Chapter 2

The next morning, Giles had an appointment with Quentin Travers, the head of the Council of Watchers.  He and his son William stopped at the front desk for visitors’ passes before going further into the Council building.

Nobody stopped them.

The Council building was in complete chaos.  People ran around frantically.  Giles tried to get answers, but everyone seemed too busy and frazzled to talk to them. 

Giles gave William a small smirk.  “You can go speak with Reggie while I speak to Quentin.”  He pointed towards the archive room.  As he marched away, he whispered, “Good luck, Spike.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“They’re in,” Willow said.  “The diversion worked.”

“I love minions,” Drusilla cooed.  “They make such pretty cannon fodder.”

“Now it’s basically up to Giles and Spike.  There’s just one more step in the plan.”  Faith didn’t look up from her book.

Angel grimaced.  “I can’t believe you’re condoning Spike killing two Slayer.”

Drusilla hummed under her breath.  In a hypnotic cadence, she said, “My lovely Spike is going to dance in the sunlight and play with burnin’ baby fishie.”  She lowered her voice to a whisper.  “Such a shiny green baby burnin’ fishie.”

The others stared at Drusilla for a few moments before they shook themselves out of the spell that Drusilla seem to weave around them.  Faith went back to her book while Willow and Angel turned their attention to Willow’s laptop screen.

“Be quiet, Drusilla,” Angel barked.

“Such a bad daddy,” Drusilla muttered.  She turned away to ignore Angel.

When the others had turned their attention back to other things, Drusilla rose, straightened her dress, and snuck out of the room.

Closing the door as quietly as possible, Drusilla laid her hand on it.  A wicked smile graced her lips.  “Poor foolish daddy.  Spike knew, but you?  You thought I was just like you.”  She noticed a pretty, young thing down the hallway.  “Time to wash all that cow blood taste out of my mouth and get a new dark prince.”

Drusilla strolled down the hallway, leaving Angel behind.

Inside the room, Willow, at long last, tapped into the security camera system at the Council building.  Willow and Angel stared into the monitor looking for a sign of Spike.

“There he is.”  Willow pointed at Spike.  He was strolling down a hallway amidst the total chaos.

Faith looked up from her book.  “Huh, looks like Dru deserted us,” she said.

Willow and Angel looked away from the computer.  Angel immediately went to the door.  He looked outside the room, and up and down the hall.

“She’s not in sight.”  Angel turned to look at Faith.  “I’ll have to go search for her.  Why would she leave without telling me?”

Faith snorted.  “Like you’ll find her if she doesn’t want to be found.”

“Well, I do happen to know all her little hidey holes,” Angel announced.

“Go on, then.  I can handle this anyway.”  Willow waved Angel away.

“Thanks.”  Angel rushed out the door.

Faith looked at Willow.  “He does realize it’s daytime right?”

“Never stopped Spike.”

“True, but he’s not an old broody stick-in-the-mud.”  Faith smirked.  She got up and closed the door that Angel had left open.  “You know, you need to stop feeling guilty about putting Spike’s soul back in him.  I have a sneaking hunch it wasn’t you.”

Willow’s forehead furrowed.  “What?”

“Why did Dru sneak off now and not anytime in the past few years?”  Faith nodded towards the screen.  “The sunshine and the baby fish.  Two separate things.  He’s going in for two Slayers that are sisters.  There’s a Key out there that is a Slayer’s sister.  Come on, coincidence?  I think not.”

Willow stared at Faith in awe.  “I don’t know if you’re right, but that’s some pretty awesome thinking.  How did you come up with it?”

“Thank you.  I just paid attention when Spike spoke to Dru.  It’s all been there for years, if you just listened.”

“Yeah, and nobody listened to Drusilla because she was crazy and we all knew it,” Willow replied.

“You betcha.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Spike ambled along seemingly ignoring the chaos around him.  In his William disguise he blended in perfectly. 

“You!  Where are you assigned?”  An older man grabbed Spike’s arm.  Then, he noticed the visitor’s pass on Spike’s jacked, and he dropped his hand.  “Oh, sorry.”

Spike looked down at the tag.  “That’s okay, mate.”

After that man hurried away, Spike pocketed the tag.  When he reached the archives wing, he slipped inside where he was greeted by Reggie.

“That’s some distracting that you and Rupert came up with,” Reggie said in lieu of a greeting.  “The whole building is in a tizzy.”

“It was the idea of the witch and Faith,” Spike replied.  “They hired this trio of gits to command the minions in wreaking havoc.”

Reggie nodded.  “Well, they’re doing a mighty fine job of it.   Now, we’re going down to the basement records room.  We’re on a mission to find any books by an authoress called Tempest Rill.  That will bring us to the same wing that the Slayers are kept prisoners in.”

“Are there cameras we need to worry about?” Spike asked.

“Yes, but I’ve developed a loop program that will show up on the monitors in exactly five minutes.”

Spike nodded.  “Let’s get a move on then.  I’m feeling peckish”

“What happens if you decide to rescue them instead?” Reggie asked.

With a shrug, Spike answered, “The Slayer and Red are watching the monitors.  Depending on what code phrase I use, will determine their response.”

“The Slayer?”  Reggie stared at Spike in confusion.  “You mean, Faith Lehane?”

“Of course, mate.  You didn’t really think she was dead, did you?  Girl’s right sneaky that way,” Spike grinned.  He waved an impatient hand at Reggie.  “Now let’s get the show on the road.”

After a quick check on the hallway, Reggie and Spike moved towards the basement records room with Reggie still pondering about the Slayer’s’ survival and Rupert’s part in the event.  Sure, Reggie knew the Council’s plan to capture the young woman, but he hadn’t realized they’d faked her death.

It wasn’t a bad plan. Reggie decided.  Travers had certainly fallen for it.

Inside the records room, Reggie directed them towards a wall.   “On the other side of that wall are the Slayers’ room.  So, when will Spike be here, William?”

Spike grinned.  “He’s already here.”  He shifted into his demonic visage.

Reggie let out a small sound of surprise.  “You were in the sun.  How?”

“Well, let’s hope the Gem of Amara doesn’t tear up my insides,” Spike drawled.

Reggie watched in astonishment while Spike forged ahead.