Title: Love is a Mystery
Author: Kat, a.k.a. KallieRose
E-mail: [email protected]
Rating: R
Pairing: Willow/Spike, Angel/Fred, Anya/Xander
Disclaimer: I acknowledge Joss Whedon as god of gods. All the characters in this
story are his creation, along with Fox, the rest of the Mutant Enemy Crew, and
whomever else wants to lay claim to them. I'm merely killing time by putting
them in totally unrealistic situations :-)
Summary: The Scoobies and Angel and Fred are stuck on a mysterious island.
Don't want to give any more than that away.
Spoilers: Starts somewhere after the end of Buffy's season 5, I
suppose, and then goes seriously AU after that. Spike was *so* not in love
with Buffy, and Willow and Tara never met and fell in love.
Love is a Mystery
Chapter 1
Buffy
came running through the front door of the Magic Box at full throttle, her
excitement almost palpable.
Her eyes scanned the interior of the store eagerly, looking anxiously for
any customers or strangers that she might not want hearing her news.
Her eyes took in Xander and Willow, sitting around the table, heads
looking up at her from their books.
Over in the corner she spied Spike, lounging comfortably in a plush
chair, his blond hair sticking out and making him easy to identify.
She frowned at him, then her eyes flickered over to the door to the
stockroom, where she could hear Giles and Anya discussing some item or other in
dour tones.
"Guess
what I've got, guess what I've got," she called out eagerly in her
sing-song voice.
"A
nasty case of the clap, if there's any justice in this world," Spike
muttered quietly, giving the slayer a disgruntled look.
He'd been idly watching the redhead as she bent over her book, the
graceful curve of her neck reminding him of all the things he couldn't have
until that damned chip was taken out of his head.
Xander
quickly stifled a laugh, and looked suitably guilty as Buffy turned to look at
him.
"What
was that, Spike?" she asked uncertainly, shooting a hostile look towards
the vampire.
She hadn't paid attention to what the blond had said to her, she'd been
to wrapped up in her excitement, but she suspected that she'd just been
insulted.
Spike
looked back at her, the picture of innocence, and Buffy immediately forgot about
him, as her mind drifted back to the reason for her earlier exhilaration.
"Giles,"
she called, her voice penetrating into the storeroom and bringing and Giles and
Anya back into the store.
"Yes,
Buffy, what is it?
Anya and I are rather busy at the moment.
Could it wait a bit?" he asked fretfully.
"Yes.
We are *quite* busy, as you can see," Anya snapped, grabbing Giles'
arm and pulling him back towards the storeroom.
"By my count, we are short by at least 20 eyes of newt, and if
someone is stealing from me...er, from Giles," she shot him a look to see
if he had noticed her slight gaffe, "Then I, for one, want to know
who."
The ex-demon eyed the others in the shop suspiciously, and when her eyes
reached Willow, she looked as if she wanted to ask the redhead to turn out her
pockets.
Instead, she settled for giving Buffy a look of pure annoyance.
"Anya,
honey," Xander said, eyeing his girlfriend anxiously, "Remember that
talk we had about rampant paranoia, and about how you needed to learn to *trust*
your friends?"
"But
Xander, the calculator said so," Anya whined. "And unlike
humans," she continued caustically, "the calculator doesn't lie."
She shot Xander a look that clearly said 'so there' and then turned back to
Giles.
"Okay,
we're *so* getting away from the point here," Buffy interjected, bringing
all eyes in the room back to her.
"And the point here is me, and what I have in my hand."
She waved an off-white envelope gaily in front of her, and then handed it
to Giles.
"Read
it, Giles, and tell me if you think it's true.
Oh please, let it be true," the slayer enthused, practically
bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in her excitement.
All
eyes were on Giles as he carefully took the envelope Buffy had handed him and
opened it up, his natural curiosity showing on his face.
After what seemed like a millennia to the impatient Slayer, he folded the
letter up and put it back into the envelope.
"Well
that is *quite* amazing," he remarked in a rather surprised tone of voice.
At that remark, even Spike managed to stop looking bored for a moment as
he waited for the ex-Watcher to tell them what was in the letter.
"So
Giles, do you think it's real?
Please?
Can we go?
Pretty pretty please?"
Buffy snatched the envelope back out of Giles' hand and opened it, eyes
scanning the page again eagerly.
"What
does it say, Giles?
Go where Buffy?" Willow was confused.
"Yeah,
what *she* said," Xander added, pointing towards his redheaded friend.
"Well,"
Giles began, "this letter purports to be from Quentin Travers, from the
Watchers Council.
In short, he says that he regrets the rift that has formed between the
Slayer and the Council, and hopes that he can start working to rebuild the
relationship.
To further that wish, he has offered Buffy, and her friends, a visit to a
private retreat that the council owns in Washington State."
Giles stopped momentarily as he heard gasps of surprise from the others,
and a giggle of excitement from his slayer.
"He
goes on to say that the lodge is fully stocked with enough food and drink to
entertain you for a week.
Also, since they are aware that Spike is helping you, they have provided
for him as well and have stocked the refrigerator with enough blood to keep him
comfortable for that same amount of time."
"Do
you think this is really from the Council, Giles?" Willow asked
wonderingly.
The thought of a vacation, both from slaying and from 'real life' was
such a welcome relief. Each and every member of the group was smiling his or her
own private smile and daydreaming about what kind of fun they could have if they
were free from the restraints of their day-to-day life.
"Well
I'll certainly call and speak to Travers myself to ascertain his motives, but I
suspect that this letter, and the offer it contains, is genuine."
Giles smiled slightly as he saw the grins that creased Willow and Buffy's
faces.
Both women were so young, and yet had lived through so much.
If they could be provided with a short respite from their
responsibilities, he would do all he could to make that happen.
"And
just who will be watching the Hellmouth while all this is going on?" asked
Spike.
He was all for a vacation as much as any of the others, but he was not
willing to ignore the big picture.
"Ah-ha,"
muttered Anya.
"I knew this was too good to be true.
And who will watch over m--the shop while we're gone?" she asked
anxiously.
Giles
watched their smiles falter just a bit, but he would not let little matters like
that destroy their excitement.
"Travers has mentioned that he has several operatives that he would
like to patrol the hellmouth, and he will be sending them out at the end of the
week, assuming that we accept his proposal.
We will have a week to train them and show them the ropes, and then we
can leave.
Now as for the shop," he faltered a bit there, knowing that Anya
would not like his next words, "I propose that we close the shop down for a
week."
"But--"
The words were out of Anya's mouth before he even closed his own.
"No
but's, Anya," Xander told her, getting up and walking over to her.
He put his arm comfortably around her shoulder and whispered into her
ear.
She giggled like a schoolgirl, and then coyly grabbed his hand and they
headed for the door of the shop.
"We
can count more things tomorrow, okay, Giles?" she yelled as the two lovers
hurried out of the shop, in search of the nearest bed, dark alley, or shady
tree.
End
of Chapter 1
Chapter
2
And
so it was that a scant three weeks later, the slayer and five slayerettes set
foot on Cemetery Island, part of the San Juan Islands, just north of Seattle,
Washington.
True to their word, the council sent several operatives that Buffy had
worked with, and eventually she had given them her slayer seal of crunchy
goodness approval.
Privately, she hoped there would be no end-of-the-world catastrophes
while they were gone.
She was comfortable leaving the slaying with them for a week, but
anything more serious than a vampire would probably leave them quivering in
terror.
The
flight from Sunnydale to Seattle had been uneventful. And even though Xander and
Anya had both gotten a little seasick on the small yacht that had taken them to
the private island, there was still an air of joyful abandon about the young
adults that the watcher and the vampire somewhat envied.
Of course they would never admit it to anyone else.
It
was shortly after 11pm, and the dark wintery skies combined with the lack of
city lights to create a complete and total darkness.
Small torches lit the way up a steep path to the house that towered over
them.
They watched the yacht pull out and head back to Stuart Island, the
nearest inhabited land.
There was something rather lonely-looking about the small boat, as it
headed back to land, Giles thought, but before he could ponder exactly why that
was, he heard Buffy's voice urging them to head up the hill towards the house.
Spike
spared a glance towards the large house that seemed to loom over them.
Seemed more like a mansion, really, he thought.
It was a huge stone building, with little touches here and there and fine
detail to the stonework that made it obvious that this house had been built long
ago.
Back when words like craftsmanship and detail actually meant something,
he thought with satisfaction.
As
Willow scrambled up the path, she decided that she must have gotten lost inside
a medieval fairy tale.
The house they were approaching seemed to her more like an ancient castle
from the days of King Arthur's court than the 'lodge' promised by the Council.
She wished she were wearing something fancier than jeans and a t-shirt;
it just didn't seem to do justice to their surroundings.
Finally
they reached the huge doorway of the house.
Buffy knew that they were expected, but she wasn't sure whether they
should knock, or just walk in.
After a minute of discussion, Xander took the lead and clacked the brass
knocker on the sturdy wood door.
The sound seemed to echo back and forth inside the house, and although
they strained their ears, no one, not even Spike, could hear the slightest sign
of movement from within.
After
waiting for a minute, Spike decided that although patience had its virtues, he
wasn't the least bit interested in being virtuous.
The others were welcome to stand out there all night if they wanted, but
he was getting hungry.
He moved the others out of the way, none too politely, and grasped the
knob confidently, turning it and opening the heavy door.
"Yo!" he yelled out.
"Anyone home?"
There
was no response to his query except the sound of his own voice, echoing back to
him from within the house.
Convinced by his senses that there was nobody waiting in ambush, the
vampire strode into the building, his eyes sweeping the room appraisingly.
He turned back to the others, still standing on the threshold of the
house, and told them, "Nobody here.
Might as well come in."
One
by one they entered the house, each one surveying the room curiously.
The foyer was huge, and dominated by twin marble staircases that lead up
to the second floor.
Off to the left was another large room that resembled a library, complete
with case upon case of books.
Willow immediately made a path for that room, her fingers and eyes roving
the titles reverently.
She sighed, a sound of pure contentment, as Giles came to stand beside
her.
"Look,
Giles, they have the Chronicles of the Dead and the Septariat Compendium—the
unabridged version.
This is wonderful," she positively glowed with enthusiasm, cursing
the human need for sleep.
Now that she'd seen the library, she didn't know how she was going to
tear herself away from it.
Giles
followed her lead, amazed by the sheer magnitude of ancient texts the large room
contained.
"Indeed, Willow," he spoke in hushed tones, "I could lose
myself in this room for days and be *quite* happy.
Well, except for that pesky need for sleep."
Willow
giggled, surprised yet pleased that their thoughts were so similar.
Before she could say anything further, a shout of excitement reached her
ears.
Curious to find out what was going on, she left Giles to his
contemplations and went back into the foyer.
The
excited exclamation seemed to have come from the opposite direction, from the
room directly to the right of the front door.
Curiosity still spurring her onward, Willow quickly entered the room, her
interested eyes taking in the occupants.
Xander
and Spike had found some sort of a gaming system, she saw, and had immediately
gone to work trying to beat the crap out of each other, just like old times.
Only this time they were using some sort of a boxing game to do it.
Willow watched as Spike's long fingers deftly manipulated the controller
in his hands, letting out an occasional yelp or triumphant shout as the game
continued.
Xander,
on the other hand, seemed much less at ease with the game.
His hands held the controller awkwardly, as if this game was something
new to him.
Anya stood behind her boyfriend, whispering words of encouragement to
him, which he promptly ignored.
"There,
make your little man hit him there, and that will hurt him.
No, wait, there," she added, as Spike, hearing her chatter, moved
his character slightly.
"Spike, stop moving your little character.
How is my Xander going to beat you if you keep moving?" she asked in
frustration, giving the blond vampire a venomous look.
Spike
merely looked at her impassively and then gave her a slightly maniacal grin.
He had this game at home, something he had failed to mention to the
others, and he was *not* going to let some overgrown teenager beat him. Besides,
he had 100-plus years of fighting experience on his side; he *deserved* to win.
Willow
soon tired of watching the boys play.
Her eyes cataloged the room as she passed through it, taking in the
big-screen TV and the large number of comfortable chairs and couches surrounding
it.
There was also what seemed to be a fully stocked bar in back of a large
ornate gaming table.
The room's colors were primarily dark reds and greens, and like the rest
of the house so far, the room was without windows.
The young witch knew that there were windows on the upper floors of the
house, probably in the bedrooms, but the lower level, which contained all of the
common rooms, seemed to be without them.
She had been surprised by that fact, but she supposed that that was one
of the reasons the Council had decided to send them here, since they knew that
Spike was with them.
As
she passed into the next room, Willow gasped in surprise.
She had walked into a large formal dining hall.
The table was definitely the centerpiece of the room—long and wooden,
mostly covered by a soft cream-colored tablecloth.
Several silver candelabras dotted the length of it, the dark green
candles looking tall and elegant in their fittings.
Each place at the table was fully set, and Willow could see that there
were sufficient place settings for eight people total.
The pretty redhead was slightly confused…there were only six of them in
their party, yet the table was definitely set for eight.
The only explanation that came to mind was that perhaps their host and
his or her spouse might be joining them at some point.
As
she headed out through the other end of the dining room, Willow came upon the
kitchen.
It was immaculate, the modern appliances and conveniences sparkling as if
unused.
As she opened the refrigerator, she noticed that there was, indeed,
plenty of food for all of them. In
addition to human food, she saw a separate bag with the Red Cross emblem
emblazoned across it. From the look of it, the blood was human.
Willow grinned wryly:
Spike would never want to leave this place.
He'd be drinking something besides pig's blood for the first time in
quite a while, and would probably enjoy the hell out of it.
The
redhead frowned slightly when she counted the bags, realizing that there was
enough blood to keep the handsome vampire fed for far longer than the week they
were supposed to be staying here.
Well, maybe they could figure out some way to package some of it up in a
cooler; then Spike could eat leftovers when they got back to Sunnydale.
When
she closed the refrigerator door, Willow noticed a small folded note taped to
the front.
Curious, she opened the note and quickly scanned the contents:
Dear Guests,
Please excuse our absence; an emergency has come up and we will be
unable
to join you just now.
The servants will be along in the morning,
and
at that time all your needs will be seen to.
In the meantime, we've
left
a small midnight snack for you in the refrigerator.
Enjoy.
Sincerely,
Your
Hosts
End
of Chapter 2
Chapter
3
One
week earlier, in Los Angeles
Angel
stood deep in thought at the base of the stairway, a cream-colored envelope held
loosely in one hand.
"What
is that you're holding there?" Wesley asked curiously as he left his office
and headed for the front door.
When the scruffy ex-watcher received no sign of acknowledgement from the
dark vampire, he looked at him again, noting the unfocused look on his face.
"Angel?" he asked, breaking through the older man's reverie.
"Sorry
Wes, my mind must have been elsewhere," he acknowledged wryly.
"I guess I've got an announcement to make," he added.
Could you rally the troops and have everyone meet in the lobby in about
ten minutes?"
"Certainly,
Angel."
"So
what's the big deal, Mister Broody," asked Cordelia as she perched
comfortably on the couch.
Fred
and Gunn sat on either side of her, and Wesley and Lorne stood next to the
davenport.
Angel paced the floor in front of them uneasily, although the reason for
his nervousness was as yet unclear.
"Well,
now that you're all here, I guess I can start," Angel decided.
"I got this envelope by special messenger earlier today."
He held up the envelope that Wesley had seen him handling earlier, and
now he opened it and started reading it aloud to the assembled group.
Dear
Mister Angel,
I have heard that your Angel Investigations has a reputation of being
both
discreet and effective.
I find myself in need of both qualities,
and
would like to talk to you and your people about the possibility
of coming to work for me.
I
would like to arrange a meeting at my retreat in the San Juan
Islands so
that I can explain my situation to you in more detail.
Please
let me know if you and your staff would be available to
meet
with me on the weekend of the 19th.
Sincerely,
Mr.
Owen
"So what do you guys think?
Is this Mr. Owen for real?" Angel asked the assembled group.
Wesley
put out a hand to receive the letter from Angel, and quickly scanned the piece
of paper for anything that the vampire might have missed.
"I
have to admit, I have some reservations about this," confided Wesley.
"Sending the entire team out of the area is highly unorthodox.
We have responsibilities, and clients, in Los Angeles that need our
attention.
We can't all be expected to jump on the first flight up to the," he
hesitated as he scanned the letter again, "San Juan Islands."
He frowned thoughtfully, trying to make up his mind.
"Perhaps sending a small contingent would be appropriate?
You, Angel, and one or two others."
"Don't
you *even* look in my direction," Cordelia scolded both the vampire and the
ex-watcher.
"I've heard about how it is up there.
It rains *constantly* and there's all kinds of wilderness and stuff.
Besides coffee, what else does that state have going for it?"
Fred,
who had heretofore sat silently in the corner, snuck quietly into the
conversation. "I—I
wouldn't mind going," she said softly.
"It might be nice to be someplace different for once.
And the rain doesn't bother me.
It's—kind of cleansing, I used to think."
Angel
gave the young woman a grateful smile.
"Thanks, Fred.
I think you and I would be enough of a presence.
The rest of the crew can stay in L.A.
We could leave tomorrow evening and spend the day in Seattle, then head
out to the island early the next evening.
Sound okay to you?"
"Sure,"
the brunette replied eagerly.
She was looking forward to spending some time with her good friend.
Everyone at Angel Investigations was wonderful, but she'd always felt an
extra connection to Angel, something dating back to those terrible days in Pylea.
He may be a vampire, but he had always done his best to make her feel
comfortable and appreciated.
Fred would never be able to repay him for that kindness.
"Wiiiiiilow,"
yelled Buffy, the words shaking the redhead out of her perusal of the note from
their hosts.
She folded the missive up and put it in her pocket, then raced out of a
door at the other end of the kitchen, finding herself back in the foyer, as she
suspected she might.
The door was unobtrusive from the large foyer, and unless someone knew it
was there, it would have gone unnoticed to any but the most careful observer.
"Heeeey
Wiiiiilow," Buffy called again, her voice louder this time.
"Coming,"
Willow yelled back, smiling for joy at the ability to make noise.
Living in the dorms had been a wonderful experience, but having so many
people on the other side of the wall, and having to be quiet and considerate all
the time, left a bit to be desired.
It was fun to be able to yell out and not worry about waking someone, or
disturbing someone's studies.
She
raced up the stairs, listening to the tat-tat-tat of her shoes as they clicked
on the marble. As the redhead hit the top of the stairway, she laid eyes on the
slayer who was grinning happily as she danced around the hallway at the top of
the stairs.
"Isn't
this place just unbelievable?" she asked, gesturing to door after door.
"There are over a dozen rooms up here!
And Willow," she added quietly, "we're first, so we get to
choose whichever ones we want."
Willow
grinned at her friend's enthusiasm.
With the lack of responsibility and the chance to enjoy herself, the
blonde Slayer looked much like she had when Willow first met her back in high
school, before years of tragedy and strain put harsh lines around her eyes and
on her face.
It was good to see Buffy looking so happy again, Willow decided.
She
linked arms with her friend, and one by one they opened each of the rooms and
explored what was contained within.
Each room was different.
The first one was decorated in a nautical theme, complete with a
waterbed.
A second was done up all in pastel pinks and greens.
Yet another housed walls covered with bookshelves.
The girls finally chose two bedrooms near the front of the house.
Buffy's room was reminiscent of her Slayer heritage.
A collection of stakes and other weapons dotted the room here and there,
interspersed with pictures of young girls of all time periods and nationalities.
They all, however, had the same determined glint in their eyes that
Willow had noticed in Buffy's eyes so many time over the years.
Willow
chose the room with the bookshelves, of course.
An additional plus was that it was located next to Buffy's room, and the
two rooms actually shared a common bathroom through connecting doors on either
side of the room.
Before anyone could argue, both girls grabbed their luggage and unpacked,
mingling their meager possessions with what was there already to give each room
a "lived-in" feel.
As
they finished reorganizing the bathroom, a loud pounding sound startled them and
brought them running into the main hallway.
The others had paused their activities as well, and soon they all met at
the bottom of the stairs, in front of the large front door.
"Perhaps
our hosts are making their rather tardy appearance?" Giles suggested.
"Oh,
I forgot to tell you guys," Willow mentioned guiltily, "But I found
this note in the kitchen.
Our hosts have left us to our own devices, at least for the night.
I don't know who this is, but I doubt it's them.
Besides, if it's their place, why would they knock?"
"Good
question," agreed Buffy, nodding.
Whoever
was at the door banged again, and everyone jumped in guilty surprise.
"I
don't want to hear that sound anymore, it's noisy," Anya said crossly.
Seeing that nobody else was in much of a hurry to do anything about it,
she finally walked to the door herself and opened it.
Outside
the door were the last two people that any of them had ever expected to see.
"An—Angel?"
Buffy asked hesitantly, not believing that her former flame was really standing
in front of her.
The rest of the gang crowded behind her, surveying the dark vampire with
varying levels of surprise and unease.
"Buffy?"
Angel blinked twice, as if expecting the blonde before him to disappear from his
sight once he had cleared his vision.
"What are you doing here?"
Fred
stood quietly behind Angel, confusion flickering in the depths of her hazel
eyes.
She had heard Angel talk about Buffy and the Sunnydale contingent before;
she had even met Willow briefly, when she had come to inform them of Buffy's
death.
She could not, however, understand what they would be doing here, of all
places.
This was supposed to be a business meeting, wasn't it?
Angel's
eyes surveyed the occupants of the hallway:
Buffy, Willow, Xander and the Watcher he knew well.
Anya was somewhat of an unknown.
He'd seen her before once or twice, but didn't know her well.
And behind the ex-demon, his eyes focused on his childe.
His Spike.
He hadn't seen Spike since the time the younger vampire had come to L.A.
and tried to steal the Gem of Amara.
Things between them had been bad since then.
Although he was aware that Spike was working with Buffy and her friends,
he still didn't trust his wayward childe completely.
Spike always had an agenda, and if he was helping the slayer, it was
because it serviced his purposes to do so.
He gave Spike a curt nod, and then turned his attention back to Buffy.
"Errrmmph,"
Giles said, clearing his throat in an attempt to get everyone's attention and to
regain control of the situation, "Would you mind telling us exactly what
you're doing here, Angel? "
"That's
funny, Giles," the vampire replied, smiling lightly, "I was about to
ask you the same thing."
End
of Chapter 3
Chapter
4
"I
was called here for a business meeting," Angel informed the ex-Watcher.
He took Fred's hand and drew her to his side.
"Everyone, this is Fred.
She works with me in L.A."
The
willowy young woman with long auburn hair smiled nervously; she was obviously
uneasy around so many strangers.
"Hi," she said quickly, giving a small wave of her hand.
Her anxious eyes flitted from face to face, trying to figure out exactly
what was going on here.
"So
*my* question would seem to be," Angel said, as he stepped across the
threshold and entered the large house, pulling a reluctant Fred behind him,
"What are you people doing here?
I have to assume that you're not here for a business meeting, so why
exactly *are* you here?"
"The
Council, trying to make amends for the rather shabby way they've treated Buffy,
has set us up here for the week," Giles told him.
"We are to have free reign of the house and the island for that
time, after which they will return us to Sunnydale.
In Buffy's absence, they have sent reinforcements to take over patrolling
and the day-to-day activities on the Hellmouth.
The
ex-librarian motioned them all into the living room, the room Xander and Spike
had occupied earlier while playing their game.
Soon they were all sitting comfortably on the various chairs and sofas in
the room, and Giles went to put some tea on in the kitchen.
It looked as though there was something odd going on, and if they were
going to have to figure out what it was, tea was definitely in order.
As
Anya watched on jealously, Xander and Willow attempted to engage Fred in
conversation.
Meanwhile, Buffy and Angel slipped back into the hallway for a talk of
their own.
"What
do you make of this, Buffy?" Angel asked her, his voice low and edgy.
The
blonde looked at him, remembering how much they had once meant to each other,
and was rather surprised to feel nothing but a small ache, instead of the severe
pain that seeing him used to invoke.
Was she finally over him?
The thought made her smile sadly, but it really was for the best, she
knew.
What they had, while exciting and wonderful, had been a case of first
love, young love.
Now she was older and wiser, and she knew that she wanted someone who
would be able to be there for her in every way.
Someone who would be able to share the things that she loved about life:
her friends, her family, and her love of the light.
With Angel she could never have had that. When he had left her for
exactly those reasons, it had almost torn her to pieces.
Now she realized how right he had been.
When
she responded to his question, it was as the slayer and not as his soulmate.
She was all business.
"I don't know, Angel.
I don't suppose the business meeting you were supposed to be having here
was with a representative of the Council, was it?
I mean, of course it wasn't, you would have mentioned it if it was.
Duh, silly question."
"No,
not silly, but yes, you're right.
In fact, I still have the letter here."
He pulled out the cream-colored envelope and handed it to Buffy, watching
her as she quickly scanned the contents.
"Hmm…so
they invited the whole gang, did they?
Why were you and Fred the only ones that showed?"
"Well,
we decided that just in case this *was* something weird, we didn't want to have
everyone stuck out here.
So I volunteered and so did Fred, and everyone else stayed home to hold
down the fort."
Buffy
noticed a certain protectiveness in Angel's voice when he mentioned Fred, and
wondered if there was anything between them.
She knew it was none of her business, so she only answered back with the
simple words, "Fred seems nice."
Angel
nodded earnestly.
He did have a growing affection for the newest member of Angel
Investigations, and was hoping that during this trip they would have a chance to
get to know each other a little better.
"She's a good kid.
Had a rough time recently, but I think she's finally starting to get over
it and return to the real world."
Buffy
didn't ask for any particulars, and Angel didn't offer any, so they got back to
the topic du jour, that being their odd circumstances.
"So do you think the Council set this up?" she asked him
uneasily.
"I
guess they could have.
It certainly wouldn't have taken many of their resources to do it.
I just can't imagine why though.
If they wanted to get at me, it would have been easy enough.
Or if they wanted to get at you, again, they could have.
But why bring all of us here together?
It just doesn't make any sense to me."
"You're
right, of course," Buffy said, rubbing her forehead tiredly.
They had all been up since early morning, and it was now closing in on
two in the morning.
"I don't know, maybe we should just try to settle in for the night
and then figure it out in the morning."
"Sounds
like a plan to me," Angel agreed.
But there was still a hint of uneasiness hiding in the depths of his dark
brown eyes, and no matter how hard he tried to quell it, it remained.
As
they rejoined the others, Buffy plastered a confident smile back on her face and
told her friends that although they still had no clue what was going on, as far
as she was concerned, the best plan was to get a good night's sleep and then
tackle the puzzle in the morning.
Xander
and Anya had been smothering yawns for some time now, and the ex-demon was still
curious about how much fun it would be to have sex in a stranger's bed, so the
two of them headed out the door and up to the bedrooms.
"I
do hope I'll be able to find a room far, far away from them," Giles
commented as he watched the pair disappear from view.
"Yeah,
they do tend to be a bit, erm, 'enthusiastic' in their enjoyment," Willow
agreed, a slight flush of embarrassment coloring her skin.
Angel smiled as he saw her blush; even after everything she had been
through in her young life, she could still manage to blush just like an innocent
schoolgirl.
He found the trait rather endearing, for some reason.
The
dark vampire looked around the room and saw his childe's eyes focused on him.
Spike had seen him looking at Willow, and for some reason that fact had
made the younger vamp angry, perhaps even jealous.
Did Spike have feelings for the little hacker?
It was certainly possible.
And considering the way things were, Angel was sure that his childe would
never say anything.
He had been love's bitch too many times to just put his heart out there
to be broken again.
And since Willow probably had no idea of Spike's feelings, or at least he
assumed that was the case, the two would never get together without a little
help.
Well,
Angel thought to himself, this weekend was shaping up to be *quite* the
interesting gathering.
The
remaining six chatted briefly in a desultory fashion.
Fred and Willow had discovered some common interests and were looking
forward to discussing them the next morning.
The rest of the group were looking a bit sleepy, so finally they all
trekked their way up the stairs.
Those who had not already laid claim to a room quickly did.
Spike snagged the room next to Willow's, while Giles grabbed the one next
to Spike.
Fred and Angel both took rooms across the hallway from the others.
Much to everyone's relief, Xander and Anya seemed to be occupying one of
the rooms at the far end of the hall, and although they heard muffled thumps
from time to time, that was the only evidence they heard of the couple's
activities.
After
a long day, and an even longer evening, everyone except the two vampires fell
asleep quickly.
After a half hour or so, Spike emerged from his room still wide-awake and
full of energy.
He padded down to the kitchen to check out some of the promised blood,
and when he reached the door he saw that his sire had already beaten him to it.
Grunting
quietly in acknowledgement, Spike opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bag of
blood, tearing the packet open and pouring the contents into a large mug, which
he then stuck in the microwave.
Once the blood was warm, he grabbed it and plunked himself down at the
kitchen table across from Angel.
"So
what do you make of this, sire?
Is someone playing games with us?" he asked curiously.
"Because I get the feeling that someone is, but I'll be damned if I
know who, or why."
End
of Chapter 4
Chapter
5
The
brooding vampire lifted his head and turned his soft brown eyes towards Spike.
He was still for a moment, considering his childe's question.
"I'd
tend to agree with you.
There was a deliberate attempt to lure us all here, to an isolated,
out-of-the-way place.
I didn't want to say anything to Buffy, but yeah, I can't help but feel a
little uneasy."
"That
had to be weird," Spike offered casually, "seeing the slayer again, I
mean."
"I
won't disagree," his sire confirmed solemnly.
"But I think we both know that it's really over.
Despite what you said all those years ago, we *can* just be friends.
Maybe we couldn't back then," he acknowledged, "but we've grown
apart.
And matured."
"Plus
there's that cute little brunette I saw earlier," Spike reminded his elder,
a devilish glint in his crystal blue eyes.
"She's quite a bit of all right, if I do say so."
Angel
glared at the blond, wondering how much to say.
Sometimes with Spike, the more he felt you were hiding, the deeper he
would dig.
The dark vampire fought his first impulse to be silent and finally
decided to be honest.
"Yes, I have feelings for Fred," he admitted, giving a deep
sigh.
"But if my experience with Buffy taught me anything, it's that
giving in to my feelings can be dangerous.
Too dangerous.
We don't want a repeat of…" his voice trailed off. Both vampires
lost themselves in thoughts of Angelus as they drank their blood reflectively,
"Yeah,"
Spike agreed softly, stopping to lick a stray rivulet of blood from his lips.
"Last bloody thing in the world that we need now is a return of that
bastard."
Slightly
stung by his childe's response, Angel decided to throw a little barb of his own.
A lazy smirk on his lips, he remarked casually, "Speaking of easy on
the eyes, what's going on with you and Willow, Spike?
I caught that look you gave me earlier.
Got some feelings of your own that you're hiding?"
Spike's
eyes slid away from his sire's, casually surveying the room as if it were the
most interesting place in the world.
Angel knew his childe well.
Knew that the blond was using the time to fabricate an answer that he
thought would be sufficiently close to the truth, without giving anything real
away.
"She's
a good kid," he conceded finally, bringing his guileless blue eyes back to
meet chocolate brown ones.
"I look out for her now and then.
It's amazing how naïve she can still be, even after all these years and
all she's gone through."
Angel
nodded, not surprised that Spike's thoughts about the redhead were so similar to
his own.
He stood and took both their empty mugs, placing them in the sink and
running some water over them.
"Ready to head up?" he asked.
Spike
yawned, stretching as he stood.
"Yeah, might as well try to get some sleep.
I'm sure the rest will be up early, full of questions and theories.
Hell, the damn watcher will probably have us researching and reading.
There's a huge stinkin' library here, did you know?"
He snorted in disgust, before adding, "Just my bloody luck.
First vacation I get in years, and I'm going to have to spend the whole
time working."
Fred
lay in bed, watching the wind and the sunlight cause shadows to dance around the
walls of her bedroom.
The tree outside her room was whipping to and fro with wind's the effort.
Her mind was never quiet, and this morning was no exception.
Well, except that technically speaking it was probably afternoon.
It had been a late night, what with the boat trip out to Cemetery Island,
and then the confusion and explanations that ensued after their arrival.
She
shuddered slightly as she considered the name of the island.
Hopefully that wasn't a sign of things to come.
There was definitely something wrong with the situation here, but whether
it was just innocent mischief, or a larger, more serious conspiracy, the young
woman wasn't sure.
Fred had spent a lot of time with Angel over the past year or so.
Enough time to know when something was bothering him.
And despite the somewhat upbeat face that he tried to put on this
situation, he was definitely uneasy.
Therefore, Fred was uneasy as well.
They
all seemed harmless enough.
Well, harmless enough for a slayer, a vampire, an ex-demon, and a witch.
Plus the two normal human men.
She
had enjoyed talking to Willow last night.
The two women seemed to have a lot in common, including a keen,
questioning mind and a shy, quiet façade.
She hoped that they would have a chance to discuss some theories and
ideas she had regarding the Zenozian prophecies.
Spike
was a bit of an enigma to her.
She knew that the younger vampire and Angel had a history together.
Just how 'together' they had been, she wasn't sure.
There had been some bad blood between them in the past, she knew, but
they had seemed polite enough last night.
Still, there was something about the blond that she just didn't trust.
The
watcher, along with the ex-demon and the boy, were of no serious concern.
They seemed nice enough, but probably wouldn't be of much use if the
situation got serious.
On the other hand, they might be handy if any researching needed to be
done.
And
that left her to consider the slayer.
Buffy.
You couldn't spend more than a day around Angel Investigations without
hearing something about the young slayer.
And of course her past with Angel.
Fred wasn't blind to the fact that the two of them had disappeared
together almost immediately.
She wasn't jealous, she insisted to herself.
Really, she wasn't.
She just wished she knew what it had been that they had talked about.
Fred
sighed softly, finally accepting that the time to dawdle was past.
She had spent the last half hour organizing her thoughts and considering
the situation, but sooner or later she would have to get up and see the others.
There was simply no way to avoid it.
So, marshalling her energy, she stretched her lithe body taut, before
getting up and marching to the bathroom.
Might as well look her best, she thought.
The little boost of confidence it would give her would be nice.
Giles
looked around the room he currently occupied.
The decorators had decided to go with a musical theme.
Instruments from every country and just about every time period graced
the walls, along with sheet music that doubled in some places as wallpaper.
It was a truly unique idea, and something about it had appealed to that
bit of 'Ripper' that still remained in the watcher.
Plus,
and this was the deciding factor, you could not hear Xander and Anya in this
room.
In fact, the watcher realized rather thoughtfully, you really couldn't
hear much of anything that went on outside.
The large house must have been built with very high quality standards, as
all the walls seemed to be quite thick.
Thoughts
of their purpose here brought him up short.
Why exactly were they here, he wondered. The
Watcher's Council had insisted it was a peace offering, a chance to mend fences
with the slayer and her mentor.
However, the recent arrival of Angel and his young employee made him feel
deeply troubled.
Something was afoot, but whether it was evil or not he could not guess.
A
quick glance at the clock next to his bed told him that it was just passing
three in the afternoon.
Such a lazy, decadent day, yet he had definitely needed the extra sleep.
Now, however, it was time to meet the day and have some breakfast.
Make that lunch, he thought guiltily.
Well, some tea, at any rate.
Willow
bounded down the steps enthusiastically.
A good night's sleep, mixed with a nice warm shower this morning, had her
spirits flying high.
They were on vacation.
An honest-to-god vacation.
She tried to remember the last time she'd been on one of those. Sure, her
parents took them all the time, but Willow hadn't been on one since she'd been
twelve.
The
memory of it broke the surface of her consciousness, and she thought about the
time her parents had taken her to Disneyworld in Florida.
They had left her with strangers while they spent their time lecturing on
a cruise ship.
Well, par for the course, she thought with a sigh.
Determined
not to let depression grab hold of her, the petite redhead quickened her steps.
By the time she reached the bottom of the stairway and turned to enter
the living room, she was practically flying.
In her preoccupation she failed to notice the other occupant of the room,
and before she could stop her hurtling body, she had smacked head-on into Spike.
They both fell to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, the vampire
underneath Willow.
"Cor,
witch, what's the rush?"
He didn't sound particularly angry, she noted, just curious. "Not
that I'm complaining, mind you.
I kinda like the view," he added, looking down her shirt and eyeing
her breasts enthusiastically.
Willow
looked down at the blond and noted his expression and where his eyes were
currently looking, and felt her skin burn with embarrassment.
She tried to disentangle herself and spring to her feet, but before she
could, Xander and Anya came walking into the room, hands entwined, and a
satisfied smile on both their faces.
"Wow
Willow, never seen this side of you before," Xander teased her.
"Must be all this fresh country air, just turns the chicks on like
crazy," he added shooting a knowing look at Anya.
"You should have seen what Anya wanted to do last ni—"
Before
he could finish his sentence, both Willow and Spike jumped to their feet and ran
screaming from the room.
They raced desperately for the kitchen and away from the slightly
surprised couple.
As
they sat down across from each other at the table, Spike gave his co-conspirator
a wink and whispered, "I think made it, luv."
Their
eyes met briefly before they both burst out into laughter.
Willow
got up and started to dig through the pantry, looking for something that would
make a suitable snack before dinner, which was only a couple of hours away.
She turned and smiled back at her companion, her earlier embarrassment
forgotten.
"I love Xander to death, he's my dearest friend, but if I have to
hear one more sentence about their sex life, I swear, I'm going to lose
it!" she declared vehemently.
Plus, she added silently, it doesn't help matters that I'm not getting
any regular smoochies.
She knew that Xander wasn't purposely flaunting his happiness, but
sometimes it did rather seem like it.
"Maybe
you just need a little someone to take your mind off of it," Spike said
knowingly, standing and coming to join the redhead at the counter, watching as
she made herself a bowl of cereal.
She looked up at his approach, wondering exactly what he meant by his
comment.
Before she could ask him, the kitchen door opened and Buffy, Giles, Angel
and Fred joined them, already deep in discussion.
"But
we can't just sit here like, well, sitting ducks," complained Buffy.
"We should be out doing… *something*."
"Well
what do you suggest we do, Buffy?" Giles asked, his frustration evident as
he sat down and began to polish his glasses.
"There isn't a whole lot to be done until whoever it is that sent us
here decides to let us go."
The
others sat down at the long wooden table, Willow and Spike joining them, each of
them trying to think of something that they could do.
Buffy was unused to a problem that action couldn't solve.
Her usual modus operandi was to fight the enemy, or barring that,
research it to death.
The problem now was that they didn't have a discernable enemy, and it was
making the slayer feel useless and rather cranky.
"What
I wanna know is who's responsible for this," Spike growled, his interrupted
conversation with Willow forgotten as he got back to the subject of their
'vacation.'
He really didn't have a problem with being here, especially with the
delectable redhead sitting so closely next to him, but he *hated* being toyed
with.
It showed a certain lack of respect, he thought irritably.
"Okay,
there's a good starting place," Angel agreed.
"Personally, I think this stunt just reeks of the Council."
"Yes,"
Giles agreed.
"And I know for a fact that they own this island.
So they own the island, they have the resources, and the knowledge to set
this up.
The only question is why."
Fred
looked nervously at Angel, tapping him on the shoulder.
He leaned down to listen to her softly whispered words.
"I feel like such an idiot," she told him quietly, "but I
don't understand.
Why would the Council do this? Doesn't Buffy work for them?"
Fred
nodded gratefully.
"Thanks, Angel."
"So
why don't you just call them?" she asked.
"I mean, there are phones here, right?
I saw one downstairs earlier."
Giles
stood and began to pace the small room, his uneasiness quite apparent.
"Yes, we did try that earlier, I'm afraid, but the phone seems to be
disconnected.
Whether on purpose or by accident, I couldn't really say.
But all the same, it does seem suspicious."
"And
none of the rest of you thought to bring a cell phone?" Spike asked
sarcastically.
"Bunch of bloody wankers, why on earth not?"
Buffy
looked across the table at the blond and, judging from her expression, tried to
think of some way to entice him out into the sunlight.
"Well where is *your* cell phone, blondie?" she asked nastily.
"Vampires
don't use cell phones, you stupid twat," he shot back angrily, shooting a
look at Angel and daring the dark vampire to contradict him.
"Well
you're welcome to use mine," Fred offered cheerfully, bringing it out of
her pocket and setting it in the middle of the table.
She shrunk back slightly as five sets of surprised eyes trained
themselves on her face.
End
of Chapter 5