FicWad

"The place is trashed." Buffy ran up the stairs. She called Giles' name but there was no answer. "No one's here. What is going on? Where is he?" She quickly ran back down to where Tara and Willow still stood near the doorway. "We were supposed to meet. Giles wouldn't take off. I've got a bad feeling about this. How about you, Will?"
Willow looked at all the papers lying around. The old T.V. that Giles had was smashed on the floor. Most of the books were off the book shelves. Even some of his records were out of their covers and smashed to pieces. Whatever had happened was so not of the good.
"I guess we shouldn't have made that stop on the way over here." Willow's voice was full of worry. "We should have come straight here. Maybe we could have stopped this from happening. Or maybe we could have made things worse. Still..." She sighed heavily. She felt Tara's fingers intertwine in her own. It brought a sad smile to her face and gave her a great deal of comfort. "I wonder how we're going to find them."
"That's what I was asking myself." Buffy came out from the kitchen. "There is nothing. The place is just simply trashed. You'd think that whoever took Giles would have left a note so that we would know where to find him."
"Uh, don't you mean them." Buffy froze in midstep and looked at Willow. "I mean, I know Xander's not a morning person, but he would surely have shown up by now. Don't you think?" She so didn't like the thought. That would mean that whoever had Giles also had Xander. And that whoever was probably Spike.
Buffy shook her head. "This just keeps getting better and better. First, Giles is gone. Now, duh, Xander is also gone. We've so got to find them. But how?"
"I-I may k-know how." Both Willow and Buffy turned towards the blonde. She smiled shyly at the attention. "I k-know a l-locator spell. I-it might just work. But we'd h-have to go back to m-my place to perform it. All the i-ingredients are there."
"I say we head to Tara's." Buffy took one last look around Giles' apartment. "We so have to hurry." She spotted his keys. "Will, you have your license, right?" Willow nodded. "Let's get outta here and find out where they've taken them."

"Giles, you all right?" Xander's voice was a little weak. He, Giles, and Anya were all chained to the wall of the cave Spike and his minions had been using as evil central. "You're not looking so hot G-man."
"I've asked you not to call me that." Giles' voice sounded even weaker. His left eye was swollen shut. There was blood running down his chin from a huge gash in his bottom lip. "And I have been better."
"Me too." Xander looked around him. He himself had also taken a little bit of a beating. But he was in far better shape than the former watcher. That was probably because Spike thought that he knew nothing. He sighed heavily. "I wish Buffy were here. She'd be able to yank these chains out of the wall in one little pull. Instead, we're stuck here until they do who knows what to us." Xander swallowed hard as a table with some interesting things on it caught his eye. "What do you think that's for?"
Giles managed to focus his sight to where Xander nodded. "I'd dare say that is all the ingredients for the spell to activate the gem. They must be closer to having it than we had suspected."
"Isn't anybody going to ask how I am?" Anya's voice was a little shrill. "I mean, I come looking for a possible boyfriend and I end up getting chained to a wall. And not for some fun sexcapades, either. This is so unfair."
"Unfair?" Xander now sounded annoyed. "They haven't touched you, not that I want them to." He turned to look at her. "And did you just say that you were looking for a boyfriend? And you were looking for me and not Giles, right?"
"Eeww!" Anya made a face as she said it. "That would be gross and disturbing. Of course, I was there looking for you. And yes, I do think that we could mesh well. If we ever get out of this, I still want to try meshing."
"Really?" Xander's voice now had shock in it. "You'd really like to go out with me? I mean, that's just so..." He shook his head, rattling the chains that held him. "This is so weird."
"And if I may," Giles softly interrupted. "As nice and romantic as this may be to the two of you, we do have slightly larger problems at the moment. We are being held by a vampire that we know to be a brutal killer and have no way to contact Buffy or Willow. I'd say that we must try and think of someway around this."
Spike walked out of the shadows. "Sorry to disappoint, but there is no way out." He smiled large. "And, we have this nice little number." Giles face showed the shock he felt. "That's right, the big bad has got this nice little jewel. Just think of the possibilities."
"One's you're not going to find out about." Spike turned towards the familiar voice. A low growl came out of his throat. "Sorry to crash the party, Spike, but you know that I just couldn't stay away. Your parties are usually just so much fun."
"Slayer!" Spike morphed into his face of a vampire. "You're here early." He shrugged and laughed at the same time. "I always did like a grande entrance." He swaggered slowly towards the blonde. "And you've come alone. Well, we'll just have to track down your friends later."
Buffy shrugged. "I thought that this dance would be better with just the two of us. I've missed our little dances." Before she could take two steps, ten vampires came out of the shadows, including Harmony and Kira. "But it looks like you've filled up my dance card. Come now Spike, I thought you'd want to have the first dance with me."
Spike laughed. "Well, now. If you can survive your prior engagements, we can have the last dance. What do you say, slayer, you think that's a fair deal?"
From behind her back, Buffy pulled a crossbow. She aimed carefully at the vampire closest to her. The vamp was easily dusted. Two more vampires came at her. She somersaulted in the air and landed between them. She pulled out two stakes and had them find their targets. That left Harmony, Kira, and five other lackeys surrounding her.
She turned towards Spike. "You really should get some better lackeys. These guys are hardly making me even break a sweat." Harmony and Kira stood and watched as the other five vampires attacked at once. "This is more interesting."
Buffy leapt into the air and let all five of them run into each other. She landed gracefully. She staked one of the five before they had time to recover. The four stood and formed a line. They again all charged at once. Buffy fell the ground. She managed to knock one vamp on his back and dusted him. The other three stared at each other for a moment. They took off towards the entrance.
"Bloody cowards." Spike yelled after them. "Well now, slayer. It looks like you get your wish. Your dance card seems to have lightened considerable."
"B-Behind you!" Tara and Willow entered the cave where the vampires had just fled. They were covered in vampire dust.
Buffy turned to see Kira coming at her. She sidestepped the vampire easily. "Oh, please. You have so got to be kidding me. You just watched me take on eight of your friends. And I'm still standing. Did you really think that one on one would be your best bet?" Buffy stood shaking her head.
"You bitch!" Kira glared at Buffy. Harmony kept creeping towards the entrance of the cave. "It's time you see how a real vampire is." She growled and launched herself at Buffy. A stake came out of nowhere and penetrated her chest. As she was turning to dust, she turned to see who had killed her. Tara stood with tears in her eyes. "Tara!" The name died in the air as she quickly turned to dust.
Buffy stepped closer to Tara. Willow was beside her in an instant. And even faster had her wrapped up in a hug. "Tara, you all right?" Buffy asked. A shout came from behind her.
"Buffy, look out!" Xander's voice rang out throughout the cave. But it was too late. Spike hit Buffy in the back of the head with a shovel. She fell to the floor.
"Hello, luvs." Spike grinned his evil grin. "Looks like it's just the three of us. And don't be trying that fancy mojo. I already had some fancy things put in place. The only mojo the two of you will be doing is to activate this." He held out his hand to reveal the Gem of Amara. "Ain't it pretty?"
Willow stared into the evil vampire's eyes. "And just why would we help you? With that ring, you become unstoppable. Why would we help you do that?"
Spike was suddenly holding both of them by the collars of their shirts. He shook them violently. "Because, with one little twist, your heads could be rolling on the ground. Now do be good little witches and do as you are told. I'd rather not get blood on my nice new ring. At least, not yet."
Willow's face paled considerably. "It seems that we don't have a choice. If we don't help you, you kill everybody. Probably gonna kill everyone if we do help." She shook her head, not liking the options she was faced with. "Just tell us what you need from us."
Spike smiled. "That's more like it. Got the important words over here. And all the fancy things you'll need to pull off that hocus pocus stuff." Willow and Tara slowly followed Spike. They never let go of the others hand. "This is all you should need. And do hurry. I might just get a little peckish in the meantime."
Willow sighed. She picked up the book. She and Tara studied it for a few minutes, as well as looked at all the things gathered on the table. "I'm not sure if we'll be able to do this. We haven't exactly had a lot of practice at doing spells. Especially together and all."
Spike simply shrugged. "That's all right. If you don't succeed the first time, I have four little playmates I can always have for supper. One by one." Spike picked up Buffy's still unconscious body and dragged it to the wall. There were more chains there next to Xander. "And I'll start with her."
Willow turned to Tara. "Are you ready, baby?" Tara smiled her sweet shy smile. "We can do this. We have got to do this. We will do this." She squeezed Tara's hand tightly. She took a deep breath. She turned to Spike. "We need the ring."
Spike sauntered over to the two witches. He handed Willow the ring. "Better not try anything, pets. Or I'll get just a little upset." He glared at them with his yellow vampire eyes. "And you've seen what I'm like when I'm upset, haven't you red."
A shudder ran up and down her spine. "No need to remind me." She turned towards Tara. Again, she took Tara's hand. "Let's do it." She took the ring and placed in a silver jewel encrusted bowl. Acting as one, they both took some of each of the little ingredients that Spike had already put on the table.
In unison, they said, "Forces of darkness, we put before you the ring. The ring that Amara fought so boldly and bravely for. The ring that was torn from the forces of light. Let it now, let it always, be powerful and mighty. Protect those that are of the darkness and harm those of light."
A red glow began emanating from the bowl. Slowly, until it was brighter than the sun a cloudless day. There was a heat that came from the bowl as well. Spike began to smoke because of the heat. "What the bloody hell have you two done?"
The red light exploded sending the three to the ground. Spike quickly stood up and patted the flames from his arms and legs. It took awhile before both Willow and Tara were able to stand up. Willow was the first to make it back to the table. She looked into the bowl to see the ring still glowing. But she couldn't feel any heat coming off from the ring.
"I think we did it." Willow took Tara into her arms. The things that the ring could let the wearer do made them both sick to their stomachs. Hopefully, they hadn't performed the spell wrong. If they have, it would me not only that Spike would become invincible, but that it would also destroy all life on the earth. And that would open the door to the old ones.
Spike smiled and came over to the table. Carefully, he picked up the ring and slipped it on his finger. "Well, now. This does feel grande." He turned towards Buffy who was now slowly waking up. "Looks like your witch friends have gone and done it. They've made me so that can't touch me." Spike made his way towards Buffy. "I think I'll go and see what it feels like to have the sun on my face. Been a long time, after all."
Willow and Tara made their way to where the four captives still hung on the wall as Spike made his way to the entrance. It took a little bit, but all four were soon out of their shackles. Buffy had a grim look on her face. They all did. If the spell had worked as they all feared it had, than there was no longer a way to stop Spike.
"Are you all right?" Buffy asked Willow and Tara.
"Are we, you're the one that got knocked out." Willow shook her head. "Besides, things aren't as bad as they seem." Willow got a huge grin on her face.
"I know that look, Will." Xander stepped towards his best friend. "What did you two do?"
Willow shrugged. She was about to answer when a smoking Spike ran into the cave. "Bloody hell! You two witches did something. What the hell did you do?"
"Tara, now!" Willow held out her hand. With a smiled, Tara showed her hand briefly to the other four standing there. In her hand, she held the real Gem of Amara. She and Willow joined hands holding the ring between them.
Again in unison, they said, "Forces of light, let no power of darkness ever yield this destructive power. Once and for all let the power be merged with that of the good to be used for light only." A white glow came from their joined hands. It lasted for only a few seconds. When they pulled their hands apart, there was nothing there.
"It's bloody gone!" Spike stood near the entrance to the cave. "You two bitches are going to pay for this." He ran back out the entrance. He was immediately hit with a taser blast and fell unconscious to the ground. Masked army men surrounded him.
Back inside the cave, Buffy turned to go after him, but stumbled. Giles caught her before she fell. "I hate to say it, but Spike has survived another day. We will go after him. After you've rested." Buffy was about to protest. "That's not an order, just a suggestion. You can barely stand on your own."
Buffy smiled. "My head is a little wobbly. Things are a little blurry. But with my slayer healing, we should be able to go after him starting tonight." She turned towards Willow and Tara. "You two really came through. Especially your mom, Tara."
Tara smiled shyly. "I-I didn't do t-that much. W-Willow's the one with all t-the power. S-she's the s-special one."
"You're the special one. And I plan on showing you how special later." Willow smiled as the blonde blushed and everyone else pretended to look around the cave. She didn't care that the others were around to hear. She loved her Tara and there wasn't anything anybody could do to get between them. And now that the threat from Spike was over, for now, she and Tara could finally be together. Together in that special way she had for so longed for. Her heart soared at the thought. She and Tara would be together, tonight.