Notes: Very AU, takes places after Wrecked S6
Now, introspection isn't really my thing. Well, it used to be my thing, but I gave it up for a new thing. Magic became my thing. And I was damn good at it too. No one could deny that I was good at it. In fact, I was too good at it for the likes of some. Some people thought that I was abusing my power, letting it control my life. I thought they were just jealous. Turns out, they were right.
There is one thing that I am grateful for, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Sure, I nearly got Dawnie killed, but still, worse could have happened. Like Dawnie actually dying, or me trying to destroy the world during my magical high. I used to think that was stupid and impossible. But after that night, I just didn't know anymore.
Spike said that it was okay. He said everyone had their dark sides. Good people knew how to control it, but even they sometimes couldn't help the darkness of their own minds. I think he was trying to be reassuring. I just smiled and thanked him. He went away thinking he had alleviated all my fears, but he just got me to thinking. Really thinking, the kind I used to do way back when. Before the magic, before the need to be the big gun.
Was there a bad side to me? I mean, I had seen myself as a vampire, and that was bad. But that was really more the demon than me. But part of me always wondered if I had it in me. To be that kind of evil, to be that cool, deadly woman.
What happened during my whacked out magic high wasn't evil per say. It was incredibly stupid, but not evil. But there was that capacity in me to lose it. To lose control and have people around me suffer the consequences. The funny thing was, before the whole thing with Dawn, I didn't care. I didn't care if my actions had consequences for others. I just wanted to do what I wanted. Only when I put Dawn in danger did I stop. So did that mean I was more good than bad? Or was it just a fluke incident of lucidity?
I have too many thoughts. I haven't had that complaint in years, but I'm lodging it for myself right now. I think too much about everything and then some stuff passes me right by. I guess I tend to forget the gravity of the situation or whatever. You know, I think I have got to be the smartest idiot on the face of the planet.
Anyway, back to life and it being funny. And it really was. Just take a look at what happened to me. If someone told me a week ago what the next few days would bring, I would have laughed. Things like that just did not happen. And the weird thing is, if that person had told me the world would end, I would have asked for details and then gone running to Buffy. Just goes to show you, the Hellmouth has warped me. I think an apocalypse is reality, but a bank robbery?
Well, let's just say I think I forget there was a real world surrounding us Slayerettes. And I really did have to re-learn it the hard way.
***
Her hands were shaking again. They did that a lot, ever since she gave up the magic. Tara said it was a natural side effect of withdrawal. She believed her friend, but she wanted it to go away. She had put up with enough of it during her "rehab". But then again, this is probably the price you pay for abusing things.
Willow sighed and took another swig of water. She always had that water bottle on her now. It helped with the dryness inside of her. Sometimes it just helped calm her nerves. Not all the time, but sometimes. Spike told her to put some vodka in it if she wanted her nerves calmed. But Willow was just coming off one addiction, she didn't have time for alcoholism.
Her eyes darted to the front of the line. Some woman was still arguing with the teller about something. Willow gave a little sigh and folded her arms across her chest. She tapped her foot irritatingly, glancing down at her watch as well. She had been in this damn line for half an hour. Stupid parents. Couldn't they come home to pay their own goddamn bills? No, why do that when Willow is just conveniently around to do everything for them. Willow wondered if her parents ever figured out that she had moved in with Buffy. Probably not, after all, it takes them about five months to notice she cut her hair.
Willow shifted from one foot to another. The guy in front of her turned around and offered her a sympathetic and knowing smile. She returned it resignedly. They were all doomed to their fate. And Willow was suspecting hers was to be stuck in this line forever.
She glanced back down at her watch. She still had an hour before she had to go meet the others, so she should be okay. After all, she was the fifth person in line. And that lady was leaving finally. She would have plenty of time to make it to the Doublemeat Palace for lunch.
Willow didn't really feel like going. In fact, she still wasn't really up for being around so many other people. She was still too tense, too guilty to be able to function properly. Her fingers were twitching, demanding that she just wave her hand and take her discomfort away. But she wouldn't do that. Former addict or no, when Willow wanted to be, she was pretty damn stubborn.
And she had been doing well so far. And that was the point of the lunch. Tara, Buffy, and Dawn were taking her shopping to celebrate one month without magic. They were having lunch first and then hitting the mall. Then they were retiring to the Summers house for some music and movies. Anya, Xander, and Spike would meet them later in the evening for the cake cutting. Yes, she got a cake. It seemed silly to her, but her friends insisted. Willow had the best friends.
And she didn't want to be late. She didn't want to disappoint them in the least. She had done enough of that in the last few months. She just wanted to be that Willow they wanted her to be. The one she lost a long time ago, the one she wanted to find desperately.
But apparently life or fate, whichever one you choose, had something else in mind for the redheaded witch. She had been so close to getting out of there when it happened. Damn, she was second in line. She would have been able to leave in another ten minutes. But it was not meant to be.
She didn't even notice them come in. No one really did. Everyone was focused on themselves and getting their business taken care of. On hindsight, Willow thought she probably should have paid more attention to the four guys with hockey masks who entered the bank. A warning bell should have gone off in her head and she should have figured it out. That way she could have teleported herself out of there and avoid the whole mess. Recovering addict or not, Willow wouldn't have stood through it. It was damn frightening.
But she didn't notice. Too caught up in the fact that she was almost able to leave. But again, not meant to be.
A burst of gunfire sent everyone screaming and falling to the ground. Willow hit the floor, instinctively covering her head. When the shots stopped, she lifted her head slightly to look at the men at the entrance.
"Okay!" one declared, waving his gun around. "No one move! This is a robbery!"
Willow snorted at the unnecessary statement. No shit Sherlock.
***
She really wanted to keep her head down. The robbers wanted her to keep her head down. Willow should have kept her head down. But her nerves were seriously rattled. This was frightening. They had guns with them, real guns. Willow had never fought a gun before. She had taken on a hell god, but a gun? Yeah right!
Her throat was incredibly dry, and it was getting worse by the second. Her water bottle was still in her hand. Willow wanted to take a sip of water so badly. Why were they taking so long? It doesn't take that much time to get a lot of money. Couldn't they leave so Willow could take a sip of water?
But they weren't leaving. Two stood by the cashiers, handing them bags for filling. The tellers were doing as told, filling the bags up with money. One of the robbers remained by the doors, checking outside every now and then. And the last one walked among the customers, watching them carefully.
And Willow needed that drink of water. She just didn't want to get shot for being thirsty. This was all her parents fault. Why couldn't they set up some paying system with the bank? You know, have it computer programmed to pay the bills as they came. Or maybe get an accountant to do it for them. Why did the job get shirked on Willow? Now she was being held at gunpoint while some nut jobs robbed a bank because her parents were too lazy to take care of their own bills. This was the last straw. If she made it out of here alive, she was so going to give it to her parents.
Finally, she had enough. Let them shoot her if they must. Willow needed a drink of water. She fumbled with the bottle, popping the top and taking a swig. Another person laying right next to her gave her an incredulous look. Willow just shrugged and proceeded to drink some more water. The person continued to stare at her, so she offered him the bottle.
Shrugging himself, he reached out to take it. Then a boot clamped down on it, sending the bottle flying across the room. Willow was furious. She needed that water! Hello, recovering magic addict here! But maybe she should keep that to herself.
Willow raised her head to give the robber a glare.
"Hey!" she protested. "It was just a water bottle!"
"No funny business," he barked down at her.
"This coming from the guy who decided to channel Jason today," she shot back sourly. The guy next to her started to chuckle a bit, recovering when the robber turned in his direction. Willow gave the robber once last glare before dropping her head into her hands. This was supposed to be her day, her one month magic free celebration day. And now it was all messed up. She shot a look over to where her water bottle had landed. It was by the teller's desk. She would have to wait until they left to get her water bottle.
And for some reason, that made Willow cry. She needed that water bottle really badly. Her throat was so dry and her nerves were shot. She either needed that water bottle or Buffy to come blazing through that door to save her. Why couldn't Buffy come save her? Oh yeah, they weren't supposed to meet for another half an hour.
The robber remained standing in front of her. Apparently he deemed her as a troublemaker. Willow had half a mind to turn him into a rat. Except she wasn't allowed to do magic. She was forbidden from doing magic. Of all the times to be a recovering magic addict!
She raised her head to give her "guard" another glare. Willow couldn't see much of his face, as it was restricted by the hockey mask. But she could detect a strand of blue and purple hair peeking out from behind his sweater hood.
"Face down," he commanded, gesturing with his gun. He had an accent, kind of Southern. And he was being real threatening, after all, he had a gun. But Willow felt surly for some reason. Maybe because recovering addicts are just temperamental and prone to mood swings. Maybe because this incident left her silently screaming for her magic. Or maybe because now she had drunk all that water, Willow needed to pee.
For whatever reason, the robber's command made her grouchy. Willow glared at him once more before primly giving him the finger. He faltered a bit, shooting a look behind him. One of the other robbers had become aware of the altercation and was wandering over.
"Face down," this one repeated firmly. Willow stuck her tongue out at them before complying. She felt really horrible right now, and really irritable. Willow had to go real bad.
She turned her glare on her water bottle, laying in front of the teller's desk. This was all its fault. Well, not the robbery, but the peeing bit. She really wished she had developed a dependency on something that wouldn't have wreaked havoc on her bladder.
Her hopes went soaring as she heard police sirens in the distance. She turned a smug face up at the blue and purple robber. He was looking at the robber at front, who was looking out the doors. Suddenly, the door robber turned and signaled frantically at the others. Willow guessed that meant the cops were near.
"Serves you right," she muttered under her breath. But the purple and blue robber seemed to have heard her. She heard some approaching footsteps and a whispered argument. Relieved, Willow waited for them to hightail it out of there.
What she didn't expect was to be forcibly dragged to her feet to come face to face with the group of them. The purple and blue robber held her by the arm.
"Let go!" she shrieked, struggling earnestly in his grasp.
"I don't think so," he growled at her. "We might need a hostage. And with all your colour commentary during this robbery has elected you to be that hostage."
Willow stopped struggling as her heart went up her throat. Her limbs failed to move as the redhead felt a deepening fear creep up her spine. She looked at him with wide eyes, trying to figure out if he was serious. And he apparently was as he slung her over his shoulder. That shocked her out of her paralysis.
"Put me down!" she shrieked, pounding on his back. The other hostages were starting to murmur. She saw Robert, the guy who worked at the coffee shop, regard her in muted horror. Her eyes pleaded with him, but even she knew he couldn't do anything.
One of the other robbers stuck a gun to her chin.
"Shut up," he hissed at her. "Be a good little hostage, and you might make it out this mess alive."
Willow fell silent, eyes burning with tears. She should have just shut up before. No one else was taking shots at the robbers. But she couldn't help it. After years of fighting alongside Xander and Buffy, the redhead had become accustomed to slinging insults at the bad guys. But then again, none of those bad guys were humans armed with guns. They were usually demons and Willow had either Buffy or her magic helping her. But here, she had neither.
They were moving fast, like the robbers were racing for something. But they didn't head out the front doors. No, they went out some other exit. They ended up in an alleyway where a beat up car waited for them. She was all but tossed into the backseat, bags of money following her. She tried to scoot away from the robbers, but one of them opened the other car door and settled in next to her. The purple and blue robber took the seat on her other side, while the others took the front seats. They tore out of the alley were out of city limits in twenty minutes. Unfortunately for Willow, she couldn't hear any police sirens following them.
She shot a look around at her captors, trying to discern their next plan of action. The one in the passenger seat noticed her attention and turned to stare at her.
"Now, don't do anything that would make us shot you," he warned. "I'm not really into murder, but it doesn't mean I won't make an exception."
Willow had nothing to say. Her bottom lip stuck out in a quivering pout and the redhead tried to shrink into herself. Both of the robbers beside her kept a firm grip on her arms. She was most likely going to be bruised by the end of it. She felt the tears in her eyes slowly start to leak out. She really wished Buffy would come save her, but somehow Willow doubted even the Slayer could be much help in this. Demons are one thing, but human kidnappers? The Scoobies were going to be in way over their heads.
Miserable, Willow shut her eyes and willed it all away.
***
"You know, it's not like Willow to be late," Dawn mused. Her older sister couldn't help but agree.
"I know we're late, but she should have been here fifteen minutes ago," Buffy added. "I hope everything's okay."
"She just went to the bank, right?" Dawn asked rather rhetorically. "She's probably stuck in one of those lines from Hell."
"Still doesn't explain why Tara isn't here," Buffy continued to frown. "Tara's always early for these things. Where are those two?"
The two sisters looked around the Doublemeat Palace. It was very unlike their friends to be late, either of them. And that meant one of two things: either they were just held up or something really horrible had happened. And since this was the Hellmouth, it was usually the latter.
"Maybe we should phone home or something," Dawn suggested nervously. Buffy nodded and reached for her cell phone. As she was about to dial Willow's number, Tara burst through the restaurant doors. The blonde witch looked absolutely frantic. She looked around the dining area, spotting her friends almost immediately.
"Tara?" Buffy called questioningly as the blonde came their way. "What is it?"
Tara was practically in tears. Her breath came out in ragged gasps and her chest was heaving.
"I heard-on the radio-before I left school-Willow's-" Tara rasped out.
"Wait a minute," Dawn interrupted. "Back up. Heard what? And what's wrong with Willow?"
The blonde witch took a deep breath, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. Reassembling some calm, she turned tear-filled eyes to her friends.
"I heard it on the radio on my way here," Tara explained worriedly. "There was a robbery at the bank."
"Willow's there!" both sisters declared almost immediately.
Tara shook her head forlornly.
"If only she was there," the blonde witch moaned. "I just came from there. I ran into Robert, the guy from the coffee shop. He said Willow had been in there during the robbery. But she said some stuff that pissed the robbers off. So when the cops came-"
Tara stopped suddenly, as new tears started leaking out. Dawn gripped her shoulders, shaking her slightly.
"What happened?" she demanded of Tara. The little blonde was more than scared right now. Buffy was along the same lines. The Slayer had to grip the edge of the table booth to keep from shaking Tara herself. And given her current state, Buffy might have accidentally hurt the witch.
"They took Willow hostage!" Tara finally wailed out.
"Hostage!" Buffy repeated, effectively snapping off a piece of the booth. "Where are they now?"
"No one knows," Tara shrugged miserably. "They had some other escape route planned. They made it out of town before the cops could even spot them. No one knows where they are. And they have Willow with them!"
Tara dissolved into a fresh batch of tears. Dawn numbly took the hysterical witch into her arms, turning shocked eyes to Buffy. Buffy herself was finding it hard to breathe.
Willow had been kidnapped. And no one knew where she had been taken.
***
Jeff watched the girl next to them carefully. She sat with her legs folded up to her chest. Her faced was buried in her knees and she refused to look up. He couldn't really blame her. After all, they had taken her hostage.
They had long since gotten rid of the hockey masks. Didn't want to look too strange to the passing cars. After all, practically every state cop was probably looking for four guys in hockey masks. Best to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Of course, that just gave their hostage plenty of time to memorize their faces. But that didn't really matter. By the time she got back to the authorities, they would be long gone. Everything would be nice and settled before they let the little redhead go.
Jeff shifted a bit, careful not to upset her in any way. She had been damn close to crying several times during the car ride. But she seemed determine to not let them see her cry. She was a stubborn little thing. Pretty too, but those kind of thoughts were bound to get him into trouble. You know, trouble other than the illegal variety. They were in enough of that kind of trouble already. Armed robbery and kidnapping, not the way his momma wanted him to end up. Not the way he wanted to end up, then again, not like any of them had a choice in the matter. They needed that money, and they needed it now.
Jeff sighed and rubbed his eyes. They weren't bad people. They worked hard and long hours. They didn't live a fancy life, but they lived a good one. They had been making it, but now, they just couldn't. They needed that money, it was life or death.
And for some reason, he wanted to explain that to the girl next to him. Wanted to convince her that they wouldn't hurt her. They just needed her to keep the cops off them, just in case. They were going to let her go in the end. He wanted to explain that to her, just so she wouldn't be so scared. But he doubted she would listen to him. In fact, she seemed very put off by the whole lot of them. Wonder why?
Jeff turned to shoot a glance over at Edge, the man on her other side. The large blonde man just returned his look with a slight grimace, worried eyes trained on the girl. He didn't much like this either. Terrorizing young women wasn't Edge's cup of tea either.
He sighed again and turned back to looking out the front window. His brother Matt sat moodily in the passenger seat, watching the scenery going by. Matt had been against the idea from the start, but as things got worse for them, even he adhered to the plan. But still, the robbery and kidnapping weren't sitting okay with him. He had actually threatened to kill the redhead if she gave them trouble. Matt was in the character of the bad guy robber/kidnapper, and he hated himself for it. Jeff could read his brother pretty easily. The elder Hardy brother was cursing himself for practically reducing the poor girl to tears.
The only person not feeling remorseful was Christian, and probably because the blonde man was so focused on driving his mind had no time to even dwell on the matters at hand. Jeff could see Christian's white knuckles, resultant from clutching the steering wheel too hard. The man was absorbed in his driving so he wouldn't have to think about what they had done, what they were doing. Much like his older brother Edge, Christian wasn't one fond of terrorizing people. But again, they had done what they needed to do.
Jeff returned to observing their captive. She hadn't moved once since the trip started. She was still curled up in herself, refusing to look at them. Poor thing was so scared, he could see her shaking. He felt like such a monster.
"Do you need anything?" he found himself asking. The others shot him looks, which he ignored. If they were going to hold her, they had to take care of her. And what if she was hungry or something?
"We can pull over and get something to eat and drink," he offered. Edge brightened at that suggestion, eyes going hopefully to the redhead. Matt had turned in his seat to watch them while Christian just observed them through the rear-view mirror. But she didn't say anything. Not a word, not a movement.
Sighing in defeat, Edge and Matt turned back to staring out their windows. Jeff kept his eyes sorrowfully on the redhead with them. He was worried about her. He wished for the umpteenth time that the plan hadn't required a hostage. But it did, and here they were.
Jeff turned back to staring out the front. They weren't going to get an answer out of her. He just hoped they didn't have to force feed her and stuff too. That would just make the whole ordeal more difficult than it already was.
And then, just when they all thought she had resolved to never speak to them, Jeff heard her give the softest of replies.
"I have to go to the bathroom."
***
They pulled into the first gas station they came across. It was in the middle of nowhere, which was good. Meant that their hostage wouldn't have anywhere to run to.
Jeff got out of the car and stretched. He extended a hand to the redhead as she moved to get out the car. She gave him an incredulous look. He shrugged and just kept his hand out. His other hand went inside his jacket, scratching his side slightly. Her eyes widened at that and she gave him her hand.
He pulled her out, feeling a little confused. She seemed scared again. He looked down at his other hand, which she seemed to be focused on. Only then did he remember the gun. Of course, she was afraid he was going to pull the gun on her.
Jeff shook his head, trying to figure out how they could convince her they didn't want to hurt her. But considering they had kidnapped her after holding up a bank, he could understand that she was suspicious. Again, he wished he could tell her the entire story, but quelled the desire. It wouldn't make a difference in the end. He was well aware that what he did was wrong. Nothing would change that.
"Now, Jeff's going to walk you to the bathroom," Matt started explaining. "Just don't try anything. He'll be waiting on you."
She gave the barest of nods, keeping her head down. Jeff led her away, noting that Edge had smacked his brother on the head.
"Not supposed to use real names, moron!" the blonde reminded Matt. His brother winced and then shrugged. Both of them headed into the convenience store while Christian filled up the tank.
Jeff stopped just outside the bathroom door.
"No funny business," he reminded her before letting go of her arm. She all but flew into the restroom.
Jeff sighed and leaned against the side of the building. This was so hard.
***
The first thing she did was go to the bathroom. Willow couldn't help herself. She had been holding it since halfway through the robbery. And that was hours ago. She felt like she was going to explode.
When she was done with that, she walked up to the sink, looking hard into the mirror. She quickly washed her hands, scrubbing furiously. Then she turned off the tap, not all the way so to leave a drip. The redhead then made her way back to the bathroom stall. She left the door open and sat down on the closed toilet seat.
Sitting there, gazing out at her reflection in the mirror, Willow finally let all her tears out. She didn't know how long she cried, but it was a good cry. She had been holding her fear inside for too long. Sobs escaped her, body shaking from the force of her tears.
Eventually, she was able to calm herself. She pulled on the toilet paper, drying her tears hastily. The redhead sniffled heavily; assembling the calm she need for her next move. True she wasn't allowed to do magic anymore, but that didn't mean Tara couldn't.
Willow took calming breaths, eyes focusing on the single drip in the sink. Her entire body relaxed as she used the water to pull herself into a trance. In her hands, she rubbed the talisman Tara had given her for her birthday. The two friends always knew how to find one another. And it wasn't technically a spell on her part. No, she was just channelling her thoughts to her friend, hoping to God Tara heard her.
Her eyes went to the mirror and Willow sent a prayer to the Goddess. Please let this work.
***
They had all been crying. Even Spike and Xander, the self-proclaimed men of the house. But even they were scared beyond belief. No one knew where Willow was. All they knew was that their friend was being held captive by four whackos with guns.
Buffy had gone out for patrol, taking Spike with her. The blonde really needed to hit something. To kill some vamps just to get rid of some of her tension. Spike went along to make sure she didn't do anything too drastic.
Xander, Anya, Dawn, and Tara remained in the house. The four of them sat miserably in the living room, not really looking at anything in particular. Dawn was huddled up against Tara, the girl half between sleep and consciousness. Xander and Anya sat on the couch, leaning against one another tiredly. Their eyes would occasionally head to the phone, as if willing it to ring. But it never did. The police hadn't found anything.
Tara felt scared. Willow was her friend and Tara was at a loss to help her. And another thing, Willow no longer had her magic. The redhead would not risk a relapse just to escape her captors. She had worked too hard at getting over the addiction. She wouldn't dive back into it. So, Willow was defenseless.
A tingling on her neck was the first clue Tara had. The feeling of urgency grew in the blonde until she knew exactly what it was.
"Willow!" she declared, jumping off the couch. The others came to attention immediately, following Tara as she sped up the stairs. They found the blonde in the bathroom, rubbing the mirror and mumbling some foreign words.
"Ah, what are you doing?" Dawn ventured to ask.
"Willow is trying to call me," Tara explained. "Since we've practiced magic together, we can sense each other's power without the use of magic. It's like a minor telepathic connection. And Willow is trying to call my attention."
The blonde finished her explanation just as the mirror in front of them started to swirl with colour. The four watched breathlessly as the swirl slowly took shape.
"Willow!" Xander yelled, detecting his friend in the image. The redhead snapped her head up at the sound of her name. The four watched as she rushed to them.
***
Willow couldn't believe it worked. She had been so sure that it wasn't going to do anything, it took so long. But it worked because she was now looking at her friends through the bathroom mirror.
Tears of relief flowed down her cheeks.
"Guys!" she declared sobbingly. "You have to come get me. They have guns-I'm so scared!"
"Willow, where are you?" Tara demanded. The redhead shrugged.
"We headed south out of Sunnydale. We've been on the number one highway for hours. I think he's heading for the Interstate. I don't know."
"Just hang on," Tara told her. "I can find you with mag-"
"Hello?"
Willow whipped her head around, taking in the new person in the bathroom. Her concentration was broken immediately and the image of her friends faded away. Willow wanted to scream in frustration but couldn't. She stared at the old woman in front of her in confusion.
"Hello?" she returned cautiously.
"Are you Cherry?" the woman asked. "Oh, of course you are. You're the only redhead in here. In fact, you're the only one in here period."
"Cherry?" Willow repeated, confused.
"Yes, your husband is worried about you dear," the woman continued to tell her. "He asked me to come in here and see if you were okay."
"Who are you?" Willow asked, wondering if the woman was delusional. Willow didn't have a husband. And her name was definitely not Cherry.
"Oh, how silly of me!" the woman giggled, shaking her head slightly. "I'm Anne. I own the station along with my husband. Jeff asked me to come check on you because you were taking so long. Too much of a gentleman to come in here after you."
"Jeff?" Willow repeated, and then it hit her. Purple and blue robber's name was Jeff. He sent the woman in here after her.
"Yes, he's worried about you dear," Anne continued. "Such a handsome young man, if you ignore the hair. But even that seems to suit him. Anyway, he just wanted me to come get you. He says if you take any longer he might have to do something crazy like shoot someone."
Willow paled at the threat Anne delivered unbeknownst to her. The redhead wanted to start crying all over again, but she composed herself.
"Best not keep him waiting then," she replied, managing a smile for the other woman. Anne nodded and followed her out. Jeff waited outside for her rather worriedly.
"Cherry!" he declared at the sight of her. Jeff pulled her into a hug and Willow had to fight to keep from cringing. She turned her eyes over his shoulder, noting that the others were waiting in the car. They were leaving this place now. Willow couldn't stop herself this time. The tears started coming.
"Oh now dear, don't cry so much," Anne consoled her. The older woman placed a reassuring hand on the redhead's arm. "Moving away is hard, but you get used to it after a while. And you shouldn't get so worked up about it. It's not good for the little one."
"Little one?" Willow repeated, turning to face the woman again. Anne looked meaningfully at Willow's stomach. The redhead blushed and tried to protest.
"Oh honey, I told her," Jeff jumped in, pulling the redhead closer to him. "I was just so worried. But Anne here was sweet enough to go get you. Thank you so much Anne."
"Yes, thank you Anne," Willow repeated, feeling numb. The older woman merely grinned and shook their hands.
"Not a problem," Anne waved off. "It does my heart good to see young couples so in love."
Willow could barely keep from choking. So in love? Where was she getting that? Stupid Jeff and whatever else he told this woman.
"Thanks," Willow finally said, for lack of anything else to say. Anne smiled and wished them a good trip. Jeff waved and turned Willow back towards the car. Only when they were out of earshot she turned on him.
"Cherry?" she hissed angrily. "Husband? Little one?"
Jeff shrugged. "Just needed her to go in after you," he explained. "Don't get so worked up over it."
Willow glared at him before climbing back into the car. She settled down, arms folded over her chest. Her eyes stared forward stubbornly.
Don't get so worked up he says. Willow was very sorry she didn't have her magic anymore. Because otherwise, Jeff would be sporting whiskers right now.
Husband? Like she'd ever marry that.
***
They drove for another few hours. Willow tried to check her surroundings, to figure out where they were headed. But the others caught that most of the time. Edge or Jeff would give her a look and she would have to avert her eyes. The redhead was becoming increasingly grouchy.
Finally after a few hours, even she couldn't keep her eyes open. She started nodding off, barely able to keep her head up. Eventually she drifted off into slumber.
Her dreams were filled with strange things, things we couldn't understand. There was this woman. She was a redhead and had this large tattoo on her shoulder. And she was in pain. She was in a lot of pain. The poor girl was wracked with pain. There was a sense of urgency about her. Like she was hanging on by a thread. Willow wondered who she was...
When she woke, they were at a motel. She felt herself being juggled around a lot. She cracked open one eye and stared at black. She tilted her head upwards and saw Jeff. That brushed away any remaining sleepiness.
She jerked upright, causing the man to nearly drop her.
"Hold still," he muttered. "We're almost there."
Willow wanted to know where there was. She got her answer when Jeff turned to enter a room. Edge was already inside, stowing some stuff away. She assumed Matt and Christian were either still in the car or getting something to eat. When she had last been awake, they had been bugging her about eating something. She had refused, determined to make this as difficult as she could. Of course now, she really wished she hadn't refused. Her stomach growled audibly at the thought of food.
Jeff and Edge both gave her a knowing look. She huffed, jumping out of Jeff's arms and hopping onto a bed. She scrambled to the headboard and immediately crawled under the covers.
She heard one of them sigh and some more shuffling around. Apparently they were going to leave her alone for a little while. Good, Willow didn't want to deal with them at the moment. She was going to cry again, she knew it. This was too hard. Willow squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for her friends.
After a while, the bed shifted as one of them took a seat next to her. She stiffened immediately, cringing when a hand was placed on her side.
"You have to eat," came the soft voice she hadn't heard much of. Christian gave her a little shake as well. "Please eat, you'll pass out if you don't."
Willow wished she could have ignored them, but her stomach was protesting too loudly. Resignedly, the redhead climbed out from underneath her blankets. She shoved her hair out of her fair, shooting her captors a mutinous look.
But they had placed pizza right in front of her. Her mouth watered and she reached for the food. Christian pulled it out of her reach at the last second. She gave him a hurt look, confusion evident on her face.
"Don't do this again," the blonde pleaded with her. "We don't want you making yourself sick or anything. If you just ease up, it'll be over before you even know."
Willow nodded, agreeing at anything as long as she got the food. Sighing, Christian handed her the pizza before turning back to his own dinner. She shot a glance over to the other bed in the room. The other three lounged on it, munching quietly on their own pizza. They were all absorbed in the television; some weird black and white movie was on.
She finished her dinner quietly, accepting the soda Christian handed her. Her eyes went from face to face, taking their features in silently. They allowed it. They sure as hell couldn't keep her from opening her eyes. But even as she did it, Willow knew it was fruitless. They wouldn't let her go until they were damn good and ready. And by then, it wouldn't matter if she knew what they looked like.
Sighing, Willow pushed away her paper plate. She grabbed a napkin, wiping the sauce and grease from her fingers. Christian gave her a smile and leaned in to take her plate. And something inside Willow broke at that minute.
"Please let me go," she whispered to him pleadingly. His face went stone still at that. The others looked up from the movie, identical looks on their faces. But Willow pushed on. She had to.
"Please?" she whispered, allowing tears to run down her cheeks. "I want to go home. I want to be with my friends. I won't tell the police anything. Please, just let me go home."
Christian hung his head and silently took her plate. Willow watched him with desperate eyes.
"Please?" louder this time, her voice cracking as a flood of tears escaped her. He could only shake his head. Willow felt her heart break.
She began crying profusely, no longer caring if they saw her or not. She wept heart wrenchingly, burying her head into her hands. None of them had anything to say. Jeff tried to extend a reassuring hand to her, but she jerked back from his touch.
The redhead pulled the covers over her head once more. Willow turned onto her side and let her tears continue. Her captors looked on in remorse.
***
"But she's okay?" Buffy asked desperately.
"They haven't hurt her," Tara ensured the Slayer.
"Yet," Xander growled. "You all heard her. They have guns and she's scared out of her mind. If I ever get my hands on those-"
He cut himself off, swallowing a lump in his throat. Tears burned in his eyes as he looked at his blonde friend.
"They have my Wills," he whispered brokenly. "They took her away and now she's all alone. Buffy, she's all alone with those monsters."
The Slayer felt tears come down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Xander. The two friends remained locked in that embrace, crying freely. Dawn sobbed as well, head buried in Anya's shoulder. Tara sat on the armchair, tears silently escaping her as well.
"Oh, sod it all to hell!" came the declaration from Spike. The vampire leapt on from his perch on the couch and marched for the phone.
"What are you doing?" Anya asked curiously.
"I'm calling in the big guns," Spike growled in response. He punched numbers fiercely, face scowling as he waited for a reply.
"Cheerleader? Get Peaches. I don't care, wake him up. Something's happened to Red."
***
Jeff watched her sobbing figure, feeling like the lowest creature on the face of the planet. He looked towards his friends and his brother. Edge looked remorsefully at the redhead while Christian continued to hang his head in shame.
Matt was quite a different story. He wasn't looking at Willow or the floor. His eyes were focused intently on the wall just across from them. Jeff knew his brother was fighting some serious emotions at the moment. Guilt, anger, fear, grief, and self-loathing. It was pretty much how they all felt right now. But even Matt had no answers. He just continued to stare at the wall.
Jeff sighed and threw his plate onto the coffee table. All of a sudden, he wasn't hungry anymore.
***
Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"What do you mean kidnapped?" he roared into the phone, clutching his desk fiercely. Cordelia and Fred sat across from him, watching with wide eyes. Wesley and Gunn stood at the door, attention on the irate vampire. Lorne wandered on the other side of the room, trying to calm the agitated baby Connor. All eyes were on the vampire, but Angel didn't have time to explain.
"When did this happen?" he barked into the phone. His eyes went amber at the answer.
"And you're only phoning me now?" he yelled into the receiver. "I don't care if you were shook up. I should have been called. Willow's our friend too-"
He paused, apparently listening to something on the other end. His eyes slowly lost the amber lining and he let his death grip on his desk go. Angel straightened and let out a sigh.
"But she's not hurt right?" he asked softly. "Thank lord for that . . . How are the others? Yeah, I know this must be hard . . . We'll get right on it . . . Are you kidding me? Nothing is more important at the moment. Don't worry; we're going to get her back. Even if I have to rip apart half the country, we'll get her back."
He listened for a second more before placing the phone back on the cradle.
"Angel?" Fred called out hesitantly. "Are you okay?"
"What's wrong?" Cordelia demanded immediately. "What happened over there?"
Angel stared down at his folded hangs, gathering his thoughts. Lorne frowned, feeling the panic and sadness rolling off the vampire. Eventually the vampire raised his head and they could see the blood tears on his face.
"Willow's been kidnapped."
***
She cried herself to sleep. Willow had never felt so alone in her entire life. She remembered the time that Spike had kidnapped her, but she had Xander with her. And there was an underlying belief that Buffy would come get her. She didn't have that here. Buffy probably didn't even find out she had been taken until Willow was far away from Sunnydale.
Her dreams were restless like before. She saw the redhead again. There was a blonde and brunette with her this time, but it didn't change matters much. In fact, it made things worse. Willow not only felt the redhead's pain, but the fear of her companions. They were all scared to death. And anxious, like they were waiting on something.
When she woke, the feelings were left behind. Of course, she contributed much of the fear to her own situation. But Willow couldn't help but wonder who the redhead was, and what it had to do with her.
The sun was shining when she poked her head out from under the blankets. Her eyes were dry and nose was stuffed from crying so much. And she felt so incredibly lonely. Willow wanted to talk to her friends; she just wanted to hear Xander's voice. Hear him tell her everything would be okay because he was coming to get her. And that the robbers were going to pay horribly for taking his Wills. Yes, that was what she wanted to hear.
But what she did hear was something entirely different. Snoring, from about two or three sources. Willow climbed into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She took in the figures of her captors. Matt and Edge were sprawled on the other bed, Edge pretty close to falling off. Christian laid asleep on the couch and Jeff. She didn't see Jeff.
"You want to take a shower?"
Her head snapped in the direction of the voice. Jeff was there; he was sitting right in front of the door. He was wide-awake, eyes watching her carefully. She shifted uncomfortably in the bed, not liking the way he looked at her. It wasn't bad, it was full of concern. That made her want to scream. If he had so much concern for her, why did he kidnap her?
"What?" she asked, looking around the room. Looking anywhere but at him.
"You want to take a shower?" he repeated. "Cause after these guys wake up, there won't be any hot water left."
"I don't have any-"
"Here," he tossed some clothes at her. She caught them, taking in the tags carefully. These were new.
"We picked them up last night," he shrugged. "Figured you wouldn't have a change of clothes on you."
"Thanks," she mumbled, making her way to the bathroom. "You guys are such gentlemen. I'm in awe."
She slammed the door shut behind her after that last remark. She stomped angrily around the tiny space, frustrated that she didn't have anything to throw.
Finally, she calmed down and started taking off her clothes. Maybe a shower would make her feel better.
***
Maybe that will cool her off.
Jeff glared at the bathroom door. He knew he deserved that last comment. Hell, he had been saying that kind of stuff to himself all this time. But he didn't like her saying that to him. It made him feel lower than before.
And reminded him why he had chosen her. Damn, he had been nervous as hell going into that bank. Her snide remarks and general attitude had put unnecessary stress on him. He chose her out of sheer spite and resentment. On hindsight, maybe he should have chosen one of the more cooperative customers.
But no, he had to choose the only one in there that had given him lip. You think that would have clued him into her ineligibility as a good hostage. But he didn't even take that into consideration. No, just slung her over his shoulder and carried her screaming out of there.
And only now he was thinking of the repercussions. He really needed to work on those forward-thinking skills.
He got up and sighed. Making his way over to the other bed. He watched Edge sleeping half off the bed for a second before reaching over and shoving him off the bed.
The blonde man fell over in a heap. He gave a shocked yelp as he hit the floor. Grumbling, Edge got up and glared at Jeff.
"What was that for?" he demanded.
"Have to get up now," Jeff answered. "The little lady is in the shower and we have to make it out of here in under an hour.
"Since when do we call the hostage `little lady'?" Edge asked, eyebrow raised. Jeff was taken back.
"Does it matter what we call her?" the other man asked.
"Only if you're getting a crush on her," Edge replied.
"I am not-"
"Yes you are," came the interruption from Matt. The elder Hardy got up, settling into a sitting position on the bed. He gave his brother a meaningful look.
"You're way too into her," Matt informed him. "I think it was best if you kept your distance. What if she finds out why we robbed that bank? You really want to explain that to her?"
"If she doesn't go running off into the night, she'll think we're out of our minds," Christian adding, opening one eye to look at his friends.
"We can't explain it to her," Jeff sighed. "I won't even know where to begin. And she wouldn't believe us anyway."
"Who knows?" Edge shrugged, offering him a sarcastic grin. "Maybe our girl knows what goes bump in the night."
Jeff snorted.
"Her? Yeah right. She's as ignorant and innocent as they come."
***
Willow leaned against the bathroom door, listening in on her captors. Her mind was racing with the things she had heard.
They were in trouble from the sounds of it. Supernatural trouble. But what that had with them robbing the bank was beyond her. She bristled slightly when they began talking about her ignorance and innocence. Willow, innocent? Yeah right. The things she had seen in her life would send these guys running for their lives.
But that wasn't the biggest problem she had. No, that wasn't the most puzzling. The thing that bothered her the most was what they said about Jeff.
Rainbow Boy liked her?