eyes, “No more fear. Bad. Only the strawberry can make it go away.” The raven haired demon began to twirl around the room, “All away.”

~^~**~^~

After Angel explained the basics of what he remembered to Willow, she sat back with a calculating look in her eye. “You said that you felt like you were being controlled?”

“Yeah, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

“Ethan said he felt the same thing.” Her body turned towards the man and she looked up at him, “I think there might be some kind of connection.”

“What are you getting at, Red?”

“Don’t you notice the similarities in their cases?” She began to pace around the room, “They both are suffering from slight memory loss.” The redhead added some hand movements in to further prove her point, “They both felt like something was controlling them.” Her voice rose a little as she got more excited, “There’s a common factor between the two though.”

At the clueless looks, Willow rolled her eyes and stated, “The original Bakape demon. Giles said that their powers divide among the surviving demons and when that did Ethan felt the power surge through him.”

“Like something was controlling me.” The ex-demon provided, hoping to prove to be *some* type of help. He didn’t fancy getting punched again.

“Exactly. And when the bolt shot at Buffy, it must’ve transferred not only the soul but the power of the demon too.”

“So you mean, this damn demon is *still* fucking with us? Even now?” Faith asked, catching on.

“Yeah, I think so.”

After a few more moments, Angel spoke up, “That means he’s messing with her right now.”

~^~**~^~

Part 26- Figuring it out

“What are we going to do?” Willow asked, running her hands through her hair. “I mean, this demon thing is doing only Goddess knows what to her and we can’t do anything about it!”

“Keep a level head cuz freaking out isn’t gonna help any,” Faith suggested.

After a few moments, the redhead looked up and said firmly, “You’re right. I have to compose myself and just focus on helping Buffy.”

The Slayer gave her a soft, encouraging smile. Willow continued on, “Ok, first things first. How do we get her back into control of her body? And where the hell is she if she’s not in there with you, Angel? I’m assuming that she isn’t.”

She looked to him for confirmation and he nodded. The witch sighed, “This is so much more complicated then I thought.”

“Well, at least we’re getting somewhere.”

Ethan raised his hand, “Can I say something? I don’t want to get hit again.” He eyed Faith warily.

“What is it?”

“This demon, it seems to be feeding off the whole mind control thing. Maybe you should do more research on it.”

Willow smacked herself with the heel of her hand, “Research! Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Well, just be grateful that we have Mr. State the Obvious here with us,” Faith quipped.

“The rest of the Scooby Gang hasn’t been researching?” Angel asked curiously.

“Probably not about the right thing. We’ve been focusing so much on the transportation of the spell and not the actual demon,” the redhead clarified.

Angel nodded his head in understanding and shifted in his seat uncomfortably when he realized Faith was staring at him. “What is it?”

“It’s just.. so weird.”

“Weird?”

“You in Buffy’s body. It just seems kind of, I don’t know. I’m sticking with weird.”

Not knowing how to reply to her answer, he turned toward Willow, “You can call Giles, and Faith and I can go out and see what we can find around here.”

The redhead nodded and headed towards the phone and as Angel and Faith were about to head out the door, Ethan spoke up. “What about me?”

Faith rolled her eyes, “We’re not taking him with us.” She stated bluntly.

“I’ll take care of him,” Willow offered.

“Be good,” Faith warned, “Or else I’m going to have to hurt you and not in a good way.”

~^~**~^~

“Yes, yes, yes, quite right.” Giles nodded profusely as he paced around the living room floor, Spike’s eyes on him at every moment. “Of course, I’ll get right on it, ok, take care, goodbye.”

“Ahhhh! Not so damn fast, Watcher!” The blonde demon jumped out of his chair and snatched the phone away, “Red?”

Xander looked amusedly at Spike’s back as the vampire walked into the other room, wanting privacy. “So, what’s new?”

“Willow brought up a very good point. We’ve been researching the wrong things. We should be focusing more on this demon. Complete and thorough research.” Giles said decidedly.

“You mean, that Bakape thingy?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Before Giles could launch into an explanation, Anya and Drusilla burst through the door, “Aghhh!! I brought her here, I didn’t kill her.” The blonde walked up to her boyfriend and threw her arms around him, “You should be very proud of me. I’m expecting a reward.” She then moved out of his arms and smacked him, “A big reward at that! Sticking me with the insane wonder over there!”

The focus of attention was reverted to Drusilla as she swayed back and forth, “The stars are so kind and they still love me.” She let out an evil grin, “They’ve been telling me all sorts of naughty things.”

Giles looked at her curiously, “What sorts of things?”

“Naughty! Dear strawberry is covered in dust, hidden in the shadows. Bad girly.”

“Who or what is this strawberry she keeps on talking about?” Xander asked.

“Buffy,” Everyone turned towards Spike as he walked back into the room. He threw the phone back at Giles.

“Buffy? How do you know it’s Buffy?” The young brunette questioned.

“I’ve always had a knack for guessing at Dru’s ramblings. Plus, it makes sense if you actually listen to her. Covered in dust, hidden in the shadows.” Spike looked at everyone expectantly, thinking that was explanation enough. He rolled his eyes at the lack of response, “She’s lost and she’s hiding. In other words, she needs our help.” He mumbled under his non-existent breath, “Idiots.”

“Oh dear,” The vampiress reached her hand out towards the ceiling, “I can feel you! You’re close, almost there!” Suddenly, she yelled out, “Come back!” Drusilla stomped her foot hard against the floor, “No! Come back!” She turned towards Spike, “Make her come back.”

“Make who come back, Dru?” He had an idea but he needed to be positive.

“The strawberry,” Drusilla stated, “I felt her, I did.”

“She felt her?” Anya said sarcastically, “Oh, that makes a lot of sense right there.”

“I think she means that Buffy might be close to recovery,” Giles said, catching on.

“Watcher’s getting it.”

Xander shook his head, “Explain please.”

Giles looked at Spike and almost laughed when the blonde vampire backed away, shaking his head, “I don’t think so, mate. I’m going to go check on Angelus.”

~^~**~^~

The sun was shining down warmly on the blonde’s face as she woke up. Buffy smiled softly at the light pouring in through the windows. She could do this. She had to find a way back and the solution to the problem. She faced problems before and this one was no different. Giving up was just not an option.

~^~**~^~

Part 27- Taking Charge

“I think this Bakape demon put a spell on her.”

“A spell?” Anya asked as she leaned forward across the table and snatched the book from Giles’s grasps.

For a moment the Watcher considered yelling at the ex-demon but then decided against it. Instead, he began to explain. “From what Willow has told me, it seems that Angel was under the control of the demon though the exact details aren’t precisely clear. Simple mind control doesn’t seem powerful enough to overcome Buffy. She avoided it the last time she fought against it. A spell on the other hand is. It says on that page,” Giles pointed to the book that Anya was holding, “that Bakape demons are highly advanced in magic.”

“A spell,” Anya repeated, “doesn’t that seem kind of.. simple?”

“Well, simplicity is key.”

The blonde didn’t look convinced.

“Well, how do we reverse it? Can Will do it in Venice?” Xander asked, eager to help out.

“I’m not sure you *can* reverse it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, a spell of this complexity involves one who has a lot of power. To be able to cast or even write one of this sort is extremely challenging and complicated.”

“Well, then how do you plan to fix this problem?”

“It’s a simple solution actually.”

Anya rolled her eyes, “Oh yes, because simplicity is key!”

Giles shot a glare at her and ignored her mocking tone, “The spell needs to be broken.”

“And how exactly do you propose we do that?” The ex-demon questioned.

“It’s not a matter of us, Anya. It’s a matter of the castee.”

“You mean Buffy?” Xander asked.

Giles nodded his head, “She’s the only one that can save herself now.”

~^~**~^~

Faith and Angel walked hand in hand down the streets of Venice, receiving a few leers from some young men.

“You’d think I’d be freaked out about this,” Faith said amused.

“Always knew you were into girls,” Angel teased.

“Well, I’m not exactly a lesbian, per say,” She looked up at the sky, considering, “Maybe more of a relaxed straight.”

“How is that different?”

“Ummm… it isn’t?” Faith let out a small laugh and then turned toward Angel, “Honestly, I’m not attracted to girls, guys, whatever,” she waved her hand as she said this, “I’m more into the soul and to be really specific, you.”

The duo paused in their steps and were standing face to face.

“Even in this body?”

The Slayer smiled, “Even in that body, though I do admit it’s still kinda freaky. I mean, a few days ago, B was like my major enemy and now, I’m trying to save her and the world!” She said the last part in a mocking tone.

“About that, what changed your mind?”

“You want the long version or the Reader’s Digest version?”

“Reader’s Digest.”

“You.”

~^~**~^~

“We don’t even know what kind of state she’s in right now! How the hell can we just expect her to save herself?”

The Watcher looked at the young brunette with understanding eyes, “I know you’re worried, Xander. But there’s nothing we can do.”

“A spell, we can do a spell. We can fix this.”

“Xander, it won’t work.”

“You’re giving up too easily. You don’t even know how long she’ll be stuck in there! And what if she doesn’t save herself? She’s going to be stuck in wherever the hell she is for eternity with that damned demon messing with her head!”

Anya put a reassuring hand on his shoulder but he flinched and backed away. “I refuse to believe that we can just leave it at this. We can help her. I know we can.”

Drusilla chose this moment to wander into the room. “Dear boy, your words heal the wounds.”

“What?” Xander asked frustrated.

“She’s agreeing with you,” Spike explained and then turned to Giles, “Angelus is still all nice and locked up, perfectly peachy.”

“Drusilla, do you know what we can do?”

Anya looked at Giles confused, “You’re asking *her* for help?”

“Don’t underestimate her. She can be of a good lot of help when she wants to be. She really does see things.” Spike said defensively.

The insane vampiress looked at the Watcher and began in a soothing tone, “The little tree paints such pretty pictures in the strawberry’s mind.”

“Red?” The blonde demon asked when he heard Dru’s prediction. “What’s she got to do with it?”

“She’s the artist, Spikey. She paints so well.”

“Right, I’m certainly seeing the dramatic increase of helpfulness we’ve gotten from her.” The ex-demon commented sarcastically.

“I think she’s saying something about Willow going into Buffy’s mind.” Spike said after a few moments of thinking.

“A spell, I was right. Will can do a spell to get into Buffy’s head.”

“Don’t be rash about this, Xander. We need to know all the details first before rushing into things.”

“Well, we don’t exactly have that much time if you haven’t noticed. If we need details, then we need them quickly.” The brunette said decidedly.

Anya smiled saucily at her boyfriend, “You know, you’re so hot when you take charge.”

~^~**~^~

Part 28- Into the Mind

“A spell? Are you sure that’ll work?” Willow asked, worried.

“We’ll never know until we try it.”

The redhead nodded, “I guess you’re right. How do you plan to get all the info to me, Giles?”

“The spell itself you can find in a spell book called, Migratu Defixus.”

“Alright,” Willow grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and scribbled down the name, “Anything else I need to know?”

“I’ve already told you everything that we’ve found, but if we discover anything new and of importance, I’ll be sure to call and tell you.”

“Ok, Giles, thanks.”

“Oh yes, one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Spike wants to talk to you.”

~^~**~^~

Faith and Angel entered the hotel room, arm in arm, with two sickeningly love struck smiles on their faces. The brunette Slayer looked at the redhead who was sitting on the bed, giggling into the phone. She turned to Angel, “I have a feeling she’s not talking to Giles.”

Ethan rolled his eyes, “She’s not. She’s talking to that boyfriend of hers. I’ve been sitting here for the past hour trying not to gag.”

“Shut it, dumbass. Just because you can’t get any doesn’t mean you have to ruin the happiness of others.”

The ex-demon cringed at the Slayer’s tone, “If you had to sit here and listen to her, you’d probably be singing the same tune as me.”

The Slayer turned to Willow and tapped her shoulder. The redhead gave her an, ‘I’m sorry,’ look and said, “Sorry, Spike, but I have to go. They’re back and we have to get started on the spell. Alright, I love you too, okay, okay, bye.”

“Did I hear the mentioning of a spell?” Angel asked.

“Yeah, you guys missed a few things while you were gone. Speaking of which, did you find anything out?”

“Nothing.” Faith sighed as she jumped onto the bed.

“Well, the gang back in Sunnydale found some things out.”

Faith gave her a ‘go on’ look and she continued, “They were thinking about doing a projection spell of sorts. They wanted me to transport myself into Buffy’s mind and try to maybe get her out.”

“How would you get her out though? I mean, just getting into her mind isn’t exactly rescuing her.” Faith stated.

“I know, but right now she has no clue what the hell she’s even against. If I can at least tell her everything that I know, she’ll have a better chance of defeating the demon.”

“Is it actually going to transport *you* as in body wise?” Faith asked.

“No, it’ll create a mind link. I’ll still be *here* body wise, but not mentally.”

“Isn’t this going to be dangerous for you?”

The redhead glanced at Angel, “It’s worth the risk.”

~^~**~^~

The redhead stumbled into the hotel room with bags of supplies. “Some help here, please?”

Angel rushed over and helped her balance the toppling bags. When she was finally settled, Faith asked, “Why all the stuff?”

“It’s a complicated spell.”

“How complicated?”

“Why, Faith, I never knew you cared.”

“Just answer the question, Red.”

“It’s actually not as bad as you think it is. It just involves a lot of ingredients. I’m creating a mind link and I don’t even know what to expect in Buffy’s, so I’m adding some safety precautions, you know, just in case.”

“Better safe than sorry.”

“One of my many mottos.” The redhead chirped. “This could take awhile.” She looked around at the bags full of spell materials.

~^~**~^~

Willow looked nervously at Faith, “We have everything ready, right?”

“It’s all set, Red. Just relax, you can do this.”

“You’re getting really good at these pep talks, you know?” Angel commented.

Faith shot him a glare and nodded towards the witch.

The redhead took a deep breath and began the spell.

“Migro Ad Adhuc
Addo Abitio Clanculum
Addere Confirmatio
Adorno Incolumitas
Ablego Autem”

The power surged through the redhead’s body and her previously green eyes turned black as her hands shot upwards, streams of red light flowing from her fingertips. The redhead brought her hands down and the streams began to combine together into a ball of light that was centered between her palms. Willow closed her eyes and sat cross-legged on the floor, the ball of light still in her hands.

“I think the spell worked.” Ethan stated.

Faith shot a glare at him, “You think?”

~^~**~^~

Part 29- Searching

Willow held a hand to her head as she slowly rose off the dirtied ground. “Buffy?” Green eyes searched the scenery but finding no Slayer or anybody for that matter. The redhead got to her feet and closed her eyes to find a center balance. She opened her eyes again and looked around. The deserted town did nothing to lift her spirits. She let out a sigh and walked towards the houses, hoping to find some sign of the lost Slayer.

~^~**~^~

“Do you know how long she’s gonna stay like that?” Ethan asked, backing away slowly from Willow’s unmoving body.

“Red didn’t mention how long it was gonna take for her to get into B’s mind.” Faith shrugged.

“Did you call Giles yet?” Angel asked curiously.

“Crap, I was supposed to do that wasn’t I?” She smiled innocently, “Do I have to do it?”

Angel grinned at her and grabbed the phone, “You owe me.”

~^~**~^~

“Did it work?” Xander asked eagerly as soon as Giles set down the phone.

“Yes, but no results so far. It’s apparent that Willow is still searching for her.”

“But it worked,” The brunette said confidently. “Alright, this is good. We have a start.”

“You’re doing good, honey.”

“I can’t lose them, An. I just can’t. I can’t go through that again, not after Jesse. They’re my best friends.” Xander let out a sigh and sat down on the couch.

Anya wrapped her arms around him and leaned on his shoulder. “Do you need to talk about it?”

“I’ll worry about all of this later. Right now, we have to help Will and Buffy.”

He started to get up but Anya pushed him back down and said firmly, “No, you sit and let me give you comfort. It’ll make you feel better.”

Xander gave her a weak smile and leaned against her.

~^~**~^~

After twenty minutes of pacing, Faith finally sat down on a sofa chair and exhaled loudly, catching Angel’s attention.

“I know you’re dying to say something, so just out with it.”

“This is driving me crazy.”

“I see that.”

The brunette Slayer ignored his tone and continued on, “I don’t even know how she’s doing. There’s nothing I can do to help. I can’t just sit here and wait, Angel. I have to do, I don’t know,” she opened her arms out, “just something.”

Her eyes traveled the room until they landed on Ethan. An evil smile began to form as she soon found a new project. “Hmmm… I almost forgot about you.”

Ethan shifted in his seat uncomfortably, not liking the look in the Slayer’s eyes, “What is it?”

“You never *did* explain the full details about how you got to be here. Now’s the perfect time.”

~^~**~^~

Willow continued to walk down the empty streets, searching to no avail. Too immersed in her thoughts and worries, she rounded the corner, bumping right into a hungry vampire.

“Hmm, food.”

The redhead rolled her eyes and brought her hands together, getting ready to form a simple energy ball to dust the vamp. She opened her eyes, expecting to see light, but felt no force coming from her fingertips. Confused at the lack of energy she closed her eyes again and refocused her powers but nothing came out.

The fledgling stared at her with a curious _expression on his face. “Are you like, insane?”

“No, I’m not like, insane.” She mocked. “I’m trying to gather up an energy ball to dust you.” The redhead muttered to herself, “Why isn’t this working?”

The vampire, tired of waiting, rushed towards her, and she held up her hands thanks to instinct and said, “Adsideo.”

A clear wall was immediately put up, blocking the vampire from the witch. “Ok, so I can block but I can’t attack.” She sighed frustrated and began to back away from the vampire. Willow let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the fledgling turned the other way, losing interest.

Not noticing where she was going, Willow ran right into another form. She whipped around, strengthening her protection barrier, readying herself for whatever was to come.

“Buffy?”

Part 30- New Discoveries

Willow’s jaw dropped when she saw her best friend in front of her, “Oh Goddess, Buffy!” The redhead rushed up towards the blonde and gave her a tight hug. She was more then surprised when the Slayer pushed her away forcefully.

“I’m not falling for it!”

“Falling for what?” Willow asked confused.

“I’m onto you! I know something out there is playing with my head.” Buffy turned around and looked up at the sky, “If you think putting my best friend here is gonna distract me, you’re dead wrong, buddy!”

Buffy turned around and glared at Willow, “Cuz right now, she’s just another demon or vampire that I have to defeat.” The blonde moved forward, ready to attack and pounced on Willow.

The redhead quickly brought her hands up in front of her and reestablished the shield that she had taken down only moments before. “Buffy! Buffy, you have to listen to me. I’m not a figment of your imagination. It’s really me.”

The fierce look in the blonde’s hazel eyes faltered for a moment.

“The Scoobies, Faith, Angel, everybody, we’re all *so* worried about you.. and.. and they told me to do a spell.. to get into your head to help you. I’m here to help you, Buffy. Please, just listen to me.”

Buffy stopped pushing against the barrier and stood there, completely still, looking more vulnerable then Willow had ever seen her before, “Will?”

“Yeah, sweetie, it’s me.”

“Oh god, Will.”

Willow dropped the barrier in time for Buffy to rush up to her, enveloping the redhead in a hug.

The blonde choked out in between sobs, “I was so scared, Will. I don’t have any more powers here. I wanted to give in so bad. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I made the wrong choice. I’m selfish, I know. But it was so tempting and I just wanted to give in. Please don’t be mad. God, I don’t know if I could take it. But I promised myself to be strong. I have to be strong. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The redhead rubbed Buffy’s back comfortingly and asked softly, “What do you mean sorry?”

“Angel, or something, some evil power, offered me a choice. To stay here, well, not here, but it was like a perfect world or to go back there, and continue my duties as a Slayer.”

“And, you chose to here?”

“Yeah,” Buffy hung her head down in shame, “And then it turned into a version of my own personal hell.” She let out a sigh, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay Buffy. The demon knew how to tempt you with exactly what you wanted. What you wanted the most at the time. Don’t be sorry.”

“Wait, demon?”

“The Bakape demon. It’s what’s causing all of this. It’s messing with your head, Buffy. Kinda like a last revenge type of thing.”

Before Buffy could reply to that, a thundering voice rang through the streets, “So, you finally figured it out?”

Buffy looked around watching for the demon.

“I’m surprised it took you so long.”

“Why don’t you come out here so we can play? I owe you a few things.” Buffy growled out.

“Oh, come on, that’s just not fair. Two against one. Why, doing that, poor lil’ ol’ me is gonna lose for sure.” The voice mocked. A snap was heard and suddenly, a restricting dome was surrounding Willow.

The redhead pounded against the barrier, but it wasn’t budging.

“Buffy!” Willow yelled, but the Slayer couldn’t hear a thing. The dome was sound proofed.

“Come out here. I want to see your face.”

“Well, if you insist.”

A sudden swirl of high winds surrounded the Slayer and she held her hands up over her face for protection. When they finally settled, hazel eyes opened to something completely unexpected.

“You’re.. you’re.. me.”

~^~**~^~

“The poor strawberry is all confused. Pretty pictures in her head are all mixed up. The colors bleed together.” Drusilla turned towards Spike, “She’ll bleed.”

“What are you talking about, pet?” The blonde demon asked cautiously.

The whole room grew silent as they waited for Drusilla’s answer. The mentionings of blood was a real attention grabber.

“It wants to make her bleed.” Her lips turned up into an evil smile, “And she bleeds such pretty colors.”

“Do you mean the strawberry, luv?”

“No, dearest, I mean the little tree.”

~^~**~^~

Part 31- Doubles

“You can’t be me,” Buffy whispered as she stared at a spitting image of herself.

“Oh, but I am. And don’t worry, babe, I’m not just in your head. I’m those naughty thoughts that you think about when something pisses you off. I’m what gets you to do all those evil things you know you’ve done and tried to hide. And to put it simply, I’m you, except better.”

Buffy shook her head in refusal, “You can’t be me.”

“Oh, I think someone’s in denial.” The Evil Buffy sing-songed.

“Where did you come from?” The blonde Slayer looked around, “You’re that demon aren’t you? You’re messing with me again.”

“Don’t try to hide it, hun, cuz it ain’t gonna work. You know, somewhere deep inside of you, in that dark corner where you hide all your little secrets, that I’m real and I’m here.”

“Go away,” Buffy said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, you’ll never get rid of me.” Evil Buffy replied with a smirk, “I’m a part of you.”

“No,” Buffy denied.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Evil Buffy reprimanded, “It’s not good to lie.”

“I said *no*,” Buffy yelled before lashing out at her.

Evil Buffy smiled evilly and delivered a kick into Buffy’s abdomen, sending the blonde flying backwards.

Buffy groaned in pain and said weakly, “You have powers?”

“I told you I was you. And with that nice little package comes these nifty Slayer powers. Does come in handy, like now.” Evil Buffy looked down at the blonde’s cowering body.

“What are you doing?”

Evil Buffy grinned and said simply, “Trying to figure out the best way to kill you.”

~^~**~^~

Willow looked through teary eyes at Buffy and.. another Buffy. She pounded against the barrier, wanting nothing more then to break free and help her best friend. Suddenly, the dome began to sink further and further into the ground, pushing her along with.

Panicked and confused, Willow did the only thing that she could think of, she screamed. But her desperate screams did nothing to prevent what was happening. Regaining control of her senses, she tried to stop the dome from sinking but even with the strongest physical strength, she couldn’t have paused the dome in moving downwards. But still, she kept on pushing against it. The dome sunk down even further and Willow found herself going through and into the ground. She looked down at the floor below her, puzzled. She was actually sinking into the ground. And no one was around to help her.

~^~**~^~

“She’s shaking,” Faith said worriedly, as she moved towards Willow’s body. “Why is she shaking?”

“You’re asking me?”

The brunette Slayer rolled her eyes at Angel’s response and said, “This isn’t good. Something’s wrong. I can feel it. God, I never should’ve let her go through with this. We could’ve figured out some other way.” Faith began to pace around the hotel room.

“Faith, relax. She’ll be okay.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” She demanded, her voice rising.

“Because someone in this room has to be sensible.”

She breathed in and out deeply and said calmly, “You’re right. I can’t start freaking out now. She’ll be okay. *They’ll* be okay.” Faith looked down and then back up at Ethan, “Right, now where was I?”

~^~**~^~

“Does she mean Willow?” Xander asked in a panicked voice. “Please don’t tell me she means Willow.”

“What do you mean by bleeding such pretty colors? What’s that damn demon gonna do to her?” Anya questioned. She liked Willow. The witch was always there for her when she needed help and if Willow was in danger, then it was time to return the favor and help out a friend in need.

Drusilla backed away slowly, “I’m not supposed to tell,” She placed a slim finger on her lips, “Shhhhh!”

“Dru, luv,” Spike bit out, “What’s going on?”

The insane vampiress began to whimper, “Spikey’s mad.”

“No, pet.” He reassured, “Not if you tell me what the stars have been whispering to you.”

“But, they told me not to tell.” She pouted, “I have to be a good girl.”

“Dru,” he said desperately, “Please.”

Drusilla looked at him with soft eyes and said gently, “It will all work out, dear boy.”

“But why will she bleed?”

The vampiress looked away, not wanting to share her secret. Spike got up and held onto her shoulders and shook her, “Dru, I need to know.”

Hazy eyes turned towards him and she whispered, “To make you hurt.”

~^~**~^~

Part 32- Power

“Start from the beginning.”

Ethan looked at Faith and said simply, “Look, it’s quite an undetailed story. I pissed the wrong demon off. Little did I know it was skilled in magic. So, in order to teach me a lesson, it turned me into a demon.”

“Well, aren’t you skilled in magic yourself? I mean, why didn’t you just try to turn yourself back into a human?” The Slayer asked curiously.

“You don’t think I’ve tried? I looked everywhere and came up with nothing.”

“Well, how come Willow managed to do it?”

“For starters, she has a lot more power then I have.”

Faith nodded and leaned back against the chair.

“That’s it?” Ethan asked.

“Why, do you *want* me to interrogate you further?”

“No, I just expected a lot more..” He paused, “Never mind.”

Faith smirked at him and turned her worried brown eyes onto Willow. “God, Red, please be okay.”

~^~**~^~

“What are you talking about, pet?” Spike asked, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt. He couldn’t be the reason why.. could he?

“The nasty old demon, it’s dirty. It wants you to hurt. It wants everyone to hurt.”

He walked away, shaking his head, “It’s my fault.”

“No, dearie.” Drusilla paused, “Can you feel it?”

“Feel what, Dru?” He asked, annoyed and frustrated.

“She’s strong.”

“Luv, who are you talking about?”

“She’ll fix it.”

Spike turned back to her and saw the flash of clarity in her eyes. “Are you sure?”

Drusilla smiled warmly, “The moon promised.”

~^~**~^~

“Help!” Willow yelled again as she pounded against the dome.

(It’s useless.)

The redhead turned around and her green eyes searched for a presence.

“Who’s there?”

(So, you all think you can ruin everything for me? Don’t you know that our kind always gets our revenge?)

“Who are you?”

(You’ve forgotten me already?)

Willow held onto the sides of her head, “Get out of my mind!”

(So, you’re William the Bloody’s new love? I would have expected you to be stronger.)

The redhead fumed and she gathered her powers for an attacking spell but when she looked down, she saw no light.

(You can’t attack here. You can block, but you can’t attack.)

“You can’t hurt me.”

(Oh, yes, I can.)

“You just said it yourself, you can’t attack, you can only block!”

(Would you care to test out that theory?)

Before Willow could reply she felt something tugging at her skin, as if slowly ripping her apart. She clamped her eyes shut and centered her powers. After a few moments, she let out a scream and a ball of light appeared before her. “Get out of my mind!!!!” She threw the light against the dome and as the two met, the dome shattered to pieces, leaving the witch standing in the middle, surprised and proud.

~^~**~^~

“No, you can’t hurt me.” Buffy said adamantly.

“Oh, sweetie, stop lying to yourself. I just hurt you a few seconds ago. I can always do it again if you want me to.”

The blonde got back up and said forcefully, “You *can’t* hurt me. You’re *not* real.”

“Hmm,” Evil Buffy replied, “Denial sure is a happy place, isn’t it?”

“This is all a dream. You’re messing with me again. You’re not me, you’re that demon.”

The look in Evil Buffy’s eyes faltered for a moment before it spoke again, “Stop lying to yourself.”

“You think you can trick me again?” Buffy asked with a stronger tone, “No, I’m not falling for it.”

Evil Buffy began to back away and the real Buffy moved forward, “I’m the Chosen One. I’m the one that has to fight the evils of this world. I’m the one that will keep this world safe. And I’m *not* going to let some little, weak, pathetic demon like you beat me. I’m the Slayer and I’m *not* giving up.”

Evil Buffy’s skin began to crack, bit by bit. And in the background, so did the sky and everything else that was surrounding the two. Buffy punched her in the stomach and the shirt that Evil Buffy was wearing cracked and fell to the ground. In it’s place was the skin of the demon. Smiling at her correct assumption, Buffy began to throw punches at the demon. The demon stumbled to the ground, beaten and bloody. The Slayer stood over the body of the demon. The added attacks of both girls had weakened it to state where he was only hanging on by a thread.

Buffy smirked as she grabbed the demon’s head, “I’m not lying now, am I?” With that said she punched it one last time on the forehead, destroying it’s power source.

And then, everything turned black.

~^~**~^~

~End~