A Very Ordinary Evil

Part 27 Follow the Lieder


The following evening, preparing for surveillance at the Bronze.


Spike looked down at all the equipment that Xander had ‘requisitioned’ from the military. “Bloody hell Chubs, you don’t do things by halves, do you.”

Xander grinned tightly in return. “Well, it’s really all mine anyway. My taxes paid for this, it’s only fair that I get to keep some of them, right?”

Willow laughed. “Goddess Xand, that’s twisted, even by your normal standards of logic.”

The brunette grinned at his closest friend saying, “It’s always been far more advanced than your Earth logic Wills, just deal with it.” The grin widened for a moment and the petite redhead joined in, remembering the first time that Xander had used that line. “It’s okay. We’ll alwhavehave these little moments, remembering the old Buffy.”

Spike looked blankly at them, and Willow explained. “Xander first made that joke just after you had kidnapped us to get the love spell done. It just brought some memories back.”

“Oh, pet. I’m so sorry. About the memories, not the kidnapping.” Spike grinned and then winked at his lover as he continued. “In fact, re-enacting half of that could be a lot of fun. The half where I kidnap youI wouldn’t kidnap Chubs again if you paid me.”

Willow laughed joyfully, while Xander looked simultaneously relieved and offended. Anya appeared rather put out. “Xander’s not good enough for you nowadays?”

“He never was. I wouldn’t eat him if I was starving. I’d get diabetes.”

The look on Anya’s face grew decidedly offended. “He works hard, he needs carbohydrates. Anyway I think he looks more than delicious enough to eat.”

Giles looked at the playfully squabbling quartet, and then grinned over at Cordelia. “Should we leave the children to play, while we work out the plans?”

Cordelia flashed a dazzling smile back at Giles. “Let’s. Assuming, of course, that Xander and Anya run to tea and a teapot. I couldn’t cope with teabags. We need something to get our brains working and relax our nerves after that little performance.”

“Do you think they’d also run to some biscuits? Bourbons would be nice.” Giles was joining in, utterly oblivious to the flirtatious nature of the interaction. “Y’know, Cordelia, I haven’t had a Bourbon for years.”

Spike couldn’t resist the opening. “Nor’ve I, Ripper. The last one was a cadet member of the Orleans line back in … 1912 I think it was.” Giles looked at Spike, shocked, and Xander was openly appalled. Cordelia seemed oblivious while Willow and Anya began to giggle. Spike just grinned at his little redhead and winked.

“That really was a ghastly pun Spike.” Willow spoke somewhat scoldingly to her lover as s' hs' head snapped around to look at Willow. He quirked an eyebrow, as if to ask ‘are you sure he’s joking?’ Willow looked levelly at Spike as she sought the confirmation. “It was a pun, wasn’t it?”

“’Course it was pet. I hate France. Wouldn’t go there for love or money.” Willow’s answering smile was in a minority. Giles exasperation, Xander’s distaste and Anya’s disappointment outnumbered it. Spike looked puzzled. “What? C’mon people. I’m ‘evil’ remember. Plus, it wasn’t like I was joking about real life individuals. I was joking about the French! And French royalty at that!”

Giles looked at Spike and blinked a couple of times, then, in spite of himself began to giggle. At the looks he received from the others, he explained, somewhat shamefacedly. “I’m sorry, you have to be English to really understand that joke.”

“Be that as it may,” Willow said sternly, “I think we should change the subject entirely. Xander, do you have enough radios for everyone?” In response tndernder’s nod, she continued. “How many sets of night vision goggles did you get Xand?”

“I couldn’t get any, sorry Wills. They didn’t keep them in stock at the depot.”

Willow nodded, thinking hard as she replied, soat aat absent-mindedly. “That means Spike’ll have to trail her in the dark. Did you get any tasers?”

“Not a hope, I didn’t know what they were, even when I was ‘soldier-boy’.” Xander’s answer carried a certain amount of chagrin. He knew now just how efficient they were as immobilising weapons.

“So, we just have radios then. We’ll have to make do.” Spike’s tone was flat, almost chilling in it’s implied ruthlessness. “I want this over,” he continued. “As long as Willow’s in danger, either directly or because she’s with me, I’ll be on edge. So let’s do it.”

* * * *

Willow and Spike lurked just outside the entrance to the Bronze. Cordelia and Xander, both being able to recognise Holly, each covered one end of the alley, Xander with Anya, and Cordelia with Giles. Looking at her lover, the little redhead sighed. “Y’know, at this rate I’ll never learn how to fight properly.”

Spike grinned down and pulled Willow in close. “Don’t worry at it pet, we’ll get a break soon, and we can start then. And, don’t forget you promised you’d teach me to hack as well.”

“I hadn’t. I just didn’t get that far in my thoughts.” Willow curled in tight against the blond vampire, wrapping her arms about his waist as a defence from the chilly night. Just as she did so, a stretch limousine pulled up opposite the club entrance. From the angle they were at, they could not tell who had just gone inside, and Willow decided to follow them. Leaving Spike with the radio, she headed inside, mingling easily with the crowd and sliding in undetected.

Willow manoeuvered skillfully through the crowd, pleased that her ‘Not Here’ spellwhich she had termed it for want of a better namewas serving her well. It took her some time to reach the small coterie that had left the limousine, but when she eventually did, she was shocked. She saw Holly Charleston, surrounded by two very tough looking vampires, a smaller, ruddy complected demon with four vestigial horns and, lastly, two large men who appeared human but also looked exceptionally violent. Carefully, she memorised the positions of the group, noting that Holly was in the centre and also acting very much as the group leader.

The smaller ruddy-faced demon leaned over and whispered something to Holly. Both she and the demon started to scan the crowd, appearing to search for something or someone. Hoping that they would remain there for a while, Willow slipped away. Once outside again, she spoke to Spike. “They’re in there. There’s Holly, two big vamps, two guys who look human and really tough and a smaller demon, four horns, red face. Oh, and the tops of his ears flopped over.”

“Bloody hell pet, next time, at least tell me what you’re up to!” Spike was shaking with a combination of anger and fear.

The little witch looked up, suddenly apprehensive, at her Master. “I’m sorry Sir!” Her slip into the speech pattern went unnoticed by either. “ I didn’t even think. It just crossed my mind that we couldn’t see who that group were. And I was right, thank the Goddess. Now, let’s call the others in and talk about what to do.”

Spike sighed and nodded. “Okay pet. But … if you ever do something like that to me again, once I’ve calmed down, I’ll take to you in a way that’ll guarantee you won’t sit for a month. Is that crystal clear?”

“Y-you aren’t going to punish me this time?” Willow’s voice was trembling with a combination of relief and disappointment.

“Wouldn’t be right pet. Firstly, I’m too angry to do it properly at the moment. Second, I’d never given you any instruction or order that covered the situation. Now, seeing as you weren’t breaking any rules, I can’t punish you for it. On the other hand, if you felt a need to be punished, then you could always ask me. For now though, little one, call the others in.”

Willow lifted the radio to her lips and spoke, as she had been shown, slowly and clearly. Finishing, she shut the radio off, and pocketed it. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Dunno yet pet. All I can tell you though, is that impromptu reconnaissance you did worries me. There’s something about that little demon you saw which I just can’t remember.” Spike’s brow furrowed intensely as he racked his brain.

Once the others had arrived, Spike asked Willow to fill them all in on what she had seen. Cordelia looked at them all. “We’ve got a hell of a problem then. That demonI can’t remember what the species is calledis empathic. He would’ve sensed Willow looking for Holly.”

Giles nodded, ruefully. “I’ve heard of them too, Cordelia. They’re called … errrr … damn, I can’t remember either; but yes, they’re empathic.”

“We’ll just have to deal with it then.” Spike spoke decisively as he continued to think whilst collecting information. “Huntress, how good are they at reading feelings? How close do they have to be? How strongly can they do it? Can they read thoughts as well?”

Cordelia looked overwhelmed by Spike’s demands for information. She drew a breath as she thought how best to answer. “Well … the one who abducted me … could pick my feelings up well enough to guess at my thoughts pretty well. He could do it from across a room, too. Does that help?” Cordelia’s head quirked to the right as she answered. A gesture, Willow thought, that she had not seen since high school.

Spike considered this, and as he looked around, he began to turn ideas over in his head. “I wonder if we can use this somehow? Use the fact that they detect people seeking her by their emotions?” He spoke more to himself than to the group, but aloud, tacitly encouraging input.

“Lover,” Willow began cautiously, “I didn’t have a chance to tell you yet, but I used a new spell I’ve been working on. I call it ‘Not Here’, and it makes me sort of … forgettable, I suppose. It meant that I could get inside unseen, and although he looked for me, he didn’t see me.”

Spike began to smile slowly, and started to sketch a plan out in his mind. “Did anyone get the number plate of the limo? Bugger!” Spike cursed mildly at hearing the joint answers of no. “Never mind, we can find out easily enough. How about we retreor tor the night and make some plans?” A chorus of agreement met him, although he suspected that the unseasonably chilly night may have had something to do with that, rather than wanting to plan further.

* * * *

Spike led a chilly group into the apartment. The gang had gathered at his and Willow’s residence, it being the closest to The Bronze. As he ushered them in, he took on the mantle of host. “Please, all of you, sit down. Willow and I will fix drinks very shortly.”

Giles accepted Spike’s behaviour without batting an eyelid, the others, however, were openly agog. They had never seen the urbane nineteenth century gentleman that Spike could be when he chose.

In short order, Spike had everyone ensconced in chairs or on lounges, with drinks, cold or warm, in their hands. “Now,” Spike began, a little uncertainly, “we’re going to have to make a plan for this. I do not like the sound of her bodyguards. I have some ideas for dealing with the empath demon already. It’s the rest I’m more concerned about. Recapping what Red here saw, there seem to be two humans and two vamps. Being members of the Order, they’ll be tough, cunning and mean.”

Giles cleared his throat quietly and began to speak. “We need to divide their forces, take the vampires away from the humans. Spike can probably deal with the vampires, while the rest of us handle the living. Before we start making plans though, Spike, what’s your idea for dealing with the empath?”

“Red told me earlier how she managed to avoid the empath. She’s been working on a new spell; it’s not invisibility, but a way of being inconspicuous, unnoticeable. She said the empath couldn’t see her although he did sense her desire to find Holly, so I’m thinking she should perhaps lead him on a wild goose chase, taking away their early warning system. I’d want someone tagging along with Red though. Just in case.”

The whole group began to think. They had a number of tasks to complete simultaneously; they had to distract the empath, separate and defeat both the vampire and the human bodyguards and also quietly capture and abduct Holly Charleston. Four tasks to carry out, approximately simultaneously. It was not an easy thing to do for a small group of six.