Jungle Fever

Chapter 1-2


Chapter 1


The Maclay family, especially the men, was wealthy, prosperous, and very arrogant. The patriarch Allen Bradly Maclay Senior was head of the corporation, but when he took ill, the men became like vultures. Although he might have wished that Sandra could inherit the entire company for she was his favorite child, he knew that she was too loving to run a company. Therefore, he split the company equally between his three children, Hank, Charles and Sandra Maclay.

* * *

As the funeral progressed, there was not a dry eye in the room. "Allen Bradly Maclay was a good man, his business was prosperous, and his children, grandchildren, and even his great grandchildren will miss him so..." The Priest went on, the four-year-old girl sat next to her dad wiping the tears from her eyes, she didn't want Grandpa to be dead...

*flash*

"You know what this is?" Allen Maclay smiled at his three-year-old "grand baby."

"A locket."

"Yes, and I want you to have it." He motioned for the little girl to come forward. "Your grandma wanted me to give this to your mother when you were born, but I want you to have it instead."

"Thanks Grandpy." She kissed him, and lay next to him in his chair. He smiled and then rested for his afternoon nap.

*Flash*

Less then a year later, on Tara's fifth birthday, her father became one-third owner of the Maclay family fortune. As the eldest son he had just a little more say then the other, and he was going to use that fact to his advantage...

* * *

Tara was helping her older brother Donny collect firewood, per their father’s instructions. Though Tara was only five and Donny twelve, they were actually getting along. For the moment.

"Come on I dare you." Donny nudged his sister forward, as she shrugged.

"No."

"Do it you little baby"

"Donny, dad will get mad."

"See that's why no one likes you. You’re chicken." And with that Tara made a choice, she was going to do it, she was going to swing from the vine and jump into the cold water. But when she did, Donny just laughed and headed back to the camp without her. "Bye Tare."

"Donny, help me!" But he was gone. When she had finally gotten back to camp, Donny told there father she had wandered off, and he had not been able to find her.

"Tara Maclay, where have you been?"

"Donny dared me too jump, then..." Her father interrupted her, before she could tell him the rest.

"If he told you to jump off a building would you?" Now Tara was only five and still learning, so she smiled and very sweetly told her father the answer. After all she thought he was asking her a real question.

"Not sure, would I have a parachute?" Her father was not impressed, and with that she received a several slaps for disobeying and lying.

"Please don't..." Tara's mother emerged from the trailer running to the aid of her little girl, but "Sir" would not have it. He preferred when his family called him sir, made him feel superior.

She got scared when she saw her mother lying on the floor beaten up. She didn't want that to happen to her, so she did the only thing she knew how: she ran and hid. Her father beat her before but not like he had beaten her mother. So she fled to the forest.

"Tara you can't hide from me, I'll find you!" her father's shot gun sounded into the afternoon air. "You'll never make it little girl, the animals will get you first!"

Contrary to his belief, Tara was very smart for her age. She loved to read books on the wilderness and so she knew what she had to do. Survive. Her heart pounded, the darkness was consuming not just the sky but her mind with the thought that her father was going to find her. "Goddess protect me, I implore you. Save me, deliver my mother from the pain, deliver me from this dark night." She saw a cave and smiled, she just hoped no one was in there already. "Hello anyone here. Bears, Lions, anything?" she smiled, and laughed at herself a bit. "Like the animals will answer you." She laughed.

The cave was empty, there was no sign of life. This would be her home, she would set up here, she would eat off the land. Just like trackers, like the old days. she would learn to hunt, to fish, and if possible which berries were bad and which ones were good. Her wounds hurt her, she saw a tiny little stream and gathered sticks and rocks and leaves. Fresh water in a bowl she made from an old turtle shell, she headed back to the cave.

Setting her things down tore some of her cloth and made a dressing, cleaning her cuts and soothing her wounds which seemed to scream 'Thank you'. That night Tara sat alone cry. She wished her Mom were there, she wished everything would be OK. She wanted to be sung to sleep and rocked. She wanted to tell her mommy that she loved her, but could not.

* * *

"Years of neglect, fires, tree's being destroyed, animal's becoming fewer and fewer!" The red headed twenty-year-old woman, who was president of the research committee of Maclay Inc. was speaking her mind, informing the board members about the conditions of the jungle. "I hate to bring up the past, but as you sir sent in men to find your daughter, which was before my time..." she continued, her heart racing. "The forest thrived, but now we need to rescue it, make it like new."

"How do we do this?" Hank, Charles, and Sandra all sat at the head of the table, looking at her.

"Send me and my team in sir so we can scope the area and find out what we need." Willow smiled sweetly at the Maclays. Hank and Charles did not see amused but Sandra smiled.

"I think we should go for this little project," Sandra volunteered

"With your money?" Charles smiled.

"No with our money. This is a great investment Charlie. Think about it, our best team goes in, rescues animals, finds something worthwhile – evidence of our Tara's disappearance..." Sandra worked her way to Willow. "… I think Ms. Rosenberg and her team are capable, and would make us great sums of money." Sandra knew that would clinch the deal.

"Very well, we agree to allow this to go on. In two days you and your crew will ship out to Peru. You'll be granted eighty-five thousand dollars for research and three thousand for food. You'll have enough to stay days or months..." Hank closed his book. "… Oh and Ms. Rosenberg, let’s make money, not waste it."

Willow smiled to herself. She felt a sense of connection with Sandra. She wasn't sure why Sandra would help her; the Maclay family wasn't known for kindness. Yet Sandra seemed to be different. She started filling her paperwork when the secretary's voice came through the speaker on her phone. "Ms. Rosenberg, your fiance is on line two and Xander Harris is on line one."

"Thanks Samantha. Hello sexy." Willow purred as she pressed a button.

"Willow, still me..." Willow turned a bright red and pressed the button Quicker and harder.

"Daniel?" She heard a response and smiled. "Hey Sexy."

"Hey are you going to come home tonight?"

"Yes. I have something special planned."

"Damn..." Willow hated it when he said damn, that meant something was wrong. "...Me and the boys are flying out tonight, gig in Boston."

"It’s all right. In a couple of days me and a team of my choosing are heading to Peru anyway." Willow told Daniel all about the Forest. "Honey I have to go, being called. Love you."

"Love you too, see you in a couple of weeks." They hung up the phone, and as soon as I was said she was off to confront the team down on the Level E deck.


"All right people I have decided to take along experts in the field of navigations, Xander Harris, and his sister zoologist Faith Harris. I will also need an experienced team, since I got a very good budget I will be taking NCOFR group five." As she went through a few Papers she pulled out a small slip of paper. "Also I’ll be calling some outside connections for protection..." she placed a small series of photos on a projector.

"This is Buffy, Anya, and William, three children of the British Ex-con Rupert "Ripper" Giles. Reformed he was, and now he and his children work for hire as bodyguards. We leave in two days people. Meeting adjourned.

"Xander where in the frilly heck are you?" Willow was on the phone with Xander who seemed to be stuck in traffic. Faith was also with him since they lived in the same house.

"I told him to take the back way, but of course not, he had to take the highway!" Willow couldn't help but chuckle.

"Shut it!" Xander gave her a nudge. "Little sisters, jeepers...so what's shakin’?"

"A job, are you up for it? You and Faith?"

"Am I a lesbian? Yes, so count me in, yo!" Xander sighed and whacked his sister with his notebook.

"I take that as a yes?"

“Yea, we'll be there soon, you can fills us in. The traffic’s starting to move, see you in ten." Willow and Xander grew up as best buds, always playing these games. She got to be the damsel in distress, and Xander would come save her. Taking her away from it all. 'Good days' she smiled and remembered.


That night at the Rosenberg/Osbourne House, they discussed plans of the future. "Daniel I don't want to be like my parents: home half the time, not seeing daughter. I want to be us, like in high school."

"And I want that to."

"Well, Daniel, I guess we have to make a choice." Daniel just smiled and took willow in for a kiss. "Daniel!"

"I want you right now."

And the next two hours they were. There were highs and low, lots of highs, until... "Hello. Yea, I know. I'm coming."

"We can all hope." Willow nibbled on his ear.

"Be there in thirty." Daniel smiled and headed for the shower. "I'm sorry I was supposed to be at the airport an hour ago but I got side tracked." Willow smiled as Oz slipped out of his towel and slipped into his jeans and T-shirt. "I'll miss you." He kissed her lips and held her for just a minute. "And I wasn't trying to avoid the conversation, we can do it when we get back, no matter what." Then just like that he was gone, and Willow was alone in the house, once again.


Two days later, right outside of Sunnydale, California.

The airplane was waiting for its occupants to arrive. Two black limousines pulled up with a zoologist, navigations expert, and of course Willow. That's right I never told you what Ms. Rosenberg was good at. Willow Rosenberg was a well-rounded individual, doing almost anything she sets her mind to. She was head of the research department, she specialized in information retrieval on anything that moved or breathed. She was the most "important" asset to Maclay Inc. As had been her parents, who were now in Africa studying tribes. "Let’s load this bad boy up and spank it until it cries." Faith smiled tossing in some unbreakable boxes.

"And now we know what she does in her spare time. Spanking planes, you should be ashamed." Xander wagged a finger at his sister who gave him a light punch on his arm. "So Wilster looks like you’re flying on air, all excited are we?"

"More the you know. So anyone special in your life Mr.Harris?"

"Sadly no, the only love in my life is that of the hunt," and with that Xander placed his bowie knife into its holder.

"All right ladies, let’s go!" Willow heard several exciting shouts behind her, mostly coming from the Research team. "You bunch of animals!" She heard laughter and then she herself climbed up the steps.

As they flew into the morning air she looked at the sunny sky and smiled. Clicking a few keys on her laptop, she saved her first journal entry....


On the airplane behind her, the bodyguards got their gear together. William scoffed as he pulled out the mission statement. "Great, tranquilizers?" He tossed the envelope down. "Bloody hell, why not give us pop guns!"

"The animal specialist said no killing the animals." Anya finished placing her tranquilizer darts in their cases, as she mocked Faith.

"Behave you guys, we know the rules." Buffy Summers kissed her brother’s cheek.

"But Sis..."

"No buts."

"All right jumping point three minutes, are you ready?"

Yes, sir!" Rupert Giles, father, Husband, and ex-British Con, placed the autopilot on and headed to the back with his children. Helping to get the Parachutes on his children, Rupert smiled. A little background shall we... Rupert Giles’ first wife was a woman of British intelligence, and when he married her they conceived a little boy, a William Giles, on August 12, 1970. Then two years later Rupert was caught cheating on his wife with an American woman, with whom he had a little girl Anya Christina Summers on February 3, 1973. His divorce was a year later, another child was conceived, Buffy Summers on June 12,1975. His second wife Joyce died three years ago, Car accident. The girls were never the same.

"All right kids, go down there and check around. Remember Red said no death." The kids smiled and jumped, Giles watched them and smiled. "Bless their bleeding hearts."


"Look at those show off." Faith pointed, she shook her head. "I could do that!"

"Sure and when you reach the bottom you could break a leg." Xander smiled as he recalled two summers ago. "Remember?" Faith gave a weak smile and sat back down, watching the three figures disappear.

"They’re our bodyguards?"

"Yes." Willow looked up from the book she was reading, and placed it in her bag. "Best in there field, now buckle up."

"Why?"

"Plane’s going to land, plus the fasten your seat belt sign just went on." Xander and Faith did a quick jump to their seats and buckled themselves in just as the plane started to descend. It was going to be a long three weeks, and that was if everything went well, if not they could be there a month, maybe two.

Chapter 2

"This is the shit!" Buffy smiled flipping in the air, William and Anya quickly followed. "What kind of animals do we got down there?"

"Not sure, but get ready to land Luv."

"Great, my favorite part."

The landing was rather wet, miscalculations on Anya's part took them into the river next to the landing zone. They were drenched. No one was happy, especially William. "Stupid twit."

"Shut up, at least I can find my way in and out of a forest."

"I was twelve, Give me a break!" William yelled back.

"Children, children if we are going to fight I will have to give you a time out." Buffy smiled kissing William and Anya's cheek, "Now come on before they land."

The forest was thick, dirt and grass mixed with rocks and overgrown weeds. Little animals scampered down the path. Anya was ruthless, down right primal, but only one thing scared her more then death... "Bunny!" She hid behind William.

"Are you kidding me?" Buffy turned around and Anya shook her head. "Lets go." Buffy picked up the bunny and placed it on the other side of the road. Anya sighed as the little thing hopped away; William couldn't stop laughing. "Floods, armed men, natural disasters, out of all those things and more...bunnies!" Buffy was beside herself wondering who on earth could be afraid of bunnies.

"It’s a childhood trauma I rather not talk abou...What was that?" Anya stopped in mid-sentence as she saw some figure dash through the tree's.

"Not sure, probably a bunny." Buffy shook her head and pulled Anya along, William still laughing uncontrollably.


The plane landed with no problem, only a little bump here and there. Willow was perfectly fine with the landing, so was Faith, Xander...not so much. After everything was secure William greeted willow with a handshake and a smile. "Ms. Rosenberg, my name here is William Giles and these are my sisters Buffy and Anya, at your service."

"Welcome to the team William. I'm Xander and this is my Sister Faith." William smiled a shook both there hands.

William placed his layout in font of Willow. "All right, here we are. The best region of land to dispatch would be right over there. About due south is where we will find most of the wild primates, and they are territorial little creatures they are, so Ms. Rosenberg I myself will be your personal bodyguard. Anya will be yours sir, and Faith..." He paused and smiled. "...Buffy will be yours, all clear then?"

"Are you sure she can protect me, look at her." Buffy remained calm and just smiled, she walked up to the tall brunette and flipped her gun at her, Faith blocked it quickly. Buffy countered and Faith fell on her ass.

"As you were saying?" Buffy extended a hand and gave a slight wink. Faith ignored and stood on her own. "Temper." Buffy smiled giving her the look over. "If I am going to be your body guard you'll have to listen to me."

"Whatever, Willow I'll be over in my tent."

"Buffy..." William directed her over to him. "...remember to remain professional." Buffy smiled and quickly followed, standing outside of the tent in case further assistance would be needed.

"She can be temperamental at times." Xander smiled at Anya, He extended his hand and she took it. "It would be a pleasure to have your services ... service," he corrected, he blushed something not easily done.

"Xander?" Willow smiled, grabbing him by the ear. "Don't sleep with the bodyguard." Willow released his ear and her walked off with Anya. "So William what else do you expect, dangers and what not?"

"Nothing to serious love, just your standard wild beast here and there, and tranquilizers are a go. No bullets are loaded into the guns. We brought some along encase of other danger."

"Excellent, thank you."

"As long as you pay, we stay and serve." William smiled sitting down next to Willow.
* * *

Dark blue eyes peered out into the clearing. A certain red headed captured the beauty, The essence of the Jungle, the dark blue eyes seem to smile. They seem to wander around. They seem to love her.

* * *

The next day, William and his sisters had voyaged ahead before the expedition started. They walked further into the wooded area and saw nests, ape nests. William was right, and proud of it. William marked down the spot on the map. Due south. They heard cracking of branches. "OK you heard that right?"

"That I heard." William pointed his Gun into the clearing, aiming and waiting. "Show yourself." Just as Willow spoke, Xander, and Faith walked into the clearing. "Bloody hell, we told you to wait in the jeep, so we could make sure it was clear."

"What's going to get us a bunch of bunnies and raccoons?" Faith smiled, she poked around a bit and frowned. "These are weeks old, they moved on. Probably headed east, the map says its great for mating season, and mating season is just..." Faith looks at her book. "It begins tomorrow, so all the males are supposed to be in heat." Faith couldn't help but smile. "Men are always in heat." Faith laughed closing her book.

"So what now?" Xander Placed an arm around willow.

"We should keep going, a little while more. I have to meet with the lumberjack feller..." she couldn't help but laugh. "So let’s continue a little more, find some animals and study them. I was thinking maybe a bunny or two..."Anya shuddered, ".. Faith would you get on that?" Faith nodded and Singled Buffy to Follow. "Xander, you and Anya check up ahead, see if Faith was right about them heading east. Me and William will stay here and check up on the Nests."


Far within the forest in a small cave was a woman who lived alone. Had been for years. The cave was lined with the skin of animals caught and eaten, hand made weapons and of course lying on the ground was a small pile of books. On the fire was a rabbit, it was small just enough meat to feed the young girl. 'I wonder what the people are doing?' She said to herself, and sighed cutting the meat from the skewer.


Chapter 3

Following the call of the animal kingdom, the girl was up before dawn, hunting for her next meal. It was a beautiful morning – the sunrise was of beautiful oranges, blues, yellows, and reds. She watched the sunrise for a while before she continued on her way. The stream was beautiful, and crisp. She made a fire and then moved into the stream. catching a fish or two, which she gutted and then fried in a turtle shell she found.

As the sun continued to rise, the girl cleaned up her mess. Just as she was about to leave she hears footsteps coming into the clearing, she jumped into the bushes to wait. "Just taking a quick dip." Willow said she could do without William's assistance. "I'll be fine William."

The blonde's eyes watched Willow as she sat on a nearby rock. Willow removed her clothing. She wanted to be clean and so this was the only thing she hated about going into a forest: she had to bathe in a lake or some other water source, but soon Faith joined her. Not feeling so alone anymore she smiled, but those eyes watching the redhead never left her. She felt someone else was there but couldn't be to sure. "Hey Wil, how's the water?"

"Cold but refreshing, so anything on the apes?" faith frowned and wrapped her own naked body in a towel.

"Nope, they’re becoming so few. There were only six nests, so six families, normally there’d be like fifteen. We need to find these animal and like quick yo." The girls agreed. The blonde watched them more closely, wondering what or who they were? Who sent them, and why?

"Freeze!" William held the gun at the small blonde's head. "What do we have here?" He smiled holding the gun close to her head. "Anya, Buffy come look at this!"

"What's the matter William?" Willow covered up and walked close to him.

"Stand back Ms. Rosenberg, Don't know if this little bit is dangerous."

"All right, bring it back to camp. I'll be in my tent." Willow and Faith headed back to the camp-site and William rounded up the blonde woman. The blonde looked up and shook with fear as she saw the gun pointing at her.

"Let's go." He wasn't sure if she spoke English, so he waved the gun. But she didn't move; she was too scared. "Move it!"

"William, don't yell at her, she doesn't respond well to it. She's scared." Buffy knelt down beside her extending a hand. "Hiya I'm Buffy. What's your name?" she smiled placing her gun down. "OK you don't have to tell me your name, but come on I'll walk you back." Buffy smiled sweetly. "Promise me you won't hit me." The blonde smiled and shook her head, taking Buffy's hand.

"Anya get the cuffs." William waved her on.

"No." Buffy warned, Anya stopped in her tracks. "Not until we get back to camp, you understand once we get back to camp, we have to tie you up." The blonde understood every word spoken. But that's what she was afraid of.

* * *

Willow finished dressing, and soon after was heading to the tent where The Blonde was tied up, but when she got there the chair was empty and Tara was gone. "Shit, Th -" Just as she was about to scream her mouth was covered.

"Please don't scream, I won't hurt you." Tara moved her to the seat. "You know me, I'm Tara." Willow's eyes grew large, her green eyes wide as gems. "Yes, that Tara." She released Willow and sat on the chair.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Tara smiled.

"Why run away, you had everything. Money, a home."

"A father who was abusive, who threatened to kill me all the time." She gave a weak smile. "S-sure money’s g-good, f-fame’s g-good, but home was very bad. I'm all I-I got, and when I-I saw your p-planes land..." she paused wiping tears away. "...I thought h-he was c-coming b-back, for r-revenge." Tara looked up from her own pain and asked the question that she has been avoiding. "My mother...i-is s-she?"

"Missing, about two years ago she disappeared."

"How..."

"Hey Ms. Rosenberg we found out who this girl is." Anya walked into the tent with her brother and sister to discover the blonde free.

"Way ahead of you. Tara Maclay."

"Mr.Maclay will be so..."

"No, he doesn't find out." Tara smiled at Willow. "We never found her, do you understand?"

"But Ms. Rosenberg, all these years of searching. They think she's dead, we just can't..."

"Yes, we can Buffy, there are several reasons why no one will know." Willow sat down next to Tara. "One, she ran away for a reason. Two, she doesn't want to be found. Three, because she wants to stay free of her..." She looked to Tara first who shook her head. "...abusive father." Finally the three bodyguards understood, they knew all to well of abuse. Before their father was a gentle man, he was very abusive.

"All right Ms. Rosenberg, but if this leaks out..."Anya shrugged, and everyone already knew the answer. "...We’ll have to report it to Mr. Maclay." Willow stood and was rummaging through her drawers, pulling out clothes for the girl to wear.

"All right Anya, let’s make sure it doesn’t leak out." Willow smiled and handed Tara some clean clothes, Anya nodded and exited the tent. "Understand William?" He nodded and exited the tent standing by it, for it was his duty.

"Why are you doing this?" Tara smiled slipping on the clothes given to her. "Isn't that the reason my father sent you out here?"

"Yep, but hey if I can't find you I can't find you." Willow smiled helping Tara slide on her shirt which seemed to be stuck. "Little snug but it should stretch."

"Willow, what was your home life like?

"Lonely, I was always by myself. Your father always had my parents working, I never saw them." Tara frowned as Willow shook her head. "No, it’s all right. They were hardly home so a lot of questions never happened. I'm not good under pressure, I always told the truth." She blushed which made Tara smile. "What?"

"You have a nice smile."

"Thanks." Willow set up a cot for Tara to sleep on. "So what have you been sleeping on?" Willow placed a few blankets down and a pillow.

"Leaves, twigs, everything non-soft." Willow gave Tara a smile and handed her something to eat. "Its OK I had something to eat already." Willow was afraid to ask what, so she didn't.

"Come on, I'll show you around."


That afternoon, Tara found her way to Faith's tent, she saw the animals in a little fenced in area. She smiled when she saw the bunnies. "Hello." Tara bent down and picked up the little rabbit. "You’re not going to be harmed, I hope." Tara kissed its fur, and patted its head.

"These animals are perfectly safe." Faith smiled as she popped her head out from behind a door. "Everything I do here is humane, that's why the guns William and his sisters have are filled with tranqs." Faith smiled and placed a hand on Tara's shoulder. Buffy walked into the Tent and smiled when she saw Tara.

"Hey, sorry about my brother earlier." Tara just smiled, and placed the bunny back into the caged area.

"It’s OK, he seems nice."

"On occasions, anyway would you like something to eat?"

"Yes, please." The food was delicious. It had been forever since Tara had anything more then rabbit or deer meat. She was amazed at the site of hamburgers cooked over an open flame. "The last time I had a hamburger, I was four years old." She smiled finishing up her burger.

"Ms. Rosenberg we have a problem, Mr. Maclay is on the phone." Tara's face was stricken with fear while Willow ran to the phone.


Chapter 4

Tara froze with fear, mid-bite. "Please don't let him get me." She curled almost into a ball, she looked so helpless, it almost broke Willow's heart.

"Who informed Mr. Maclay about our guest?" Willow was off the phone with Mr.Maclay now, looking unhappy.

"I did." William walked over holding out a slip of paper to willow. "We were hired by Hank himself. He told us if we find anything of interest we should report to him." He looked to Tara who was still huddled in a ball. "I know your situation, but a paycheck is a paycheck."

Buffy frowned walking over to the poor girl. "I'm sorry Tara, but we have no choice."

"I trusted you most of all." Buffy nodded.

"I know you did, that's why I'm going to do this." All of a sudden Tara felt a sharp object pierce her skin, a needle. "Rest now." Buffy picked up the poor girl and held her.

"I have a job to do Ms. Rosenberg, are you going to help?" Willow looked to William and the others, she knew she had to. Or it could mean trouble.

"Well, we must not interfere with your job, place her in the tent." Willow took a deep breath, a thought crossed her mind. "When will Mr. Maclay be arriving?"

"Tomorrow morning." Willow nodded and watched as Buffy and Anya carried Tara to the tent. Willow waited until it was dark to sneak into the tent. Tara was already awake and sitting up. She was crying, had been for a while. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Tara?" She looked up and noticed tear on Willow's face. "I'm so sorry."

"I can't go back to my father, He'll kill me Willow." Willow wiped Tara's tears away, and sat next to her. "Set me free."

"I can't do that, I'll be in worse trouble."

"Please Willow, without my mother there, it will be even worse." Willow thought and whispered something into Tara's ear. Unknowing to them Buffy was watching the whole time. Buffy out of the three Giles guards was the most friendly and understanding, but she couldn't allow this to happen. Just as willow let Tara go Buffy walked in.

"Buffy please, let her go." Willow begged.

"I can't do that Willow, my brother wouldn't approve."

"But what do you approve of? Sending Tara home, back to her abusive father is not something good."

"I'm sorry Willow... William!" The tranquilizer gun was aimed at Tara.

"Tara go now!" Tara ran, Buffy shot the gun and Willow jumped in font of it. Tara escaped while Willow could not.

"Tara's gone, Willow helped her escape." Buffy walked over to the unconscious Willow and removed the dart. "She knows where the girl went, but I know she won't say."

"We'll place her in her tent, when she wakes up, we'll question her." William picked Willow up and hauled her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Xander yelled removing his Bowie knife. "Put her down!"

"Mr. Harris, if I were you I'd place the knife away, unless you would like to join you friend in her unconscious state." Anya motioned to him with her gun. "She helped the prisoner escape, for that she will be arrested and questioned. I'm sure Mr. Maclay will agree."

~ ~ ~

Willow opened her eyes slowly, her blurred vision showed nothing but two blurry bodies. As her eyesight returned, she noticed it was some other man she didn't know and a very angry Mr. Maclay. "Ms. Rosenberg I will ask you this once, and once only. Where is my daughter?" Willow sat up and shook her head.

"She's safe from you, you monster." Just then Mr. Maclay fist flew and hit Willow. Blood filled her mouth – she could taste the salty liquid. "Hit me all you want, you'll never find your daughter." She spit the blood at him and tried to stand but was quickly knocked down by the bodyguard.

"Willow, I am a very patient man. But Mr. Giles is not." Willow sat quietly "Very well, I don't care what happens to you Ms. Rosenberg, so you will tell me or Mr. Giles here will beat you like a Persian rug!"

"Sir, we checked out her cave. It seems Xander and Anya found it the other day. She's not there, all her stuff is though. Books, pictures, knickknacks, odds and ends that sorta thing." William handed him the bag of junk. "She’s out there sir, we’ll find her."

"With or without you, we'll find her. As of now you’re fired, last pay terminated." Willow looked up, anger in her eyes.

"You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can, and you bet more will happen if you don't keep your mouth shut." Her brain told her to shut her mouth, but something made her speak out.

"Or what, you’re going to make me disappear like your wife?"

"I have had just about enough of you. Mr. Giles show her what pain is really like!" Mr. Giles smiled and walked closer to Willow, her eyes widened as his fist connected with her face.


Xander and Faith sat quarantined to their tents until further notice, bodyguards included. Anya stood outside of Xander's tent and Buffy outside of Faith’s. Faith was a little more irked then Xander, after all Buffy seemed cool. She totally blew it in Faiths book now.

"You’re an ass, you know that." Buffy turned to face Faith. The angry look on Buffy’s face made Faith sit back down. "Poor Willow, and what do you do? Guard me when I'm not even dangerous. Willow is probably in more trouble, especially if your father is in there. Beating her, I hate to..." All of a sudden Buffy was gone from Faith's tent and running to Willow's. "Hope that worked."

She peered in and saw Willow lying on the floor, with neither her father nor Mr. Maclay anywhere in sight. "Willow, what did they do to you?" Buffy knelt down helping Willow on her bed. Willow was out cold, blood trickling down her face. Buffy walked over and got a Basin of water. "Let me clean you up." Just as she was about to touch the first cut Willow's hand popped up.

"Don't touch me."

"Let me help you." Willow was in no condition to fight back. "I'm sorry I should have known better. Mother didn't raise a warrior, daddy did." She gave a tentative smile and finished cleaning Willow up. "Just tell them where she went, he'll do it again. My father is well, very persistent."

"Your father is an as..." She stopped as she saw Mr. Giles Return.

"No please continue, I'm a what?"

"Father please don-" she ran to him, his hand flew.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching Faith?" She nodded. "I think you know what to do now." She nodded again and exited the tent. Giles walked over to Willow and sat next to her. "I'm not a bad man Ms. Rosenberg, but this is my job. If you understand, I was once a con-man, very well known. One night because I was careless I was captured. Given a chance to start over, I did. He smiled, then he frowned. "Tell me where Tara Maclay is and we won't have to hurt you anymore."

Willow released a tear from her eye. She didn't want to hurt Tara, but she was in so much pain. "I sent her to the west cave, it’s covered by trees, you'll have to look closely." Mr. Giles smiled and called in for a nurse.

"Thank you, and Ms. Rosenberg have a nice day." Once he left the tent she cried, she gave away Tara's position. She just hoped Tara was smart enough to escape, or run away before they got there.


Xander sat playing with his Bowie knife, he had nothing to do but wait. Anya was a little nervous seeing the excellent huntsman, playing with a knife with her back was turned. She entered the tent. "May I help you?" Xander asked throwing his knife to a target.

"Think I'm keeping my back towards you? Playing with that knife like that, I don't think so."

"I don't hurt humans unless I have to. I don't think you can bother me that much."

"O you don't think so? I can be a very annoying person at times, people often try to kill me." Xander just smiled and nodded. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing, just thinking about something."

"About what?" Then she spotted it, a bunny. She broke into a sweat, she didn't want to scream in front of a hostage. It would be embarrassing so she just backed away, but it hopped closer. "Shoo bunny shoo." Xander saw this, and picked up the bunny.

"You’re not afraid of bunnies are you Ms. Giles?" He gave half a smile.

"No of course not, why would you..." Then Xander placed it close to her face. "... Get that hoppy thing away from me!"

"You are, you’re afraid of bunnies," Xander laughed.

"It’s a childhood trauma – something bad happened. I don't like...stop laughing at me, it’s not..." Anya knelt down as Xander taunted her with the bunny, then he noticed she wasn't joking.

"O wow, you’re not kidding. Hey, hey don't cry I'm sorry. Look bunny going away now." He knelt down beside her. "Look I'm sorry, I thought you were kidding me. I guess I have to learn to take hint." Anya nodded and for once Anya allowed someone other than her parents hug her. It felt nice.

Later that evening Xander, Willow, and Faith were placed in the same tent with all of their equipment. "Easier to guard all three when they’re all together." Giles smiled and patted Mr. Maclay on the back.

"Willow, what have they done to you?" Xander ran to her side, Willow was perched up on her bed reading a book.

"They beat the living shit out of me. By the way, I will be pressing charges." She whispered. "Faith do you have your camera?" she nodded, and took pictures of the bruises.

* * *

Tara lay in her cave on the west side. Willow told her to hide here, it would be safe. but something told Tara that Willow was in trouble. "i shouldn't have left, I should have just stayed." Tara shook her head, tears fell, and then she heard footsteps. Something happened, bad enough that Willow revealed her location. Well she would escape. "Now to find an exit." She looked around the cave, there was only one exit she could see. She thought this was it, but then she saw something, an opening at the top of the cave. Light poured in. That would be her way out.

She climbed up the wall and watched as the hole got bigger and bigger. When she reached it she squeezed through. It was just the right size, she was safe once again, or was she?

"The cave is empty sir, and there’s sign of Tara here. She left a dead animal carcass, fresh." The agent for hire was agent Riley Finn. He worked for Mr. Maclay as one of the agents in his building. "Don't worry sir, we’re close." Tara watched the men search the cave. Suddenly, Finn looked up and saw her. She started to run. "She’s on top of the cave!" The men moved quickly. "Scour the area!"

Tara's heart pounded as she soared through the trees. She felt like Tarzan, heck she looked like Tarzan. Over the years she mastered climbing trees and escaping leopards like Tarzan did.

Back at the tent Willow, Xander, and Faith sat drinking a bottle of Scotch "I bet this soothes the soul." Xander smiled, clinking glasses with Faith and Willow.

"As of right now, this is as good as it gets." Just then Mr.Giles walked back into the tent. "What do you want now?"

"You were right Ms. Rosenberg, Tara was at the Cave." Willow looked disappointed "But she managed to escape. Not for long thou." Willow smiled at the back of the man who exited sharply.

"Think Tara will escape?" Willow nodded and threw back another shot of scotch.

In Mr. Giles’ tent everything seemed to be going well, his children sat waiting for orders. "Buffy you have disappointed me, how could you?"

"I was only being kind, Willow was hurt I was just."

"Shut your bleeding hole. God you whimper just like your mother." Buffy shook her head, how could he bring her mother into this, how dare he. "You had a job to do, which you have only screwed. Now, we have to work twice as hard!" Mr. Giles lit a cigarette. "William you know what to do."

"Please father, don't!" Buffy begged, but William picked up Buffy. "I'll do whatever you ask of me, but please." Tears streamed down her face as William tossed her head first into a freshly drawn bath holding her head down. Anya's face was turned. She did not dare look.

"Anya?"

"Yes, sir."

"Take a peek." She turned her head slowly and watched what was going on. A single tear fell. She hated when her sister was placed under the water.

"Sir?" William looked at his father, Buffy stopped moving. Mr.Giles nodded, and William lifted Buffy out of the water, knocking her back. William and Giles left the room laughing. Anya knelt down by Buffy who was shaking.

"Buffy?"

"I'm fine." She let some tears fall, and looked into Anya's eyes. "If Mom was alive she wouldn't..." she trailed off, Anya wiped her tears away.

"Come on let's get you cleaned up."

TBC...