Impact

Willow and Wesley were finding it a bit difficult to breathe in all the smoke. Their coughing and hacking was starting to get on Angel’s nerves, so he suggested that they head back to the van.

The hike had been rough. Often they had to jump over cracks in the Earth, or pull themselves up over the rubble by the roots still clinging to the burnt soil. To Willow it reminded her of how she used to imagine the world would look like after a nuclear war.

“What are we looking for anyway?” Willow asked. Wesley deferred to Angel, and the three stopped by a fallen log to catch their breaths while he answered. “I wanted to gage how far we were from where the Hellmouth actually was. It’s difficult to tell in all this destruction. There are a million places for Drusilla to hide. I’m beginning to think this search is pointless.”

Wesley wiped the sweat off of his forehead, agreeing. “Yes, I think Giles is perhaps correct, that she will find us when she realizes her book doesn’t produce the desired effect.” The three began the walk back to the van, Angel taking the lead, followed by Willow and then Wesley. Willow lost her footing and would have fallen at once if Wes hadn’t quickly grabbed her arm and held her up, his fingers lingering around her small wrist longer than necessary. Willow smiled at him. “Thanks.” He blushed and smiled back, releasing his grip around her wrist. She could still feel the heat of his fingers on her skin.

Kennedy? Kennedy who? She shook her head, banishing the guilty thoughts. She had been thinking a lot about her relationship with the young slayer lately, and how unexciting it was after they had defeated the First. Willow began to think she had turned to Kennedy on the rebound. She had loved Tara, deeply. She still grieved for her. Kennedy had shoved her way into Willow’s life, practically forcing the relationship onto her, and with everything Willow had gone through the last couple of years, she welcomed going on autopilot and letting the powerful, abrasive, headstrong slayer take control. But now she knew that time had passed. And Willow wanted more.

She smiled as she thought of Buffy and Giles. It was about time those two got together! There love for each other had been so obvious over the years. Willow was certain that if things had been different since Riley left, Giles and Buffy would have hooked up a lot sooner. But first Buffy’s mom died, and then Dawn, and Glory…and Giles left. But all that was over now, and Willow was so glad that two of her closest friends, the Watcher and Slayer, had made that love connection. Perhaps it was her turn to make a Watcher connection?

Willow glanced over her shoulder to peer coyly at Wes. He sure had changed since her sch school days. Working with Angel suited him. He noticed her observation and he smiled back at her, causing butterflies to explode in her stomach. She didn’t even notice that Angel had stopped walking, and she plowed right into his backside. “OOF!”

Her breath was knocked out of her, but not from running into Angel. The world began to spin and she fell to her knees on the ground as she looked upon the van, turned on its side. Angel ran into the van, yelling Buffy’s name, but only silence answered him. He searched under the seats, but there was no one there. Thankfully he smelled no blood either. He emerged from the van to find Wesley cradling Willow’s head in his lap. He looked searchingly at Angel. “There not in there, are they?” Wesley prayed. Angel shook his head. “No. They’re gone.” He bent down over Willow’s sprawled form. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, she just fainted. A combination of the heat, and the shock of the sight, I’m sure.” Angel climbed back into the van and rescued the ice chest. He pulled out a bottle of water and poured some of it on Willow’s forehead. Wesley soothed her as she awakened. It took her a moment, but then she sat up straight as a bolt. “Angel! What happened?”

Angel sat on his heels crouched before them. He persuaded her to drink, and also handed Wesley a bottle of water. Wes took it graciously, taking a long drink, but never relinquishing his hold on Willow either.

“We’ll have to assume it was Drusilla and the Blimey. Nothing else could have turned the van over like that.”

“Do you think they’re okay?” Willow turned wide eyes back to Angel, fervently hoping her friends were in better shape then the van. Wes squeezed her shoulder trying to comfort her as best he could. “I’m sure they’re fine, Willow.” He didn’t really believe it himself however.

Angel shook his head. “There’s no evidence of a fight in the van. No blood any way. I can’t imagine Buffy and the other’s not fighting back. We should have never left them. What was I thinking!?”

“We have to find them, Angel. We have to!”

“I agree, but I don’t even know where to start looking!” He was upset himself, tears beginning to reflect in his eyes, mirroring those already falling down Willow’s cheeks. Wesley swallowed, squinting his red rimmed eyes as he gazed at the over turned van.

“I do.”

The three turned and stared at the blonde vampire standing behind them.

“Harmony!?” Willow screeched, surprised.

Angel and Wesley both stood up, placing themselves between Willow and the vampire. They both noticed the book she held carelessly at her right hip.

“God, my feet are killing me.” She flopped down and removed the shoes off her feet, massaging her toes. “My heels are just ruined.”

Angel eyed her speculatively. “What are you doing here Harmony?”

“Well duh!” She held up the book. “I’ve come for Spikey!”

“Did you see what happened to Buffy and the others?” He looked menacingly at her. He had neither the patience nor the time for Harmony’s verbage.

She smiled at the three. Harmony liked it when she was in control, and she might not be the smartest tack in the box, but she knew when she had the power. In this instance, she had the power. The smile was wiped off her face, however, when Angel ran up and grabbed her by the arm. “Tell me!” he yelled.

“Ouch! You’re hurting me, you big lug! Let go!” He relaxed his grip slightly, but he didn’t let go. Then with his other hand, he snatched the book from under her arm and tossed it to Wesley before Harmony even knew what hit her.

“Hey, that was mine! Give it back!”

Angel began to shake her. “Tell me what I need to know!”

Harmony pouted. “Will you give me the book back if I do?”

”No!” He shook her again. “I might let you live though. Tell me!”

“Alright, alright, but let go of me!” He dropped his grip, and she rubbed her arms up and down as if to get the circulation going again. Angel just rolled his eyes at her. “Now, Harmony.”

She continued to pout at him, and she glanced between his face and the book now held by Wesley. She sighed. “Fine. Yes, I saw everything. I was hiding behind that log over there.” She pointed some distance away behind them. Actually, she had been resting her tired feet when she noticed the van in the distance. She recognized Xander and Dawn as they entered the van, and was contemplating approaching them when Drusilla appeared on the horizon. She scrunched down further behind the log and almost screamed in fear when Drusilla’s eyes seemed to explode out a yellow mist, and a demon appeared. The demon threw open the van door, and then turned it os sis side with the occupants screaming inside. Drusilla had clapped, and only then did Harmony notice that she too held a book in her grasp. And it looked similar to the one she possessed. She scrunched even further down behind the log.

The big yellow demon then grabbed all four of the occupants out of the van, tossing them to the ground as if they were sacks of potatoes. Giles had been knocked out, Harmony thought, as had the one eyed Xander. They fell together in a heap. Dawn had started to crawl out of the van, but Drusilla laughed and chased her before she had gotten far. Buffy had put up a fight against the Blimey, but her blows were easily deflected. From Harmony’s perspective from behind the log, Buffy looked like a marionette puppet in the Blimey’s complete control. Soon she too joined the pile of victims on the ground. Only Dawn remained standing, held up in the grip of Drusilla. As Buffy started to stand, she saw the Blimey again change form into that yellow mist, only instead of entering Drusilla, this time it raced into Dawn’s eye sockets. Dawn went rigid, as the demon parasite took control of her. With Dawn as the host, Buffy and the other’s followed Drusilla west of the van on foot. Cooperating, at least for now, seemed to be their only choice in order to keep Dawn safe.

“Poor Dawnie,” Willow cried. “She must be so scared. Is she in pain?” She turned to look at Wes, but he shook his head. He didn’t know for sure, but he had heard that Lilly had suffered from severe headaches when in the demon’s grip. He had no intention of upsetting Willow even more though, so he kept silent on that fact. “That’s obviously how Drusilla is controlling them all. Do you know where they would have been taken?”

Harmony didn’t take her eyes off of the book that Wes now held. He placed it behind his back, forcing the blonde to look at him. She sighed again, and then shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe I do.”

Angel growled at her again, and then pushed her again towards the van. “Show us. I know you know more than you are saying. And now you are going to take us to them.” She didn’t know what choice she had, plus they now had her book. She nodded, pushed her shoes back on, and started walking west. Angel and Willow gathered up as many bottles of water and soda that they could, shoving them into their pockets, as well as the food items and blood packets for Angel that they had packed in the chest. Wy key kept the book firmly in his grip until Angel held out his hand for it. Wesley handed it over, and Angel placed it in the big pocket of his leather jacket, next to his own book. Two down, one to go.

But first they had to rescue their friends.

TBC