Who, What, Why, Where, When?

CHAPTER 26

Buffy wandered down the corridor in the hospital, trying to remember the last time she had been here. When she reached the nurse’s station and found Fraser in deep conversation with a colleague she remembered the day that they had taken Giles home. “Dr Alexander” she said quietly as his colleague moved away. “I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you?” she asked.

Fraser looked at her worriedly. “Of course, Buffy, come this way” he said, leading her to a small room which had barely enough space for the desk and chairs. He motioned her to sit in one of the chairs and closed the door behind her. “Is everything OK?” he asked quickly and moved to sit on the other side of the desk.

She smiled at him. “Everything’s fine, I was just a bit worried about how you were holding up and thought I would see if you needed any help with anything before tonight”

He seemed a little relieved and smiled slightly at her. “I’m OK, but just a little apprehensive about tonight”

She nodded. “I would be concerned if you weren’t, after all we’re all worried and we’ve been doing this for a lot longer than you” She leaned back in her chair and stared at him thoughtfully. “Is there anything you don’t understand or that I can help you with?”

He settled more comfortably in the chair and looked closely at her. “What happens if it doesn’t work?” he asked and licked his lips nervous “Wh “What happens if Rupert isn’t able to overcome the demon, even with Willow’s help?”

Buffy kept eye contact with him and tried to hide her surprise that he had worked out the one flaw in their plan. “If something happens and Willow and Giles aren’t strong enough to overcome Bolak..” she began and paused to take a deep breath. “Well, one or both of them will become host to him and we would deal with that if it happens.” She finished rather uncertainly and left him to decide how much information he wanted.

“You mean you would kill them” he tried to keep his tone as even as possible and ignored the voice in his head which was telling him how ridiculous this conversation was.

Buffy shook her head. “We wouldn’t kill them” she began then stopped to gather her thoughts. “It’s like someone knocking down a house you once lived in” she explained. “They would be destroying a house, not your house, do you understand”


“We’re not talking mid town property clearances here Buffy, we’re discussing the deliberate murder of two of your closest friends”

She shook her head again. “My friends would already be dead if it gets that far and I would be finishing off the demon who killed them” She leaned forward and took his hand “You need to know that we will take every precaution to stop that ever happening and that Giles and Willow are more than capable of doing this”

Her obvious belief in the sentiment stopped the reply that sprang to mind, instead he leaned forward and patted her hand. “I don’t suppose that I have any right to be more worried about this than you are” he began. “After all, I doubt you would allow them to undertake this task unless you believed they would succeed”

She nodded and smiled slightly. “Damn right I wouldn’t” She decided that she would wait a few years before explaining to the doctor that she couldn’t stop Giles or Willow even if she didn’t believe in them. She knew that he needed to share her apparent faith in their abilities and he didn’t need to know that, if the process failed, Angel would kill Giles before they had a chance to discuss their feelings in the matter. Sadness swept over her as she ran over the potential scenarios for that night, most of which would end with one or more of them dead. She realised the doctor was staring at her and pulled her attention back to the present, after all tomorrow, and the resolution it would bring, would come soon enough.

“So” she pulled herself together. “How are your preparations coming along?”

He knew he wouldn’t be able to get anything more from her in regard to their failure so he tacitly agreed to concentrate on the success of their venture. “I had a long discussion with Wesley last night while we appropriated supplies and he came up with a good idea”

Buffy seemed a little nervous. “His plans haven’t always been his strong suit, what did he suggest”

“It seemed to be a clever way to avoid having to drug the captives for too long. He suggested that we detain them in a mini bus while we drug them and then drive them out of town and leave them somewhere deserted when they come round” he seemed quite pleased when Buffy smiled and stood up to depart.

“Seems like you guys have this all sorted out without me, keep up the good work and I’ll see you and Wesley later this afternoon at Giles’ apartment?” Buffy left the hospital in a slightly more cheerful frame of mind and headed to the mansion to discuss final arrangements with Angel.


Wesley scouted the area around the warehouse surreptitiously, making sure that nobody was aware of his interest. When he had the layout clearly in his mind he returned to the mini-bus and headed towards Angel’s mansion to go over the evening’s plans one last time.

“Angel” he shouted as he pushed open the front door. “I think I’ve got everything we’ll need for tonight” he rounded the corner and saw Buffy sitting in an armchair while Angel came through from the bedroom, still fastening his shirt. “I haven’t interrupted anything have I?” he asked pointedly and looked seriously at Angel.

Angel shook his head slightly and put his hands on his hips. “Buffy and I were doing some training and I was putting on a clean shirt” He motioned to the bag in Wesley’s hand. “Did you get the extra stuff we need?”

“Yes” Wesley replied with a nod to Buffy. “And I’m glad nobody round here knows me any more because the man at the hardware shop now thinks I am a complete pervert”

Buffy looked a little incredulously at Wesley and moved to open the bag he had left on the table. She pulled out a long length of sturdy chain and found several sets of handcuffs caught up in it. “Mr Wyndham Price!” she raised her eyebrows. “What is it with Watchers and handcuffs?” she sighed and pushed the chain back into the bag.

Wesley had turned a very bright red and looked at Angel with his best long suffering expression. “I beg of you, don’t ever tell me about Mr Giles”

Willow stepped out of the shower and grinned at Rupert as he finished drying his hair and pulled on a t-shirt. “Did I ever mention that I was extremely unhappy in Fraser’s car?”

He groaned and threw the wet towel at her. “Perhaps I’ll ask Fraser to borrow it again this weekend onl only if you promise to be gentle with me!”

Willow picked the towel up and twirled it in the air. “Aren’t I always?” she asked sweetly.

“I nearly dislocated my shoulder in the kitchen and you nearly drowned me in the shower and that’s you being gentle?” he asked incredulously as he moved to hug her.


She wriggled out of his grasp. “I’m still all wet and you promised me lunch” she put her hand on his chest and pushed him away. “You had better be back with a triple decker club sandwich by the time I’m dressed or I’ll start being not gentle with you for real”

He held his hands up in surrender and picked up his car keys from the bedside table. She smiled dreamily as she heard the front door slam shut downstairs. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy. Even when she allowed her mind to wander to the danger they were placing themselves in that night, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling of extreme well being which washed over her with every breath. “Probably a bad sign” she sighed. “If this were a movie he’d have crashed the car by now and I’d be a lonely and bitter old woman for the rest of my life”. She looked at herself in the mirror before getting dressed. “Nope” she murmured. “No bitterness and definitely not old yet”

Willow was in the kitchen straightening up the furniture and clearing away the debris from their recent happies when he returned. Giles dumped the bag of sandwiches on the counter and gently placed two large take out cups of coffee next to them. “Come and get it” he announced as he took his jacket off and sat at the counter.

“Just a second” Willow mumbled as she finished levelling off the fridge. “That’s better” she announced as she took a step back and cocked her head to the side to gauge the results.

“Your coffee will get cold” he admonished and handed her the plastic cup.

Willow sighed as she finished her sandwich and tidied the paper bags into the trash. “So, what delights have you planned for the rest of the day?” she asked him.

“Ah” he said in a slightly worried tone. “I’m not sure how to tell you this but Buffy, Wesley, Xander and Fraser will be here in about three hours.”

“What” she turned towards him with an annoyed look on her face. “Why on earth are they coming here again I thought we were all meeting up at the warehouse later”

He moved to hug her. “I know darling but they just want to go over a couple of points” He took a step back and looked at her unhappy face. “Perhaps I could call Buffy and get her to put it off for another hour or so?”


“No, it’s OK, I guess” Willow sighed dramatically. “But tomorrow we had better be left well and truly alone” she ended with a definitive nod of her head.

“If tonight goes as planned I’m sure we’ll be too exhausted to get up to anything tomorrow” he smiled and pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the sofa. “Willow” he started then sighed. “I’m not really sure how to say this but I need you to know that you are the best thing to happen to me in a very long time indeed and I plan on having many happy years with you” he stopped a little uncertainly.

Willow had moved off of his lap to sit on the armchair across from him. “I know what you’re trying to say Rupert and I love you too, but nothing is going to go wrong tonight” He started to shake his head and was about to speak when she stood up and began to pace in front of him. “I mean it Rupert, after all, this demon has only ever dealt with a Watcher or a Slayer, never with an entire team of people and never with two people so adept in the use of magic and we will overcome this threat”

“I know that” he agreed. “I’m just worried that he may have a trick or two up his sleeve and that I won’t be able to deal with him. I also worry, with some justification, that he may be able to last for a considerable amount of time outside of a host body and that we will not be able to maintain the joining for long enough to defeat him and ….”

Willow interrupted. “Before you get into your “dance of worry” you should know that you sound just like the old Giles” she smiled sweetly at him.

Buffy and Wesley arrived a couple of hours later and found Willow and Giles relaxing in the waning evening sun. “Glad to see you’re relaxing before the big game” Buffy smiled at both of them and signalled to Willow to join her inside.

Wesley sighed “May I” he asked before sitting on the chair Willow had vacated. “How are your preparations going for this evening?” he asked and turned to look at Giles.

“Apparently I have returned to my pre-amnesia status of being a Big Watcher Worrier” Giles quoted and sighed. He took his sunglasses off to look at the younger man. “We have achieved a high level of joining on three separate occasions, with the last effort lasting for some three hours, and I think we are as ready as we can be under the circumstances”


“I don’t wish to dwell on the gloomy side of things but I have agreed with Angel that Fraser, Xander and I will remove the captives from the vicinity and I’ll make sure we are away for as long as possible” Wesley explained hurriedly to Giles, looking anxiously to ensure Willow hadn’t returned. “Should anything go wrong Angel will be with you and Buffy will be with Willow, can you think of any other precautions we should take?”

“Just make it quick” Giles looked straight into Wesley’s eyes. “And make damn sure that there is no way back for either of us”

“Understood” Wesley nodded. “I’m sorry Willow, please have your chair back” he smiled at her as if the previous conversation hadn’t taken place. Willow blushed slightly and couldn’t make eye contact with the young Watcher. “You told her didn’t you” he wearily asked Buffy.

Buffy’s face was a picture of innocence “I merely explained that the proper precautions for securing the bad guys were in place” She turned to stare straight at Giles. “I also may have suggested that you would have some second hand handcuffs for sale by tomorrow night”

Giles kept eye contact and smiled lazily “Usual staff discount?” he asked sweetly and smirked as Buffy stared open mouthed at him in surprise.

“Willow said you were back to full on Giles” she finally laughed. “But I’m definitely still getting new Rupert”

Fraser arrived about twenty minutes later to find everyone lounging in the apartment, listening to music and talking about nothing in particular. It was obvious to all of them that he was very keyed up and seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Wesley and Giles made eye contact and both stood up at the same time. “Would you mind going over the properties of the sedative you are using one more time for Rupert’s sake” Wesley asked and led the other two into the kitchen.

Buffy smiled at Willow “I think the Watcher Boys are glad to have a new guy to amaze with their mastery of all things weird”

Willow shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at the three men in the kitchen, poring over a small black bag. “I don’t know about you but I’ll be glad when this is finally over and we can all get back to normal”

Buffy stood up to refill her glass. “This is normal for us Willow, you’re the one who’s been acting weird recently” she smiled to take the sting out of her words. “By the way what happened to Giles’ shoulder?”


“Did he tell you?” Willow asked and was aware of the blush rising to roots of hair.

Buffy laughed at the reaction she had provoked. “He didn’t have to, he’s been moving his arm kind of funny since we got here and I know I didn’t damage the goods at our last training session”

Willow groaned as she realised she had as good as admitted her guilt by the extremely guilty look on her face. “He tried to stop something falling off the kitchen counter and he kind of twisted and jolted his shoulder” she finished on a note of certainty and almost believed the story herself.

“Next time he should just let you fall” Buffy whispered in her ear and then turned to see Xander coming through the door. “Don’t worry I won’t traumatise Xander by telling him”

Xander tried to ignore the blush and giggles from Willow as he was fairly sure they related to Watcher sex and he had just eaten. “Dead guy should be here soon, the sun has just set”

Angel tapped him on the shoulder “Can’t you get some new lines?” he asked wearily and shook his head as Xander nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Don’t do that” he exclaimed wildly and clutching his heart, staggered to the nearest seat.

Angel nodded to Buffy and Willow and joined the three men in the kitchen. “Everythin?” h?” he asked and Wesley nodded. “We should probably get started in that case, we don’t have much time”

Suddenly the tension mounted in the room as everyone stood up and prepared to leave. When everyone was installed in the mini-bus Wesley pulled away and turned to speak to Fraser. “I understand you are the proud owner of a Spitfire?” he asked and smiled at Fraser’s nod of agreement. “They are beautiful cars, my father used to own one and he would occasionally let me drive it”

Buffy sniggered and leaned across to whisper in Giles ear. “I told you he was mini Giles”. He pretended to ignore her but smiled a little to himself.

Fraser nodded again. “I would be happy for you to take it for a spin tomorrow” he suggested to Welsey and then coughed a little as he realised that talk of tomorrow may be a bad omen.

“That reminds me” Rupert tapped him on the shoulder. “Would it be possible to arrange a weekend hire of the car for the end of the month”


Fraser realised that Rupert was reassuring him that forward planning was allowed and he smiled in appreciation. “You mean you have another young woman you want to impress?”

“Same old woman as before I’m afraid” Rupert smiled and then grunted as Willow elbowed him in the ribs.

“Hey be careful with him” Buffy suggested. “I need him relatively fit for training on Saturday”

Willow was about to protest when Angel cleared his throat. “We’re nearly there, perhaps Buffy and I should slip out and do a little recon?” he suggested.

Wesley pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and watched both of them leave from the rear door. When they had disappeared into the rapidly darkening night he pulled out again and eventually parked a block away from the warehouse.

Xander had moved to sit just behind Wesley and peered out of the windscreen at the corner of the warehouse. “I’ll skulk manfully in that doorway over there and count them all in. Once we’re sure they have a full compliment you can move to the alley behind the warehouse”

“Xander be careful” Giles said quietly. “Remember they may have perimeter guards this time around” Xander nodded and quietly shut the door behind him.

Wesley scrunched down in his seat and adjusted the mirrors so that he had a view of the immediate area around the mini bus. “So, Dr Alexander, how are you enjoying your first stake out?” he asked and turned a little to look at Rupert with a smile.

“If they are all as quiet as this I think I’ll get used to them” Fraser murmured and moved to sit directly behind Welsey. They conversed quietly and ignored Giles and Willow, who had moved to the rear seats.

“I hate this waiting around” Willow whispered fiercely and tried to stretch her legs out as she scrunched down in her seat as well.

“I know darling” Rupert whispered and took her hands in his own. “It would be more bearable if those two hadn’t remained with us” he suggested and nodded his head towards Wesley and Fraser.

“Rupert” Willow laughed quietly. “You are worse than Xander”


He leaned across and kissed her gently. “I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart” he breathed in her ear. “I also love you with most of the rest of my body and I need you to promise me one thing”

Willow shivered as she felt his breath across her neck. “Anything darling”

“I need you to promise that, if I ever get amnesia again, you will kiss me until I remember this moment of perfect happiness with you” he put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.

Willow leaned into his neck and nibbled his earlobe. “And if I ever get amnesia you are hereby allowed to do much more than kiss me, and I don’t care what Fraser says”

Buffy appeared at the window beside Wesley and murmured quickly to him before disappearing in Xander’s direction. Fraser seemed to tense a little and turned to face the couple behind him. “Sorry to interrupt” he began apologetically. “Buffy’s just checking with Xander but she thinks they are all inside the warehouse”

Rupert sat up and squeezed Willow’s hand before moving forward. “Let’s move to the alley behind the warehouse and you can sort out your equipment Fraser”

Moments later Willow stood outside the warehouse with Giles and held both of his hands in hers. “I’ll start a low level joining once we have the last blue cloak out and you know you only need to think about the deeper connection to bring me fully online”

He leaned down and kissed her for several moments. “If I tell you to cut the connection you must promise me that you will” he whispered quietly in her ear so that the others wouldn’t hear. “If I can’t defeat him I won’t have you sacrificing yourself in an attempt to save me”

Willow took a deep breath and stared him straight in the eye. “You know I can’t promise you anything like that but I can promise you that I won’t let Bolak defeat either of us”

Hook ook his head and hugged her to him. “Buffy needs at least one of us to survive this encounter and we have to try and think logically about this”

Willow sighed. “One day you will learn not to discuss logical matters while hugging your girlfriend” she stood away from him and stepped back towards the mini bus. “Now go in there and kick some demon butt and try not to get that sweater messy, I’ve always liked it”


Giles shook his head as he walked away to find Buffy. “Ready?” Buffy asked when he walked up to the small gathering. When he nodded his assent she turned to Xander and Wesley. “Let’s go”.

Angel was standing by the rear door of the warehouse and motioned towards the fire escape. Buffy nodded and he started up the stairs silently. Giles and Xander stood on either side of the door and Wesley stood a little behind Buffy. She checked with all of them before taking a couple of steps back and kicking the door. It swung on its one remaining hinge as the four of them moved quickly into the loading bay. Two cult followers were rushing to investigate the noise and they were quickly dealt with as Buffy and Xander hit them both once before heading further into the warehouse. Giles and Wesley dragged the unconscious forms out to the back door and left them for Willow and Fraser to begin the sedative injections. Both men headed back inside and joined in with the general melee that was occurring around a pentagram marked out on the floor. With the arrival of the two ex Watchers and Angel the bulk of the resistance crumpled and Xander and Wesley began dragging bodies back to the rear of the building. Angel and Buffy were checking some of the small rooms set off from the main warehouse area and reported back quite quickly that they had checked them all and found one locked. Giles nodded and headed in that direction with Angel while Buffy went to help the others with the unconscious cult followers.

When she arrived at the back door she found Xander and We bus busy dragging two more bodies into the mini bus while Willow helped Fraser inject the remaining six unconscious forms. “Is that the last one?” Willow asked as she saw Buffy exit the building.

Buffy shook her head. “Angel and Giles are heading for the locked room where the cult leader and Bolak must be”. She took over from Willow as the witch moved to a small pile of boxes and got herself comfortable in the lotus position before closing her eyes and taking deep, calming breaths.

Ten minutes later, amid much muttering and cursing from Wesley, Xander and Buffy the inert bodies were all safely buckled and manacled into the mini bus and Fraser was gathering his supplies together. Wesley nodded to Buffy and they walked a little way off. “Once Angel brings out the last one I’ll try to take them as far out as I can before Xander gets suspicious. I think I should be able to keep them away for the next couple of hours” He met her eyes and took a deep breath. “Rupert asked if you could make it quick” he kept eye contact until he saw her nod slightly.


“Wesley” Buffy said quietly as he walked away. “I won’t need to do this, they will defeat him”. He nodded and headed back towards the others. Buffy settled down next to Willow and silently prayed that she would never have to test her resolve by dealing with a demon-infected Willow.

Giles was aware of the hairs on the back of his next rising and a soft tickle behind his right ear. He smiled slightly to himself at the knowledge of Willow’s presence in his mind and took a deep breath, nodding to Angel who promptly kicked down the locked door.

Angel strode into the room and faced the two occupants “Knock, knock” he said and headed towards the cult leader in the red robes.

The other occupant of the room surprised Giles as he appeared to be a young boy, perhaps fourteen years old. However, he didn’t have much time to register his surprise before the boy jumped onto Angel’s back and began raining blows on the vampire. Giles quickly strode forward and pulled him away from the two men. The boy turned, yelling “Let go of me” and kicked out at Giles. Giles grimaced slightly before punching the boy in the jaw and gently lowering his unconscious body to the floor.

Angel picked up the leader and slung him over his shoulders. “Are you OK while I take this guy out to the others?” he asked and disappeared when Giles nodded.

Angel put the last body straight into the mini bus and stood out of the way as Fraser injected him and Xander secured his handcuffs. “You should get started” he said to Wesley and nodded to Buffy. “We have the present host, Giles will be starting the ritual soon”

Buffy nodded and moved quickly to his side. “Be careful” she said quietly and Angel nodded in understanding that it wasn’t him she was worried about.

When Angel returned to the room he found Giles sitting at a chair with his feet resting on the desk in front of him. “He’s so young but we should have expected that” he said quietly and rubbed his hands over his face.

Angel seemed a little confused until he noticed the young man lying on the floor next to the desk. “I suppose a stray dog is more likely to make a connection with a young boy than anyone else” Angel murmured and took his jacket off. “Wesley and the guys have headed out with the others and Willow and Buffy are ready outside”


Giles sighed and stood up to remove his own jacket. “I know, I can sense Willow already” he moved round the desk and looked down on the boy’s face, a dark bruise already showing where he had hit him. “Let’s get this over and done with” he suggested and turned away.

Angel leaned over the unconscious form and Giles heard the loud snap as the vampire twisted the boy’s head quickly. Angel stood up and moved to the other side of the small room. “He’s all yours” he said quietly and leaned against the wall.

“The young ones are always the worst” Giles sighed and settled inhe lhe lotus position on the floor beside the body. “Right you bastard, come and play with someone your own size” he said quietly before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

The first thing he felt was Willow’s presence, sitting quietly at the furthest reaches of his mind and the feeling settled his nerves a little. After a few minutes he was aware of a different energy gently probing his mind and prepared himself to set out the welcome mat. A warm feeling of well being began to spread all over his body and he started taking deep, steady breaths while he faked the normal emotions of a new host meeting a demon for the first time. He felt rather proud of his ability to portray fear, uncertainty and a little bit of curiosity all at the same time.

As Bolak sensed the new host’s willingness to go further he began spreading powerful feelings of euphoria throughout Giles’ mind. This seemed to be the way that hosts were attracted to the joining but Giles could sense, underneath the happy feelings that were being generated, the demon’s anger at having his joining ceremony disturbed and the necessity to find another part time host. He hoped that this would distract the demon, after all, he reasoned to himself, Bolak couldn’t be that choosy right now as there wasn’t another prospective host within reach.

Angel pulled a chair over as quietly as he could and settledn ton to watch the silent battle going on within his friend’s mind. A small smile was playing over Giles’ face and Angel wondered what he could possibly be finding to smile about right now.


Giles felt fabulous and allowed a large part of his mind to be overtaken by the sensations currently coursing through his body. It had been a long time since he had received this much pleasure from magical sources and he smiled lazily as he allowed the demon to think he was being engulfed by it. After several minutes he sensed a darker force running as an undercurrent and realised that the demon had taken the bait and was preparing to transfer his essence. This was nearly the prime moment of weakness for the demon and Giles opened himself a little more to ensure a false feeling of superiority persuaded the demon to hurry the transfer along.

Buffy strode to the end of the alleyway and back again, making sure they wouldn’t have any unexpected visitors. She peered anxiously at Willow who seemed extremely relaxed and even had a dreamy smile playing across her lips. Buffy sighed and decided to check the end of the alley again.

Willow was getting an overflow of euphoria from Giles and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. She kept reminding herself that she needed to keep on the edge of the action until after the transfer had begun and resigned herself to waiting a little longer. She trusted Giles to let her know when he needed help and she wouldn’t ruin the carefully constructed plan by rushing into things. After all, she reminded herself, she wanted this demon gone more than ae ele else.

Bolak could sense the new host’s mind opening a little further for him and was surprised at the ease with which he was overcoming the minor resistance. Had the circumstances been slightly different he might have checked the transfer and taken some time to consider the situation, however, he didn’t have the luxury of time. The young boy who had been his temporary host had bgivegiven a mild sedative to calm him down in the run up to the transfer ceremony and Bolak had felt the residual effects as he relaxed his hold and began preparations for the transfer of his essence into the carefully chosen host body. He was distracted by thoughts of his vengeance over this particular slayer and promised himself that the coming battle would end her tenure as the chosen one for good. When the attack came he had been unable to regain a sufficient hold over boy’boy’s actions to stop his injury and eventual death. The portion of his mind that was overseeing the transfer was now fully immersed in the final part of the initial stage and Bolak felt his essence begin to leave the boy’s corpse and channel towards the new host.

Giles held his breath as he felt the presence of Bolak drip into his mind like icy drops of water. He carefully monitored the progress until he knew the point of no return had been reached. A tiny part of his mind, kept carefully hidden until this time, signalled to Willow that the full joining should now begin and he concentrated on shutting the open door which Bolak was using to enter his psyche.


They had discussed what this would feel like and Willow was aware of Giles’ mental picture of the door closing while Bolak frantically tried to find where the resistance was coming from. Willow gently pushed behind Giles’ and felt him acknowledge her presence and use the strength she was now offering to mount a much stronger defence.

Bolak was caught unawares and realised almost too late what wappenppening. However, he was an eight hundred year old demon who did this for a living so he knew how to fight dirty. Regaining some control over the process he ensured that the transfer could continue slowly behind his defences while he mounted his retaliation. The feelings of euphoria he had been using to mask his takeover bid were abruptly cut off and replaced by sharp jolts of pain directed at the same areas. He felt the new host weaken slightly at this sudden change and pushed further into his mind to ensure the pain he was now offering up was felt in as many different areas as possible.

Angel stood up from the chair quickly as he saw Giles slump forwards and suddenly turn sheet white but he knew he wouldn’t interfere for a while yet to give Giles and Willow a chance to end this as planned.

Willow was aware of the pain beinted ted out to Giles and was also aware of the barrier he had erected to protect her from the worst effects. She pushed a little harder with her mind and felt Giles steady himself before the continuing onslaught. She was surprised that the next attack from Giles concentrated on the transfer still taking place instead of cutting off the attacks of pain but she knew that Giles was the expert in this situation and tried to find a way to back him up.

Giles knew he was experiencing agony in every part of his body but had managed to tune out the worst of it and was instead working to break down the defences around Bolak’s transfer. Gently probing the wall of protection he suddenly found a small flaw in one of the spells and set about removing the defensive wall one brick at a time. He was proceeding slowly but surely when the pain suddenly decreased and he was left a little off balance for a moment. He felt Willow’s presence within him increase a little and knew that she had broken through his barrier and was taking the brunt of the pain away from hime che checked to make sure that she had done so without alerting Bolak and was reassured that the demon thought he was s dea dealing with only one host mind. Taking a deep breath he returned to the laborious task of breaking down the protection spells one by one.


Buffy had just returned from another mini patrol of the alley when Willow suddenly tensed and grimaced. Buffy put out her hand to stop her falling forwards and was relived when the young witch shook her head and sat upright again. However, the look of pain on her face remained and Willow clenched her hands tightly in her lap.

Buffy returned from checking the alleyway one more time and checked on Willow again. The witch still wore an expression of considerable pain and Buffy noticed sweat starting to form on her brow. Buffy reached out and wiped the sweat away from Willow’s eyes. She was surprised when Willow opened here eyes and focussed on Buffy. “Help me” Willow said quietly and held her hands out. Buffy nodded and grasped her hands in both of her own, taking a deep breath when Willow tightened her grip.

Giles felt the pain he was experiencing drop a little further and knew that Willow was channelling most of the punishing energy away from him. He didn’t have time, however, to worry about how she was coping with this as he was almost finished breaking down one of the protection spells surrounding the transfer procedure. He paused, knowing that he would have to move quickly and precisely once he had broken through as Bolak would only take a few seconds to realise what was happening and secure his defences again.

Angel checked his watch, surprised that an hour and a half had passed since Giles had started the process. He stood up and walked around Giles, going into the corridor and checking that they didn’t have any unexpected company. Satisfied that they were still alone in the warehouse he moved back to his chair and continued his silent vigil in the hope that Giles and Willow would be able to complete their task before they ran out of time.

Xander sighed and looked at Wesley again. “Why did we have to bring thet tht this far?”

Wesley kept his eyes on the road. “Because we want them to have a long, painful walk back to Sunnydale during which they can ponder their life choices”

Fraser turned round after checking on the captive nearest to him. “I think we should try to find somewhere soon, they are about to wake up”

Wesley nodded and pointed to a cluster of old farm buildings about a mile off of the r “W “We should be able to use those buildings to unload them”

Xander mumbled again “About time” and flexed his fists. “We need to get back in case Willow or Giles needs our help”


Fraser looked up quickly and then turned his gaze onto Wesley. A sudden understanding lit up his eyes and he drew his breath in sharply. Wesley met his gaze in the rear view mirror and knew that the Doctor had seen through his motivation for the long drive. “Everything OK back there Doctor?” he asked quietly, praying that Fraser would think their position through before answering him. If the doctor gave him away now he knew Xander would leave him out here handcuffed to the cult members.

Fraser took his time answering him. He looked at Xander quickly and then back to Wesley. “Yes, everything’s fine, I’m just worried about the others”

Wesley silently blessed the fact that Giles had found someone so quick on the uptake to divulge their secret to. He pulled the van up next to the largest building and quickly jumped out to help the others unload the captives. During the process he found the opportunity to put his hand on Fraser’s shoulder and squeeze it gently, letting the doctor know that he appreciated his silence.

Giles took a deep breath and braced himself before removing the last thread in the flawed protection spell. As the spell broke down he quickly entered into the inner mind of the demon and began attacking with a ferocity that caused Bolak to recoil as if a flame-thrower had suddenly been introduced into the equation. However, the demon quickly tried to regroup, surprised by the resistance but still confident in his abilities.

Willow sensed the slight weakening in the demon’s attack and immediately threw all of her resources behind Giles’. The pain she had been channelling from Giles stopped and she let go of Buffy’s hands so quickly that the slayer stumbled backwards. Although she was getting tired she sensed that the end was near and drew inner strength that she immediately fed to Giles.

Angel sensed a change in the silent battle taking place in front of him and immediately became alert. Giles, who had been sitting with his head bowed, suddenly sat up and stared straight ahead. His fists clenched in his lap and an evil grin took over the pensive look on his face. Angel raised an eyebrow and knew that the Watcher was winning the battle, for now anyway.

Giles felt the tendrils of power from the demon slowly wither and slide from his brain. The power that he was receiving from Willow was more than he had ever felt before and he knew the demon had lost the foothold he had. He sensed an anger building within Bolak and had his defences ready even before the final onslaught began.


Buffy took a deep breath and gently massaged her fingers. Whatever strength Willow had needed before she had been happy to help, but she guessed that the witch and watcher were now in command of the situation. She watched as Willow took several deep breaths and a look of deep concentration fell over her face. Remembering their exposed situation Buffy decided that a quick check of the alley was called for and she set out, confident that Willow had the situation well in hand.

Bolak felt a rising panic as he felt his strength begin to fade. He had been without the resources of a host for too long and he couldn’t understand where the completely unexpected resistance was coming from. A part of his being quickly detached itself from the battle and reached out, trying to find any warm blooded host to allow him to escape and recoup.

Angel sensed the demon’s presence spreading throughout the room and readied himself for the final battle.

Giles knew that the demon was weakening and pressed his advantage, reclaiming all of the parts of his mind previously taken over. When the demon no longer had a presence within his mind he acknowledged Willow and checked that she was also free of any connection to Bolak. “I’m fine” he heard her say in his mind and smiled at her exultant spirit. He sent her a psychic kiss and broke the contact between them. After a deep breath at the loss or por power he opened his eyes and saw Angel, standing in front of him looking worried. “It’s over, he’s all yours” he managed before leaning back against the wall and fainting.

Willow smiled a little then slumped in Buffy’s arms, exhausted. Buffy shook her gently, “Will, are you OK, did we do it?” she asked, getting more exasperated at the lack of information.

Willow eventually shook her head to clear it and smiled up at the slayer. “Giles did it, Angel’s just clearing up the ectoplasmic goo”

“Way to go Will” Buffy shouted and put her hand up for a high five, quickly replacing it on the witch’s shoulder as she slumped forward again.

Bolak’s essence was floating in the middle of the room. It bee been almost five hundred years since he had been without a host for any length of time and he knew that the situation was desperate. The last time he had resorted to the only other living thing within reach and had spent five years trapped within a mountain goat. Now even that ridiculous situation seemed a happy memory. Just when he had resigned himself to lying dormant and waiting for another cult to resut hit him he felt the tug of another demon nearby. Reaching out with his failing strength he made contact with the demon and asked for help.


Angel smiled slightly as his demon found the invisible essence of Bolak and persuaded it to show itself. As soon as the luminescence appeared Angel reached into his pocket and removed the small bag gingerly. Trying not to spill any of the contents he opened the top of the bag and concentrated on the glowing presence in front of him. When he was sure of its position he emptied the contents of the bag over the pulsing light. He dropped to his knees as the psychic scream from Bolak transmitted through his demon connection before stopping as abruptly as it had begun. The whitish light in front of him broke up into a thousand tiny points of light, each one of which winked out of existence in a blinding flash. After several seconds of silence he stood up and wiped his hands of the remainder of the powder. Gathering his jacket from the back of the chair he turned and picked Giles up.

Buffy was helping Willow to drink from a bottle of water when Angel appeared with Giles in his arms. For a heart stopping moment she thought the worst then grinned as Giles started to stir and Angel deposited him on the packing cases beside Willow. “Bad guy dusted?” Buffy asked and looked relieved when Angel smiled and nodded.

Willow raised herself up on one elbow and grimaced slightly. “Hey you” she murmured, using her free hand to push Giles’ hair off of his forehead. “We did it” she said quietly and leaned across to kiss him gently.

“Indeed” he smiled and traced her jaw with his left hand. “Are you alright?”

She grinned and stretched her back slightly. “A bit stiff but nothing that a lazy couple of days in bed won’t cure” she waggled her eyebrows.

He groaned and Buffy moved to his side. “Are you OK Giles?” she asked worriedly and helped him sit up.

“I’ll be fine, but I need you to promise me one thing” he asked and held her hand.

Buffy glanced anxiously at Willow and Angel. “Anything, you know that Giles” she whispered.

“I want you to promise me that nothing will disturb Willow and I for the next three days, even if you have to stand guard outside the apartment” he sighed and finally let himself smile.

Buffy looked incredulously between them and then dropped his hand in digust.