The Evil That Men Do

by DarkMeB

Summary:

The Majority of this story takes place in the summer after the First Season of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. There are scenes that takes place some time after Lovers Walk from Season 3 (the first and last chapter).

Pairing: Oz/Willow-at the beginning, and at the end.

Summary: Willow loses her memory and finds help from a private investigator in Boston.

Disclaimer: The characters from Spenser For Hire belong to Robert Parker. All characters from Buffy tVS belong to Joss.

As Buffy would say..."This is not gonna be pretty. We're talkin' violence, strong language, adult content." From Welcome To The Hellmouth

Chapter 1: The Memory Defense Mechanism

At one time, not too long ago, the library at Sunnydale High used to be a place where all of the Scooby gang would hang out and talk about the next horrible demon that had to be dealt with. They would all sit around the table and for the most part, they would enjoy spending that time together as friends. Even as family.

Nowadays, that just wasn't the case. If they had to really research something for the Slayer to help her win the next fight, then they would all buckle down and join in the cause in spite of everything that had happened. In spite of what Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris were caught doing in the basement of the old factory that Spike had locked them in. It had been a mistake, and they hadn't really gone too far, but the damage was done. And the damage even seemed to be irreparable.

Xander Harris was at the library now and he had his History books out. Although this was not something he did on a regular basis - or at all, if he had anything to say about it - he was actually planning to study from the books. It wasn't something he was accustomed to. Then again, he wasn't quite used to the fact that people were shunning him and they were treating him like a slime-ball, so he had to find some way to occupy his mind. That is where the actual studying came into play. The library was a quiet place, for the most part, when it wasn't inhabited by people who wanted to boil him in oil so he hoped for an uneventful study time.

Fat chance.

The doors swung open to allow two people to gain entrance into the Library and they were two people that he truly didn't want to see at the moment. Those two people were Cordelia Chase and Daniel Osbourne, otherwise known as Oz. They walked up to the table and Cordelia was already gracing Xander with one of her infamous looks. It was the kind of look reserved for melting a person on the spot like butter under a hot sun.

"Oh, isn't this just great," Cordelia let out a sigh. "You're here?"

Xander wanted to say something like, "Well, if you can see me through all of that mascara, glamor girl, then it must be true that I am indeed here and not elsewhere." Or he wanted to say something even nastier than that, but he chose not to say anything at all in the end. He continued to pretend that he was studying very hard, and he even turned a page for affect.

Oz didn't say a word to either one of them. He casually walked over to the computer at the end of the table and sat down. He glanced at Xander once...just once and wished he hadn't. He had to fight off this strong desire to rip Xander's heart out from his chest. Oz decided to concentrate on his homework instead.

Cordelia, however, continued to glare at Xander with her books in one arm and her other hand on her hip. It was as if she wanted to strike a pose but wasn't sure she should. "Excuse me, but I thought you were going to leave town or something. Maybe the next time Sunnydale sponsors a circus or something, you can join the freaks and leave with them."

Xander glared up at her. He was sorry he had hurt her the way that he did and he had already realized long before now that he could never take it back. Neither could Willow. It was done! So he was guilty in the third degree, but even so, he didn't know how much more of this he could take from Cordelia. She was beginning to revert back to the old days when Cordelia Chase was nothing but a real bitch.

He opened his mouth to respond, and that's when Buffy Summers walked in.

"Hi, guys," the perky blonde began cheerfully. "How is my favorite..." She hesitated as she saw their solemn faces. "...scoobies?"

"I really came in here to study for an exam, but that-" Cordelia pointed at Xander. "-should really be in another library in another time zone." She fixed Xander with another red hot glare. "So you were leaving...when?"

Buffy wasn't sure how she was going to continue to deal with this if it went on much longer. Ever since Xander and Willow were caught in the act, her friends were getting farther and farther apart from each other and from her. She didn't want to lose them. If it wasn't for them being in her life, she would have lost her sanity a long time ago.

They were the only ones who knew what she was, a Vampire Slayer. She could talk to them about things that no one else would ever understand. But if the bonds of friendship were truly broken, what kind of hope did they have for a future? She couldn't be what she was without them.

She couldn't do it.

"I'm not going anywhere," Xander told Cordelia through clenched teeth. "Deal with it."

Cordelia glared daggers at him. "Deal with it?" She turned her head to look in Oz' direction. "Oz-"

Oz didn't even look her way. "I'm really trying to study. I don't want to be bothered by this, Cordelia."

"Cordelia, why don't we-" Buffy began, trying to help diffuse a situation.

Cordelia ignored her and she took a few steps toward Oz in disbelief. "Who the hell are you? I thought you were someone who's girl was kissing another boy. How can you sit there and be so calm about this? Doesn't it bother you that Willow was practically on top-"

Oz' patience was gone. He rose to his feet so fast that the chair he had been sitting on crashed to the floor. He glared at Cordelia. "Do you really think I don't care about this?" he asked her. "Do you really think that this doesn't eat me up inside every time I see Willow or Xander?" He paused as he tried desperately to reign in his emotions. "You don't make it any easier when you throw it into my face."

Buffy held up her hands pleadingly. "Guys-" she tried again.

Cordelia was looking at Oz as if he had grown an extra head on his shoulders. "What is your deal? Why are you getting mad at me?"

"Because you are the one who is bringing it up!" Oz snapped. "What are we supposed to do? Leave school or town because we can't share the same room now?"

"They're the ones who should leave, Oz. Not us."

Buffy looked at Xander and felt bad for him.

Xander had his head in his hands. He felt so horrible about the whole thing. Now he was responsible for Oz and Cordelia fighting.

"It's not going to happen, Cordelia," Oz said impatiently. "We can't ignore them...and I don't want to ignore them. They were my friends. Friends are supposed to stick together...no matter what."

"You are so right, Oz," Buffy said as cheerfully as she could. "We're all friends here, so don't worry. Be happy."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Oh, God, Buffy. You're not going to sing, are you?"

Buffy frowned. "Uhm, no. No singing." She needed help with these guys. "Look...where's Giles? Maybe he has something for me to slay." She said under her breath, "One can only hope."

Xander aimed a thumb toward the back offices. "He's back there."

"Great. I'll just go and check in on him." She waved her hands at them and smiled. "Now you three just play nice. Okay?"

"Xa-Xander..."

Xander raised his head and he looked. But so did Cordelia, Buffy, and Oz. They all turned their heads to look at the source of that voice.

And there was Willow.

Buffy took a good look at her and suddenly got scared. Something was wrong. Willow looked like a lost and frightened little girl with her hair short and on her shoulders. Willow's eyes were wide, her steps were hesitant, and she was visibly shaking.

"Willow?" Buffy inquired with concern. "Are you okay?"

Oz was watching Willow with concern, too. As for Cordelia, she didn't notice that there was anything wrong with Willow.

Willow, however, did not hear Buffy. She didn't see her either. Nor did she see Cordelia and Oz. Her eyes were locked onto Xander alone. Xander himself took one look at Willow and he almost turned white. He looked panic-stricken.

"Oh, God, not now," he muttered fearfully. "Not ever."

Buffy had heard him. What was going on? she asked herself.

"Xander..." Willow stopped moving. She looked so scared. "Please...I-I need you."

That was it for Cordelia. She tossed her hands up into the air and then put her hands on her hips. "Oh, that is just so good, Willow. And you once accused me of having no tact?"

"Cordelia," Buffy said in a warning tone.

"What? Since they got caught, they might as well be needy in public now?"

Xander ignored them all. He went to Willow and she grabbed desperately onto his arms as if they were a lifeline to hang onto.

Oz went around the table and stopped between Buffy and Cordelia. He had a very bad feeling in his gut. "This isn't about us, Cordelia," he said softly, watching Willow with growing concern.

"Xander!" Willow cried out suddenly. Her eyes were full of tears. "Ple-please, help me!"

Xander put one hand on her shoulder, and he touched her face with the other hand. "I'm here, Will."

She looked into his eyes, afraid to look away. "I-I...I saw what they did!"

It was what Xander had been afraid of. "Oh, God...Will." He held her face in both hands. "I'm so sorry."

"I saw what they did!" she cried again. "I-I saw what th-they did t-to Kali! I-I saw...I saw wh-what they did!"

Suddenly, she just collapsed.

Xander caught her and he held her in his arms as he lowered her gently to the floor. She sobbed against him, her body shaking uncontrollably. Buffy couldn't stay on the sidelines any more as she was afraid for her friend. She hurried to her friends side with Oz behind her. Cordelia just stood there with her mouth open.

Xander held Willow as he looked at Buffy. There were tears welling up in his own eyes in spite of how hard he tried not to let them fall. Then he turned his head. "Giles!" he shouted. "Giles!"

Rupert Giles came out from the back. He took one look at the scene before him and froze. "Er...Xander, wh-what's wrong with Willow?" he asked.

Xander looked at him desperately. "She remembers, Giles. Will's memory is returning!"

Buffy stared at him. "Oh, my God. Memory? Xander, what...what are you talking about? What happened to Willow's memory?"

Giles took Willow from Xander and he gently picked her up. She was still repeating over and over again, "I saw what they did...I-I saw what they did...I saw wh-what they did..."

"Xander, you come with me," Giles said as he carried Willow to the back office.

Buffy, Cordelia, and Oz began to follow.

"Buffy," Giles said to her, "you wait out here with the others."

"What?" Buffy asked in disbelief.

Xander followed Giles and Willow into the office and he closed the door behind them. Buffy stood there and stared at the closed door. She was trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Slowly, she turned and she found Oz and Cordelia watching her. "What the hell just happened here?" she asked them.

Cordelia opened her mouth to say something. Then she closed it. She didn't know what to say. She had been getting used to the idea of being mad at Willow for stealing her boyfriend away from her, but now she found herself being deeply concerned for her.

"She saw what they did to Kali," Oz said softly, trying to work it out in his mind.

Buffy turned her head to look at him. "What?"

Oz paused in thought. "It's what Willow was saying. She saw what they did to Kali." He regarded Buffy and Cordelia. "Who's Kali?"

Buffy shook her head. "I-I...I don't know. Do you, Cordelia?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "No. I don't know any Kali."

Oz frowned as another thought occurred to him. One he didn't like. "Not knowing who Kali is bothers me, but there's something that bothers me even more." He paused. "Not knowing who 'they' are."

"Wait!" Buffy held up her hands as if in supplication. When she spoke, there was a catch in her voice. "Just wait a minute! Xander said that Willow's memory was returning. Returning from where? When did Willow get amnesia and none of us knew about it?"

Oz looked at Buffy. "I don't know. Maybe it happened...whatever it is...during the summer before we began to date." He shook his head. "Since I've known Willow, I've never known her to have amnesia...or anything. I would have known if something was wrong."

"Can you be sure of that?" Buffy asked him.

He nodded. "Yes. I can. I'm guessing that something traumatic happened to her. It must have happened during that summer...Your first summer here in Sunnydale."

"Well, I actually spent that summer with my father."

Oz nodded. "Right." He glanced at Cordelia. "The point is...something happened. Whatever it was that did happen, Xander was there. And so was Giles."

Buffy nodded knowingly. "Something happened and they didn't tell us!" She turned to Cordelia. "Did you see Xander and Willow at all that summer?"

Cordelia frowned. Then she said, "I saw them at the Bronze once a few weeks before school started. Xander told me that they had gone to Boston with Giles."

"Boston?" Buffy frowned in thought. "Why did they go to Boston? What happened to-?"

"Buffy."

Buffy, Cordelia, and Oz turned around. Giles was standing there and he looked tired.

"Giles," Buffy said as she approached him. "Is Willow okay?"

Giles frowned as he took off his glasses. "I-I gave her something to-to calm her down."

Buffy stared. "You gave her something? Wh-what did you give her, Giles?"

"A sedative." He put his glasses back on. "A good Watcher is always prepared, Buffy." He let out a weary sigh. "I-I guess I just wasn't prepared then. None of us were."

"Giles, what's going on?"

"I-I have to forgive him, Buffy. At least, I have to remember that it was Angelus that ki-killed Jenny." He looked at her. "Not Angel."

Buffy hesitated, "Giles, what are you saying?"

"Willow needs Angel. She needs you to bring him here."

"Angel...knows about this?"

"He does."

Buffy took a deep breath. "You're scaring me. What happened to Willow? Why did she lose her memory, Giles? And when did it happen?" She regarded his face. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She's going to need all of our love and support." Giles put his hands affectionately on her shoulders. "Pl-please, Buffy. Just ge-get Angel. Then perhaps Willow will be strong enough to talk about it."

Buffy hesitated. She looked at Cordelia and Oz, and then she left in a hurry to get Angel without another word. Giles watched her go. When she had disappeared through the library's double doors, he turned to regard Oz and Cordelia with a solemn expression of his own.

"I...I try not to interfere in relationships that don't concern me," Giles began softly, "but in th-this case, and under these circumstances, I must. I'm very much aware of wh-what has transpired between Willow and Xander, and--"

Cordelia shook her head. "Giles, please. Don't bring this up now."

"Cordelia, you will hear me out. Both of you will." He looked at Oz. "Willow has not been herself. Sh-she has gravitated toward Xander and-and she had felt this need to be with him instead of you. Oz, I believe that this is not something that she had planned to do. It...it was something that she needed to do."

Oz looked at him thoughtfully. Then he nodded his head. "I think I understand."

Giles looked surprised. "You do?"

Cordelia looked at Oz, a look of shock on her face.

Oz nodded. "Well...yeah. It kind of makes sense when you think about it. Whatever she had been through...the memories that have begun to return...Willow was trying to repress them, wasn't she? Once they started to return to her, she needed a way to defend herself from them...so she turned to Xander."

Giles was impressed. "Th-that's exactly what I surmised has happened. The only thing is I believe she was unaware of it. It was more her subconscious at work than any conscious effort of her own."

Cordelia sighed. "Are you saying that in an attempt to block out her memories of whatever had happened to her, Willow threw herself at Xander?"

"Yes." Giles frowned. "Er, well...if you want to put it that way."

"So...she had an excuse?"

Oz glanced at her. "If we hadn't of walked in on her and Xander, Giles, would she be okay now?"

Giles thought about it. "Possibly. Bu-but her memories would have returned eventually anyway."

"Wait a minute," Cordelia said with another sigh. "I'm still trying to get this. Xander was Willow's defense mechanism?"

Oz and Giles looked at her.

"Does that make it right?" she wanted to know.

Oz shook his head. "Look, Cordelia. I was hurt when I saw them together like that, but my pain cannot be any worst than what Willow is going through right now. If it helped her at the time, then I'm glad it did. I wished it could have prevented any further pain to her. What they did, as far as I'm concerned, is in the past because if Willow needs me now, then I'll be here for her."

"You're taking her back?"

"If Willow wants me back, yes." He frowned. "I thought we went over this about this whole thing not being about you."

Cordelia just looked at him. She was concerned about Willow but her way of handling it wasn't like everyone else's way. She turned to Giles. "Did Xander have a defense mechanism?"

Giles looked thoughtful. "Actually, he-he may have sensed Willow's change and indirectly tried to prevent her memories from returning by responding to her. He was there. We-we had all agreed that it would be best if her memories did not ever return." He paused. "Bu-but I'm afraid it's, er, too late for that."

"So...what do we do?" Cordelia asked.

"We...we wait for Buffy and Angel to show up." Giles looked at them with a solemn expression on his face. "We'll tell you our side of what occurred and wh-when Willow wakes up, and if she's able to...she'll tell you hers. Just know this...the events that happened showed us a face of evil we had never come across before. It was the worst kind of evil...An evil not wrought from the hands of demons or-or monsters...but by men."

Chapter 2: Options

BOSTON

A man by the name of Gump once said that life was like a box of chocolates...You never know what you're going to get. Well, I wasn't really big on chocolates to begin with unless it was a steaming chocolate syrup prepared for dipping strawberries after a nice thick steak with mushroom gravy. Add a sweet bottle of wine like White Zinfandel and you've just complimented any meal. But that's not what I'm really talking about here, am I? I suppose if life really were like a box of chocolates, then maybe I found a piece with one of those nasty gelatinous goo inside. The kind that make you want to put it back in the box for somebody else.

I'd better rephrase that. Because if this is what life is all about, I wouldn't want to give any one this bad piece of chocolate. I didn't want it for myself, but there it is. It's mine. And I have to do something with it.

Susan Silverman would tell you that I'm a man of stubborn pride. She would say that my pride is so stubborn, it disables me from asking for help when I really need it. That I push people away when I am hurting. That I keep my pain all to myself and share it with no one. The truth is, Susan is right. I enjoy the freedom of independence. It means something to me to be my own man, to have no one to answer to but myself. Susan rather enjoys reminding me of my stubborn pride, but then I have to remind her of her own stubborn independent pride for otherwise, she would want to give up that independence and move in with me rather than live apart as we do.

I guess we're just both full of that old stubborn pride.

I think that if the truth were to be told, there was only one man I knew who would fully understand what I was going through in my current crisis. And I would like to think that if he were in my shoes, he would follow the same course of action that I was about to follow.

That was Hawk.

Hawk and I were different in many ways, but in some ways we were the same.

At the moment, I wasn't with Susan. Nor was I with Hawk. I was alone. I found myself standing on the sidewalk on a nice sunny day in front of the Boston Medical Center where my doctor just happened to have an office. I was breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the feeling of the sun's warmth as it touched my face. I stood there and wondered why I hadn't stopped to notice the sun on my face before. I also wondered when I was going to begin to feel sorry for myself or was I doing that without even realizing it.

My doctor's name was Les Cloutier, and, well, technically, he wasn't really my doctor. I had helped him out a few times in the past with my detecting abilities and so I figured that maybe if I really had to, I could go to him to ask for some medical advice. And that's what I did. I wished I hadn't, but it got to where I really didn't have a choice in the matter.

We set up this appointment with great reluctance on my part, and I even showed up on time. However, do you recall that stubborn pride I rattled on about earlier? Well, because of that pride, I never told a soul what I was doing or where I was going. If I have to let anyone know, I will do it on my own terms and only when I am prepared to do so. The doctor did his thing and I felt sort of like my dignity was being torn to shreds. I tried to hold that dignity intact, but it took some mental willpower that I didn't know I had. When it was all said and done, I had gone home to play the waiting game. I had to wait for that call when I would be told the inevitable results of the examination.

I had received that call early this morning.

"When can you come in?" Cloutier had asked me in a reserved tone.

I had responded in the most cheerful tone I could muster. "To be undignified by you again? Never. But to sneak another peek at your long-legged, blonde-haired, blue-eyed receptionist? I'll be there in a flash."

The doctor had let out a chuckle over the phone. "Spenser, what would Susan say?"

"She would say that window shopping is permissible, but shoplifting does carry a very hefty penalty." I had then paused for affect. "She would be right. Susan can be a very strict Warden."

At that point, Cloutier had paused.

I was good with pauses. Being a private investigator over the years has helped me to enhance my skills, and one of those skills was waiting out the pauses. It was supposed to unnerve the other guy so that he can reveal the card he was about to play. Well, it had worked in this situation, too. I had waited the good doctor out.

He had finally said, albeit with great hesitation, "Do you...Would you just like me to tell you over the phone? I...could save you a trip."

I was good with sighs, too, so I had given him one of mine. "No, Doc. I like to have a face-to-face in situations like this. I'm on my way."

As I stood there on the sidewalk with the sun on my face, I could clearly see in my mind what had transpired since that phone call. After the call, I had found myself in his office a half hour later.

That's when he had given me the results.

He had also given me options.

And then he had given me a couple of prescriptions.

After all of that, he had asked me if there was anything I needed, or if there was anything he could do for me.

I had told him, "No." I hadn't even thrown him one of my colorful quips. My mind had become numb, and I have to admit...I'm still trying to deal with it. But this is all new to me. How can anyone truly deal with something like this?

Before I had made any kind of retreat from his office, he had asked me one other thing. "What do you want to do now?"

There was only one thing that I could think of to say to him, and that was, "I want to raise my son or daughter."

I remember the startled look on his face, but I had walked out of there before he could respond which is how I wound up standing on the sidewalk in deep contemplation, soaking up the rays of the sun.

I let out a weary sigh. I didn't have a son or a daughter. And yet, that's all I could think about now was a child to raise as my own. Why is it that when a man is closer to death's door than he had originally thought, he begins to reflect back on his life and think about what he didn't have? That answer I had given Cloutier had been an automatic response, and at first, it had surprised me more than it had the doctor.

Now as I thought about it, I wasn't surprised.

I was sad.

There was a time in my life about a year ago when I had discovered that I was about to be a father. Susan was going to have a baby. She was going to have my baby...our baby. And then I found out that she didn't want to have the baby.

I was so angry. I almost left her.

But in the end, I went back to her because I still loved her and I wanted to be there for her.

I looked up into the sky.

Then I looked at my hands and I couldn't help but wonder if Susan hadn't of done what she did...what would I be holding today in my arms?

A boy?

Or a girl?

I didn't really know.

I didn't really care.

I would have loved either one with all of my heart.

Chapter 3: An Unlikely Alliance

SUNNYDALE

There was a knock on his door.

Angel let out a weary sigh as the knocking chased away his sleep. Not that he really needed any sleep, but it was an act of comfort that made him feel a little more human, even though he wasn't human. That was one of the reasons why he lived above ground when others like him did not. He raised his head from his pillow and looked at the closed curtains hanging above his window. He saw a small telltale sliver of light that told him what he needed to know.

The sun was up.

But the knocking became more persistent.

Who could be knocking on my door at this hour? he wondered as he sat up in bed.

"All right!" he called out. "I'm coming."

He rose himself out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants. He turned on a lamp and stepped out into the living room. At least the knocking had stopped.

He stepped in front of his door and said, "Who is it?"

Beyond the door, a voice responded with some hesitation. "It's me, Angel...Xander."

That surprised Angel. He couldn't begin to imagine why Xander Harris would come to see him. He knew that Xander despised him for what he was. Could Xander be up to something? While Buffy was away for the summer, was the young man foolishly thinking that he could do something about Angel once and for all? Angel immediately discarded that idea. Xander might be capable of pulling off some foolish stunts, but he wasn't going to do something that crossed the line when it came to Buffy Summers.

Angel opened the door and found Xander standing there. He looked anxious about something even though he also appeared to be reluctant at having to come.

"What is it?" Angel asked him as patiently as he could. He wasn't too thrilled to find Xander at his door.

Xander hesitated, "Can I come in?"

The vampire with a soul frowned. "It's late...for me. I'm really tired." He wasn't really, but he wasn't certain that he wanted to let Xander in.

"It's important." Xander let out a sigh. "Look. We both know that you're the last person I would want to come to for help, but...I don't know where else to go."

Angel regarded him. Then he opened the door wider and allowed Xander to enter. As Angel closed the door, Xander began to pace about his living room. In spite of himself, he was beginning to feel concerned about the young man he had just let into his home. However, concerned or not, Angel was convinced that Xander might be there to finally tell him what he thought of his relationship with Buffy.

"How important is this?" Angel asked him. "Is this about Buffy? Are you here to tell me that you still love her and-?"

Xander shook his head impatiently. "Damn it, Angel! This is not about Buffy!" he snapped. "I wish it were that simple, but it's not. If she hadn't of left town to go spend summer with dear old dad, I'd be seeing her about this. Not you!"

Angel paused as he regarded Xander. Something had scared him. Something bad. "What about Giles?"

"He doesn't answer his phone. He's not home and he's not at the library." Xander shook his head. "I can't wait for him either."

"What happened?"

Xander glared at him. "Look...I don't like you. We both know that. But...I've nowhere else to go with this. Damn it, you're the only one I can come to with this. You've got to help me. Buffy trusts you...and so does Giles...so I have to, too, right? You have a soul...you have to be good, right?"

Angel waited.

Xander's glare turned into a look of pleading. "Angel...I-I think something bad has happened to Willow."

Angel looked at him in surprise. "Didn't Willow go to some computer camp?"

"Yes."

"Well...isn't she still there?"

"I...I don't know. I just don't know. And I can't get a friggin' answer!" he said in frustration.

Angel looked at him. "Wait a minute. Calm down. What do you mean you can't get an answer?"

"Willow...she's supposed to be there for a month." Xander looked at him and tried to keep the panic from his eyes. "It's only been ten days since Willow has been at camp. You wanna know something about those ten days? Willow has called me every night for the first eight days, but for the last two nights..." He shook his head. "...she hasn't called me."

Angel frowned. "And you find that unusual?"

"I know Willow, Angel. She...she calls me every night." He chuckled nervously. "She calls me on school nights. She calls me on the weekends. We go to the Bronze, we go home, and she calls me." He shrugged. "We're best friends! And I know that something is very wrong here."

"Maybe you're just worrying over nothing, Xander. It is possible that Willow might have been too busy to call you." He shrugged. "Maybe she'll call you tonight."

Xander held up two fingers in front of Angel's face as if to emphasize a point. "It's been two nights already!" he exclaimed. "And you're dead wrong, dead boy! She won't be calling me tonight. I called the campsite and I spoke with a receptionist who told me that Willow had left with her parents."

"Maybe she did."

"She didn't. I stopped by Willow's house on my way over here."

Angel looked at him with a bad feeling in his gut. "And?"

"I asked them if Willow was home. Willow's mother told me, 'No, silly. Willow won't be home for another three weeks. She's at camp.'"

Angel paused in thought. "Where is this camp?"

"About an hour out of town," Xander told him. "I'm taking the bus there now."

"Wait a minute, Xander." Angel let out a sigh of frustration. "Look, I can't help you now. Not while the sun is up. Try to find Giles again. Don't go to the campsite until I'm able to join you."

"I can't wait, Angel. I've got a bad feeling about this." There was a tremor in Xander's voice. "I have to know that Willow's okay. I haven't heard from her in two days and it's driving me crazy."

"You have to wait."

Xander headed for the door and he shook his head. "No. I'm leaving now. When it gets dark, that's where you'll find me." He opened the door and hurried out.

"Xander!" Angel called after him.

But it was too late.

Xander was gone.

And Angel had no choice but to wait until dark.

Chapter 4: Bad News In The Combat Zone

BOSTON

The rain was pouring down hard as the two men stood within the foyer of the crack house. The crack house was centered between the Wharf and what was commonly known as the Combat Zone. The two men were sharing a smoke and they were looking forlornly out the window as the rain continued to fall without any signs of stopping. Both men were anxious, but only one of them managed to cover his anxiety quite well.

That man went by the name of Billiard.

Billiard was a tall, muscular black man with a bald head and an expression that was as serious as death. That is the way his expression always looked. It was also why he was called Billiard, because even when he played pool, his face was still an expression of seriousness.

His friend was called Snake-Eyes but that was because of the little mans oddly small head, pale face, and his beady little eyes. His eyes were literally like two dots on the roll of a dice. Snake-Eyes was pacing nervously in place, making him look like a kid who really couldn't hold it much longer, and he kept throwing glances to the front door and then his eyes shifted in the direction of the hall.

Billiard knew what Snake-Eyes was thinking.

And he didn't like it.

"That way leads to a horrible death, Snake-Eyes." The big man shook his head. "You don't want to go there."

Snake-Eyes looked at him, but his shifty eyes couldn't make eye contact. "What are you, man? Brain dead or somethin'? Did you see that girl?"

"Do you know Dr. Alyssia?" He leaned closer. "I mean...really know Dr. Alyssia."

Snake-Eyes hesitated, "Uh...y-yeah, man. Shiiit! Yeah, I know her. She's one crazy-ass bitch!"

"She'll kill you if you touch what belongs to her."

Snake-Eyes scowled. "Damn! Shi-i-it! Man!" He threw his arms up in frustration. "Sh-she won't know a thin', man! See...this girl was here since yesterday mornin', man. How she gonna know?"

Billiard suddenly looked at the little man with suspicion. "Snake-Eyes...did you go and so something stupid?"

"Hey! No, man!" Snake-Eyes waved his hands in defense and took a step back. "See...I...well, you know how it is, man." He chuckled nervously.

"What did you do?" Billiard asked again.

"Nothin', man. I swear it!" He flinched under Billiard's glare. "Look, man. I just pinched and poked the girl a little, that's all, man. I swear, I-"

Billiard grabbed Snake-Eyes by the throat and slammed him hard against the wall. "Don't be a damned fool!" he hissed. "You'd be lucky if she ordered me to kill you, Snake-Eyes. If I don't kill you, it'll be worst than you can possibly imagine. Keep away from that girl. She doesn't belong to you."

Billiard released him and stepped back.

Snake-Eyes tried to catch his breath and held up a shaking hand at a feeble attempt to keep the big guy away. "Hey, man...I-I won't touch her. I swear it, man."

Billiard's cell phone rang. He pulled it out and growled out a greeting. He listened. Then he closed the phone and put it away. He turned to glare at Snake-Eyes. "I have business to attend to," he said to the weasel slowly. "You best not go down to the basement, Snake-Eyes. If you go down there, I'll know."

Snake-Eyes nodded quickly. "Hey, man...I'm just curious..." He took a step toward Billiard. "Wh-what is the girl's name?"

Billiard frowned at him. "When they pass through here, they don't have names. You know that."

"But...i-isn't this one special?"

Billiard paused in thought. "Yeah. This one is special." He thought about his conversation with Dr. Alyssia on the phone just before the girl's arrival. S'ushi Alyssia did have a warped sense of humor. "You know, Dr. Alyssia didn't tell me the girl's name. But she did tell me that she was named after a tree."

Snake-Eyes looked puzzled. "Huh?" He thought about it. "The girl's name is Pine?"

"I gotta go." Billiard pointed meaningfully at the little man. "Don't touch her."

Snake-Eyes nodded. Then he watched him leave. When he was finally left alone, an evil leer appeared on his face. He turned, rubbed his hands together and headed purposefully for the door at the end of the hall. It led directly to the basement.

On the way to that door, he passed the open doorway which led into the living room. A crack head who fell asleep, dropped an open, burning lighter onto the floor. He had been about to light one up for himself when he decided to take a trip to dreamland instead. The lighter hit the floor and made contact to the carpet.

The material began to burst into flames and the flames began to spread.

The flame touched the curtains on the window and quickly shot up to the ceiling. As the fire continued to burn, it would eventually destroy a terrible place and yet it would ultimately save the life of one young girl who was named after a tree.

That girl was in the basement of the crack house. She was lying on a cot with nothing on but a long sleeve shirt that stretched to her knees. Her wrists were bound to a metal frame at the head of the cot and the restraints were designed for the purpose of restraining without leaving marks. The same type of restraints were also bound around her ankles.

Even without the restraints, the poor girl could not possibly put up any type of resistance. The drugs in her system had her in and out of consciousness. At times she was aware of her surroundings, but most of the time, she was disoriented and confused. But in her current condition, she was barely aware of what was happening around her. She knew that someone was there with her, but she didn't know who it was. She couldn't move, and she couldn't understand why. She couldn't open her eyes. She felt like she was floating, and then falling. She wanted it to stop, then she wanted it to go on...like a roller coaster ride out in deep space.

Snake-Eyes sat on the edge of the cot and put his hand on the girl's leg.

"Hey, Little Tree," he greeted with a leer. "This is your lucky day." He laughed. "Mine, too, sugar! And you know what? You won't even know what it is that's happenin' to you, baby."

He slowly moved his hand to her knee and touched the soft fabric of the girl's shirt. "Just re-"

A blood-curdling scream sounded from directly above and it stopped him cold.

"What the hell, man?" he shouted angrily.

Snake-Eyes reluctantly left the girl alone and stormed up the stairs. He flung open the door, and stepped out into the hall. And he stared into the living room in horror as flames reached out into the hallway.

Snake-Eyes prided himself as a survivor. He thought of himself as a tough, street-smart hood who knew how to handle himself quite well in any given situation. He saw the flames, he saw the writhing dope-head on the floor covered in flames, and so he survived.

He ran out through the front door and never looked back.

The flames was like an entity of its own. It went through the house rapidly, devouring everything in its path. The door to the basement had been left open and so the flames reached hungrily for the basement. By the time the stairs were engulfed by flames, and as the basement began to fill with smoke, firemen arrived on the scene.

Two firemen doing their jobs were heading for the basement. They were just doing their jobs, and part of that job was to look for anyone who could possibly still be alive and get them out. It was that simple. Or it should have been. Never in all of their years as firemen had they ever expected to find an unconscious girl tied to a cot in the basement of a burning building. They immediately took to rescuing the girl and they managed to get her out of the burning crack house. Moments later, she was on a stretcher and in the back of an ambulance. The Paramedics began to work on her but at least they knew that the girl was out of immediate danger.

Still, there had to be answers to what happened here, so one of them had placed a call. Less than ten minutes later, an unmarked police car pulled up beside the ambulance and two men climbed out. They both hurried to the back of the ambulance and climbed in to get out of the rain.

Lieutenant Martin Quirk looked down at the girl on the stretcher grimly. The man who had entered the ambulance with him, Sergeant Frank Belsen, cursed under his breath.

"Ah, Jesus, Lieutenant," he growled. "She's just a kid!"

"How is she?" Quirk asked the Paramedic.

The man let out a sigh. "She's stable for now. A couple of firemen pulled her out of the blaze, but...uhm...it was how they found her that was disturbing."

Quirk pursed his lips. He did that to keep a tight reign on his anger. "She was restrained to a cot."

The man looked at him, puzzled. "Yes. That's right. How did you know?"

"Open your friggin' eyes, Mac!" Belsen exclaimed. "Yer smack dab in the middle of the Combat Zone and the Wharf, for crissakes! This isn't exactly where a pretty little girl would want to be found in of her own free will! Trust me."

The Paramedic looked at Belsen. "Well, how do you suppose she got here?"

Quirk shook his head and cut Belsen off. "Who can say? She could be a run-a-way. She could have been kidnapped from her home or from a public place. Her being here in the first place is bad news." He looked at Belsen. "She got lucky. This time tomorrow, she could have been out to sea."

"Out to sea?" the Paramedic exclaimed, appalled. "But...why would someone want to drown this poor kid?"

"Not drown. That would be a kinder fate."

Belsen looked at the man. "White Slavery."

The Paramedic looked at him. He was trying to comprehend what he had just heard. "What?" He stumbled over his thoughts. "Are you telling me that this girl was going to be sold?"

Quirk would have responded, but the girl suddenly opened her eyes, and weakly, she called out, "Kali! Kali! Nn-no...no...Kali..."

She tried to look around, but her new surroundings were just too unfamiliar to her. Everything was confusing to her.

Quirk looked at her sadly. He wondered if she was reliving some dreadful memory of her captivity. He watched as she struggled to keep her eyes open, but she lost the fight and her eyes closed.

"I wonder who Kali is," Quirk said softly. "Frank, I'm going to ride with the ambulance to the hospital. Take my car." He handed him the keys. "I want two uniforms to meet me at the hospital. Someone is losing money tonight and I'm betting that whoever it is will be looking for this girl. I want her protected."

Belsen nodded solemnly. "Right. I got it covered."

"If you happen to see either Hawk or Spenser...let them know that I'm looking for them."

Belsen nodded again. He took one last look at the girl, then he went back out into the rain. Once he was in Quirk's car, he started it up and drove away.

The ambulance drove off as well with its sirens blaring loudly to clear a path. Quirk found himself looking at the girl and he wondered who she was. At that moment, she opened her eyes again and her eyes met his.

"You're going to be all right," he said gently, wondering if the girl even understood him or believed him.

She didn't respond. She just looked at him.

"You're safe now." He didn't realize that he was doing it, but he had his hand open and toward her in a non-threatening gesture.

She reached up for his hand and grabbed it. Then she closed her eyes again. She didn't let go of his hand until they arrived at the hospital to wheel her into the ER.

Chapter 5: Missing

SUNNYDALE

Xander had spent the better part of the day getting nowhere fast. The receptionist that he had spoken with on the phone was the same receptionist that he met in the lobby of the computer camp. She told him once again that Willow Rosenberg had left the campsite with her parents. A camp counselor by the name of Sheldon Sunter confirmed this and firmly, but politely asked Xander to leave.

Xander had tried to look around the camp grounds but as he was not a member, he was politely asked again to leave the premises. It was close to five p.m. when he finally sat down on a bench in defeat just outside the computer camp grounds. He put his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands.

He was worried about Willow.

Something was wrong.

He didn't know why he knew that something was terribly wrong. He just did. It made him angry and frustrated. It also made him rely on things that he thought he would never have to rely on.

Like Angel.

He let out a weary sigh. Xander would have never thought that he would see the day when he wished the sun would go down so Angel could arrive to save the day.

"Xander!"

Xander sighed a heavy sigh of relief as he turned his head to see who had called him. "Will, I..." he stopped.

It wasn't Willow.

It was Sylvia Landry, one of Willow's computer buddies.

"Oh...hi, Silver," Xander greeted.

Sylvia pushed her glasses back up her nose with her finger as she approached Xander. There was a time when she had let only one person call her by that name. That had been Joshua MacDonald, her boyfriend. Since his untimely death during the school year, all of her friends had begun to call her "Silver" and since she found it comforting, she didn't tell them to stop. In some ways, it made her feel close to Joshua. After all, it was Joshua whom had given her the name and so it was only reasonable that she start using it as a name.

Sylvia sat next to Xander and looked at him sadly. Without knowing that she was doing it, she moved a strand of her dark black hair and tucked it behind her ear. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hey, how are you?" Xander regarded her with concern. "Are you doing all right?"

Sylvia shrugged her shoulders. "I...I'm doing all right, I guess. Thank you for asking." She hesitated, "Are you here looking for Willow?"

He nodded his head. "As a matter of fact, I am. Have you seen her?"

She shook her head. "Not for three days, Xander."

"The people I've talked to here..." He shook his head. "They're not being very helpful, you know? They told me that Willow has left and gone home early."

Sylvia looked at him. "Did Willow go home?"

He let out a weary sigh and the worry he had been feeling for Willow began to show on his face. He shook his head. "No, Silver. I've been to her house, and she's not there. Her parents have not come up here to take Willow home."

"This...this is bad, isn't it?" Sylvia regarded Xander. She looked like she wanted to tell him something, but was afraid to.

Xander looked at her. "What is it, Silver?"

"I..." she stopped. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Th-there's another girl at camp who we thought had gone home, too."

"Another girl? Who?"

"Kali. She shared a room with another girl across the hall from us. From me and Willow."

Xander didn't like the sound of this. "Kali is missing, too? She and Willow are both gone?" He didn't know who this Kali was, but two girls missing from the same camp at the same time was setting off alarms in his head. "Silver, when was the last time you saw Willow?"

Sylvia paused in thought. "We...we went swimming on Monday, Xander. Willow seemed tired and-and she went to her room early. I think Kali went to her room, too. She said she hadn't been feeling good." She looked at Xander with worry in her eyes. "My God, Xander! Willow was my roommate. If something happened to her-"

"We don't know that anything did happen," Xander replied lamely, attempting to reassure her.

"I stayed and I swam with my friends. By-by the time I got to our room, she was gone! I should have went with her!"

"Take it easy, Silver. I'm not blaming you and don't you blame yourself either." He put his hands on her shoulders. "We have to think this through. When Willow got to your room, something must have happened. She had to have gone somewhere from there...but where?"

Sylvia thought hard about what had happened. "Counselor Sunter told me that she went to the doctor's office feeling ill. I-I went to check on her, but she wasn't there." She frowned. "Xander, the doctor wasn't there either." She remembered something else. "Come to think of it, the Director of the campgrounds mentioned something about the doctor during assembly Wednesday morning. He said that someone was coming to replace the doctor."

Xander frowned as he puzzled over what he had just heard. "This doctor left...Willow and Kali are missing...What the hell is going on?"

Sylvia looked at him with concern. "You...you think something happened to them? To-to Willow?"

He hesitated, "It's beginning to look that way to me." He paused. "Who was this doctor? Why did he leave?"

Sylvia shrugged. "It's not a 'he' but a 'she'. Her name is S'ushi Alyssia...and I don't know why she left."

Xander couldn't help it. He began to chuckle. "Wait a minute. This doctor is a woman...and she's named after raw fish?"

"It's Sue-shy, Xander. Not Sue-she."

"Okay. I gotcha. But...this woman...this doctor...She left and Willow is missing."

"Kali, too." Sylvia frowned. "Do you think Dr. Alyssia had something to do with their disappearance?"

"I...I just don't know." And I can't do anything until backup arrives anyway, he thought in frustration.

"Xander...what should I do? I-I only came here because of Willow." Her lower lip began to tremble, and her eyes began to blur with tears. "She-she's helped me so much and...and I've been so selfish."

Xander got a little choked up in spite of himself. He remembered that when Joshua was alive, Sylvia was a spitfire who didn't take any trash from anybody. She had walked tall and carried a big imaginative stick, but ever since Joshua's death, everything had changed. She just wasn't the same, and Xander's heart went out to her.

Xander shook his head. "You haven't been selfish, Silver. You have a right to grieve."

"But doesn't Willow have time to grieve? Jo-Joshua was her friend, too...I-I only dated him. Willow was the one who found him, Xander, and was I there for her? No! And now Willow's missing!" Her eyes suddenly widened in fear. "Oh, God...What if the Brotherhood took-"

Xander shook her shoulders gently and made her look at him. "Silver, stop! The Brotherhood did not take Willow again, and they're not going to either." Inwardly, he hoped that was the truth he was telling, because, unfortunately, the Brotherhood simply seemed to have vanished after he, Buffy, and Giles had saved Willow from a fate worst than death at the hands of that macabre cult. He didn't know where they had disappeared to, nor did he know if they would ever resurface. He could only hope they didn't. "Look, this is different. It's not about them. Silver...maybe it would be better for you if you just went home."

Sylvia frowned. Then she nodded as she wiped at her eyes. "Well...I-I am going home."

As if on queue, a car pulled up with Sylvia's parents in the front seat. Sylvia gave Xander a hug and whispered, "Please find Willow."

Xander returned the hug. "I will. I promise."

He sat back on the bench and watched Sylvia leave with her parents and then he wondered just how in the hell was he going to find Willow. What could have happened to her? Why was he being told that Willow went home with her parents when her own parents told him that she was still at camp? Did this fishy doctor have anything to do with Willow's disappearance or Kali's, or did the doctor lady disappear, too?

Xander looked up.

He was actually relieved to see that the sun was going down.

"Imagine that," he said sarcastically to himself. "I'm actually liking the night."

He decided that there was only one thing he could do and that was to wait for Angel to arrive. He suddenly closed his eyes and cursed. He realized to his own dismay that in his rush to get here himself, he had neglected to tell Angel how to get to the camp.

"Things cannot possibly get any worst than this!" he exclaimed to himself.

He was wrong.

Chapter 6: A Stiff With No Head

Summary:

Spenser and Hawk make a discovery.

BOSTON

"This man be dead."

Hawk just had a way with words. I had to admire him for that. Anybody else would have added a bit more detail to it, but not Hawk. He calls it like he sees it. This didn't mean, however, that I couldn't bait him just a little.

"Now how do you know that?" I asked for the benefit of the police who were examining the scene.

Hawk had that knowing look. "I know the man is dead 'cause he ain't got no head." He looked down at the bloody headless corpse lying in the alley. "Ain't got no head...must surely be dead."

He did have a point there.

Now there's something one should know about Boston's finest. They didn't mind having me around on a crime scene, especially if I was asked to make a special appearance. I'm asked to make these appearances because I'm special, but also because I'm a detective and might be able to smell something they don't. Over the years, the Boston police have come to tolerate my presence. Sure, they tolerate me like a bad toothache that won't go away, but I eventually win them over with my charming personality.

I've helped them out a time or two, but I have to give them credit, too. Especially Quirk and Belsen.

But no matter how much the police learned to appreciate me and to respect me, it was different with Hawk. Maybe it was because he was big, black, and bad, or maybe he needed to take a lesson from Charm School 101, but the bottom line was that they resented his presence. Period. The only reason that he was there with me at the crime scene was because Belsen wanted him to be there.

Belsen had his cigar clamped between his teeth as he gave Hawk one of his "you gotta be shittin' me" looks. "Jesus, Hawk. Thanks for that little juicy tidbit of deductive reasoning. I guess we would have discovered sooner or later that this stiff didn't have no friggin' head, but you're obviously way quicker than us blue coats!"

"'Way quicker'," I repeated to Hawk. Then, I said to Belsen, "Frank, you don't have a blue coat."

Hawk continued to inspect the scene with his eyes. "I ain't got no blue coat neither."

"You wouldn't look good in a blue coat, Hawk," I told him. "Blue doesn't match the color of your eyes."

Hawk grunted. "Good thing I ain't got a blue coat then."

I had looked this scene over a dozen times since I've been here and I ran it through in my mind as I sorted out various clues and puzzle pieces that would eventually lead us to solving this case. There was something I had noticed, and I was more than reasonably certain that Hawk had caught it as well. I knew that Belsen and his blue coats had not noticed it yet for if they had, they would have been squawking about it by now.

"So, Frank, who found the headless stiff?" I asked.

Belsen pointed at the apartment building on the left of the alley. "Neighbors complained about some kind of ruckus out here. A squad car with a couple of boys came out to investigate and that's when they found the stiff."

I nodded solemnly. "The stiff...with no head."

Hawk made a sound in his throat. It was more like a short growl, and he often did this when he was thinking. He gave Belsen one of his many famous looks. "How does a man with no head 'ruckus'?"

I had to jump in on this one. "What is a 'ruckus', Frank? Have you ever seen one?"

I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Belsen was losing his patience with me.

"Spenser," he began with his finger pointing at me, "you're killin' me!"

I shrugged. "Don't lose your head over it, Frank." I couldn't help it. I grinned at him.

"You really are a piece of work, you know that?"

I opened my mouth to respond.

Belsen raised a hand. "Don't answer that!" He turned to look at me. Then he took his cigar out of his mouth and wiped at his face with his other hand.

That made me a little concerned. I knew Frank Belsen a lot better than he thought I did. I knew his mannerisms, and I also knew that he was a damn good cop. He was thinking about the dead guy with no head and he seemed to be working something out in his mind. I got the impression that he knew something and wanted to let us know what it was.

Hawk was watching Belsen carefully. Not much ever slipped past Hawk.

"What is it, Frank?" I asked.

Belsen looked at me. He glanced at the blue coats around us and then he motioned for us to join him away from the others. Hawk and I met him near the wall and we were careful where we stepped.

Belsen wasn't.

He wiped at a rain drop that fell onto his face and I didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't really rain. The rain had stopped falling hours ago. It was early evening. I motioned for Belsen to step back.

Without thinking about it, he did. "Listen," he said to us, glancing back at the blue coats, "we found this girl, Spense...earlier this mornin' in a crack house in between the Combat Zone and the Wharf."

I shrugged. "It's a hard fact of life, Frank. There are a lot of girls in crack houses these days. Especially near the Combat Zone."

"Well...this girl is different," he explained insistently. "Some fuckin' dope head accidentally set fire inside the house. Someone called the fire department, and by the time they arrived, the place was ablaze!"

"He said 'ablaze'," Hawk drawled.

Belsen glanced at him. "Anyways...this girl was found in the basement of that damned house, Spense. She was doped up and tied to a fuckin' cot. Are you gettin' the picture here? That's how the firemen found her. Quirk got this call and he and I went there moments after they put her into the ambulance."

I knew where this was going. Hawk and I had dealt with this kind of thing before.

"Damn," I said softly.

"Then you're thinking-" Belsen began.

I cut him off. "Another damn white slavery ring."

Hawk looked as expressionless as ever, except I noticed the set in his jaw and the dangerous look in his eyes. "Same old story for white slavers," he growled. "Bring the girl to the crack house by the Wharf, then take her away by boat. Bastards try to do it every time."

Belsen looked at me. "Look, Spense. My gut tells me that this stiff in the alley had something to do with it."

I looked at him. "A hunch?"

He nodded.

I though about it. "You mean...that he had something to do with the girl or the fire?"

"Maybe both. What if the bastard was supposed to be watchin' the girl? If that was the case, then he let her get away. Now...there's a headless man lying in the alley and he stinks like hell."

"And you really think there's a connection?"

Hawk nodded grimly. "I do."

Belsen and I looked at him.

"You say that with such certainty," I observed.

Hawk grunted as he gave me a nod. "I do," he said again.

"And how did you come to this simple deduction, Watson?"

"'Cause I know the headless stiff. I've seen his face and his beady little eyes before. They used to call him Snake Eyes when he was alive. Now they'll call him the dead guy who ain't got no head."

Belsen blinked at him as if he hadn't heard Hawk correctly. "Hawk...how the friggin' hell can you stand there and say you've seen this stiff's face...when we haven't even seen his fuckin' head?"

"It's Snake Eyes," Hawk said with finality. "He used to hang out in the Combat Zone along the Wharf. I'm certain they killed him 'cause he got sloppy with the girl."

"But how do you know it's him?" Belsen demanded.

"I told you...I've seen his face."

"What the hell are you, nuts?" Belsen waved his arms dramatically. He was getting really worked up about the whole thing. "There's no fuckin' head!" He pointed at Hawk. "You can't ID a stiff without no head."

Hawk pointed up.

Belsen looked at him and then let out a sigh. I could tell he didn't want to do this, but he did. He looked up to where Hawk was pointing. On the fire escape above us, a metal bar from the railing was broken and it was hanging out above the alley. It was positioned just perfectly so that a street light was shining upon it. A head was stuck to that bar with its face facing out toward the light.

"That's Snake Eyes' head," Hawk told him.

"Jesus Christ," Belsen whispered hoarsely. "Well...how the hell did it get up there?"

"Why don't you climb up there and ask him?"

Belsen glared at Hawk. "Smart ass!"

Hawk flashed him a smile. It wasn't a real smile, just a flashy smile. Hawk was not big on smiling.

"Frank," I said, drawing the conversation back to the girl, "where is she now?"

He turned to look at me. "She's at the Children's Center in Boston Memorial."

"How old is she?"

"Fifteen...maybe sixteen. She's just a kid, Spense." He paused. "Quirk wants to see you there."

"When?"

"As soon as you can get your ass over there."

"Well...then me and my ass are on our way." I looked at Hawk. "You coming?"

Hawk shook his head. "Nah. I'll catch up to you later on. I'm gonna do some digging of my own. See if I can find out who separated Snake Eyes' head from his shoulders."

"Then what?" I asked.

"Then I'll thank them for saving me the trouble." He flashed that smile again.

I looked at Belsen. "Frank...don't you think that Hawk has a perfect set of teeth?"

Belsen shook his head at me and rolled his eyes.

I left them then just as Belsen began to expound to Hawk about Law and Order. I could only hope that Hawk would behave himself enough not to get arrested.

Chapter 7: The Vanishing

Summary:

Xander's search for Willow leads him dangerously close to risking his own life.

SUNNYDALE

"You're still here?"

Xander looked up from the bench and he was surprised to find Counselor Sheldon Sunter standing there with a stern expression.

Xander cleared his throat. "I'm just waiting for my ride," he lied. He had been hoping that Angel would arrive to save the day, but realized that it just wasn't going to happen. Angel didn't know where the computer camp was. And even if he did, it would take him at least an hour or two to arrive.

Sunter regarded Xander. And then he smiled knowingly. "No, you're not. You've been sitting out here for hours." He paused. "You intend to sneak back into the campgrounds when the sun sets, don't you?"

Xander chuckled nervously. "Who? Me? Nah. Really...why would I go snooping around where I'm not wanted?"

"Because you're looking for Willow Rosenberg."

There was something in the man's tone that greatly disturbed Xander. He looked at the Counselor and frowned. "You had made it clear to me that Willow isn't here."

"But you don't believe that, do you?" Sunter smirked at him. "You think I'm lying to you."

Xander rubbed his forehead as he felt his anger and fear for Willow's safety resurface. "Are you telling me now that Willow is here?" He glared at Sunter. "What reason would you have to lie about this?"

Sunter shrugged his shoulders casually. "I've got my reasons." He had a cocky smile on his face.

Xander hated that smile. He slowly rose from the bench and stood in front of Sunter, glaring at him. He wanted to wipe that smile right off his face. "Is Willow here or not?"

"Do you want to see her?"

Xander swallowed his anger. "Yes, you son-of-a-bitch. I want to see Willow." He took a deep breath. "What did you do to her?"

Sunter paused as he regarded Xander. "I'll show you." He turned and began to walk away.

Xander had no choice.

He followed Sunter.

Sunter led him through the campsite and eventually led him to the beach area. They walked up toward a boat house with a small dock. Xander frowned as he wondered why Sunter would keep Willow in a boat house. Was this Kali in there as well? He wanted to believe that Willow was in there because he didn't want to believe that something worst could have happened to her.

Xander remembered going to a movie with Willow, and the movie was called The Vanishing. It starred Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, and Sandra Bullock. Keifer Sutherland played the part of a desperate boyfriend who was in search of his girlfriend-Sandra Bullock-after she disappeared at a gas station. Jeff Bridges played the part of the man who kidnapped her. Sutherland's character spent years searching for her and it nearly ruined his life because he just didn't know what had happened to her. It was the unknown that had been the worst pain.

After the movie, Xander and Willow had talked about it for hours. But they had never thought that one of them would vanish like that. They hadn't believed in vampires back then either, and yet now they did.

There were vampires.

There was a Slayer.

And Willow was missing.

Xander followed Sunter into the boat house. There was a lot of boating equipment around and a speed boat was on a raised hitching trailer.

There was no sign of Willow anywhere.

Xander glared at Sunter. "Where's Willow?"

Sunter pointed.

At first, Xander didn't know what the man was pointing at. He walked around the speed boat and there on the floor, pushed back against the wall was a chest. It was large enough to hold a body.

It was large enough to hold...

Xander swallowed a lump in his throat.

He walked over to the chest and he slowly opened it. He stared inside...and frowned.

The chest was empty.

He began to turn his head. "You ba-"

Sunter hit him with a rowing oar and knocked him out cold.

Chapter 8: The Red-Haired Girl

Summary:

Spenser meets Willow for the first time and vows to keep her safe.

BOSTON

My life had changed drastically since I was told that I had six months to a year to live. I found myself looking for things to do to keep my mind occupied. I didn't want to actually confront my mortality just yet because as much as I hated to admit it...it scared the hell out of me.

Susan would tell me that I was in denial...and she would be right.

However, even if she were with me now instead of at some conference in Pittsburgh, I was sure there wasn't anything she could do for me that I couldn't do for myself. Besides, I wasn't ready to tell her just yet. If she had been home, I wouldn't have been able to keep it from her for very long.

So...this thing they called cancer changed my life forever whether I was ready to face it or not. It was an ugly monster. It came into my world and in one full swipe, it tore at the very core of my being. So I was just beginning to believe that there was nothing in this world any more which could change my life for the better...even if it was for a short time. I was convinced that there was no hope. No joy. No blessings left of any kind. That maybe I had just used them all up and now my time in this life was over.

So I say again...Cancer changed my life for the very worst, and there wasn't anything out there now to offer me any hope.

But that's when I met her and she proved me wrong. There was hope. It came from a red-haired, green-eyed young lady by the name of Willow Rosenberg. The girl with the eyes of a keen mind and a kind heart. The girl who took abuse and came back surviving. The bravest little girl I have ever met.

When I first saw her, I didn't know her name. I didn't know who she was, nor did I realize the circumstances in her life which had brought her here to Boston Memorial. All I saw was a pretty young girl lying in a hospital bed with IV's hooked up to her small wrist. She was lying there with her eyes closed and she looked so peaceful. So beautiful.

This girl was going to change my life for the better.

I saw Quirk sitting in a chair by the bed as I entered the room. He saw me and nodded a greeting.

I nodded back as I looked at the girl. "Frank said she was special," I said softly. "He was right. She does look special, doesn't she?"

Quirk nodded. "She is."

"I figure she has to be for you to assign two men outside her room," I observed. "And I'm also figuring that she has to be even more special for you to stay here with her all day."

Quirk rubbed at his eyes. "I'm...I'm just tired, Spense." He turned his head to look at the girl and there was pain in his eyes. A pain that spoke volumes about the many kids out there on the streets who hadn't been as lucky as the girl was. "God, I'm just so damned tired."

But he wasn't talking about sleep. "I know, Marty," I said gently. "But you can't save them all."

"Maybe not. But I can save this one and so can you."

"I'll do what I can."

Quirk looked at me. "Stay with her tonight. In the morning, I'd like for you to take her home with you and keep her safe."

I paused to think about what he was asking me to do. "Do we even know who she is? Who her parents are?"

"We don't know who she is. I had her prints run through the children's database and there were no matches. She doesn't talk when she's awake. All I heard her say once was a name. Kali."

"Is that her name, you think?"

Quirk shook his head. "No. She was saying it like she was looking for someone. Like she was calling out to somebody else." He let out a weary sigh. "All we know about this poor kid right now is that she's a living Jane Doe."

I looked at the girl. "How is she doing?"

Quirk paused. "Well...there were traces of Versed and Robinol in her blood. One drug is used to dull the memory...or even erase it, and the other drug is used to keep her conscious but sedated."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Conscious but sedated...And aware."

He nodded grimly.

"Was she...?" I stopped. Any other time, I would have asked bluntly whether the girl had been raped or molested in any way, but I didn't want to verbalize it while she was in the room. Conscious or not.

Quirk knew what I was asking anyway. He shook his head. "No. She was lucky in that." He paused. "It's my guess that whoever was keeping her didn't want her to be touched." He frowned as he rubbed his eyes. "Spense...the drugs in her blood weren't the only things they found. She has what they describe as internal bruising. They believe that it means she was hit with something meant not to leave marks."

I clenched my teeth in anger and swore under my breath. I looked at Jane Doe.

"The EKG's also showed signs of some kind of shock treatment."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Anything else?"

"No."

I wished I knew who had done these things because I would have gone after them right at that moment. But I didn't know, and I couldn't leave her when she needed me now. "Okay, Marty. She'll be safe now."

Quirk nodded his head. "If she's with you, I know she'll be safe. But you might have to keep her for awhile. The Doc tells me the odds are not in her favor of having her memory returned."

I hesitated. "Look, Marty, I'm a pretty big guy. Don't you think she'll be afraid of me? If Susan were here-"

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "No, Spense, she won't be afraid of you. And it's actually better that Susan isn't here."

That surprised me. It must have showed, even though I am not so easily surprised by anything.

"The girl wasn't afraid of me. She wasn't even afraid of Frank if you can believe that. But there was a woman doctor and two women nurses who tried to help her when we first arrived." He glanced at the girl. "She was terrified of them."

I thought about that. "Did she scream or cry out? Did she say anything?"

He shook his head. "No. She just sat there, tensed up, and trembled. I'll never forget that look of terror on her face."

I guessed the rest. "So the women backed out of the room and a male doctor came in."

"With a male nurse."

"How did she respond then?"

"Better. She watched them, and there was still fear in her eyes, but not as bad." He shook his head in wonder. "She watched them and responded to them. She didn't even flinch when they put her IV's in."

I tried to keep my expression normal as a sudden wave of pain struck me in the lower back. I closed my eyes and hoped it would just pass quickly, but it didn't. I clenched my teeth, placed my hand on the wall to steady myself and opened my eyes. I hoped that Quirk would think I was just stretching.

He was looking at the girl so he didn't notice. For that, I was grateful.

For the girl, however, it was a different story. Her eyes were open and they were focused on me.

I thought I composed myself rather well. I thought about what she must have gone through and realized that whoever had tormented her had to have been a woman.

I tried to smile reassuringly at her as the pain subsided. "Hi," I managed to say with some resemblance of dignity.

Quirk looked at me with concern.

I cleared my throat and looked at the girl. "Hi," I said to her, a bit more clearly. "My name is Spenser."

Her eyes were not only pretty but they were very inquisitive as she looked at me. After she looked at me for awhile, she turned her head to look at Quirk. I got the impression she just wanted to know if he was still there.

Quirk said to me, "Hold your hand out to her."

I moved slowly toward the bed. I got to the girls side and I held out my hand toward her with my palm facing upward. She looked at my hand and then she looked up at me. I didn't know what was going through her mind. How could I possibly know? She reached for my hand and grabbed it. When she looked up at me again, I could see tears forming in her eyes.

I knelt beside the bed so that I was level with her. "I'm here to help you," I said to her gently. "Do you understand?"

She nodded.

I wondered about why Quirk wanted me to stretch out my hand to her and I also wondered why she took my hand. Even now, she didn't seem to want to let go.

She looked at me one last time, and then closed her eyes.

I looked at Quirk.

"What do you think that means?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know." I looked at the girl thoughtfully. "Some kind of gesture that she responds to. Maybe from someone she knew."

"Maybe from Kali."

"Maybe."

After awhile, Quirk left. I sat in the chair beside her bed and watched over her as she slept. Throughout her restless sleep, she managed to keep a tight grip on my hand and she never let go.

Chapter 9: Bad Habits

Summary:

Sunter plans on helping Xander break all of his bad habits, permanently!

SUNNYDALE

Xander came regained consciousness and immediately regretted it. His head was pounding painfully and he soon discovered that his hands were bound tightly behind his back. He was tied securely to a beam in the center of the boat house. As he became fully aware of his surroundings, he also became aware that he was being watched.

Sunter was standing off to the side watching Xander. He grinned when Xander turned his head to look at him. "Well, it's about time," Sunter told his captive with a snort. "You've been out for a little more than an hour." He pointed at him and chuckled. "And you've drooled on yourself."

"Gee, thanks for noticing," Xander snapped sarcastically. "It's a habit I'm trying to break."

Sunter laughed at him. He waved a hand through the air. "Ah, don't worry about it. Besides, I'm going to do you a favor. I'm going to help you break every one of your bad habits. I'm sure you have a lot of them." He was holding something in his hand. He raised it and shook it, causing it to make a rattling sound.

Xander didn't like the sound of that. "What are you talking about?" He tried to get a look at what the man was holding, but he couldn't see it clearly.

"I'm talking about your bad habits, boy. I'm going to make them all go away...with these." He shook the bottle of pills that he was holding in front of Xander's face. He smiled, watching Xander's face for a reaction.

"Wh-what are those...exactly?" Xander asked nervously.

"They're sedatives."

"Sedatives?"

Sunter nodded, still grinning. "Yeah. That's right."

"Uhm..." Xander chuckled nervously. "Wait a minute. You're going to make this look like a suicide. Is that it?"

"A suicide?" Sunter shrugged. "How am I going to do that?"

"C'mon! This is the oldest trick in the book! You're going to make me take those and then leave me somewhere with the empty bottle in my hand. You can't do this!"

He shrugged again. "Actually, I can do this. But...it's not going to happen exactly like you say it is."

Xander looked at him with morbid curiosity. "Uhm...Oh, wait! Then, you're going to commit suicide!" At least he could hope anyway.

Sunter shook his head. "Wrong again. You see, what I'm going to do is give you enough of these to keep you semi-conscious, but sedated enough where you are incapable of saving yourself." He chuckled as if he had an inside joke and wasn't going to share it with anyone.

"This sounds bad!" Xander exclaimed. "Incapable of saving myself? From what?"

He smiled. "From drowning."

"Drowning?" Xander looked at him with a panicked expression. "I'm going to drown?"

Sunter nodded his head. "Yes, you're going to drown, and I'm going to watch. You see, after I give you enough of these-" He shook the bottle of pills. "-I'll just wait for it to work in your system for a little while. Then, you and I are going to go for a little boat ride down the river. When we get to a reasonable location that is totally witness free, I shall simply drop you into the river and watch you drown."

Xander stared at him in horror. "What kind of a sick bastard are you?" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "This is bad! This is really really bad!"

Sunter popped open the pills and poured some out into his hand.

Xander watched him. He had to do something to stall for time. Then maybe a miracle would happen. "Hey!" he exclaimed nervously. "Are-are you really going to make me swallow those dry?"

Sunter placed the pill bottle into his pocket as he smiled at Xander. "It just so happens that I did bring a cooler full of beer."

"Oh, that's great! Uhm, what kind?"

Sunter grinned at him. "Does it matter?"

"I-I guess not. As long as it's a cold one," he said with a nervous laugh.

Sunter clapped him on the shoulder and then he walked over to the cooler he had placed on the floor hours before. He opened it. As he held onto the pills in one hand, he pulled out an ice cold can of beer with the other hand. Then he closed the cooler and walked back toward Xander.

Xander took a deep breath. "Look...before you pop the tab on that thing..."

Sunter looked at him. "What do you want, kid? I've got all night."

Xander was hoping that he had all night, too. "Can't a condemned man have a last request?"

Sunter tossed back his head and laughed. "Hell, I like you, kid. You want a last request? Is that what you want?"

"A-actually, yes. I do."

"Aw, well..." Sunter shrugged his shoulders and grinned at Xander. "Why the hell not? Just make it a reasonable request, boy. Like a smoke or something. There's no way I'm gonna go into the kitchen to cook you a last meal."

Xander shook his head. "Well, I won't ask you for a meal. And I don't want a smoke. I just want to know one thing." He tried hard not to glare at the man. "I just want to know what you did to Willow. At least tell me that."

Sunter regarded him for a moment. Then he let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. He chuckled. "You know what I'm going to do, kid? I'm going to tell you what I did to your pretty little friend and I'll tell you what I did to Kali, too." He winked at him. "Hell, they both made me a lot of money, but your red-headed girlfriend made me a lot more money than I would have thought possible." He laughed.

Xander stared at him. He felt sick to his stomach. "What...what are you talking about?"

"That's right, kid. I made me some money." He whistled. "I got me a whole whopping ten percent fee right off from the sale and then I got me a five thousand dollar bonafide bonus!" He grinned at Xander. "Hey, listen...that girl has made me more money than from the last two girls I sold from this camp last year."

Xander was horrified at what he was hearing. "You...you sold...you sold Willow?" He felt like he wanted to throw up. Where is Willow now? he wondered, Is this mad man even telling the truth? He was worst than the Master. "Wha...? What in God's name are you?"

"Hey, I'm just a man making a profit, kid." Sunter looked at him. "White slavery is a thriving business. And did you know that your friend Willow is a rarity? Girls like her are worth a fortune!" He nodded his head. "Oh, yeah, my friend. That's right. Long red hair. Pretty green eyes." He held up the pills in his hand to Xander. "I simply popped some of these babies into her soft drink and she was gone minutes later." He laughed. "I had to follow her back to her room, and for a minute there, I thought she was going to pass out in the corridor. She opened the door to her room and fell right inside. I came in behind her, scooped her up in my arms...and then I put her in a chest like the one you opened before I conked you one. I tied her up with a pair of stockings and I stuffed a gag in her mouth. You never know...she could have awakened. But I'm sure she didn't." He winked. "Then I closed the chest up, locked it...and away she went." He shook his head at the memory. "Oh, I got my money and I promised to do my part for next year. And then you came along asking questions."

Xander couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt his eyes begin to blur as he thought of Willow being sold like she was merchandise. "Oh, God...wh-where is she, you bastard? Who did you sell her to? Where did she go?"

"What does that matter to you? You'll never find her. You'll be dead soon."

"Tell me!"

Sunter hesitated. "S'ushi Alyssia." He paused in thought. "That's who owns your pretty little red head now. She took her to Boston, but she had to drop off Kali at the Funhouse outside of LA first. But after that, who knows? And who cares?" He shrugged. "Does it really matter now?" He regarded Xander thoughtfully. "Hey...you wanna know something else that's unique about your friend? There's something else about her that makes her so rare to these people. You know what it is?" He smiled as he brought his face close to Xander's. He chuckled. "She's a virgin. Now I really do wish that I could have had at least a half hour or so with that girl myself, to be honest with you. Now be honest. You can't tell me that you haven't kissed that red head, huh? Or that you haven't wanted to spend some real quality time with her. Eh? I could have shown her a thing or two...but then I wouldn't have been paid."

Xander struggled in vain against his restraints. "You son-of-a-bitch! All I really want to do is get my hands around your throat!"

Sunter popped the tab of the beer and grinned at his captive. "Yeah, but it's just too bad that you can't." He chuckled.

"You're right. It sucks!" Xander ceased his useless struggles and then appeared to resign himself to his fate. He let out a weary sigh. "I'd really love to get my hands around your neck right now...but I can't." He paused for affect. "So I'm gonna have to settle with watching him do it."

Sunter chuckled again. And that's when he realized what Xander had just told him. He looked at him, puzzled. "What did you say? You have to settle with watching 'him' do it? Who is 'him'?"

"I am him," growled a voice from behind him.

Sunter froze. He stared at Xander. "Uhm...did you just throw your voice?"

"Gee, let me think." Xander shook his head. "No."

Slowly, Sunter turned himself around and soon wished that he hadn't. He found himself face to face with Angel.

Sunter puffed out his chest and glared. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Angel's human face abruptly changed to that of his vampire face. "I'm someone you don't want to know."

Sunter screamed.

Chapter 10: Lost Boys

Summary:

Spenser keeps an eye on Willow while Hawk faces up against a couple of Lost Boys.

BOSTON

It had been a long night, but I imagined that it was probably a whole lot longer for the girl than it had been for me. I watched over her and hoped that I could chase away the scary dreams. They invaded her mind no matter what I did. I saw her face as she slept. The quick catch of breath, the jerking motion of her body, the murmurs of fear. All of these were symptoms of nightmares. Every twenty minutes or so, she would jerk herself awake, look around the room and then she would look at me. She would focus those pretty eyes of her on me until they closed again.

This went on for most of the night, and through it all, she never let go of my hand. She jerked awake again and cried out...and that's when I couldn't take it any more. I sat on the side of her bed and took her in my arms. She cried on my shoulder and hung onto me tightly. No words were exchanged. I wasn't even sure she would be able to talk according to what Quirk had told me. Words weren't necessary. She needed someone to be there for her and I was trying to let her know that I was there for her until I could find her parents. Until I could find out who she was.

After awhile, she seemed to stop crying and she just kept her head on my shoulder. I soon discovered that she had actually fallen asleep. I was about to lay her back down but she opened her eyes and hung onto me tightly. So I just held her and she slept in my arms.

Maybe I could chase away her nightmares after all.

So I held her...and then I wondered if Hawk had found anything out as to who had taken this girl from her home.

_____ _____ _____

They called themselves the Lost Boys. There were four of them.

The smaller one with the curly blonde hair and a baby-face was called Little Mikey. The second one was a foot taller with long brown hair and a five o' clock shadow. He was called Marco. The third Lost Boy was just a few inches taller than Marco and he had long black hair that touched the small of his back. He even had dimples when he smiled. His name was Damien.

Then there was the fourth Lost Boy. He was the tallest of the others. He had bleached-blonde hair styled in a spiked flat top. He favored a blonde goatee and he enjoyed tucking a cigarette just above his right ear. His name was David. David was the leader of the Lost Boys.

He walked ahead of his three boys as he lead them to the entrance of the Boston Memorial Hospital. The hour was late and visiting hours had been closed hours before yet they were heading for the ER's entrance anyway. As they got closer, they were forced to stop short when they saw the tall imposing figure standing directly in their path.

David scowled impatiently as he glanced back at his boys. Then he turned to face the man before them. "Get out of our way, Hawk."

Hawk didn't get out of their way. "Visiting hours is over and you ain't invited."

"And you are interfering in business that doesn't concern you." David glared at him. "It's four to one, Hawk. Do you like those odds?"

"Send one of your boys for help. I'll wait."

David just looked at him.

Hawk looked comfortable standing there. He even flashed them a smile.

Marco fidgeted nervously in place. "Man, c'mon, David! Let's just take the son-of-a-bitch! He's just one guy."

David held up a hand and slowly shook his head. "You guys wait here." He left them and walked up to Hawk. He stopped in front of him, took down his cigarette, and proceeded to light it. He regarded Hawk as he took a drag from the smoke. "Listen, Hawk. I understand your position. I really do...but you aren't anybody's fool. You know why we're here."

Hawk nodded once. "Uh huh. I know why you think you're here, but what you is thinking...ain't gonna happen. One of your boys messed up. Now he's lost his head." He looked at him. "I'm thinkin' you lost it for him."

"So what? What's that to you?"

"Nothing to me...'cept I didn't do it. Now you think you're gonna clean this mess up. Well, you won't need to 'cause I'm cleaning this mess up. So if you leave now, then you and your boys won't be losing your heads."

David took another drag from his cigarette. Finally he shook his head. "You can't protect that little bitch, Hawk. We'll get her one way or the other."

Hawk looked at him with cold eyes. "Say that again and I will kill you where you stand."

David regarded him. Then he grinned. "Can't you be reasonable? All we want to do is walk in, take her, and leave. No fuss, no mess."

"That's why I know you're going to turn around and leave. 'Cause you can't afford to cause a scene. It would make trouble for whatever scumbag you're working for now, wouldn't it?" He paused. "Perhaps Mr. Trick is your Master now. Do you think he would like you to cause a scene?"

"I don't work for Mr. Trick."

"Who then?"

David didn't answer. "Hawk, you've just made a big mistake. There are a lot of people who are going to be after that girl. And they won't be as nice as I am."

Hawk leaned forward menacingly. "I'm not a nice guy at all. I'm...restrained."

David shook his head. "Big mistake, I'm telling you." He shrugged, turned, and began to head back toward his boys. "C'mon, guys. We'll have to work something else out." He waved a hand at Hawk. "We'll be seeing you."

"Not if I see you first," Hawk replied. He looked at the smallest Lost Boy and wagged a finger at him. "Little Mikey...a word."

The Lost Boys looked at him curiously. Little Mikey glanced at David and David shrugged his shoulders as he joined them. "Go ahead," David replied. "See what he wants."

Little Mikey walked over to Hawk and looked at him curiously. He waited. Hawk simply leaned toward him and whispered his home address to him.

Little Mikey hesitated, "Why are you telling me where you live?"

Hawk flashed him his pearly whites. "You have just received my personal invitation."

Little Mikey looked at him in surprise.

"But that invitation is just for you."

Little Mikey grinned and joined the other Lost Boys.

"One last chance, Hawk," David called to him. "Let us have the girl."

Hawk stood there and shook his head. "One last chance, little boys. Leave or be dusted."

David shook his head. Then the Lost Boys turned and walked away. Hawk watched them go. For the rest of the night, he stayed outside of the hospital and kept an eye out for any trouble. He knew that Spenser and two uniformed cops were inside keeping the girl safe. He intended to do his part on the outside.

Yet Hawk was troubled. With the Lost Boys in on this, things were definitely going to heat up in a hurry. It was a good thing that he had a plan.

Chapter 11: A Prelude To Evil

Summary:

After scaring Hank Sunter nearly to death, Angel, Giles and Xander make plans to get Willow back home.

SUNNYDALE

Sunter had spilled the beans. He had spilled everything he knew. He even confessed to things that had nothing to do with what Angel, Xander, and Rupert Giles wanted to know. Sunter had admitted that he knew S'ushi Alyssia had intended to take Willow to Boston. Alyssia had also mentioned to him something about going to a Funhouse first, and the Funhouse was just outside of LA. However, she hadn't mentioned how long she had intended to stay there so it was possible that Willow could be there with S'ushi Alyssia. If that were the case, however, it wouldn't be for long.

"Look...that's where she was taking them first!" Sunter cried out as Angel's demonic face drew closer to his own. "I swear! I swear to all that's Holy, Mother of God! It's true!" He sobbed like a baby.

"Who is 'them'?" Angel demanded.

"Be-be quick about it," Giles said from the sidelines. "He gets rather grumpy when he hasn't eaten."

Sunter cried all the more, tears streaming down his face. "Oh, Jesus! God! Help me!" he exclaimed.

Angel slammed him against the wall. "Would you like to meet Him now?"

"No, please!" He looked heavenward. "Dear God, it's not that I don't want to meet You! It's just that...I don't wanna die!" He sobbed again.

Xander rolled his eyes and shook his head. You've got to be friggin' kidding me!

"Then tell me who is 'them' you keep referring to?" Angel growled. "Was there another girl besides Willow?"

"Y-yes!" Sunter cried. "Her name...her name is Kali, and-"

"Where is this Funhouse? Give me an address!"

Sunter told him where it was and how to get there.

Angel tossed the man away from him in utter disgust. He had never felt like killing a human being quite like the way he was feeling now. "You'd better leave town," he warned. "If I ever come back here and I find that you haven't gone, you'll never live to see another sunrise." He glared at the man, his yellow eyes boring into him. "Do you understand me?"

Sunter nodded eagerly. "Y-yes! I do! I-I-I really do!"

Angel snarled, "Then, go!"

Sunter didn't have to be told twice. He got to his feet and ran out of the boat house sobbing like a baby. Xander stood in the doorway and watched Sunter run off, his jaw clenched tightly in anger. He couldn't believe that the man was actually getting away with what he just did. Angel had let the bastard go scott free.

Xander turned and saw Giles and Angel watching him. Angel's face was human again.

"Xander," Giles began, "are you all right?"

Xander didn't answer him. He was glaring at Angel. "What the hell was that?"

Angel frowned. He knew what the young man was referring to. "Xander," he said calmly, "what did you expect me to do? I can't just kill him."

"You can't just kill him?" Xander pointed angrily at the open doorway where Sunter had escaped through. "That-that lowlife bastard sold my best friend like she was nothing but a piece of meat!" he shouted. "And you let him go!"

"He's human." Angel shook his head as he tried to keep his own emotions from rising. "You've called me a monster many times. If I had killed him, then I would be just that. A monster. I'm not going to kill a human. I can't!"

"Willow-"

"-will still be where she is until we find her," Giles interrupted. "Angel's right, Xander. Killing Sunter won't help us find Willow. An-and if we took him to the police, th-then we would have spent valuable hours answering questions. None of that would be any help to Willow."

Xander looked so helpless. He looked from Angel to Giles. "But what if he tells someone that we're looking for her? They could kill her and set a trap for us!"

Giles shook his head. "I don't think he's going to tell anyone."

"He's never seen a vampire," Angel replied, agreeing with Giles. "Trust me, Xander. I scared the shit out of him."

"How can you be sure?" Xander asked.

"Aside from the smell, I saw the fear in his eyes. If he had ever seen a vampire before tonight, I would have been able to tell." He walked over to the chest that had been against the wall. "Giles...do you think we can get this chest into the trunk of your car?"

Giles glanced at him curiously. Then he looked at the chest and tried to work the measurements out in his head. "I-I think it might fit. Er, even if it doesn't, I-I have bunji cords that will keep the trunk down." He paused. "Why would you want to take this?"

Angel paused as he turned to him. "Because if Willow isn't at this Funhouse, we may need it."

"Need it?" Xander asked, looking at him as if he were mad. "Why do you want this thing, Angel? Sunter told me that this is how Willow is being transported around."

"I know. I heard what he said." Angel paused. "We may need this for me."

Giles looked at him, puzzled. "For you?"

"If Willow isn't at the Funhouse, you'll have to put me in this chest. I can't risk a plane ride to Boston. I'll never stand a chance in the sun. There'll be no place to hide." He looked at Giles and Xander. "So you'll have to pack me in and take me aboard as cargo."

Xander stared at him with his mouth open. "You..." He pointed at the chest. "You would do that for Willow?"

"Sure, I would." Angel looked at him. "Wouldn't you?"

"I-I will do anything to get her back."

Angel nodded in agreement. "And so will I."

Xander regarded him for a moment. Was he truly wrong about Angel? The man was a vampire. His heart didn't even beat, and yet he did have a soul. Xander wanted to find fault in him and looked for fault at every occasion...but this time he really couldn't find any fault at all.

Angel wanted to save Willow just as much as he did.

"Since it seems that w-we are all in agreement," Giles began as he took off his glasses, "then I suggest that we take the chest and head for LA."

Giles received no argument from either Angel or Xander. They took the chest, shoved it into the trunk and Giles secured it with bunji cords since it would not close all the way. Then they climbed into the car and they headed for the Funhouse just outside of LA. They eventually arrived there and once they had, they came face-to-face with the most horrific evil mankind has ever known.

Chapter 12: Weeping Willow

Summary:

A tree invokes emotions in Willow as she and Spenser visit the Boston Commons.

BOSTON

Hawk went to his penthouse apartment, opened the door with his key and silently stood in the doorway. He stood there for a long time as if he were waiting for something. He didn't turn the lights on. He didn't move. His eyes took in everything and his ears were listening to his surroundings.

He heard Little Mikey even before he saw him. The so-called Lost Boy was behind the curtain at the open window, and he was standing still. Unfortunately for Little Mikey, the fool was trying to hiss quietly. Hawk could never understood why vampires felt the need to hiss. There was nothing feline about them and, hell, it wasn't even scary.

Hawk stepped into his apartment and closed the door behind him. The apartment slipped into darkness and Little Mikey chose that moment to lung at him. Hawk, expecting the move, simply rose his foot and caught the fool in the throat with a swift kick. The kick caused Little Mikey to fall onto the floor on his back and when he was down, Hawk moved in.

He picked up the little guy by his collar and slammed him hard against the wall. Then he dragged him into the kitchen. As he did, he would slam his head into a wall or counter top or whatever suited his needs. Little Mikey was flailing about, but he was just no match for Hawk. Hawk slammed him one more time, and Little Mikey went to dreamland.

When Little Mikey woke up, he was tied to a chair out on the patio. His fangs were revealed as he glared up at Hawk with yellow eyes of hatred.

"Let me go!" he declared.

Hawk watched him. "Tell me who wants the girl."

"Go to hell!"

Hawk showed him a nice big set of pliers. "Who is after the girl?"

Little Mikey blinked at the pliers. "Hey...uh...wh-what are you going to do with those?"

"I'm only a bad ass at night, blood. During the day, I do dentistry."

Little Mikey swallowed. "I-is this a joke?"

"Let's see if you think the joke is funny after I do this."

The "this" was Hawk forcing open Little Mikey's mouth and ripping out a fang with the pliers. Little Mikey cried, whimpered, and begged. Then he told Hawk who was after the girl. Of course, this was after Hawk had removed all of his teeth.

"I'm un pun, mon," Little Mikey said.

"Don't worry. I have one of nature's best sedatives for you, man," Hawk told him.

Little Mikey looked at him. "Huh?"

"The sun will be up soon."

Little Mikey looked out and saw that Hawk was right. The sun was just beginning to rise. He looked at Hawk and pleaded with him.

Hawk shook his head. "I just can't stand a whimpering dead boy." Without warning, he grabbed a hold of Little Mikey's head and twisted hard. There was a loud snap and Hawk found himself holding onto the vampire's head.

The body fell to dust, and then the head followed its fate. Hawk dusted himself off and looked around at the results of his work. "Damn," he said softly. "Gotta give the cleaning lady a bigger tip for the extra vacuuming she'll have to do."

_____ _____ _____

Somehow, she trusted me. I didn't fully understand why she did, but I was glad she could find it within her to trust someone. It would be a horrible thing to go through something like this without having someone there for support.

I understood that my Jane Doe needed something and I think that she understood that I needed something, too. It was like we each had a hole in out lives that needed filling. She seemed to recognize there was something wrong with me. She sensed my illness somehow, at least, even though she didn't know what it was. And I really don't know of any other way to explain how I knew this other than to say that it was in her green eyes.

She had the most beautiful, expressive green eyes I had ever seen. I believe she was fully capable of speaking volumes with those eyes and in the beginning, I was able to learn a little of what she was trying to communicate to me through her eyes.

The hospital was gracious enough to donate clothes and other necessities for her before we left that morning. I was given a Xanax prescription for her anxiety and she was supposed to take it twice a day. That was already a hurdle we had to get over.

She had refused to take the first pill.

She had been given the pill and a cup of water and didn't touch either one. There they were on the surface of her tray within easy reach. She just didn't reach for it. She didn't push it away either. She just looked at it.

Then she looked at me.

I saw her fear, her confusion, and her desperation in her eyes and felt badly for her. I also believed I knew why she wouldn't take the pill. She had been drugged before this, but against her will. She may not have remembered the details, and yet her subconscious mind recognized something.

I smiled reassuringly at her. "You don't have to take it if you don't want to."

She didn't want to, so she didn't take it.

About an hour later, we were standing together outside the hospital with the morning sun shining upon us. I felt different somehow. As I looked down at Jane Doe, I wondered if my daughter would have had red hair and green eyes. Probably not, but I wouldn't have cared either way. I would have loved my child no matter what color their eyes or hair were.

She looked around and there were a great deal of mixed emotions on her face. It was a mixture of wonder and curiosity. I wondered if she was even from the city.

Maybe she wasn't a city girl.

I could have asked her a lot of questions, but there wouldn't have been any point. Asking her questions at a time like this would only make her afraid. The best way to go about this was to just act natural and let her surroundings stimulate her memories.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and seemed to hesitate. I thought it was cute watching her scrunch her nose up as she thought about it. Finally, she nodded.

All she had at the hospital was broth. Broth which she hardly touched. The doctor had told me that she should be able to eat solid food and I hoped that she would. I took her to my car, buckled her into the front seat, put her belongings into the back, and then I started the car.

She looked at me and pointed at her seat belt.

I chuckled. I put on my own seat belt.

The first place we stopped at on the way to my apartment was the local grocery store. I knew what kind of foods I enjoyed, but I wasn't certain if the young lady had the same tastes as I did. Probably not. I liked the gourmet food served with the fine wines and the fancy deserts. I not only drank wine with my dinner but I also cooked with Jack Daniels. I think I had to change the menu a bit for her sake.

I wondered if that's how it was with fathers. Did they have to change a habit that they were accustomed to in order to change something better for their children? I thought about that. As I looked at the young lady beside me, I knew that she would be worth any amount of changing if it made her happy.

We went inside the store.

I grabbed milk and eggs. Bacon and sausage links. Hotdogs and rolls. I even picked up some OJ and when I saw the price, I realized that it wasn't free at all. Okay. I admit it. That was a very bad pun. Even I have them.

I thought she would have wanted soda pop but she chose bottled water instead. It made me think of the sweetness of soda because if a certain kind of drug were added to the soda, the sweetness of it would disguise the drug.

She didn't seem to like candy either or potato chips, so I decided to stock up on fruits and vegetables. The only sweet stuff I managed to get was a box of Trix, but I think she picked that out because she thought the bunny was cute.

I paid for the groceries, we packed it in the trunk, and then we left. We were both buckled because it was the law and there was a new sheriff with red hair in town who would give you the eye if you didn't buckle. I grinned as I drove to my apartment.

Before we got to my place, however, we had one more stop to make. The reason we had to stop was because something had caught her full attention and she began to point. At first, I didn't know what she was pointing at, but whatever it was, it was in Commons Park. I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity for her like this so I pulled over and I parked. We got out and she and I headed into the park. She held my hand and she led me the way. As we got closer to what she had seen she seemed to be both amazed and excited about it. As we stood before it, she couldn't take her eyes away from it.

"It's a tree," I told her. "It's called a Weeping Willow."

The tree was quite tall and the long leaves came out like an umbrella. She let go of my hand and put her hands through the leaves. I looked at her face and realized that she was thinking hard about something.

I looked at the tree. "Does a Weeping Willow mean anything to you?" I asked her.

She looked at me and puzzled over it some more. She chewed her lower lip and scrunched up her fabulous nose. Whatever she was trying to remember was there. She just couldn't get it.

"Do you want to be called Jane?" I asked her.

She shook her head and made a face as if to say that she did not look like a Jane.

"How about...Willow?" I paused, watching her. "Would you like me to call you Willow?"

She looked at me thoughtfully. Once again, I could see her thinking about it. She looked up at the tree.

"It's a pretty name for a pretty girl. It's also unique. One of a kind." I smiled at her and shrugged. "I don't know of many girls who have the name 'Willow'."

She smiled for the first time since I saw her and it looked good on her. Her smile was progress. And I didn't have to call her Jane any more.

No.

Now I would just call her Willow.

Chapter 13: The Funhouse

Summary:

Angel, Giles and Xander come face to face with the worst kind of evil.

JUST OUTSIDE LA

Almost four hours later, they arrived at the Funhouse. The Funhouse was located deep in the woods and it was completely surrounded by the forrest. It was secluded. It was as far removed from civilization as it could be, and that was necessary because then no one could hear the screams of the innocent. An unpaved trail led through the forrest in winding curves. Giles had a hard time just following the path with the Giles-Mobile, but somehow he managed.

When they finally saw this Funhouse looming out of the darkness before them, they were at first filled with relief that they actually found the place. Shortly after, however, that relief turned to apprehension as they realized what they could find within those walls of evil. And it was evil. It was a place of the darkest evil known to man. As they sat in the car and stared at the Funhouse, they could feel the horrible, numbing presence of evil itself. It gave off a foreboding sense of doom. The presence was so strong that they literally felt their hope draining out of their bodies. All hope that they would find Willow alive and unharmed in that awful place evaporated within seconds.

Xander filled his mind with anger as he forcibly shook off the heavy oppression threatening to consume him. He grabbed for the door handle and prepared to open the door.

Angel glanced back at him from the front seat. "Xander. Please...stay in the car."

Xander had the door open, but he didn't get out. He was looking at Angel in disbelief. "Are you crazy? If Will is in there-"

"I will bring her out." Angel glanced at Giles. Then he turned toward the Funhouse and took a deep breath. "Look...we know what kind of a place this is. It's a place to get high and have your pick at the victims of the week. I swear...I don't want either one of you to step one foot in that place."

Giles regarded him. "What do you propose we do, Angel? We-we aren't about to sit out here and wait for you to bring Willow out. You might need us to help you."

Angel paused in thought. Then he swallowed hard as if he were trying to hold back his revulsion for the Funhouse. "All right...At least wait until I clear the way. Then come in."

"Angel," Xander protested, "we can help you."

Angel shook his head, determined to go in alone. "I said let me clear the way first. Xander, I know about these places. Most of the people in there are wasted, and there could be three or four guys who are keeping an eye out for trouble. But they are human. They're not demons in there. So I'm betting that once I go in there..." His face abruptly changed to that of his darker side. "...and show my face like this, they'll all come out running."

With that, Angel climbed out of the car and went through the front door of the Funhouse without invitation. Xander was now more convinced than ever that the Funhouse was a place of evil. What other kind of place would exist where even a vampire could get in without being invited? There was evil stamped all over this place.

In spite of it, Xander snorted. "Like that's really going to work! How's that going to scare people who are wasted? That doesn't even scare me and I'm not wasted."

Giles glanced back at him, but he didn't say anything.

They both looked toward the Funhouse.

Xander waved his hand impatiently toward the place of nightmares. "You see? I don't see-"

Someone came diving through a window on the first floor. Shortly after that, the front door slammed open so hard that it nearly came off from its hinges. People came pouring out through the front doorway screaming for their lives. Some climbed into vehicles and sped off through the woods. Tires spun on gravel. Some of the vehicles didn't even use the trail. Other people simply ran off and disappeared deep into the woods.

A few minutes later, silence descended around them. Giles and Xander waited, but no one else came running out of the house.

Giles turned to look at Xander. "Y-you were saying...?"

Xander looked at him, but he didn't respond.

The two men hesitantly climbed out of the car and together they slowly made their approach toward the Funhouse. The door was wide open and as they neared the entrance, a strange, sweet odor struck them. The closer they got to the doorway, the stronger the scent became.

"What is that horrible smell?" Xander asked, trying not to gag.

Giles hesitated. "Do-dope. Marijuana. For one, anyway...but there are other odors."

There were other odors as they entered cautiously into the Funhouse. Urine. Body odor. Things better left to the imagination. Alcohol. Incense. All mingled together, it made for one horrible odor.

Xander pulled the front of his shirt over his nose and mouth. "What kind of madhouse is this, G-Man? These people are sick!"

That's when he and Giles got their first good look at the living room that they suddenly found themselves in. The place was completely trashed. There was garbage all over the place. There were beer cans and uneaten food scattered about. Someone had vomited on the sofa. An assortment of pills and trails of heroin lined the coffee table. There were red pills, yellow pills, green pills, and even bright pink pills and as Xander looked at them, he couldn't help but think of how closely those pills resembled M & M's. But they weren't M & M's. Far from it. And those lines of a white powdery substance was not sugar.

The most horrifying site in the living room was the girl in the corner. She hadn't said anything as they entered, nor had she uttered a sound. Giles and Xander saw her at the same time and they froze in their tracks.

The girls clothes were torn, she was half naked, and she was chained to the wall. There was a collar around her throat and the chain was linked to it.

"Oh...dear God..." Xander said softly. He was on the verge of breaking down. "Giles, is she...?"

Giles knelt beside the girl. Her eyes were vacant and staring. "Wh- whoever she is," he said in a hoarse whisper, "she's alive, Xander."

Xander took a hesitant step closer. "My God, Giles! She's so...young!" There was a catch in his voice. He balled his hands into fists. "This is so wrong! I have never in my life seen anything so wrong." There was a lot of anguish expressed through his words.

Giles turned to look at him.

Xander swallowed a lump in his throat. "A Funhouse, huh?" He wanted to explode. "Well, are we having any fun yet?" he asked sarcastically. He looked around the room. "Dear God...I-I've got to find Willow." He turned away from Giles as his eyes filled with tears.

_____ _____ _____

Angel heard nothing.

It was as if everything around him except for the horrible sight in front of him ceased to exist. He found himself staring in horror at what he had discovered in the basement. There was so much blood. It was all over what he saw, and great puddles were on the floor. He had no trouble at all in smelling it.

Upon entering the basement, the first sensation that hit him was the sense of smell. He had been struck with the odor of blood and death. But it was a horrible death and the smell had been so strong, he had almost stumbled down the stairs.

Then he saw the cage hanging by the ceiling. That wasn't where the odor had originated from, but it caught his attention nonetheless. The cage was like a giant bird cage. It was big enough to hold a person inside. It was empty now. There were wires wrapped around each of the bars and he wondered about that, however, only for a few seconds.

His eyes then locked onto the horror of his discovery and it froze him where he stood.

So there he was.

Angel simply stood there.

He couldn't bring himself to move.

He found it difficult to breathe.

God help him, he couldn't even force himself to look away.

A single tear began to roll down his face.

So he stood there and he looked. He knew then that no matter how much of a monster he had been when he had no soul, he had never done anything quite like this. And he swore to himself that it would never happen. He was looking at something that could only be a heinous act of sheer brutality, and yet there was something that made this deed even that much more horrible. For this act had not been committed by demons. Or vampires. From them, such acts could be expected.

But, no.

This was an evil that man did.

Human beings did this.

And then his eyes wandered to the cage hanging above the floor. He didn't know why, but he thought that Willow might have been trapped in that cage and that she might have seen with her own pure, innocent eyes the horror of what had been done here. That might have been Kali on the table, or what was left of her and the horrors that poor girl had suffered had been watched by whomever was trapped in the cage. Had that been Willow? Had Willow been forced to watch her captors torture the life out of Kali?

Angel wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out to the heavens and demand justice, but all that escaped from his lips was a soft gasp and a groan of anguish. He was shaking.

Dear God, help me! Angel thought. He was so dangerously close to falling into his own rage. The thought crossed his mind that if Willow had met a fate like this one, he would kill every goddamn last one of them. There would be no place on earth where they could hide. He would do it, at the risk of losing his own soul.

He buried his face in his hands and tried to breathe. "Oh, God...please don't let Willow go through this..." He was horribly shaking from what he saw.

Then he heard something.

Someone was on the stairs.

"Angel..." Xander called. "Did you find Willow?"

Angel quickly moved to the bottom of the stairs and raised his hand. "Stay there, Xander! Don't you come down here!"

Xander stopped half way down the staircase. It registered in his mind that he had never seen Angel so visibly shaken before. But he was painfully aware of something else.

That horrible stench of death.

He looked at Angel and swallowed. He felt like he wanted to throw up. "Oh, God...y-you found her, didn't you? You found Willow!"

Angel shook his head. "No...I-it's not Willow."

Hope flashed across Xander's face as behind him, Giles appeared in the doorway of the basement.

"Please...don't come down here," Angel pleaded. "Both of you...just stay back."

Xander took a step down. "What did you find, Angel? W-what did they do?"

"You don't want to know."

Xander hesitated. Was it morbid curiosity or did he want to know what the future held for Willow? He took another step down.

Suddenly, Angel raced up the steps toward Xander. Before Xander could even stop him, Angel grabbed him and literally carried him out of the basement. He brushed past a stunned Giles and carried Xander right out through the front doorway and out into the night. Without warning, he tossed Xander to the ground.

Xander was furious. By the time he managed to get to his feet, he was ready to let Angel have it. But the look on Angel's face stopped him cold.

"I may be a monster to you, Xander," Angel said, a tremor in his voice, "but I will not let you see that! And I swear to God, I won't let that happen to Willow."

Xander stared at him. He was horrified. "Angel...w-what if we're too late? What if it already happened?"

Angel tried hard too keep his emotions in check. There was a dangerous look in his eyes. "Then I will become the monster you accuse me of being."

Xander regarded him. For a long time, he just couldn't take his eyes off from the vampire with a soul. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry, Angel." He shook his head. He was stunned about what he was going to say, but deep inside, he knew it must be true. "You're not the monster here. I-I don't know what you saw...but I can figure it out." He hesitated. "You're sure it...it wasn't Willow?"

Angel nodded. He paused. "I-I think it might be Kali."

Xander closed his eyes. He didn't even know this Kali, but he felt like crying anyway.

Angel swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to regain his composure. "I...I thought I saw everything." He looked at Xander. "I was wrong." He grit his teeth. "It...it makes me sick."

Xander didn't know what to say.

"Quite right," Giles replied as he came walking out of the house. He had a cell phone in his hand, and he was as pale as a ghost. "I find th-that it makes me ill as well."

Angel turned to look at him. "You saw...?" he trailed off.

Giles nodded. "I-I did." He looked at Angel sadly. He was shaking. "Angel...you m-may be many things, but I do know that you care. Believe it or not, that...that says a lot about you." He took off his glasses and wiped at his eyes. Then he took a deep breath, and put his glasses back on. "If you really want to know, Xander, a-about the worst kind of monster there is in the world, I can tell you. The worst kind of monster or demon will not be in a-any of the books at the library. You can't research this kind of monster for it is the worst kind and there is none like it." He paused. "The worst kind of demon is a human being who can do this despicable act of evil to another human being." He was referring to what he had seen in the basement.

Xander swallowed. "Angel said it wasn't Willow."

"I-it wasn't. Whoever it was had bl-blonde hair...Hair so blonde, yet hard to see because of all the blood..." Giles paused as he thought for a fleeting moment about Buffy. He was glad she was spared from this. "I'm afraid i-it may have been this Kali." He looked down at the cell phone in his hand.

"What are you going to do with that?" Xander asked.

"I'm going to call the police."

Angel hesitated. "We can't stay here, Giles. We have a flight to catch."

Giles nodded. "We'll catch that flight, Angel, but we have to call the proper authorities and tell them to get here. Th-there is still a girl in there who can be taken from this place, and perhaps she can even recover...some day."

Angel nodded his head.

Giles dialed 911 on the cell phone.

Chapter 14: A Box of Trix

Summary:

Willow meets Hawk at Spenser's apartment...Angel, Giles and Xander arrive in Boston...and S'ushi Alyssia takes care of business at the Wharf.

BOSTON

There was a parking lot behind the building in which I lived in and as I drove my car around to park, I noticed Hawk leaning against the wall near the entrance as if he were the door man. Of course, I was the only one that knew him well enough who could think of him as a friendly door man and still continue to breathe. For Hawk was no door man. Hell, he wasn't even all that friendly. The last person I knew of that even had the audacity to call Hawk a door man wound up in traction for several months. Hawk had used a door to beat the man senseless.

Well, the guy had deserved it...but that was another story.

I glanced at Willow and couldn't help but notice her reaction at seeing Hawk. Her eyes were focused on him, and they were wide with wonder, curiosity, and fear.

I turned the car off and turned to her. "Willow..."

I watched her as she forcibly turned away from looking at Hawk. Her eyes looked at me. She was trembling a little. There was a look on her face...It was as if she were trying to work something out in her mind.

"That's Hawk," I told her softly. "He's my friend."

She looked at me.

"Willow...how can a guy named after a bird be so bad?"

She turned her head and looked at Hawk through the windshield. Then she looked at me again, questioning me with her eyes. At least I noticed she wasn't trembling any more.

"Hawk won't hurt you," I assured her. "He wants to find out who you are like I do. We both want to help you." I paused. "Will you let us?"

Willow sat there for awhile and I gave her all the time she needed. I knew she was working things out in her mind. She was probably wondering about who her parents were, where she went to school, and did she have a boy friend? If I had lost my memory, I would have been thinking along those lines, too. Well, except about the part of wondering who my boy friend was. There was something else I knew she must have been thinking.

She was probably wondering how she got here.

And the way she was looking at Hawk...it was as if she recognized him.

She saw Hawk standing over her, but it wasn't really Hawk. Just someone who looked like him. Someone who watched over her and kept her safe from the man with the snake eyes.

She finally looked at me and hesitated. Finally she nodded her head.

I climbed out of the car and moved around to open the door for her. Hawk didn't move from the wall he was against and I knew that it was because he wanted to give Willow her space. He didn't want to frighten her, and believe me, he could be very frightening at times. He even scared me and I'm as tough as nails.

I popped open my trunk and waved Hawk over. "Can I borrow your hands?" I asked him.

He walked over slowly, looking at Willow. He stayed on one side of my car as she watched him from the other side. "My hands won't look good on you. I think I'll keep them." He flashed his teeth in a smile. "Better for me than for you anyway."

"Actually, it would be better for me, Hawk," I told him. "Because it works better if you take some groceries with your hands instead of me picking up groceries with your hands. If the neighbors see something like that, what will they think?"

"They think you just tryin' to be me."

Willow took a bag. She wanted to feel useful.

Hawk took two bags and because I really was a better man than he was, I took the remaining three. Somehow, I still felt like I had gotten the raw end of the deal. As we walked toward the entrance, Willow kept me between herself and Hawk, but her eyes kept watching him. She seemed to be deeply curious about him. The fear she showed earlier was gone. I took that as a good sign.

"Hawk," I said as I adjusted my grip on the three bags of groceries, "I'd like for you to meet Willow."

Hawk managed to open the door with two bags in his hands, the big show-off, as he smiled at the girl. "Hello, Willow."

There's something you should know about Hawk. He wasn't the type of guy who smiled a lot. When he did smile, it usually meant he was going to crack open someone's head or throw someone through a window or he was going to do a number of unkind things to someone that was best left for the imagination. I wondered if the smile from Hawk was a frightening experience for Willow so I looked at her with some concern.

She was simply peeking at him from my side.

Hawk regarded me. "The girl has a name?"

I shrugged. "She just doesn't look like a Jane."

"Where'd 'Willow' come from?"

"She saw something in the park that caught her eye. We went to look at it and, well, it was a tree. A great big Weeping Willow." I paused. "She seemed to respond to it as if it meant something to her."

We headed for the elevator. I lived on the top floor.

"She talk any?" Hawk asked.

I shook my head. "No. The doc says that her lack of speech is the same as her lack of memory. She seems to have lost these abilities through trauma and only time will tell if she talks at all, gets her memory back...or both."

We stopped at the elevator and when the doors opened, Willow recoiled. The bag of groceries she had been holding onto dropped to the floor and she backed up as fast as she could. The wall stopped her from going any further so she just slid to the floor, held her knees to herself and stared into the elevator. It occurred to me that the elevator was small and confining. Almost like a big box.

She saw darkness. All around her...nothing but darkness. She was trapped. She couldn't move. The air was so thin, she could barely breathe. Her arms were trapped behind her back. Her knees were tucked up against her as if she had been rolled into a ball. She wanted to scream but she couldn't...Then she felt like she was floating...floating...

I put my groceries down and knelt beside her. Thankfully, the elevator doors closed, but her eyes were locked on them. I looked at her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

She didn't move, and I worried about how tense her body had become.

"Willow..." I said softly. I held my hand out to her. "Willow, take my hand."

She looked at me then as if she were coming out of a trance. She grabbed my hand as her eyes filled with tears. She didn't know what to do and she was looking to me for help. She didn't understand what was happening to her or why.

"We'll take the stairs," I told her. "Okay?"

She glanced over at the elevator as if it were some kind of beast and nodded her head. I helped her to her feet and then we picked up the groceries.

Hawk was watching us, but I noticed that he had grabbed one of my bags which left me with two. "Stairs does the body good," Hawk said.

"I thought milk did that," I responded. "Besides, you're still so young. I'm old and need my strength."

"Nah. You just lazy."

We headed for the stairs and we walked up five flights. My apartment was right at the top of the stairs and we were inside at no time at all. Hawk and I put the groceries away. He saw the prescription of MS Conton that I had left on the counter the night before, and I was able to put it away discreetly before he could read the label.

"Didn't know you liked candy." Hawk regarded me. "I could have brought you some."

I shrugged and looked at Willow. She was just standing by the counter watching us and wringing her hands nervously. She looked like a lost and frightened little girl. My heart ached for her.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her. "You didn't eat much at the hospital. Would you like some breakfast?"

She shrugged.

"We can have eggs and toast...or we can go for the cereal you picked out and eat that since they won't let the rabbit eat it."

She seemed to like the idea of the cereal better than the eggs. I grabbed three bowls and then a carton of milk from the fridge. I carried them all to the table. Hawk was way ahead of the game. He had grabbed the Trix and he had even snatched up three spoons from the silverware drawer since I had forgotten about them. Then he joined us at the table.

"Funny thing about the rabbit on this box." I tapped the cartoon picture of the rabbit who was watching three kids dancing around a giant bowl of Trix. "They put him on the cover of the cereal boxes. They even get the poor rabbit to do commercials for them." I poured some of the cereal into a bowl for Willow, then for myself, and then I winked at her. "But they won't let him eat the cereal. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Willow put a stern look on her face and shook her head.

Hawk took the box from me. "Maybe he's just a bad bunny, 'cause I happen to know Bugs wouldn't put up with that."

"Why is he a bad bunny, Hawk? What did he do? Steal about fourteen carrots?"

Hawk gave me a look. "You losin' it, Bro. That was bad. Even for you."

I grinned.

There the three of us sat, eating Trix. Willow dabbled with her cereal and she didn't finish it all, but she did eat some of it. But as we sat there, her eyes would travel between Hawk and myself. Back and forth, back and forth, she watched us. I was just glad that she wasn't afraid of us. She even seemed to accept Hawk.

I glanced at him. "Did you happen to find out anything, or did you just show up for the Trix?"

"I came for the Trix," Hawk said. He paused as he looked at Willow. "However, there was something I did find out about."

"And that being?"

"Somebody big is out there looking for a package that was lost. In fact, the Lost Boys were sent last night to bring the package back to its owner." He flashed his teeth. "They were hindered."

I looked at him. "You were the hinderee." It wasn't a question.

"I was."

To myself, I cursed. I certainly didn't want to expose Willow to my colorful vocabulary which I usually reserved for moments like this. I had run into the Lost Boys once, and they were vicious scum of the earth. They were street trash hoodlums who believed they were some how invincible. I knew as Hawk did that we could not allow them to get their hands on Willow.

I would rather die before I let that happen.

"Who lost this package?" I asked.

"Well, Snake-Eyes did. That's why his boss wasn't too pleased with him."

And that was why Snake-Eyes had lost his head. The Lost Boys must have been the ones who had carried out the execution. I looked at Hawk. "Who is their boss? Who do they work for? Did you find that out?"

He looked at me and nodded once. "Uh-huh." Then, he asked me, "Do you like Sushi?"

"Not with my Trix." I then realized who he meant. "S'ushi Alyssia?"

Hawk nodded.

"She's back in Boston?"

"Word is that she'll be arriving today." He paused for affect. "She'll be in a foul mood. She'll know eventually where the package is. For a fish, she's pretty smart."

I had tried to gather enough evidence against S'ushi Alyssia once before about a year ago that would have proven she was involved deep into White Slavery. Unfortunately the bitch had friends in high places and the evidence had simply disappeared. And so had she. Now she was back. She didn't like me for good reason. I was okay with that though because I didn't like her either. She was the only woman I had ever met that I wouldn't have minded slapping. Or punching like a man for that matter.

I looked at Willow.

I suddenly understood why this sweet girl had been afraid of the female nurses and doctors at the hospital. Because S'ushi Alyssia was a woman and she had hurt Willow. Somehow. Would Willow ever remember what S'ushi Alyssia had put her through? I was beginning to hope that Willow would never remember. I knew what S'ushi was capable of.

"We can't let her get the package," I said to Hawk.

Hawk smiled. "She won't. 'Cause first chance I get, I's gonna introduce little S'ushi to Charlie of the Sea and maybe if they get along nicely, they can make little tuna's together." He flashed a smile.

I looked at him. "And you accused me of making a bad pun with my fourteen carrots comment?"

"I been around you too long. You're starting to rub off on me."

_____ _____ _____

BOSTON-SHERATON HOTEL

"This thing weighs a ton!" Xander exclaimed as he and Giles carried the chest to the door of their room.

Together, they put the chest down and Giles took a deep breath as he fished out the room key.

Xander thought of Angel inside the chest as he caught his breath. "Now I know what it means when people talk about 'dead weight'."

Giles opened the door and then he reached for the chest. "Well...l-let's get him inside."

Xander bent to the task and the two of them tried to get through the door, but for some odd reason, they couldn't get the chest through the doorway. Giles frowned. It was like there was some kind of invisible barrier that prevented them entrance to their room.

"What's wrong?" Xander asked. "Why can't we get in?"

Giles was thinking about it. "G-give me a second, Xander. It will come to me."

"Giles," said a muffled voice from inside the chest.

Xander glanced nervously about in the hall but there wasn't anyone else around...Damn, he thought. Except for the couple that just got off the elevator. Oh, shit...and the lady wheeling the cleaning cart their way. He was beginning to feel awkward.

Giles looked at Xander, but to the chest, he said, "Er, what is it...Angel?"

There was a pause. Then Angel's muffled voice said, "The room was paid in your name?"

"Er, y-yes."

"Then it's your room. You know the drill."

Giles looked at Xander.

Xander frowned. "What is he talking about?"

Realization suddenly dawned on Giles. "Oh, er, A-Angel. You're invited."

With that done, he and Xander easily carried the chest through the doorway and Xander kicked the door shut with his foot.

"L-let's just set this down...against the wall," Giles told Xander. He gasped for breath. "A-and we must close those...curtains."

They set the chest down.

Xander took a deep breath and he closed the curtains while Giles turned on the lights. He then took out a key from his pocket, unlocked the padlock from the chest, and opened it.

Angel looked up at him from inside the chest. "Giles," he said with a groan, "this is definitely not the best way to travel."

Giles reached in and helped Angel up. Angel leaned on Giles to keep his balance. Then he stood up, he stretched, and rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly, there was an audible crack.

Xander flinched. "Hey! That really sounded good!" He made a face.

"It felt good," Angel told him.

"I was being sarcastic." Xander looked from Angel to Giles. "Okay. So here we are. What's our first move?"

Angel stepped out of the chest and glanced toward the window, grateful that the curtains had been closed. At the same time, he wished that he could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin as a human did. As he once did, so long ago.

"There are some people I have to see," Angel said.

Xander frowned. "Angel, I don't know how to break this to you, but unless you can make these people come here to us, you'll have to wait until it gets dark."

"There's no time. Our only hope is to find Willow before they put her on a ship...or worst." He closed his eyes as the image of what he had seen at the Funhouse came into his mind. He looked at Giles. "We have to hit the sewers."

"Manhole covers are outside," Xander pointed out to him, "and outside is where the sun is."

Angel looked at him. "We can get to the basement. We'll find access to the sewers there."

Giles headed for the door. "Th-then, there's no more time to waste."

They headed for the basement.

_____ _____ _____

BOSTON-THE WHARF...(The Villains)

She was tall and athletic. She had dark green eyes and red hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her name was S'ushi Alyssia and she spun through the air, lashing out with a spin-kick that took the man full in the face. The man fell hard against a stack of crates and slumped to the floor. He looked up in time to receive a kick in his ribs.

Two of them cracked.

Groaning in pain, the man tried to curl himself into a ball. S'ushi didn't let him.

She grabbed a handful of hair and slammed him face first into the floor. Then, she hauled him to his feet and glared into his face.

"Stand up and take it like a man," she growled at him.

The man grimaced from the pain, but he decided that to obey was the best course of action. He stood up and tried to keep himself straight. His ribs hurt badly and he couldn't keep the pain from showing on his face.

S'ushi backed away from him, and she turned to face David and his two boys. She noticed that one of the Lost Boy's was missing and that the remaining three were not too pleased about that. Now S'ushi did not have the slightest idea why Little Mikey was missing, but she didn't really care why anyway. After all, it wasn't her concern. Only one thing concerned her.

"Somebody lost my toy," she said through clenched teeth, "and I want it back!" She stopped to glare at Billiard who was standing by with three of his thugs. Billiard had a fourth lackey but that fool was currently trying to stand after having received S'ushi's personal greeting of hello...with her feet of fury striking every vulnerable part of his body.

"Snake-Eyes paid for his carelessness with his life," Billiard said calmly. "The Lost Boys saw to that." He cast a glare in their direction.

S'ushi scowled. "Snake-Eyes was one of yours," she reminded him with venom in her voice. "He allowed the safe-house to burn and he ran out of there to save his own miserable ass. Because of him, I'm out of a lot of fucking money." A look of pleasure crossed her face as she thought of her new favorite girl. "And a lot of fun." Then a dangerous look came across her face as she turned to fix a glare upon the man she had been toying with. He was still standing there, trying to look like he wasn't in any pain. S'ushi smiled and regarded Billiard. "You just can't find good help these days, can you?"

Billiard didn't hesitate. "I can handle my men."

"Oh, so can I. And a whole heluva lot better than you can."

They were in an old, abandoned warehouse on the Wharf. It was a great place to conduct business, and it was also a great place for taking out the trash.

"You know," S'ushi began conversationally, "I've always loved to watch the Wild, Wild West. Nobody could tame the wild west and take on the notorious villains of the day like James West and Artemus Gordon could. They were my heroes." She let out a sigh. "I have learned so much from watching them."

She clicked her heels together.

A knife blade appeared from out of the toe of her right boot. She suddenly spun-kicked through the air and the blade sliced through the man's neck. He grasped at his throat in surprise, but as the blood seeped through his fingers, a look of panic crossed his face.

He gasped for breath.

Then he fell to his knees and looked up at S'ushi pleadingly.

S'ushi just casually put her foot on his chest and pushed him onto his back. She watched the life begin to fade right out of him and it gave her such a rush.

David glanced at Marco and Damien, and he had to smile at the woman's cruel nature. Damn, he thought, but she would make such a wonderful vampire. Then he smirked at Billiard and his remaining thugs.

S'ushi noticed, and she smiled. She just loved the rivalry between the two groups. She needed them both, but she liked the Lost Boys better because they really did know how to be bad. Billiard and his thugs could be bad, too, but they didn't do it for fun. In fact, she doubted if they even knew how to have fun. Not everything was always about money.

Hell...the Lost Boys were just bad.

She smiled at them. "If you boys want a snack, you'd better hurry. This man's blood will go cold when the light of life fades from his eyes."

David shook his head. "Nah. None for me, thank you." He looked at Marco and Damien. "But if my boys want to dive in, they're more than welcome to."

Marco and Damien looked at S'ushi expectantly.

She invited them to the feast with a wave and a smile.

The man on the floor was still barely clinging to his life. His eyes widened as he saw the two vampires approaching him. They sank their teeth into him and they fed on him.

Some of Billiard's men looked away. Billiard, however, watched the scene before him. He was furious, and yet he didn't let it show that he was.

David watched him. The look on his own face told his rival that S'ushi liked him better.

S'ushi herself watched the feeding frenzy for a moment. Then she got bored with it and turned to regard both Billiard and David. She made a pouty face, and puckered her lips. "I want my wittle Willow back," she told them.

"I have men looking for her now," Billiard responded.

"I don't want them looking!" she snapped. "I want them finding! Find her. Bring her to me unharmed, but kill whoever she is with."

"What if she's with Hawk?" David asked her.

S'ushi looked at him with genuine interest. "Hawk?"

He nodded. "He was at the hospital last night."

"And?"

"And I know Hawk. Starting a scene in a public place like that would have only drawn unwanted attention."

S'ushi approached him. "Are you telling me that Hawk wouldn't let you in because he was protecting her?"

He nodded again.

"If Hawk is protecting the sweet little bitch...then so is Spenser." She smiled. "And that means he would have taken her to his renovated firehouse."

David smiled. "Me and my boys can go there tonight."

Billiard interrupted. "Me and my boys can go there right now."

David glared at him.

S'ushi smiled. "Oooh, I just love the male testerone in here right now." She laughed. "Needs a little hot sauce, I think." She looked at Billiard. "You will send seven of your best men. They will bring me my girl back and don't forget to have them kill anyone who tries to stop them."

"I will lead them myself," Billiard assured her.

"The hell you will. You're staying here with me."

Billiard wanted to protest, but he knew better.

S'ushi looked thoughtful. "Now...when I do get my girl back, I'm going to teach her a lesson for causing me so much worry." She smiled. "Cause me worry...I will cause you pain."

Chapter 15: X

THE SCOOBIES

"Stay out of sight," Angel whispered to Xander and Giles. "Someone else is here."

Giles nodded, and he and Xander kept to the shadows.

They had traveled through the tunnel system that ran beneath the city of Boston. They came to a large opening and it turned out to be a subway station that was no longer in service. Angel stood upon the old tracks as he looked around. His eyes soon stopped their search when he discovered the source of his intuitive warning.

Someone was standing on the platform. He was standing in the light, but his features were in shadow. Off to the man's right, there was someone else in the shadows near the end of the platform. A third person was on the man's left, also in the shadows.

Angel focused on the man who was standing in the light. "I knew I'd run into you sooner or later, David," he said casually.

David stepped forward. His face was revealed in the light now. His youthful face grinned as he looked at the vampire standing upon the tracks. "Well, I'll be a son-of-a-bitch. Now isn't this a surprise." He chuckled. "I haven't seen you since the Tea Party."

"That was a long time ago."

"Yes. It was, Angelus." David paused to regard him. "Or is it just Angel now?"

Angel didn't say anything.

David nodded his head knowingly. "You reek of good will, Angel. It's that fucking accursed soul of yours, isn't it? You almost smell like a human. I don't like it. I also know that you didn't come here alone. I can smell human blood."

"I just want to ask you a few questions, David."

David shook his head and smiled. "No...no, you don't. You want to kill me like you killed Little Mikey."

Angel paused. "I see. I was wondering why there were only three of you. Usually there's four."

David regarded him. He knew that something had happened to Little Mikey but now he was certain that it wasn't Angel who was involved in his disappearance. He thought back to that night when Hawk had said something to Little Mikey. Little Mikey hadn't told him what Hawk had said.

And now Little Mikey was gone. The answer, therefore, had to be Hawk. It was the only answer that fit.

"What do you want?" David asked Angel.

Angel didn't hesitate. "I'm looking for someone."

"And you want me to help you find this someone?" David laughed. "Human or demon?"

"She's human. Her name is S'ushi Alyssia."

David tried not to look surprised. "Why the hell do you want to find S'ushi?"

"That's between me and S'ushi."

He laughed and shook his head. "You are a piece of work, Angel. You and your human friends are asking me to lead you to S'ushi Alyssia? This is unbelievable!" He raised his hands and laughed.

Marco and Damien laughed, too.

David stopped laughing as he regarded Angel thoughtfully. "You know, this isn't hard to figure out. You're not really after S'ushi, are you? You're after another girl. One with long red hair and beautiful green eyes. That's the girl you seek, isn't it?" He watched Angel closely. "Isn't it? Oh, I see it now. Angel is looking...for Willow."

Angel clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

"This girl must be real special," David began, "to cause a vampire with a fucking soul to come-a looking for her. But you know what?" He showed his demon face and ran his tongue over his upper teeth. "She was like Maxwell House Coffee...good to the last drop."

From his hiding place, Xander began to step out but Giles held him back.

Angel moved toward David.

David laughed. "Spread out, boys! Go home! This fight is for later!" He knew that Angel had a soul, but he also knew that Angel was extremely dangerous. He had to warn S'ushi about him.

Angel jumped up to the platform and David simply waited for him. Then David grabbed him as he was getting his balance and spun him around. He slammed Angel into a post, kicked him in the back, and then he shoved him off the platform.

Angel hit the tracks. When he got back to his feet, Giles and Xander had joined him. They looked up at the platform.

David was gone.

From somewhere in the tunnels, they heard the echoes of his laughter.

_____ _____ _____

Marco was laughing himself as he ran through the tunnels. He was going to meet with David and Damien back at the warehouse and he couldn't wait to see them. They would share in a good laugh at Angel's expense as they plotted his demise. Marco was looking forward to it. At least, that was the plan.

Marco was also looking forward to the night. They had every intention of hunting for Little Mikey's killer, for surely he had to be dead by now. Little Mikey was never absent from them for very long. Through deductive reasoning, it only made perfect sense to them that it had to have been Hawk who had killed Little Mikey.

Marco turned a corner and something struck him in the throat, causing him to fall hard onto his back. Gasping for breath, he looked up and saw that he had been clothes lined by a large black man with a bald head.

It was none other than Hawk himself.

Glaring at him, Marco got to his feet and attacked Hawk with a vengeance. Hawk was already braced for the attack. He lowered his body, grabbed a hold of the charging vampire by the arm, and flung him over his back. The vampire crashed to the floor, but he was quick to climb back on his feet.

Unfortunately for him, Hawk was a lot quicker.

Hawk brought his foot into Marco's stomach, causing him to double over. Hawk then brought both of his fists down onto Marco's back, forcing him to the floor. Hawk didn't plan on allowing Marco any recovery time. His method of fighting was to hit the enemy hard and hit the enemy fast.

Besides, Hawk hated vampires almost as much as he loved exterminating them.

He kicked Marco in the side. As Marco tried to roll over to protect his side, Hawk kicked him in the face. Then he reached down, picked up the vampire by his clothes, and slammed him face first into the wall. He slammed him once more and dropped him onto the floor.

Marco stumbled back up and then slumped against the wall as he turned to face Hawk. He pointed at the black man. "You bas-!"

Hawk's fist collided with his face.

After a few more poundings from Hawk, the beatings finally stopped. Marco found himself with his back against the wall. The wall was actually helping him to remain on his feet.

Marco glared at Hawk through swollen eyes. "You...you killed Little Mikey!" he accused.

"What a coincidence," Hawk said casually, "'cause now I'm gonna kill you."

Marco realized that he didn't have the strength to fight Hawk. For a human, the man was quite strong. And he had already given him a nasty beating. Marco had no choice. He had to bargain with the man. He had to plead for his undead life. "I...I can give you something. I know what S'ushi is doing."

Hawk grabbed him by the throat. "S'ushi is going to go for a swim when I get to her. That's what she will be doing."

"Please," Marco pleaded, gasping.

Hawk loosened his grip. "Are you begging?"

"They're going to Spenser's firehouse apartment...to get Willow." He gasped. "S'ushi sent seven men."

Hawk thought about that. He also wondered how Marco knew to call the girl Willow. Could that be her real name after all? Finally, he grunted. "There's a word for people like you. Know what it is?" He brought his face close. "Dumb. Spenser don't be living at the firehouse no more."

"But...but I gave you something! You have to let me go!"

Hawk flashed him his teeth in a smile. "You think I'm a cop and this is a plea bargain? Think again." He grabbed Marco by the head with both hands.

"No!" Marco shouted. "What are you-?"

Hawk twisted hard.

SNAP!

Marco's headless body fell to the ground as his face registered surprise. Hawk dropped the head after the body and watched them both turn into dust. Hawk dusted himself off. He straightened his attire, and he turned around with the intention of leaving from the tunnels. But as he turned around, he came face to face with Angel.

Hawk could tell the difference between a living being and the walking undead simply by looking at them.

He recognized Angel for what he was.

Before Angel could stop him, Hawk's hands gripped him by the head and he began to twist.

_____ _____ _____

SPENSER

Willow was anxious. She had taken to sitting on the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were filled with tears and my heart felt like it was being torn asunder.

I couldn't bear to see her like this.

I was angry that the cruel fates had brought her to this, but at the same time I was a realist. Things happened. There was no reason or method to why things happened the way they did. They just happened. That's just the way life was. Life was always throwing curve balls at you no matter how hard you try to continue on with your life. The curve ball could be anything from a diagnosis of cancer to being taken away from the comfort of your own home and waking up in a hospital bed not knowing who you were. There were no true guarantee's in life except for what you made of it yourself.

I was going to continue on with my life until I couldn't go on any more, cancer be damned! And as long as I still had breath within me, I was going to find a way to get Willow her own life back.

I sat next to her and instinctively wiped my fingers at her tears on her face. "I know it seems bad right now, but it will be all right," I tried to assure her.

She just looked at me.

"Can you remember anything?"

She shook her head.

"Does the name Willow mean anything to you?"

She looked thoughtful. Then she nodded, but she still seemed hesitant. I thought that the name of Willow meant something to her when we were looking up at the Weeping Willow tree at the park, for she had reacted positively to the name. But now she just appeared to be uncertain of how the name Willow meant to her. Only that it did.

I held my hand out to her and she grabbed it. I wondered again about the significance of such a simple gesture. What did it mean to her?

"Sometimes a hug helps the hurt go away," I said gently.

I wrapped my arms around her and she put her head on my shoulder with her face toward my neck. I could feel her tears on my neck as she cried softly. She didn't make any sound other than the occasional sniffling that accompanied crying, and sometimes she would take a few deep breaths.

I never felt so damned helpless in all my life. I myself was a man who hardly ever shed a tear. Oh, sure, maybe when I was a kid. But since becoming a grownup, I never even sobbed watching a sappy love story with Susan. I was so tough that I could cut onions until they were mush and still be a man who did not shed one single tear.

As I held this weeping girl in my arms, I could feel my own throat tighten with emotion. I wanted to cry. I really did. The only reason I didn't was because I wanted to be strong for her. I'm not saying that crying is a weakness...I just wanted her to feel safe.

Even so, I wasn't used to feeling like this. I usually take on all of my cases with a lot of vim and vigor, but now I was convinced that they both went on vacation. What the hell was wrong with me? I should be out there roughing up the neighborhood, asking questions...getting in people's way. Stepping on toes.

But I couldn't leave Willow alone.

I had to rely on Hawk for the people pushing. At least I knew he was good at that.

I still felt so damned helpless. I felt like I wasn't doing enough for Willow. I held her for a while and my thoughts again turned to the child I never had. I found myself wondering if Willow would ever accept me as a father if she couldn't go home. Then I realized that I was just being selfish. She was somebody's daughter. Not mine. I had to find a way to get her home.

I looked at my watch.

It was twelve o' clock. Noon.

I had told Hawk that if he wasn't back by noon, then I would take Willow some place safe. There was a safe house on the outskirts of Boston that Quirk let me use from time to time. It sat next to an old cemetery. Hawk knew where it was and if he didn't find us here, then he would look for us there.

"Willow," I said, moving her gently so I could look at her, "it's time for us to go."

She nodded.

We both got up from the couch and I decided that I should try to get her to take her medicine again. I put her medicine on the counter and I put mine on the counter, too.

Willow just watched me.

I went to the refrigerator and I pulled out two bottles of water.

Now I was showing off. I held onto both of the bottles in one hand, and as I held them with one hand, I used my other hand to open both of the bottles. Not many people could do that little trick but I was big and I had big hands. So I could pull it off.

At least it brought a half smile to Willow's face so I was reassured that I was half impressive. Half was better than nothing at all.

I placed one bottle of water onto the counter in front of her and I placed the other in front of me. I then opened my prescription of MS Conton pills and I took one out.

I showed it to her. "This is for me. I have a doctor like you had at the hospital and he told me that I have to take this...for pain."

Her eyes locked onto mine. I got the strongest impression that she was trying to see my pain. The medicine I took was only masking my pain, and I was aware that it would come to a point where it wouldn't mask any of it at all. I really didn't want to reach that point. I had to wonder if Willow understood what I was thinking because she was looking at me with eyes of deep perception. I saw concern in her eyes.

She was worried about me.

I opened the Xanax and took out one pill. I placed it in front of her beside her open bottle of water. "This is for you," I told her. "It will help keep you from being too anxious."

She looked at the pill, but she didn't pick it up. Then she did that cute thing with her nose as she looked up at me with an inquiring look.

I smiled warmly at her. "I'm not going to make you take it. I will leave that up to you. I'll take mine and I'll take it alone if I have to. Okay?" I had my pill in my hand.

I didn't really think she was going to, but she picked up her Xanax.

I took mine and she took hers. But then it got a little tricky. I drank from my water bottle to wash it down. Willow swallowed her pill dry. She never touched her water bottle.

I looked at her. "Don't you want your water?" I asked her.

She looked at it and she shrugged hesitantly.

I prided myself as a private investigator, so as a P. I., it was time to do my detective work. I detected.

I looked at the water bottle and tried to determine why Willow wasn't drinking from it. She had picked the water out from the store so I knew that she wanted water instead of the sweet stuff. But why didn't she want this bottle?

I looked at the cap lying on the counter.

Then I realized...It was because the bottle was open.

I decided to try something. I took a new bottle of water from the refrigerator and without opening it, I set it before her.

She looked up at me.

I looked at her.

She picked up the bottle, she opened it, and then she drank from it.

I frowned as I thought of the implications.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Willow, what is it?" I asked with concern.

She picked up the Xanax subscription and pointed at the label. She seemed excited about something.

"What is it?"

She pointed at a word printed on the label.

"Xanax?" I inquired. "What are you trying to tell me?" Then I held up a hand. "Wait a minute."

I went into my den and grabbed a pen and a pad. I came back out into the kitchen as I flipped the pad open. I handed it to her and gave her the pen.

"Can you write it out for me?"

She nodded. She was excited about something. She wrote onto the pad and then she gave it to me. And she was smiling. The smile seemed to say, "I found something."

I looked at what she wrote.

It was a single letter.

X.

I frowned. What the hell did that mean?

Chapter 16: Allies

Summary:

Angel and Hawk fight to the death as Spenser faces his own personal battle with an enemy he can't fight.

SPENSER

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I had thought it would have been later. I would have preferred it not to happen at all.

Willow had just shown me the "X" she made and she was excited about it. And yet that excitement quickly evaporated from her eyes as she looked at me with concern. Suddenly, I doubled over in agony. The pain was so great that waves of darkness washed over me. I fell onto the floor, and I'm not certain, but I think I may have cried out.

I saw through a foggy haze as I laid there on my back Willow rushing toward me. She kneeled beside me and her long hair brushed over my face. A tear fell from her eyes and it dropped onto my cheek. She looked so frightened, so vulnerable, I tried desperately to regain control of my body...but I couldn't.

That was the last thing I remembered right before the darkness swallowed me whole and I lost all consciousness.

_____ _____ _____

SCOOBIES

Hawk fully intended to twist Angel's head right off from his shoulders just as he had with Little Mikey, thereby turning him into a pile of dust. Angel, however, did not particularly like those intentions. He had only meant to talk to the big, black badass, but lately, he had come to realize that every time he tried to strike a conversation with someone he didn't know, his life was on the line. Angel brought up his hands and he knocked Hawk's arms aside. By doing so, he was able to keep his head attached to his shoulders. He opened his mouth to say something, but Hawk sent a fist into his face.

Giles and Xander had been behind Angel. They caught him as he fell back. But when Hawk sent a flying kick to Angel's chest, all three of them tumbled to the floor.

Hawk looked at the trio closely as they struggled to their feet.

"Now there's something you just don't see every day," he growled. "Two white boys who are human accompanied with a pale-faced vampire." He grabbed Xander by the front of his shirt and held him up from off the floor. He glared into the boy's face. "When I see humans with demons, I think Brotherhood." As he held Xander up with one hand, he used his other hand to raise Xander's right hand. He gave the back of his hand a look. "But I don't see no tattoo's."

Xander stared at Hawk. "B-Brotherhood?" He grinned nervously. "Me? No! No, I'm not...I'm not a brother, brother." He chuckled. "I'm simply Xander. Xander is me."

Angel looked at Hawk. "Put him down."

Hawk tossed Xander into Giles and they fell to the floor once again. Giles was really becoming quite annoyed by this.

Hawk decided to focus his attention on the vampire. As they faced each other, they began to circle around as if looking for the best method of attack. At least that's what Hawk was looking for.

"We're not your enemy," Angel tried to tell him. "We just want to-" He ducked as Hawk sent a fist at his face. Angel grabbed the man's arm and he rammed his knee into his side. Then Angel flipped him over and he sent him falling hard onto the floor.

Hawk, however, was quite fast. He was back on his feet in no time. He shoved Giles into Xander and sent them falling to the floor a third time. Then he snap-kicked Angel in the chest. Angel fell against the wall. As Hawk moved toward him, Angel pushed himself from the wall and he tackled Hawk. Angel had used his head to smash into Hawks stomach, but it proved to be a bad move on his part. He felt Hawk's arms start to wrap around his chest. The next thing he knew, he was upside down and Hawk fully intended to drop him on his head.

Well, Angel had seen the WWF, too, and he wrapped his legs around Hawk's neck. Then he pulled with all his might and the two men crashed to the floor. They came apart, rolled away from each other and quickly got to their feet.

Once again, they faced one another.

"You don't know what's going on," Angel snapped. "Fighting me is only wasting time."

Hawk regarded him. "You're not like most vampires," he said to Angel. "Your fighting is defensive. Never met a defensive vampire before. They're always aggressive. Wanting to feed." He paused. "You also want to talk. Is that what you do before you feed?"

Angel shook his head. "I'm not here to feed."

"W-we're not your enemy," Giles said to Hawk as he cautiously moved forward.

Xander brushed himself off. "At least, we don't want to be."

"Why are you here?" Hawk demanded. He looked at Angel closely, prepared to attack or defend himself if necessary. He personally preferred to attack, but his gut hunch was telling him that this trio was not what they appeared to be.

There was something about them.

"We-we're looking for someone," Giles responded hesitantly. "A girl."

Hawk frowned at Giles. "You're looking for a girl." Then he turned his hard gaze to Angel. "Is this girl a snack for you?"

Angel looked horrified. If it were possible, he even looked paler. "What? No! No, she's not a snack! She...she was kidnapped. We just want to bring her home where she belongs."

"In case you didn't know, you are a creature of the night. You do realize that, don't you? You expect me to believe that you are trying to help this girl find her way home?" He looked at Giles and Xander. "Why are two humans and a vampire together as a team?"

Giles stepped closer to Hawk as he held a hand toward Angel. "Let me h- handle this." Putting his own life on the line, he stood right in front of Hawk and sincerely hoped that the man would not decide to toss him again. Three times was enough. "M-my name is Rupert Giles. This-" He pointed at the boy. "-is Xander Harris. A-and the vampire is Angel."

Hawk's face was neutral. "A demon with a name like that could be very misleading."

"P-perhaps so. But he is not looking to harm anyone." Giles hesitated. "He has a soul."

Hawk blinked. "Vampires do not have souls."

"Well..." Giles removed his glasses and looked at Hawk, "this one does."

Hawk turned to regard Angel. "How can that be?"

Angel took a cautious step forward. "A long time ago, I was cursed by gypsies. They restored my soul."

"They restored your soul?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"And you call that a curse?"

Angel nodded again. "Yes. I do. For me, it is a curse."

Hawk was curious. "Why?"

The vampire with a soul hesitated. "I have to live with the things I have done before my soul was restored. Every day. For about a hundred years, I have existed, knowing about the pain and suffering I had personally afflicted upon others."

Hawk looked thoughtful. He paused. "Are you trying to tell me that you haven't fed on a living soul for a hundred years?"

"Cattle. Rats. Plasma." He shrugged. "I manage."

Hawk grunted. He turned to Giles. "Tell me about this girl."

Giles nodded. "Of course. She-she has long red hair, and green eyes. Her name is Willow Rosenberg, and-"

Hawk chuckled.

Angel, Xander, and Giles looked at him in alarm.

"What's so funny?" Xander got brave enough to ask.

Hawk turned his head to look at the boy.

Xander took a step back, just in case.

"Jane Doe saw a tree," Hawk explained. "The tree was a Weeping Willow and she seemed to like the name 'Willow' better than she did 'Jane'."

"J-Jane Doe?" Giles inquired. "But isn't 'Jane Doe' usually reserved for...the deceased?"

Hawk nodded once. "Deceased, yes. But that name is also given to those poor girls who have lost their memories."

"W-Willow has amnesia?"

"Uh-huh. That's right, Professor."

Giles looked at him funny.

Angel tried to block out the images of what he had seen at the Funhouse outside of LA. "Is Willow safe?"

Hawk nodded. "Willow is safe. But she has to be moved."

"They're looking for her. S'ushi wants her back."

"Where are you staying?" Hawk wanted to know.

"The Sheraton."

Hawk turned to look at Giles. "You and the boy go back there and wait."

Giles and Xander both wanted to protest.

"Stay there. Your friend Angel and I will bring Willow to you and that's only when I'm fully convinced she'll be safe with you." He looked at Angel. "You'll come with me."

Angel nodded. "I haven't got a problem with that." He turned to Giles and Xander. "It's a good idea, Giles."

Giles reluctantly agreed.

"We have to go back the way we came?" Xander asked with a hint of worry in his voice. "What if those other vamps are still around?"

Hawk pointed down a side tunnel access. "About thirty feet this way, you'll find access to Boylston Street. Get out into the light of day. The Sheraton will be two blocks down. You won't miss it."

They turned to go but Xander hesitated. He turned to look at Hawk. "Wait a minute..." He took a deep breath. "Look...I've got to know. You tell us that Willow is safe. But...is she okay? Has she been hurt?"

Hawk regarded him. "Are you Willow's boyfriend?"

He shook his head and grinned nervously. "No. But she's...Willow is my best friend. And I've been going crazy thinking about what might have happened to her. What she must have gone through before she was found."

"Don't think about what she went through. Willow is safe now and she is in the care of someone who will give his own life for her. That's really the important thing now, isn't it?"

Xander nodded slowly. "Yes. It is."

"We'll see you soon." Hawk turned, and he and Angel disappeared into the tunnels.

Xander joined Giles and together, they returned to the Sheraton to play a game they hated to play.

The Waiting Game.

_____ _____ _____

Hawk and Angel soon found themselves in a dark alley. Across the street where the sun was shining brightly was an old firehouse. Hawk had explained that it had once been-obviously-a firehouse, but then it had been renovated into Spenser's apartment. Now it was just empty.

At least it had been until now.

There were two men standing in front of the entrance of the old building and five others had gone inside.

"They're looking for Willow," Angel said knowingly, "and this Spenser you mentioned." In spite of being in the shadows of the alley, the sun still hurt his eyes as he looked toward the firehouse. He turned his head and he looked at Hawk. "Who is Spenser?"

"The most baddest white boy in Boston," Hawk responded. "He's a gumshoe. A private investigator. Used to be a bluecoat."

Angel puzzled over that. "'Bluecoat'?"

"Cop." Hawk saw movement through one of the second floor windows of the firehouse. "Willow was put into Spenser's care by Martin Quirk, a police lieutenant, and the reason being...If any one can find out who Willow is and return her to her home, that would be Spenser." He paused. "Looks like Billiard's boys is planning to leave."

Angel looked at him. "'Are'."

Hawk gave him the look.

"Well, it's just that you said 'is planning', but you should have said 'are planning.'" Angel frowned. "But you know that, don't you?"

Hawk didn't say anything.

"Sorry." Angel squinted as he once again forced himself to look across the street.

Five men joined the two out front and they looked quite agitated. The men then piled into two separate cars and they began to drive away. Angel wasn't certain who this Billiard was, but he figured the man was a thug working for S'ushi Alyssia.

"We may have an hour," Hawk replied. "Maybe less."

Angel regarded him. "For what?"

"Before they find out where Spenser really lives." Hawk pinned Angel with a hard gaze. "You say you haven't killed or fed from a human in a long time. Is that true?"

Angel nodded. "It is."

"Does taking a human life really bother you?"

"Yes." He hesitated. "Wouldn't it bother you?"

"You are speaking from the assumption that I haven't taken lives before. That would be a false assumption."

Angel looked at Hawk. "Does it bother you to take a life?"

"Depends on whose life I am taking. If the life belongs to scum, I don't mind. If the life I'm taking belongs to someone worst than scum...I still don't mind. I just take that life all that much slower." He studied Angel's face, watching for a reaction. "The real question is, if it comes to Willow or S'ushi's men, what would it come down to?"

Angel returned the hard gaze. "I'll do anything I can to protect Willow."

"Including taking the life of someone human?"

He took a deep breath. "Yes." He hesitated. "Hawk...listen. This thing has hit Xander a lot more than he has let on. I don't want him to make the choices that we have to."

"You don't want him to take a life." Hawk paused as he thought about it. "Do you think the boy is capable of it?"

"I don't know. Maybe. He really cares about Willow." He let out a weary sigh. "I just don't want to find out if he is capable."

"Maybe he isn't."

Angel suddenly looked tired. "If Xander had seen what Giles and I had seen at the Funhouse outside of LA...I think he'd be more than capable."

"What did you see?"

Angel told him what he had seen. The images were still in his head and he couldn't block them out. "We were told that Willow and someone named Kali had been taken there to this Funhouse."

"The girl you found in the basement was Kali."

He shrugged. "We're not exactly sure, but it is possible."

"There's an alley close to Spenser's. You'll wait there while I get Spenser and Willow."

Angel agreed. He followed Hawk back into the sewer tunnels.

Chapter 17: First Words

Summary:

Willow asks Giles a very important question.

THE VILLAINS

Damien and David were back at the warehouse on the wharf with S'ushi Alyssia and Billiard as they waited for her thugs to return to her with their prize.

Willow.

The two remaining Lost Boys wore solemn expressions. S'ushi did not like solemn expressions. She especially did not like them on David's face. She sauntered up to him, grabbed a hold of his head with both hands, and kissed him hard on the lips. After all, she wanted his full attention now and there was no reason to be solemn when she would soon have her favorite toy back. David returned the kiss, but then he forcibly shoved her away from him. His eyes had turned yellow and his face had changed.

"You shouldn't play with fire, Red," he warned her as he tried to control his sudden burning desire for her. "You know what I can do to you."

She smiled at him and she ran her fingers through his hair. "We've played rough before, David. I just think you're shy when it comes to..." She looked him up and down as she gave him a sultry smile, teasing him. "...performing before an audience."

Billiard glared at them. He was having a difficult time keeping back his own rage. This display from S'ushi with a creature of the dead sickened him.

David looked at S'ushi. "There's nothing wrong with my performance."

She smiled and played with an ear lobe. "This I know quite well."

"I'm...distracted right now." He was thinking about two Lost Boys who were truly lost, Marco and Little Mikey.

S'ushi snuggled up against him, holding her body close to his. She purred with delight. "Not that distracted, I see." She giggled.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away once again. His face was back to being human, but his eyes were burning with rage. "Someone's taking out my boys! Damien and I are the only two left."

She regarded him with concern. "Who do you think has killed them?"

"I have two possible suspects in mind." David paused as he reigned in his anger. He took a deep breath. Then, he looked at S'ushi. "It's either Hawk...or it's Angel."

S'ushi paused in thought. She found herself intrigued. "Hawk, I know," she said softly. "You've never mentioned this 'Angel' before."

David shrugged. "Never needed to before now. The only reason I bring him up is because he's here in Boston."

"Who is Angel?"

David smiled and he shook his head. "Oh, Angel is a one-of-a-kind hero. He's the kind of guy that my kind adores so much," he said with heavy sarcasm, "that all we want to do is torture him slowly for as long as we can. Until we get tired of the poor bastard and throw him out into the sun. Or fill his veins with Holy Water and watch him burn to death from the inside out."

"So he's a vampire?"

David nodded. "He's a vampire."

S'ushi regarded him as from the sidelines, Damien and Billiard watched the two of them closely. "Well, David, it is clear to me that this Angel must be some kind of special vampire, otherwise, you wouldn't hate him so much."

David chuckled. "Oh, he's special all right. Angel has a soul. He cares for humans and he kills his own kind to protect them." He spoke those words with a great deal of bitterness.

S'ushi paused. "Why do you suspect Angel of killing Little Mikey and Marco?"

He let out a sigh. "They're both missing. They should have been here by now. We lost Marco in the tunnels awhile ago and he's still not back." He shook his head. "We saw Angel in the tunnels and he was with two humans." He paused for affect as he watched S'ushi for a reaction. "They were looking for Willow."

Something very dangerous flashed in S'ushi's eyes. "What?"

"Well, Angel told me that he was actually looking for you, but when I mentioned the name Willow, he reacted."

S'ushi thought about what David was telling her. "Well, damn it! Isn't this a fine kettle of fish!"

At that moment, Billiard's cellular phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and he answered it. "Billiard." He listened. "Find his new address and go there! Do it now. Stop wasting my time unless you can bring the girl here without further delay." He closed his cell phone and put it back into his coat pocket. He looked at S'ushi. "Spenser doesn't live at the firehouse any more. But they'll get his new address and they'll find him."

She looked at him with daggers in her eyes. "For their sakes, and yours...they'd better."

_____ _____ _____

SPENSER'S APARTMENT

Willow didn't know what to do. She was leaning over Spenser with tears in her eyes. All she knew was that he was unconscious, but then that only meant he wasn't in any pain.

That had to have been a good thing, right? N-not a bad thing, 'cause pain is a bad thing a-and Spenser doesn't have a pain face on.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Willow jumped at the sound. She looked at the front door fearfully. She then looked down at Spenser with deep concern. She grabbed onto his hand and she held it.

There was another knock.

And then a voice spoke from the other side of the door. "It's your friendly neighborhood thug basher."

A look of relief crossed over Willow's face as she recognized that voice. She opened her mouth to call out his name, but all that came out was a whisper. She tried again, and this time it was louder, but it was only more like a squeak.

"Spenser?"

Willow tried again. "H-Hawk!" she cried out.

The door swung open with a kick and in walked Hawk. His eyes took in everything. He saw Spenser laying on the floor with Willow at his side and he crossed the room to approach them.

He satisfied himself that Spenser was only unconscious and not dead. Then he went into the bathroom to retrieve something. When he came back out, he had a small bottle of smelling salts. As he opened it, he looked at Willow who was watching every move he made.

"The pretty green-eyed white girl can talk," he said softly. "That's good."

Willow looked at the small bottle in his hand.

Hawk held it out toward her. "Smelling salts."

Willow sniffed and then she made a face.

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Red. See? Now we get to watch Spense make a face." He waved the open bottle under Spenser's nose. "Better back up. He don't particularly like this stuff." He chuckled again.

Willow glanced at him and then she backed up.

Spenser jerked to consciousness and he roughly knocked Hawk's hand aside.

Hawk flashed Willow a grin. "' Told ya."

_____ _____ _____

I opened my eyes and found Hawk leaning over me. Believe me when I tell you this...Regaining consciousness to find Hawk leaning over you is not something I would recommend to anyone. Especially if you have a weak heart. I turned my head as I pushed myself up into a sitting position and there I saw Willow nervously wring her hands together as she watched me.

I put my back to the wall. Willow came over to me, grabbed a hold of my hand, and then she sat beside me. She gripped my hand tight enough to let me know that she wouldn't be willing to let go any time soon. She had been afraid for me.

I looked over at Hawk.

The bastard was smiling.

Not much ever made Hawk smile. But when something did, you can bet that it had to have been something incredibly amazing.

My curiosity finally got the best of me. "Okay, Hawk, why the split in your face?" I asked.

"Willow spoke her first word," he said in that deep voice of his.

I looked at Willow. "She did?"

"Uh-huh," Hawk said.

I turned to regard him with one of my dazzling expressions of bemusement. "What was the word she said?"

He flashed me his teeth. "She said, 'Hawk'." He let out another chuckle. "You know what this means, don't you?"

I paused. "Willow's not only the President of the Hawk Club, she's the only member of the Hawk Club?"

"No, Bro. It means that she likes me more than she likes you."

I looked at Willow.

She looked at me with a guilty expression on her pretty face.

I smiled at her. "Don't worry about that. I'm just glad you can talk." I paused. "You can talk, can't you?"

She nodded her head.

I waited.

Then she realized that she had only nodded and so she took a deep breath. "Y-yes," she said softly. "I-I can talk."

She did have her voice back. That was progress once again, and progress was only improving. It made me think about the circumstances in her life. I had lost consciousness and she suddenly had to deal with it. Somehow the experience restored her ability to talk. But did it restore any of her memory?

"Willow," I said to her as I put my hand over hers, "do you remember anything about what happened to you? Do you know how you got here?"

She hesitated. "Y-you took me from the hospital."

I glanced at Hawk. "What about before that? How did you get there?"

A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at me. She began to tremble, and much to my dismay, she didn't say anything.

I couldn't push her. I didn't want to. "All right, Willow. It's okay." I hugged her to me. "One step at a time, right? We'll take it one step at a time."

She nodded her head.

I then turned to look at Hawk and I realized something else. He was going to ask questions.

And he did.

"What were you doing on the floor?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "Looking for termites."

He grunted.

That was just his way of calling me a liar.

Hawk was one of the most intelligent guys I knew. He had seen the pills I was taking. He had found me passed out on the floor. He would figure it out sooner or later. When he asked me his next question, I knew that he had figured it out sooner.

"Does Susan know?" he inquired.

I sighed. "No. And neither do you."

"I know a lot." Hawk paused. "But that can wait. We have to leave. Now."

"Is there time to pack?"

"Just your gun. S'ushi sent a team to the old firehouse, but they didn't find you there."

I nodded. "Which only means they'll eventually find my new unlisted address."

"They could be on their way here now."

I began to rise to my feet. Willow jumped up and tried to help me. It was endearing and it made me smile.

"Thank you," I told her.

"Y-you're welcome," she responded.

I put my hand to her face and smiled at her. She had a nice voice and it was good to hear. I then gathered my gun and I went into the kitchen to retrieve the prescriptions for myself and for Willow. The two of us followed Hawk out into the hallway.

"We should head to the safe house," I said on our way down the stairs.

"Nah. Some where better," Hawk told us.

I looked at him curiously. "Where?"

"The basement."

That brought Willow to an abrupt halt. Hawk and I turned to look at her and she was suddenly holding onto the stair railing with both hands as if it were a lifeline.

She looked up at me and she shook her head. "N-no...please..." she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I-I don't want to go t-to the basement." Her eyes filled with tears.

I looked at her with concern. "Why don't you want to go to the basement, Willow?" I had to ask her. God knows I didn't want to, but I believed it was necessary. Was she beginning to remember?

A look of confusion crossed her face. She looked up at me. "I-I don't know," she said, frustrated. Scared. Vulnerable. "B-bad things h-happen in...in the basement."

I held out my hand to her. "Willow, if Hawk says that we need to go to the basement, I trust him. We won't let anything happen to you." I looked into her terrified eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you." I paused. "Do you trust me?"

She grabbed my hand and nodded. "Yes." She hesitated. "I-I'm just so scared." It came out as a whisper again as she absently wiped at her eyes with her other hand.

I picked her up and she put her arms around my neck. "Just close your eyes," I told her. "Will that help?"

She closed her eyes and nodded.

I carried Willow and I followed Hawk down the stairs.

"I ran into some people who told me that they were looking for Willow," Hawk told me as we continued down the stairs. "One of them is there waiting for us in the basement."

"Why is this person in the basement?" I asked.

Hawk looked back at me. "We figure if we use the tunneling system, we can get Willow to the Sheraton where they have a room. S'ushi and her guppies will never be able to track us if we stay off the streets."

I had to admit, that was a good idea. "Guppies?"

He chuckled.

"So who are we meeting?"

"His name is Angel." Hawk paused. "Watch where you step, Bro. You are about to enter into a different world. One in which will change the way you see things."

I looked at him and wondered what he meant by that. But before I had a chance to ask him about it, we were heading down the stairs into the basement. Angel was there waiting for us. He looked kind of pale to me, like he didn't get enough sun. Or maybe he didn't get any. I was a pretty good judge of character, too. From the look of concern and relief on his face when he saw Willow in my arms, I could tell it was genuine.

"Willow!" he exclaimed.

Willow opened her eyes and she looked at Angel. Then she turned her head to look at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded.

I set her down and she stayed by my side. She watched Angel very closely, but I didn't see any recognition for Angel cross her face. She was trying though. She was looking at him as if she wanted to burn his image into her memory. And I had to give this Angel a lot of credit. I could tell that he wanted to rush over to her, pick her up, and give her a hug, but he was apparently aware that a move like that could do more harm than good.

He kept his distance. "Willow...do you remember me?"

Willow studied his face. "I...I don't know." There was a catch in her voice. She looked so troubled. It was frustrating to her not having any recollections of the ones she loved and who loved her. "D-do you know me?" she asked desperately.

Angel nodded his head. "Yes. Yes, I do know you."

She took a hesitant step toward him. "P-please...please tell me...W-who am I?"

"Your name is Willow Rosenberg. You live on 6305 Westminster Place, Sunnydale, California. You have a family and friends who love you very much. We came here to find you, Willow. Giles and Xander are with me." He regarded her. "Do you remember?"

She shook her head. "No." Suddenly, she remembered the tree in the park and she looked at me in amazement. "Willow is my real name!"

I smiled. "It is."

Hawk called for our attention. "We have to go, people. Maybe once we get to the Sheraton, we can talk."

I nodded and I waved my hand at them. "Lead the way."

And so Angel and Hawk did.

We went through the tunnels quickly. I had Willow by the hand and every now and then, I would look at her face. She was thinking hard about something. When we stopped so that Angel could open a cover above us, I regarded her with concern. "What is it, Willow?" I asked her.

"Th-these tunnels," she said with a puzzled frown. "There's s-something familiar about all this."

"What is it that makes it familiar?"

She shook her head and sighed in frustration. "I-I don't know." She looked at Angel.

"Take it slow," I told her. "It will come to you."

She nodded, but she still looked thoughtful.

We made it to the Sheraton without incident. Angel led us to the room where he and the others were staying, and he knocked on the door.

The door swung open and there stood this British gentleman wearing a scowl and a pair of glasses. "I-it's about time-" he started to say until his eyes found Willow. Then he was suddenly at a loss for words.

He struggled to say something.

Willow took a hesitant step toward him. She wanted to ask him something. I looked at the Brit and he decided to let her speak rather than fumble over his own words.

Willow looked up at him. "Are y-you my father?" she asked him.

The man's mouth dropped open. "Er, n-no," he stammered as he took off his glasses. "No, I'm not your father. Willow, I-I'm Rupert Giles. Your, er, librarian." He paused. "D-don't you remember?"

Willow looked at him with a puzzled expression.

I couldn't blame her. I was just as puzzled as she was. Librarian? The only thing I could think of about Rupert Giles being here in Boston was that Willow and he shared a similar love for books...or she owed him a lot of overdue fees.

Chapter 18: Reflections

Summary:

Spenser demands answers and Willow is reunited with Xander.

SPENSER

Willow was sitting on the end of the bed with her hands folded in her lap. Since we arrived, she stayed by my side and she watched everyone closely.

Giles and Angel were willing to give her space, and that had proven to be very helpful. The young boy, Xander, had also backed off, for he had invaded her space upon entering the room.

"Willow!" he had exclaimed, and then he had rushed up to her and he attempted to give her a hug.

It was the only time I had seen Willow react strongly.

She had let out a cry of alarm and she quickly darted away from him. She ended up behind me. I had then let Xander know that he really did need to back off and allow Willow the time she needed to remember him. If her memory would even return, that is.

He had reluctantly agreed.

We talked for awhile. I told Angel and Giles everything I knew, and they in turn shared with me everything that they knew. Giles and Angel had wanted to share something else, but I had a feeling that they were holding back because of Willow.

I was a detective.

I could figure it out. In my mind, this is what it all came down to.

A white slaver by the name of S'ushi Alyssia had somehow discovered a Willow Rosenberg who resided in Sunnydale, California. She found out about a computer camp Willow attended every summer, and somehow, using her resources, S'ushi ends up working at the summer camp.

A week into the camping, S'ushi Alyssia manages to get Willow, and another girl named Kali, into her clutches. She drugs them without their knowledge, and with the help of an accomplice named Sheldon Sunter, she kidnaps them. The two drugged girls are then placed into trunks or chests and they are put into a vehicle for transport. Probably a van or a truck. Or maybe even a boat.

The girls were then taken to a place called the Funhouse and at this point, Willow is separated from Kali. Something happened at the Funhouse that Angel, Giles, and Xander wouldn't talk about and I was sure it had to do with Kali. Maybe they had found her. I knew what a Funhouse was, and I knew what S'ushi Alyssia was capable of. I had a pretty good idea what had happened to Kali and I was afraid for Willow because I suspected that she had been forced to watch.

From the Funhouse, Willow was continuously drugged and subjected to some form of repeated electrical skocks judging by what the doctor had found at the hospital. Willow was packed back into the trunk again and flown to Boston where she was kept in the basement of a crack house on the Wharf. Somehow, a fire had started and the house became ablaze. This proved to be Willow's saving grace, because without the fire, who knows where she would have ended up; but because of it, she was found tied to a cot in the basement by firemen and she was taken to the hospital. Marty Quirk called me in to help her, and this is where she ended up with the hero of our story.

That would be me.

In fact, this hero had an idea.

"Willow," I said, turning to look at her as she tossed curious glances at Xander. I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket and I held it up to her. All that was on the paper was the 'X' she had written for me earlier. "Do you know why you wrote this?" I asked her.

She took the paper from me and she looked at it, scrunching up her nose as she thought. She looked at the X, and then she looked at the boy. "Xander..." she said experimentally.

Xander took a hesitant step closer. His reflection was in the mirror on the wall. Willow could see herself in the mirror with me on one side of her and Xander standing on the other in front of the second bed.

"Willow," he began hopefully, "are you remembering something?"

She looked thoughtful. "I-I remember chewing on a pen."

Xander looked at her blankly. "A pen?"

Willow nodded her head.

*** In her mind, she saw herself standing at her locker and Xander was there with her. "It's worse!" he told her. "I'm just like the part of the scenery, like an old shoe. Or a rug that you walk on every day but don't really see it." ***

Willow looked at Xander, and she said softly, "L-like a pen that's all chewed up, and you know you should throw it away, but y-you don't, not 'cause you like it so much, more 'cause you're just used to..." She stopped.

Xander smiled as he remembered that day. "You do remember!" he exclaimed.

She smiled, too. Then, her smile turned upside down. "A-are you my brother?"

Xander stopped smiling, too. "Uh, no, Willow. I'm not your brother."

"Oh."

Angel moved beside Xander. He looked at me and said, "We've got to get her home."

And that's when it happened.

It frightened Willow, but what happened also shocked the hell out of me. If I was man enough to admit it, I'd say that it even brought shivers a fear running up and down my spine.

I happened to look into the mirror and I saw Willow's reflection beside my own. I saw her look at Xander. I saw her look with confusion toward Angel. Then I saw her look in the mirror and she practically turned white.

Her eyes widened in fear.

And I quickly discovered why.

Angel did not have any goddamn reflection.

I rose to my feet as Willow bolted over the bed and pressed her back into the wall away from us. Her eyes were wide and they were locked onto Angel now.

I turned to face him. "What the hell are you?" I demanded.

Something strange happened then-Something I thought I'd never see. Hawk moved around Angel and he put himself between me and the man with no reflection.

"Calm down, Spense," he said to me soothingly, his voice low, "there are things you do not understand. But you will."

I glared at him. "What things?"

"Things you should know. We should talk. Away from the girl so we don't spook her."

I glanced over at Willow. "She's already spooked." I turned my head to glare at Angel. "I'm not leaving Willow alone in a room with a man who has no reflection. How in hell is that explained anyway, Hawk? How can a man NOT have a reflection? That isn't natural!" I was angry. I glared at Hawk and I wanted to hit him for not telling me about this. "Why are you standing there like you're protecting him?"

"Let's go outside and talk about this," Hawk said carefully. "You. Me. Angel. And the librarian."

"Er, uh," the librarian began hesitantly, "th-that's Giles."

We ignored him.

"Willow will be safe in here with Xander," Hawk said.

I sighed. I looked in the mirror just to make damned certain that Xander had a reflection. I turned to Willow. "I'll be right outside the door."

"N-no." Willow looked at me fearfully. She shook her head.

"It will be okay," I assured her. "I have to talk to them. I have to understand what this is all about." I glanced at the boy. "Can you stay with Xander?"

She looked at Xander. There were tears in her eyes and I hated that she was so scared. She was backed up against that wall as far as she could be and I had the feeling that if she could have, she would have gone through it.

I shot a venomous glare at Angel for scaring her. To his credit, he did look like he felt horrible about it. But even so, I was angry. I went to Willow and I took her into my arms. I held her close and I felt her trembling against me.

"It will be all right," I said to her softly. "I promise."

She turned her head to look up at me. "H-he has no reflection!"

I nodded. "I know. I can't explain it, but-"

"H-he must be a vampire," she said suddenly. "V-vampires have no reflections."

"Vampires?" I inquired. I glanced at Angel. "No, Willow. I'm reasonably sure that there's an explanation for this, but there are no such things as vampires. Vampires are a myth. Legends. They don't exist."

She looked at me. "B-but th-they do exist! I've seen them. They..." A far away look came into her eyes, as if she were remembering something. "...they took Jesse! H-he became one of them!"

"Willow!" I exclaimed. I took her by the shoulders and made her look at me. She was dangerously close to becoming hysterical. "Willow! Listen to me."

She looked at me with wide, frightened eyes.

"I'll take care of this," I told her. "I swear to you, they won't get you. Okay?"

She took several deep breaths. Then she nodded.

"Can you stay here with Xander?"

She nodded again.

"Okay. I won't be long," I promised her. "I'll be right outside if you need me." I gave her a hug.

Then I followed Hawk, Angel, and Giles out into the hallway. I closed the door, leaving Xander and Willow alone together.

_____ _____ _____

For a moment, Xander and Willow just looked at each other. Willow was still against the wall, and Xander was across the room. He had never seen Willow this scared before. He wanted to go to her and wrap his arms around her, but he couldn't do that without causing her distress.

But he had to do something.

He moved cautiously to the chest against the wall beside the entertainment system and sat down. It brought him a little closer to Willow.

She looked at him. Then she looked at the door Spenser and the others had gone through. She fearfully turned her head and looked at the chest that Xander was sitting upon.

"P-please d-don't," she pleaded, shaking her head. Her eyes were filling with tears.

Xander felt his own throat constricting. "I won't," he said hoarsely. "Whatever it is you think I'm going to do, Will...I won't."

Willow looked at him doubtfully. "Y-you promise?"

"I promise." Xander was scared for Willow. He had to know what she was thinking. "What...uh, what did you think I was going to do, Will?"

Willow hesitated. "I-I thought you were going to p-put me in there!" She pointed at the chest he was sitting on with a shaking finger.

Xander almost turned white. "Oh, God, Willow! No. I swear to you, no one is going to put you in there." He tried to think of something encouraging to say. "I-it's for Angel. He traveled from California in it so he could avoid the sun." He realized that he was talking about a vampire and he looked at her with concern. "I'm sorry."

Willow regarded the chest, and then she looked at Xander in wonder. "A- Angel was in that?"

"Yes."

She thought about that. "He-he did that to get here...from California?"

Xander nodded. "He...did that."

She looked at him. "Y-you came here to find me," she said softly. It wasn't a question. "And h-he got in that chest...for me." She marveled at the thought.

Xander hesitated as he watched her. "You know, Will...I think our roles may have actually reversed here. You used to tell me that Angel could be trusted and I didn't have to worry whenever he was around. I never fully allowed myself to trust him because of what he is." He shrugged. "You would remind me that he has a soul and so that made him special. Now...I'm here telling you the same thing."

Willow moved slowly to the edge of the bed and she sat down.

Xander looked at her. He couldn't take it any more. He still wanted to grab her and hold onto her, but he forced himself to stay where he was. "Willow, please, just tell me that you're okay! They-they didn't hurt you, did they?"

Her lower lip trembled. "I-I don't know what they did."

"You don't remember any of it?"

She shook her head. "No. S-Spenser says my subconscious remembers 'cause I-I react to things. But-but I don't remember any of it."

"Do you remember me?"

She studied his face. "A little," she said softly. Then she said, "Are you my boyfriend?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Oh." She frowned. She hesitated. "Do I have a boyfriend?"

"Well...no."

"Oh. Guess I'm not the popular one, huh?"

Xander looked at her. "You're popular with me. We grew up together. I stole your Barbie when we were five."

"Y-you did?" She scowled. "Well, what did you do that for, you-you Barbie- Snatcher, you!" She opened her mouth in surprise and put her hands to her mouth. "I-I think I just reacted."

He smiled at her. "You did."

"O-okay." She looked at him as she put her hands in her lap. "Tell me more. Uh, you didn't steal anything else, did you?"

"No."

"Well, uh, what else do we do?" she asked curiously.

"We're Slayerette's." He held up a hand. "Well, technically, you and Cordy are Slayeretts's. I do have my pride, after all. Uh, and that's only if you actually count Cordy as a team member."

Willow looked thoughtful. "Who is Cordy? That sounds like a-a name for a pet pig."

Xander laughed. "A pet pig! Willow, that's a good one."

She smiled. "Uh, i-it is? I made a funny?"

"You did! Cordy, the pet pig!" He leaned back against the wall and laughed. "Oh, she'd love that! So would Buffy."

"Buffy?" Willow frowned in thought. "I-is that another pet name? Wh-what kind of name is Buffy?" She looked at Xander. "We really know people with names like Cordy and Buffy?"

Xander nodded. "Yes, we really do. But...Willow, we have a strong friendship with Buffy. You, me, and her...we really care for each other." Then, he added, "And that goes for G-Man, er, Giles, too, uh, although he doesn't really show his feelings well."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "He's British."

She paused. "What's a Slayerette?"

"Oh...back to that. Okay." He took a deep breath. "Here's the deal. Buffy is the Slayer. You, me, and Giles-and Cordy when she isn't polishing her nails and grooming her delicate image in front of a mirror- are the Slayerette's. You came up with that name for us, by the way. Do you...remember any of this?"

Willow nibbled her lower lip. A tear was forming in the corner of her eye. "No." She shook her head sadly. "I-I'm sorry. I don't."

Xander looked at her closely. "Will...I've missed you so much. I never knew how much it could hurt not having you near me." He paused as he tried to gather his thoughts. "You called me every night during the first week of camp and we talked for hours. You were so excited about camp. And I looked forward to your calls." He chuckled nervously. "They were the highlight of my evenings." He hesitated. "Then you wound up missing. I was scared, Will. When we found out what happened, I-I thought I'd never see you again." He looked into her eyes. "Now that I've found you again, you don't even remember me."

"A-a little," she said, trying to reassure him.

He put his face in his hands and what he had tried so hard to prevent from happening happened anyway. He began to weep. He cried for Willow. He didn't know what had happened to her that caused her to lose her memory, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. What did those bastard's do to my Willow? he asked himself.

At first, Willow didn't know that he was crying. When she realized it, she got up from the bed and knelt before him. She put her hands on his shoulders.

Startled, he raised his head and looked at her.

"I-I'm sorry," she said to him. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"Will, you're not causing any trouble." Xander put his arms around her and he hugged her. "I love you, Will."

She returned the hug.

Willow had the feeling that she was where she should be with someone who cared for her. It made her feel like she belonged. It made her feel safe.

Chapter 19: A Different Kind Of Evil

Summary:

Ambushed!

Just before Angel, Hawk, Spenser, and Willow had arrived at the Sheraton, something had happened that tipped the scales and the balance was lost. Now they were running out of time only they didn't know it yet.

His name was Dominick Gunther. He was a simple street thug. He picked up the dirty jobs from anyone he could get them from, and he prided himself on doing the job right. However, he was always looking for the right job to come along and bring in the big dough.

He had heard through his numerous contacts that a girl with long red hair and green eyes had gotten away from her Mistress. There was a large reward for the girl's return and he wouldn't mind getting his hands on that reward himself. He knew the chances of finding the girl and getting that cash reward with his head intact were the same as winning the Lotto.

They were next to Slim and None.

But, hey, a guy could dream, couldn't he?

He had met with a mutual business associate at the Sheraton Restaurant located inside the Sheraton Hotel. They conducted their business and then it was time for them to put distance between them. The associate left, and Gunther decided to stay and order himself a lunch.

He was glad he did.

Because of his grumbling stomach, he was able to sit there and look toward the swinging doors that led into the kitchen. That's where he saw his next meal ticket. He saw dollar signs. He saw a way to get rich quick.

He saw a girl with long red hair and green eyes.

To get to her, however, was going to be a problem. Three very large guys were protecting her-two of them were Spenser and Hawk. He didn't know who the third guy was, only that he looked extremely pale. In spite of the heavy, duty bodyguards present around her, he wanted that girl badly. He was going to have to call for backup. No one went up against Spenser and Hawk without backup. He had known some guys who were stupid enough to do just that, but those poor bastards had wound up in the Boston Herald's obituary column for their troubles.

Gunther decided to skip lunch. He had a new appetite, and it had nothing to do with food.

He casually rose from the booth and followed his prey out of the dining room. He picked up a newspaper that someone had discarded in the lobby and casually looked at the headlines. He watched Spenser, Hawk, Paleface, and Red head up the stairs and he followed at a good distance behind. He used an old couple to shield him from view as he kept into step behind them.

On the second floor, he saw them enter a room and he casually walked past the room to glance at the number.

Room 133.

He smiled.

He walked down the corridor and found a chair to sit in beside the elevators. He pulled out his cell phone and he called a few friends. He called up four of them and when he had told them what he needed, they assured him that they were on their way.

Gunther put away his cell phone. He decided to go back down to the lobby and wait for his friends.

_____ _____ _____

"Explain to me how you perform the trick," I said to Angel after the two of us joined Hawk and Giles out into the hall.

"It's not a trick," Angel responded. "I wish it were, but it's not."

"A man just doesn't lose his reflection in a mirror. I've never seen anything like this. It just isn't natural." I glared at him. I had a hard time trusting people who didn't have reflections. It made me think he had something to hide. "What the hell are you?"

Angel opened his mouth to respond.

But Hawk beat him to it. "You sure you ready for the answer, Spenser?" he asked me. "You're opening doors you ain't never opened before."

I looked at him.

For some reason, I wanted to hit him. "You know about this?" I demanded. "What kind of doors have you opened, Hawk?"

"I was hoping you would never have to open them doors yourself." He shook his head. "It's not something any average person can live with. But men like you and me? These two?" He indicated Angel and Giles. "People like us have to go through them some time."

"And what about Willow? Does she have to go through them?"

Giles hesitated. "Willow h-has already been through those doors, Mr. Spenser."

I looked at him.

"She knows about things th-that most kids her age have only seen in movies." Giles let out a weary sigh. "A-and the things that are depicted in those movies are not exactly all that accurate either."

"Drop the 'Mr.'," I told him. "It's just 'Spenser'."

He nodded. "Spenser."

"So you're telling me that there is a dark world that includes people with no reflections, and Willow knows all about this world?"

"Yes. It's true."

Angel decided to cut to the chase. "I'm a Vampire."

I looked at him. "It's daylight."

"Yeah...that's why we went through the tunnels."

"But...it's still daylight," I protested. "Vampire's sleep during the day."

"Vampires don't really need sleep."

I looked at him long and hard. I didn't know why, but I guess I just simply believed him. How could I not? He had no reflection. But was he really a Vampire?

"Angel is a g-good Vampire," Giles pointed out to me. "He has a soul."

"Hasn't fed from a human in about a hundred years," Hawk added.

I turned my head to regard Angel. "You're a hundred years old?"

Angel smiled wryly. "Actually, I'm-"

"Forget it. I don't want to know." I took a deep breath, and then I let it back out. "This whole thing bothers the hell out of me."

"What does?"

"I pictured Willow living with a loving family, safe and secure from the evil that men do. But now I discover that she's been living her life already exposed to a different kind of evil. What kind of a life is that for her to live?"

Giles looked at me and he took off his glasses. "I-it would be Willow's life that she is living. Spenser, she is a remarkably intelligent, young lady. In Sunnydale, we've been able to overcome a great many evils because of-of her persistence in researching what was needed. Yes, Willow is exposed to evil. So is Xander, and-and a few other kids I can name." He later told me that he was thinking of Buffy Summers and Cordelia Chase as he was telling me this. "B-but they fight against that evil together, and it makes them stronger. I-it brings them closer together. It helps them and prepares them for the next evil that they may have to face."

I paused as he thought about what he said. "Why do they have to face it at all?"

"B-because no one else will. No one else knows that it exists."

I took a deep breath.

"Look, Spenser," Angel began carefully, "Willow has faced Vampires. She's faced some scary stuff and come through all right. She's always been careful. A demon or a vampire who committs evil is something she can expect. They commit evil because they are evil." He paused. "But you're right about one thing. She has been exposed to a different kind of evil."

I nodded. "From man."

"Yes. What she had been forced to endure is man's doing. And one sick, sadistic woman. Even though S'ushi Alyssia has four vampires in her service-"

"Two," Hawk corrected.

Angel glanced at him, and he continued with, "-two vampires in her service, this evil is still the result of man."

"You're making sense," I told him. "What are you suggesting?"

Angel looked at Giles. "We can't take Willow home until this White Slavery thing has been taken care of. Permanently." He looked at Hawk, and then he looked at me. "I saw what had happened to Kali. I don't want that to happen to Willow and I think that if S'ushi gets her hands on her, that's what her fate will be in the end."

I looked at Angel and even for a vampire, I could see that he was genuine and he seemed to have a pure heart. "We'll take care of it." There was no way in hell I was going to let S'ushi Alyssia continue on with her business, lack of evidence be damned. "What about Willow's parents?"

Giles hesitated. "Well, they, er, they think she's still at camp."

"How much longer is she expected to be at this campsite?"

"Another two weeks."

"What if she doesn't have her memory in two weeks?"

Giles and Angel looked at each other. They didn't really have an answer.

Finally, Angel replied softly, "I hope she gets her memory back, Spenser." He paused. "But not all of it."

I knew what he meant. "That day might come."

Angel looked at Giles. "If it does, we need to be there for her, Giles. It could be bad for her." He sighed. "It will be bad."

Giles looked at me. "Well...what do we do now?"

I looked at Hawk. Then I said, "We'll take Willow to the safe house. Then Hawk and I will take care of it."

Angel shook his head. "I'm going with you. There's still two vampires with S'ushi, and I can handle them."

Hawk flashed his teeth in one of his famous happy smiles. "So can I."

"It would be better for Willow if you stayed close to her," I told Angel, "just incase they find the safe house. S'ushi is very resourceful. She..." I stopped because Hawk did something I was hoping he wouldn't do.

He withdrew his big, bad gun. "Change of plans," he said softly.

Angel and I looked.

There were three of them. They were street thugs, and they were moving slowly toward us from down the hall. They had drawn their guns and were leveling them at the floor.

Giles tapped on my shoulder. "Er, Spenser..." He pointed behind us.

There were two more, approaching from the other end of the hall.

One of them I recognized immediately. He was a filthy, scumbag named Dominick Gunther. There was only one reason that I could think of as to why Gunther and his gang of hoodlums had decided to make a sudden appearance at the Sheraton with their guns in their hands.

They were after Willow.

I withdrew my gun.

The bastards were going to be very disappointed.

It was times like this that really made me like Hawk.

"Dominick Gunther," Hawk said in that deep, scary voice of his. "You is going the right way if it be your funeral you is heading for."

Gunther and his friend stopped at a distance of twenty feet or so from us. On the other side of the hall, his three homeboys stopped as well. Their guns were still leveled at the floor.

Gunther looked nervous, but that clearly wasn't going to stop him from trying to get to Willow. "Spenser," he said to me, his eyes locked on to Hawk, "call your friggin' dog off!"

I shook my head. "Can't do that. I forgot to feed him today, and he's really pissed about it."

"This is no time for being a smart ass, Spense."

"You can't call me 'Spense.' That honor is only reserved for friends and foes. It's even reserved for lawyers. But low-life scumbag's are not listed in the contract to call me 'Spense.'"

Gunther glared at me.

We were all at a disadvantage. Hawk and I were holding our guns out but we had them leveled toward the floor. Giles and Angel were closer to the hotel room door behind us. They had no weapons of any kind. At least, none that I was aware of.

Gunther and his boys also still had their weapons leveled at the floor, but that could change in a New York split second.

I looked into Gunther's eyes.

He had made a big mistake and he was just beginning to realize it. He was handling this badly. He had jumped into it without using his head, which wasn't really a surprise to me. The problem was, however, that he now couldn't afford to look bad in front of his fellow stooges. This only meant he wasn't going to make the smart move, which would be to tuck his tail between his legs and run. Retreat.

"Damn it!" he scolded me. "This is no time for making wise cracks!" He tried to get a grip on his temper. "Do the smart thing. Give us the girl and walk away."

I looked at him. "What if I say 'no'?"

"Then I'll shoot you dead!"

"What if I shoot you dead first?"

"I-wha-?"

Good. I was making him nervous.

Hawk made him even more nervous. "What if I shoot you dead before Spense does? What if I just break your neck without shooting you dead? I think I like that better."

Gunther leveled his gun at me, and that made his boys raise their guns. Hawk leveled his gun toward the three boys on the one side while I aimed my gun directly at Gunther on the other side.

I hated standoffs, but if we were going out in a blaze of glory, Gunther was going first.

"C'mon, Spenser!" Gunther shouted angrily. "I called Billiard. He's sending his guys over right now! Even if you get past us, you'll have to deal with him!"

I ignored him. "Hawk?"

"Uh huh," Hawk said.

"I have to get her to the safe house."

"I'll cover you."

Gunther waved his gun at me. "You're not going anywhere!"

Hawk also ignored him. "Angel?"

Angel was keeping a wary eye on Gunther and his friend. "Yeah?"

"Wanna stay and help me divert?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

Gunther aimed his gun with a shaking hand. "I swear! I will fill you full of lead! GIVE me the girl!"

"Lead can't kill me." Angel's face changed and when he turned to look at Gunther, it was with the face of a demon.

I had never seen anything like that. There was only one thing that came to mind, and I said it. "Oh, shit!"

Angel dove at Gunther.

Gunther screamed like a pig at the butcher block. He and his friend backed away, trying to get out of the vampire's reach, and as they did, they began to fire wildly. There was no aiming at their target. They were just scared shitless and they simply began to pull the trigger. The thing about gunfights is if you were at close quarters and you paniced, your shots could end up far off the mark. That's what happened with Ginther and his friend.

But if you were as calm and cool as Hawk, you pretty much hit what you wanted to hit. And Hawk did. He leveled his gun toward the trio as they raised theirs and he fired. One of them went down hard and lay unmoving on the floor, blood soaking his shirt from where the bullet went through his chest. The other two goons tried to find cover, and like their friends who never learn, they fired wildly.

I grabbed Giles' arm and I shoved him through the door into the room ahead of me. Once inside, I slammed the door shut behind me.

Xander and Willow were on their feet and they were staring at us apprehensively.

"We heard shots!" Xander exclaimed. "Were those shots that we heard?"

Several more shots sounded from beyond the door. There was also a thund and a scream.

Xander tensed. "Oh, shiiiiiit! Those were shots!"

I went over to the sliding glass doors and I pulled the curtains back from them. I opened the door and stepped out onto the patio. I knew I could get down without any trouble and then I could help Willow down.

"Let's go," I said to Xander, Willow, and Giles. "We're climbing down."

Willow looked at me fearfully, her eyes wide. "Wh-what's happening?"

"You'll be okay, Willow." I tilted her face up and looked into her eyes. "Trust me. Okay?"

She nodded.

Willow flinched every time a shot was fired and it broke my heart to see her like that. Xander came to her and he put a protective arm around her. I was glad to see that she was letting him do that. She seemed to trust him. I hoped she did.

I turned to Giles. "I'll go down first. You lower Willow to me."

He nodded.

I went over the railing, lowered myself to the ground, and then I let myself drop. It wasn't at all that far to the ground, at least to me. The room was on the second floor. I was ready for Willow. Giles helped lower her down, and I caught a hold of her, helping her down the rest of the way. As I helped Willow, Xander came down without any assistance.

In the background, I heard the not so distant sounds of police sirens.

"Are you coming?" I looked up at Giles.

He waved us on. "N-no. You go on ahead. I'll stay with Angel and Hawk."

I nodded.

Giles disappeared back inside.

"Uh, Spenser?"

I turned to look at Xander. "What is it?"

He pointed at something behind me. "That can't be good...can it?"

I turned and I looked.

"Son-of-a-bitch," I swore. I shouldn't have said that in front of Willow, but I was starting to get real mad.

Two of those big Continental Lincolns had come to a halt in the parking lot of the Sheraton. Four men had climbed out of one of them, and three men had climbed out of the other one. All seven of the men were now looking directly at us.

"Damn," I swore again. "Sorry, Willow."

Billiard's men had shown up after all. And these guys were a lot more professional than Gunther and his street thugs were.

"What are we going to do now?" Xander asked as he put himself in front of Willow.

"Would you think of me as less of a man if I said, 'Run'?" I asked.

He didn't answer.

And we ran.

_____ _____ _____

Angel had managed to knock the gun out of Gunther's hand with incredible ease. Gunther's friend was about to take a shot at Angel when the vampire with a soul picked Gunther up from the floor and tossed him into the air. Gunther came down hard, hitting his friend and causing them both to crash to the floor. By the time they managed to disentangle themselves, Angel picked up each of them one-handed. He slammed them face first into each other and dropped their unconscious bodies to the floor.

He scooped up their weapons from the floor, deposited them into the pockets of his coat, and he turned to give Hawk a hand.

He discovered two dead bodies in Hawk's wake. Angel morphed his face back into his human face as he continued on down the corridor. He turned a corner and he was just in time to see Hawk level his gun at the last man. The man wisely dropped his gun and showed Hawk that his hands were empty.

Angel sighed in relief.

He began to walk toward Hawk.

BOOM!

Angel froze and stared in horror as the unarmed man fell on to the floor, dead. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Hawk had shot that man in cold-blooded murder.

Angel grabbed his arm and said, "What did you do?"

Hawk looked at him. "It's time we were on our way. Cops are gonna be here soon."

"After what I just saw, maybe we should wait right here for them."

"You are not in a position to judge me," Hawk replied dangerously. "I do what I have to do. So do you."

"I told you. I don't take human lives!"

Hawk regarded him. "Then you're a damn fool."

Angel glared at him. "I-"

Hawk slammed him up against the wall and looked at him with a hard penetrating gaze. "Think abut what you just told me what you saw at the Funhouse. What they did to Kali was more horrible than what I do to these bastards. Now ask yourself, what about Willow? Do you want to see her like that?"

Angel didn't say anything, but the images were fresh in his mind. Hawk was right. If they caught Willow, they...He swallowed.

Hawk regarded him. "Well, you might want to change your mind about taking a human life if you want to keep Willow from meeting the same fate." He let Angel go, turned, and headed back toward the room.

Angel looked at the dead man on the floor. It was a damn waste of life, he thought.

He turned to follow Hawk.

Giles had come from the room to meet them. "There are more men!" he exclaimed. "Th-they're after Willow and the others!"

Angel gritted his teeth in frustration. "I can't go out there! The sun is up!"

"How many?" Hawk asked Giles.

Giles frowned. "Er, about seven. Maybe more." He let out a sigh. "Th- they were very close."

Hawk turned to Angel. He gave him directions to get to the Wharf. "Go back to the tunnels. If I'm right, that's where you'll find S'ushi's lair. If Spenser gets caught, they'll bring him, the girl, and Xander there. If not, then wait until dark. Meet us at the safe house." He gave Angel the address to the safe house. Then he turned to Giles. "Go with him."

"Sh-shouldn't I go with you a-and help you?" Giles asked.

Hawk shook his head. "I work better alone. Faster, too."

He turned and he left them.

Giles and Angel reluctantly made their way to the tunnels below the hotel.

Chapter 20: Somebody's Daughter

Angel and Giles used the tunnels below the city of Boston to go where Hawk had directed them to. To the Lair of S'ushi Alyssia. They couldn't do to the safe house for two reasons. The first reason was because of the simple fact that the sun was still high in the sky. The second reason was for Angel and Giles to break into the Lair and get as much Intel on the enemy as possible.

But there was another reason.

"Angel," Giles began as he stayed in step with the his companion, "y-you don't think Spenser will allow Willow t-to be captured...do you?"

Angel glanced at him. "Well, not intentionally. No." He paused. "But you know how things are, Giles. Things just happen, and sometimes we just don't have a say in it. We have to do what we can. I do know that he will do his best to protect Willow, but what he can't do...we'll do."

Giles hesitated. "And w-when we get her home..." he trailed off.

Angel stopped, turned his head and looked at the Watcher. "You mean, if she remembers what happened at the Funhouse?"

He nodded.

Angel let out a troubled sigh. "Giles, we'll be there for her. It may not be enough, but it's all we can do."

"Buffy..."

"What? Are you going to tell Buffy about this?"

Giles looked at him. "You-you don't think I should?"

Angel shook his head. "No. Leave it be. The Slayer will only start asking questions and that could upset Willow. Trigger her memory of what happened to Kali." He paused. "Let's agree to not tell Buffy until the time comes."

"Xander might tell her."

"He won't. I think he loves Willow too much to let her go through the pain again."

Giles looked at him. "Er, 'loves'? You mean, as-as in the plutonic sense of love?"

Angel paused. "It's blind love, Giles. I can see it in his eyes, and I can tell when they're together. Xander's in love with Willow, but I think he just doesn't realize it yet."

"How very odd."

"Yeah. Well, love does funny things to people." He thought of Buffy. Then he let out another sigh. "Let's just finish this so we can get Willow back home to Sunnydale where she belongs." He forged ahead with Giles at his side.

The Watcher had no idea that what Angel meant by 'finishing this' had nothing to do with reconnaissance but everything to do with taking care of S'ushi Alyssia and her entire organization. As they continued on their way, a dark figure stepped out from the shadows and watched them from behind.

David smiled. "A Slayer in Sunnydale, is it?" He let out a low chuckle. "Well, I think a change of plans is in order, then."

He followed behind at a discreet distance.

_____ _____ _____

Our situation did not look very promising at the moment.

We had made a good run in getting away from the hotel, but unfortunately, our pursuers had managed to keep up with us. At the beginning, there were only seven of them, but now there were five. I had to assume that two of them had raced back to the hotel parking lot to retrieve their vehicles.

We tried to lose the remaining five in the crowds. Once we got to the ever- popular Quincy Market, things began to look a lot more promising for us. At least for a few minutes. I thought we were actually going to lose them. But these bastards proved to be more determined to get Willow than I had originally given them credit for and they proved it by using their damn cell phones. They had split up, and spread out as they attempted to box us in.

With Willow's hand in mine, I led her and Xander through the closing gap before the trap could fully close. I noticed that they still trailed behind us, but they kept themselves spread out. I had seen one of them on his cell phone, and when I looked back, the man was still on it.

Oh, sure, he could have been calling the drivers that had went back for their cars. Or it was possible the man might have been making an appointment with a local masseuse. But I doubted it. I had a very bad feeling that he was simply calling for backup.

I hoped he wasn't...but I knew that if I were in his shoes, that's what I'd be doing.

"I don't like the city," Xander said as he looked around. "I'm gonna take a stand and say that the city is bad."

Willow looked at him and she held out her hand to him. "Take my hand, Xander." She smiled encouragingly at him. "I-it'll be all right."

Xander took her hand and squeezed it affectionately.

I thought I understood the gesture then. It was sort of like a comfort blanket. It was something that Willow and Kali had shared during their brief captivity together. Here we were, being chased by villains who wanted Willow for evil purposes of their own, and she was trying to reassure us.

Willow had a lot of character for one so young.

Xander gave Willow a smile. "I'm supposed to tell you it's okay."

"So tell me." Her eyes seemed to light up as she looked at him.

Xander looked into her eyes. "It will be okay, Will."

She let out a little sigh and she had that look on her face girls got when they in love. "I-I know, Xander. Everything is always okay when-when I'm with you."

That did it for me. I was just plain mad now. These two kids did not deserve to be out on the street running for their lives. They should be in a movie theatre watching a show, and Xander should be getting her popcorn and candy and..."You both should be far away from this kind of trouble," I finally told them as I glanced at them. "If I have anything to say about it, I'll get you out of this somehow."

I realized that I didn't have a choice for time was running out. There was only one option open to us and that was to head for the subway. I was beginning to see faces I didn't like. Faces associated with people like Billiard and S'ushi Alyssia. Some of them were ahead of us, and the five from the hotel were right behind us.

Damn, that wasn't a masseuse he was calling. His backup had arrived.

"Let's go," I said.

I led Willow and Xander onward in another direction. We headed for a subway entrance and disappeared through it. We hurried down the steps and brushed past several people. Some of them didn't appreciate our haste, but at least they didn't bother us except to say something rather unpleasant at our backs.

I glanced back and wondered if we could get on the subway before it was too late.

We got to the subway entrance and I decided on the better part of valor was to get past the ticket booth in haste rather dig for dough. I picked up Willow, put her over the gate and climbed after her. Xander climbed over it after me, and we continued on.

"Hey!" someone shouted.

But we ignored him and kept moving.

Once we were on the subway platform, we again brushed through the crowd. A subway train was just pulling up. The doors began to open and we hurried inside with a crowd of other people who were in a hurry to get nowhere fast.

Then came the waiting.

The doors just didn't seem to want to close.

I looked through the window and I cursed under my breath. These bastards were persistent. The five men from the hotel parking lot came onto the platform and they were followed by four other thugs who just had that look. The look was easy to determine because the shifty eyes, the tough guy stance, and the bulging jackets accompanied it.

I knew what caused those bulges.

Guns.

There was no going back now. We couldn't get off the train now if we wanted to without shedding blood. There were just too many people around. A shoot out would get a lot of innocent people hurt or worst. And that included Willow and Xander.

I watched as Billiard's men entered into the next subway car. Just as the fifth man entered, the doors closed and the train began to move. The other four thugs had remained on the platform incase we had gotten off. Which, unfortunately, we didn't.

I looked at Willow and Xander.

"We're not out of this yet, are we?" Xander asked me.

I shook my head. "Not yet." I led them to the end of the subway car and opened the door.

It seemed like a useless move but I hated to stand still in a crisis situation. I had to be moving. So we moved into the next subway car. We got a lot of strange looks as we moved through the crowds, but for the most part, no one bothered us. Then we went into the next subway car and to the next one after that.

There was one more car to go, and I was certain that behind us, Billiard's men was moving through the cars as we were. I was also certain that they would reach us before the next stop.

Apparently, Xander must have had the same thought. "This is really what they call an exercise in futility, isn't it?"

We stopped at the far end of the car. There was nowhere else to go.

I looked at him with my best solemn expression I could muster and said, "Yep."

"Those guys are going to be in here any second," he said hastily.

I nodded in agreement. "Possibly sooner."

He shot me a look. "If that was meant to reassure me, it didn't." He glanced nervously at Willow. "We can't let them have her."

"No. We can't. Which means we have to stall."

"Stall?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"What are we stalling for?"

"Well, whenever I find myself in a jam, I do my best to stall the situation in any way I can. By stalling for time, I buy time for the Calvary to show up."

At the other end of the subway car, the door opened, and Billiard's men filed in one by one. They began to forge through the crowd toward us.

Xander glared at them. "That's just great! While we're waiting for the Calvary, here comes the damn injun's!"

"Wherever they take us," I said quietly, "Hawk will find us."

Both Willow and Xander looked at me. I hated that look of fright in Willow's eyes as she realized what I had just said.

Xander was as equally shocked. "You're-you're going to let them take us?"

I would have responded, but the men were closer to us now. One of them I recognized. He was a thug named Buckley. He was mean and I didn't like him, but at least he wasn't the type of man to stab you in the back. For a bad guy, he was with some honor. I was hoping I could use that.

Buckley stepped up to us while his boys stayed back. He looked at Xander, and then he looked at Willow. Finally, his eyes locked onto me. "Spenser," he greeted.

I nodded. "Buckley."

"You know a scene won't be any good for any of us, don't you?" he asked casually.

I shrugged. "I figured as much."

He nodded. "A lot of people could get hurt. I'm glad you see that. So why don't you just take out your gun slowly and hand it to me." He smiled. "Like the cops say, Spenser. With two fingers."

I took out my gun with two fingers, and he took it from me with four fingers and a thumb. It disappeared in a coat pocket of his.

"If you come with us peacefully, Spenser," he said, "I'll see that you're treated fairly."

"That's really not your call though, is it?"

Buckley shrugged. "I guess you're right."

"Besides, it's not me I'm worried about."

He looked at Willow. "Yeah. I can see that."

Willow was standing behind Xander. She had that deer in the headlight look and it made my blood boil. The funny thing was I wasn't mad at Buckley. I was mad at S'ushi Alyssia. There was a part of me that was glad we were caught because I knew that we were going to be taken to her.

That could be a bad thing for S'ushi.

"She's just a kid," I told Buckley.

He let out a sigh. "I'm just doing my job," he explained.

"Find a new career. Look in the Help Wanted."

He paused. "Not that simple."

"You're a father yourself, Buckley. Imagine if this were happening to your kid. What if S'ushi were after your daughter?"

"She's not after my daughter." He nodded his head toward Willow. "This girl isn't my daughter. She's not your daughter either."

I looked at him. "She's somebody's daughter. Even so, whether she's my daughter or not, I still won't let S'ushi get her."

Buckley regarded me and he shook his head sadly. "Well, sorry, Dad. But it looks to me like S'ushi is going to get the girl."

I leaned menacingly toward him. "That remains to be seen."

The subway train made its next stop, and we were all getting off with Buckley and his friends. What Buckley didn't know was that I had a plan in the making. The only trouble was, I didn't know it either.

_____ _____ _____

We were brought into the Lair of S'ushi Alyssia, and I really had to admit that it didn't look good for us. S'ushi was standing next to Billiard and some other guy named Damien. It's what I heard S'ushi call him, and I didn't like him already. For some damn reason I found quite disturbing, the guy couldn't take his eyes off me.

Buckley had left us. I think it had something to do with his conscious. He could deliver us to his employer, but he couldn't stomach sticking around to witness any horrible deed that S'ushi might have planned for us. I hoped his conscious really bothered him until his last dying breath, even though my dying breath looked a lot closer than his did.

Four of Billiards thugs remained behind us. Two of them had their guns in their hands and they were prepared to shoot us if we made any sudden moves. They wouldn't shoot Willow, of course, but Xander and I were targets.

And so there we were.

Willow stood in between myself, and Xander. Her hand was in mine and she sidled up closer to me as if that could get her away from S'ushi.

The White Slavery Mistress had her eyes locked onto Willow. "You've been a very bad girl," she said softly.

Willow was shaking. She shifted her feet, got behind me, and she closed her eyes.

"Hiding won't help you," S'ushi told her as she slowly made her approach.

I looked at her. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

She gave me the back of her hand.

Right across my face.

The woman just has no class. That really did smart, but I stood there and took it like a man. Hawk would have been proud. I didn't even whimper. She had a ring on her hand and I realized that it had given my cheek a nice scratch.

She smiled at me. "That was for the trouble you cost me the last time I was in Boston."

"Well," I said conversationally, "too bad the last time you were in Boston wasn't really the last time you were in Boston."

"Always the smart ass." She stepped up close and personal toward me. She brought her face close to mine. There was no doubt in my mind that she was one gorgeous lady, but her heart was as ugly as sin.

I shrugged. "It's in the Handbook of P.I.'s, you know. The number one requirement for being a private investigator is that you have to be a smart ass."

"I don't mind you being a smart ass, Spenser. I like your smart ass. I think it's kind of...cute." She put her hand on my chest.

I frowned. "Just cute?"

She gave me a coy smile, which I had to admit, was a lot more enjoyable than the back of her hand. She looked into my eyes. "I'd really like to have your smart ass on my team. I've always liked you, you know."

"Now don't I feel popular?" I inquired with just a touch of sarcasm. I noticed that Damien was still looking at me closely. I saw a deep hunger in his eyes and I suddenly understood what he was. "You don't need me on your team. You have enough bad players, including your blood sucking friend over there who can't seem to take his eyes off me."

S'ushi glanced at Damien. She smiled at me. "He likes you."

Damien nodded his head toward me. "He's dying," he said.

I glared at him.

Xander and Willow looked at me.

Even S'ushi seemed surprised. "Dying?"

Damien nodded slowly as he watched me. "I can smell his cancer." He stepped toward me. "I can cure you, Spenser. I can make you a better man." His face began to change. His eyes turned yellow, his face sort of got lumpy, and his teeth became fangs.

Willow grabbed my arm and stared in horror.

"Where the hell is a Slayer when you really need one?" Xander asked no one in particular.

S'ushi stepped away from me and Damien took her place. "Spenser," he said, peering at the bleeding cut on my face, "I can give you eternal life."

I regarded him very carefully. This is the second time I had seen a vampire, and I couldn't tell myself that this wasn't real any longer. Because it was. And I hated that it was real. I shook my head. "I really can't imagine going around looking like that for all eternity."

"You would prefer death over life?"

"You're not God. Only God is in the business of giving eternal life. What you have is an illusion of life. How can you call hiding in shadows and feeding off from living flesh a life? It makes you look ugly, and it makes you smell bad." I paused. "Do you even have a dental plan? Do you floss after every bite? Do you brush your teeth after every meal?"

Damien glared at me. "Forget my offer. I do believe that I will just kill you."

"Get back, Damien," S'ushi ordered.

"Yeah," I said, puffing out my chest. "Get back."

He hesitated. Then, he pointed his finger at my broad and muscular chest. "We're not through." His face returned to its human form as he stepped back toward Billiard.

S'ushi approached me, but this time, her eyes were fixed on Xander. "Who's the boy?" she asked.

I was about to answer.

Xander decided, however, to answer for himself. "I'm the boy who's going to take Willow back home where she belongs."

S'ushi regarded him. "What are you talking about, boy?"

"What's the matter, girl?" he demanded of her. "Are you surprised that a guy like me can pick up your trail from Sunnydale, California?"

She looked at him with genuine surprise on her face.

Xander nodded. "That's right, bitch! I traced your steps from the computer camp, to the Funhouse, and finally to this dump in Boston!"

S'ushi was angry. She shot a look in Billiard's direction, but it wasn't aimed specifically at him. "That asshole Sunter talked. He must be dealt with!" She shook her head as she walked toward a beam and she reached for something behind it.

Here it comes.

When she turned around, I saw what she held in her hands. It was some kind of rod. Before I could figure out what it truly was, she abruptly touched it to my chest and she pulled some kind of trigger. What I could only describe as some kind of electrical charge shot through me, and it was as if my body just shut down.

I collapsed in a heap to the floor.

"That should keep you down for awhile." S'ushi smirked down at me. Then, she fixed her eyes on Willow. "I'm through talking, little girl. Get over here right now."

Xander put himself in front of Willow.

Good move, I thought.

S'ushi just smiled and she touched him with the rod. He cried out and collapsed to the floor beside me. Yeah. Good move, but not good enough. I couldn't bring myself to move even though I tried like hell to.

Willow was left completely undefended.

S'ushi began to approach her. She laughed.

And that's when the demon fell from the rafters above and knocked the Mistress aside with one blow. The demon had landed in front of Willow. He turned around to look right at her.

Willow saw his face.

His vampire face.

It was Angel.

Willow screamed.

Chapter 21: It's My Life!

Angel looked at Willow. He had no meant to frighten her. He hadn't meant to hurt her, only to protect her from S'ushi. The fear in her eyes was just too painful to bear.

He hesitated. "Willow, I-"

Suddenly, Willow's eyes widened as she saw something behind him. She pointed. "Angel!" she cried. "B-behind you!"

Angel spun around as Damien lunged at him. The evil vampire tackled him and both he and Angel fell into S'ushi, knocking her to the floor. The two vampires began to struggle.

"Willow!" Angel shouted. "Run!"

Willow did. The four thugs guarding the only way out aimed their guns at her, but they also realized they couldn't shoot her. That would be like committing suicide. Willow couldn't get past them so she ran up a set of stairs, which led to a second floor consisting of empty or unused offices.

Two of the men tried to follow after her, but Giles chose that moment to leap out of hiding with a boat oar as a weapon. He came out swinging and he managed to knock one of the men down, but the other one stumbled back out of range as he leveled his gun at the librarian.

Giles smacked the man's gun hand and forced him to drop his weapon. Then he smashed the man full in the face and sent him on his way to dreamland. The men fell and remained still on the floor.

Behind Giles, Billiard began to level his own gun at Giles. The Watcher didn't notice this, however, because the first man he had swung at was struggling to take the oar from him. They both had a grip on it and they kept moving around across the floor. Billiard lowered his gun in frustration because he didn't want to shoot his own man by mistake. Then the man who was struggling with Giles managed to slam him against a wall and he pressed the oar against Giles' throat, cutting off his air supply.

The two other remaining thugs throughout this scuffle were contemplating on whether to go after the girl, or help snuff out the Brit. However, as they tried to make up their minds, someone else did it for them-a man had quietly snuck in from behind them and fired two shots, one into each of their heads. They fell to the floor.

The shots went unheard-the silencer on the gun saw to that. After the deed was done, Buckley slowly backed away as he saw that Billiard's attention was still on the Brit, and one of his men. Buckley saw Spenser moving on the floor, and that was a good thing. Spenser turned and looked at Buckley.

Buckley nodded his head, and Spenser did the same.

At least he helped to bring the odds down a bit. Now the fight was fair. Buckley went out the way he came, and he never looked back.

As Billiard watched Giles struggle with his opponent, another struggle continued on the opposite side of the room. Angel and Damien were grappling with each other, slamming against walls, shelves and beams. They traded blows and it was apparent that not one of them intended to leave unless the other was dusted. Damien was strong, but Angel was stronger and far more determined than his enemy was.

Angel picked him up, swung him above his head, and then slammed him down hard onto the floor. "Where's David?" he demanded.

Damien thrust out his foot and hit Angel in the chest, causing him to fall back. "That's none of your concern."

Angel fell back against the wall. Above him, a wooden pole with a net hung from rings placed in the wall. He took it down, snapped it in two and then he turned to face Damien.

"Maybe it's not," Angel told him. "But this is your concern!"

He thrust the sharp, broken end of the pole into Damien's heart. Damien looked into Angel's eyes, disappointment on his face. "You stupid f-" He burst into dust.

Angel tossed the broken pole to the floor in disgust. Then he looked around. He was very concerned about David's absence.

Giles managed to ram his knee into the gunman's groin and that lessened his grip on the oar. Once he was able to breathe, Giles took in a deep breath and kicked the man hard.

Billiard didn't like what he saw. He leveled his gun at Giles and prepared to fire. A fist suddenly collided into his face and this diverted his attention away from the Brit. His gun hand was grabbed and slammed into the wall until he dropped his weapon. For one additional act Billiard found himself being flipped over someone and he landed hard on his back onto the floor.

He groaned. Then he looked up in surprise.

It was Spenser.

_____ _____ _____

Billiard looked at me with surprise on his face. Yeah, I know. This day was full of surprises to be sure. I had every hope that Buckley would come back and save the day, but I never believed he actually would. I couldn't help but wonder why he did it, and in the end, all I know is that it made the difference. Maybe he had a heart after all, or maybe he just got to thinking about his own kids and couldn't stand the thought of having S'ushi around to come after his daughter.

I was grateful.

And I was mad.

I looked down at Billiard, gave him one of my charming smiles, and I shrugged my broad shoulders. "What can I say? I'm just a big lug and that jolt your woman gave me only rejuvenated me." The truth was I was still feeling numb and a little lethargic, but I was confident I could take him.

Billiard got to his feet and I was in a generous mood. I let him. My days in the boxing ring came back to me and I did to him what I do best. In laymen terms...I kicked his ass.

I boxed.

There's another word for it, too.

Pugilism.

I hit him with a left, then I hit him with a right. I was glad to know that I still had it, baby.

But Billiard was no slacker himself.

He caught me off guard and connected a solid blow to my head that had me reeling. He slammed me against the wall and shoved his fists into me abdomen. I wished he hadn't done that. I doubled over, which was a mistake I couldn't avoid.

He grabbed a hold of me and he put me into a headlock. With a couple of well placed blows by his massive fists, I knew I was going to need an ice, cold steak to put on my face. That's if I even survived this. His last hooray was to literally throw me into a shelving unit against the wall where an assortment of tools was kept.

The shelves flattened under my weight.

I fell hard.

And then all of those damn tools on those shelves fell right with me. Most of them hit me on their way down. And yet there was one tool in particular that landed within easy reach. It was something sailors found useful when out to sea and they were in trouble. Well, I was in trouble, so I figured it would be quite useful to me, too.

I looked up and Billiard was glaring down at me. Somehow, he had retrieved his gun and that gun was now pointing at my face.

"You're a dead man, Spenser!" he growled.

I decided to use my charm to distract him. "What's with the name 'Billiard' anyway? You don't look like a pool table."

He looked at me, puzzled. "What the hell are you talking about? What does my name have to do with anything?"

"I think you should change it."

"What?"

"I've got a name for you." I aimed a Flare gun at him. "Bulls-Eye."

I fired.

The flare struck him full in the chest and he went down screaming. As I got to my feet, Giles came over to give me a hand.

"A-are you all right?" he asked.

I nodded. "Just peachy. You and Angel have great timing."

Giles nodded. "W-we came as quick as we could."

I noticed that he was looking at Billiard. "Oh, don't worry about him," I said. "He had a condition that suddenly flared up."

"Our timing isn't that great," Angel replied as he approached us.

I looked at him with concern. "Why do you say that?"

His face became human as he looked around us. "Because S'ushi Alyssia, Willow, and Xander are gone."

_____ _____ _____

Willow was in a long corridor with empty or unused offices on either side of her. She hurried down the corridor, stopping along the way as she attempted to open doors in her haste to get away from S'ushi. Every door she tried to open was locked. She cast a frightened look behind her, but so far, there was no sign of pursuit.

Yet.

She tried another door.

She almost cried out in relief as it opened. She went inside, closed the door, and locked it. Then she looked around.

There was a file cabinet, a battered sofa with leather cushions, an old wooden desk, and an empty bookshelf. The afternoon sun shone in through the windows. There was a door on the other side of the office and it led to the rooftop. She didn't want to go onto the rooftop, but she had to hide somewhere.

She quickly scurried under the desk.

A memory came to her as she made herself still. She listened to her heartbeat, her breathing, and she listened for S'ushi's approach. But she remembered hiding beneath a desk at another time.

She had been hiding from the Pack back then.

Xander had been one of them, and he would have killed her if it hadn't have been for Buffy. Willow would have wound up just like Principal Flutie.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

She closed her eyes and trembled. She remembered. She remembered everything about her life before she had been kidnapped from computer camp. She still had no memory of her three days of captivity, but she remembered Xander.

"Get out from under that desk," S'ushi's voice cracked like a whip. "Don't you dare make me come over there and pull you out from there."

Willow froze.

She couldn't bring herself to move. She was so overcome by fear that she could scarcely breathe.

S'ushi kicked the desk.

Willow jumped and cried out in alarm.

"Get out here. NOW!"

Willow hesitated. Slowly, she crawled out and rose to her feet. She looked at S'ushi Alyssia and was ashamed. Why was she so afraid? How was S'ushi able to make her feel so bad about herself? It was as if Willow had no control of her own. She couldn't even stop shaking.

S'ushi crossed her arms over herself and she dangled the rod toward the floor. She regarded Willow with a cold, harsh look. "You've cost me a lot of trouble," she said.

Willow backed up against the wall. "I-I just want my l-life back."

"You're life doesn't belong to you. It belongs to me. I own you."

Willow shook her head. "No. Y-you can't own people like they're you're property. I-it isn't right. It isn't-"

Without warning, S'ushi moved closer. She pressed the end of the rod against Willow's side. Before Willow could stop her, S'ushi pulled the trigger.

*ZAP!*

Willow didn't understand what the rod was or how it worked. All she did know was that it made her feel as if an electric current was moving through her body. Every nerve seemed to catch on fire. Her body gave an uncontrollable jerk, and she collapsed to the floor.

She found that she was unable to move. She lay on the floor and all her body would allow her to do was to moan. There was one other thing she could do-cry. Tears filled her eyes, and she couldn't even move her arms to wipe them away.

S'ushi leaned the rod against the wall and reached down to pick up Willow. She laid her on top of the desk and leered down at her.

"How does it feel to be so helpless?" she asked conversationally as she looked down at Willow's face. "I can do anything to you and you would be unable to stop me." She shrugged. "You'd be helpless to stop me anyway, girl. But such is life. Unfortunately for you, I'll have to just cut my losses and run." She brought her face inches above Willow's and smiled. "Do you know what this means? It means I have to kill you."

She brushed her lips against Willow's.

Willow stared up at her in horror. If she could have, she would have said, "Ewwwwwwww!"

Then S'ushi straightened, flipped out a knife...and got smacked in the back of the head with a two-by-four. She stumbled and dropped the knife. She was just in time to raise her arm as the two-by-four came at her again.

"Get away from her!" Xander shouted. "Leave her-ooof!"

S'ushi was pissed. Her foot lashed out and caught Xander in the stomach. The blow shoved him toward the window. She spun around and kicked him again. This time, the blow sent him through the window.

Xander found himself on the rooftop of the warehouse, lying on broken glass and windowpane. He still had the two-by-four he had found on his way up the stairs gripped in his hand. He rolled over and got unsteadily to his feet. He looked toward the window he had been thrown through and saw S'ushi storming toward him.

He took his best defensive stance, prepared to swing his weapon, and he waited. He didn't have to wait long. S'ushi didn't feel much like conversation.

She felt like spinning.

As she twirled about in the air, her feet landed with deadly accuracy. Xander took a blow to the head and to the chest, and once again, he was lying on his back. As he tried to get back up, he swung the two-by-four at her.

She kicked it out of his hand.

Then she kicked him in the face and he fell onto his back.

Angrily, she planted her foot on his throat, and she applied enough pressure to let him know who was in control. "Do you know how dead you're going to be in a few seconds, little man?"

Xander tried to push her foot away, but she wasn't budging. "Go ahead and kill me," he grunted. "Y-you think this is over? I know people...who-who will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. I'll even come back for you myself!"

She released him and stepped back a few paces.

Startled, Xander felt his throat and he slowly sat up. he watched her warily as he got to his feet.

S'ushi smiled at him. "Prepare to meet your death, Mr. West."

Xander looked at her, puzzled.

She clicked her heels together. A knife appeared from the tip of her right boot. She smiled mischievously at him. She prepared to swing at him with her knife-tipped boot, but suddenly, her body convulsed and her eyes opened wide.

S'ushi fell on her face.

Willow stood behind her with the rod in her hands. There were tears in her eyes and she couldn't see past them. She couldn't see Xander, but she could see S'ushi.

A rage almost consumed her.

"I WANT my LIFE BACK!" she screamed. She struck S'ushi with the rod. "M- my name is Willow Rosenberg!" She struck her again. "X-Xander Harris a and Buffy Summers' are my best friends!" She struck S'ushi a third time. "You can't have my life! It's MINE!"

"Willow!" Xander exclaimed. He grabbed a hold of her and pulled her away from S'ushi.

At first, she struggled. But when she realized it was Xander, she dropped the rod and collapsed into his arms. Xander held her as she cried and kissed her on the forehead.

"It'll be okay, Willow," he reassured her. "Everything will be all right."

Then they heard movement behind them.

Willow jerked and tried to run, but Xander held onto her. "It's okay, Will. It's Hawk."

Hawk picked up the rod that Willow had dropped. "Take Willow inside," Hawk said to Xander.

Xander nodded. He began to lead Willow back inside.

Hawk fixed his eyes on S'ushi Alyssia. She glared up at him and she was painfully aware that he intended to wait for the affects of the rod to wear off. She swore to herself that she was going to perfect that rod to make her victims endure a longer period of immobility.

The affects began to wear off.

S'ushi slowly sat up.

Hawk just stood there watching her. He remained perfectly motionless. He could have been mistaken for a store mannequin except for his eyes. They burned into her.

"What is your fucking problem?" she asked him, glaring at him.

He didn't respond.

She got to her feet. "This isn't over, Hawk. You and Spenser are going to pay for this."

"Wrong."

She glared at him. "Wrong?"

He nodded. "You're out of business. As of today, you have officially resigned from the trafficking of slaves."

She opened her mouth to respond.

Without warning, Hawk struck. He stabbed the rod through her as if it were a sword.

She stared at him in surprise.

Hawk shoved the rod through and forced her to the edge of the rooftop. "Time to swim with the little fishies," he told her. "Give Charlie the Tuna my regards."

He tossed her off.

S'ushi Alyssia fell. She crashed through a part of the pier below and splashed into the water. Hawk turned and walked away from the edge without looking back.

Chapter 22: Dinner Without S'ushi

Well, it was finally over.

I knew it had to end sooner or later. I just wished it were later. I was going to miss Willow more than I had expected. She had found her way into my heart and I knew that a part of her would always be with me.

Ah, maybe I was just getting sentimental.

I don't know.

What I do know is that she has taught me how important life is when I was ready to give up on it. Before I met her, I wasn't going to do anything about my cancer. I was just going to let it run its course and I figured that would be the end of it.

But the end was not as near as I thought.

Willow and I had a good long talk about my condition and I was amazed at how smart she really was. She convinced me to call Susan and so I did. I told her about it and she left from Philadelphia earlier than expected to be with me. The next day when she arrived and put her head together with Willow's, I knew I was in for it. Hawk told me I was now in for a world of hurt.

He was probably right.

But I reminded him that I was a much bigger man than he was and so I could take it.

Susan, Willow, and I talked at great length. The bottom line was they reassured me that I had their full support. They also reminded me they weren't the only supporters I had. There were Hawk, Giles, Xander, and Angel. And there were also Martin Quirk and Frank Belsen. So on the basis, I made the biggest decision of my life and I chose to go through with chemotherapy.

I called good ole' Les Cloutier and we made some appointments. We got the wheels turning.

Willow herself was leaving the following day, so we planned a big dinner for that evening.

Susan thought there was something wrong with Angel. I told her that he had a skin condition and broke out into hives if he went out into the sun. I don't think she believed me.

But dinner was in the making.

Since Susan and I were going to have a full house, I decided to really outdo myself, Master Chef that I am. I cooked up a pot roast with baked potatoes and boiled veggies for the meat and potatoes lover. To spice things up for those who lived dangerously, I steamed up some shrimp and mussels, boiled Penne spaghetti, and spiced up the sauce for a taste of a dish known as Seafood Fra Diavlo. If I gave a taste of that, maybe they would never leave.

For desert, I had planned on heating chocolate sauce for dipping strawberries, which would go nicely with a glass of Chardonnay. I had extra strawberries so Susan and Willow made a cheesecake. I had to warn Willow that Susan required a lot of supervision when it came to baking, or cooking...or anything domestic. Willow, however, had it under control.

We had dinner.

We had laughs.

We had desert.

Hawk was sipping his coffee, and somehow, he seemed to have gotten himself into a contest with Willow. They were staring at each other very closely.

Hawk carefully set down his coffee onto the table. "You afraid of me?" he asked Willow.

Willow was good. She kept a straight face. "Nope. Should I be?"

"I'm very scary. I'm so very scary, my own shadow hides from me."

Willow shrugged. "I'm sorry, Hawk. I'm just not afraid of you."

"How 'bout when I do this?" He flashed his teeth.

She shook her head. "Nope. Not even when you do that."

"Not even when I growl?" He growled.

"No."

They stared at each other.

"Hawk..." Willow began.

Hawk regarded her. "Uh huh?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Should I be?"

She nodded and gave him the look. "Oh, yes. You should be very afraid."

Hawk paused as he looked at her. He tried to maintain a fierce scowl on his face, yet he just couldn't do it. He sat back and laughed a good, belly laugh. We all joined in.

Afterward, I had a little help from Willow with the dishes. Susan went away to entertain the guests so I could have some quality time with the one girl who was braver than most.

"You remember everything?" I asked her.

Willow shook her head. "I-I remember my life, Spenser. But that's all. I don't know what happened...you know. Uh, those three days, I-I can't remember." She looked frightened at the thought of what could have happened in those three days.

I gave her a hug. "I hope you don't remember," I said softly. I kissed the top of her head and once again wished she were my own daughter. But she wasn't my daughter. She belonged to Ira Rosenberg, and I thought that Ira was a lucky man to have such a wonderful daughter.

"But I will remember..." she said softly. Then she looked up at me fearfully. "Won't I?"

I nodded. "It is possible, Willow. But you won't be alone. You will always have Xander, Giles, and Angel there to see you through it."

"Well, uh, what-what about you?"

I smiled at her. "I'm a phone call away. You call me any time of the day or night, and I'll come to you. Okay?" I actually felt myself choking up with emotion. "Whenever you need me, Willow, I'm here for you."

She hugged me.

When we finished the dishes, Willow went to join the others and Susan came to me, wrapping her arms around me. She looked into my eyes and I saw she was trying to keep herself from crying. At first, I was puzzled.

"I'm sorry," she finally said.

I looked at her. "For what?"

"For denying you of a child of your own." She hesitated. "I saw you with Willow, and I know that you would make a wonderful father, but I-"

I kissed her. I kissed her long and hard, because I loved her more than anything and I was glad she was home. She returned the kiss and with the same passion as mine.

When we came up for air, she looked at me and smiled. "Not that I'm complaining, but...what was that for?"

"I love you, Susan."

She looked into my eyes. "I love you, too."

"What happened last year is gone. Those were different circumstances."

"I know. But-"

"But we live for today. I had the chance to be there for Willow, and I'm glad I was. She was there for me, too. Now, she has to go home to her folks and live the life she is meant to live. You and I also have to live the life we are meant for. No regrets. Just us looking forward." I smiled at her. "Okay?"

She smiled wryly. "Okay. But, can I have another one of those sensuous kisses?"

"Okay. But just one. I've got a whole bag of them in the bedroom for later."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I was hoping you would."

Chapter 23: Second Chance

It was too much for her. Her mind was full of thoughts about what her best friend had gone through during that horrible summer. What she must have been forced to endure!

She sat there and listened to both Giles' and Angel's version of what had happened. When Xander came out of the office, she listened to his version as well. Oz and Cordelia listened to each man's story as it was told to Buffy. They were also able to tell Spenser's tale as he had told it to them.

And when it was all said and done, Buffy Summers put her face in her hands and she wept. "I-I didn't know!" she sobbed. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"

For a moment, no one moved. All eyes focused on Buffy as she sat at the table and cried into her hands. Her body shook with emotion. Her best friend had been in serious danger and she hadn't been there for her.

Angel glanced at Giles, then moved over beside Buffy, and wrapped his arms around her. "Buffy," he said softly, "It's all right. Willow's safe. She wasn't alone."

Buffy lowered her hands to look at Angel, her face streaked with tears, the expression of grief changing to one of anger. "Why didn't you tell me?" she glared at Giles and Xander. "Why didn't ANY of you tell me about this? How could you keep this from me?"

"It wasn't for us t-to decide, Buffy," Giles told her. "We-we didn't want to put Willow through any more pain until she was ready."

"Oh, and you think she's ready now?" Buffy got up from the table and moved away from Angel. She was so angry and hurt; betrayed. "Willow is my friend! I should have been told about this! I could have-"

"There was nothing you could have done, Buffy," Angel said, pleading with his eyes for her to understand. "We needed to give Willow time, and that's what we did. Now that you know, you can help her by just being there for her."

Buffy continued to glare. Then she turned to look hard at Xander. "I can't believe you didn't tell me."

Xander hesitated. "It's not like you haven't kept secrets either." He looked knowingly at Angel.

Buffy knew what he was referring to and her eyes softened, but an old wound had resurfaced. "I did what I had to do."

Xander took a step toward her. "All right. And so did we." He stepped up in front of her and looked into her eyes. "So can we stop playing the blame game and just let Willow know how much we love her?"

Buffy put her arms around him and cried. Xander returned the hug as tears came into his own eyes.

Oz felt his throat tighten with emotion. He cleared his throat. "Uh, guys..."

Everyone turned to look at him.

He leaned his head toward the door to Giles office. There in the doorway stood Willow. She had her arms crossed over herself as she leaned in the doorway, watching the people she loved. She looked weary and sad, a look no one liked to see on her. When she saw Angel standing there with Buffy and Xander, she brightened a little.

"A-Angel?" she inquired, as if she couldn't believe he was there. "Y- you're really here?"

Angel smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm really here."

Willow crossed the room and hugged him. Angel returned the hug, even though he seemed a bit bewildered. While he hugged Willow, Buffy fidgeted beside him because she wanted to wrap her arms around her best friend and never let her go.

"You've done so much for me," Willow sobbed into Angel's chest. "I-I never really thanked you!"

"Hey," Angel said, getting choked up, "you don't have to thank me. I did what Giles and Xander did. I-"

She looked up at him. "Y-you rode to Boston in a chest."

"Well, yeah..."

"Th-they put me in a chest."

Angel looked at her. He understood what he had done was something he had to, and Willow could relate in a way no one else could.

"Uh, I just got off the phone w-with Spenser a-and he told me you and Giles saw what..." she closed her eyes and trembled. The images were there in her mind and she couldn't make them go away.

Angel brushed her hair away from her face. "You don't have to say it. I know."

"Spenser said you saw what was in the basement," Willow said in a hushed whisper.

"Yes. We did."

She hesitated. "D-did Xander see it?" She was still talking in a whisper.

Angel glanced over at Xander, who, like Buffy, was also holding himself back from hugging Willow. Angel looked down at Willow. "No. Xander didn't see anything."

"Angel wouldn't let me, Will," Xander said with a forced grin. "He picked me right up and carried me outside. Like I was just this great big baby." He made the motion of rocking a baby in his arms. "I thought he was going to rock me a lullaby." He was trying to break the uneasy tension that everyone was feeling.

Willow moved from Angel and went to Xander. "Same old Xander." She favored him with a half smile. "Always cracking jokes." She put her arms around him and they hugged each other.

Buffy pouted. "If I don't get a hug here soon, I'm really going to hurt someone."

Willow looked at Buffy, and she looked guilty. "A-are you mad, Buffy?"

Buffy swallowed back a new flood of tears. "Yes, I'm mad, but not at you. Willow, I wasn't there for you! I feel like I let you down."

"You w-weren't there for me, Buffy," Willow said, "b-but you're here now. Besides, you're only one girl. It's n-not like you can be, you know, at two places at once."

They hugged each other. Cordelia and Giles made their approach.

Cordelia put her hand on Willow's shoulder and Willow turned her head to look at her.

The Queen of C hesitated. "Is this the line for hugs? Because I sure could use one."

Willow hugged her. And then she hugged Giles who awkwardly returned the hug. His face was a mixture of emotions.

"Giles?"

"Er, yes, Willow?"

"I-I don't have to talk about it...do I?"

Giles hesitated. "P-perhaps you should, Willow. It might help you deal with it. Sometimes it is best to let it out."

Willow closed her eyes. "I-it was so horrible. Th-they put me in a b- birdcage and-and made me watch." She couldn't go on. She cried against Giles and he held onto her. After a moment, Willow said, "I-I couldn't sit still. The-the cage w-would hurt me every time I s-stopped moving."

Giles looked puzzled.

Angel suddenly understood. When he had been in the basement, he saw the cage Willow had been put in. The bars had wires all around them. He imagined they were used to shock her if she stopped moving. In other words, her captors had not allowed her to rest.

"I can't...I can't..." Willow said softly.

"You don't have to," Giles said, gently stroking her hair. "M-maybe later, if it helps, you could talk to just Angel and myself." They were the only ones who truly knew what had happened to Kali. Willow saw everything her captors had done to her, and Giles and Angel discovered the results. In a way, it connected the three together with a special bond. Giles thought that maybe it would be best if Willow didn't have to talk about it to her friends, at least at the present.

She nodded.

Willow stepped back from him, sniffed, and slowly turned around.

Oz was standing there watching her.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said right back at her.

They both took a step toward each other.

"I was thinking..." Oz began as he took another step toward her.

Willow also took another step toward him. "Wh-what about?"

"Well, I've been kinda pushing you away, and I thought that maybe you could help me find a way for me to draw you closer."

She looked at him. "Uh, well...if-if you take another step, a-and I take another step, we'll be like right in front of each other." She paused. "Will that help?"

"You know, I think that might."

They both took another step, and Willow had been right. Willow hesitated. "Well, uh, here we are, in huggable reach."

Oz put his arms around her and she returned the embrace fiercely. She felt like crying again because she had begun to believe he would never hold her after what she and Xander had done.

"I'm sorry, Oz!" she said into his neck.

Oz held her. "Hey, it's all right. I understand why you did it. I'm okay with that."

"You are? Does this mean-?" She looked at him closely. "Are we still, you know, an item?"

"We're definitely an item."

She hugged him again.

Xander watched Oz hug Willow and he frowned. It bothered him that he couldn't hug Willow like that. He watched them and unknown to him, he was also being watched by Angel and Cordelia.

Cordelia began to leave, and Xander asked her to wait up. When they were out in the hall, Cordelia looked at her ex-boyfriend and waited. Her face showed no expression.

"Cordy," Xander began, trying to bring on the charm, "you know, it looks like there is such a thing as second chances. I mean, Willow and Oz are back together, so I was hoping that you would give me a second chance. What do you say? Would you even consider it?"

Cordelia shook her head. "No."

Xander's mouth dropped open. "No?"

"That's what I said. At least there's nothing wrong with your hearing."

"Cordy, didn't you hear what happened in there? There was a reason Willow and I did what we did."

"I know. And that's really the sad thing about it, Xander." She looked at him with concern. "You did it for a reason, alright. But you just don't get it. Love hurts, and until you understand the real reason behind your actions with Willow, you're in for a whole world of pain."

Xander looked at her, puzzled.

She turned and walked away.

Someone was standing behind him and when he turned, he saw that it was Angel. He hesitated. "You...heard that?"

Angel nodded.

"Do you have any idea what she was talking about?"

He let out a sigh. "We both know what she was talking about."

Xander remained quiet as he looked at Angel.

"Love is a strange beast. It devours the very heart of a person. It strips us of who we are and melts us down into sobbing fools."

Xander tried to crack a smile. "Are you getting Shakespearean on me?"

Angel paused. "Let me give you some advice. There will come a time when you'll realize where your heart is going, and you'll have to make a choice. You'll have to either follow your heart, or resist where it leads. My advice to you is to follow your heart."

"How am I supposed to know where my heart is leading?"

"I know."

"You do?" Xander regarded him. "Where is it leading?"

"It's leading you to where your heart has always been."

"Where?" Xander asked desperately.

"To Willow." With that, Angel turned and he went back into the Library.

Xander stood there with his thoughts.

_____ _____ _____

Willow believed that her nightmare was over. She had been taken to Boston against her will. Xander, Giles, and Angel had gone after her-because they loved her. They went after her and they saved her.

But there was something they didn't know.

That day when Hawk pushed Alyssia off the rooftop of the warehouse, and she plunged through a pier into the water, something happened.

Alyssia crashed through the rotten wood, plunging deeply into the fetid water. Her hands still gripping the rod, which was still through her. She knew that she was dying, sinking slowly into the water, the current carrying her deeper and deeper, away from the light, away from life. She blacked out.

To Alyssia's surprise, she regained consciousness lying on a hard stone floor of an old subway tunnel- which she recognized as the haunt of David and his "Lost Boys". She tried to rise, but couldn't- feeling her wounded stomach, she realized Death would soon come for her, as her life's blood continued to flow from the wound, faster than before, as the rod had been removed.

Then she saw him. He was standing off to the side, his face hidden in shadow.

"We both know you're dying," he told her.

S'ushi remained silent, unwilling to use up her remaining strength to agree with the obvious. She waited.

"I can save you."

"Then...do it..." she whispered.

There was a pause. "You'll no longer be human."

"...don't care..." she wheezed.

The shadowed form detached from the dark, peering at her with a furrowed brow and bright yellow eyes. He grinned, revealing razor sharp fangs as he approached. Wordlessly, he lowered himself and sank his teeth into S'ushi's nearly lifeless throat. She involuntarily arched her back, closing her eyes and moaning. The pain was great, but paled in comparison to the ecstasy of feeling him feeding on her life's blood.

Suddenly, he stopped. He sat up and he bit into his wrists. He smiled at her. "Your turn."

As he brought his dripping wrist up to her gaping mouth, S'ushi felt the nectar of his veins dripping on her tongue. Slowly at first, then with a frenzied lust, she drank from his wrist.

It was then the creature who was known as S'ushi Alyssia died. But another creature was born in that moment, one far worse and born with only one all- consuming desire:

To find Willow Rosenberg.

And make her pay.

*******************

This story continues in the third part of The Brotherhood Trilogy yet to be titled.

Promo.

They've been around for hundreds of years. They've walked amongst us during the day, but have allied themselves with evil. The Father who had brought them into being...leads thembut he was not the only Founder.

There was another.

"The Brotherhood is as much mine as it is yours. I, too, am the Father of the Order, and I, too, can make use of it!"

The Father shook his head. "The Brotherhood is no longer yours, Heinrich. It has always been mine. I am the Father."

As Buffy begins to answer her call to become the Vampire Slayer in Sunnydale California, the Brotherhood begin to work behind the scenes of "Welcome To The Hellmouth" and "The Harvest" to do their Father's bidding.

The Father needs a girl for a ritual...and he has his eyes on Willow Rosenberg.

The Brotherhood Trilogy Book One-The Order of The Brotherhood

Coming Soon